by Dakota St. Clare | October 29th, 2023
Welcome to our first blog post! We'll post here each week (hopefully) about a wide array of topics. For our first post we'll tackle some basics but future posts will be determined by our community Discord, which you can join here for only $1/month!
what is witchcraft?
While witchcraft has a seemingly limitless number of interpretations, it's essence is profoundly simple: witchcraft is a practice, not a belief - it is a term which indicates what one does, not why they do it. There are no universal laws, ethics or rules for witchcraft, the only shared belief or ideology among all practitioners is that their actions will result in some tangible effect ie. their spell which produce a specific effect. That is why it is so important to determine your individual opinions, beliefs, morals and ethics through rigorous self inventory.
Historically speaking, witchcraft is as old as humanity, having existed among all peoples, places and periods and its practitioners most often occupied an intersection of key roles including religious, divinatory and medicinal functions. In our modern era witchcraft is best understood as an essential manifestation of one’s autonomy, agency and personhood. But how does one go about finding their own path? Let's start off by examining the foundations of a personal practice: our individual worldview, cosmology and our morals and ethics. The very first thing any witch must do in forging their own practice is to lay down these building blocks.
world, cosmology, morals and ethics
Our worldview is our reality, its how we believe the world works and how we find our place in it, how we should relate to others and how we should act both as individuals and as a whole. It takes into account not just what is possible, but also what is ethical. A cosmology is defined as our theory for the origin of the universe and, by extension, how we believe the universe functions and how, if at all, we have a place in it or an influence upon it.
The driving force behind witchcraft for millennia has been to rise above our initial state, that is living at the behest of our circumstance. Witchcraft's function is the manipulation of reality for one's own advantage, ensuring a more fruitful, prosperous and satisfying life. This can only be done if one learns the essential mechanics of the world around them, its function and their place in it. Once that is established, one may work towards influencing these guiding principles in one’s own favor. Witchcraft is a selfish act and it should not be treated otherwise. It is used to makes ends meet when one otherwise cannot, for protection where one is threatened, for success when failure seem certain - it is used to shape our lives and our surroundings into something more advantageous than we otherwise would have ended up with. Don’t lose sight of that central focus.
Witchcraft may be the boat by which we travel but any vehicle is worthless without proper navigation and so we must think of our personal morals and ethics as the compass by which we determine our course. They inform where we will or will not go and how we choose to get there. However, they should never limit how filled in our map becomes, only where we go and what we do when we get there. There is no such thing as forbidden knowledge, in fact it is the thirst for knowledge which is the catalyst for most of us to explore witchcraft in the first place. Never allow fear to foster ignorance under the guise of morality, morals and ethics should never limit knowledge, only what is done with that knowledge.
- Morals are defined as a person's standards of behavior or beliefs concerning what is and is not acceptable for them to do. This is often posited as an internal compass which governs individual behavior. Some define morals as what we feel is wrong/right.
- Ethics moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of an activity. This is often posited as an external set of guidelines which govern the behavior of a group. Some define ethics as what we think is wrong/right.
debunking common myths
While ethics are derived from morals, morals are the core idea which is practically applied through ethics. To be clear, each of us is obligated to establish our own personal morals and ethics, unless one has converted or initiated into a religion or tradition which provides these. Now that we've laid down some basics, let's dispel some of the most common, pervasive myths which can easily derail and distract you on your journey.
- You do not have to be “born a witch”. You do not have to have “witch blood”. The truth is that like in all things, some people have the “gift” or a natural aptitude or advantage, however all people need to develop their skills. For example, having a knack for math as a kid does not automatically make you a rocket scientist as an adult.
- You do not need to be a part of any religion or established tradition to be a witch. The vast majority of witches have a personal practice which has evolved organically over time and experience.
- You do not have to believe in or work with gods or spirits. Many witches are atheist, non-theist or anti-theist, preferring to focus on the earth and living in tune with its rhythms.
- Your opinions, beliefs, morals and ethics will grow and change and that’s a good thing.
- All of us, regardless of our individual personal approach, are engaged in witchcraft which essentially has two sides:
- where the witch is the instinctual, the feral, the intuitive it is represented in spell casting by energy, will and intention.
- where the craft is the logical, structured and pragmatic it is represented in spell casting by rituals, ingredients and tangible actions.
- intention without action/action without intention accomplishes nothing.
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You do not need to be a part of a coven, grove, clan or house. Community is wonderful and often necessary, however the majority of witches tend to be solitary practitioners. You do not need to be part of an organized group of any kind.
- You do not need to practice magik every single day, magik is never about productivity. Periods of magikal and spiritual silence are necessary. However, allowing for spiritual silence, carving out time for a regular practice is key in developing your skills.
the three prime motives
Around the world and throughout time there have been three essential motives for the practice of witchcraft:
- Curses and malefic works (doing harm)
- Purification rites (undoing harm)
- Protection magik (preventing harm)
Each of us is obligated to learn everything we can about each of these three concepts as they form the core of witchcraft. Of course, the concept of cursing is one of the most divisive and polarizing topics around but the point stands: whether or not one would ever consider using magik to harm another, they must be an expert in how to do so if they ever want to learn how to identify harmful works or how to remedy their effects. You cannot craft an antidote unless you understand the specific mechanics of a poison.
the witch's arsenal
Witchcraft has three essential facets which each of us engage in regardless of path or tradition. There are additional facets specific to certain beliefs and traditions like working with spirits, but these base three are open to all and crucial for an effective practice.
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Spiritual Hygiene
regular, ritual purification and protection of one’s self and one’s home -
Divination (passive observation & interpretation)
obtaining information through occult means -
Spellcraft (the active practice of magik)
manipulating reality for one’s own advantage
getting started
The final step in learning magik is to put theory into practice, to actively perform rituals and cast spells and to record your experiences. Through a long process of trial and error you will learn what works for you and what does not. The most effective approach for the majority of new witches is to find something to sink their teeth into.
- Find a form of divination like palmistry, tarot or astrology and start doing free readings for folks so you can learn.
- Pursue a field of study like plant or crystal magik, and begin making your own remedies, incenses or crystal grids.
- Buy yourself a set of seven candles and carve, fix and dress them with oil and herbs suited to the seven planetary rulers of the days of the week, working a different candle spell each day suited to that day’s ruler (ex. good luck spell on Thursday, a love spell on Friday, etc).
- Remember that you have just as much a right to practice magik as anyone else, and you’ll only learn what it is that you believe about the world around you when you actually interact with it.
- Read everything you can get your hands on. With one exception: don’t buy a spellbook when you could buy a history book. There are no books on “witchcraft in general” because there is no such thing as general witchcraft. Everything comes from somewhere, so trace things back to their roots instead of accepting them at face value.
Finally, write everything down - it can be a Book of Shadows, a Grimoire, a Diary - it doesn't matter what you call it, just make sure to write everything down. Effective witchcraft follows something similar to the scientific method: we set up experiments with a proposed hypothesis and then document the outcome. Not everything will work - that’s okay, but when you find something that does, it’s vital to write down the details so you can reference it later. Over time, your journal will become an invaluable tool which map out where you have been and determine where you are going. Never forget that you have the Witch’s Arsenal: critical thinking, skepticism, doubt, autonomy, agency, self-sovereignty. You’re only obligated to act in accordance with your own authenticity and integrity, so move forward accordingly.
If you're looking for a comprehensive, structured approach to learning witchcraft then check out Witch School Online, a nine week intensive for witches, wanderers and wildfolk of all stripes and levels of experience. We will delve into a wide array of topics, focusing on experience based learning as we explore the history, mystery and magik of witchcraft in its many incarnations. Witch School is uniquely student led, all questions are welcomed and focus is put on the direction(s) the class determines it would like to explore. Students gain access to a wealth of knowledge and experience including live sessions and practical homework assignments but they also enter an open community of fellow practitioners with whom they'll learn and grow. To learn more, click here.