Should your spells always be kept private?

I'm in two minds on this. Traditionally witchcraft is a secret art and many of my contemporaries would throw up their hands in horror at the thought of sharing their grimoire or book of shadows with anyone else. Secrecy is valued in the craft and the private workings of an individual are respected.

But in terms of sharing personal spells I'm perhaps a bit more flexible than most. In the first place, my spells simply wouldn't work for someone who hasn't learned how to focus intent and energy. And they certainly wouldn't work without belief. So I'd feel quite confident sharing certain things with certain types of people. I'm not sure copyright does (or should) have a place in spell work....

I wouldn't advertise specific spell work. I wouldn't post "Hey look at me, I hexed so and so yesterday..." But I might share the basics of my spell work, what works for me, what doesn't, wordings I have written, correspondences I personally find useful.

A few basic spells from a more experienced witch can be a good starting point for a beginner in the craft. I'm not suggesting they follow other people's spells slavishly but the spells can provide ideas as to how to create a structure for their own original workings.

However, from a safety perspective it would be foolhardy to share anything dangerous. It is wholly irresponsible to post recipes containing harmful herbs on a public forum for example.
You also have to think of your audience. I wouldn't post a pile of spells on a website that attracted a young following as this could cause problems with parents.

But the biggest issue with allowing other people to share your magic is that you are potentially allowing enemies to understand your protections (think sending a burglar a detailed floor plan of your home and copies of your keys).  This kind of information would be invaluable to anybody wanting to mount a magical attack against you.

So its not really black or white. I'd advise against sharing to show off, I'd advise against sharing too much and I would certainly advise against sharing with the wrong people. But learning from each other can only make us better practitioners of the craft and that is why I won't be putting a lock on my grimoire any time soon...

Image http://www.sxc.hu/browse.phtml?f=view&id=997549 (hapekla)

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