Spoonie Witchcraft - what does it mean?
A small disclaimer first: I am by no means an expert nor are my words to be taken as the absolute truth. Witchcraft is a great tool but doesn’t replace actual medical care such as pills, going to the doctor/therapist, and so on. Also, I suffer from chronic mental illness and have no experience from chronic physical illness and thus I cannot speak for people who suffer from chronic physical illnesses.
For chronically ill people, we have only a certain amount of energy to spend per day, or spoons. Various activities take different amount of spoons and the spoon amount might vary from day-to-day. Quite often you do not have enough spoons to do everything you want, so you have to either borrow from tomorrow’s spoons or juggle between choosing what to do.
In a situation like this, doing witchcraft is very hard - bigger spells, rituals, or anything that requires a lot of energy can easily take a good chunk of our daily spoons. This is why spoonie witches prefer to do low-energy spells.
Different levels of spoons
Because our spoon levels can vary from day to day, I have adjusted my witchcraft to them. I will present some examples that can give you an idea of what I do on days with certain amount of spoons.
Critical spoons - this is the lowest I can go. I usually don’t even get out of bed or maybe I get up enough to grab my laptop and go back to bed. On these days I prefer only to study and read, maybe say a chant and just hold my crystals to absorb their energy. Most often I don’t do anything because of how low my energy is.
Low spoons - the most common days I have. These are the days when I can cast a few small/simple spells and activate sigils. Rituals or bigger spells are still out of my league. I can probably manage to do the most critical daily tasks but not all.
Big spoons - once in a blue moon. These days are what I suppose “normal” people have. I have enough energy to complete my daily tasks and have a bit of extra even after that. Rituals and bigger spells are achievable and do not drain me completely.
Huge spoons - I’ve had such days more often than “a lot of spoons” -days, which I find a bit funny. On huge spoon days I feel like I can do anything and everything, so on these days I do tasks that have been waiting around such as cleaning and cleansing, laundry, and other tasks I consider very big and energy consuming. I also tend to charge my crystals and sigils on such days so I can draw their energy on days I don’t have as many spoons.
A lot of people can relate to the spoon theory, but what does being a spoonie actually mean?
It means that you are suffering from an illness that limits your daily life considerably. Everything in your life is dictated on how much energy you have and/or how much you are suffering from your illness on that day. You might not shower for a week because you don’t have the energy for it. You might not eat for two days because you don’t have the energy to make food. Two weeks’ worth of laundry is waiting but you can’t do anything about it because just the thought of it makes you exhausted. You can’t get out of bed because everything hurts so much and you just want to sleep forever.
I personally didn’t feel comfortable in calling myself a spoonie before I had medical papers in front of me that said I had a chronic mental illness. Of course, not every spoonie can get these papers or see a doctor, so it is mostly up to you to determine whether or not you’re a spoonie.
Some chronically ill people feel it disrespectful if you use the term when you are not diagnosed with such illness, so please keep that in mind.
Take your time. Your craft is not going anywhere and taking breaks is more than okay. Taking care of yourself is the number one priority. Always
On big/huge spoon days charge up crystals/sigils that will act as your “batteries” on low/critical spoon days
Lighting up candles will usually make you feel better
If you don’t have energy to clean and cleanse, lighting incense or opening a window can do wonders
Spend some time with your crystals, even if you just hold them in your bed
If you have plants, keep them near your bed so you have someone to talk with
Drink a lot of water. You can also charge the water in the sun or moon and infuse the water with intent
Draw sigils on your pill bottles, on your favorite mug, above your bed, in your phone’s cover, your hands, your comfort items, your heat bags… Anywhere and everywhere
On days when you can go outside, absorb light and the energy of the earth into yourself
Remember to ground and meditate (I find it really helpful)
Here are some of my favorite spoonie blogs. If you want to be added to the list, please do contact me!
@lowspoonswitchcraft
@the-spoonie-witch-blog
@spooniespellbook
@spooniewitches
@spooniewitchhelp
@neurowitchcraft
@neurodwitches
@wheelchairwitch
@theepagangrace