Write Your Witchcraft: A Journaling Exercise

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CerataPhthalma
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You are...: experienced
Male/Female: It's a Secret
My super power would be...: Ability to shape-shift
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I was browsing on the witchier side of Tumblr today (take most of what you read over there with a grain of salt; there's some really good stuff and other stuff that's kinda ehhh) and found this really cool journaling exercise posted by user baduhennasraven:

Quoted here for ease of access; all this material belongs to Tumblr user baduhennasraven:
The thing is, we change. We are not the same person we were five years ago. Hel, a lot of us are not even the same people we were last week. We change, and our beliefs, favourites, thoughts and the way we see ourselves changes with it.

The same is true for our witchraft, religion and spiritual beliefs. This is why I have a list of question that I like to answer for myself every couple of years. I first started this when I came across a list of questions by Juniper from Walking the Hedge (site no longer in use) in 2008, yes, over ten years ago. Every few years I filled in the questions and looked back at the answers I gave before. Some never changed, some changed quite a lot.

When our coven started a new lesson plan, I gave out the list of questions as well. We sealed our answers in envelopes and plan to fill them in again, once we finish our lessons. Then open the envelopes and look at the answers side by side. To see how we have changed.

I looked at the list last week and found it actually lacking a bit. The questions were very deity- and spiritual based, so I was missing some more questions about my personality and witchcraft. So I decided to make my own list of questions!

Since I wanted to make this more a weekly journaling/grimoire prompt for myself I put together 52 questions. These can be answered weekly (maybe every year) or you can work through the list in one go and repeat that every few years or so.

Some notes on the wording: I consider myself both a witch and a pagan, but to keep it easier to read I only used wording like “witch” and “witchcraft”, they can however be substituted for “pagan”, “paganism” or even “my path”, should that fit you better. When I talk about “sacred space” this can both mean a ritual space like a temple or casting of a circle, but also just your home or outdoors witchy environment.

I’d love it if you would tag anything you feel comfortable with posting online with the tag #writeyourwitchcraft!
  1. What draws me to witchcraft?
  2. How do I see the divine?
  3. What in witchcraft makes me happy?
  4. Do I want to follow a path that has to do with a little nature, or a lot of nature?
  5. What areas of witchcraft would I like to learn more about?
  6. Where do my witchy talents lie?
  7. What kind of deities, if any, do I want to honor?
  8. How do I believe magic works?
  9. Simple or elaborate spells/rituals? Why?
  10. What are my views on cursing/hexing?
  11. Do I want to practice something similar to my ancestors?
  12. What are the basic morals and ethics I feel I should live by?
  13. What in nature am I drawn to; the ocean, animals, the trees, etc?
  14. Which (witchy) holidays, if any, would I like to celebrate and how?
  15. How do I believe divination works?
  16. Would I like to work with a group some of the time, all of the time or not at all?
  17. Which aspects of witchcraft appeal to me most, which the least?
  18. What do I believe happens to us when we die?
  19. How do I see mythological creatures?
  20. When do I feel most magical?
  21. How much is witchcraft woven into my daily life; is this too much, too little or just enough?
  22. What kind of witch do I feel I am?
  23. Which texts/quotes best describe my current path?
  24. Do I like research and gathering info, or do I like things handed to me?
  25. Which things about witchcraft worry or scare me?
  26. What is my favourite element?
  27. How do I see gender (roles) in witchcraft?
  28. Am I interested more in magic, or spirituality?
  29. Do I like to be told how to do things, or would I rather figure it out on my own?
  30. What rules, if any, do I live by when it comes to witchcraft and magic?
  31. What do I gain from witchcraft and magic?
  32. Formal or informal rituals/spells? Why?
  33. What subject do I love to study?
  34. What is my favourite type of magic; candle, sympathetic, sigils, etc?
  35. What would my perfect witchy day be like?
  36. Would I want to be dedicated/initiated?
  37. Who do I honor (ex: deities, ancestors, myself, etc), and how do I, or would I like to, honor them?
  38. How do I create a sacred/witchy space?
  39. What do I believe is needed for a succesful spell/ritual?
  40. Which cultures do I draw from in my witchcraft?
  41. What is my learning style; books, websites, videos, more hands-on?
  42. What, if anything, in my mundane life influences my witchcraft?
  43. What are my hobb[ie]s, how do I (or can I) incorporate them in my witchcraft?
  44. Where do my non-witchy talents lie, how do I (or can I) incorporate them in my witchcraft?
  45. What would my dream witchy life look like? What steps can I take to work towards it?
  46. What would my dream sacred space/witchy home look like? What steps can I take to work towards it?
  47. What symbols correspond with me; runes, animals, flowers, gemstones, etc?
  48. Am I an open and proud witch, or do I (need to) hide my craft?
  49. What are my favourite witchy items/tools; divination tool, ritual tool, décor, clothing, etc?
  50. What is holding me back in my craft?
  51. What is my pre-spell/ritual routine?
  52. What are my ultimate witchy goals and how can I work towards them?
As they note, if the idea of 'witchcraft' doesn't resonate with you, you can easily replace the wording with "my path," "my magical journey," "my spirit keeping," etc. etc. I think it's a cool idea, especially for those of us that are serious about pursuing the path further. It's great to check in with your beliefs every so often to see how you're learning and growing--and also to see if you've drifted too far from your initial purpose, and then determine why that is. Was there something you were interested in early on that you've moved away from? Can you determine the reason for that drift? Do you want to shift back in that direction, or is there good reason for going the direction you are now? This sort of exercise can definitely help in that respect.

I think I may be doing something like this in the future; I've sort of 'lost' a lot of my journey because keeping a journal is the bane of my existence, no matter how beneficial I know they are. Maybe with some guided questions, I'll stick to it more!


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Regholdain
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You are...: in the learning process
Male/Female: Male
Number of Spirits: 35
Spelled Number: 40
Your favorite spirit to work with: Demons
If I could be anything, I would be...: Human. :)
My super power would be...: See spirits in true form

What an interesting idea! Thanks for posting this!


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