Witchcraft for Daily Self-Care: Nourishing Rituals & Spells for a More Balanced Life

INTRODUCTION

Dear Reader,

Hello there! Welcome to Witchcraft for Daily Self-Care. My name is Michael and I have been a practicing witch for more than 20 years. During those two decades, I have practiced my witchery alone, building a unique personal practice as a devotee of Lilith, the rebel goddess of witchcraft, equality, sensuality, and self-care. Four years ago, however, I decided to step out from the shadows of my solitary witch world and step into the role of teacher of the craft. I chose to dedicate my energy to uplifting and mentoring others on using witchcraft for self-empowerment. Since then, I’ve written a variety of articles and books, presented workshops across the United States, and spoken on various podcasts. I’ve made a name for myself as The Glam Witch—known for a bubbly personality and eccentric flair for magical fashion. But underneath the fluff and puff of pink tulle, sequin kimonos, and glittery eye shadow lies a less glamorous world that includes anxiety, depression, doubt, pressure, and trauma that pop up like whack-a-moles on a regular basis while I try to live my best life.

I started practicing witchcraft during a traumatic, hellish time in junior high. Plagued by fear, self-loathing, and loneliness, I manifested a teenage idolization for self-masochistic defeat. I became my own worst enemy while trying to tackle the pressures of life and society. As I’ve evolved, I’ve experienced some pretty dark times, as I am sure you have, too. These have included traumatic childhood encounters, deaths, physical assault, mental abuse, gut-wrenching breakups, daunting deadlines, and other anxiety-driven pressures. Despite all this, I found a way to courageously walk down a unique path—one that helped me pick up the sword and slay the demons of my life one by one. That path is witchcraft, and the sword is self-care.

We are living in troubled times. Our environment is increasingly challenged, freedoms are being stripped away, and we are navigating life through a global pandemic. Meanwhile, we still have our daily responsibilities to uphold. Sometimes life can feel as though it is unraveling at the seams. Witchcraft calls upon us to use the power of self-care to heal ourselves so that we can beam with big witch energy. And it is from this perspective that I want to share with you the secret to how I’ve been able to cultivate happiness, even in the darkest of days.

This book is a guide to establishing a daily routine of self-care anchored in the practice of witchcraft. Part 1 explores how witchcraft and self-care intertwine to improve your life. I’ll cover the fundamental knowledge needed to approach the spells and rituals of the book with confidence and ease. Part 2 of the book walks you through 90 days of healing spells, rituals, and remedies all centered around mind, body, spirit, environment, relationships, and personal success. These spells and rituals build off one another and are designed to be followed in order. However, feel free to jump around based on your intuition, expertise, or desired self-care for the moment. Whether you are new to witchcraft or a seasoned practitioner looking for new inspiration, this book is designed to help you tap into your pure potential with magic and summon the self-care needed for a radically new, magical you.

WITCHCRAFT FOR SELF-CARE

Welcome to part 1 of Witchcraft for Daily Self-Care ! To start your journey, this section provides an overview of witchcraft, self-care, and how the two intentionally and magically intersect. It’s also specifically designed to establish a foundation for the newest practitioners of witchcraft but can also serve as a great refresher for anyone who has been practicing for years. Think of part 1 as a primer for the 90 days of exercises, spells, and rituals that you will encounter in part 2 . There’s much magic to look forward to and self-care to foster, so let’s begin.

UNDERSTANDING WITCHCRAFT AND MAGIC

Year after year, new articles are written highlighting the ever-increasing interest in witchcraft. The social media world is riddled with the witch aesthetic—whether it’s astrology, crystals, or tarot cards—and serves endless audiences with mass enchantment. But witchcraft is so much more than a trend or fashion statement. It is an empowering spiritual practice that centers around the intention of will, esoteric enlightenment, and personal empowerment, making it a wonderful tool for establishing self-care. Let’s take this chapter to explore the wonderful world of witchcraft and all it has to offer your daily life.

WHAT IS WITCHCRAFT?

Witchcraft is an exotic word that often brings a handful of classic images to mind. Some think of witches as demonic child-stealing hags whose idea of a happy meal is the child itself, or they may think of a bewitching sorceress like The Love Witch’s Elaine Parks or even a rebellious teenager like Sabrina, tackling chilling adventures. As modern witchcraft evolves over time, it is becoming tougher to define what a witch is. Modern witchcraft practitioners are a diverse and creative group of individuals who tap into the unseen forces of the universe and manifest their best lives.

At its core, witchcraft is the practice of magic. Not the glittery, flame-throwing, green potions and flying on broomsticks kind of magic, but the magic of creating change with will. Witchcraft is in fact a craft—something that is made in the same manner that an artist would create art. Instead of using a canvas, paint, brushes, and other mediums, witches use a variety of sources to manipulate energy with intention. Energy sources are the ingredients to a witch’s working and include crystals, colors, herbs, oils, timings, and other artifacts that are molded together into the art of magic.

MAKING MAGIC

How many times have you made a wish while blowing out your birthday candles, created a vision board, dressed in a power outfit, or picked a penny off the street? Or maybe you’ve made your family’s amazing chicken noodle soup while thinking about how much it will help you recover from a cold. Although these actions may seem like nothing more than clichés or superstitions, they are actually variations of magic spells used by modern witches.

Although there are a number of diverse traditions and branches of practice in the magical community, all use intention to create change in the world. Regardless of the end goal, spells are essentially a witch’s version of a prayer and are ultimately the language of magic. They combine the power of intention, the spoken word, natural ingredients, and the laws of attraction to result in manifestation.

Your magic and spellcraft can be as simple or complex as you’d like. The beauty of the world of witchcraft is its diversity. This is one reason why not all witches practice the same kind of magic. We all have our own interests, talents, and destinies, which impact how we express our magical currents. This is why many solitary witches are considered eclectic—pulling from a variety of different types of magic.

TYPES OF MAGIC

There are many different ways to practice magic, and part 2 of this book explores several magical niches. Therefore, let’s take a moment to briefly go over the different forms of magical expression that you’ll encounter.

Cooking Magic is the skill of infusing the culinary arts with intention. Kitchen witches are skilled in cooking up potions like teas, elixirs, and cocktails, as well as other treats and feasts fueled by a magical goal or healing need. These edible forms of alchemy are brewed using the metaphysical energies of the herbs and ingredients to produce the practitioner’s desired outcome.

Divination Magic centers around using the power of tools such as tarot or oracle cards, crystal scrying, tea leaves, or pendulums to heighten intuition, predict natural events, or delve deeper into understanding one’s self.

Glamour Magic is associated with attraction, beauty, love, and enchantment. It is a visual form of magic that bewitches onlookers with the alluring aesthetic. This form of magic is made by using fashion, makeup, beauty products, and other forms of visual representation to create the desired change. The primary reason to use this type of magic is to attract friendship, love, jobs, or general success and attention.

Natural Magic uses the natural world to enhance spellcasting. Practitioners who focus their efforts on this form of magic are generally referred to as green witches because of their green thumbs. They are experts in conjuring the energy of the terrestrial realm including herbs, plants, crystals, and animals.

Planetary Magic is associated with the magic of the celestial realms. Witches who work with this magic focus heavily on astrology, the phases of the moon, and other planetary phenomena to enhance their spellwork.

Ritual Magic often includes dramatic rituals and incantations to conjure spirits, deities, and other forms of energy. It is highly influenced by the rich and varied tradition of occultism and commonly includes repetitive themes, gestures, and movements.

Sex Magic uses sensuality as a form of magical fruition. Witches who practice this type of magic harness energy through their orgasms.

MAGIC MISNOMERS

Both history and Hollywood have done their fair share of creating magical myths that are divorced from reality. When it comes to the superstitions surrounding witchcraft and magical practices, here are some concepts that don’t add up to our real ways.

Witches can only be cis-women. Although more women than men are practitioners, witchcraft welcomes all genders and identities, the same way that it is inclusive of race, sexual orientation, and any other distinguishers. Hollywood has stereotyped male magic makers as warlocks, but historically, the word warlock has meant oath-breaker, leaving many male witches to shy away from this label. There are many different titles and terms for people in the magical community. As a general rule, it is important to never make assumptions and always ask others about what term they identify with.

Witches are evil and worship the devil. In short, the devil is a Christian concept that has nothing to do with our magical practices. Many witches worship different deities from ancient civilizations. Although there is a general emphasis on goddess worship, male deities are included in some practices. During the rise of Christianity, horned deities became scapegoats for the dominating patriarchy as symbols of negativity and evil. In truth, deities like Pan and Cernunnos are benevolent gods who rule over nature, hunting, and sexuality.

You must belong to a coven to be a witch. There is something truly magical about having a squad of fellow witches to summon up empowerment and rejoice in magic together. However,