Witchy Stuff

I probably won’t put this Reflection into the book because it’s a bit tangential to the Natural Rites, but I wanted to dig in a little more to the idea of buying, making, and collecting Witchy Stuff.

To my mind, Witchy Stuff is just about anything that you would buy from a metaphysical shop, psychic fair, occult conference, or Pagan Pride event. This includes books, crystals, Tarot and oracle decks, goblets, scrying mirrors, candles, oils, herbs, and many other things. There are also common books and tools that you can find at bookstores, online, and in much more mundane locations — most grocery stores, for example, carry candles and salt, and an increasing number of bookstores now carry Tarot decks.

As I said in my post about the Earthly Altar, I love my stuff. My crystals, my decks, and all my other Witchy Stuff is part of what helps me feel like a witch, and I suspect that is true for a lot of people — especially if this same stuff was restricted from us in our early years, banned from or homes by religious forces or Satanic-panicking parents. Magical craft can be inter-dimensional, but physical items, along with our own bodies, help us anchor whatever we do in craft in this dimension, and can heal the connections severed by religious trauma.

When I started engaging with witchcraft, I did what a lot of people do, and casually bought whatever witchy items “called” to me. I didn’t know what I needed or how to use any of the things I bought, so these were pretty uninformed purchases. But this had good and bad sides: some items were wasted entirely because I never figured out how to use them, or I realized they were relevant to traditions that I don’t practice or have access to.

But some of these ill-considered purchases pushed me to learn how to use them, and learn the craft that utilized them. Eventually, I started to specialize my purchases my own areas of interest: for example, I learned to read the Tarot, started collecting decks, and eventually created my own, too. I took Jason Miller’s fantastic Sorcery of Hekate, and wound up purchasing some of the items used in that arcana. Wherever possible, though, I have come to prefer making my own ritual tools, as well as herbal preparations. After all, no one else knows my specific needs, style, or allergies.

Especially when it comes to the Natural Rites, there is abundant opportunity for creation. Want to make the Ritual of Medicine your own? Mix your own tea out of herbs chosen for the intentions and needs you have in the moment, and make your own mug, covering it in sigils, symbols, incantations, or reminders that are relevant to you. It’s more work, but you can certainly do it, and that’s a big part of what I wanted to put into these Rites.

You can always make something for the Natural Rites. It won’t need to be anointed, blessed, or prepared in any special way by someone who is particularly endowed with a power to create things. You can do it. That’s because these Rites aren’t sacred traditions, nor were they revealed to me in a vision by spiritual forces. They are the result of me looking very deliberately at shared global and cultural traditions, finding points of overlap and intersection with the natural world, and crafting what I want my own daily and communal rituals to look like. So if something here doesn’t work for you, you are entirely welcome to take it and change it!

Despite my obvious preference for Witchy Stuff, I really want to make sure that the Natural Rites are accessible to everyone. The communal nature of the Lunar and Solar Rites especially underscore this need, but all of the Rites share this. These items are relatively easy to find in non-specialty stores, but you are likely to have some of them around the house anyway. If you’ve got a preference for simplicity and the reduction of stuff, then you can do the Natural Rites with a minimum of Witchy Stuff.

Got a lot of Witchy Stuff that you don’t use? Give it to someone else, especially if they’re just starting out, or offer it up on Facebook marketplace, eBay, or a similar site. Help new witches keep their pocketbook and let your stuff find a new home. I have passed on a lot of my stuff, and never regretted it. Just make sure to hold onto anything you really need, and don’t give away anything which contains your hair, blood, nails, etc. — these items can be used magically against you, so it’s better to bury them if possible.

What about natural stuff you collect? Dispose of it in the most ecologically conscious way possible and let it return to the earth. Try to be aware of what the animals in your area are likely to eat, too — “biodegradable” just means “it’ll break down” — it doesn’t mean “safe for birds to ingest,” and they will probably try.

What about consumables? If you’re just a little bit crafty, you don’t need to let anything go to waste. I like to collect little bits of wax from the ends of candles to use in fire-starters when camping. Ashes from incense go into my compost, as do any other appropriate biodegradable items.

I’ll admit it makes me a bit angry to even have to mention this, but it’s actually an enormous problem, so I’m going to join the chorus of Pagan voices who object:

This includes cloth, candles, metal, coins, and anything else that you brought in with you. Even stacking rocks just isn’t appropriate at many of these sites, as it disrupts their unspoiled beauty and natural harmony. These are places of great natural power, and when you pollute that environment or leave spell items there, you are negatively affecting that power, and harming the place for everyone. You are also making a mess which will either be cleaned up by a better witch than you, or cause damage to the area, and living creatures within that area.

Strings tangled in birds’ legs… cloth tied around trees… soap scum swirling in a sacred well… these things are not only completely inappropriate for a sacred site, they are offensive to Nature, and in direct opposition to the spirit of these Natural Rites.

There are also many ways to make offerings and do spell work in a natural place and still clean up after yourself. There’s really no reason not to, so be a good Pagan citizen, and keep these sites clear for all of us!

Witchy Stuff is fun and fine! Just make sure that it is adding to, rather than detracting from your craft, and don’t go leaving a mess for others. Despite my love of Witchy Stuff, the Natural Rites are gonna be as Stuff-lite as I can make them, while still finding ways to celebrate nature and each other.