13 Ideas for Doing More Witchcraft

Whether you’re new to witchcraft or a seasoned practitioner, every witch encounters a time when they feel they’re not doing enough, that their practice has stagnated, or that they simply want to do witchcraft every day and are at a loss for starting points. The common suggestion is often to work on your Book of Shadows, but what if your witchcraft doesn’t swing that way or your record of practice is up to date?

Here are 13 productive and effective ideas for when you want to do witchcraft but find yourself stuck.

• Divination. Use your preferred method (or the one you’re currently learning) for a daily reading (and forget that crap about not reading for yourself –what’s the point of learning any skill if you don’t use it to your own benefit once in a while.*)
• Go outside. Look at the area where you live. Notice any natural formations. What trees are there? How many different plants are there? Do you notice any places of power or natural entrances to the Otherworld? Are there any Spirits clinging to any specific locations or objects?
• Go back outside. Find a plant you don’t recognize. Identify it and determine its uses. How can it be used medicinally? What folklore is associated with that plant? Is it edible? If so, what does it taste like? How does it smell? Feel? What growing conditions does it prefer? What is the plant saying to you? Based upon all of this, what do YOU think its magickal uses are? Do not check in a book or online. Are you a witch or not? Yeah? Then figure out its magickal uses on your own (this is perfectly within your capabilities, I promise.) Now, use it.
• Talk to other witches. Read blogs by other witches. Both of these are great ways to get inspiration for your own craft, as well as boost your confidence in your abilities and practice.
• Consider your last spell or magickal working. Was it effective? If so, did the results manifest how you planned they would? Look at what you did, the components of the spell. What could you have done differently in order to have been more effective? Be reasonable, take into account what materials you actually have access to and where your abilities are at this time (because we’re all learning and growing more powerful. As great as any of us are as witches, we are not as great nor as powerful as we will be with a few more years of practice beneath our belts. And that’s totally fine and to be expected. All of us start out as beginners, so be gentle on yourself and don’t use any other witch as a measure for where or how “you’re supposed to be.”) If the spell didn’t work at all, what contributed to this? Was there a step that should have been different or even omitted? Perhaps added? Was your focus clear? Was your goal something that can actually be achieved by magick? Remember, magick has its own rules and it can’t achieve the impossible.
• Organize your shit. You know what I’m talking about, that cluttered mess that is your storage space for your witchcraft supplies: time to clean it up and straighten it out. Take everything out, dust off the space, then wipe it down with soapy water.  And don’t even think about empowering the water or adding essential oils or a few drops of that special tincture. You don’t have time for that (if you did, maybe you would have cleaned and sorted this mess ages ago.) Right now your only focus is to clean. Now, any jars that aren’t labeled:  if you remember what’s inside, label it now (just write the contents on some masking tape or a strip of paper and tape it on. It doesn’t need to be fancy, it just needs to be done.) If you don’t remember what’s inside, return the contents to the Earth and put the jar with the dirty dishes to get washed. Loose candle stubs? Jar or plastic baggie. Random crystals or stones rolling about: bowl or baggie. Herbs that have been there for years? Return them to the Earth: you can get new herbs, they only last at peak condition for a year anyway (and by that time, you’re either never going to use them or you can gather new herbs this harvest season.) Now keep going. Ta da! Organized. Just like magic.
• Dreams. You already know that your dreams can be messages from your subconscious, guides, spirits you work with, and Gods, but are you using your dreams as a tool of your Craft yet? Lucid dreams, dreamwalking, Dreams (capitalization purposeful) –these are all tools at your disposal while you sleep. But, while these are amazingly fun and useful tools, they are tricky to learn and to learn to use consistently.  Get started now. You’ll thank me later.
• Plan your next Working. Look at your life and your plans for yourself, what areas are lacking? What goals are you slacking on? How about those hang ups you’ve been avoiding**? You know what to do, now figure out the details and get started on accomplishing the things that you need to accomplish. You’re the only one standing in your way. Your goals are attainable, they just take work. To be a witch is to be powerful, show yourself how powerful you really are.
• Your allies. Who are They? Gods? Spirits? Deceased animal spirits? Plants? Familiars***? Other witches? What do you mean you don’t have any?! Assignment given.
•  Analyze yourself. Who do you want to be as a witch? Where would you like to take your witchcraft? All of us have goals for ourselves in this area, things we’d like to learn, skills we’d link to hone. What are your witchcraft goals? What steps can you take now to get you closer to that goal? Identify a plan (if only in your mind) and actively begin the first step. Repeat tomorrow.
• Analyze your Craft. What defines your witchcraft practice? What elements make your practice exclusively yours and unique? Are there any holes or blatant gaps that need filling in order to render it a more complete system? Are there conflicting practices or practices that are illogical (or missing) based upon your worldview or belief system? Initiate new practices and/or rites as necessary, paying close attention to the overall results. If, after a period of time and frequent use, the additions to your Craft have proven useful and effective, decide for sure whether to keep them or make any needed changes. For anything you may have removed from your practice, consider whether its exclusion has made any improvements or hindered you in any way. Make adjustments as necessary.
• Write about what you’re doing and what you’ve done. This isn’t meant to be a braggart report and it surely never needs to be shared with anyone, but journaling your experiences and thoughts can help you to be objective in identifying areas where you need to spend extra attention, help provide you a record of your achievements for those moments when your confidence may falter (because it happens to us all,) and help you identify any repeating themes or patterns. All of this is information that you can use to your advantage.
• Learn a new skill. Sometimes all you need to rekindle the fires of ambition and inspiration is something new to shake things up. Perhaps you’ve got a really good and effective practice, but it’s nearing stagnation and feeling dull. Time to learn something new! How about a new divination technique? Energy healing? Crafting your own flying ointments? Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn to harvest and dry your own herbs? What about making your own sigils? Finding and cleaning bones? Maybe learn basic sewing techniques so you can make your own charm bags or drawstring pouches for holding precious tools and fetiches? Or maybe leather tooling and make some high quality leather bags and pouches for your supplies? There is no end to the things you can learn. Pick a direction, get started, and don’t be surprised when it leads you to new skills or practices that you’d like to learn.

*There is no self depreciation or obligatory self sacrifice for others in witchcraft because a) witchcraft is not a religion: you determine your own morality, b) witchcraft is a path of choice, you’re not forced to do anything in order to be a witch (except practice witchcraft, naturally,) and there are no determining criteria for what a “real witch” is or is not (other than that you are practicing witchcraft and that your craft is effective.) A witch who only heals and a witch who only curses are both “real witches” –anyone judging another’s craft or use of power can shove their opinion up in that warm, dark place where they keep their head, and c) witchcraft is concerned with empowering the individual (duh: as a witch, you wield the forces of the Universe to create change in accordance with YOUR will. Wishy-washy weaklings need not apply.)

**I am not referring to any emotional trauma or abuse from your past. These are things that, unfortunately, those of us who had to endure them must eventually address, however, I am in no position to tell you how your healing must go, or that you must do it now, or any other sort of bullshit like that. That kind of healing takes time, that kind of healing can break you further before you feel any better, and, honestly, I have my own issues that I am firmly avoiding and I don’t feel like being that hypocritical right now.

***Deliberately vague usage of the word. Just assume I mean what you think I mean, or that I don’t mean what you think I mean. Whichever.

 Want More Practical Witchcraft?

Less like a newsletter and more like a personal letter shared between witch-friends...

​Every Dark Moon, you'll receive a letter sharing adventure, spirit shenanigans, and witchcraft.

From recipes to spells, Tarot spreads to offers for exclusive discounts on my books, each letter contains practical and pragmatic magick appropriate to the season and lunar cycle that you can apply within your life.