Ok, it’s confession time. I am a severely inconsistent person. I don’t mean mildly moody or prone to spontaneity. I mean decidedly, vigorously opposed to routine and consistency to my very core. My moods and thoughts and feelings change constantly in response to what’s going on in my life. Things like how stressed I am, how social I’ve been, and how much sleep I’m getting can alter every part of how I approach my life. I just don’t do routine well!
As you can imagine, this makes it pretty difficult to keep up with any kind of daily practice in my craft. Sometimes I’ll do good for a week or two and practice witchcraft every day but then inevitably something comes up that disrupts my routine and the whole thing goes to hell. I’ll end up right back where I started, practicing spontaneously at random intervals throughout the week with occasional stretches of forgetting that my craft exists for a few weeks at a time (the ADHD struggle is real).
I tend to be an all or nothing person, either it’s all witchcraft all the time or no witchcraft at all. Hardly a consistent way to practice!
The world at large would like us to believe that consistency is the key to… well, everything. And in some cases they might be right! Showing up for work, brushing your teeth and maintaining relationships all require at least some level of regularity. But does being inconsistent make you a bad witch?
Many people feel that if they’re not practicing witchcraft every day that they’re being a “bad” witch (spoiler alert: there’s no such thing). We see people on social media who seem to do magic CONSTANTLY and we read recommendations on how to practice more regularly and we desperately look for ways to squeeze rituals into our hectic lives. We struggle to achieve this picture perfect version of witchcraft that matches the image that we’ve collaged together from a random assortment of bloggers, books and films.
Life gets crazy though. Many of us struggle with health concerns, our job(s), kids, our social lives, spouses and all of the other myriad demands that the world throws at us. Our lives are BUSY and it’s normal to get overwhelmed sometimes! Fitting witchcraft into your crazy life can feel like an impossible task.
I have a little secret for you though.
It’s OK to let things slide for a while!
Let that sink in. You have permission to take a break. The witchcraft police aren’t going to come find you and revoke your Witch Card, you aren’t going to forget everything you know about the craft. You don’t have to force yourself to practice when you don’t feel like it!
Too busy with toting kids to and from soccer practice to perform a spell today? It’s fine! Don’t have the energy to meditate? Skip it! Forgot the full moon was tonight? Who cares, it happens every month!
It’s ok to take days or weeks off. It’s ok to only practice the bare minimum “rush magic” if that’s all you can manage. It’s ok to prioritize yourself and give yourself a breather when you need one!
I know some people will scoff at my cavalier approach to the craft but witchcraft is supposed to enhance your life, not add to your list of stressful obligations!
Think about why you began practicing witchcraft in the first place. Many people found their way to the craft in order to claim their personal power, gain more control over the circumstances of their life or connect more deeply with themselves and the world around them.
Does stressing yourself out and mentally berating yourself for taking a break or forgetting something really help you toward that original purpose? I don’t think so!
Do you really feel like you can tap into your personal power or properly perform the steps of a complex spell when you’re stressed out and exhausted? Of course not! Even if you DID force yourself to perform that spell you’d probably be unhappy with the results which would just give you another reason to feel like a bad witch. Stop demanding so much of yourself!
Witchcraft is not some obligation or something to just tack onto your already overflowing to-do list. It’s not just one more thing that you have to grit your teeth and barrel through. It’s a way for you to connect, to take control and care for yourself and those you love. Sometimes the best way to care for yourself is taking a nap instead of spending 20 minutes meditating. If you ask me, having the ability to tune into yourself and listen to what your body and mind need in those situations is so much more powerful for your energetic and spiritual life than trying to power through some exercise that you’re probably going to half ass because you’re too tired.
Witchcraft is a mutable thing, it ebbs and flows with the seasons of your life, changing to meet your needs and desires. You are NOT a bad witch for following those seasons. Is a tree bad at being a tree because it’s dormant in the winter? Of course not! When conditions become too rough the tree just allows the season to run its course.
Instead of trying to force yourself to practice witchcraft every single day start practicing only when it feels good or when it’s really necessary. Give yourself permission to only do the little things if you need. Whispering enchantments into your coffee or tucking a bay leaf into your bag for protection is still witchcraft even if it’s small. If it feels good to practice every day this week that’s fantastic but next week might be Big Deadline time at work and you might only practice once or not at all. That’s ok!
There will even be times in your life when you have to take extended breaks from the craft, months may go by when you don’t do a single magical thing as you tend to the more pressing demands of the world. You are still a witch. You are still a GOOD witch. You’re simply giving yourself the space and freedom to work on yourself and your life in the way that best serves you.
Give yourself room to scale back when you need it.
Let go of the need to constantly be pushing and working in every part of your life. Let a little more ease and fluidity into your craft, you might be surprised how good it feels to practice when the tides turn again.
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Thank you so much for this! I recently started finding ways to get back into practicing and I was feeling a little like I wasn’t practicing enough to even allow myself to be called a witch. But it’s who I am, and I often forget the little magical spells I do daily without thinking about it. Thank you for making me feel better about my inconsistency!
I’m so glad I could help you feel better about your validity as a witch Alyssa! Everyone goes through times of high and low activity and I think it’s best for us to be accepting and gentle with ourselves in that process. You’re an amazing and powerful witch even if you have to give yourself a rest at times!
I’d really like to download the simple acts of witchcraft PDF but the subscribe link took a long time to send me an email (versus your other downloadables) and the download link included is broken. Just fyi, I really want to see this content.
Hi Samantha!
I’d love to email you the download if you’ll simply send me an email at avery.h@intrepidcrow.com I’ll be able to send that on over to you!
Thank you SO much for these words. I really needed to know this.
Thank you for writing this! I’ve been slowly returning to my practice regularly and feeling like a bad witch so this was reassuring. I’ve just discovered your blog and so far I’m really enjoying it.
Thank you so much for writing this. About 4 months ago I had a cliff jumping accident where I broke both of my heels and haven’t practiced very much since. Allowing myself that break has led to a renewed sense of purpose in practicing my craft. I feel like now I really WANT to start again. Without the accident forcing me to take a break I would have become burnt out continuing doing everything I was trying to do before. I think the universe had to force me to take a break because I wasn’t open to listening at the time. I am also a very inconsistent person, and have learned to embrace that part of myself and ever since it has improved my magick.
I really enjoy your blog. Thank you for taking the time to create and maintain it:)
Thank you so much )0(… I have adhd too and its really hard for me to "stick with" things. However, Wicca is my religion but I don’t practice as much as I used to. I feel like the winter has just zapped me of any motivation. Spring cannot come soon enough!!