Modern witchcraft and wellbeing

One of the highlights this year was hearing peoples’ ideas and tips for supporting mental wellbeing. Self-care is one of the most unique and personal things – from running to knitting to chatting with co-workers, different things work for everyone. This blog shares Community Worker Dani’s story about how her interest in witchcraft has helped her self-care and wellbeing this year. Read on to find out more!

Not all black cats and broomsticks

There are a lot of “witchy” things I do that I had never thought of that way – I’m always burning incense and candles, I read tarot cards and I love crystals. It wasn’t until I showed my partner a beautiful spell book I had bought (because I remembered admiring it as a teenager) and he asked if I’m a witch, that I thought:

“Oh. Maybe I am?”

I started doing some research, and I absolutely loved what I found out! To be a good witch, you need to know yourself. You need to give yourself credit for your strengths, acknowledge your weaknesses and find a way to improve them with self-love and kindness.

Being present and being kind

Mindfulness and gratitude are essential parts of the practice. Being fully present in and aware of your surroundings and concentrating on the good in each day really can change your outlook and has a dramatic effect on wellbeing. Well, it does on mine anyway! Some witches believe in the Law of Returns: whatever energy you put out into the universe will return to you. There is also the Threefold Law: what you give will be returned to you threefold. So, if you want positive energy coming your way, that had better be what you’re sending out! It can be hard work, but minor adjustments in the way you think are the starting point. Instead of thinking “I’m always so tired” try to replace it with “It would be great to get more rest.”

Connecting with nature

You also need to know the world around you. I have always loved nature and being outdoors, but since learning more about paganism and witchcraft I have paid more attention– and in a year when pretty much everything else has changed, tuning in to the cycles of nature has been grounding and comforting.

As winter rolls in I have felt a sense of calm and contentment by accepting and welcoming in the darkness and the longer nights. Some people think of winter as a dead season, but this is not the case. It is a time of rest and renewal, preparing to burst back into action in the spring. This year, and from now on, my family and I will be celebrating Winter Solstice instead of Christmas. On the longest night we celebrate the fact that from this point on the light starts to return. It is a time to release our own personal darkness and to set intentions for the year ahead. To give thanks for the gifts this year has given us (maybe harder than normal this year) and to look forward to what is to come.

And eat some good food with the people you love – it’s not a celebration without a feast!

Here are some of my solstice decoration photos: