Witchcraft Myths I Had to Unlearn

The older I get, the more time I have spent disconstructing the beliefs and systems I was raised in. Part of breaking ancestral and societal cycles is spending time learning and reflecting on your beliefs. I cannot, in good faith, call myself a lifelong learner and scientist if I refuse to continue learning, growing, and questioning.

I started my witchcraft journey when I was 15 years old. Now 37, much of my practice has changed, and things I thought and believed have changed as well. For a long time, I trusted the "experts", believing the information they had put forth into the world. I trusted authors and the publishing industry to fact-check historical information, correspondence, and practices. I was naive to think the publishing industry followed the same sort of protocol as scientific journals. After all, that was my only previous experience with the publishing industry, and it took a lot of time, effort, and defense to get my scientific research published. Surely if I had to jump through such great hoops defending my research, authors writing about history would have to do the same. Unfortunately, that just isn't the case.

As such, I grew up believing a lot of myths and downright lies, even perpetuating some of those on my blog! I will not be going back and rewriting those articles. Maybe one day I will add a note to them about potentially spreading misinformation. But for now, I am content to clear the air by discussing some of these myths, misconceptions, and lies I have believed, and I bet you may believe in some of these, too.

Witchcraft is ancient and based on a continuous ancient goddess cult.

This is one of the most insidious myths witches and modern pagans believe, and I fell for it, too. The idea that modern witchcraft is a revival of an ancient goddess cult was perpetuated by Robert Graves in his pseudoscientific book, The White Goddess. Graves asserts that the ancient Celts believed in and worshipped a "Triple Muse" or "White Goddess," which is not at all supported by primary Irish or Welsh texts nor archeological evidence. Instead, Graves presents a personal interpretation of mythological evidence, filled with pseudoscience and fabrications that sound logical. Ronald Hutton has called Graves' work a "major source of confusion," while Hilda Ellis Davidson says he "misled many innocent readers with his eloquent but deceptive statements about a nebulous goddess in early Celtic literature." 

However, many traditions in modern paganism, witchcraft, and Wicca are built upon his work: the triple goddess, oak and holly kings, and the 'Celtic' tree calendar, which was partially used to create the modern Wheel of the Year. Again, all of this seems logical. I have read The White Goddess and highly recommend others read his work as well, so that you understand the foundation upon which many customs and beliefs are built. However, it is important to read critically and widely, understanding that Graves's work is entirely unfounded.

Morgan Daimler does an excellent job breaking down why Graves is wrong, but I also recommend reading Stalking the Goddess by Mark Carter to learn more.

The Wheel of the Year is ancient.

While many of the sabbats featured in the Wheel of the Year were celebrated by our ancestors in some way, shape, or form, they were not all celebrated together as suggested. The Wheel is an amalgamation of several traditions inspired by Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, and Germanic cultures. This largely reconstructed framework was popularized by Gerald Gardner and Ross Nichols in the 50s and 60s, where it was presented as fact. Unfortunately, this just isn't the case and is largely why I have chosen to no longer celebrate or revolve my seasonal practices around the modern calendar.

On top of this, the Wheel of the Year feels arbitrary and incohesive. This is most likely due to the fact that not all of these traditions are real or even get along with each other. The Anglo-Saxons invaded the Celts during the 5th-century, stealing their lands and murdering their people. As such, the two were not on friendly terms, and forcing their cultural practices together is...wrong. The Wheel completely ignores the conflicts and colonization that occurred throughout much of Europe, and this is reflected in the poorly constructed holidays that were forced to exist together.

The Eco-Pagan wrote a great article about this in 2023, if you wish to read more, titled Wheel of the Year criticisms peak at Autumn Equinox.

Christmas trees are a pagan tradition.

This one hurts and goes right along with the Wheel of the Year myth. Many of the sabbats presented by Gardner and other occult leaders over the years merged many cultural traditions into single holidays. They begged, borrowed, and stole from multiple cultures to create something that seemed plausible. And that is where they get you. If it seems logically true, more people are likely to believe it.

We do know that ancient pagans across many cultures, from the Romans to the Norse, decorated their homes around the Winter Solstice with boughs of evergreen. We know they believed the evergreen was associated with everlasting life and was thought to bring health, luck, and protection to those within. It is not a crazy leap, then, to assume that bringing in boughs eventually turned into bringing in trees. Unfortunately, there is no historical or archeological evidence to suggest that pagans brought in and decorated evergreen trees during their winter celebrations.

Late last year, Jewitches wrote a lengthy article on this topic, Christmas Trees Are Not Pagan, that I highly encourage you to read.

Easter comes from the goddess Eostre or Ishtar.

Again, the Wheel of the Year and its bullshit. There is a growing trend to de-Christianize holidays and traditions, and while I understand the urge, we cannot, in good faith, claim they are something they are not. Easter is one of those holidays that is largely Christian in nature. Are there some pagan aspects? Yes. Are they from a single tradition? No. Is it secretly based on a pagan goddess? No.

While Easter and Eostre and even Ishtar may sound similar, they are not related in the slightest. In fact, there is very, very, very little evidence that Eostre even existed. The only mention of her appears in Bede's De Temporum Ratione from the 8th century, where he suggests that April, formally known as Eosturmonath, was named after the goddess Eostre. Most historians doubt her existence and believe Bede invented her as a convenient explanation.

This didn't matter. People ran with it and even added to her myth. Jacob Grimm is one such person who popularized Eostre in story, claiming she transformed a bird into a bunny and that she was a fertility goddess. This is a fabrication, one that has infiltrated all of the pagan/occult community.

You can read more in The Pagan Myth of Easter by Theos.

Cursing and hexing are unethical and should never be used.

When I started getting into witchcraft at 15, the first book I read was Teen Witch by Silver Ravenwolf. In this work, Ravenwolf describes the Three-Fold Rule and how any negative work you do will return to you three times. It's a bastardization of Karma and a very Christianized take. I understand why such a rule may be more palpable for new witches, especially those coming from Christianity, but that does not make it true or even ethical to say and promote.

In fact, the idea that curses and hexes are unethical and should never be used is a sign of white supremacy. Many marginalized groups have relied heavily on baneful magic to fight their oppressors. To demonize such behavior is to support and uphold oppressive systems. I wrote pretty extensively on this topic in my Guide to Curses, Hexes, Jines, and Ethics in Spellcrafting if you wish to learn more.

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Needless to say, I have fallen victim to misinformation. It's hard to know what is true and what isn't when you trust the "experts" to be truthful, but they do the exact opposite, continuing to spread myths on their platforms. Does this mean that you can't celebrate the Wheel of the Year, believe in the Three-Fold Rule, or celebrate Yule with a decorated tree? Absolutely not. Modern spiritual practices are valid, but you cannot continue to claim they are something they are not.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, and I would love for you to share what myths you may have believed in the comments below. This is meant to open discussion, not just me yelling into the void. Haha!

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Book Review: The Spiritual Magic of Dolls by Najah Lightfoot

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I received a free copy of this deck in exchange for an honest review.

I have to say, when Weiser reached out asking if I would be interested in reading and reviewing The Spiritual Magic of Dolls by Najah Lightfoot, I was intrigued. As the introduction by Judika Illes states, there isn't anything else quite like this book on the market, but hopefully that changes as more people discover different ways to practice witchcraft and magic.

Lightfoot does a wonderful job introducing readers to the world of dolls and the ways they can be used in one's magical practice. I will say, I was disappointed that she didn't offer more concrete ways to use dolls in spells and rituals, but the foundation is certainly there. She covers everything from finding and connecting with dolls, understanding their energy, introducing them to your home, and initiating them into your practice if they desire to be a part of your work.

Apart from the basics of incorporating dolls into your practice, Lightfoot also explores dolls in popular culture, from the movies they have been portrayed in to places that have strong "doll magic." She discusses, at length, how the media has shaped our views and understanding of dolls, especially as they relate to the occult. This reminded me of the same influence the media has had on spirit or Ouiji boards. Unfortunately, the media is not always kind, and this skews viewers' perceptions in the wrong direction. I personally loved that on more than one occasion, she discussed how powerful energy is not necessarily bad, evil, or haunted energy. So many people have fallen into the trap that every weird or awkward doll is possessed or haunted, and that simply isn't the case. Like all objects, they can absorb the energies around them and often develop personalities of their own. Not all personalities jive, and just because you don't get along with a doll or because its energy is strong, does not mean the doll is bad. Lightfoot is sick of it. I am sick of it. I think many expert practitioners of magic are sick of it, too.

Woven throughout this guide to using dolls are numerous personal stories. I always enjoy reading about the living practices of others, including the unique stories that shaped an author's practice. There is no shortage of stories in The Spiritual Magic of Dolls. We are even introduced to some of Lightfoot's dolls, all accompanied by beautiful photographs. While I really enjoyed her stories, this does make it a little hard to find the information you may be looking for, especially if you are trying to come back to this book later. As such, I recommend taking notes or annotating the text (with sticky notes!). This will make it a lot easier to actually use the information later.

While I read, I couldn't help but think about my own dolls and the dolls I have met over the years. During one story, Lightfoot mentions finding a discarded baby doll in a construction zone, and I couldn't help but remember one of the little girls I used to nanny losing her favorite baby doll (named Baby Grandpa), which happened to look exactly like the doll Lightfoot found (there is a photo). While there is zero chance Lightfoot found Baby Grandpa, it did bring back those memories of searching high and low for a beloved doll and hoping that whoever found it would love it as much as my little girl did. I also cannot help but think about my very small porcelain doll collection, which I obsessed over as a child. I still have them, stored away lovingly in storage, but now I am wondering if I should pull them out once again and see if they would like to participate in some magic. Every year when I do a great purge, I unbox these dolls and wonder if I should let them go, but I have never been able to bring myself to part with them. I am not particularly fond of dolls, but I certainly love the 5-6 ones I have packed away.

My biggest complaint, however, was Lightfoot's stance on using dolls and poppets for harming others. Everyone is allowed to have their own moral/ethical code. I fully support others choosing to "harm none" or find other means of changing events that do not directly harm another. I also fully support doing what is necessary to protect and defend yourself, and cursing and hexing are two such weapons in my arsenal. I see nothing wrong with using dolls in self-defense and would have been interested to read more about their use for such purposes.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Spiritual Magic of Dolls and recommend it to those looking to add something new to their practice.

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Magical and Medicinal Uses of Sandalwood

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Moon
Element: Water
Powers: Exorcism, Healing, Knowledge, Money, Protection

Magical Uses and History: Sandalwood is a broad term used to describe the wood from trees found in the Santalum genus. Like many woods used in witchcraft and occult practices, sandalwood has a high concentration of volatile oils, which gives it a warm, woody aroma. And, as with most plants used in occult practices, sandalwood has a long and rich history that dates back thousands of years.

The earliest known mention of sandalwood appeared during the 5th-century in Nirukta of Yāska, where it is mentioned in reference to the acquisition of knowledge. Yāska compares a person who has studied, yet does not understand the Vedas, to a "post or a beast of burden carrying a load of sandalwood, unaware of its fragrance." This metaphor not only reiterates sandalwood's well-known fragrance but also connects it to wisdom or knowledge. Current research suggests sandalwood may help calm the nerves and improve mental clarity, further supporting this connection. In Buddhism, sandalwood is used to help maintain one's alertness during meditation as well as to transform one's desires. As such, sandalwood can be burned during divination rituals to open the mind and connect with the spirit world, or in similar spells and rituals.

In 300 BCE, the Arthashastra comments on sandalwood being a valuable and taxable commodity, prized for its fragrance and spiritual connection. Trade of sandalwood remained strong, peaking in the 18th century after the discovery of Hawaiian sandalwood. Trade exploded with China, but intense, unregulated harvesting severely depleted the forests, learning to an eventual market crash by 1840. This, coupled with disease and desire, drove prices up. Today, sandalwood remains one of the most valuable woods, with Indian sandalwood costing around $200 per kilogram and oil around $8,000 per kilogram. Some reports state that a hectare of mature sandalwood trees is worth about $400,000. Due to its immense cost, burning sandalwood during funeral rites was a hallmark of wealth. Over three tons were used in Gandhi's cremation alone. Most individuals choose to use a sandalwood paste applied to the forehead, which costs significantly less but is still believed to help guide the soul to the next life. Some sources say sandalwood was also used in embalming formulas in ancient Egypt, likely due to its ability to mask odors and purify the body, but research is scarce on the topic. As such, sandalwood is both a status symbol and connected to the afterlife. It can be used in spells and rituals to attract wealth and prosperity as well as to connect with your ancestors, the divine, or the Otherworld. Its strong scent, coupled with its soothing abilities, makes it perfect to burn during hedge riding or other such rituals. 

Apart from the aforementioned uses, sandalwood is most often used as a paste in Hinduism, Jainism, and Sufism during religious ceremonies. The paste is applied to one's forehead as a mark of devotion and is believed to purify and sanctify oneself and one's tools, helping to make a connection with the divine. This paste is also often applied to statues, effigies, and ritual tools for such purposes. During Māhāmastakābhiṣeka, the statue of Sommateshwara is bathed in a mixture of spices, including sandalwood, as an offering. If one could afford it, sandalwood was also used to carve religious statues. Needless to say, sandalwood is deeply connected with the divine, purification, and protection. It can be used in virtually any religious ceremony, especially those connected to the divine, the Otherworld, or ancestors.

Medicinal Uses: Sandalwood is most often used as an oil to treat a variety of ailments, especially those of the skin when properly diluted. Some research shows sandalwood oil aids in wound healing and can be used to treat acne, atopic dermatitis, and psoriasis when used topically due to its anti-inflammatory, astringent, and antiseptic properties. It is also due to these anti-inflammatory properties that sandalwood oil may help alleviate respiratory symptoms related to colds and bronchitis. Finally, sandalwood oil contains high concentrations of santalol, which acts as a nervous system sedative, thus reducing stress, anxiety, and tension while improving mental clarity.

Preparation and Dosage: To dilute, combine 6-18 drops per 30mL of carrier oil to make a 1-3% solution. Sandalwood oil mixes well with almond, coconut, or jojoba oil. If you would like to diffuse the oil, add 3-10 drops to your diffuser or humidifier.

Want to print a copy of this for your Book of Shadows? Click below for your free copy!

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The Reawakening of Seasons: How to Embrace Change as a Magical Act Through Tea, Meditation, and Journaling

As winter loosens its grip, the days begin to grow longer. It feels as if the earth has finally exhaled after holding its breath. The weather warms, snow begins to melt, and the first shoots press triumphantly through the soil. What once stood still now stirs with life again. 

This is a reawakening, marking the threshold where the long silence of winter gives way to change. Yet change can be just as difficult to embrace as stillness, especially if you have anxiety like I do. Current societal expectations often frame new beginnings as an opportunity to rush forward or bring about some monumental change in your life. As such, these moments of change, like spring, become another demand to start fresh, reinvent yourself, move faster, and do more. But the natural world tells a different story.

Awakening does not happen all at once, although sometimes it feels like it here in the South, where just a couple of days ago it was in the 20s and today was in the 80s! Still, this reawakening of the earth unfolds slowly, guided by rhythms older than any calendar or deadline. In witchcraft, the reawakening of the land reminds us that change is not something to force, but something to be patient with. Just as the earth warms gradually and seeds split open in their own time, we too must allow ourselves the time and space to emerge slowly from the quiet of winter. When we resist the pressure to transform overnight, we begin to notice the subtle ways life begins again. Embracing change in this way becomes its own form of magic, one rooted in awareness rather than urgency or productivity.

There are many ways we can connect with this reawakening and change in our magical practices, from meditation to teas to spell work. Today, I offer a tea recipe, guided meditation, and journal prompts to invite the magic of change into your own practice and engage in shadow work. I find combining these methods, particularly the tea with the meditation, works best. These can also be added to your daily practice during the spring months to better connect with the magic of the season.

Ritual Tea for Change

The tea recipe below is formulated to invite or prompt a change in your life. It can also set the stage for shadow work, allowing you to open yourself to your intuition and messages from the Otherworld.  I have included a series of shadow work journal prompts at the end of the post to help guide your reflection and intuition. Peppermint is well known for its ability to awaken the mind and body, helping to shock the system gently. Ginger is a naturally warming root, and, as such, brings warmth to peppermint's cooling nature. It helps to wake up and warm the muscles and get the juices flowing, both metaphorically and literally...it stimulates digestion! Lemon, which is traditionally associated with joy and happiness, helps to open you to the idea of embracing change, allowing for a more positive experience.

Ingredients:

1-2 teaspoons dried peppermint or 1/2 cup packed fresh peppermint leaves

1 inch of fresh ginger, cut into thin coins

1/2 lemon, juiced

Sweetener of choice

Instructions:

Over a stovetop, bring 1.5-2 cups of water to a rolling boil. Add the ginger slices, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add peppermint, allowing the mixture to infuse for 5-10 minutes. While the tea infuses, stir in your lemon juice and sweetener, stirring clockwise while saying, "In the light's new dawn, I accept and embrace change. In this new awakening, I shall listen." Breathe in the aroma of the tea before enjoying. As you sip, visualize tension leaving your body and energy filling your body, radiating throughout your body with each warm sip.

This tea pairs incredibly well with the following guided meditation or a relaxing ritual bath.

Guided Meditation

Find a comfortable position to sit or lie. Close your eyes and take several slow breaths, breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. Feel your body settle, your heartbeat steady, and your mind begin to slow. Continue breathing until you feel relaxed and centered enough to begin the guided meditation.

When ready, imagine yourself standing at the edge of a threshold. Behind you are the bare trees, muffling snow, and cold wind you are leaving. Ahead of you is something unnamed, but bright, brimming with new life. You do not need to cross yet. Instead, feel the ground beneath your feet. This threshold is not a demand, but an open invitation.

You begin to walk forward, the world feeling suspended in time. There is no past, no future, only now. You reach a clearing where the snow begins to melt, and the temperature begins to warm. You stand or sit upon the earth. Beneath you, the land still sleeps, dreaming of warmer days. However, you feel it stirring, restless to reawaken and take shape.

In the stillness, listen. What you once thought was nothingness is actually the slow pulse of life, hidden away beneath the snow. Roots, dormant seeds, and resting spirits breathe deep and exhale. The promise of new beginnings is thick in the air. Their current silence is not absence, but a potential waiting to be born anew.

Breathe with that rhythm. Let it seep into your bones. Open your heart and mind to any messages the earth, spirits, and land wish to convey to you. Sit in the stillness, soaking in the anticipation of new beginnings until you feel relaxed, allowing messages to flow freely to you.

When you are ready, whisper to yourself: “I am the reawakening of seasons. I am the space where magic blooms.” When you return, carry that initiative within you as you work through the journal prompts below.

Shadow Work Journal Prompts for the Silence Between Seasons

1. What part of me resists change, even when I want it? What does that resistance protect?
2. What am I afraid will be exposed if I begin again? Weakness, desire, hope, or something else?
3. How have I mistaken endurance for identity? Who am I without constant survival?
4. What version of myself am I grieving as I change? What did they give me that I still carry forward?
5. Where do I feel pressure to “be ready” before I actually am? Who benefits from that expectation?
6. What does awakening feel like in my body? Where does it feel uncomfortable?
7. What old patterns try to follow me into new beginnings? How can I acknowledge them without letting them lead?
8. If change didn’t require certainty, what would I allow myself to explore?
9. What am I learning to trust as I step into this new season? Intuition, pacing, rest, support?
10. What kind of change feels sustainable for me right now?

Brewing a second cup of tea while working on the shadow work journal prompt helps me recall my journey and opens myself up to being more honest and reflective in my answers. I end my ritual and reflection with the following mantra: "I honor what has carried me here. I release what no longer needs to follow. I welcome change without forcing its shape. I trust the rhythm of my becoming."

You can download your free copy of the journal prompts below.

While I much prefer the quiet stillness of winter, with its cold weather and dreary skies, there is something beautiful about spring. I love watching the Earth wake up and how slowly, yet tumultously She does. The Earth does not accept change easily either. She lashes out with erratic weather and storms, but eventually settles into a new normal, as we all must. It's okay to be anxious about change, to even buck at it. But eventually, change will come, and in time, you, just like our Earth, will learn to accept it. Seize this as a learning opportunity, not as a punishment. I wish everyone the best of luck as the pollinating begins, and hope you are not too inconvenienced by the yellow smog of spring.

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Ogham by Jane Matthews Review

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I received a free copy of this deck in exchange for an honest review.

You would think spending the last several weeks sick would have left me with plenty of time to read and write, but alas, my mind was so foggy I could do little more than sit up in my chair or lie in bed. I could barely watch TikTok in my stupor. I was hoping to use the time to read several of the books that publishers have recently sent me to review, but without the ability to focus on anything for more than 5 minutes at a time, I wasn't able to. I was, however, able to look through some of the tarot/divination decks they have sent me. Staring at pictures and letting your vision unfocus is easy when you are unwell, at least for me.

Needless to say, that is where today's review comes in. I had the pleasure of receiving a copy of Ogham: Diving in the Celtic Way by Jane Matthews from Weiser/Red Wheel, and while I am not a practitioner of Celtic magic or divination, I do find the deck rather inspiring. The symbols are similar to runes and even have some overlap in meaning.

The deck features 25 cards and a 192-page guidebook. The guidebook is thicker than the cards, but for a good reason. It fully details how to read Ogham, which is vastly different from tarot. In the guide, you will find a brief history of the Ogham and a detailed guide on how to read the cards. Just like runes, the Ogham is broken up into sets, which are known as aicme. Each aicme has a different theme or story it tells, just like each runic ætt. Matthews does an excellent job breaking down each card's meaning and its relationship with others in the deck. And, as with all deck guidebooks, Matthews includes a number of spread ideas and how to read each spread. This is honestly one of the longest guidebooks I have come upon and is perfect for those new to the practice of reading the Ogham.

As for the cards, they are simply designed to avoid distraction and printed on sturdy cardstock. They are medium-sized cards, making it relatively easy to shuffle. The edges are a beautiful green, but it was starting to rub off as I was playing with the cards. They aren't shiny or gilded as previous decks have been, but they are still beautiful nonetheless. Overall, I believe the cards will hold up well over time.

If you are interested in getting your hands on a set of Ogham in card form, I encourage you to check out Jane Matthews's Ogham: Diving in the Celtic Way, available now.

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