Claude Monet - "Rough weather at Étretat" (1883)

Janaina Medeiros

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@thesmilingwitch
Claude Monet - "Rough weather at Étretat" (1883)
Witchcraft As a Conversation, Not a Command
On co-creating instead of controlling
Hollywood really did a number on expectations of working magic. Showing witches splitting open the skies with storms, conjuring fire from their palms, etc. It's easy to enter into witchcraft with this assumption that you are going to be able to control everything with a snap of your fingers.
Now, I know some pretty powerful witches with an uncanny talent for manifesting. So some degree might be achievable. But, for most of us, that's just now how it works (and it doesn't make our magic any less powerful or any less valid).
I can only ever speak on my own magic. For me, it often feels quieter, kinder. For me, magic isn't a command: it's a conversation.
In my early days of practice, I definitely lit a bunch of candles, added some herbs, stamped my foot and shouted at the universe to fix it. I treated magic like it was there to do my bidding, not realizing the truth: Magic has been here much longer than I have. I am a guest in her house.
Thankfully, maturity and practice bring wisdom. I learned lessons, including how to approach. I learned that it was just like sitting on my porch with an old friend- coffee in hand, heart soft, words honeyed. I learned to say, "Alright. I'm here. Let's talk."
To me, magic is in the listening. I don't demand herbs do things for me; I thank them for growing and ask for their wisdom. I don't treat my house spirits like servants; I pour them water and coffee, as I would any other guest.
My magic is a soft power. It doesn't have to raise its voice or show off. It's not the power of dominance, but the power of co-existing. Spellwork is less do as I say and more walk with me for a while.
And so, I will close this with a few things I've learned over the decades of doing this.
Let your spells breathe. Do your part with the words and the components; you are channeling magic, after all. But then, step back. Magic is like like bread dough. You have to let it rise without interfering.
Work with what's already happening. Notice your mood, the weather, the energy. Instead of trying to force your will, ask how you can join what's going on.
Speak to your magic like an old friend. Every tool I use, the coffee I brew, the herbs I scatter in spellwork. I soften myself a bit, whisper my gratitude, and ask for their assistance, wisdom, guidance. I feel like it's made all the difference in the world.
Treat your rest as part of the spell. You don't have to push yourself to make things work. Soemtimes the most powerful thing you can do is to lay down your burden and let the universe breathe with you.
A lot of "daily witchcraft" stuff just boils down to practicing basic mindfulness and self-awareness. That's not a bad thing. Like mysticism aside, yeah your little daily witchcraft practices are certainly going to yield good results if it's making you reflect on your emotions, identify your goals, analyze what food and drink you're putting in your body, ground yourself, and act with intention on a daily basis if you weren't doing it before.
Heck yeah, 100%. To quote Terry Pratchett “It’s still magic, even if you know how it’s done.”
You, who opened suns in my heart.
- Alfonsina Storni
🌙 How To Build An Altar That Feels Like Home
When I built my first altar, it looked like a sad thrift store shelf, mismatched candles, half-melted incense sticks, a chipped mug standing in for a chalice. I was so desperate for it to look witchy, like the glossy photos in books. But it didn’t feel like mine. It felt like a stranger’s stage.
It took me years, and many messy, candle-wax-soaked attempts, to realize: your altar isn’t an Instagram post. It’s a heartbeat. It’s your magic’s nest. It should feel like home, because it is one.
Here’s how I’ve learned to build an altar that breathes with you, one that feels like warm floors, familiar shadows, and the exact right hush of your spirit.
🕯️ 1. Know What An Altar Really Is
Strip away the fancy words: an altar is just a sacred spot. It’s where you gather your power and your gratitude in one place.
It can be as humble as a windowsill or as grand as a dedicated room. A shelf, a table, a box, all that matters is intention.
Think of it as a tiny crossroads: your body, your spirit, and your magic meet there. The rest is just trimmings.
🌿 2. Start With What Calls You
Forget the shopping list that says you must have a pentacle, a wand, a chalice, this and that.
Ask: what do you reach for when you feel witchiest? A candle that smells like your grandmother’s kitchen? A stone you found at the river? A jar of salt?
Your altar is not a museum. It’s a nest of meaning. Let it be ugly at first. Let it be real.
🔮 3. Give It a Heartbeat
I always tell baby witches: your altar’s alive if it changes with you.
Maybe you set it up on the floor for a spell, then move it to a shelf when you get a cat who loves knocking things over. Maybe you swap the flowers every season. Maybe you leave offerings that rot a little, because magic is not sterile.
Mine has bits of charred candle wicks, a cracked seashell, and a scrap of cloth from my mother’s apron. I clean it, but I don’t bleach it of history.
🗝️ 4. Make It a Conversation
An altar is not a monologue. You don’t just speak at it. You speak with it.
When you light a candle, linger. When you place a new object, ask it, “What do you bring here?” Listen. Maybe you rearrange things when they feel stale. Maybe you sleep with a stone under your pillow before giving it a spot on your altar, so it knows your dreams.
This is the bit the books forget to tell you: your altar listens back.
🌙 5. Protect It, But Don’t Police It
It’s good to cleanse your altar, blow off dust, pass smoke over it, ring a bell if it feels heavy.
But don’t let perfectionism be your deity. I once wasted hours agonizing over where to put a feather. It’s a feather, Nyra. Spirits don’t care if it’s center-left or right.
Your hands are sacred. Trust them.
🕸️ A Few Simple Ideas To Try
Place something that represents each element, but only if it feels real to you. A rock, a candle, a cup of water, a pinch of salt.
Add one thing that smells good. Scent ties your spirit to memory.
Leave an offering to your guides or ancestors, even if it’s just a whisper of thanks.
Keep a tiny cloth or broom nearby to sweep off old energy when needed.
🌒 A Final Whisper
Your altar is not a shrine to aesthetics, it’s a mirror for your spirit.
Build it slow. Let it shift. Let it hold your tears, your giggles, your burnt matches and hopeful wishes.
One day you’ll sit at that sacred little corner, a mug of tea in hand, and think: This is mine. And it will hum back: Yes. And I am yours.
— Nyra
❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:・❀
Tiles! I want to have a kitchen wall full with different designs
Moonrise - Józef Chełmoński, 1888.
Polish, 1849–1914
oil on canvas, 55 x 82 cm
2025 Witches' Calendar
January 13 ● Full Moon in Cancer (Wolf Moon) January 29 ● New Moon in Aquarius February 2 ● Imbolc February 12 ● Full Moon in Leo (Snow Moon) February 27 ● New Moon in Pisces March 14 ● Full Moon in Virgo (Worm Moon) March 15-April 7 ● Mercury Retrograde March 20 ● Ostara March 29 ● New Moon in Aries April 12 ● Full Moon in Libra (Pink Moon) April 27 ● New Moon in Taurus May 1 ● Beltane May 12 ● Full Moon in Scorpio (Flower Moon) May 26 ● New Moon in Gemini June 11 ● Full Moon in Sagittarius (Strawberry Moon) June 20 ● Litha June 25 ● New Moon in Cancer July 10 ● Full Moon in Capricorn (Buck Moon) July 18-August 11 ● Mercury Retrograde July 24 ● New Moon in Leo August 1 ● Lammas August 9 ● Full Moon in Aquarius (Corn Moon) August 23 ● New Moon in Leo September 7 ● Full Moon in Pisces (Harvest Moon) September 21 ● New Moon in Virgo September 22 ● Mabon October 6 ● Full Moon in Aries (Hunter's Moon) October 21 ● New Moon in Libra October 31 ● Samhain November 5 ● Full Moon in Taurus (Beaver Moon) November 9-November 29 ● Mercury in Retrograde November 20 ● New Moon in Scorpio December 4 ● Full Moon in Gemini (Cold Moon) December 19 ● New Moon in Sagittarius December 21 ● Yule
Who's excited for Yule?
Lord, grant me the strength to throw away this box that i'll never use, the courage to throw away this box that i'll never use, and the wisdom to throw away this box that i'll never use
⋆⭒˚。⋆ 𓍢ִ໋🀦 ˚˖°⋆。˚⋆
Mourning the end of witch season 🪦🐈⬛