When we think about contemporary witchcraft, it’s likely that visions of smoking cauldrons, sparkling crystals, colourful candles, bundles of sweet-smelling herbs, and an array of Pagan symbols come to mind. The concept of witchcraft today seems almost invariably bound up with the various tools associated with the practice—a connection reinforced with every Instagram shot of perfectly arranged altars surrounded by beautifully billowing incense smoke. But, if we look past all the gorgeous aesthetics, and actually get into the nitty-gritty bits of witchcraft–into the wild, spontaneous messiness of the of the practice itself, it seems to me that we often overlook one of the most basic, fundamental, and important tools that all of us witches come already equipped with: the body.
Despite all of the fancy tools associate with witchcraft, all the long lists of correspondences and the occult shops brimming with crystals, wands, oils, and candles, any witch who truly understands the essence of the craft will tell you that none of this is actually necessary for doing magick. Sure, it’s nice to have all these extra bits and bobs, and for some they certainly do enhance the experience, but in general, tools are by no means necessary for ritual and spellcraft.
Experienced Pagans and witches know that the only thing you really need is the transformative power of your own mind. Thought, emotion, visualization, creativity, and intention are the keys to powerful magick. And for the most part, anything external is merely an add-on.
The body, however, is not just any old tool. It’s not some external object like a wand or an athame or a candle. Your body is a part of you—not only intrinsically connected to your mind, but I would argue, a critical part of your mind. Therefore the body, along with the mind, can play an important role in the practice of witchraft and the development of what we might call “magical consciousness.”
Magical Consciousness
The term magical consciousness comes from one of my favourite anthropologists of contemporary witchcraft and magick, Susan Greenwood. She uses the term to describe the worldview that Pagans and witches attain through their practice. It’s a type of consciousness that differs from ordinary, everyday modes of thought—a kind of altered state of mind that allows us to step outside the framework of reason and rationality in which we normally operate, and move instead into the world of spirit and magick.
Magical consciousness is basically an expanded awareness that allows us to intuitively understand the connections between this world and the Otherworld, or to see how something like casting a spell in our bedroom can have an effect on something seemingly unrelated, like whether we get the promotion at work next week or not.
Pagan ritual and preparation for spellcasting are usually designed with the goal of moving away from ordinary states of consciousness to altered or magical states of consciousness. In quieting the analytic thoughts and pestering judgements of everyday life, a different way of knowing ourselves and the world begins to arise: a kind of knowing that is intuitive, imaginative, and embodied.
The Body and Belief
The notion that the mind and body are entirely separate is an outdated paradigm: we now know that they are inextricably connected—what affects the mind also affects the body, and vice versa. This is why something like anxiety, a mental concern, can manifest in the form of chest pain or tension in the neck, or how eating healthy and regular exercise are beneficial for mental, as well as physical wellbeing. The mind and body are never entirely separate, but part of the same overall system that is YOU.
What’s really interesting is that many anthropologists and religious studies scholars have also started looking at how things like spirituality and belief are not limited to cognitive processes alone, but are also rooted in the body. Belief (and the development of magical consciousness) is not limited to what’s going on inside your skull—it also arises through techniques of the body and active engagement in the world. This is because the mind itself is not limited to the brain, but is constituted throughout the whole body.
We can see this connection between mind, body, and spirit most obviously in how intense spiritual experiences (including in Pagan ritual and witchcraft) have been known to trigger odd bodily sensations, like feeling extremely hot, trembling, shaking, weeping, warm tingly feelings, sexual arousal, and even limbs moving on their own accord!
The link between the spiritual and physical self runs deep, and these fairly common occurrences show how changes in the body act both as signs of spiritual experience, and as a means of heightening the spiritual experience itself, creating a kind of mind-body loop.
The Body and the Unconscious
Unlike the rational, linear thinking associated with ordinary everyday consciousness, the embodied mind is linked to the intuitive, emotional, and imaginative aspects of the self that often lie beneath the surface, in the subconscious or unconscious mind. Whenever you get a strong gut feeling about something, or feel the actual ache of a broken heart, you are experiencing the embodied mind.
So much of who we are as human beings exists beyond the surface of our everyday waking thoughts. But when we engage with the experiencing body, we are more easily able to tap into these deeper aspects of the self. Engaging with the embodied mind gives rise to those other ways of knowing that are more intuitive and emotional, rather than limited by reason and rationality.
And it’s these other ways of knowing that we want to access when we’re engaging in ritual or practicing magick, as they are the kinds of thought processes associated with (and necessary for) magickal consciousness (see my post on the mystery of magick for more on magickal thinking).
I would argue that in almost all magickal practices, but particularly when the magick is geared towards inner transformation or growth, accessing the unconscious mind is key, as this is where the big shifts occur. And, it so happens that one powerful way to tap into the unconscious is through the body.
Many of us already incorporate the body into ritual and magick in one way or another, whether we’re entirely aware of it or not. But being cognisant of how you’re using your body, as well as knowing how you might incorporate it further can help make your witchcraft that much more effective, and your magick even more potent.
So, here are some of my top tips to intentionally include the body in your spiritual/magickal practice in order to help stimulate that magical consciousness and enhance the power of your rituals & spells!
Movement
Bodily movement is such a huge part of raising and directing the flow of energy for many Pagans and witches in both ritual and spellcraft, and a fantastic method to encourage altered states of consciousness. In one of the first group rituals I ever attended, we were instructed to put blindfolds on and simply move our bodies however we wanted in order to raise energy before conducting spellwork. The blindfolds served to eliminate self-conscious concerns for looking ridiculous, so we were free to shake, jump, dance, crawl, and roll around on the floor—doing whatever felt right in the moment to rid ourselves of any tension or negative energies and stimulate ourselves for the ritual.
When we leave judgement and criticism behind, and when we stop over-thinking what we’re doing and simply move our bodies, a kind of shift occurs where we might say that the mind moves from the brain to the body: we begin to let go of our attachment to ordinary, linear thinking, and instead move towards intuitive, imaginative thought processes that are so critical for magical consciousness.
Dance
Another fantastic way to incorporate movement into your ritual processes is through dance. Put on some of your favourite tunes and let the beat vibrate through you. Allow yourself to be consumed by the rhythm. Don’t think about how you’re moving or what it looks like—just let your body take the lead. As you allow the wild dancing and rhythmic movement to energize and invigorate you, you’ll find that ordinary everyday thoughts begin to subside, giving way to states of embodied, magical consciousness.
Drama
Though I’m not a Wiccan or in a coven myself, from what I’ve learned about it from my studies and from speaking to initiated Wiccans, Wiccan rituals often include the dramatization of sabbats or esabats—acting out scenes in order to honour and represent the phases of the moon or the turning of the Wheel of the Year. These dramatizations can be quite elaborate, and can include poetic scripts as well as the use of costumes and props. But, the drama is not only about saying the proper words and dressing up a certain way—it’s also about movement, about using gestures and actions to embody the spirit of the God/Goddess, or the changing of the seasons. These movements shouldn’t be overlooked, as they’re a key part of immersing one’s self in the dramatic narrative.
While usually done within the confines of a coven, dramatization is by no means limited to groups, and can be used by solitary practitioners as well. If you’re doing your own ritual to celebrate a sabbat, honour the moon, or cast a spell, why not try acting some element of it out? For example, if you’re celebrating the return of spring after a long winter, imagine yourself as the earth coming back to life as the snow melts and the sun returns to the sky. Attempt to embody the essence of Spring. What does it look like? What does it feel like? Be creative, let your imagination run wild, and root your experience within the body to really get into that magical state of mind!
Engage the Senses
Those who are well-practiced in magick often note the importance of engaging the senses in ritual and spellwork. Ritual for some can be a highly sensuous experience, and including particularly stimulating elements in witchcraft can be an excellent way to engage the embodied, magical mind.
For instance, for some people the smell of incense or burning sage immediately creates a sense of sacred space or a magical environment, and helps transition from ordinary consciousness to magical consciousness.
While scent is one of the most evocative senses, for most people vision is the predominant sense, and the sense linked most closely to ordinary thought processes and linear, analytic thinking. So, consider playing around with this, perhaps by doing rituals in the dark, or putting on a blindfold while doing magickal workings to stimulate and heighten other senses that are usually dominated by sight. Burning incense, listening to music, chanting, tasting delicious wines and foods, and incorporating new textures and feelings into your practice are all ways that you can bring the attention to your bodily sensations, and prepare your mind for magick.
Create Sacred Space
Most witches already include the creation of sacred space into their practice into one way or another, and there are many different ways for doing this, the most common being casting a magic circle. The magic circle is a zone of protective energy, usually visualized as a cone, sphere, or tube surrounding the casting. Methods for casting the circle vary, but the traditional way based on the Wiccan model includes calling in the four quarters or cardinal directions, each associated with a respective element (East with air, South with fire, West with water, and North with earth), followed by welcoming in Spirit or deity. Casting the circle serves the purpose of both grounding and creating a safe space for magickal workings, but also carving out a space separate from ordinary everyday reality—a space that exists “between worlds,” where virtually anything is possible.
The creation of this space therefore immediately helps the caster get into a state of magical consciousness, moving away from ordinary reality and into a more spiritual/magickal reality. Though when casting the circle the emphasis is often put on the words spoken or the objects used to represent the elements, what’s also important are the techniques of the body—the movement involved in creating the circle. Walking around the perimeter of the circle, facing a particular direction, making the sign of the pentacle—all of these movements repeated at the opening and closing of the circle help the embodied mind shift from ordinary to non-ordinary states of consciousness, preparing us for magickal workings and spiritual transformation.
Breathing Techniques
If you’ve ever taken a yoga class or done a guided meditation before, then you know that there’s a lot of emphasis placed on paying attention to the breath. Breathing consciously is a way of being present, in the moment, focusing on the here and the now, rather than distracted by thoughts of past events or future plans. In yoga, the body and mind are both linked to the breath, and we direct the flow of energy throughout the body by breathing into various postures. The breath in yoga is known as prana, or vital force, and pranayama is the practice of controlled breathing.
Through pranayama, a mindful, meditative state may be fostered, which in itself is an excellent way to stimulate that shift away from ordinary consciousness towards magickal consciousness. Breathing consciously is also known to activate different areas of the brain then when we’re simply breathing normally, and changing the pattern of breathing can actually result in different states of mind.
Various breathing techniques developed from yoga can therefore also be applied to witchcraft and ritual in order to foster different states of consciousness suited to various magickal workings. For instance, if you’re going for a calmer, more lucid practice, you might want to try Nostril Breathing (nadi shodhana): cover one nostril and breath only through the other for about 1 to 3 minutes, then repeat on the other side.
If your goal is to raise energy, to stimulate yourself and really get ready to put your all into a spell, try Lion’s Breathing (simhasana): breathe in through the nose, then out through the mouth while sticking your tongue out and making a “HAAAA” noise. While it looks and sounds totally silly, it’s incredibly energizing and invigorating, and when combined with uninhibited movement and dance can be amazing for raising energy and fostering magical consciousness!
Work Skyclad
Working skyclad (“clad only by the sky” so, basically, naked) is something many witches choose to do when participating in ritual or spellwork, both in covens and as solitaries. While ritual nudity originated with Gerald Gardner’s Wicca, there are many reasons why Pagans and witches might choose to work skyclad, and is by no means necessarily sexual. Foregoing clothes in ritual is an individual choice, and you should never feel like this is something you have to do.
But whatever the reason, being skyclad can help practitioners get in touch with their bodies—it can help strengthen the felt connection between the mind, spirit, and one’s physical presence in the world. When we remove the barrier of clothing and expose our bare skin, the link between self and environment becomes much more immediate and intense. Not only that, but I find that it creates a sense of freedom—freedom from the physical weight of clothing, and a subconscious freedom from the rules and constraints of ordinary reality. Skyclad, we become more aware of the experiencing body, and the mind becomes increasingly rooted in our physicality, in the center of our intuition and emotion, opening the door to magical consciousness.
So, there you have it—some of the methods that work best for me when it comes to engaging the body to escape everyday thought processes, and foster a magickal mindset.
I would love to know some of the ways you make the connection between witchcraft and the body, and how you get into a magickal mindset in order to power up your craft!
Leave your comments below!
References
Greenwood, S. 2005. The Nature of Magic: An Anthropology of Consciousness. Oxford: BERG.
Holloway, J. 2003. Make-believe: spiritual practice, embodiment, and sacred space. Environment and Planning 35, 1961-1974.
Hume, L. 1998. Creating sacred space: Outer expressions of inner worlds in modern Wicca. Journal of Contemporary Religion 13(3), 309-319.
Morgan, D. 2010a. Introduction: the matter of belief. In Religion and Material Culture: The Matter of Belief (ed.) D. Morgan, 1-18. London: Routledge.
