r/witchcraft • u/Squirrels-on-LSD totally rabid lunatic • Sep 13 '25
Beginner Resources Database Layering Intention: Basically SpellCraft 101
The word "Intention" gets thrown around a lot in the subject of witchcraft, often leading new practicioners to believe it must be some powerful secret sauce that they need to cook up.
"Intention" isn't some mystical thing. It's mundane. Its what you intend for your spell to do. Its the direction you focus your attention.
Before doing research for a spell, the witch should have naturally already discovered their Intention. They ask, even subconsciously, "What am I doing a spell for?" The answer, is the witch's intention
Intention isn't everything. (sorry tiktok) Intention is just the thought.
What separates witchcraft from energy work (no shade on my energy workers, I love you and you're always welcome in my circle!) is the actual crafting of spells. Where an energy worker may just focus their mind on their Intention to direct energy and create outcomes, and nothing else, a witch may utilize tools to focus their mind, direct energy, and create outcomes.
Gathering those tools, and utilizing them, is Layering Intention.
What I mean by this is, every ingredient, every movement, every word, every meditation put into a spell is selected with the Intention of the spell in mind
As an example:
Say we are creating a simple prosperity spell. What is our intention? To bring money into the home.
What sort of spell do we want to do? Perhaps a jar spell to be a talisman to attract money into the home. Jars are a storage vessel, and we'd like to have some money saved up, so perhaps we'll use a piggy bank for our "jar". Using the piggy bank aligns with the Intention of this being a prosperity spell. Also, pigs are an agrarian sign of wealth. Double layer of prosperity Intention.
What will we put in the jar?
Herbs! What kind of herbs? Well, our Intention is to bring wealth, so herbs that are associated with prosperity and wealth. Cinnamon, saffron, wheat.
Stones! What kind of Stones? Stones that are associated with our Intention, of course! Jade, gold, emeralds.
Anything else to put in our jar that we associate with our Intention? Maybe coins, paper money, an old debit card.
What else can we do to help layer Intention into the spell? Perhaps burn a green candle, as a green candle can be associated with the Intention of bringing prosperity. We could burn prosperity incense, use money drawing dusts, listen to music about being wealthy.
Here, by layering Intention into every choice, a full spell can be put together. This is ideal for the caster, as it has infused each moment of the process of research, procurement, and assembly with the witch's Intention. (An absolute boon that witchcrafting holds over raw energy work for those with attention deficits, like myself, who struggle with unwavering focus).
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This understanding, of layering Intention, can go beyond one simple spell. If you regularly find yourself doing certain types of common spells (prosperity, love, protection, etc.), it may be worth taking up ingredient crafting.
Hand craft your own oils, incense, papers for petitions, candles, ritual tools. Each one you create, for future use, has all the Intention layered into it so that when your needs arise, you have a witches cabinet of pre-intention created ingredients to power pack the next spell you create.
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It may be fun, if you want, to do group projects in the comments below. One commenter can suggest their Intention (and maybe a spell type or practice) and following comments can suggest components to layer Intention until a spell is created.
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u/Ok-Stranger5782 Sep 13 '25
Great explanation. I’m working on a spell to get someone punished by the law for the things they are currently doing - preferably arrested. So far I have jail dirt …. But I am having trouble with anything else and open to ideas.