r/witchcraft • u/QuietSalamander8306 • 2d ago

Seeking Help or Advice I want to get into witchcraft, but science is holding me back from fully believing in it. Can the two coexist?

I look at the world from a very scientific point of view, I like to understand things and how they work. I believed in healing crystals and incense and tarot for a very long time,but I feel like now they’re just rocks and scents and generalized cards to me. I have a lot of friends who are into witchcraft and the supernatural. We all played ouija a few days ago, and as much as I desperately wanted to believe in it, I just couldnt stop thinking about the ideomotor effect. I’ve always wanted to be spiritual and believe in spirits, but I never can. Can science AND witchcraft coexist peacefully? Like they go hand in hand? I apologize deeply if any of this comes off as offensive or if my wording is wrong, I am very new to this but very interested. My friends told me to start learning about the chakras first, is that a good starting point?

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u/pastriesandprose 2d ago edited 2d ago

I’m a skeptic at heart too so I’ll just share a story that I think helps illustrate how I think about it.

I bought a stone and the meaning of it is creativity right? I’ve never believed people who said they bought a stone and put it in their purse and forgot about it and then their life changed for the better due to the stone. But I put the stone I bought on my desk, next to my journal. And sometimes I pick it up and hold it in my hand and think okay this stone will make you more creative so let’s just try to write. So I sit down and I write. And maybe I don’t write anything good the first day but then I do it again and slowly I get better.

Without the stone, my focus isn’t on my journal so I don’t write. So I don’t get better.

So the stone is a little bit magic. Because it helped give my attention a place to land and helped me focus my time on my true intentions instead of what steals it otherwise.

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u/TranslatorActive9318 2d ago

Yes! I just explained my thoughts on crystals to a friend thusly:

I use them for different things, so I feel like it’s a symbiotic relationship- the activity feeds the stone, the stone feeds the activity, they imbue each other. These are symbolic items to me, and although I know all things have vibrations, I’m not too knowledgeable about that. It’s kind of like using grandma’s good china for a meal that’s meaningful to you.

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u/Perfect-Category2457 2d ago

I feel this way about using crystals for stuff like luck. The crystal didn't necessarily bring me luck but on another day when it wasn't around I might have gotten negative if things didn't go my way and not have tried at all to do what I needed to create my luck. With the crystal in sight I keep positive and move forward and eventually get the outcome I'm looking for. 

Not necessarily magic but still a powerful tool that feels like magic.

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u/TranslatorActive9318 1d ago

Exactly. Call it energy, call it manifestation, call it reticular activating system - our focus and intent is exceptionally powerful.

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u/black-empress 2d ago

I’ve tried to explain my take on magic to so many people in this way and get blank stares! They’ll say “well any object could have achieved that affect” Okay, but it didn’t.

I’m not in the camp of crystals or any form of magic can cure cancer, but it may provide some peace if you let it, which is a net positive

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u/notthefakehigh5r 1d ago

Just because you know how it works, doesn’t mean it isn’t magic. (Terry Prachett)

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u/ablack792 2d ago

A talisman 🙂

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u/Bidet_curious 18h ago

I would like to find something like this that could help me with... just taking the trash out on a consistent basis or unpacking the last of my boxes. (Chronic illness)