So the reason that I joined the sub is because I believe that what is commonly referred to as "magic" is just as-yet unexplained aspects of quantum science and it's effects, and the rest is spicy psychology leveraging the placebo effect for an intentional outcome, or the use of ritual and mindfulness to self regulate.

So it's strange to me when I come on here and see people asking for the best crystal for "cleansing energy" and the top comment is "it's a rock" or someone asks for a ritual to help themselves feel better about a certain situation and someone replies "you don't need a ritual, you need therapy" because, yes, while those things are also true, isn't the idea behind this sub to use magic and ritual as psychological tools in the toolkit?

I'm just always perplexed when someone comes onto a sub where people practice witchcraft, for whatever reason, and people try to dissuade the asker from using witchcraft?

For the past couple years I've been feeling kind of aimless and stagnant in my craft. It's hard for me to find the motivation to read differing perspectives or try new things when I lack the fundamental belief in magic and view most of this as almost like playing pretend. Always being solitary means my practice is very personal, which is great, but sometimes I wish it had more structure and support. One of my new year's resolutions for 2026 was to join a coven or witchcraft community in real life to put myself out there, meet new people, and experience something new. So I started looking online for groups in my area that were accepting new members.

Around this time last year, I found a local coven in my city on a coven-finding website. I read everything on their website and they did mention that they are open to skeptics and people who don't know what they believe and their tradition is not dogmatic or even truly religious in nature. Then I got intimidated and didn't email them, but I did bookmark the page. A few weeks ago I was cleaning up my bookmarks on my computer and decided to check their website again to see if they had any public events planned for Samhain or any new info. And sure enough, they had an RSVP page for an interview day to be admitted to join their 6-month study class and then after that join their coven if I want to, and the date was just a couple weeks away. I'm not one to believe that coincidences have any meaning, but this one was pleasing to the more woo-woo part of me :)

Yesterday I had my interview with the current members! I made sure to just be completely honest about my lack of belief in magic and the divine in my answers while making it clear that I do leave room in my mind for a bit of woo when it serves the purpose of adding meaning to my life. Luckily, the leadership was incredibly understanding and seemed very interested in my perspective and what I had to say. The high priest in particular was very insightful and said they shared a lot of my lack of belief in magic as an external force and empathized a lot with my distrust of BTW due to being transgender and an atheist. This coven is run by LGBTQ+ people and is vocally trans-welcoming which is a necessity for me.

However, there was one member who seemed a little confused about my responses. He seemed perturbed when I said I don't believe in astrology or magic, and a little doubtful that I do actually practice witchcraft in my personal life. I think after talking with him for a while I was able to clarify where I was coming from but it did feel a bit like he was trying to convince me of his belief. Not sure how I feel about that, but I know he isn't the only person there and everyone else was really welcoming to me.

Anyway. Yesterday evening I got an email from the high priest saying they would love to have me in the class! A bit surprising, since they were only admitting 5 people out of the 20 or so who interviewed and I assumed they would want people who are on a very similar wavelength when it comes to astrology talk or psychic phenomena as them. I am debating if I want to accept the invitation, to be honest. I think I want to? Attending the class is required before fully joining the coven, but joining is not required after completing the class, which is a relief. They said they do roughly one nude ritual a year, which is intimidating to me (transgender reasons) but I think I can overcome that. It wouldn't be until after I complete the 6-month course and get to know everyone, anyway. Does anyone else have experiences with being in/joining a coven as a SASS witch? Were they accepting, or did you need to keep your (lack of) belief to yourself? Are covens appealing to you or do you prefer to be solitary?

I’ll preface this by saying I’m very much an atheist, and use ritual work as a psychological tool. I like having a physical action to take, as it can feel proactive and grounding.

What do y’all use as the basis of your practice? My local witchy shops are definitely all run by and for woo practitioners, and if there is an herb or crystal or something that I want, I’m quite happy to give them my money as small businesses, often women owned, but those really aren’t resources that I can go to for practice resources, because I don’t want to pretend that I believe the things they do, but I also don’t want to insult anyone to their face by telling them that I think their beliefs are silly. (obviously there is a middle ground there, but I often struggle to toe that line)

I want to incorporate more ritual and “spell” work, and I like the idea of leaning into already-established frameworks of meaning assigned to things like herbs and crystals. This kind of stuff makes me feel connected to ancient women.

I’d love if people had books that they have read and that they might suggest? I’ve done some googling and haven’t really been successful in finding what I’m looking for. And I personally have a hard time using books based heavily in Woo as a way to ground my practice.

I have a favorite necklace and ring set. Lab grown alexandrite. Love it to bits. Deliberately attempt to only wear it to pleasant, positive, occasions.

Unfortunately, I was at work when a random individual unrelated to my production besides proximity had catastrophic heart failure and was unable to even be transported to the hospital. I witnessed everything as I was setting up for an event. His mother was there. It was terrible.

I am a tech manager so I had to assess if our event would continue and then pack up when it became clear it would not. The lingering residuals of the emotions of bystanders, my crew, and myself are all pretty dark.

Since I was wearing the alexandrite I’m wondering if any of you fine people have suggestions on how to cleanse it - be it a moon ritual, or something I haven’t thought of. Mostly to get it out of my head that they were there for this most unfortunate occurrence.

Should I do a cord cutting if I want to leave my school? If so what should I do because i’m new to witchcraft?

I’m gonna put here - very possible trigger warnings.

To make a VERY long story short - I’m a 26 year old woman who used to dabble in some witchcraft rituals in high school and into college. It went from something cool and unique to try out to stuff that was actually very enjoyable for me. Things like having a small crystal collection, trying out very simple tarot spreads, candle magic, and simple spells. I never fully 100% believed in these things, but thought they were fun and was a nice way for me to relax before bed.

Then halfway through college I started dating someone on and off for a year or two. His family and friends were into spirituality in some very extreme cases. Started with someone from work that taught a sibling, and then everything spread like wildfire. Very deep into chakra work, having a deity you spoke to in your sleep, trying to become the most perfect version of yourself, etc. It sounded interesting at first, until it swallowed up their lives in horrible ways (self harm, dating the person who taught them spiritual work, psychosis, excluding me from stuff, etc.)

Let’s just say things got so bad that I started shaking and getting extremely anxious whenever it was mentioned, and then it started sending me into a spiral. Yet when I tried to go back to my roots and worked with someone who did actual tarot readings for me, I was ridiculed. I couldn’t look at crystals or any tarot decks or anything involving the craft for years, as it would literally give me the shakes.

It’s now been almost 6 years since all of that. I’m now successfully diagnosed with OCD (for the most part), and am suspected to have AuDHD. I’ve taken a lot of steps to better myself. I’m now able to successfully be around crystals and have a gemstone engagement ring (amethyst right now, upgrading to a lavendar sapphire snake ring soon!). My Fiancé has also been a huge help supporting me through my trauma and we’re navigating things together.

However, I want to dive back into some rituals a little more then what I was doing back then as a baby baby witch (is fetus witch a thing? lmao). I miss having a tarot deck. I miss having a little altar. I miss having my herbs (though I do drink a lot of herbal teas!) I really miss having my candles with runes in them, but I now have a lot of familiars that cannot handle the smoke at all (two cats, 13 adult snakes, 11 baby snakes, and 3 lizards/geckos. We just started breeding reptiles!)

Some general questions I have:

- How do you handle your trauma (spiritual or religious) when diving into more secular witchcraft? Is there baby steps I should follow to dip my feet into it, or can I do a full dive back in?

- How do you incorporate familiars into your rituals? I have a lot of snake sheds and some black cat hair (+ tabico hair) that I would love to include in some spell work if possible

- Any way to replace candles? I do have a wax melt but even that I get weary of adding stuff into it. I don’t want to harm any animals at all!

- Where can I go to get a really good tarot deck? I know a regular deck of cards work fine, but I would love some traditional cards!

- Is there a way to dive in that doesn’t feel like over-consumption? Such as supporting more small businesses or finding more natural stuff to work with? I already have conflicting feelings since I am updating my wardrobe to a more witchy style (will also take some recommendations on this too).

- How to get more involved with a community of women with a similar mindset here. I’m a very secluded baby witch here and would love some more magical ladies in my life

I am more of a baby witch, so just need some advice. I have my two little familiars, a 6 year old female cat and a 5 year old male cat. I worry about essential oils and incense. Obviously I know that them getting into the straight up products would be bad, but more in the way of is it okay for their respiratory system? I would like to be making mists for purification, and oil blends to use on myself. I just don’t want to do anything that may harm them. Incense smoke burning, candle scents and smoke? Any advice would be great or if your animals have never been bothered that would be great too. I just want to keep them safe, thanks!

If you’ve been lucky enough to not know what I’m talking about, maybe you want to skip this, or if you’re curious enough go and type “Voynich experiment” or something like that in TikTok and you’ll know what I’m talking about.

The first worry would be how appalled I feel when seeing so, so many women genuinely believing they can grow plants magically from their menstrual blood and not taking into consideration microorganisms in the water and air, they jump immediately to the “magic” conclusion. And when you try to explain to them what a microorganism is they assume you are a misogynistic man, that only men care about science (which is internalized misogyny). The education system has really failed most people is what I see.

But the thing that actually worries me the most is the fact that people are conducting this experiment at home without any safety precautions: No mask, no gloves, leaving the jar open or opening it several times. The things that can grow in that jar could make you severely ill, cause infections, attract plagues, etc. And you can’t just throw away the jar after who knows how many weeks or months straight to the “earth”. That’s a biohazard you got going on there.

I love the curiosity but I feel like we need to start telling people, from witch to witch, that experimenting is a good thing, but they need to be more cautious with their experiments. And if they want to feel connected to the earth they can just throw their menstrual blood mixed with water directly to their garden and not let it sitting for months in a jar gathering bacteria and mold.

I’m medicated, and as mentally stable and healthy as I can be. And I think in order to keep it that way, I can never fully commit to a faith.

I’ve experienced severe anxiety & OCD symptoms, especially when I do something “wrong” by accident when trying to practice or pray. And when I’m doing “great” and I’m feeling “really powerful” and it becomes a “happy obsession” instead of an anxiety provoking one, I obsess until I develop spiritual psychosis.

THANKFULLY it’s always been acute, very short, and not severe. There were 2 instances where I needed professional help, and even then, it wasn’t because of spiritual psychosis, it was just there alongside the main crisis I was having & seeking help for. I don’t want to share too much, but I have been assessed for mood disorders and psychotic disorders and I do not have them. I have PTSD, which gives me “micro-psychosis” when under extreme stress according to my doctor.

This is different than spiritual psychosis. To my knowledge, anyone can develop spiritual psychosis right? But obviously I’m someone who may be more prone to psychosis than the average person, so I feel like I ought to take more caution.

I’ve only recently started to be proactive and mindful of the connection, but I think I instinctively created a bunch of boundaries to keep me safe from the start, before I even knew what spiritual psychosis was. For example, never ever engaged in any sort of divination working with, or even learning about different deities. I purposefully remain uneducated on that side of the craft. In essence I am almost exclusively a green witch. I don’t identify as one anymore, eclectic witch feels more fitting bc I love incorporating pieces of my culture & ancestry.

But yeah, I guess. Honestly, I’m just pissed. And I’m angry. I’m angry I don’t get to have as much fun as non-sass witches. It just genuinely seems so fun. I hate how often I force myself to silence my curiosity just to not risk my sanity. I HATE that I’m too scared to try tarot. I want to so bad…actually any tips for learning & practicing tarot & avoiding spiritual psychosis while doing it? I’m guessing just reminding myself it’s all symbolism, symbolism I assign & I find, so the power rests in me, not something else. Like how a sunny day feels like proof of a good day ahead becuase that’s just what it feels like it, not because the universe decided to personally bring out the sun for me today.

TLDR: I’m pissed my brain needs extra bubble wrap & I HAVE to be a SASS witch. Proud of myself for knowing. Still pissed and sad. Hoping to start a conversation & get advice on how people keep their own witchy beliefs and practices healthy. For instance, I really want to learn tarot, I think it’s fun and beautiful too. What’s the best & healthiest way to do it?

Also I know the rules of this sub, I am not asking for medical advice of any kind, I am healthy and of sound mind. Just looking for an open discussion with people who may relate and may have additional tips and tricks for making sure spirituality stays healthy.

I was raised Catholic and divested very early from religion (~11 y.o I recall telling my friends and family I didn't believe in god). With, admittedly, help from psychedelics in late high school I experienced a much stronger connection to the world, the people in it, and beyond.

I consider myself a realist, have a science background, very much enjoy learning about the ways different animals perceive the world (e.g. creatures with senses of magnetism, UV light perception, etc). I know there's no objective reality and while my psychedelic use has faded, I still entertain thought experiments of other planes of existence etc - but it has 0% effect on the way I live my life, and I probably only think about stuff like that a few times a year. I don't really identify as someone "awakened" or "enlightened" in that vein. I still have to get up and pay bills no matter what the universe is made of.

I just don't feel like I really know what spirituality is. I've enjoyed and taken a lot from all my psychedelic and sober meditative experiences, but I don't feel like I know how to discuss it in any significant level of granularity or what to "do" with any of the information I've garnered therein.

So my question is, what do you experience in temples, shrines, when praying, or as an attendee of spiritually geared festivals or ritual circles? How long do those experiences stay with you, and in what way do they impact your behavior?

Thanks for reading :)

Hello!

I (31F) have been struggling with infertility. My husband (35M) and I have been trying to conceive for around a year. We have both had bloodwork done, all is fine. I had a transvaginal ultrasound and they thought I had a fibroid blocking my fallopian tube. I went and had an HSG test, but my tubes came up clear and open on the X-ray. My husband has had a sperm analysis, and it wasn’t the most amazing sperm in the world but not too terrible either.

Basically, any witchy things I can do to boost, manifest, or help with fertility? I’m still very new to witchcraft so I would love some suggestions to explore!

I just realized that while cursing in my native language, multiple times saying the same sentence. It’s so free and it makes me feel like I have action over things, although the realities that I do not.

“Spero che ti cadano le palle, spero che ti cadano le palle, spero che ti cadano le palle a xyz devono cadere le palle”.

If I had lived in the 1400s I would’ve become a witch and put on fire.
I doubt the man is gonna lose his ⚽️🎾🏐 but great for my blood pressure.

I recently got my exam results in with I did not clear my exams. Failed by few marks. I still am going to apply for revaluation in which I have a high chance of clearing my exams.

Before the results I did act as if I cleared my exams and started making my resume and preparing for interviews.

Now can anyone tell me any practice through which I will be able to clear my exams through the revaluation process.

The daily schedule for the Convergence event, organized by the Spiritual Naturalist Society, is now available at https://www.snsociety.org/convergence-2026-an-online-conference-for-all-spiritual-naturalists/ . Themes and topics include Religious Naturalism, CultPunk and Poetic Faiths, Radical Ritual and the Future of Spiritual Naturalism, with individual presentations by experts as well as panel discussions.

Tarot with Friends

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Hey friends and felids!

This is an a-synchronous event that we can all participate in from our different timezones. I created it for the Discord server, but thought I'd share it with anyone who may not be on the server.

Follow the ritual instructions (or amend to your heart's desire ✨) and share your results with the group here if you feel comfortable. If you'd like feedback as well, feel free to ask.

Use whatever oracle or tarot cards you'd like. For decks others may not have access to, it might be helpful to provide a bit of explanation for interpretation.

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The Ritual

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Things you will need:

✨ Something cozy to drink (if desired)
✨ A deck to use, physical or digital
✨ Some method of interpreting cards drawn (feel free to detail this to the group, especially if others may not be familiar)

Instructions

Set the mood with as much or little ritual as feels right and works with the space you're in.
Read the opening and closing aloud if that feels right, or keep it in thought alone.
Share what is comfortable in the group thread, and feel free to ask for other interpretations.

Opening:

As the moon, so will we shine
From me to you, from yours to mine
We join as kin from far and wide
At different spaces, in different times

Prompts

- As I look over the year, what can I learn?
- What has come to fruition in my life?
- What should I release as the seasons turn?
- Where should I focus in the time remaining this year?

Closing:

Here I have paid honor to our way
From our own hearts, we need not stray
May what we've shared help draw us close
And kindred hearts may we come to know

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Look, i LOVE halloween. It’s my very favorite holiday, i love everything spooky and scary, i love the community surrounding the holiday! but idk i was just watching hocus pocus for the first time recently, LOVED IT! it’s a super cute movie! but i was thinking to myself…..”damn isn’t the witch lowkey a cultural stereotype?” and idk if i’m wrong about that. I want to know what western european natives think about halloween, what pagans & wiccans think about halloween. i feel unequipped to form a strong opinion about it because, well im a white american so i have been severed from my ties to my real yknow….motherland or whatever. im agnostic i dont practice christianity nor do i practice any kind of paganism. but like, halloween christmas valentine’s day i feel like in america at least they’ve all been bastardized by consumerism & capitalism. and the origins of the like…celebrations themselves were bastardized by colonization! so yes, i like halloween as a celebration of modern day culture and community…but i also feel like there must be a more “ethical” way to celebrate halloween in terms of consumption as well as cultural appreciation. i know this ask isn’t very cohesive, if anything id just appreciate your two cents from anyone hahaha.

I've been slowly figuring out what being a witch means to me. I definitely enjoy the aesthetic, the title, and the gender aspects of it, but I'm a complete skeptic and wary of the dangers of magical thinking. Ultimately, I settled on believing in the powers rituals have on the self. A pragmatic "If it feels good for you and harms no one, there's no reason not to do it". I love the moon, and I love fire, and I express that love in my own ways. One of the most important moments of my life was when I burned my old birth certificate, and it undeniably changed the trajectory of my life for the better from that point on.

Unfortunately, that means that it's an experience I can't really share with many. I feel like a socially anxious outlier in an already pretty niche club. I dream of covens and group rituals, or even just being able to share that part of me as a person, but my mind feels completely immune to magical thinking, and I don't want it to be any other way.

I figured this was a pretty good subreddit to... commiserate, I guess? I don't necessarily expect to find friends out of this, just like-minded people who are going through a similar situation.

I'm very early in the exploration phase of all of this. In the last week or so, I've read quite a bit on witchcraft. Developing an interest has been unexpected. At the moment, I'm working to pace myself, rather than dive headfirst. I can see why so many that are new to it say it's overwhelming.

Out of curiosity, how did you arrive at witchcraft? What about it got your attention? What were your first steps?

My question might sound a little strange, and I hope you can understand what I’m getting at. I’ve been interested in witchcraft for quite a while now, but I’m still a complete beginner. I just read about things that interest me, but I'm still pretty skeptical about a lot of things. I hope that makes sense.

I’ve already read a few books on the subject and tried to find videos that explain how to read tarot cards. I’ve been doing it for fun and really enjoy asking questions, but I never fully understood the meaning behind the cards, other than the obvious descriptions you find when you search them online or in the book that comes with the cards. I'm just not sure how to interpret a card specifically in relation to my question without simply reading the meaning from the book, which is, of course, very general. Does that make sense? For example, when I ask a question and then draw a card, I can figure out what the card means with the help of the books. But I don’t really understand how to apply that meaning to my specific situation if it's not immediately obvious.

I keep hearing from people who ask their cards about all sorts of things and describe them as something really helpful, and in some situations it has worked for me too, but not always. I'd love to do more with my cards, because I'm actually really drawn to them. But somehow I feel like there's a barrier inside me, and I'm not quite sure how to deal with it. I hope you can understand what I mean. So if you have any tips for me or can recommend a book, I'd really appreciate it 😊

Thanks and have a great day!

Hey all. I'm watching chatting with my husband about my witchcraft journey and how I was questioning calssic tarot and other practices since I'm still developing my own practice and figuring out what works for me and what beliefs I'm willing to work around and what ones I'm not. He reminded me that I've done my ancestry DNA testing so I could use that to find practices from my ancestors and I loved that idea! I'm Danish, Irish, and English mostly, so I decided I wanted to look into Danish magical practices. I'm struggling to know where to even start though. Anybody here more familiar with traditional Danish magical practices or holidays or whatever else? I know nothing about my danish family and I am currently no contact with a majority of my family so I don't really have any access to more information from them either.

Hello everyone, I come in peace and love. And as someone who has been a witch for four years but stopped due to a chronic illness (and voices that made me believe in Christianity). Now I’ve finally awoke and though I lost faith that we humans can control elements (used to be an elemental witch), as the elements all have free will and volition.

I’d like to hear more about you. What made you a witch, what are your practices and what do you believe in?

One thing I’ve long thought about spells is the experimentation part: the whole write it down so you know what works.

In a normal experiment you have a control or a baseline which in our case would be no magick. But of course we can only live each situation once and spells take time to work and of, by its very nature, there’s no proof of anything.

I will say the better question with magick is “does it help?” rather than “does it work.” But, any thoughts on magick experiments?

Hi! I (31F) have never been religious and have actively rejected the patriarchal types of modern religions. That being said, I’ve always had an interest in being spiritual or I guess more connected to the Earth, myself, and the universe. I have always been interested in or drawn towards more witchy things, especially as I age, or some woo woo things as I like to say. I enjoy crystals, astrology, meditation, talking to nature, spirits or ghosts, acupressure, Qigong, etc. I don’t really share all of this with the people around me though.

Recently, I gave myself a birthday present of a head spa from a witch owned salon. I had the most amazing experience and felt spiritual for the first time in my life. I’m not sure what I did or what happened but I had moments during that spa ritual where I was almost watching myself getting the service done, and I could feel others energies around me, like hands hovering, even when the salon owner had moved away from the table to grab supplies. I could feel the difference between her being close to me and these other energies or spirts that were close to me as well. Now I am trying to tell myself that because I have been interested in this for a while, I basically made those feelings up due to me just wanting something to happen. I also have OCD, so convincing myself that I’m wrong is common.

Anyway, being in my 30s, I just want to figure out who I am, explore, play with my style, and explore the woo woo and witchy without feeling embarrassed or ashamed, or without feeling like I have to explain it to those around me.

Any witches relate? Any advice or stories is welcome!