#secular witch

Lavender Witchcraft

Crafting Queer Magical Practice

Step into the magic of your own identity and embark on an affirming spiritual practice.

For thousands of years, various cultures around the world have drawn connections between magic, spiritual power, and LGBTQ+ identity. This guidebook retraces these ancient connections and weaves them into a secular witchcraft practice deeply rooted in modern queer history and culture. Hands-on practical exercises and thought-provoking discussions serve as guideposts to help queer witches and allies create a spiritual path that is authentic to them, no matter how they identify. Topics covered include elemental magic beyond binary gender, queer planetary magic, spiritual allies for all identities, sample holiday rituals, and more. Through this work, we cast a magic circle inclusive of all bodies and identities.

Coming Aug 25, 2026 from Moon Books. Preorder the paperback here! (Ebook preorders coming soon!)

What people are saying:

'Extremely solid debut from Sam Wise that adds flavor & glitter to even the most well-rehearsed magical rituals. I absolutely loved it and you will too!" 

- Cassandra Snow, editor of Tarot in Other Words and author of Queering Your Craft and Queering the Tarot

"My first impression of this book was that I had stepped into a safe, welcoming space that was inclusive for all. Sam Wise, the author, makes some great points about the dearth of resources for fully queer-friendly spirituality and paganism, which is one of the reasons this book is such an essential read. Sam then lays the foundation with some queer history, showing that a lot of today’s challenges aren’t new at all — as too many members of the queer community know. From simple ways to bring queer energy into your working to understanding the roles of queer magic practitioners throughout history, this book is packed with methods for embracing magic and divinity without indulging heteronormative practices or beliefs.

I love the exploration of liminality as a crossover point between witchcraft and queer being. Witches are on the edge of things as are queer people, both experiencing “othering.” As a queer, autistic witch, I relate to this deeply. As Sam says in the introduction, the metaphorical table everyone wants to be at needs to be bigger so more people can sit and be welcomed. This book takes an important step toward that goal, with one critical aspect being its secular nature; this witchcraft is not faith- or path-specific, but describes practices anyone can enact. Truly, this volume has been an inspiration to embrace my own identity more firmly and hold safe space for those who need it, however they identify or experience love — or magic."

-Mabh Savage, author of Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Planet-Friendly Living and the upcoming The Magic of Birds

"Sam Wise's Lavender Witchcraft serves as a helpful introduction for anyone first embarking on a Witchcraft path, or for those already established upon it who seek examples of how modern Witchcraft can be practiced outside of binary frameworks. This is something that is of benefit to all, regardless one's own identity.

Wise's book is a breath of fresh air for readers within the LGBTQ+ community who yearn for a practice that is inclusive and cognisant of our sacred place in modern witchcraft and how our identities are reflected in the magical natural world around us. This book is also valuable for those outside of the LGBTQ+ community,  highlighting important considerations that anyone in an intentionally inclusive community should be aware of. "

- Olivia Church Ph.D, author of Pagan Portals Isis (2021), Sekhmet (2022), and Osiris (2026)

"This volume is both an approachable introduction to queer Witchcraft and a love letter to queer Witches. As a queer Witch myself, I found myself affirmed throughout the book, and I also found myself thinking about new ways to continue queering my own practice. Sam Wise gives readers a little taste of everything -- from recipes to astrology info to personal stories -- and definitely whets the appetite for more exploration of the queerness of Witchcraft and the Witchiness of queerness."

- Susan Harper, author of Pagan Portals: Feminist Witchcraft

Capitalism loves to be able to sell you things and keep you buying things from self-help books disguised as witchcraft to crystals of explorative extraction. Capitalism loves to isolate you and focus on your individualism leaving you open to shit like the "Law of Attraction" shaming you for just not wanting things enough and never considering all the cultural obstacles from racism to sexism to class that permeate society.

Capitalism replicating itself in magic says you will be happy if you just buy the next thing and that your spiritual enlightenment can be just one purchase away.

It never focuses on community or cooperation or connection, unless it is to make money for someone else.

I know so many of us are solitary due to location, or needing to hide our practice, or not finding a lineage you would want to join. But that does not preclude you from having community with other witches, which is kind of what Tumblr is about when we share and grow together.

But in the real world you can have study groups or attend one of our free CritWitch Brews. We always share and learn things and we have guides breakout rooms with questions to answer so it's not so awkward. It's good practice to talk about magic if you aren't used to doing that in real time.

Not everyone who comes to the CritWitch events is atheist, agnostic, or secular in their practice. A lot are animists or pagans who genuinely enjoy the critical thought aspect of what CritWitches focus on.

there’s a spell for when your nervous system is fried and you have approximately 30 seconds and zero supplies.

you might already know it. i do this when I’m on the verge of a panic attack, i’m about to present at work, or when i realize i’ve been subconsciously holding my breath because i’m so tense.

THE SPELL:

breathe in through your nose. then take a second smaller inhale through your nose — like a sniff on top of the first breath. now exhale slowly through your mouth. all of it. until your lungs are empty.

as you exhale, say (in your head):

"I release what is not mine to carry right now."

do it twice. If you can’t remember the spoken intention, just do it without

WHY IT WORKS:

when you're anxious, carbon dioxide builds up in your bloodstream and tells your nervous system something is wrong. your brain hears that as threat. it starts spiraling. you start spiraling.

the double inhale fully inflates the small air sacs in your lungs that constrict when you're stressed. the long exhale dumps the CO2 faster than a normal breath can. your vagus nerve registers the change. your heart rate drops. your nervous system goes: oh. we're okay. we're safe.

It’s called the physiological sigh. it's the fastest acting stress relief method currently documented in peer-reviewed research.

WHEN TO USE IT:

when the intrusive thought won't stop. before you open that email. in the bathroom before a hard conversation. at 3am when your brain has decided to revisit every embarrassing thing you've ever done. when you need to come back to your body and you need to do it right now.

no candle required. no moon phase required. no special anything required.

Typically, before, when I would read cards some years ago, the images would just jump out at me and I would say words that resonate quickly with the person I am reading for. I would look at a spread, and I would immediately get the story being told. That was at the height of my intuition and psychic abilities, I think, and I have been trying hard to get back to that space, but it just won't come back.

It's a horrible feeling, and I begin to think (and others might also) that I am a fraud. I believe the meds might have something to do with this. It is keeping me from accessing my intuitive abilities, or drawing patterns from stories or images. Now I am very pro-meds and pro-recovery, and I do not even consider stopping my medication anytime soon (because the last time I did that I went into a brief psychosis), but this is not helping me progress in my spiritual path at all.

So I am working even harder to explore ways to deepen my spirituality:

Intuition - Deep meditation, contemplation, and visualization are tools to accessing greater intuition, reaching higher levels of consciousness, and connecting with the divine and universe.

Tarot - reviewing and reflecting/ meditating on the meanings of the 78 cards. It may help to keep a tarot journal to record my meditations and findings.

Astrology - getting comfortable reading birth charts of people I know; reading on the meanings and interpreting them.

Witchcraft - engaging in simple rituals that help me get in touch with my spirit and relax my mind and body.

Mindfulness and greater awareness in the spiritual connections and interconnectedness of everyday life.

For the hardcore crystal witch:

Specific harm

On a very sunny day, write on paper: "[Name Of Enemy] will [experience a great misfortune] before [date]" or similar, or use a sigil. Take a sphere of quartz, hold above the paper, and allow the sun to stream through it until the victim's name is scorched from the paper.

Harm in love

Write their name on a slip of paper. On another, write "your/their heart will not find love", similar, or use a sigil. Wrap in cloth or tinfoil with a piece of rose quartz. Unwrap to release.

(Even if you do not cleanse your crystals, I would recommend doing so after using them as described above)

For the elemental witch:

General harm

Create a vial of strong sun water, then "corrupt" with a pinch of pepper or a splash of red dye. On paper, write the name of your victim, and cast them into the vial. Shake vigorously to expedite.

Productivity-related harm

Cast a small item taken from your victim into a vial of ocean water. They now feel as if they are drowning in their responsibilities. Pour out to release.

There are always alternatives to the risk of pickpocketing items on and off of people, but this is a method I have always had success with.

For the nature witch:

Long-term harm

Healthy acorns sink in water, while rotten ones will float (most of the time). Take a floating acorn and and whisper to it its purpose. Sneak it into your victim's belongings and let it take root.

Bad luck

Paint the name of your victim in water on a maple leaf. Place the maple leaf under the candlestick of a black candle and let burn for as long as you like. Negative energy, including that of any standing hexes against you, will be captured and sent on to your victim, even if they are its originator.