Jason Mankey
It’s hard to be an everyday Witch. The stresses of work and family, not to mention the constant distractions of social media, cellphones, and TV, often get in the way of the Craft. In the crazy 24/7 environment most of us live in, it’s easy to go days or even weeks at a time without practicing any sort of Witchcraft. Most of us don’t have time to ritualize on a daily basis, but there are lots of little things we can do every day to bring us closer to the Lord and Lady and grow our inner Witch.
My personal practice of Witchcraft generally revolves around three primary concerns: deity (the Lord and Lady), the natural world, and magick. I don’t celebrate all three aspects on a daily basis, but I do take at least a few minutes each day to honor one of them. Everyday practice doesn’t have to be all-encompassing and time-consuming; it’s simply a way to honor the powers that shape our lives and bring us closer to the mysteries of the Craft.
Devotions to Deity
I became a Wiccan-Witch because of the Lord and Lady. They are more than just deities; they are entities that provide me with guidance and reassurance during difficult times. In my own practice, I honor particular goddesses and gods (Pan, Brigit, etc.) and the more general Goddess and God. I acknowledge particular aspects of the divine depending on whatever circumstances I find myself in. If my marriage is going particularly well, I might honor Aphrodite, and if I feel disconnected from the natural world, I call to the Gaulish-Celtic Cernunnos.
The easiest way to get in contact with the Lord and Lady is simply to talk to them, and I find that I’m never too busy to say a few words to deity. Where we speak to them doesn’t matter either. Sometimes they are easier to get in touch with outdoors or at an indoor altar, but if you’ve built a good relationship with deity over the years, your gods are never far away. Prayer is often a dirty word in Witch circles, but praying to deity and talking with them are essentially the same thing.
I do not believe that my gods demand sacrifice, but it pleases me on a personal level to present them with offerings. In a ritual context, such offerings are often called libations. The most common offerings are food and drink, things we touch and consume every day. Most mornings I check on the garden in my backyard and often share a little bit of my coffee with the gods while doing so. Before pouring my morning eye-opener on the ground, I usually say a few words to whatever deity I’m leaving it for. When no particular deity catches my fancy in the morning, I sometimes just say, “To the earth.”
While an offering of coffee works quite well as a morning libation, my favorite gift to leave for the gods is alcohol. Most of them seem to really appreciate a fine wine, and many of my favorite Celtic deities enjoy quality scotch. A proper offering is one that means something to you; it’s not an excuse to get rid of things you don’t like.
In addition to sharing with the Lord and Lady, I also occasionally leave gifts in my backyard to the fey (fairy folk) who live there. They seem to like shiny things, and I’ve left them jewelry, glass beads, and small clay offerings over the years. While I don’t feel like I have to placate deity with material things, I think it’s a good idea to do so with the fey. I want to remain on their good side.
Connecting to the Earth and the Natural World
The eight great Wiccan sabbats are essentially holidays that honor the earth. We celebrate the natural world on those days and honor its rhythms, gifts, and promises. Simply decorating for autumn with tiny gourds and pumpkins can connect us to the earth’s cycles in a very meaningful way. Even easier is to just walk outside and find something worth appreciating. It could be something alive and growing, like a tree, or a feature of the world around you, such as a blue sky, a mountain, or the morning dew.
As a Witch, I honor the natural world by respecting the powers of the four basic elements: earth, air, fire, and water. At the altar in my office I often take a moment each day to acknowledge their presence in my life. This might be something as simple as lighting a stick of incense for air and fire, or mixing up a solution of salt and water and sprinkling it around my workspace to rid it of negativity. What’s most important to me in such operations is simply acknowledging the elements and visualizing my connection to the earth through them.
Not everyone has the space, time, and green thumb necessary to plant a garden (or even to tend a solitary potted plant), but there are few better ways to connect to the natural world on a daily basis. Keeping the fruit trees in my backyard alive is a matter of personal pride and is a great daily way to remain in contact with the earth. At times when I’m unable to garden, just going to my local farmers’ market on a regular basis keeps me plugged in to the bounties the earth has to offer in my location.
Service to the earth is another way to grow one’s Witchcraft. There are formal things we can do as Witches to help our world, such as adopting a local highway or participating in recycling efforts, but there are small things we can do, too. Just picking up some trash while out on a walk or properly recycling electronic waste can help make the world a little brighter—and a little cleaner.
A Magickal Path
Wiccan-Witchcraft is a magickal religion, and magick is an essential part of what we do as Witches. Magick isn’t just a way to change and influence our circumstances; it’s how we commune with the gods and honor the earth. Magickal workings are essential to the practice of any well-rounded Witch.
When we think of magick, we tend to imagine complicated spells with lots of ingredients and other accoutrements. Those things are helpful, of course, but they aren’t necessary. The most basic form of magick is creative visualization, which involves picturing what you want (or are trying to do) in your mind’s eye and then releasing that intention out into the universe. This is a technique I use when tedious tasks start to get frustrating or I’m simply not doing the things I should do (like write or exercise). It’s also a good way to center and focus when you find yourself going astray.
As a Witch, I have many magickal tools, and taking a few minutes here and there to clean and polish them is another way to build a daily practice. Touching and working with our tools, even if it’s just wiping down an athame with a cloth, imparts a bit of personal energy to our magickal implements. This will make them more effective in both spellwork and ritual.
Many Witches see spells as one-off affairs, but many of my most effective spells have been cast over days or even weeks. Working the same spell over an extended period of time adds extra focus and intent to the working. A long-gestating spell is a daily reminder of just how powerful and transformative Witchcraft can be. Tapping into the magickal current of the universe can also be refreshing and empowering.
Witchcraft isn’t limited to full moons and sabbat rites; it’s a way of life. Building an effective personal Craft requires a dash of magick and devotion on a daily basis. By practicing a little something each and every day, we grow closer to the earth and the Lord and Lady—which makes us better Witches.
Jason Mankey is a Wiccan-Witch, writer, and wannabe rock and roller. He has been part of the greater Pagan community for over twenty years and has spent nearly half that time teaching and speaking at Pagan conventions across the United States and Canada. He has written two books for Llewellyn, The Witch’s Athame (2016) and The Witch’s Book of Shadows (2017), and is also the channel manager of Patheos Pagan online. He lives in Sunnyvale, California, where he and his wife, Ari, help lead two local covens. Because they don’t want to be outnumbered, Ari and Jason have only two cats.
Illustrator: Kathleen Edwards