Initiation of Writing Magick
A Journey of Becoming a Storytelling Magician
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In this post:
The Magician Rising – How magick (with a K) changed how I write.
The Key is Believing – You are capable of anything and everything, just ask my Gran.
Initiation of Writing Magick – Writing magick, both verb and noun, defined.
How do you experience writing magick?
The Magician Rising
One of my favorite stories to tell is one about how the tarot came to me, a novice novelist whose sole understanding of the cards had been what I was fed by Hollywood. You can read the full story here, but to summarize, I was walking at the part after work one day more than a decade ago when a woman and her tarot cards appeared in a vision.
The moment stopped me abruptly, commanding my attention and revealing a path that would not only guide my writer’s voice but change my entire life.
To that point, I’d just finished my first novel (a contemporary romance that is now out of print) and was eager to start writing again. The appearance of the tarot on that fateful day at the park was a descension of magick—with a K—onto my writing practice. Little did I know on that pause in my walk, that download of esoteric knowledge would prime me to rise as a Magician over my life, and my words could—would—influence a course of events to change not only what I wrote but how I wrote.
This post is an initiation of writing magick, and throughout this series I’m inviting you to rise as The Magician over your own storytelling endeavors.
The Key is Believing.
While I was writing Mystic Storyteller, my grandmother’s voice stayed with me. My entire life, every time I would surprise her by doing something she deemed magnificent, Gran would smack her lacquered lips and tut, “Girl, there isn't anything you cannot do!”
Because my grandmother was such a gifted woman whose words were influential in whatever situation she found herself, I believed her, and every single one of my creative endeavors has been initiated with the understanding that I am capable of anything.
Regardless of spiritual or religious beliefs, believing with one’s whole heart is accessible to all. Believing what you desire can happen. Whether through hard work, consistency, persistence, with Divine assistance, or through a combination thereof, whatever your desired outcomes can be yours... as long as you start by believing.
Initiation of Writing Magick
I identify as a spiritual person, and as I have evolved as a storyteller my spiritual path has reflected this shift. As previously mentioned, the tarot’s appearance in my life initiated a shift in the way I write. Before that day in the park, my story ideas swirled in my mind, floating around and sometimes bumping into one another. Writing used to feel like a barrel for bobbing apples, as if I’d pick an idea and then pump words into it until it became a story. This process made writing feel more like a struggle than an inspired connection, so when the tarot appeared in my life, a magickal spark ignited, and my stories began writing themselves.
Writing is an act of magick. Imagining words, weaving them together into thoughts, and casting them onto a page where they’ll become a story and change lives is an act of spellcasting. The magick is in the belief that the power of your words can incite change and attract desired outcomes. Manuscriptal manifestation, if you will.
Writing magick happens when one approaches one’s writing desk (or table, or phone, or wherever you write) and proceeds with the intention of making their words manifest change in the minds and/or hearts of those who will read them.
For me, writing magick happens through an intuitive connection shared with my spirit guides. I begin every writing session by calling on my Muses, the creative guides who help me find and form my words. I’ll share this ritual with you in a forthcoming post, so stay tuned...
When what I’m writing feels right, I know the message/story is aligned with my intended purpose. Sometimes the words flow automatically and with ease onto the page. Narrators and characters become sentient beings, settings unfold as real as if I’ve opened a door and stepped into a new world only to realize my house landed on a malevolent gal with great shoes. Other times, however, my words feel jumbled inside my mind, and they push and shove their way through my fingers. When this sensation occurs, I’ve learned to look at writing like piecing together a puzzle; when I fit the final word into place knowing the message is complete, that’s also writing magick.
Do your stories ever seem to write themselves?
Do you share the same or similar experiences as me? Do your stories ever seem to write themselves? Share in a comment! I’m always curious about the practices of my peers.
In Case You Missed It
In the introductory post for this Writing Magick series, I shared my plans for taking you on a journey of becoming a Storytelling Magician, and I’m sharing with you strategies to help you:
Initiate writing magick into your practice
Implement an equation to maintain motivation
Craft your writing magick ritual
Battle Resistance (with a capital R) to fortify will
Learn how telling your truth is a spell
Explore how color magick can shape your writing practice
Rise in Resilience (also with a capital R) to overcome distractions
Uncover ways the tarot can shape your inner Storytelling Magician
About Mandy
Amanda "Mandy" Hughes is an author and instructional designer who uses the tarot to inspire storytelling. Her book Mystic Storyteller: A Writer’s Guide to Using the Tarot for Creative Inspiration and companion tarot deck are helping her peers do exactly that. She also writes fiction under pen name A. Lee Hughes. Mandy lives in Georgia with her husband and four sons, two of whom are furrier than the others (but not by much). Visit her website at www.haintbluecreative.com and find her on Substack @HaintBlueCreative.
