When we talk about magical spaces the ‘newly awakened’ witch tends to imagine a picturesque woodland clearing or the perfect lonely beach lit by the full moon. Some imagine lonely houses in the woods or a perfectly set up magic circle, complete with bubbling cauldron. However 9/10 times this is not the case. Magical spaces aren’t magical because they fit an aesthetic; they hold power because of the spirits, virtues and energies that reside there. It’s up to us as magical practitioners to firstly, know and understand these virtues, and secondly, know how to align ourselves with them in the most effective ways.
A friend of mine made a small post on the difference between ‘using’ and ‘working with’ certain materia (that’s any spell material you use in your workings), how we shouldn’t be ‘using’ anything, only gently working with and calling on the virtues these things possess. Adopting that attitude, in my opinion, is invaluable. The same applies to ‘working with’ spaces and spirits of the land. We, Witches, should make it our goal not to master the spirits, but to work alongside them and create relationships just as we would with the physical and the living. Taking the time to learn who and what the spirits of a place are can be more valuable than reading 100 books on witchcraft. It’s a personal relationship. Spirit can teach you more than any book, once you know how to communicate.
The first step in discerning what spaces may be beneficial as locations for our spell-work is looking at the physical space. Are there children running around nearby? Will a jogger get a nasty shock if he runs into a magic circle full of naked people? Human concerns and human problems, how much litter has been left in the place, has the land been managed in a harsh way? Or are things still natural/semi-natural? Making a mental note of these things, cleaning the space of trash or working out an appropriate time of day to return are all behaviours that will become second nature after a few experiences.
After working out the extent of human influence on the space we should then look to the geography, geology and ecology of the place. Is it a forest? If so what type, is it a safe place for a fire? Is it a beach? Where is the tideline, how long will it be safe to stand the before being washed away? Is it a lava field, will it be safe to cross or walk on? Is it a cave, how stable are the rocks above us? Are you up a mountain, is it safe, windy, snowy? Once you’ve worked out the level of safety of the space we can then look to the virtues and types of spirits that might be found there. Workings for certain things can be fairly easily organised into which elemental virtues they fall under. Are you casting a spell for new love? Would you want to call upon more fiery and passionate virtues for help, should the spell be cast on hot, fiery lava rocks? Or would a small stream or a beach bring the element of waters gentle flowing energies to bring you a deeper emotional relationship?
As a general rule I would recommend following old school magic papa Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa’s chapters on the virtues of places and planets from his masterpiece, The Three Books of Occult Philosophy. To Saturn “all stinking places, dark, underground, religious and mournful places... caves, pits, and standing ponds” Saturn tends to be the moody boy of the sky, aiding in works of rules, order and necromancy. To Mars “fiery, bloody places, furnaces” all these places call on Mars’s fiery, warlike virtues. To the Sun “palaces, theatres, light places...kingly and magnificent places”, the Sun bringing virtues of light, honour and nobility. To Venus “green meadows, flourishing gardens...the seashore, baths and all places belonging to women” but as we challenge the gender binary of the past I would
suggest all places that have been associated with fertility or sympathetic ties to the womb or vulva. To Mercury “Shops, schools, warehouses and markets” all to do with communication and intellect. To the Moon “wilderness, rocks, hills, mountains and forests...rivers, seas and ships” which arguably is all of Iceland.
Take these ideas into consideration when locating areas to use in your spell work, because although Agrippa’s Three books of occult philosophy were published over 500 years ago, they ring true and much of this has gone unchanged. Once we’ve worked out which areas are best for our workings then it’s time to go about clearing the space and petitioning the spirits there for their assistance. This bit can usually take a little while at first, if you’re inexperienced with either energy work or spirit communication. My top tip for this aspect of finding a suitable magical space is to bring with you some simple form of ‘yes or no’ divinatory tool. This can be anything from a simple 6-sided die (odds yes, evens no) or a coin for flipping. Ask the spirit aloud if you may use this space, maybe go as far as to state the intention of your spell in that place. If you’re not used to sensing a yes or no response then do your divination and see what answers you get. Bear in mind that your intuition is the main tool you need for this step of the process, and if a coin tells you yes but a tugging in the back of your mind tells you no, always listen to that inner voice. It’s also worth remembering at this time the words of the mother of modern witchcraft Doreen Valiente “power can induce fear, without anything evil being necessarily involved”. So make sure to get a feeling for a site before you actually use it for working.
This statement rings true in Iceland as so many places are sacred to the spirits here and haven’t been worked with by humans in a long while, if ever. The spirits here often need to be petitioned before they are willing to give up their space to any old mortal. This can be done in a number of ways, but first and foremost with all workings in Iceland (at least until the spirits are familiar with your presence) you must petition the Landvættir, this can be done through song (a powerful tool for a future article), or spoken aloud. Local musician Sigurboði (aka. Papa Galdr) created a song on his new album Kvæðamaðr for this exact occasion titled Kyrrð, I would highly recommend using something similar in your petitions, honouring the spirits of the land and the four dwarves/cardinal directions. Sometimes a small chant and a little offering of wine or incense is all you need once the spirits know you’re not a fool or a threat.
I should stress that all of these steps in the process are guidelines that I’m writing off the back of over a decade of experience, I’d be shunned by my fellow Capricorns if I didn’t include a little warning about breaking the rules. So while they are guidelines, they’re not without reason. A caveat for those that disregard any form of petition or act carelessly, the spirits see and the spirits remember, you don’t want angry elves following you home.
As I said, working with spirits and places takes time to establish and build a solid connection, just like most things in your craft practices it won’t just happen overnight. So find your own spots, share powerful spots with trusted witches and help build our community and relationships with all the spirits of Iceland. Learn a little about your local spirit ecology, ask other witches what or whom they may have connected to, if they wish to share that information. Heiðmörk, Þingvellir and even Hólavallagarður are excellent places to explore spirits and energies around the capital area and I encourage you all to spend a little time meditating in these areas and see what you connect with.
- Albert
Who is Albert?
Pellar, podcast host at Nornagaldur and strong Capricorn energy.
Albert has been practicing witchcraft for over 13 year, growing up in the south of England with ties to Ireland and Scotland, his practice revolves around mix of seiður, magical herbalism and folk magic from his homeland and beyond.
Make sure you follow him for inspiration Instagram
Thank you Albert for your words of wisdom!
I really LOVE this article!
Thank you again Albert!
p.s.
I love the connection of the virtues of places and planets, thats very interesting!