This week I thought I would do a bit of a fun post and put together a wee list of some of the songs that are staples in any spiritual/Pagan/witchy playlist of mine. 

Music has always been a huge part of my spiritual practice—it’s very rare that I’ll do any kind of ritual or magical working without it. Sometimes it’s mainly for background ambiance, while other times the music is a key component of the ritual itself, either as a means of altering consciousness and raising energy, or as an integral part of the magical working. 

As I mentioned in my post on embodied witchcraft, movement and dance are often integral to ritual for me, and music is a key aspect of this. So, selecting the right songs can really make the difference between a decent ritual and a fucking amazing one, where everything just seems to flow together perfectly. 

Music has the incredible ability to set the tone for any kind of spiritual experience, really, and not just within the ritual context. 

Music that excites your inner Pagan or witch, or really lights that spiritual fire within you can also be amazing within a number of other contexts—like on nature walks, for example. In addition to this list of 20 key songs that I’ll get to soon, I also have specific playlists for each season or Sabbat. Here, the song choices capture the essence of the earth as it undergoes transformations throughout the year, simultaneously reflecting my own inner transformations and feelings.

I also love listening to my Pagan playlists when I’m journaling, writing posts for this blog, working on my Book of Shadows, or making art of some sort. I find that these songs have the power to inspire in pretty phenomenal ways—when I’m taking in music that excites me spiritually, it tends to have a really positive effect on what I’m putting out into the world creatively. 

So, moving on to the list itself, I first just want to say that these are some of the songs that I personally find most spiritually potent, as a Pagan, a Pantheist, and a witch. Obviously musical taste is a highly personal thing, and no one’s experience of a particular song will ever be the same as anyone else’s. What works for me on a profoundly spiritual level may not work for you, and in fact, I would be pretty surprised if anyone reading this agrees with me completely about these song choices. As with all my blog posts, this is just meant to be a bit of inspiration, and hopefully will vibe with some of you!

That said, I have tried to include a variety of types of music on this list. While there are a few songs on here that are made by Pagan artists for specifically Pagan and witchy audiences, I’ve also listed some more mainstream songs that aren’t necessarily Pagan, or even necessarily “spiritual” at all, but nonetheless still feel that way for me. 

All in all, this list is very eclectic, and a bit of a hodge podge—a mix of everything from contemporary jams to classic rock n’ roll, from mainstream hits to more obscure tunes. Additionally, not all of the songs here are even in the English language, largely because in my humble opinion, nothing beats Nordic Viking music when it comes to Pagan songs.

And with that, we’ll jump right in!

My Top 20 Pagan & Witchy Songs 

1. Literally Anything by Wardruna

For me, Pagan music doesn’t get any better than the Norwegian dark folk band Wardruna. Lead by Einar Selvik, Wardruna use traditional instruments like animal skin drums, goat horns, lurs, and the sounds of nature to create absolutely fascinating songs that make you feel like you’ve just wandered into an ancient forest to meet the Gods of Old themselves. Based on Norse mythology and poetry, these songs give new life to ancient stories and culture. 

Even if (like me) you don’t understand the porto-norse tongue they use, their powerful rhythms and sometimes darkly haunting ambiance, sometimes “I’m going to bathe in the blood of my enemies” vibe nonetheless has the potential to give rise to intense spiritual experience. 

For this reason, Wardruna is my go-to for ritual, and every Pagan playlist I’ve ever made has at least a few of their songs in it. They also recently announced their US/Canada tour for the Fall, and to say that I’m excited is a massive understatement!

2. “Spell” by Patti Smith

The world is holy/ the soul is holy/ the skin is holy/ the tongue and cock and hand/ and asshole holy/ everything is holy!/ everybody’s holy! everywhere is holy!/ everyday is in eternity!/ every man’s an angel!

Raised by Jehovah Witnesses, the “punk poet laureate” Patti Smith isn’t, as far as I know, a Pagan, a witch or a pantheist, but based on this song, it certainly seems as though she very well could be. The song is basically about how everything and everyone in the cosmos is divine—from hippies and healers to beggars and junkies, from poetry to marijuana to cocks and balls and assholes. All that there is, is holy.

Patti Smith basically sums up my spiritual beliefs in this beautiful, raw piece of musical poetry that is reminiscent of beatniks like Allen Ginsberg.  

3. “The Mystic’s Dream” by Loreena McKennitt

I love pretty much all of Loreena McKennitt’s music, but this song in particular stirs something deep within me—it has a mystical quality about it that can sweep me up out of ordinary reality and into a world of magic. 

As a Canadian (woot!) with Irish and Scotish decent, Loreena McKennitt’s music contains elements from sounds around the world, with a particular leaning towards Celtic themes. Many of her songs invoke literary and classic narratives, drawing inspiration from the likes of Shakespeare, William Blake, W.B. Yeats, and more. 

“The Mystic’s Dream” in particular feels like an arcane journey into the depths of the soul.

4. “Voodoo” by Godsmack

Personally I’m typically not much of a heavy metal fan, and this is pretty much the only song by American heavy rock band Godsmack that I genuinely like, but man, if this isn’t the soundtrack to my witchy life, then I don’t know what is.

I vibe with this song so much—from the dark lyrics to the seductive rhythm, it’s fucking fantastic. This is the kind of song that I like listening to before doing spell work, as it really gets me in the mood to work some magic (or voodoo).

5. “Hymn to Herne” by S.J. Tucker

This song by the talented S.J. Tucker is about Herne the Hunter, one version of the Horned God archetype. Though originating from Berkshire, Herne is typically conflated with the Gaulish deity Cernunnos, an important figure for many Pagans and witches. 

For me at least, this song captures the essence of the Horned God perfectly. The rhythmic drumming and sultry vocals make it one of my favourite songs for rituals that focus on the masculine energies of the Horned One. 

Although I personally don’t cast circle before ritual in a traditional or Wiccan manner anymore, for those that do, it’s a great song to have playing while invoking the God. (If you’re interested in how I work with deity as a Pantheist, read this post!)

6. “Ancient Mother” by Robert Gass & On Wings of Song

This song is especially great for working with goddesses—either one (or more) in particular, or the more general archetypal figure of the Goddess. It’s a beautiful chant with lovely vocals and great drum rhythms, and one of my go-to songs for rituals involving a significant Goddess aspect. 

Like “Hymn to Herne,” “Ancient Mother” can be great to have playing while welcoming the energies of the Goddess into the magic circle, or inviting Her into the ritual space.

7. “Wake Skadi” by Hagalaz’ Runedance

This song straight up makes me feel like a witch of the northern mountains—which is fitting, because the song is about the Norwegian giant Goddess of winter who lives high in the snowy mountain peaks. 

Hagalaz’ Runedance is one of the many artist names of Andrea Nebel, a Norwegian ambient folk artist who, yes, is definitely Pagan. Much of her music explores themes in Nordic mythology, Paganism, and nature-based spirituality, making her a staple in any Pagan playlist.

With its wintery themes, I find myself listening to this song a lot throughout these cold months, and often incorporate it into my rituals based around the dark half of the Wheel of the Year.

8. “Changes” by David Bowie

While obviously not explicitly Pagan ow witchy, or even “spiritual,” I think it goes without saying that David Bowie is nonetheless magical as fuck. 

As a fashion icon, a master of glamour, and an incredible performer who refused binaries or easy categorization, David Bowie was all about changes—about transformation. And what, if not transformation, is witchcraft based on? 

As Peter Bebergal writes in an excellent piece on the magic and mystery of Bowie, “in the history of rock, there is likely no truer magician than Bowie, as he has come to personify how magic works.” Bebergal compares Bowie’s ability to dazzle and entrance audiences to ritual and ceremonial magic, where participants are similarly swept up into the magic of the performance. 

For a while now, David Bowie has been an important figure in my magical practice, a prominent Pop-God, if you will. He is the embodiment of not only transformation, but also of that which is alien, unique, and eternally glamourous.

9. “Temple of Odin” by Danheim 

Obviously I just can’t get enough of Nordic dark folk music. Danheim is a Danish group with Viking-inspired music, incorporating themes based on Nordic mythology and ancient Danish folklore. 

Like Wardruna, Danheim’s music is powerful, with heavy beats that you can feel vibrating through your entire core. 

It’s also the kind of music that my body just wants to let completely lose and move to, making it fantastic for dance-based energy raising in ritual. 

10. “Wicked Ones” by Dorothy

Again, this isn’t an explicitly witchy or Pagan song. But, it’s on this list because in some ways, I see Dorthy Martin as the epitome of the badass woman archetype. And when I practice witchcraft, it’s often this kind of energy that I attempt to evoke.

As I’ve written elsewhere, witchcraft for me is largely about reclaiming my agency, and embracing my power as a woman. It’s about living my truth, and not being afraid to speak up. 

And Dorothy’s raw, rock n’ roll vibe is sometimes just what I need to really feel like the badass witch that I am.

11. “Bella Donna” by Stevie Nicks

And the lady’s feeling/ Like the moon that she loved/ Don’t you know that the stars are/ A part of us/ And the lady’s feeling/ Just like the moon that she loved 

Though I’m pretty sure it’s just a rumour that Stevie Nicks actually practices witchcraft, she is nonetheless an icon within witchy communities, both for her gothic aesthetic and the mystical themes running throughout her music.

Nicknamed the “White Witch,” her songs incorporate a lot of cosmic and nature-related metaphors, giving them a kind of spiritual depth that many practitioners of alternative spirituality and witchcraft have picked up on. She even made a cameo appearance in the Coven season of American Horror Story!

In addition to “Bella Donna,” other great witchy Stevie Nicks songs include “Sorcerer,” “Moonlight (A Vampire’s Dream),” and of course, “Dreams.”

12. “Break on Through (To the Other Side)” by the Doors

I was raised on good old fashioned rock n’ roll, and The Doors have been one of my favourite bands since I was a kid.

This song is about breaking free of the constraints of ordinary reality, leaving the mundane behind, and expanding consciousness to discover the infinite potential that the world has to offer. 

Although the song was almost certainly written about the mind-expanding effects of drugs, it can also be applied to the expansiveness of witchcraft, spirituality, and mysticism as well (which of course, can also go hand-in-hand with mind-altering substances). Ritual, magical practice, and spiritual enlightenment all involve moving beyond the ordinary to embrace the extraordinary—and though the experience is different for everyone, they all involve “breaking through to the other side” in one way or another. 

Fun side note: The Doors got their name from Aldous Huxley’s book The Doors of Perception, all about his mind-expanding experience (and arguably, spiritual awakening) while on mescaline. Huxley in turn took the title of his book from William Blake’s poem The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, which includes the famous lines:

If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is—Infinite./ For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro’ narrow chinks of his cavern.” 

Even though William Blake was technically a Christian, his ideas about religion were way ahead of his time, as he spoke out against organized religion of the church, and wrote about a much more personal, mystical experience of the divine that is often intertwined with the experience of nature. For this reason, William Blake is one of my favourite poets, and his work (along with that of some other Romantics) has been foundational to my spiritual development as a Pantheist and as a Pagan. 

Anyways, that was a bit of a tangent, but all this to say that I love The Doors even more because of their association with Huxley and Blake!

13. “We are the Flow” by Lindie Lila

We are the flow/ We are the ebb/ We are the witches/ Back from the dead 

This song is a short, simple chant that I love incorporating into my witchcraft and rituals. Along with other chants by Lindie Lila, I often play this one while I’m lighting candles and incense, smudging the room with sage, or doing any other preparations for magical or ritual practice. 

Similarly, I also really love “Mother of Darkness,” another beautiful chant by Alice Di Micele. I have a terrible voice, so I don’t often sing out loud, but these are definitely two songs that I can’t help but join in with. 

14. “The Balance” by The Moody Blues

And he felt the earth to his spine,
And he asked,
And he saw the tree above him,
And the stars,
And the veins in the leaf,
And the light,
And the balance.

And he saw magnificent perfection,
Whereon he thought of himself in balance,
And he knew he was.

Just open your eyes, and realize,
The way it’s always been.
Just open your mind and you will find 
The way it’s always been.
Just open your heart and that’s a start

As a Pantheist, this song really speaks to me.

And as a spiritual person in general, The Moody Blues are absolutely fantastic. A lot of their music has distinctly spiritual/religious influence, particularly Eastern traditions. This song in particular evokes a Pantheistic/Pagan perspective, as it’s about the ultimate unity and perfection of a cosmos in balance and harmony.

15. “Follow the Sun” by Xavier Rudd

Breathe, breathe in the air,
Cherish this moment,
Cherish this breath
Tomorrow is a new day for everyone,
Brand new moon, brand new sun

When you feel life coming down on you,
Like a heavy weight
When you feel this crazy society,
Adding to the strain
Take a stroll to the nearest waters
And remember your place
Many moons have risen and fallen long, long before you came

So which way is the wind blowin’,
And what does your heart say?

So follow, follow the sun,
And which way the wind blows
When this day is done

This song by Xavier Rudd is really beautiful, and especially great for getting through those tough times. Sometimes the answers we’re looking for can best be found by listening to the rhythms of the earth.

16. “Coming Back to Life” by Pink Floyd

Really, any and every Pink Floyd song counts as spiritual for me. They’ve been my favourite band for years now, and have been the leading soundtrack to my personal growth, seeing me through both the incredible highs (drug-fuelled and otherwise) and the soul-crushing lows. 

Their album The Wall had a hugely profound effect on me when I was in my late teens, and Pink Floyd in general have played a significant role in making me the person that I am today. 

Despite not having any necessarily spiritual (let alone Pagan) themes in their music, Pink Floyd has never been anything but a spiritual experience for me. “Coming Back to Life” in particular has helped me through some especially tough times, and I’ve come to associate it with the process of ego death that is typically necessary for spiritual growth, and the cycle of life, death and rebirth that is so central to Paganism. 

Side note: the name of this blog, “Obscure Clouds” is based on the title of a Pink Floyd album, Obscured by Clouds!

17. “The Battle of Evermore” by Finvarra (Led Zeppelin cover)

Usually I’m much more partial to the originals than their covers, but I really love Finvarra’s take on this Zeppelin classic, particularly for evoking those Pagan and witchy vibes. 

Inspired by Lord of the Rings, the Zeppelin song already has an underlying connection to fantasy and magic, but Finvarra really brings those elements up a notch.

18. “The Circle” by Blackmore’s Night 

As a Celtic/Medieval Rock band with traditional folk roots, Blackmore’s Night definitely has some distinctly Pagan and witchy songs, many of which are great within the ritual context. This one in particular might be fun to listen to before (or during) circle casting, for those that engage in the practice.

19. “The Call of the Mountains” by Eluveitie

The call of the mountains/ The call of the alps/ The call home/ The tune in our hearts/ The song of the mountains

Like I mentioned before, I’m not a huge fan of most heavy metal, but this group is definitely an exception. Eluveitie is a Swiss folk metal band that combines traditional Celtic sounds with melodic death metal, using instruments like bagpipes and the hurdy-gurdy (yes, that’s actually an instrument). 

This song in particular makes me feel like an ancient mountain warrior, thinking of my rocky alps home before heading into battle.

I also really like their song “A Rose for Epona”—if you’re into slightly heavier stuff (without being too heavy), I highly recommend checking them out!

20. “Walpurgisnacht” by Faun

If this song isn’t witchy as fuck, then I don’t know what is. 

As a German Pagan folk band with an emphasis on traditional styles of music, their lyrics are rarely in English, often instead incorporating Latin, Greek, and Scandinavian languages along with German. However, you definitely don’t need to be able to understand the words to get the Pagan and witchy vibes. 

Like Eluveitie, Faun uses traditional instruments like the bagpipes and hurdy-gurdy, as well as the cittern, flutes, and the Celtic harp to create a fusion of medieval sounds, folk metal, and darkwave. 

Walpurgisnacht, Saint Walpurgis Night, is a German celebration on the eve of the feast day of Saint Walpurga (May 1). Even though it’s a Christian festival, the tradition involves lots of dancing, loud music, fireworks, bonfires, and dressing up as witches in order to ward off evil spirits. Moreover, over time celebrations of Saint Walpurgis have blended with Pagan celebrations of the return of Spring, and some Germanic and Europeans treat it as the precursor to Beltane. 

Much like in Faun’s music video, this song makes me want to wear a crown of flowers in my hair and dance around a maypole. 

In the night-sky tonight/ The witches rise/ Wild folk and Lilith’s kind/ Lurking, secretly ride the winds

So there you go, my top 20 songs for the Pagan soul!

Some honourable mentions include:

Since music is such an important part of my spiritual, I’m really interested to know what kinds of songs you find important to your own Pagan or witchcraft practice. Feel free to comment below with some recommendations of your own, and as always, thanks for reading! 🙂