5 Essential Magical Practices

There are hundreds of ways to practice magic. I’m sure you have your favourites. I know I have mine. Over the years, and over many fine glasses of wine, I’ve chatted with all manner of Witches and Pagans and Druids about what makes magic happen for them. While the style and substance may vary, these five essential magical practices appear on everyone’s list.

Magical Practice #1: Use What You Have

I’d love to practice magick in the gardens of an 800 year old manor estate somewhere in the Cotswolds. All my Pagan friends would come for the weekend. We’d wile the day away discussing arcane magical lore, indulge in a veritable feast for the senses, gather in the rose garden under a full moon, make magic until the wee hours, and retire to our plush four-poster beds. Um…Unlikely to happen any time soon. Until then, I’ll practice in the living room, the local park, or in the ritual room my coven meets in.

Practicing magic doesn’t require the perfect location or the most expensive robes or the coolest tools. Don’t get me wrong, I love the tools I’ve collected, bought, borrowed, or been gifted over the years. They certainly get me in the mood to do magic, but I can do magic without them. In fact, most folk magic systems use every day items like candles and pins and sharpies and socks and old mason jars.

Magical Practice #2: Spend An Hour In Devotion

If part of your magic includes working with deities, set aside an hour, and be in devotion to them. Working with gods not your thing? Spend an hour devoted to your ancestors, or to your partner(s), or to tending your altar, or even yourself. Make devotion a priority. And that hour could be one sixty minute time slot or you might consider spending 8.57 minutes per day (that’s an hour a week, broken down by day) in devotional practice. The key thing to remember is that devoting time to someone/something is all about them. You’re not looking for a reward or even reciprocation. Devotion is a gift you give with no expectation.

Magical Practice #3: Actually Do Magic

Folks new to the Craft are always doing spells, gathering herbs, making charm bags, anything they can do or make that connects them to magic. After a few years of practice, it’s not uncommon to forget to do magic. Or perhaps, to put it kindly, we get a little lazy. Instead of checking correspondences, erecting altars, or researching spells, we just sort of say “So mote it be” and have done with it. The best part of magic is actually doing magic. I highly recommend having some sort of spell going all the time and actively working with it. Light the green candle on your money altar. Feed your charm bag. Cut pictures out of magazines of the places you want to go. Mix herbs and oils aligned with travel into the glue and paste everything onto construction paper. Whatever you do, actually do it.

Magical Practice #4: Talk About Magic

At least once a day, I talk about magic. Now, to be sure, it’s pretty easy for me. I write about magic. I own a metaphysical shop. My Partner is a witch. Many of my friends are somehow connected to various Pagan communities. If that’s not the reality for you, make it a practice to talk with someone, as regularly as you can, about magic. In person is great, and online works too. There are any number of places to chat about magic. Talking about magic could look like sharing a spell with someone or recounting a mystical experience or discussing that cool new kitchen witchery cookbook you just discovered. Whatever it is, make magic a regular part of your life. Notice I said “regular” part of your life, not “make magic an all consuming passion and bring up magic in every interaction you have with any human being ever”.

Magical Practice #5: Learn How To Ground

This is a big one. You’d be surprised how many Pagan folk don’t know how to do this magical practice. Basically, grounding means bringing yourself to the present moment. Ever have someone rush up to you after a ritual, they get right in your face, they bounce all over the place, and tell you all about their profound experiences with the Goddess, without ever realizing they’re standing on your foot? Yep. That person, needs to ground. Grounding is a pretty simple practice. It can look a lot like breathing. Grounding might be about meditation for you. Lots of folks close their eyes when they ground, but I recommend keeping them open and staying connected to your environment and whomever you’re sharing it with. I can’t tell you how many teachers, high priestesses, magical presenters, and workshop leaders I’ve talked to that swear by their regular, daily, grounding practice.

There you have it folks. Five essential magical practices you can start right now (or restart or continue doing).