Witchery: Embrace the Witch Within - Juliet Diaz 2019
The Art of Self-Love
Root Work
’Your task is not to seek love, but merely
to seek and find all the barriers within
yourself that you have built against it.’
RUMI
It’s through self-love that you learn to find and release anything hindering your inner Magick, and to appreciate, respect, and be grateful for every aspect of your self. It requires you to be compassionate and devote time to building a relationship with your self and finding your truth. In finding your truth you find your Magick. This is where we embrace the Witch within.
A Witch is only as powerful as the love she gives herself. Self-love is about making the decision to get your life together; it’s about organizing your bills, saving money, eating more healthily, and working out; it’s also about looking your emotions in the face; shedding toxic people, friends, and partners from your life; and switching off your phone and taking a break from the madness of the world. It’s about being yourself and taking responsibility for everything you say and do.
Self-love isn’t selfish. It isn’t a free card to belittle others or to think you’re better than them. It doesn’t compare, judge, or compete. It’s about making choices to better your own life ahead; a way to understand that you don’t need to be fixed, but to be loved and cared for by the person who matters the most — you.
UNVEIL, COME FORTH AS YOU ARE,
DEAR WITCH. THE WORLD NEEDS
YOU. MOTHER EARTH CALLS YOU.
Here is a list of practices to help you achieve self-love and to manage your life, not run from it — and they all help to amplify your inner Magick. You don’t have to follow all of them; they’re practices that I hope will inspire you to create your own.
Make self-care essential
Self-care is the act of deliberately looking after your physical, spiritual, and emotional self so you’re able to maintain a strong connection to your spirit and your Magick. Your own self-care doesn’t have be the same as anyone else’s. Mine includes daily meditation, hot yoga, eating healthy foods, and creating Magick. Don’t discount self-care that may seem odd to others. For instance, I also find that masturbating is self-care, as is time out from calls, texts, and social media.
Tune in with a tiny ritual
I run two businesses, I’m a mother and I devote a lot of time to friends, family, the community, and activism, so throughout the day I practice tiny rituals of self-connection. They’re moments to say to myself, ’Hey, I see you. Slow it down a little and realign.’ My favorite tiny rituals include drinking tea and stretching. I also repeat positive affirmations, either in my head or out loud. Discover what tiny rituals work best for you.
Pursue your passions
Who are we, if not what sets our heart on fire? There is no shame in pursuing your passions or living how you want to live. Of course, most of us have bills to pay and other responsibilities, so take it one step at a time, perhaps doing a side gig until you have enough momentum to change your situation. Not sure what your passions are? Try a new activity each week and notice what makes you vibe highest.
Listen to the true you
Learn how to tell your true self from the voices of ghosts from your past. The voices of ghosts will usually lead you the wrong way, making you believe you’re not good enough and holding you back from your authentic life. But your intuition will show you the right way, so learn how to recognize it — and the real you.
High-five yourself
Write little notes of positivity and stick them around the house where you know you’re going to see them. Write compliments, even, and reminders of how powerful you are. Everyday life can quickly get in the way of what’s important to you and your purpose, so these little notes will help bring you back to self.
Take time out, within
Meditate as often as possible. Through meditation one finds inner wisdom, peace, and connection — and it really turns up the volume on your Magick. You can even meditate while you’re active, during yoga, swimming, hiking, knitting, and so on — anything that quiets mental noise and distractions and that makes you feel trance-like.
Hang out with nature
Connecting to our Mother, Earth, is one of the best methods of self-love. She brings us back to our roots, balances and grounds us, releases body and spirit from negativity, and reminds us of who we are outside of the digital world. Walk on the grass barefoot, go on picnics, explore trails in the woods, lounge by lakes — just get outside and back to nature at least once a week.
Look after Mother Earth
Doing things that help Mother Earth is where the heart of the Witch truly thrives. Focus on simple things that will fit into your day yet make a big difference, such as picking up garbage on your path, helping a lost animal, or watering thirsty plants. Cut down your consumption of meat and dairy, whose production uses a much greater percentage of agricultural resources than their nutritional worth deserves.
Say No to negativity
One of the most important self-love practices is to protect yourself from negative vibes and energies (see Cleansing and Protecting). Most of us are natural empaths — we feel what others feel, but that goes for negativity too. This can affect our mood, and if this happens too frequently it can affect our health too.
Put your house in order
Organize your house, bills, and other tasks. Just get shit done, Witches. Set goals or make a to-do list for the day or week, then prioritize your tasks. When you know things are under control, or just that there’s a plan, you’ll alleviate any stress or worries. It’s fine just to relax some days, but always remember that if you have big dreams there’s work to be done to make them a reality.
Spells to encourage self-love
We can all use a little encouragement from time to time, especially when it comes to giving attention to self and indulging in self-love. These spells all magnify the heart, turning it inward to self.
Bath spell for coming back to self
This spell is perfect for those needing to balance, unwind, and clear negativity. It’s like a hug for your energy.
What you need
1 cup (250g) Epsom salts
1 cup (300g) pink Himalayan salt
1 orange, sliced
½ cup (25g) each of at least 3 of the following dried herbs and flowers: lavender, rose petals, jasmine, basil, lemon balm, calendula, or hyssop
1 lemon, sliced
3 drops of 1 or 2 essential oils — choose from bergamot, rose, or lavender
A white, pink, or red candle
Small bowl of any of the following crystals: carnelian, rose quartz, or smoky quartz
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Incense — choose from cedar, dragon’s blood, palo santo, lavender, or rose
What to do
✵ Fill the bath at your preferred temperature. Meanwhile bring a big saucepan of water to boil, add the salts, orange slices, and dried herbs or flowers, then simmer for five minutes.
✵ Add the contents of the saucepan to the bath, along with the lemon slices and essential oils. In a safe place in the bathroom, light the candle and position it next to the bowl of crystals.
✵ On a small piece of paper write a short description of what you want from this bath, such as focus, release, balance, and so on. Place the note in the bowl of crystals and sprinkle some cinnamon over it.
✵ Light the incense and move it around your body to allow the smoke to cleanse you. Leave the incense burning during your bath. You may play some soothing music as well, if you like.
✵ As you bathe, keep in mind the desire on your note. Using a cup or your hands, pour the bath water around your neck and shoulders, and over and around your head. The spell is complete.
✵ Dispose of the note, but you may reuse the bowl of crystals and the candle when you next perform this spell.
Foot-soak spell for recharging and resetting
A foot-soak spell draws any impurities and stagnant energy you may be harboring down through the feet and into the water, and gives you a reset. This spell is particularly good for those who feel they’re stuck in their lives and not going anywhere. It charges you with positive and protective energies, and opens opportunities in your life, allowing abundance to flow in.
What you need
Footbath or similar container in which you can comfortably fit both feet
4—7 drops of 1 or 2 essential oils — choose from cedar, eucalyptus, geranium, or rosemary
1 cup (120g) oats
1 cup (250ml) milk (dairy or nut)
½ cup (125g) sea salt
½ cup (125g) Epsom salts
3 tablespoons ground coffee
½ cup (180g) honey
1 cup (50g) mixed dried rosemary, sage, basil, and calendula
Incense or scented candle — choose from cedar, sandalwood, juniper, or lavender
What to do
✵ Fill the footbath with warm water at a temperature you find comfortable. Add the essential oil, oats, milk, salts, coffee, honey, and herbs. Light the incense or candle.
✵ Soak your feet for a minimum of 20 minutes, allowing the mixture to do its work. This is a silent spell so there must be no distractions, not even music. Try to close your eyes and meditate.
✵ Once you’ve soaked your feet, wash them with cold water. Dispose of the spell water in dirt at the base of a tree, in a river that flows away from where you live, or at a crossroads.
Honey jar spell for deep reflection
I usually use honey jar spells for matters of love and wealth, but this is one I have tweaked to amplify your love for self. It will also bring deep healing and protect you from anything that may disrupt your love for self. Its effects will continue throughout your life.
What you need
Rosemary herb bundle; or incense — choose from dragon’s blood, copal, or star anise
Small piece of torn brown parcel paper and a pen Full jar of honey and a teaspoon
1 pinch each of lovage root, dried basil, and dried rose petals
A strand of your hair, a clipping from one of your nails, or a drop of your menstrual blood
Enough salt to sprinkle in a circle around the jar
1 cinnamon stick
1 sprig rosemary
2—3 cloves
1 small rose quartz
Cinnamon essential oil — enough to dip your fingers into
A small red or white taper candle
What to do
✵ Cleanse your space with the dried herbs or incense, then lay out next to you everything you’ll need. On the brown paper draw a personal symbol of love and write a short intent, such as ’I love myself unconditionally,’ ’I deserve and am worthy of love,’ or simply ’self-love.’
✵ Open the jar and eat a teaspoon of honey, then slowly and passionately recite the intention you wrote, either out loud or in your head. Repeat twice, each time eating another teaspoon of honey.
✵ Place the brown paper in front of you and in the center of it put a pinch each of the lovage root, basil, and rose petals. Add your hair, nail clipping, or menstrual blood. Fold the furthest side of the paper toward you, then continue folding the paper until it’s as small as possible. Put the paper into the jar and gently push it into the honey with the spoon. Sprinkle the salt counterclockwise around the jar. Take the cinnamon stick, rosemary, cloves, and rose quartz and put them in the jar as well, then screw the lid onto the jar.
✵ Now anoint your candle by dipping your finger into the cinnamon oil and smoothing the oil onto the candle in a downward motion from top to bottom. Light the candle and drip a little of the wax onto the lid of the jar so you can fix the burning candle onto the lid. Now let the candle melt all over the lid and sides of the jar until it’s sealed. (This isn’t meant to look pretty or perfect.)
✵ Once the candle has burnt out and the wax has set hard, place the jar either on your altar or under the side of the bed you sleep on. Alternatively, bury it in a hole in the dirt, backfilling it halfway, and planting any flower or herb seed before filling the hole completely. Water the seed and sit by it for a moment while you ask that our Mother take this spell and make it grow.
Mirror spell for reflecting healing energy
This spell is great not only for igniting powerful love within and for banishing stress and anxiety, but also for spreading healing energies out into the world.
What you need
A mirror on a table
A glass of cold water
A silver-colored candle
Cinnamon oil
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried rose petals
A small clear quartz crystal
What to do
✵ Think of a self-love affirmation you want to give yourself — for example, ’I love myself because I am worthy of love.’ Sit comfortably facing the mirror. Place the glass of water and the candle directly in front of you then light the candle. Put three drops of cinnamon oil into the water, followed by the basil and the rose petals. Place the quartz in the water too.
✵ Gaze at the candle flame for a moment while you focus on relaxing and clear your mind. When you’re ready, look into the mirror and gaze into your eyes. In a chant-like manner, recite your affirmation over and over, each time feeling your energy vibrating more and more strongly within.
✵ Picture a bright pink light radiating within and around your body, pulsing and growing until it pushes out into the universe. Keep going until you feel like you’ve washed away all negative thoughts or energies.
✵ Tell yourself how grateful you are for having done this spell for yourself. Now blow out the candle.
✵ Keep the glass, which is now filled with your healing and loving energy, on your altar, by your bed, or anywhere you prefer; it will continue to fill your space with love and healing energies. Throw away the contents after three days.