One of the concepts that we work with in shamanic witchcraft is that reality as we perceive it is simply an illusion. From a shaman's perspective, we are spiritual beings experiencing physical reality, not physical beings striving for a spiritual experience. The limitations that we encounter in this lifetime - time, space, matter, etc. - are only there because we choose to experience them. Our natural state is a spiritual one. In the larger scheme of our existence, we incarnate into this specific lifetime with all of its physical laws for a very short period of time. Before we incarnate and after we have left this life behind, we are not bound by things such as the walls of our home, the confines of our material form, or even the limitations of linear time.
When a shamanic witch embarks on a spiritual expedition - such as what is achieved through shamanic journeying - the practitioner doesn't need to travel anywhere since, from a spiritual perspective, distance is simply an illusion. The shaman's spirit doesn't leave their body an empty shell in order to project itself into another place or time. They don't "journey" to another level of reality. The journeying simply involves the removal some of the illusions that construct the shaman's perspective of physical reality - illusions that separate the shaman from the holistic nature of spiritual reality. Once these illusions are removed (a process that includes a great deal of personal work with the practitioner's perceptions, weaknesses and fears), the shamanic witch is capable of seeing beyond the limitations of the illusion and access the energy, wisdom and knowledge that are then revealed. When viewed from the perspective that the only boundaries are those which we perceive to be real, then all things, times, places and events become part of the same integrated spiritual energy.
If this is true, then it holds an interesting implication for our ritual work, regardless of whether those rituals involve celebrations, the honoring of milestones or kindred spirits, or actually focusing our will to a specific end. If all of reality is integrated into a single, holistic spiritual energy, then when viewed from a spiritual perspective, our actions and intents become as real as we are. After all, regardless of whether it is ourselves or our actions, the result is simply an _expression of the same spiritual energy.
If you will, stretch your mind for a moment and imagine our rites, not as creating an intent and releasing it into the universe, but as giving birth to a spiritual being. This being is extraordinarily limited. It's intent and actions mirror the intent we placed in our rite. This being is only as strong as the energy we put into it. But given the parameters of our rite, it will act on our behalf until it reaches the end of its "life" and is reintegrated into the broader scheme of spiritual reality. It won't have even our limited understanding and perspective to rely on when it encounters multitudes of possible outcomes. This being can only draw upon the original intent we instilled in it.
When viewed from this perspective, it begins to become clear why spellwork is such an inexact art. We aren't shooting a magickal "arrow" at a target; we're essentially training a mystical "toddler" and asking them to carry out a simple task on our behalf and then sending it off on its own. The deeper our rites, the more "training" we can instill in the being we create. But in the end that being is still extraordinarily limited and we are releasing our intent and energy almost blindly into the universe.
This is one of the reasons why, after eighteen years of a very dedicated practice, I've performed a total of two or three spells in that entire stretch of time. Not only are they unnecessary, but spellwork, by its very nature, is unpredictable.
However, we interact with spiritual reality through more than just rituals and spellwork. Every day, through our interaction with other people, through our honoring of nature and the spirit world, we are sending our intent out into the universe. Whether we're complimenting a co-worker on a job well-done, correcting a child, welcoming the sun to a new day, or saying a prayer, we are creating energy and releasing it into the universe. If we live a life full of thankfulness and joy, we'll manifest that same energy around us as we're creating that energy, that intent and instilling it into the broader spiritual reality. In a sense, through the regular _expression of joy, thankfulness, and respect, we're creating a veritable army of spiritual beings who only exist to create that the very positive energy.
I'm not suggesting that we're creating an actual spiritual being. That's a different process altogether and one that, while I was taught the process by one teacher who embraced the concept in her own work, is not something that I've chosen to integrate into my own practice and is not something that I teach. What I'm suggesting is that it may be beneficial to us to look at our rituals from another perspective, one that gives us a clearer idea of how the energy we raise behaves once we release it into the universe. If we think of the implications of our rites as the creation of such a being – rather than the vague concept of releasing our intent into the universe – then we will be able to make more informed choices regarding our actions, rituals, and spellwork and will have a better understanding of how our energy and intent influences the world around us.