Writing As A Magical Practice
Or, searching for meaning in ALL the ways
Dear Lindsey,
My local witch shop sells loose incense they make in-house. Recently, I bought their seasonal blend called Comfort and Joy, and one afternoon I lit some in a ceramic bowl and sat at my writing desk mesmerized by the way the smoke snaked and twisted into the air. It was fluid yet formed. It seemed as if it could shape-shift and change direction when it wanted.
Outside the window behind my desk, the sun was setting (at, like, 3:45 p.m. because DECEMBER) and the sky was a really pretty pinky color. To the right of the incense bowl was a collection of crystals, a tiny bell (also recently purchased at the witch shop), two roller bottles of anointing oil (guess where I got them lol), a red candle in a white candle holder, and a Kim Krans Archetype card from the deck mentioned in our last post.
On one of my bookshelves, I have a space for my ever-growing collection of crystals and shells, various decks of tarot and oracle cards, notebooks, and other sundry items that feel vaguely literary and witchy. These items all feel vital to my creative process. Filling my office with these things gives me the sense that I can connect to whatever mysterious force helps me write fictional stories. The writing process is often a complete and total mystery to me, but there are days when the words I’m typing feel like they’re being channeled rather than invented. I like to think that if I get stuck in a story, I can shuffle some cards or light a candle and say a little spell to gain clarity, or at least find a way forward.
These items and rituals also feed my curiosity. Could this little blue crystal actually amplify my creativity? Will spritzing this cleansing spray before an important call bring me success? I think it’s the same flavor of curiosity that made me a writer in the first place.
I didn’t grow up with religion, but by the time I was in college, I was spiritually curious. Around my junior or senior year, a friend and I hopped around to several different services at various places of worship. Someone we worked with invited us to an evening young adult service at her nondenominational church. Other college-aged kids were present, playing guitars and singing. A communion spread was laid out on a table and we were invited to help ourselves. Another time, we visited a Catholic church for Sunday mass, reveling in the ritual of the service and beauty of the cathedral. And still another time, we dropped into a local Unitarian Universalist service, finding it welcoming and warm.
I read books about religion, paid for an angel reading at a crystal shop, and went annually to a witchy bookstore to have my aura picture taken so I could track how it changed (or didn’t) over time. I once bought a channeled reading from someone who said she received transmissions from angels and aliens. I converted to Catholicism when I got married, but that faith didn’t quite stick. My spiritual curiosity persists.
I think I’ve always been trying to make meaning. Is it because I’m a Pisces Sun/Moon and Capricorn Rising, or maybe some other aspect of my birth chart? Or is astrology another way I attempt to organize life? Does it matter if any of this is “real,” or is the energy of seeking and believing enough? I don’t know. But as someone who desires certainty, it doesn’t surprise me that I’m always on the hunt for answers.
This curiosity reminds me of the writing process. How many craft books can I read in search of The Answer to perfect plotting or flawless characterization? How many writing workshops or classes can I attend seeking the revelation that will make it all make sense? How many rewrites can I do, sure that each one will result in The Best Draft? Again, I don’t think it matters whether you get concrete answers from the search. What matters is the energy it leaves behind. The thrill after sending your latest draft to your beta reader, or the optimism you feel after a generative, uplifting Zoom class with a teacher you admire.
Maybe we don’t need big, definitive answers when it comes to art and spirituality. Maybe it’s enough to feed our curiosity and find ourselves in awe of the resulting magic.
I started this post to you, Lindsey, not knowing where it was going or what it would be about or if I would even like what I wrote. But it looks like curiosity and seeking have helped me find my way yet again. Too meta? Or exactly on brand? Excuse me while I go light some Comfort and Joy and stare at the smoke until the channel opens and the next creative idea drops into my mind… I hope!
Hit the comments and let me know how your curiosity manifests!
What’s Making Me Happy
Reading: I picked up a copy of No Exit by Taylor Adams on my library’s for-sale shelf recently because the premise reminded me so much of Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra (one of my favorite books of 2024! Out in paperback in January!). I spent the whole afternoon today reading around 100 pages, and I’m officially hooked. Also looking forward to diving into the stack of books my parents gave me for Christmas, which includes Sandwich, Vita Nostra, Bright Objects, and Long Bright River. I’m so excited for my winter reading list!!
Watching: I’m still deep in my Dexter re-watch. My husband and I just wrapped season six (Doomsday Killer) and… I’m remembering how it felt the first time we made our way through the series. The early seasons are great, but as the show progresses, it loses a bit of its original shine. Trinity was the last flawless season, IMHO. HOWEVER, I just this minute learned that the book I’m reading, No Exit, is also a movie?! So I’ll definitely be watching that once I finish the book.
Listening to: Christmas music, especially the *NSYNC album. ‘TIS THE SEASON!
Miscellaneous: The 12 magical nights ritual. This is the second year I’ve done it, and it’s so lovely. On the Solstice or Christmas Eve, you make a list of 13 wishes you have for the upcoming year. You cut them out onto individual strips of paper and every night for the next 12 nights, you select a wish paper without reading it and burn it/rip it up to release it to the universe. I also pull a tarot card each night and write it into the corresponding month in my planner along with an interpretation of the card. At the end of 12 days, there will be one wish left. That one is your responsibility to fulfill! My 2024 wishes largely came true, so I’ll report back in a year if I can say the same for 2025. Fingers crossed!
This made me want to come over and sit cross-legged on the floor with you doing witchy rituals. Two Pisces who are open to the possibility of anything (which can be the cause of our anxiety and "overactive" imaginations as well as the hope behind magic)! Anyway, here's to ALL the ways in which we manifest and create. We are, after all, part divine.
It all feels very warm, mystical, magical and wonderful! Thank you for a peek inside 🫶