Witch's Guide to Power

September 2011 Zoki Phantom (Hufflepuff)

While many witches and wizards know the most common sources of power, such as ancient runes and various elements in nature, only a few posses the knowledge about certain tricks very useful advice that can help one increase or maintain their powers. Today’s guide is brought to you by my alter ego, Edgar F. Lobiesk, who is surprisingly a witch (a really great one, actually), and was willing to share seven of these ‘tricks’!

Speak Up
Knowing when to speak and what to speak is always a plus! It is said that words can really increase the power of a spell and this is why most wizarding people talk while trying to do magic. But it is crucial to speak clearly and loudly – yell out those spells if need be! How do you think Voldy worked out those Avada Kedavra spells? He was a first class witch, and had a truly charming language - Parseltongue (although his laugh was quite awesome too). It wouldn’t hurt if you learn a few new languages.

Press the Right Buttons
Whether you’re feeling dreadfully blue or extremely happy, do let your feelings come out! An angry witch is a witch no one wants to mess with, although any form of emotion enhances your powers, through that simple act of channeling your emotions. But the true art is controlling your emotions --- you need to be able to decide when to be excruciatingly emo and when to be obnoxiously happy. Even if you’re very sensitive your emotions are still limited and you need to be able to use them for your own good, instead of letting them abuse you.

Sew Names on Your Clothes
“Fear of a name only increases the fear of the thing itself.” Said a very wise Wizard once, and he was completely right! The more you show confidence, strength, and superiority when saying one’s name, the more you scare them away. Having the names of your enemies on your clothes will definitely come to them as a very unpleasant surprise, making them scared to strike, and giving you an advantage.

Just don’t sew in your name all over your clothes; it only makes you look like a fool.

Dance with the Devil
A witch has to fully use all of her non-magical skills in order to achieve her potential. Why would you cast a shielding charm to avoid a missile when you can just move your body and shake those hips?! The killing curse becomes an easy murdering tool when practiced enough, but it will be useless against you if your enemy can’t hit you. Also, making extraordinary movements while performing magic are known to increase the power of the magic. This means that if you haven’t taken any dancing classes so far, you should definitely consider it!

Follow the Butterflies
Did you know that a healthy body usually owns a healthy soul? A few exercises a day definitely helps you stay fit, good-looking, and increases your energy. We recommend that you skip the hot period around lunch and either the morning or the evening of this purpose, as the sun is very hateful towards witches and won’t show any mercy.

We suggest that you simply go look for some butterflies and then try to catch them – you will both exercise and get a wonderful and pretty potion ingredient.

Get Yourself a Tombstone
Not for personal use, no, you simply need a reason to visit the graveyards without looking like some creep who is wandering around like a maniac. A witch’s place through history has always been dark and one needs to maintain a connection with a spooky place to help her ‘refill’ her energy. Only those who have faced the greatest battles know how miserable your life can be afterward if you can’t freely roam a creepy place like the graveyards.

Make Sure Your Swagger Jagger is in Check
A witch ain’t really a witch if there is no theme song to emphasize her presence! Whether it is a hateful one or a sad one, you need something that will make your arrival a complete BOOM and to scare your enemies. With this you achieve two things – the element of surprise as they don’t expect something like that, and an outburst of enthusiasm which will double your witchcraft’s effect.