New Worlds of Body, Mind & Spirit Since 1901
Witchcraft is many things. It is a source of power. It can be used for self-development. It is a belief system that informs many aspects of our lives, from what we eat, how we live, and even our politics. But more than anything else, witchcraft is personal. You can follow the same path as hundreds of other witches, but your practice will be different in various ways. From the way you cast your spells, to what components you use, to how you approach your magic; all of this is determined by you. So, how do you make your practice personal and relevant to you? In my book, A Witch Is: 13 Keys of Witchcraft, I set out thirteen qualities that I believe all witches have. These personal traits ...
A wholesome home provides a sturdy and resilient container within which healthy things flourish, a sanctified ground into which our roots grow deep into the earth so that we can reach for the stars, expanding into our fullest potential. Our homes, whether they are temporary or permanent, are reflections and extensions of ourselves, our energetic bodies, and our energetic fields. A home is more than just a location; it is a vital symbol of how we think about ourselves and how we connect with everything outside of ourselves, too. It includes the entirety of our living environment, and is comprised of everything from people, objects, animal and plant companions, to spirits, guides, and ...
America is full of hard pills to swallow, and even in a world of microdosing, one can still not elude the trauma of simply existing, minding our own business, while Black. As a Black woman, I keep a tally of times the media gets it right. By right, I mean the times the media shines a spotlight on Black women who, while trying to traverse a white world, are exploited, mentally and physically abused, and taunted to the point that we question our sanity and the very reasons we took the time to strive this hard (only to meet a bludgeoning force that viciously frames our successes as the product of white folks fraudulently being duped as villains who owe it to the disenfranchised to right ...
I know I'm getting old, because any time I watch a TikTok video about witchcraft, I hear myself unironically grumble, "Back in my day…" For instance, whenever a WitchToker swears up and down that the very first thing a new witch must learn is protection magic, I immediately think, "Back in my day, we started with grounding and centering." But as curmudgeonly as I can be, I will admit that having a few basic protective wards in place—or knowing how to create protections on the fly—is never a bad idea. As the following (honestly not that) harrowing tale of what the kids call "baneful magic" will illustrate. [Ed. Note: I'm not going to get into the intricacies of baneful ...
