5 Tips for Witches in 2023

As always, it's been a year of findings.

Findings about the craft, the occult, and magick. And most importantly, about myself and who I am as a spiritual being and witch.

And as always, I love nothing more than sharing my craft and the occult with others in the hopes that they can help or create a ripple of realization within the community.

So here are some of the "tips" I have learned that have provided me the most benefit in finding myself and my craft.

1. Labels Aren't Necessary

Labeling what "type" of witch you are or witchcraft you perform is something I see more commonly in newer witches. That being said, after practicing for 5+ years, I've still noticed a weird unspoken pressure within the spiritual community to label yourself.

Here's a secret. You don't need to label yourself; I would recommend refusing to label yourself or your practice. I've found that it creates a subconscious boundary not to practice certain aspects or areas of the craft (note I am not speaking of closed practices here, we still need to be mindful of those). And the truth is many different sectors of witchcraft are used within various sectors.

For example, you can't have kitchen witchcraft without green witchcraft involved.

I personally have found the only benefit of utilizing labels within witchcraft is the ability to research those specific topics. Still, I refuse to completely label myself a certain witch since I practice everything from kitchen witchery to sex magic to elemental and back.

So do not spend so much time worrying about what type of witch you are; instead, follow your interests, which is my second tip.

2. There's Nothing You "Need" to Learn. Instead, Focus on Your Passions

Once again, this is more geared toward newer witches, but it's still good advice, no matter where you are in your craft.

I'm sure you've come across those articles that are "things to learn as a beginner witch," etc. And although those can be helpful and interesting, they are unnecessary.

Most of all, listening and following your intuition makes you a witch (or practitioner, or what you prefer to call yourself). It's not because you know the purpose of the moons, which plants are suitable for protection, etc.

We all have different crafts because we are different souls and blueprints. Your intuition and passions will guide you to the areas to which you need to be guided. Those are the areas of knowledge that benefit you the most.

3. Spellwork Breaks Down Into Will, Knowledge, and Faith

These are the foundations of ritual and spellwork (and yes, I am talking about three sides of the witches' pyramid here). Of course, working with magick requires learning the manipulation of energy, but the success of a spell really relies on these three things.

Without a hard will, the universe will not believe you are ready or deserve what you are asking for. Magick is beautiful and is more straightforward than most people give it credit for, but that doesn't mean it's going to hand you everything on a silver platter, nor is it going to "save you."

How will you understand how to manipulate the energy necessary for the spell without knowledge? How will you know if your intention comes from a place of shadow? The intention is important, yes, but it is not everything. Knowledge will allow you to correctly work that will and faith into what it needs to be for success.

And finally, faith. Without faith in your power, faith in your spell, and faith in yourself, your spell will not work. Magick isn't something that needs to "prove" itself and whether or not you have faith in yourself is an essential factor as part of your spell.

4. You're Going to "Fail," And That's Okay

Before I go into depth here, there is a reason I have "fail" in quotes. Because one thing I learned from my workings with Asmoday is that failure is a construct, not truth.

And I hate to break it to you, but everything you do within your practice, whether a new spell, ritual, meditation, etc., will not yield your expected results. There are many reasons for this (some that you can read here) why this occurs.

And they will continue to occur even after years of the craft. I still have times when I experience what I believe to be inaccurate results.

The good news is the more you practice the craft. The more you perform shadow work. The more these "failures" turn into learning experiences.

So do not allow your results to dictate your power. To dictate your faith. Because it is not a representation of magick or yourself.

5. Trust Your Experiences and Growth, Not Others

In the age of TikTok, reels, and other forms of social media, we can see a massive transfer of knowledge regarding the occult.

And in some forms, this is amazing. We are more out of the broom closet than ever, transferring secrets and recipes to help our community.

On the other hand, it's saddening. I see many witches out there that may dive into a new practice or devotion to a God only to have their experience swallowed up by someone else's experience or opinion.

I am here to remind you that just because someone has a particular reaction to a spell doesn't mean you will.

Just because someone had a specific interaction with Loki doesn't mean you didn't communicate with him. Do not allow others, consciously or subconsciously, to squash your experience and belief. Your intuition is the first thing you need to focus on. The fastest way to get better at your craft is to trust yourself.

Now, along with experiences, you need to learn to be okay with the fact that your beliefs will change. This is part of what you experience and how long you practice magick. Sometimes we learn new things that change our beliefs completely or add pieces to the puzzle that make us open our eyes more than before.

This is perfectly okay and all part of the experience. Please do not allow it to scare you away from your faith or practice (or being brave enough to share your beliefs).

Remember that researching and being somewhat skeptical are essential tools, so do not disregard those completely. But remember, many practitioners share their gnosis, many who have not done their shadow work and feel their craft is the law.

Trusting yourself and being okay with changing is more important than any other guidance someone can provide you within the occult.