I’m as guilty as the next witch of having a running YouTube playlist of “witchcore” or “cottagecore” videos to put me in a magical mood and inspire me to work on herb blending or forest bathing. Like any bit of fiction, there’s no harm in a fun fantasy to inspire you and get you through your average day-to-day life. As many witches will tell you, however, the way you can spot a true rural witch will be the dirt under their fingernails, not the care placed into the look of their cottage. Living on a farm, in a forest, on a mountain, or even deep in the desert is a hard, rugged existence that doesn’t lend itself well to frequent Instagram photos or cute selfies. And besides, there’s nothing wrong with living in a city or a suburb…most of us do, in fact.
So how can we live “magical” lives when we’re surrounded by bus stations, smog, and concrete buildings instead of forests, meadows, and starry skies free of light pollution?
In many ways, you’re undertaking something just as difficult as a witch of the wilds. You’re taking a sterilized, sensible, utilitarian environment and seeking to inject it with some of the essential vitality that makes up a witch’s spirit. You’ve got a long battle ahead of you, but the results, I promise, will be magical and uplifting.
Here are four simple ways to begin taking steps to make your “civilized life” a potent, magical one:
- Introduce yourself to the local spirits. It’s tempting to believe that nothing “supernatural” or spiritual can exist in a “normal” setting, but the truth is spirits are all around us, as common as sparrows and just as easy to overlook if you’re not paying attention. Start by sitting quietly in a safe space and taking note of the things that stand out to you. As you gradually become extra aware of the spaces you take for granted, you’ll start to perceive the tiny changes that happen regularly in these spaces. When you’ve become attuned to the space, you’ll note that it has become attuned to you as well, and that you have become “part” of it. This, more than words, is a form of introduction and bonding with the energies of a place.
- Learn your local folklore. What notable events took place there, what important people passed through, who lives and dies and breathes and creates there…and how can you tap into those energies? It’s good to know the “big” stories that draw us together, but don’t neglect the power in the smaller, more personal stories that make a place unique. It’s by drawing on those stories and the energies in them that we can work more subtle, potent magics.
- Reestablish the wild. Many plants and animals have adapted to the impact humans make on the environment, but this doesn’t mean they couldn’t use help. Don’t take this to mean you should feed raccoons or plant a tree in the center of a sidewalk; try finding quiet, tucked away places to plant natural food sources for animals, or pulling up invasive plants and replacing them with native species. Pick up trash that you see, and clear debris that may have fallen into water sources. By helping an area and its inhabitants to grow more healthy, you reestablish communion with nature and your own place in it.
- Establish small rituals to mark the passage of time. Your rituals need not be large, expensive productions in order to honor the seasons and your own life’s milestones. Take note how how leaves change color to mark the coming cold, or how a moth adapts to the industrialization of a place by changing its colors. How can you change and adapt to stay in tune with your environment?
