How To Do A Daily Witchcraft Practice

Wake Early.

TOO early. You didn’t sleep because your mattress sucks and the cats are crying for breakfast. Also, your spouse gets up at a horrific hour to exercise.  It’s painfully early, but this is perfect! You have two hours before you have to leave for work. You can do a lot of Daily Practice in that time. You lay in bed thinking of how determined you are to do your Daily Practice.

Fall back asleep.

Finally Get Up.

The sounds of the house won’t let you sleep anymore. The dog is harassing the cats, and everyone is either barking or yowling at each other. It must be the voices of the Gods calling to you. Get up! It’s time for your Daily Practice! You tend to the animals, and then enjoy the momentary peace of the early morning. THIS is life without technology. It’s time to go to your sacred space. The first rule of your Daily Practice is: No social media before your Daily Practice.

Grab your phone, anyway.

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Scroll..Just For A Sec.

You realize you’ve been scrolling for twenty minutes. Good Gods. Time for Daily Practice.

Notice.

You’re finally in your sacred space. You may light some incense, or a candle. You say to your Higher Powers, “I’m here! I’m alive! I’m grateful!” You notice your body, how it feels–alive and present. You notice your mind. It is grateful. You notice the cup of tea you left for the Gods last week has mold on the top and the flowers you offered two days ago are wilted. These are gross. It’s time for fresh offerings.

Make Fresh Devotions

You discard the old tea and swear you’ll be better about changing offerings from now on. You plan to go to the yard and cut some new flowers, but then your phone dings. It’s a news alert–the world has done something to upset you. You text one of your best Witch friends about it because they live on the other side of the world and they’re the only one awake. “OMG!” you say. “OMG, I KNOW!” they reply. This goes on for a bit.

Your spouse comes home, which is a sign it’s time for you to get ready to work.

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Except You Forgot Your Daily Tarot Card.

At Samhain, you promised your Coven and the Gods that you’d pull a card every morning as a way to know the Tarot better and also to connect deeper with Spirit. You are proud of yourself because since Samhain (and it’s now almost Ostara), you’ve done the daily Tarot draw no less than six times! Because you’re starting to run late, you think maybe you should skip it this morning. Something tells you not to skip, though, so you pull one real quick. You get the Chariot. You don’t remember what that means, but you’ll look it up later.

You remember you haven’t cut the fresh flowers for your altar, and now there’s no time to do it. You promise you’ll do it when you come home.

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As You Dress For Work, You Wonder If You’re Doing It Wrong

You must be the laziest Witch alive. Everyone else out there is chanting for hours before dawn. They’re posting pictures of gorgeous offerings on Instagram. They are aligning their chakras and doing full astrological reports before going out the door. But you have a sixteen hour work/life day ahead of you and tonight, you’ll probably doze through your spouse’s re-watch of The Office, while “better” Witches are grinding herbs and chanting to whatever phase of the moon we’re in (you sure as fuck can’t remember today’s lunar phase).

Tomorrow. Tomorrow You’ll Get Up Just A Little Earlier, And You’ll Do All The Things On Your Daily Practice List.

But secretly you know that’s probably not going to happen. Maybe you’re on your commute feeling a little sad about it. Maybe you don’t feel any sort of way at all.

But, Something Happens.

A hawk flies over your car, a stranger gets on the bus singing an obscure song that’s been in your head for days, or you suddenly remember a potent dream from last night. Whatever happens, it’s a crystal-clear message about something that’s been bugging you for weeks. You witch-cackle aloud (and if you’re on public transit, everyone turns to stare which makes you laugh louder). You pull out your journal (or a dirty, crumpled receipt), and make notes of your revelation.

Okay. Your Daily Practice Isn’t Ideal.

It’s certainly not one you’d read about. You probably omit some details when describing it to other Witchkin. But you know what? It’s where you are right now: busy, tired, struggling to focus, but still doing it. One of these days you’ll may have more time and focus. In other phases of life, you may have even less. The point is that you’re doing it. Your Gods, Spirits, or Higher Powers see it and are responding.

Keep at it!