7 Doable, Inexpensive & Meaningful Ways to Practice Witchcraft Everyday

BY ARCHITA MITTRA

I’ve always been surprised by the depiction of witches in pop culture—how they charm their hair and then go about their daily lives, without a drop in energy levels or a break. Magic seems so fluid, so immediate, working at the drop of a hat and requiring only a wand, a pentagram, and the chanting of a few words.

For a lot of us who identify as witches, magic and spellwork is an integral part of our lives. But performing a full-fledged banishing charm or even a purification ritual, complete with herbs and with all right colour-coded candles, takes up time and energy (and money!), and may even leave us exhausted.

Sometimes our hectic schedules and commitments prevent us from accessing our full potential every day. That’s when I realized I didn’t need to do an elaborate ritual or wait for the next full moon to manifest something. Our little everyday acts can be magic too—if done with the right intention.

Here are some ways in which you can make magic a part of your daily life, especially if you can’t seem to make time for it.

Keep A Multi-Purpose Grimoire

Your Grimoire or Book Of Shadows doesn’t need to be only a record of spells, sabbats and moon charts. I use the same notebook as a dream diary and a gratitude journal, and I make sure I write in it every morning when I wake up. If you’re feeling guilty about the many blank pages in your grimoire, you can use it to record your dreams and nightmares (for later analysis), as well as write down seven things you’re grateful for. It also provides a refreshing start to your day.

Charm Your Food And Drink

Whispering a few words of thankfulness before any meal can work wonders. Another trick I use is to stir my daily cup of coffee in a clockwise direction, while thinking of happy thoughts to charm my drink. (You can also stir anticlockwise to dispel negativity). I also make sure to stock up on my favourite comfort foods for the tough days. Rowling wasn’t kidding when she wrote about having chocolate to ward off the ill-effects of Dementors, after all.

RELATED: More Halloween content for Scorpio season. 

Practice Simple Meditation Exercises

As I have to spend almost 2-3 hours every day on public transport while commuting to work or college, I try to use that interim time to do some simple meditation exercises (discreetly, of course), simply close my eyes and visualize a positive scenario or outcome, or even a shield of white light. It’s sure to make you feel optimistic, and may even bring in a few surprises to your day.

Make Quick Sigils And Spells

Confession: I simply love making sigils (a magical symbol). Maybe it’s because I’ve always been a creative person, but turning a positive affirmation to a beautiful design is also pretty therapeutic. I often end up doodling sigils in my notebooks during a boring lecture or fiddling with the painting apps on my phone to come up with something magical. And if you’re a witch who loves to work with technology, you can create emoji spells and send some good vibes to your loved ones, as well.

Spend Time With Nature

This doesn’t mean you have to surround yourself with greenery. Whether it’s saying thank you to the spirit of a tree, noticing the little things on the side of road or finding a beautiful feather on your path, there are many low-key ways to connect with nature and unwind. If it’s a full moon night and I’m too tired to do anything, I simply look up to the dark sky and talk to the moon. Sometimes, simply gazing into the starlit sky or enjoying the colors of the sunset is more than enough. I try my best to make sure I spend at least some time with my pets every day. If you have an animal, why not try communicating with them telepathetically?

Take A Magical Bath

I love buying and crafting beauty and bath products. You can make any bathing experience magical by dimming all the lights, lighting a few scented candles, mixing lavender and rose water to your bath, scattering some flower petals and tuning in to some music that feels meaningful to you (I prefer Celtic music). It is beautiful, relaxing and even rejuvenative.

Have A Sleep Ritual

Before going off to sleep, I reach for my pet amethyst rock and speak to it about the events of the day before tucking it under my pillow. I also make it a point to shuffle my Tarot cards and handmade runes set, asking a simple question: what is the most important lesson that I learned today? (Regarding morning rituals and magical timing: I used to also draw a Tarot Card each morning, but I stopped the practice because, well, an upside down Nine of Swords can seriously fuck up your mood for the day. So I made it a point to use my Oracles as tools of self-growth and self-discovery each night before sleep so that my subconscious can absorb and act upon it). 

So if you’re feeling guilty about not being able to properly practice witchcraft, remember that it’s perfectly okay, and it’s perfectly normal. You can celebrate your craft in little every day acts by setting your mind to it and remaining positive. Perhaps everyday won’t be as lavish as Halloween, but hey, you can still make it magical. 

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Archita Mittra is a wordsmith and visual artist with a love for all things vintage and darkly fantastical. A student of English Literature at Jadavpur University, she also has a Diploma in Multimedia and Animation from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata. Her work has appeared or been profiled in The Statesman, Thought Catalog, Maudlin House, Winter Tangerine Review and elsewhere. She also serves as the Poetry Editor at Quail Bell Magazine, occasionally practises as a tarot card reader and is still waiting for The Doctor and his TARDIS to show up. You can follow her on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook() and check out her blog here.

A Water Ritual For Grief & Trauma

BY LISA MARIE BASILE

This sea witch took all the magic back with her to New York City.

51 Likes, 1 Comments - Lisa Marie Basile (@lisamariebasile) on Instagram: "This sea witch took all the magic back with her to New York City."

I lost someone this year. It was a big, complex, fucked up, messy, bloody, lonely loss. And it was a massive, long-time-coming, poisonous, wounded relationship that only in its last years healed. I am filled of guilt, sorrow, and confusion over it. Maybe you feel the same way about someone you lost. Maybe you didn't lose anybut but you're trying to process a traumatic event—in which case, this is for you, too.

This ritual is about trying to find some relief. It may sound selfish, but the relief I'm talking about here isn't just internal; I also want to send peace to our dead, if that is something you feel comfortable doing. 

First things first: There is so no one-size-fits-all or quick remedy for grief, trauma and PTSD—no potion, no prayer, no salve, no savior. Pain is a process we move through. Whatever your belief, whatever your disposition, there will always be a small black stone inside your chest, and it will always hold your suffering. I think of this stone as two palms, cupped, holding in the pain so that it doesn't poison the rest of the body. We must manage our little stone, because for many of us, it won't ever go away. It's an organ, it has a job. 

So, here are some of the ways I've encountered death and trauma and ritualized my grief. I believe it's important to do so because it can't be kept in the shadows—because when it's kept in the shadows, it ends up hurting even more. 

Grief Cleanse Ritual

Take a bath; quiet your mind. Become clean of all residue, psychic and physical. If you have a bath soak or an oil you like, use it. This is the time to be OK with the pain. Close the door, cry, remain still, be aware of the grief. Let it move through you; be naked with it. I like to use rose oil in my bath— to me, rose is a potent and balanced (it smells beautiful but it has thorns, like our emotional processes). 

SO much of grief is exercising strength—in public, on buses, in the street, with other family members, and with yourself during times when you need to sleep or eat or work. That is exhausting. In this ritual, you are allowing grief to run through you, while simultaneously cleansing yourself of it. Your tears will fill the bath, you will bathe in your sorrow, and you will also go back to the root self: nude, defenseless, alone. This may sound frightening—it is—but it's so good to say, "you are free to feel."

If you want to, speak to your dead. Pray. Invoke something. Think on that black stone in your chest and all the hurt it contains—all those memories and fears and all that suffering. In your mind, bathe it glittering white light. Sooth it, tell it that you're thankful for it storing all that darkness for you. Imagine it settling, closing, taking the pain with it—until the next time you need it. Imagine the rest of your body flooded with beautiful, clear light. Let yourself be an alter for good. Be at the alter of yourself.

I believe water is the most potent element. It is what we're made of. It is the ultimate destructive force, and yet it is also the most freeing. In the water, you are as connected to the earth as you could be. Grounding, the act of touching the natural elements, is a powerful tool—it returns us to our authentic selves, and it eliminates all the messiness of life and expectation. It is a dazzling, simple way to come home.

When you finally drain the tub, sit with it; do not get out. Talk to the sorrow—let it know that it's okay, let your dead know it's okay to linger sometimes, let your body know it's okay to feel. But then also ask that you have strength and resolve when you need it. Say whatever you need to say to yourself or something else. 

Send white glittering light to your dead, to those who are affected by sadness, and to anyone who hurt you (if you feel comfortable). This act is radical and generous, but it's not always something we feel compelled to do (and that's OK). 

The water draining symbolizes the switch; now you can go back to your life and not let the grief overtake you at all moments. You've created a place and time for it. Thank the water. It is always there for you; it's a friend, a deity, a comfort. It will always be there as an alter for your sadness—and your peace. 

*** If you're not in the throes of grief but find that that pain still haunts you, it could be a good idea to do this every new moon as a way of checking in with those feelings. Since you're not actively in pain every day, this may be a good way to say, "here is my time to confront you, death." I think this is a healthy way to tap into that spectrum of feelings; it may help you, as therapy, in a long-term way.

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Write me; tell me what you thought. What sort of ritual do you need?
editor@lunalunamagazine.com
@lisamariebasile #lisamariebasile

Lisa Marie Basile is an editor, writer and poet living in NYC. She is the founding editor-in-chief of Luna Luna Magazine and the author of APOCRYPHAL (Noctuary Press, 2014), as well as a few chapbooks: Andalucia (Poetry Society of New York), War/Lock (Hyacinth Girl Press), and Triste (Dancing Girl Press). Her book NYMPHOLEPSY (co-authored with poet Alyssa Morhardt-Goldstein), was a finalist in the 2017 Tarpaulin Sky Book Awards. She is working on her first poetic fiction novella, to be released by Clash Books/Clash Media. Her poetry and other work can be or will be seen in PANK, Spork, The Atlas Review, Tarpaulin Sky, the Tin House blog, The Huffington Post, The Rumpus, Rogue Agent, Moonsick Magazine, Best American Poetry, Spoon River Poetry Review, PEN American Center and the Ampersand Review, among others.