SIMPLE WITCH OR LAZY WITCH?
There is a Difference
There’s an old joke about a person seeking directions who asks, “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?” The answer is, “Practice.”
Regular practice is the key to becoming proficient at any skill. Even a savant able to play violin by ear still requires regular discipline to become a virtuoso. He or she must practice, practice, practice to create muscle memory, and must play a wide selection of music to develop a feel for effective tempo, crescendo, diminuendo and so much more.
The same is true for witchcraft; if you want it to work consistently, you have to develop a regular habit of study and practice to hone your skill. And while the purest practice of witchcraft is not a religion and does not require working with deity, it does share one basic tenet with religion — regular practice not only increases skill, it also strengthens your belief.
You can be a lazy witch, or you can be an effective witch, but you cannot be a lazy and effective witch. Like everything in life, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. How, then, is simple witchery different than lazy witchery?
You don’t have to have all the things, and do all the things. There are too many things — crystals and herbs, tarot and runes and bones, and astrology, spirits, familiars, fetches and servitors. If you choose to practice with deity, there are goddesses and gods, and tomes of ancient mythology. In more formal traditions, there are paths, levels and degrees, covens, rituals and rites.
Whew! Just writing that almost makes me hyperventilate.
Having the things is fun, it adds to the romance and mystery of witchery. There is nothing wrong with having all the things, but it isn’t necessary. In fact, especially in the beginning of your practice, having and doing all the things can lead to overwhelm and ultimately weaken your power. It’s worth mentioning that if you think you are a lazy witch, you may just be an overwhelmed and confused witch.
So, how do you keep it simple and still effective?
Let’s start with a definition of simple witchcraft (as in basic, non-deity, non-religious practice). Witchcraft is the practice of manipulating energy. All matter is energy and all energy transforms — a witch uses applied knowledge to transform energy through intent and focused will. So I will it, so it is, so it shall be.
To know, to dare, to will and to be silent are the four cornerstones for building an effective practice of witchcraft.
Known as the Witches’ Pyramid or the Four Pillars of Witchcraft, when the cornerstones are activated during practice, a cone of energy is raised and directed “to go” out into the universe to do its work.
To Know: To practice witchcraft you have to study it, read the history, read leading authors on the subject. Study the practice of it—types of witchcraft, tools, ceremony, ritual. Understand what correspondences (plants, elements, planets, stones and crystals, timing) are and how they work. There is more easily available reference material now than ever in the past. If you’re on a budget, start with blogs on websites like Patheos and Pagan Square. Find some reputable podcasts, like these suggested by Luna Luna.
Perhaps more importantly, knowing means knowing yourself. Facing your truths—or in the witching world, your shadow self. All witchery starts with your intent; if you don’t know your true intentions, if you’re not honest about yourself and your motives, you’re in for some surprises . . . otherwise known as hard lessons, or in some traditions the rule of return.
To Dare: You must dare to stand in your own power, dare to claim it and to believe in it because it will be challenged, by your own doubts, fears, demons and failures (lessons learned)and by others.
To Will: This is the part everybody thinks of as witchcraft—manifesting your desire, wanting something and making it happen. But it takes more than a fervent wish, or even driving desire. Knowing how to combine mundane (every day) efforts with magical elements and apply personal power is willful magick.
To Keep Silent: Historically, this was for the protection of the witch but also of the craft — do not share with those not initiated. Ethically though, it also means no proselytizing. And I can’t stress this enough, it also means being quiet, observing, listening to learn. Finally, it can refer to reticence, reserving judgment. A witch who had done shadow work has no ego in the game, nothing to prove.
To Go: To let go, let your magick go. Work your spells and release the energy to the universe to do its work. Give it time; a watched pot doesn’t boil. I personally hold that “to go” also means to go forth in the world with your magickal self. You don’t have to be out of the broom closet to do this. Some traditions require service in your community to attain higher degrees, but all witches worth their salt consider giving back in the mundane world one way of making offerings to the source of their magick—whether a deity, universe, nature, or higher consciousness.
The table below is a helpful reference for understanding the purpose of the four commands. Do not think of them in a linear way, for example, first you must know, then dare, then will, etc., instead remember that each is meant to work with all the others.
Working with the Witches’ Pyramid, your practice can be as simple or elaborate as you choose to make it, but if you are true to the cornerstones (or pillars) it will never be lazy.
ALL THE THINGS
You don’t need one of every crystal and gem available on the internet. Clear quartz can be programmed for any purpose. Even the stones in your garden have properties and energy to be used— hold them, meditate with them, ask them to introduce themselves, choose a few that meet your needs.
I am particularly drawn to the black, smooth basalt found on the Lake Superior shoreline. It calms me in the same way the gentle, rhythmic lapping of the lake waves does. Like most black stones, it accepts anything I have to release or wash away. It also feels majestic and powerful like the Great Lake. I can write on it with metallic markers or chalk. I can fashion it into runes, or charms and amulets to carry with me. It’s a tool with many uses.
I’ve come to believe I could get by with just clear quartz and my black basalt if necessary. Expanding beyond that, I’d add amethyst, tiger eye, carnelian, aquamarine, and jade — but that’s entirely my personal preference based on my practice.
Similarly, you don’t have to study and memorize the correspondences of every herb in the magical encyclopedia. Many herbs have numerous magical attributes, when you work with the herb, simply call on the correspondence you need. Likewise a single correspondence, such as protection, can be found across a wide variety of herbs—The simple witch chooses what is readily available and abundant.
For example, cinnamon is a good multipurpose, magickal ingredient. Use it for purification, inspiration, protection, healing, love/eroticism, and much more.
Saffron is a lovely herb that evokes riches, abundance, wealth, power and rarity—like a unique and precious gem. It’s also costly. Orange peel will imbue all the same qualities, except perhaps rarity. However, as a simple—and resourceful witch—I could magickly transmute the energy of fine grated orange rind to that of saffron, thereby invoking its rarity in my spell.
Simple witchery means building a cadre of herbs you can obtain and rely on. If you can grow or forage for them in your own back yard, all the better. Such herbs, plants and flowers carry the genius loci—the spirit of the place within them.
This Patheos article by Rachel Patteson, lists 100s of plants and herbs for magickal use. When you can’t get your hands on a specific herb, check Witchipedia’s guide for Magickal Substitutions.
For divination, you can choose among 100s of tarot decks and sets of ruins, tea leaves, scrying (with a crystal ball, water, or a mirror), a pendulum, palm reading, the stars and planets, and more. You can try your hand at automatic writing, use meditation, or channeling. You can use sticks, stones and bones— heck, you can even flip a coin if you devise a reliable method. Arguably, you can use none of them by honing your own intuition. You do not have to be adept, or even acquainted with all the ways. If you’re trying to keep it simple, any one that works for you will do.
I like to ask what the witches of old would do? One thing for sure, they sourced their magical supplies locally, growing and foraging, fashioning tools from what they had or could find. Occasionally they might be able to trade for something exotic from a traveling peddler. Mostly, they made due.
It’s highly probable that their necessary resourcefulness enhanced their magick; creativity generates a good deal of personal energy—that energy is the power of your magick. Conversely, being a lazy witch does not generate much power. If your heart and mind aren’t in it, your intent is weak and your magic will be too.
Below is a table of what I feel is the minimum amount of time needed to develop your power as a witch. No single column or row is more important than the other, rather each one strengthens the others.
The time suggested is the total for all activities in the column. For example, in 15 to 20 minutes you could effectively light a candle, offer an intention and meditate, read a blog post or listen to a podcast. Additionally, you do not have to do all activities in a given column but should do all of them on some regular basis. If you spend an hour journaling once a week, the next week maybe tend to your altar or do some herbal crafting instead. Finally, the minimum times for weekly and monthly practice do not have to be completed all at once. Maybe you prefer journaling for 10 minutes daily instead of one longer session.
I don’t necessarily read every day, but I do aim for an hour or more a week. On the other hand, I feel it’s important to include a short devotion, intention, or prayer every single day. Some days, I’m on the fly from the moment I open my eyes until I close them again that night. The only witching I do might be to light a candle and set an intention in the morning, and utter a few words of gratitude before falling asleep that night.
The beauty of simple witchery, and more so the purpose, is to incorporate it into your life so seamlessly that it becomes second nature to you, not a burdensome drain on your time and energy.
Recently it was time to clean out my kitchen spice cabinet, combining duplicates, pulling out older herbs and spices to go to compost or into ritual fires, and giving everything a good wipe down. This was a mundane kitchen chore that I made magickal by adding lavender and sage to my cleaning water, along with an intention for refreshing the properties of the herbs and spices as I cleansed the containers and the space I store them in. I also set an intention to infuse the herbs and spices with the energy of good nutrition and health—after all, I do cook with them as well.
I also took a few extra few minutes to jot down all of my spices. I’ll make a correspondence table for the those I have on hand to go into my BOS, as well as a copy to post inside of the cabinet door for quick reference.
Researching the correspondences of each one, and then creating the table will take up several of my weekly 30 minute requirements for study. If I tried to do it all in one sitting, it could easily overwhelm me and I’d be sorely tempted to abandon the whole idea.
If you’re having trouble visualizing all of this, consider the typical Judeo-Christian practice of faith familiar to many. A prayer of grace is often said at least once daily (at meal time), with church attendance once a week, and major holy days observed regularly with much preparation and fanfare. And don’t forget the church dinners and events sprinkled in. These are the touchstones that keep adherents connected to their practice, some taking only a moment, others commanding one or more days. Similar touchstones to your witchy practice keep you connected to your magick.
Certainly, you can devote more time to your practice than my table suggests, but I caution you to not let the siren song of witchcraft lure you to an obsession that inevitably causes burnout and overwhelm. Save the marathon witching for festivals, major rituals, and events, or occasional personal retreat days.
If you have all the time in the world, and you like having and using all the things, your witchery can be as elaborate as you like — you do you. But if you’re a busy witch, a simple practice is all the magick you need.
Find more Simple Witchery for a magickal life t at www.simplewitch.com
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