Pittchcraft: Turning to Witchcraft in isolation

The lockdowns and isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic have made many of us feel powerless and trapped in our own spaces. For Witches, one positive use of the solitary time is to strengthen our practices and delve into new things. It is a time when Witches can broaden the reach of their practice to help the world around them and ease their own stress.

Everyone wants to change the world, or at least feel like they can help it in some way. This is often very true for Witches, too. Although the practice of Witchcraft can often feel fairly solitary, with many of the practices revolving only around that practitioner’s life, Witchcraft also has a strong focus on nature and the elements.

While it is often forgotten in the practice, everything around you is a part of nature — your friends, your family, society and the environment. Every human being and aspect of the earth should be cared for in the practice of Witchcraft. Thus, during this time of crisis, it’s a prime time to expand your practice of Witchcraft to help those around you.

For Witches and non-Witches alike, being trapped at home has led to a strong desire  to help others. But this feeling can sometimes become overwhelming, especially when the world makes me feel so powerless. But even from the comfort of my own home, there are many things I still can do for the greater good.

For one, helping in the community has always been therapeutic for me. Even while the world is on lockdown amid this pandemic, I still try to help the community in little ways. As a Witch, a spell can be something as simple as a small note that comes from the heart.

In challenging times like these, many people are being encouraged to order takeout from local restaurants, for example. I have found this to be a great opportunity to write a little note infused with positive intentions and send it to the employee who brings my order. Such a simple action is a very special way to alleviate at least a little bit of stress from myself and the community workers around me.

It may sound cheesy to say everyone should be positive to others during a crisis, but for Witchcraft, it has a much more powerful meaning. Setting intentions of being positive infuses whatever one does with that intention, and simply setting these intentions daily can be highly beneficial to one’s mental health as well.

While on lockdown, I also like to take a more active role involving the world and Witchcraft. In my own practice, a tarot card reading can be highly useful to ease my mind and strengthen my practice. For example, one of the most popular readings to do with tarot is to read the past, present and future of someone — or of a group of people. When I want to do a check-in with the cards, I do this reading for society or even the world. The three-card technique is a simple example of what tarot readings can be done on this topic, but there are many spreads that can be made by pulling cards for the world.

When not reading tarot, there are a multitude of other simple spells that I can quickly perform to send my magick and good vibes into the world in its time of need. Many spells that usually only serve the Witch can be extended to aid family, friends and communities. As a Green Witch, I often like to burn herbs for protection such as rosemary, bay, fennel, cloves and coriander. As they burn, I focus on their protective smoke enveloping whoever the recipient of that particular spell is. I often adapt protection spells and rituals to larger targets when I want to spend more time on my practice.

No matter how it is viewed, it’s important to keep in mind that this is a pivotal moment for Witches and non-Witches alike. It is a key moment in history when everyone must work together and stay as positive as possible. For non-Witches, this may simply mean showing a little extra kindness to those around you or reaching out to friends and family to give your support. For Witches, this is a key time in the world when we must strengthen our minds and magicks and focus on doing our best for those around us and for the world around us.

Killing quarantine time by practicing Witchcraft or even simple kindness will only make us all stronger on the other side of all of this pandemic. Simply meditating and holding onto positive thoughts is a great way to get to know yourself and your powers and to feel like you are actually doing something for the world, even if you cannot leave your home.