#stealth witch

(This is an expansion of a prompt I posted a while back.)

Music is a magic all its’ own. From calling up forgotten memories to stirring our deepest emotions, it moves us in ways that few other things can. Perhaps it’s no surprise that music plays a role in so many rituals and traditions, from ceremonial chants to devotional hymns to festival dances. With this in mind, why not add a little musical magic to your witchcraft?

Create a witchy playlist that helps you get into the proper headspace for spellwork. The music doesn’t have to be specifically pagan or witchcraft-related - it can be anything that inspires the appropriate mood or feeling within you, from any genre you like and for any purpose you wish.

Play music while you cleanse your working space or set up your altar or whip up a magical meal. Belt out songs that elevate your mood and fill you with energy during the morning commute. Sing to your garden to help the plants grow strong and healthy. Hum a little healing tune to a loved one who’s not feeling well to help them feel better. Listen to your favorite anthem during a quiet moment to remind you of your power or dance around your room to a harvest reel.

You can even take it a step further and make your own fullscale soundtrack. Make multiple playlists for different types of magic - something vicious and vengeful for hexing, or something soothing and mellow to help you ground and center before spellwork. Put together celebratory playlists for different holidays, with seasonal music or without. Create devotional playlists for your deities or pantheons, if you have them. Change the playlists as often as you feel the need, adding or removing songs to suit your changing tastes.

It’s up to you whether you share your playlists or just keep them to yourself. This could be a fun group activity or creative exercise if you have witchy friends that you talk shop with, or a nice under-the-radar activity for a stealth witch who can’t practice openly. In all things, remember that your practice - and the choice of the music that inspires it - are your own.

Happy Witching! 😊🎵

For more exercises to help you grow your practice, check out the masterlist here:

Absolutely! There are a few ways to go about making an altar if you have to fly under the radar - hide it in something small, hide it in plain sight, or go digital.

If you feel comfortable setting up a hidden altar, you can use small container like a shoebox, jewelry box, or candy tin. Decorations can vary, but all you really need for veneration is an image that represents your craft or your chosen deity and a place to put a small offering. If you want to use it as a focus for your workspace, just find a flat surface, set it up, and do your witching.

If you want it to be a compact altar that can be set up and taken down quickly, think small and simple. Battery-operated tealights or birthday candles can be fit into very small boxes. Avoid incense unless you live somewhere that it won't attract suspicion. (Incense matches might be your friend here too.) Keep your items simple and easy to explain away.

If you want something that can hide in plain sight, mundane home decor is going to be your best friend. Think silk flowers, animal figurines, artwork, colored ribbons, LED candles, things that fit in with things that are already in your space. Avoid icons and statues or anything that looks like it came from a witch shop. Displaying a bunch of crystals might be toeing the line, but if they're pretty, they might be able to pass as decorations. The most important thing is that it should not attract attention. To the untrained eye, it should just look like part of the aesthetic.

If neither of these seem like good options, or if your privacy is regularly invaded, you can create a digital altar on your blog, your phone, or an online drive. This is a good way to store your notes and resources as well, if you need to.

It's important to note that you can do magic anywhere and with anything or with nothing at all. Having an altar is a lovely thing, but it's not a requirement. If you need to wait until you're in a safer or more accepting environment, please put your own wellbeing first.

If you like podcasts, I discussed lots more tips for stealth witches on my show, Hex Positive, Ep. 012 - Witching From The Broom Closet (Jan 2021).

Druid’s Travel Altar or Pocket Altar

Creating a little pocket or travel altar for your nature spirituality practice is a great way to be able to "carry" your practice with you, particularly when you are hiking, traveling, or simply out and about.  I've made a number of pocket altars over the years, and I get questions about how to make them, so I wanted to share here in today's post.  This is a fun spiritual craft project that you can do that also helps you understand what is important about your work.

Do you maybe have any advice for someone who wants to start practicing witchcraft, but who's major authority in their life is their devout christian mother, and who has pretty much nothing except paper, writing stuff, and a pretty scented candle? I get overwhelmed easily so it's been really difficult getting started at all. Sorry if I'm being rude or annoying, you just seemed like someone who could help (*/_＼). /lh

No worries! This is exactly what I'm here for.

I have a podcast called Hex Positive and I did a whoooooole episode with advice and tips for stealth witches - Episode 12: Witching From The Broom Closet. You can find it on your favorite podcatcher or at the link. There's also a transcript on my Wordpress and that will be MUCH faster than me trying to explain it all in one tumblr post. :)

Main takeaway - You're not alone in this and you've got options. There are PLENTY of witches out there who practice in secret and they are every bit as valid as those of us who are lucky enough to be able to practice openly.

So here’s a fun thing I just figured out during the construction of my digital grimoire.

If you scroll through sites like Sacred Texts or Project Gutenberg and you find something you like? You can open it in a new tab, Ctrl-P to print, and save the whole damn document as a PDF. Then you can pop it into your digital grimoire folder or save it to a drive and voila! Instant searchable source material for research, light reading, and citations.

This can also be done with some webpages. You may have to finagle a bit depending on the formatting on the page, but it could be a quick way to store up info sources without forgetting where they come from. Very helpful for good blog articles.

I’ve also been saving images for constellations, crystals, tasseography, tarot spreads, herb identification, and lots more. Not to repost elsewhere (although I’m saving a Read-Me file with their sources alongside them) but just for my own reference.

Hex Positive, Ep. 025 – The Witches of Picnic with Guest Host Jenna

In this special hiatus episode, I sit down with my old friend and sister in the craft, Jenna. We chitchat about our days as basement witches, the informal coven-of-two we started, our old witchy haunts from back in the day, and what we’re up to now. Along the way, the in-jokes fly, madness reigns, and somebody busts out a lolcat version of the Wiccan Rede. Make sure you stay tuned all the way to the end for a special Clow Card reading of what the coming year has in store!

Follow my show on Twitter @hex_podcast for the latest updates! You can also find me as @BreeNicGarran on Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, and WordPress. For more information on how to support the show and get access to early releases and extra content, visit my Patreon.

Visit the Willow Wings Witch Shop to purchase my books and homemade accoutrements for your craft!

Proud member of the Nerd and Tie Podcast Network.

This episode is sponsored by: Portland Button Works PBW Witch Shop

MUSIC CREDITS