dirtbag witch

✨ a digital grimoire for modern magic, city spirits, and the witches who thrive in the in-between ✨

this is not an aesthetic blog. this is not a curated experience. this is my real, lived-in, well-worn grimoire, made public so i can document my practice, share what i’ve learned, and maybe swap notes with other witches along the way.

i practice urban magic, chaos magic, queer magic, and traditional witchcraft, blending the mystical with the mundane, the sacred with the city streets. my magic is found in street signs, coffee shop divinations, and the pulse of my city. i work with what’s around me—sometimes that’s a carefully planned ritual, sometimes it’s making a knot of protection with a shoelace i found or divining smoke from a cigarette. magic doesn’t have to be polished to be powerful.

WHO I AM

matty. queer. any/all pronouns work. stay-at-home dad, chaos cook, writer, ex-pastor turned occult weirdo, and full-time witch. i live in minneapolis, where i do my best to make life a little more magical—sometimes for others, sometimes just for me.

🔮WHAT YOU’LL FIND HERE

📖spells & rituals – the things i cast, test, and tweak along the way

🎴 tarot & divination – readings, spreads, and whatever wisdom the cards decide to offer

👁️ omens & city spirits – the things i see, the signs i follow, the places that hum with something unseen

🌀 chaos magic & sigils – experimental, unpredictable, often effective

🏙️ urban witchcraft research – how magic exists in the city, how the city shapes magic

🔥 community magic & open discussions – ask me things, tell me about the weirdest place you’ve felt something unexplainable, let’s talk

💬ASKS OPEN

send me your magic questions, tarot inquiries, weird city encounters, or theories. i take magic seriously, but that doesn’t mean i take myself seriously.

✨ this is a living, evolving magical record. it will be messy, it will change, and it will reflect what magic actually looks like in my daily life—not always perfect, not always planned, but always present.

welcome to urban witch. mind the spirits, listen to the signs, and don’t forget to look up.

🏷️NAVIGATION

#spells – my personal spell log, ritual notes, magical experiments, and breakdowns

jett’s hot toddy cold fighting potion

#tarot – readings, spreads, deep dive interpretations

3/5/25

#omen – weird synchronicities and shit i see in the city that definitely means something

#urban spirits - encounters, theories, spirit lore

#grimoire – personal reflections, essays, things i’m learning

magic for the city dweller chapter one

new month, new sigils on the door 🤙

every time the calendar flips, we wipe the old ones off and make new ones. little bits of intention scribbled into shape and drawn onto our door with chalk where we’ll see them every day. this month’s intentions are “ice will leave for good” and “we are prosperous and protected.”

if you’ve never messed around with sigils before, they’re basically intention turned into a symbol. you take a phrase, distill it down, twist the letters together until it becomes something abstract and a little mysterious, and then you charge it with meaning. not because the lines themselves are magic—but because you are. the focus is. the act of choosing the intention is.

for me the real spell is the repetition. walking in and out of my house and seeing it on the door. being reminded again and again of the world i’m trying to call into being. it’s like planting a tiny flag in reality and saying “this is the direction we’re going, thanks.”

anyway. new month. new magic. new weird little drawings drawn on my front door.

quick + dirty (read: fast & easy) magic: microwave ramen

sometimes magic isn’t candles and moon water and a 40-minute ritual you found in some ancient grimoire. more often, magic is standing in your kitchen with a sore throat and a clogged nose, poking holes in a bowl of Buldak Carbonara Spicy Ramen to toss it in the microwave

ramen is soup. and soup is magic.

soup turns heat, water, and a handful of things that taste good together into something that makes the body feel a little more human again.

tonight’s bowl started with the carbonara buldak base: spicy chili sauce, creamy powder, wheat noodles. scientifically speaking: warmth helps circulation, steam helps loosen congestion, and capsaicin from chili peppers can help open your sinuses and make your nose run (which…yeah, gross. but useful). magically speaking: chili is a warming, protective spice in a lot of traditions. the kind of thing that chases out stagnant energy the same way it chases out a stubborn cold.

then i layered in a few more things that were hanging around my kitchen shelves, to try and make the ramen even more beneficial for my sickness.

garlic powder: which has actual antimicrobial compounds like allicin (science!) and has long been used in folk traditions as a protective ingredient against illness and bad vibes alike (magic!).

black pepper: another warming spice that stimulates circulation and clears the sinuses. magically it’s often used for protection and banishing. plus it makes things tastes good, which is a perfectly valid reason for anything to exist in a bowl of noodles.

a spoonful of greek yogurt: creamy, cooling, soothing on a sore throat. it also brings probiotics that support the gut, which is tied to immune function. magically? dairy is often used as nourishment and grounding.

a pinch of House Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese Seven Spice): a mix of chili, citrus peel, sesame, ginger, and other aromatics. ginger helps nausea and inflammation, citrus oils brighten the senses, sesame adds warmth and nourishment. magically it’s basically a tiny constellation of warming spices meant to wake things up. also it smells incredible.

and finally: cheese. no major magical correspondences, other than the magical components i already mentioned about dairy in general. no groundbreaking medical benefits beyond protein and comfort. but it tastes good and that matters too when you’re sick.

it also melts into the noodles and makes everything richer, which is reason enough.

because sometimes the magic isn’t that the ingredients cure anything. sometimes the magic is that you took a few minutes to feed yourself something hot and spicy and comforting while you feel like garbage.

fast magic is still magic.

chapter two: the liminal, the lost, and the low-lit

you know that feeling when you’re walking down a back alley at 2 am, and everything feels… weirdly mystical? ethereal? like the world is holding its breath? yeah. it might not be because you’re drunk (though, i mean, it also might). but it could be because that’s liminal space, babe.

liminality is the in-between. it’s not quite here, not quite there. it’s the glitch between one state and another. the emptiness of a subway station at night, the heartbeat between dusk and dark, the threshold of a rooftop where you’re in neither sky nor street. and it’s magic as hell.

liminal spaces are haunted, holy, magic, and hidden in plain sight.

the city is laced with them. they’re not the sacred groves of old, but they’re every bit as charged. think: empty bus depots at midnight, graffiti-covered stairwells, rooftops soaked in rain. these are the city dwellers crossroads now. this is where the veil thins in neon light of your neighborhood.

what the fuck is a liminal space? (and why should you care?)

liminal = transitional, the threshold of something…else, between-worlds. you’re not in one place, but not in the next either. magic thrives here because reality gets a bit loose in the seams.

traditional witches had forests, caves, bonfire hills. we’ve got:

• alleyways that hum like a hummed spell

• subway tunnels that breathe like sleeping gods

• doorways between storefronts and abandoned dreams

• rooftops where the sky opens wide, and the city is stretched out around and below you

in these places, time warps. intention lands harder. spells echo longer.

urban liminal spaces and how to haunt them

this city is stitched together with magic seams. here’s where they hide, and what you can do there:

🔻 alleyways – shadowy corridors between the loud and the known. draw sigils in chalk. light a match and whisper into the dark. it’s perfect for secret workings, spirit murmurs, and banishing bullshit.

🔻 abandoned buildings/lots – literal modern ruins. once-places. they’ve got echoes, spirits, and ghosts of old purpose. leave offerings here. sit with the stillness. use these for spirit work, necromancy, or hedge-crossing meditations.

🔻 subway stations and bus stops (especially late at night) – our underground temples. they’re crossroads. write intent in your notes app and read it out loud between train rushes. leave sigils written in marker or chalk under a benches. bonus: alone on a bus or train can be powerful for magic, too. use the motion and movement to charge your spells. think of the city streets as the veins of the city and cast spells for the city’s health as a member of its body.

🔻 rooftops & overpasses – sky magic, babes. perfect for spells needing air, perspective, or elevation. charge objects in moonlight, scream affirmations into the wind, or sit with your spirits during full moons. liminal as fuck.

🔻 crosswalks & intersections (esp. at night) – literal crossroads. traditional magic in a modern grid. drop coins for spirits. draw sigils to be charged by passing cars or pedestrians. ask your ancestors for guidance while the lights flicker red.

🔻 stairwells & emergency exits – places meant to be moved through, not lingered in. so obviously: linger. burn incense. do a quick glamour boost spell before a date. it’s quiet and thresholdy and criminally overlooked.

🔻 community gardens & park edges – little wildness in the middle of machines. great for grounding, spirit communication, or talking to the land beneath all the concrete.

🧷 rituals for the liminal

these aren’t formal. they’re felt. use what you’ve got, darling. here’s a few to try:

🌒 threshold meditation

sit on a stoop. a curb. a fire escape. let your mind wander between worlds. imagine you’re slipping through cracks in the city’s spine. ask: what am i leaving? what am i becoming? where do i go from here? what’s next? wait for an answer.

🔮 veinwalking spell (subway spell)

as the train moves, whisper your intent into the metal and motion. imagine the tunnels as arteries. like i said, streets can be veins. send your spell pulsing through the city’s bloodstream. this works especially well with manifestation or movement magic.

🌕 rooftop offering

bring water, bread, incense, or simply something symbolic. leave it for the city. say thanks. it listens. it might grant favors or requests in return. especially on full moons, eclipses, and thunderstorms.

✍️ tag & trace sigil magic

draw your sigil in chalk, spray paint, lipstick, pen, or sharpie. leave it in a transitional space. stairwell. bench. bathroom mirror. charge it every time someone passes.

🖤 crossroads coin spell

stand in the middle of a quiet intersection. hold a coin. whisper your desire into it. drop it. walk away without looking back. yes, like the legends say.

⛓ urban magic, queer magic, chaos magic: all liminal by nature

let’s be honest: urban witches live in the liminal. we don’t get forests and fields, but we get concrete, crowds, blur, and noise. but that’s where our power lives .

🌆 urban/chaos witches love liminal spots because they’re full of glitch energy. alleyways = mystery zones. graffiti = sigils in disguise. subway schedules = divination tools. you adapt, hack, and twist space into meaning. nothing is fixed, so everything is possible.

🌈 queer magic is deeply liminal. we live between binaries, between margins, between visibility and erasure. that nightclub bathroom you cried in? sacred. the pride march? a ritual procession. the fire escape you kissed someone on? altar. queer magic is threshold magic. it’s resistance, reinvention, and claiming power in places not meant for you.

🌿 traditional witchcraft loves thresholds too, but usually the natural kind: hedgerows, rivers, caves. in the city, that means adapting. a brick wall becomes your hedge. a stairwell becomes your forest path. it’s quieter, more structured. but no less potent. the vibe is “ancestral witch whispers over a bowl of soot and rainwater.”

🕯historical roots, modern boots

liminality’s got deep-ass roots. the celts had their “thin places.” the greeks gave crossroads to hecate. medieval witches danced at twilight in ruins. even now, halloween and beltane are liminal feasts.

but now?

liminal is…

• texting spells between subway stops

• crying on a rooftop with the full moon and a joint

• kissing a stranger in a rave bathroom and calling it divine communion

• finding magic in construction cones and back alleys

our magic is ancestral, yes—but it’s also punk as fuck.

final note: the city is a haunted house that loves you back

you just have to notice it.

walk the liminal paths. whisper at corners. draw in dust. the magic’s there. in the pause before the light turns green, in the hush between club beats, in that back alley of your favorite dive bar.

daily tarot pull

queen of wands: water heated by fire. a woman with fire in her lungs and a storm beneath her ribs. she walks into the room like she owns it, not because she seeks power, but because she knows exactly who she is. magnetism drips from her fingertips, creativity curls in her breath. She is both the sun and the wildfire—light and destruction in equal measure, unapologetic, radiant.

in the tarot del toro, a deck laced with gothic beauty and flickering shadows, this queen does not whisper her presence—she ignites it. she is the patron saint of misfits who know their worth, the muse of the artist who refuses to tame their brushstroke, the flickering candlelight in a dimly lit café where poets spill their souls onto napkins.

today, you are called to embody her fire. say what you mean. take up space. be luminous. the world will either be drawn to you or burned by you—either way, you remain undimmed. this is a day to embrace confidence, not as something you put on like a mask, but as something you exhale naturally. your presence alone is an incantation.

transformation born not from force, but from the quiet alchemy of warmth and patience. fertility—not just of body, but of mind, of soul, of untamed ideas taking root in dark soil.

to lead with affection is to command without chains, to be followed not out of fear, but devotion. a ruler crowned in tenderness, in hands that guide rather than grip. sensuality and empathy entwined—like silk against skin, like the hush between heartbeats, like knowing someone so well you can read the language of their breath.

every damn time.

every single time the seasons change, my immune system just taps out. minneapolis went from 50 degrees to a full-blown snowstorm overnight, and now i’m suffering the consequences. that being said, my very loving partner jett made me a hot healing potion—a chaotic mix of pantry staples that tastes like fire, salt, and regret, but actually works.

🌿 believing in magic doesn’t mean ignoring science—this brew is loaded with real medicinal benefits AND magical properties to help kick this cold’s ass.

✨ THE POTION RECIPE✨

hot water

medicinal purposes: keeps me hydrated, helps break up mucus, soothes the throat, and warms my insides so i don’t feel like a haunted corpse.

magical purposes: water is the element of healing, intuition, and flow. the ultimate energy conductor, enhances the properties of all the ingredients, transforms and carries intention. in this case? flushing all the sickness out of my body.

flaky salt

medicinal: helps with hydration and electrolyte balance. also lightly antibacterial, so it’s pulling out the nasties.

magical: purification and protection. when you add salt, you’re literally warding off negative energy—whether that’s bad vibes or the absolute plague in my sinuses.

black pepper

medicinal: clears congestion, antibacterial improves circulation, warms the body and helps the body absorb nutrients more effectively, aka aids digestion (important when i have the appetite of a victorian orphan).

magical: wards off negativity, removing bad energy, increases strength, and adds fire energy to burn away sickness. basically, an immune system bouncer.

crushed red chili pepper

medicinal: packed with capsaicin, which fights inflammation, opens up sinuses, helps circulation, and boosts immunity. makes me sweat out whatever demon is possessing my lungs.

magical: increases energy, speed, and power. protecting, banishing. this is an amplifier—it cranks up whatever intention i set for this potion. in this case? get better, fast.

honey

medicinal: soothes a sore throat, is naturally antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and boosts the immune system. straight-up liquid gold when you feel like death.

magical: prosperity, attraction, love, and healing. also, sweetens your words and energy, which is important when all i’ve been doing is whining about being sick.

lemon

medicinal: full of vitamin C, breaks up mucus, supports the immune system, and helps flush out toxins.

magical: purification, clarity, solar energy, and renewal. symbolically cutting through the illness (aka negativity) and making room for healing.

✨ OPTIONAL SUBSTITUTIONS OR ADDITIONS ✨

if you wanna boost the potion, here’s what to add:

ginger

medicinal: antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, helps with nausea, and gives the immune system a HARD reboot.

magical: fire energy, strength, and courage. it’s the magical equivalent of slamming an espresso.

garlic

medicinal: nature’s antibiotic, fights infections, and strengthens the immune system. (this is the OG medicine cabinet ingredient. vampires be gone!)

magical: wards off evil, protection, and banishing. in this case? kicking my cold to the curb.

turmeric

medicinal: anti-inflammatory, helps with respiratory issues, and supports overall healing.

magical: protection, purification, and strength. burns away what no longer serves you—like, say, this cold.

cinnamon

medicinal: increases circulation, warms the body, helps with congestion, and is lightly antibacterial.

magical: fire energy, success, and power. also makes everything taste less aggressively medicinal.

bay leaf

medicinal: antimicrobial, helps clear up lungs, and can reduce fever symptoms.

magical: manifestation and protection. write your healing intention on the leaf before adding it to the tea. (bonus: it smells amazing.)

rosemary

medicinal: antiseptic, great for respiratory issues, and helps clear the mind (aka, fights that gross brain fog when you’re sick).

magical: healing, clarity, and protection. keeps illness at bay (pun intended).

chamomile

medicinal: anti-inflammatory, calming, and helps you sleep. when you’re sick, rest is the best spellwork.

magical: relaxation, peace, and dream magic. chamomile eases the body and spirit.

whiskey (with some caveats)

medicinal benefits: decongestant, opens up blood vessels, numbing agent, relaxer, helps sleep, mildly antibacterial

magical benefits: strength, resilience, lubricant for transformation magic, banishing, protection, courage, confidence, spirit/ancestor connection

don’t add it if: you’re dehydrated or running a fever, you’re taking medicine that interacts badly with alcohol, you need to be functional and alert, or you know yourself and you’ll pour in half the bottle instead of a splash

🔥 THE DIRTBAG WITCH’S HEALING CHANT 🔥

this brew is fire, this brew is light

burn the sick, set me right

lemon sharp, honey sweet

salt and spice, clear the heat

body strong, fever break

let me rest, let me wake

i drink. i heal. i rise.

or if you’re not into rhyming, say what you want, but add some intentionality behind it. spells can work for you, babes. try something like:

fire in my chest, salt in my veins, warmth in my bones. body, wake up. immune system, do your job. may this potion heal, cleanse, and restore. i release this sickness, i call in my strength. may it be so, and so it is.

🧪 HOW TO USE IT:

• hover over your cup like a cryptid and breathe in the steam. let the warmth wake up your lungs and shake the sick loose.

• mutter or whisper the incantation as if you’re sealing a deal with the universe. feel it sink into the potion.

• sip slow, let it burn, let it soothe. picture the ingredients doing their damn job.

• optional bonus: stir clockwise to welcome in healing, or counterclockwise to banish the plague from your body like a medieval exorcism.

‼️OF NOTE‼️

just because i’m drinking my ✨witchy brew✨ doesn’t mean i’m ignoring modern medicine. i’m still taking meds, hydrating, sleeping like an exhausted cryptid, and willing to go to a doctor if this gets worse

magic isn’t about rejecting science—it’s about working with it. this potion is full of actual medicinal benefits AND it’s infused with intent and energy. you can do both. you should do both.

most importantly if you’re sick right now—let yourself rest. the spell is working. the medicine is working. the body is doing its thing. you’ll be back to causing problems (on purpose) soon enough

anywho, posting this now, curling up under six blankets, and waiting for the magic to kick in. pray for me.

CHAPTER ONE: WELCOME TO THE CONCRETE JUNGLE, WHERE MAGIC NEVER SLEEPS

magic isn’t just for the deep woods and moss-covered stones. it’s not limited to candlelit covens or ancient runes etched in a sacred grove. magic is where you are. in the humming neon signs, the flickering streetlamps, the rhythm of bus doors opening and closing, in the energy of walking amongst a crowd on a busy street.

urban magic is about finding the mystical in the mundane, harnessing the city’s restless energy, and using every graffiti tag, liminal space, cracked pavement, and forgotten coin as a tool for enchantment. the city is alive—a churning, breathing, chaotic organism—and if you listen closely, it’s whispering spells in the wind between skyscrapers.

this isn’t some high-brow, ceremonial magic doctrine. here, we work with sigils written on coffee shop napkins, metro card protection spells, and phone screens charged as scrying mirrors. this is magic for the streets, for the punks, for the witches in walk-ups and studio apartments, for the ones who find the divine in the hum of a dive bar at 3 AM.

WHAT MAKES URBAN MAGIC DIFFERENT?

the biggest shift between traditional and urban magic is the environment. instead of sacred groves, we have community gardens. instead of rivers, we have storm drains. instead of bonfires, we have neon lights and power grids pulsing with raw electricity.

but just because the setting is different doesn’t mean the magic is weaker. city magic is potent as hell, because it’s charged with movement, history, technology, and millions of lives overlapping in real-time.

ELEMENTS IN AN URBAN CONTEXT:

• earth → concrete, bricks, asphalt, parks and park dirt

• air → the wind between high-rises, the whispers of overheard conversations, the endless streams of information moving across the city

• fire → electricity, neon lights, the heat of a crowded bus, a match or lighter

• water → rain pooling in the streets, sewer systems, fountains in public squares, water dripping from rooftops

• spirit → the city itself, the collective energy of its people, the ghosts in old buildings, the echoes of everyone who’s walked these streets before you

this practice isn’t about forcing the old ways into a modern setting. it’s about adapting magic so that it fits your world, your reality, your city.

THEORY & FRAMEWORK: CHAOS MAGIC, QUEER MAGIC, AND CITY SPELLS

urban magic thrives on three key principles:

1. ADAPTATION – use what’s around you. city witches need to be resourceful as hell. your “wand” can be a pen, a drumstick, or a crowbar if that’s what speaks to you (though a crowbar is a little extreme). your “altar” can be a windowsill, a shoebox, or even temporary like the back of a bus seat where you traced a sigil in the condensation.

2. INGENUITY – urban magic is subtle, fast, and often disguised. your ritual circle might be drawn in spilled coffee, your sigils hidden in street art, your glamour spells worked through fashion choices and body language.

3. INTERACTION – the city is alive. talk to it. work with the spirits of your apartment building, the crows and raven and wandering city cats who see a lot, the graffiti messages that seem to answer your questions in cryptic scrawls, street names that feel like answers to questions. trust your gut, keep watch for the synchronicity

MAGICAL SYSTEMS THAT THRIVE IN THE CITY:

1. CHAOS MAGIC: THE DIY APPROACH TO WITCHCRAFT

urban magic truthfully falls under the umbrella of chaos magic.

chaos magic is sort of like punk rock spellwork. no rules except what works. it’s the belief that magic isn’t just about ancient texts and strict traditions—it’s about belief as a tool. hacking reality, using symbols, and experimenting with what actually gets results. if something stops working you chuck it and move on to something new.

• create sigils from street signs, corporate logos, and subway maps.

• use “reality hacking” spells—like placing intent in a QR code or whispering an incantation into a social media post before it goes viral.

• swap out outdated correspondences for modern tools—your phone can be your scrying mirror, your router a beacon for intention-setting.

chaos magic thrives in the city because cities are chaotic. they’re full of random encounters, glitches, synchronicities waiting to be tapped into.

2. QUEER MAGIC: BREAKING RULES, BENDING REALITY

witchcraft has always been the domain of outsiders, rebels, and the marginalized. queer magic embraces fluidity, resistance, and radical self-expression.

• use genderfluid deities, archetypes, and spirits in your workings.

• cast spells at drag shows, pride marches, and underground raves—because those are modern sacred spaces.

• turn self-love into a spell, defying the narratives that say queer people don’t deserve power, joy, or love.

urban queer magic is loud, unapologetic, and built on the bones of those who paved the way before.

TOOLS & MATERIALS: USING THE CITY AS YOUR SPELLBOOK

urban witches don’t need fancy supplies. we use:

• 📱 smart phones – scrying mirrors, digital sigil boards, enchanted playlists

• 🎫 metro cards & transit tickets – protection charms, travel blessings

• 🗝 keys – for unlocking opportunities, closing doors that need to stay shut

• 🖋 pens & sharpies – sigil-making, graffiti spellwork

• 🪙 spare change – prosperity charms, offerings to city spirits

• 🧾 receipts – paper magic, petition spells, glamour workings

if it exists in your daily life, it can be a tool.

EVERYDAY SPELLS & RITUALS

🔮 PROTECTION SPELLS FOR NAVIGATING CITY LIFE

• “doorway ward” – rub salt along your threshold, whispering “no harm may cross this line.”

• “metro shield” – imagine a glowing energy bubble around you before stepping onto public transit.

💰 PROSPERITY & SUCCESS SPELLS

• “lucky coin” – pick up a found coin, say “bring me fortune,” and carry it for a week.

• “resume enchantment” – anoint your job applications with cinnamon for luck before sending.

💡 HACKING REALITY WITH CHAOS MAGIC

• “digital sigils” – set a sigil as your phone wallpaper and charge it every time you unlock your screen.

• “parking spell” – whisper “open the way” as you search for a spot—watch as one appears.

🌀 COMMUNITY SPELLS & URBAN COLLECTIVE MAGIC

• “city-wide sigil work” – drop the same symbol in different places and see what manifests.

• “full moon offerings” – leave a quarter at a crossroads to honor the city’s spirits.

THE CITY IS YOUR ALTAR

this is your grimoire, your spellbook, your guide to turning the city into a magical playground. don’t just live in it—work with it, enchant it, let it enchant you back.