If you feel disconnected from nature and don’t feel like you’re doing witchcraft “right” because you don’t go for walks in the woods or down by the sea, it’s okay. You don’t need to be in nature, or be silent, or still. You don’t need to live with one foot in the past. That magic has beauty and charm, but it isn’t for everyone.
There’s magic in urban places, where there are so many lights at night that your city can be seen from space. The hum of electricity is just as powerful as the sounds of nature. The wind howling down an alley has a different feel than the winds that blow the waves, but it’s no less powerful. You can so easily find the liminal spaces in late night diners and on rooftops and in the back of antique shops.
There’s magic in being surrounded by books. These books are full of your spiritual ancestors, the ghosts of witches who came before and are whispering secrets to you. Can’t you hear their voices when you turn the pages?
There’s magic right here on your computer, connecting you to a thousand thousand other witches. Magic has learned the shape of the internet, and witches have ridden it well. Little charms are passed in messages like they were once passed on parchment, spells are shared and amplified and coordinated in a great invisible web across the world.
Magic is creation. Magic is shaping the world little by little to suit your needs and desires. It isn’t where you are or what you have; it’s you. It grows in spaces where you have grown, and lives as you live.
when you’re feeling drained and uninspired, take a “cleansing day.” this can mean anything – cleansing your crystals, your bedroom, your aura. vacuum every corner of your room, visualizing the dust as negativity being sucked away and out of your surroundings. wash your bedding, wipe down the surfaces, spritz some yummy smelling spray, open the windows. feel free to meditate afterwards in your newely cleansed space, or let the act of cleaning itself be enough to clear your head. this is such a good way to freshen things up, providing you with a literal clean slate to let your creativity thrive!
Here are some tips I’ve learned over the years about working with spirits. None of these include tips pertaining to communicating with spirits via tarot cards or a pendulum. This is all about how to sense and interact with a spirit without the aid of any tools.
First of all, as with anything, set up protection. This is a disclaimer I have to give every time I talk about anything. Set up boundaries ahead of time as well if you are dealing with a new spirit.
You’re sitting there and you get excited every time a leaf blows in the wind. “It’s a sign,” you exclaim. No, it’s not. You need to learn the skill of discernment before you start anything else. You will pick this up quickly the more you work with spirits. Not every waking thing is a sign from a deity or spirit. This will allow the real interactions you have with them become richer and filled with more meaning.
Quit trying so hard. The more you strain to hear or get in contact with a spirit, the more your mind will be closed to hearing or feeling them. It seems to be a stupid law of the universe.
When it comes to clairaudience, you can either experience internal or external clairaudience. Internal can either sound like your own “mind’s voice” talking or it can differ. External clairaudience is when you actually hear something being said. Usually the external clairaudience will happen when you are caught off guard and the internal communication will be more common.
The voice of a spirit will come quickly and all at once without giving you any time to think about it. If you are having a back and forth conversation the spirit will sometimes answer you before you can even finish.
A little trick I used to use was to just straight up ask myself if I just said something versus a spirit just saying something when experiencing internal clairaudience. I would ask myself in my head, “did I just say that”. If it was me who made up what I wanted to hear the spirit say (rarely, this was more when I started out) then I could say “yes, that was me talking” with ease. However, if I was hesitant to say “yes, that was me talking”, even for a split-second, I knew it wasn’t me. This may or may not work for you. Try this method or set up some kind of system like that where you can check yourself. Eventually you learn the pattern and will no longer need this for discernment.
Sometimes you won’t hear any words. You will get feelings and images of what the spirit is saying and your brain will translate these feelings and images into a narrative.
Outside of them talking, some will make sounds to let you know they’re around. While these are usually external sounds (tapping for instance), sometimes it can be a sound you hear internally. I’ve been in contact with one spirit who had a distinct and odd sound he made as he talked.
Outside of clairaudience, look for synchronicity. If you keep seeing images of snakes, hearing unrelated people talking about snakes, and turn on the tv and see snakes – something is trying to get your attention with snakes. I don’t believe in coincidences. However, don’t ask a spirit to show you snakes as a sign and sit there and strain your eyes to look for snake imagery. It doesn’t work like that. You have to let your subconscious find the theme the spirit wants you to find. This goes with the above rule: stop trying so hard.
Watch for flashes of light, orbs, figures, and movement out the corner of your eye.
Be very aware of images flashing in your head briefly. These are important. One deity I work with always shows me, very quickly, the bottom half of his face smiling when he’s talking to me. Once again, don’t try hard trying to force yourself to see any visuals. These should come naturally and will almost always catch you off guard and when you’re least expecting it.
Be aware of hyper realistic dreams and dreams that make an impact on you. You know, the dreams that you can remember even years later. These are usually riddled with direct messages from a spirit or any kind of higher being.
Spirits will often touch you. It’s just how they are. I have one deity that will touch my hair. He’s even done it in the middle of class. It’s how I know he is with me. It’s all up to the spirit. You’ll find out how they get your attention. The same goes for temperature change. Some will present warm or cold spots. Some will give you a boost of energy to let you know they’re around. Some energies are famous for giving off energy that makes you feel tipsy like you just started drinking booze. Take notice of all sorts of physical stimuli and recognize their energy signature.
Set boundaries. If you don’t want to be touched or even if you want to cut off all contact with a spirit because you are hesitant, ask them politely yet firmly and they should oblige. If even for a second they ignore your wishes you can either ask one more time, this time all business, or you can go straight to booting them out of your space. Standard banishing, cleansing, and protections apply.
Pay attention to your energy and how you feel (if you have a knack for feeling energy). Do you feel anxious or afraid when they’re around even if you are supposedly talking to a nice, non dark arts spirit? Be wary. Some spirits naturally and passively give off negative feelings that can cause anxiety, fear, depression, and other things even if they mean no harm to you. These are usually the darker spirits. If you know that’s what you are talking to, then great!
Spirits lie. They lie about what they are, how great they are, and can even lie to you about how great YOU are just to gain your trust. Learn the difference between a true compliment giver and a kiss ass if you get complimented by a spirit.
Don’t obsess over it. I love talking to spirits. It’s fun! It can become an obsession, though. You wouldn’t bug your flesh friend every waking moment of every single day, so don’t do it to your spirit friend.
Have fun and use good judgement. Most of all, be patient. It’s a skill you work at. It won’t happen over night. Working on opening your third eye, using sigils to aid in communication, using crystals and herbs, and other tools will help you even more. Don’t try to rush it. Let it come naturally.
When you are just starting to learn and get into witchcraft it can be hard so here are a few tips 🙂
• never do anything you don’t want to do or you are uncomfortable with it is your craft and no one else’s
• don’t feel like you need to practice hard core spells and magick
• do research and never try any spells or magick you haven’t looked into properly before preforming
• use what you have! You don’t need every single witchcraft supply ever, alter things to suit your needs
• don’t feel like you need to know everything, witchcraft is something that takes time to develop
• if you feel you are ready to do something or take on an intense spell do it, even though others may not agree you are ready, if you feel it then who’s to stop you
• don’t be afraid to ask questions! The witch community is very open minded and friendly we are always here to answer questions and welcome new members
it’s finally back to school time for most of us and, at least for me, it’s also time to start good habits, crack down on the bad ones, and just begin to prepare for the year ahead. i’ve been in school for a couple of weeks now and, so far, i’m doing pretty good. below, i’ve compiled some simple tips that help me in day to day life that i would love to share. so let’s get cracking:
prepare outfits and pack your backpack on sunday instead of in the morning. i know for a fact you have more time on sunday to prepare your outfits and pack your backpack than on monday morning so planning in advance will most definitely benefit you. instead of running around in circles trying to find that shirt, hang them up in the front of your closet or place them in the top of a drawer on sunday. and instead of throwing random pens in a bag, pack your backpack and put it in front of your door. it’ll save you time to do other things such as eating and washing your face.
prepare and eat a breakfast. whether it’s some cherrios in a bag on the way to class or eggs and bacon cooked that morning, eating will definitely benefit you. you’ll have more focus in class and it’ll get your metabolism going. if it’s easier for you, think about preparing your food the night before and packing it in bags or tupperware.
have a tray by the door to put small things in. oh, how many times have i forgotten my earbuds or keys. keep yourself organized and not calling your roommate to get an extra set of keys by just having a tray on which you can put smaller things you don’t put in your backpack. then, just grab them before you leave and voilà! you aren’t locked out.
on sunday, do your meal preps, weekly spread, and clean your room and workspace. i am such a procrastinator during the weekends and there have been so many days that because of that, i am trudging through knee high messes in my room because i just won’t pick up. i also commonly forget to plan the week and prep my meals and then boom, it’s monday and i’m a mess. so don’t be a mess like me, do it all on sunday.
have a letter tray to put class handouts and old assessments so you can put them in binders later. using a letter tray to collect handouts and assessments can be so beneficial to keeping your desk clean. and without it, i tend to throw out old graded assessments i could study instead of putting them in binders. keeping all those papers in one binder is super helpful, so put them in a binder and finals won’t be your doom.
have a bedtime routine. having a bedtime routine can increase your productivity and sleep time because, one, it can help you stay organized and, two, it helps put you to sleep. the more your brain associates doing certain tasks with sleep, the faster you’ll be able to drift off. so be smart and enjoy an extra hour of sleep.
have one journal for in class notes and one to retake and organize your notes at home. in class you do not have time to keep your thoughts organized. with tangents from your teachers and questionable notes, its best to just use a pencil, pen, and highlighter to make scratch notes in class and then come home and organize it into something that you can study from. this idea has kept me afloat time and time again.
talk to your teachers. do yourself a favor, ask and answer questions in class and go to your teachers’ office hours if they have them. if you do this, your teachers are more likely to recognize you and will be more lenient with your grade (since it shows you’re engaged and involved). you don’t necessarily need to like the teacher, just pretend you care. smile and nod along as you ask about their lives, questions about the content, and for advice that you are never going to take. this is a pretty slytherin thing i’ve been doing for years and it has got me so many half points back, especially in math and science.
use quizzes and tests to study for finals. as i stated earlier, it’s important to save your assessments to study, and that is especially true during finals. teachers commonly use similar questions on the final as unit tests and quizzes. think of how many more points you can score on that final if you just study your tests.
make a study group. find friends and people in your classes that you would like to study with and meet up! they’ll definitely be able to help you understand topics and it’ll be more fun than holing yourself up in your room. also, explaining concepts to others will help you better understand them and answer those questions on your tests.
make a weekly to-do list. some of you may already do this in your weekly spreads, but it’s important to make to-do lists of goals and tasks you need to complete. this isn’t necessarily studying and notes but things such as cleaning your room, watering your plants, or going grocery shopping. make lists, organize yourself, don’t be a mess like me.
reward yourself for doing well. whether it’s talking to your teacher or scoring straight a’s, we all work hard. so why not treat yourself to a nice dinner or relaxing bath? have fun, relax, and don’t let yourself get too stressed. remember to unwind.
sit up front in class. i know, i know, you don’t really want to, but think about it. if you’re up front, you are going to be 100% more engaged and paying more attention. and this will make your teacher remember you, which you now know the benefits of. you will also be able to see the board easier, get your questions answered, and hear what is going on.
talk to the people around you in your classes. jeremy from physics sneezes on you and suddenly, you’ve got the flu and can’t make it to your lit lecture. what are you going to do? text that new friend you made from lit that sits next to in the lecture hall of course. simply talking to people on your first day can help you stay on top of class in case you miss or can help you study before the test. never doubt the benefits of knowing people.
if there’s an opportunity for extra credit, take it. i don’t care how good you are in that class or how perfect your grades are, take the extra credit. those few extra points could be the ones that take you from a b to an a. just do it and don’t question it, you may need them.
outline all papers and presentations. you have a draft due for your class in a few hours and you open you computer and prepare to type. but where to begin? what are you writing? how do you want to phrase it? well, you could already know that if you had outlined it. take the time to research, write a thesis, and fully understand your prompt before you write. especially if this is a persuasive essay. do this as well for presentations and visual assignments so you say every fact and point you want to.
keep your test dates by you at all times. no matter who you are, you need to know when tests are coming up. and, as someone who tends to leave things at home sometimes, i may not have my planner with those tests dates next to me when i need them. but what do i have? my phone. i use the app My Study Life to keep track of those dates. i explain that beautiful app in this post.
have a ‘school survival kit.’ by now i think you’ve caught on to the fact i can be a bit forgetful. so i like to have a little bag with me that has things i may need that i could have forgotten. this includes a pen, pencil, highlighter, a few pads, some mints, pain medicine, allergy medicine, tissues, band-aids, hand sanitizer, tide-to-go (stain remover), and other such items. i may make a list of these items at another time.
if you have a question, ask. i’ve already gone over the benefits of talking in class but it’s also extremely important to understand your content. it’s better to ask than not know, even if you think the question is dumb. there’s a good chance someone else has that exact question. it’s also better to look stupid than have that count against you during assessments.
if your university, college, or high school has a writing center, use it. i work in a writing center and we are here to help. we do nothing so much of the time and you coming in makes our day. contrary to the popular opinion, we aren’t going to judge your writing or insult you (unless you ask for it). but we also aren’t going to correct your entire paper, we want to help you learn how to edit your papers and make sure you’re fitting the requirements. and this goes for all tutoring centers; if they’re an option, use them.
Sometimes it can be hard to really feel connected to the actual magickal side of being a witch. Personally I’m involved with my deities or other spiritual/personal things 110% of the time but I don’t always feel connected to my actual witchcraft. So here are a few small magickal challenges I thought up to help anyone in a similar situation.
✨ – Set aside a time once a week to burn a candle. Make it a color that connects to whatever aspect of your life you would like insight or growth in and spend 10 minutes watching the flame and opening yourself to whatever it is you’re seeking.
✨ – If you have any books with pre written simple spells in them (most intro to witchcraft books have a section) flip through it and find a spell that calls to you and do it! As written, just to practice getting out of your head and going through the motions of spell work.
✨ – Send out blessings. To your crush. A new friend. Your best friend. Your mom. Whoever.
✨ – Call up your energy into your palms and then place them on your own heart to send yourself love and healing and to connect yourself to your energy.
✨ – Spend some time picturing the kind of witch you wish you were, your ideal witchsona if you will. Then tell yourself that’s exactly who you already are. Keep reminding yourself whenever you feel disconnected from your craft that you are already an unbelievable witch.
✨ – Go back through your old book of shadows/grimoire and reflect on what’s worked for you in the past.
✨ – Wake up and tell yourself first thing “I am a witch. I am magick. My life is full of magick. I see and feel all the magick around me. I am a witch.”
✨ – Pick out outfits or accessories that make you feel witchy. (Bonus points for intentionally planning a super witchy outfit on the full moon)
✨ – Do a spell for anything that’s coming up in your life that you want to work out a certain way, no matter how trivial it seems. Test this week? Do a spell. About to start a work out routine? Do a spell. First date? Spell. Gotta stay on budget grocery shopping? Spell. Your worth it, it’s good practice, and if it all ends up working even better!
✨ – Write down spell ideas as they come to you. Save them as notes in your phone and then come back and flesh them out in your BOS later.
✨ – Come up with your own challenges! If you’d like to share, tag me on your post or send them to me, I’d love to hear your ideas!
If you cook yourself, draw sigils in your food or pans! Watch the spices you use and be aware of their properties; use spices to craft your spell and intention into your food 💚
It’s really easy to do this with coffee and tea as well 💚💜
If you use incense but don’t want to use a whole stick, you can put it out in a dish of salt. The salt can clear the intentions the incense was for so you can use it again, the ashes will turn that salt into pretty charged black salt and you get to save a bit of $ on incense ✨
If you don’t have like, the room to do anything, or if you can’t go and get herbs or crystals or anything, I have some stuff that I do that could help you.
I have a place outside where I can burn things as long as no one is home. Utilize burning things not just for banishings or cursings, but for anything you think works. Remember, it’s YOUR craft. I use burning to activate my sigils (after writing them down first of course)
Speaking of sigils, use them. If you want to get into any type or magical thing but you don’t have money to just buy herbs in bulk or candles or crystals, make sigils. Not only are they free, they’re really easy to hide. If you draw one on yourself, just draw random swirls around it and say you’re just doodling. No one needs to know it’s a sigil. Put them anywhere. Charging them is free, too. I’ll be posting a “how to charge sigils” thingy on my IG, which I’ll bring over to here then.
And okay listen you don’t need all the crystals. In a weird way you can kinda make your own. Find a rock that feels nice in your hand, and put energy into it. Just because it’s not as pretty doesn’t mean they don’t have energy I mean- it’s a rock. It’s in the ground. They charge for years until you pick it up or find it.
Tea is also amazing and easy to hide, and I bet you your parents keeping you in the broom closet would get it for you because 9/10 times it’s healthier than coffee or energy drinks.
Another last thing that I wish I saw more posts on. Aura reading. That shits cool as hell and good for practicing reading other’s energy. It’s also obviously free. All this stuff is free and easy to hide.
teakepp 