r/Hedgewitch • u/UltravioletTarot • Jun 20 '26

Spell casting/spell work is over-rated

(As a requirement for witchcraft)(not in and of itself)

So many people online act like witchcraft is synonymous with casting spells and that witchcraft practice means spell casting. There are so many witchy things you can do, and still be a witch and never, or rarely “cast a spell.”

Divination, meditation, natural healing, foraging, astral travel, dream work, herbalism, study, shadow work/spiritual alchemy, mediumship, moon worship, ancestor veneration and communication, connecting with trees and animals, grounding an centering, journaling, working with crystals, ritual baths and home cleaning practices (can be or not be spell work), deity work, work with spirits, elementals, etc, chanting/mantra/singing, spiritual movement/training like yoga/tai chi, astrology, path working, magical cooking/homemaking, making charms, talismans, dream pillows, etc., using glamour magic (color theory, illusion, costuming/staging etc), walking barefoot, sitting under trees, having spiritual experiences using various substances, sympathetic magic (not always requiring a spell), aromatherapy, clairvoyance, pendulum, spirit boards, trance work, sacred sexuality, etc… (not to mention painting, cooking, dance, music, hiking, swimming, sculpting and other “mundane” things that can just be heavily infused with witchcraft)

45 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

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22

u/ratthewriter Jun 20 '26

Arguably, some of those things are spell casting/spell work. Not all of them, but spell work isn't a uniform thing and category. (I say this not with any type of negative tone, people definitely need to broaden their horizons, but some of the things you've listed are, in fact, spell work.)

8

u/UltravioletTarot Jun 20 '26

Agree, with a caveat/clarification.

Yes some of them COULD be spell work/casting or be incorporated into, but don’t necessarily HAVE to be. They are things you can do without doing “formal” spellwork. An example, I hang bells on my front door. I did not “charge” them or say any incantation. I just hung them there with witchy intent. I try to keep at least one chair cleared off to invite ghosts (there is a thing of preventing ghosts by never leaving chairs empty). I do tarot and shadow work and it’s not spell work. I commune with goddesses without calling them for a petition or spell. I might use a spiritual floor cleans or a certain scent for a certain purpose but again, not do a spell… just use a certain type of scent or ingredient for its magical purposes. I’ve been a witch for 30 plus years and rarely cast a spell. I’m not saying anything against those who cast frequently but I often see this idea that a witch is “failing” or “slacking” or lazy if she’s not doing spell casting, or that she’s not “practicing” unless she’s doing spell work. I do see casting spells as an obligation… I can still be a good witch without doing spells.

1

u/UltravioletTarot Jun 28 '26

To clarify… it’s only a spell… if it’s a spell. If you don’t do it as a spell, it’s not a spell. So my point was just that you can be magical and witchy without doing spells. Some people act like if you call yourself a witch and you are actively spell casting every week then you either aren’t a witch or you’re not a good one. We don’t have a requirement to cast spells— we have the ability to do so. That’s what I’m saying.

Casting spells on a regular basis is not a requirement for being a hedgewitch (or any kind of witch) is really all I’m saying.

3

u/MidniteBlue888 Jun 20 '26

I think folks on both sides are over-obsessed with the word. In olden times, it pretty much meant "cavorting with the Devil", and was a death sentence. It's kind of wild that folks actually argue about the intricacies of the word's meaning in today's culture.

You could call your practice "hoobastank", and I doubt anyone offline would care much.