Faith in yourself, your spell work, your deities and your magick is tantamount to magickal success. If you doubt yourself or your Magick, you cast doubt into your spellwork and failure (at best) into your results. You must believe in what you are doing...not just for the moment during which you have cast the spell, but before and after as well.

Magick is nothing to be played with, and should not be performed experimentally without first studying long and working hard to gather knowledge about what you would attempt to do.

That having been said, once you've reached the point that you are comfortable with your particular style of magick, then you can begin discovering your own techniques and combinations. Certain "substitutions" can be made here and there to accommodate your tastes, needs, and availability. For example...if, for you, protection is red, then red will work for you. If protection "feels" purple to you, then purple is what you should use...and so on. What you believe is right, for you is right. If you're a beginner, there are starting charts HERE to help you get started...colors, herbs, stones and such.

Just remember that Magick is in your heart, not just your mind. If it feels right, then don't second guess yourself...have faith in the abilities within you and go with that.

Belief in yourself and the powers around us is one of the fundamental key elements in your Magickal success.

Faith is described/defined as "evidence in things unseen," and has been defined sa such for generations. I think that description is apt.

I would also like to take this opportunity to point to one of many parallels between Wiccan/Pagan beliefs and and practices, and those of Christianity...

The Christian practice of prayer states that you must have deep and abiding faith or your prayers will not be heard. You may not pray fallaciously; you may not ask for that which you do not need, but merely want. Once your prayer has been said, you must leave the outcome to God, hence the saying, "It's in God's hands, now."

Wiccan/Pagan prayers are said in the form of Spells. You must have faith in your abilities and in the outcome before even beginning. You may not perform spells asking for great wealth, fame, or fortune. Once your spell has been cast, you must leave the outcome to the Gods, hence the older saying, "It's the Will of the Gods, it is."

Faith is tantamount to success in your spell work, for without it, your words go nowhere.