Are you stressed out right now? Yes? Well, you’re not alone. Life hacks are super trendy right now. People are looking for ways to do things better, faster (yes, even witches.) And though there is something to be said for scaling down our lives so we’re less busy, some days you just need to get it all done. On those days, your witchcraft practice can give you a sense of serenity in the midst of chaos. So if you’re feeling stressed, sit down, take a deep breath, and read on.

With a little creativity, a witchy friend or two, and some magic, you can feel grounded and balanced even when your life is at its most chaotic.

Here are three spells to try when your life gets crazy.

Old Book Spell

Go to a library sale, book swap, thrift store, or antique shop and find an old book. Look through the books until you find either a book of poetry or an old favorite of yours. The key is to find a book that will comfort and ground you.

You can go the traditional route and get a book of haikus or other nature poetry. These kinds of books lend themselves nicely to witchcraft because it’s a nature-centered practice. But be honest with yourself. If you’re feeling stressed and you know you’re not that into flowery language, pick something that’s actually going to work for you. Maybe you’re more into comic books or vintage magazines than books.

I found an old copy of Gone With the Wind at a library sale a few years ago. The cover was brightly colored with artwork from the original film and the edges were tattered and curling. I felt immediately that this book had been around for a while and had been well loved. I wondered how many other nightstands it had sat on, or how many people had cracked open the pages wanting to get lost in the world of big dresses and brave soldiers.

Old books can have such good energy attached and witches are especially sensitive to such ancient energy. If you find the right book with strong, steady energy, just picking it up can make you feel calmer. Keep that in mind as you’re selecting a book for this spell. If you hold the book and you feel any kind of negativity, put it back and keep looking. You’ll know the moment you touch the book whether or not it has a peaceful energy. Ideally, you should have a feeling of being “drawn” to a particular book.

Once you’ve found your book, go through it and dog-ear a few passages you like. If it’s a poetry book, pick at least five poems. If it’s a novel or some other kind of book, find five of your favorite scenes.

In the front of the book (or on a bookmark if you’d rather not write in your book), write an incantation to activate your spell. You can make one up or use this one:

“Old book, lend me your energy of peace and stillness. Ground me and calm me as I read these words that many others have read before me. Thank you for sharing your magic with me.”

Keep this book in your car, in your office drawer at work, or in the kitchen—anywhere you typically experience stress. When you start to feel like life is spinning out of control, reach for this book. Hold it in your hands and allow your body to absorb its energy.

If that’s all you have time for, that’s ok. If you have a bit more time, proceed with the rest. Speak your incantation (aloud or in your head) and open the book. You can read one of the sections you’ve marked or use the book as a sort of oracle by opening it to a random page to starting to read. Once you’ve finished reading the passage, close the book and your spell is complete.

Tea Bag & Crystal Spell

What You’ll Need:

• A tea bag—a calming type of tea is best, but whatever you have on hand is fine.
• A crystal that gets rid of negative energy like smoky quartz, black tourmaline, or black onyx

Directions:

Boil water for your tea, and take out the crystal you’ve chosen to absorb negative energy. Define the type of negative energy you feel around you—stress, anger, anxiety, feeling like there’s not enough time, whatever. Give that energy a label and assign it a color. You might see it as neon green, gray, or black. Pick the color intuitively.

Hold the crystal in your hand and visualize all the negativity around you as colored smoke. In your mind’s eye, see the smoke floating out of the space like it’s being blown out by a gentle wind. Do this meditation until your water starts to boil.

When your water is ready, name the energy you’d like to replace the negativity with. It can be a single word like, “serenity”, “calm”, or “grounded”. Or you can go with an affirmation such as, “I’m cool and confident, and I’ve totally got this.” Come up with this on the fly. You’ll know what energy you need in the moment. Once you’ve decided the energy to call in, give it a color.

Pour the water over your tea bag and watch as the tea bag begins to color the water. As this happens, visualize the water turning the color of the energy you’re calling in. Continue the mediation by visualizing the “colored” steam from the tea rising out of your mug and into the room. Sip your tea and feel the energy coursing through your body as you see the room fill with the colored steam of your intention. It’s best if you have time to drink the entire cup, but if you only have time for a few gulps, that’s ok, too. When you feel a shift of energy in the room and in your body, your spell is complete. This can take a few minutes, so don’t worry if you don’t feel it immediately.

Friends & Family Tarot Spell

When you feel like you need some help to get centered and grounded, call on your friends and family. It’s helpful to teach your friends and family this spell before you need to use it.

To perform this spell, decide who you’re going to call on for help. If this is a friend of yours, use the Three of Cups tarot card (representing friendship, celebration, and support) or the Four of Wands (for stability and security through loved ones.)

If you’re going to call on a family member, use the Four of Wands or the Ten of Pentacles (representing family, wisdom, and guidance).

I recommend making a photocopy or tracing of the tarot card you’re using on a piece of paper so you can keep it in your wallet or purse, ready to be used at a moment’s notice. If you happen to have the actual tarot card with you, use that.  

Send a text to your loved one asking for support. This can be a code word you both decided on beforehand or just something simple like, “Can you send some love my way right now? It’s one of those days.”

Next, hold the tarot card in your left hand and hold your phone in your right hand. Close your eyes. Absorb the loving, supportive energy of the tarot card. Bask in the appreciation that you have a good person in your life who is willing to share his or her time and energy with you when you need it. In your right hand, feel the weight of the phone and the connection you have with your friend or family member.

Visualize this special person in front of you, holding both your hands. See him or her looking at you with a big reassuring smile. On your loved one’s side of things, have him or her do the same visualization, but reversed. It will be your friend looking at your smiling face and you holding his or her hands.

This spell doesn’t actually require that your loved one texts you back immediately because you two are always connected through the nature of your relationship. It also doesn’t require your friend to perform the visualization at the same time as you, though it’s nice if this is possible. If you do get a text back, thank them. When you feel a shift in your energy, your spell is complete.

You can also do this with your ancestors or loved ones that have passed. Use the tarot cards the same way, but instead of a phone, you can hold a picture or heirloom from your loved one.

Magic In The Midst Of Chaos

Chaos is a part of life. There’s a natural ebb and flow to our daily lives, and even in times of stress, there’s a balance. Be mindful of when you need to slow down and step back from your responsibilities. But also embrace the times in your life when you can be busy AND peaceful. With the help of magic, it’s totally possible. May these spells give you a moment of serenity no matter what is going on around you.

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