I have been a teacher of the Craft for more years than I care to count at the moment, and one question that I am often asked – right after “How do you stay looking so young?” (answer: by stealing the souls of children*) – is, “In this busy world of work, family, and the downfall of civilization, how can I take my Witchcraft to the next level?” (I’m paraphrasing, of course.)
So often I hear that people want to have a deeper Witchcraft practice, but lack direction, or feel that they have plateaued and are unable to recapture the sense of magical wonder they experienced when first embarking upon the Craft. Often people feel that they just don’t have the time necessary to devote to the level of practice necessary to produce satisfying results. In these cases, people often become resigned to a Witchcraft that is less a practice and more of a study, a hobby, or interesting subject of one’s musing.
An apothecary [Pixabay]
While there is nothing wrong with an interest in the Craft solely for its artistic or inspirational potencies, I thought I would spend a few words this month writing about how we can, in just a few minutes each day, deepen our magical skill and reconnect with the magic that is already all around us.
We have been taught to believe that the accumulation of knowledge is something that can be acquired through one’s mental faculties alone, and that with diligence and study, and an average intellect, one can assume to be capable of learning to proficiency —and even mastering— certain subjects or areas of study. All by focusing one’s mental intention to the point of a discipline.
Whether this be for the study of history, science, or mathematics, the general premise is the same. These studies exist in the rational world and as such can be expressed and explained using wholly rational means. This lends itself well to the learning from books, as everything that potentially be explained to a satisfactory degree with the written word
Witchcraft, however, is not wholly rational.
Witchcraft is not passed as ordinary knowledge. While diligent study and even a discipline is certainly encouraged, it is not through the memorization of attributes and correspondences, of spells and of lore, that will determine our efficacy in the Craft. It is through our willingness to move beyond the rational and then to return, a journey that, when repeated over time, shapes our consciousness into that which is able to touch and direct that which we think of as magic.
Toward this, let us explore a few easy techniques we might employ to better encourage the flow of magic in our lives.
Schedule Time for Regular Magic
This might seem like a no-brainer, but the simple art of having a schedule can make the difference between a Witch-Craft and merely a Witch-Interest. When I suggest this, often people are disappointed, or immediately feel that this isn’t the kind of advice they wanted. Surely the answer is in a particular incense blend or interpretation of the PGM, right? When I mention that most often the answer is time-management I can feel the eyes glazing over and judgements begin to form. No one wants to hear a boring mundane answer to a magical question. But the good news is its only boring if you don’t use it. Because once you do, you find that it works,and then you are more concerned with your own practice than with arguing with me about how boring I am.
Having a manageable daily routine is the number one suggestion for the aspiring Witch or the one who wishes to deepen their work. Google Calendar has been my very good friend, keeping me better accountable to myself. I can see that each morning I have a slot of time set aside specifically for my magical practice. Seeing it on my calendar helps keep my magical practice in my consciousness and making me more likely to actually do it each day.
Attach Magic to Your Mundane Routines
We are already doing a lot. Why not let our magic ‘piggyback’ off of our already hard work? With just a slight shift to our daily activities, or even just a particular point of contemplation, we can ensorcell our routines to bring us deeper into magical consciousness.
For example, while cleaning my kitchen or bathroom I will ground and center beforehand, treating the activity as a spiritual purification exercise. I might wish to light a particular candle for this purpose or speak aloud a charm or prayer to help get myself in the right “vibe.” This can be all the difference between performing mundane drudgery and an opportunity for a spiritual opening. Housework is a great opportunity for the spiritual cleansing and protection of one’s space.
When taking a shower, brushing my teeth, or other grooming activities, I can use these as opportunities for self-reflection and prayer work. We often do these things mindlessly, perhaps counting the recommended two minutes for a proper tooth brushing, or just checking our deepening crow’s feet. When applying moisturizer or make-up, we can use this time to consciously project how we wish to be perceived by others, by looking at our eyes and conjuring up a sense of whatever emotional state we wish to instill in them. When brushing my teeth I often mentally recite affirmations or prayers surrounding my speech and how my words will be received or how they will create impact.
Simple acts such as flipping a light-switch, opening or closing a drawer, or even taking out the garbage can be mundane reminders; “triggers” for the entering into an altered consciousness to imbue the activity with magical purpose.
Little Acts of Magic Between Other Projects
This one might be the most important. Like any other skill, the more magic we actually perform then the better we will get at it. If we don’t have much time for a robust practice, we can space things out over the course of our day, which will at least give us an opportunity to begin the work.
For example, you may have a few minutes each morning to ground and center. Then perhaps in the afternoon around lunch you make an offering to a spirit or deity with whom you work or wish to encounter. When I used to work outside the home, I would sometimes take my lunch break and then set a small portion of it aside as an offering to whichever spirit I happened to be working with. By sharing my lunch with the spirit (both physically and metaphorically) I allowed myself the space to consciously engage the spirit realm – all in the middle of a retail workday.
I often have several projects on which I am working on any given day. I try to perform small acts of magic and devotion in between them to keep the magical consciousness strong throughout my day, even if the bulk of it is focused on processing orders, answering emails, or writing last minute blog-entries.
The bottom line is that, while a passionate and robust practice is certainly something to which we can all aspire, the truth is that sometimes we just aren’t feeling it. And that’s ok. It happens. The pendulum swings. But we don’t have to let it derail our practice. We can approach our Craft in small, bite-sized pieces and still receive benefit. While we will always get out of a practice what we put in, we can be surprised at how much those small pieces can add up, resulting in a magical life. And isn’t that the point, anyway?
* OK, so real talk: I drink a lot of water and stay the hell out of the sun.
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