Winter is coming

Fanart (Elden Ring) by selinovka

Art by  DaenirArt

Art by  telaga

Art by  Lovell-Art

Art by  Anna-Marine

Art by  simoneferriero

Art by  AbigailLarson

Art by Wendy Stephens

I love it when the seasons change. Each shift of warmer to cooler months feels like a fresh start, and the seasonal magic is really where it’s at. In the summer I like to focus on cleansing, doing things outside and lots of gatherings. But in the winter things change to a more personal perspective and I want to work on inner growth and spending time with myself. 

I’ve put together a list to give witches some ideas on what they can do this winter. Feel free to add to it in the comments and write your own take on things. Happy winter witches!

1 Winter spell jar - Sometimes I like to create a fresh spell jar for the season. I view this jar as me, my psychic energy, and I place it in things I want to cultivate during the season. Maybe it’s an image of the High Prestress from tarot, because I want to learn to connect more to my higher self. Or maybe it’s a rose quartz because I need to work on self-love. Place it in whatever feels right for you and leave it out to remind yourself of where you’re going this season. 

2 Melt away the stress snow spell - Collect snow from outside and bring it in. Pace it in the center of a circle of white candles. Say your intention over the snow and let it melt away whatever you were stressing over. Modify this spell in any way you want as a release spell. 

3 Collect snow for other spells - Snow melts. But you can use it otherwise in place of water during the winter. You can use it to cleanse crystals or wash ritual items. If you’re feeling very witchy you can collect snow from graveyards. Just be mindful of ‘who’ you’re collecting the snow from if it’s from the tops of graves. 

4 Cinnamon ornaments - Make cinnamon ornaments with cookie cutters, glue and powdered cinnamon. Mix together and make a dough, cut out with cookie cutters and tie up with string. Not only does cinnamon smell good, it brings in prosperity energy.

5 Winter wish fire spell - If you have a fire going, use it to write a wish on a bay leaf and toss it in the fire. 

6 Winter graveyard walk - Nothing is prettier than an old graveyard covered in snow. Walk around and take it in. Leave pennies as offerings to anything guarding the cemetery.

7 Winter offering - Don’t forget your ancestors this winter. Leave them out their favorite holiday treats, drinks, or light candles in memory of them. 

8 Yule ornaments - Collect pine cones, sticks, or berries from outside and make yule ornaments to hang on your Christmas tree. 

9 Pine cone candle holders - Pine cones also make great candle holders. Cut them in half and hollow out a space for a candle on the inside. Perfect if you want to add a little winter decor to your magical working space. 

10 Charm your soup for a winter healing spell - The winter blues is real, and this spell helps with feeling blah during the cold months. Make a soup (any soup, really) and say your intention over it. Mix your spoon clockwise and imagine a white light mixing into your soup, while you eat it imagine it going into your body and warming you up from the inside. 

11 Herb jar candles - Evergreen is a nice winter herb to burn and looks great in candles. Make your own jar candles with melted wax and jars you might already have. Add evergreen herbs and even white quartz crystals to the tops of your candles.

12 Lavender sachets - If you’re having trouble sleeping, make a lavender sachet. Use purple felt and sew up three sides. Flip inside out and fill with lavender herb. Sew up the remaining side. 

13 Bird feeders - Love making these during the winter. Only because I feel like birds need a break too and there’s less food for them during the winter months. Take a toilet paper roll and smear peanut butter on them, then roll them in bird seed. (Kind of preschool project, I know.) Hang them outside on your trees. 

14 Read read read! - Since most people are spending more time inside during the winter, it’s the perfect time to catch up on any witchy reading. Try your local library and see what they have on witch books, cook books and more. 

15 Orange slices - Make orange slices for citrus cleansing baths by slicing fresh oranges very thin and baking them on low 175 degrees for 3-4 hours or until they are dry. String them along for a garland for another variety. 

16 Winter blessing - Do a winter blessing spell for you and your loved ones. 

17 Baked breads and cakes - Lavender bread is my favorite but make sure you purchase edible lavender herb first. Try cinnamon cakes or anise for a winter theme. Look up the meanings of the herbal properties before adding them into your dough. 

18 Tea leaf reading - The colder months are a great time to brush up on your tea-leaf reading. You’ll need loose tea leaves and a keen eye to pick out the shapes in the cup. 

19 Tarot meditation - Brush up on your tarot by doing tarot meditations. Choose a tarot card that you would like to connect with more closely. Light a candle and place the card in front of you. Close your eyes and meditate with the card taking in any messages, feelings or visuals you receive. 

20 Write your grimoire - Get creative and start your own grimoire with your favorite spells and rituals. 

It’s crazy to me to think that we are in such survival mode with finances that ‘side hustles’ are a regular thing now. Don’t get me wrong, I hate hustle culture. I believe we all should be pursuing our passions but not to the level of toxic self-destruction. 

So why the side hustle? Because we all need money, and witchy side hustles can oftentimes manifest into lucrative careers. Nothing makes me happier than a witch living their best life making a career out of doing what they were born to do. 

If you have another idea you want to add to the list, or drop a comment below!

Read tarot -This one is by far the one I see the most often, and that’s not a bad thing. I have my go-to favorite tarot readers for different things because I feel like tarot readers are not all built the same. Some styles of reading work better for life paths and some for career choices. Nothing is better than an abundance of tarot readers. Plus you can create a large audience by using Instagram or TikTok and this one requires almost no start-up money. 

Spell services - I’m not always a fan of selling witchy services because some people seem kind of shady or are in it just to make money and not really having any background in witchcraft or occultism BUT I put it on here. If you genuinely care about your clientele and want to spread the magic by offering great spell casting services, then this might be the side hustle for you.

Etsy shop - I am not remarkable at selling on Etsy and have never really had a tremendous amount of luck with that site, but that’s not to say you won’t. I’m also an avid Etsy shopper and have found loads of witchy shops selling everything from blended oils to fixed candles on the platform. 

Blog- Then there’s the blog. This is the space where I find the most success, but what I often don’t find are a lot of other witchy blogs. Sure, there’s a bunch out there, but it doesn’t seem as over-saturated as say a cooking or your basic mom blog. Although I don’t, you can make money off of advertising and other ad revenues. 

Write books - If you have a knack for writing, try penning your own book. You can go the traditional route of seeking out a publishing agent, but honestly, self-publishing is so huge right now. So many books with so much great content, definitely worth taking a look at. Who knows you could be the next big thing in witch books. 

Teach classes - Is there a local witch shop nearby? Have you thought about hosting classes or teaching workshops on various witchy subjects? In my experience I have found so many people interested in learning more about the craft, it could be a noteworthy start to a rewarding career. 

Create lifestyle goods - Lifestyle goods to me are things like shirts, stuff for your house, coffee mugs. Printify and Printful are two websites to get things rolling in the merchandise world.

Cottage food - Cottage food to me are things like jellies, jams and preserves. Think kitchen witch vibes. If you’re already a gourmet cook with a penchant for magic, this could be the space for you.

I don’t know if ‘spell fallout’ is already a term or not, but I always feel like it’s an important thing to discuss in Witchcraft. Basically spell fallout are the unintended or unaccounted events that happen after you perform a spell. Let’s use what happened to me as a great example of how you can F up your life with magic. 

For about 4-5 years I was working at a company that I on and off loved. At first it was not great, but we moved around and I kind of began to like where I was at and more importantly what I was working on. I learned a lot and even though it was frustrating, I wanted to be there. Then after a few years we were moved again to another space and it was a little horrible. Around that time I was super stuck and not feeling like I was experiencing any growth. Of course I blamed my environment and the circumstances around me and not my own fear-driven decision making. I could have simply looked for another job that continued my career growth. But I didn’t, I blamed everything and everyone else around me. 

Out of frustration I did a spell on the waning moon to let go of all the things that didn’t serve me. I was NOT specific and I just generally did the magic without even reading my tarot. That week I was laid off at work. I have not always been financially stable in my life and having the security of a steady paycheck was a HUGE deal for me. And now it was gone. The rug was pulled out from under me and my safe little job had vanished. Being laid off or even fired was one of my biggest fears and that experience sent me into a huge month-long panic attack. 

Of course, afterwards everything was fine. It took some time, but I was able to secure employment and continue to grow in my career. I also had a lot of personal growth related to that experience. I let go of tons of fear, moved forward with my own side business and stopped giving into other people’s expectations of me and started living for myself. 

Although these were all AMAZING things that I could never have accomplished without the help of my irresponsible spell, THERE ARE BETTER WAYS to achieve this. So before you cast a spell and turn your life into a hot mess for months on end, think about why you need the spell and all the things that could happen in your life from the casting of this one spell. And most importantly, be specific about what you want in your spell. Otherwise you’ll accidentally ‘let go’ of that job that might no longer be serving you, but is still paying the bills.