Category Archives: Witchcraft

New Video: Living a Magical Life

After an extended break, I decided to get back into making some YouTube videos about witchcraft. In this latest video, I talk about what it means to lie a magical life.

[youtube https://youtu.be/N-3j-5DfCOM]

As I mentioned in the video, I think this meshes well with my old podcast episode about the everyday sacred. When everything is sacred and every act is magical, the world becomes a thing of amazing beauty and we are left in awe of it.

I also think this understanding of what it means to live a magical life creates a more holistic mentality than an understanding of magic that focuses on mere spellwork and ritual. It encourages one to see oneself as a witch when getting up in the morning, when doing the dishes, and when showering.

This mentality is also helpful, I think, for those who feel pressure to be magical all the time. I’ve noticed a few times on Twitter people talking about how it’s okay to not work magic if you’re not feeling up to it, even if it’s a full moon or a sabbat. I completely agree, but I’d take it a step further by noting that an intentional decision to take not do something for the sake of your own health is actively living a magical life as well.

New Video: Ritual Planning for Beginners

Image of my and my husband's permanent altar space.

This week, I posted a video about ritual planning for beginners over on my YouTube channel, A Wyrd-Worker’s Wisdom. Be sure to check it out.

[youtube https://youtu.be/Fv1PUSQGs6k]

When I first got started with witchcraft back in 1998, I struggled to figure out why I was doing a ritual. The books I was reading kept telling me that rituals — especially full moon rituals — were important. But I’d look over their example rituals and they seemed so…bland and pointless. They didn’t resonate with me.

For me personally, I think that’s because most books focused on rites performed for the full moon and Sabbats. I think it takes time tor really become comfortable with them. Hell, there are a couple Sabbats — like Mabon — that I’m still not entirely sure what to do with.

I think this is why it’s easier to start ritual planning with simple things, like a daily offering to the Divine. Or perhaps a daily ritual to center, ground, and shield. These are simple, yet important activities that are easily grasped. So it’s easy and good practice to make a ritual out of them. You can even ritualize little everyday practices.

How about you? What advice to you have for beginners who are just getting started with ritual planning?

The Human-Deity Divide: A ResponsE

Image of Freyja standing with spear and shield in front of her cart.
Freya by Johannes Gehrts. Public domain image.

Earlier this week, I ran across Patheos blogger Astrea’s critique of the “Inner Goddess” movement. I agreed with a great deal of her criticisms, though I found myself disagreeing with some of her theological statements. As a fellow polytheist with different views on the human-deity divide, I would like to explore those statements and why I disagree with them.

I believe we have Divine essence within us.

While I may not believe I have a literal deity inside of me, I do believe that there is Divine essence within me. This is because like everyone and everything else, I am part of the One Eternal Reality. Furthermore, it is this Divine essence within me that allows me to reach out to Divinity and connect with it. I cover this in more detail in my first podcast episode.

Also, in my craft practice, that Divine essence within me is what allows me to shape wyrd and become a co-creator with the deities. My whole ability to work magic is predicated on this.

My deities aren’t perfect.

Astrea’s theology seems to elevate gods to a sort of superhuman perfection, which is not how I view my deities at all. She is right that my deities don’t need to use the bathroom. But they are sexual beings. And they can age. There’s a whole myth about it happening, even.

Also, my deities often seem subject to many of the same failings as humans. They can allow their anger to get the better of them. They can be outsmarted and even tricked.

This doesn’t lessen them or make them any less worthy of my respect. It just means that I approach them more soberly and with a little less than total awe. That brings me to my next point.

My deities are close and approachable.

I read Astrea’s descriptions of deities and they seem lofty, abstract, and difficult to approach. My deities are much more earthy than that. They don’t glow. I think Freyja would find the idea of glowing a bit silly, to be honest.

The myths of my deities are rife with them coming to the human world and interacting with humans regularly. They seem to relish that contact. And none of those myths mention the deities glowing or being aloof around their human hosts and companions.

The myths themselves stomp all over the human-deity divide.

In one myth, the god Heimdall gives birth to humans. In other myths and legends, humans seem to ascend to the status of being a deity. This suggests to me that the human-deity divide is not that great. It certainly isn’t insurmountable.

Conclusion

I think that Astrea’s criticisms of the “Inner Godddess movement” are valid and spot on. However, her theology on the nature of the deities and humans differs greatly from my own. Which is fair, and I appreciate her post, as it allows me to explore those differences. Doing so gives me a greater understanding of my own views.

Witchcraft Video: Getting Started

Banner for "A Wyrd-Worker's Wisdom" YouTube Channel

This weekend, I uploaded my second witchcraft video on YouTube. This one is about getting started.

[youtube https://youtu.be/6yg8cwpjnyc]

I appreciate Sarah Anne suggesting this topic to me. It pushed me to think about my recommendations for beginner witches. When people ask how to get started or what to study first, I often reply with, “It depends on what you want to learn.” That’s a true statement. However, it’s not helpful to those just starting out. Going through my personal story while writing this video’s script helped me come up with solid bits of advice. For example, I remembered the basic practices I consider fundamental.

By remembering my own “wrong turns” or “detours,” I remembered to encourage beginners to risk making a few false starts. I found the important message that figuring out what doesn’t work for you — even through trial and error — is an important part of the learning process.

I’m also convinced of the wisdom of my “stick with one book at first” stance. Many will question that position. However, I think that critical engagement with a single text really is important for beginners. With luck, they will seek out further sources as a result of that engagement.

Of course, there is one bit of advice that I did not cover in this witchcraft video. I still think it’s vital to define what one hopes to get out of witchcraft.

Creating Magical Space

Jarred wearing a ritual robe and casting a circle as part of creating magical space.

As I think back on my video about casting a circle, I find myself wondering if I fully answered Catz’s question. You see, I focused specifically on the part of marking out the circle and cutting it away from “ordinary” space. I’ve found that some people also consider calling the quarters as well. I see them as separate acts that are part of a single cumulative process: creating magical space. Some witches I know also call this “constructing the temple.”

To me, this is what the whole opening phase (and I’ll get into the phases of ritual in a future video) of a rite is all about.

  1. We cleanse the space with incense, saltwater, sound, and other methods to make sure it’s cleared of negativity and chaotic energies.
  2. We then mark out the magical space and separate it. As I said in the video, this is what casting the circle is all about.
  3. We then fill that space. By calling the elements in. We ask the Divine to join us. In my work, I also invite the ancestors and land-wights (nature spirits) in.

A well-planned rite or liturgical structure works to make sure that each of those steps work together. It keeps the themes going and offers a sense of cohesiveness. It draws us into our time with the Divine and the work we will do in that magical space.

For those who missed it, here’s my video on casting a circle.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvQ42z40hk8]

I’m not sure whether I’ll do a video about the other components of creating magical space. Let me know if that’s something you’d find useful.

New Witchy YouTube Channel

Image of the YouTube Banner for the channel.

Hello, readers! I’m back from a lengthy hiatus and I have a great announcement. I have decided to start a witchy YouTube channel.

Why I’m doing this

I originally considered starting a YouTube channel back when I started The Bed and the Blade podcast last summer. At the time, I felt like it would take too much time and effort.

But after looking at other witchy YouTube channels like Chaotic Witch Aunt and Hearth Witch, I decided I had too much to say on witchcraft and Pagan spirituality not to start a channel. Hence, A Wyrd-Worker’s Wisdom was conceived and, as of Sunday, born.

About the channel name

I chose the title, because in the Norse traditions, I see witchcraft as a sort of act of altering and laying out wyrd, and I felt that the use of the word “wyrd-working” would both uniquely identify me and pay homage to the primary context in which in which I work magic. I could’ve used “seithman” instead, but I liked the alliteration better.

How the new channel fits into my overall online presence

For any fans of the podcast, rest assured that I plan to bring that back as well and hope to work some sort of synergy between blog, podcast, and YouTube channel. The podcast will resume at it’s original pace of one episode a month, though I hope to do a YouTube video each week. In some ways, I’m finding it easier to produce videos than podcasts. Though I’m also finding that getting into video production is a (potentially) more expensive endeavor than a podcast, go figure.

Introducing the first video

Currently, I only have one video up. It’s about casting a circle. Check it out below.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvQ42z40hk8]

As you might notice, I need to work on the video quality. I’m still learning how to properly use my lighting equipment (plus I have more lights coming) and I need to position things better so I can refer to my script without looking like I’m gazing off into nowhere. But the information itself is solid, I think. Let me know what you think!

Planning ahead

I’m still trying to work out a schedule for everything. Tentatively, I plan on having podcast episodes continue to come out the last Saturday of the month and releasing a new video every Tuesday. As for blog posts, I may scale them back and/or change what days I schedule them for.

Keep checking for more details as they are become available!

Witchy Questions: What is your favorite witchy tool?

This post was inspired by Question #43 from this list.

A nice magical blade.

I’ve always had a thing for blades. The picture, which might be familiar to anyone who has listened to my podcast, is of my personal blade. Many people might be inclined to call it an athame, as it has most of the qualities associated with that tool. I don’t, however, as I don’t really feel that term belongs to the traditions that I personally focus on.

I’ve worked with a number of groups that seem almost reluctant to work with blades. They prefer wands. While i respect others’ right to practice as they see fit, I’ve never been comfortable with that approach. A blade is a weapon for cutting, piercing, and dissecting. These are essential practices in the Craft as I understand it. I have to be able to slice through unwanted bonds and connections and separate things. And to be frank, if you’re dealing with something truly negative, being able to threaten it at knife-point is a powerfully useful act.

Witchy Questions: What is your favourite type of candle to use?

This post was inspired by Question #42 from this list.

I’m a huge fan of these small candles, which I’ve found you can find in just about any witch or New Age shop. Also, note that I have no relationship to the seller who I linked to. I am not recommending you buy from them (nor am I discouraging you from doing so) nor do I get anything if you buy from them. Sometimes, a link is just a link. In this case, it’s a link to a convenient picture.

But I like those candles because they tend to burn down completely in an hour or two. Very convenient for the witch on the go who doesn’t want to spend days extinguishing and re-lighting a candle that lasts for hours.

For ritual purposes — such as quarter candles, deity candles, or similar candles that you want to re-use from ritual to ritual — I’m a huge fan of pillar candles in glass jars. I like that they’re self-contained and not dripping wax all over everything. And as long as you can keep the wick exposed, when they cool, the melted was becomes a part of the burnable candle again.

Witchy Questions: What’s the craziest witchcraft-related thing that’s happened to you?

This post was inspired by Question #41 from this list.

I have to admit, readers, that I’m a bit annoyed by this question. And it’s not just because I haven’t had any “weird” experiences. I’m a highly empathic witch with some mediumship ability. I’ve also mentored other people and have had some rather intense experiences while mentoring them, experiences which I will not share without the express permission of those people. So yeah, I could share a few tales here.

But those tales are not the point of my practice. I feel like despite all our talk about how Wicca, other forms of witchcraft, and Paganism being about spirituality and everyday life, we seem to quickly flock to the tales of the extraordinary and “weird.” That just seems self-defeating to me.

The only time I really like to talk about my “weird” experiences is when I’m talking one-on-one with someone who has had their own “weird” experience and needs a little reassurance that they’re not just “crazy.” In that case, it’s helpful to say, “Yeah, this sort of thing happens. Let me share a similar experience I had.” But after that, I think it’s time to explore why they had that experience and what they might want to learn from or otherwise take away from that experience. It’s time to re-apply it to “everyday life.”

Witchy Questions: What is the first spell you ever preformed? Successful or not.

This post was inspired by Question #40 from this list.

The first spell that I clearly remember casting, ironically enough, was a spell to help a friend find a new home. They had been looking for a while. I decided to do a spell using a poppet and a small planter, the kind that you might use to get seedlings started. The planter represented my friend’s perfect home, which I cleansed with incense smoke and then blessed by sprinkling various herbs (I forget which ones) into it. Then I set the poppet, representing my friend, into it, showing her finding and buying the home.

She made an offer on a house and had it accepted about three days later. I don’t generally brag about the magic I do, but I was quite proud of this one. Probably because it was my first real effort at doing magic.