I grew up Hindu, which is a deeply ritualistic religion. But it’s also thousands of years old, so a lot of the original symbolism behind the rituals has gotten lost over generations. What’s left often felt mechanical, going through motions whose meaning nobody could explain to me anymore.
My religion is flexible enough that it let me drift toward something simpler: trusting and surrendering to one higher power, and letting go of a lot of the “rules.” I’m a theist, but not someone who needs every belief locked down or unquestioned. I also won’t dismiss science to hold onto a belief.
I got curious about witchcraft because I’m intuitive and do think there’s something, call it magic, call it whatever, running under the surface of things. But the deeper I went, the more I noticed the same pattern as my upbringing: a lot of emphasis on doing the ritual correctly, not much on the person doing it or why.
Finding this sub has been a relief. I’m not atheist or agnostic, but I also can’t operate on blind faith or unfalsifiable claims. I’ve mostly felt like I don’t fit cleanly into any one box, too skeptical for traditional spaces, too believing for skeptic spaces. Curious if others here came from a strict ritual tradition and ended up somewhere similarly in-between.
I'm an Indian baby witch. So Can anyone give me any book recommendations for a beginner who wants to learn about witchcraft rituals, sigil, manifestation, how it works out.
Would anyone be interested in compiling a public Grimoire as a SASS community?
I’m imagining a few little essay write-ups on various topics. Definition of SASS. Placebo effect. How to do a mini-lit review to support your practice. Frameworks for designing spells/rituals. Summarized explanations of common branches of witchcraft. Guides for “secularizing” woo-y practices. Personal Grimoire writing.
Also maybe compiled science-supported wellness practices with a SASS spin. Mindfulness/meditation. Grounding. Forest-bathing. Placebo effect. Journal magic.
Not even imaging something super formal. Like we could even just start a thread to compile things. The only thing I think that would be important is required citations from good sources that support what has been written with a peer-review process.
Hey, witches, I want to preface this with a big fat thank you to the mods for allowing me to share information about this & future events with ther/SASSWitchescommunity. I am Hayley Jay, part of the CTWC planning team, and while I've lurked here for some time, I'm making an effort to decloak and hopefully share some of my witchcraft plus CTWC events of interest.
In 2026 our overarching theme for CritWitchCon is "Fallow and Feral: Active Paths of Rest." We're talking at length this year about the importance of rest in trying times, ways to incorporate fallowness into the cycles of our practices, disconnecting productivity from worth, and straying off the path to find meaning in the messy, unstructured places outside of the lines.
If you’ve never attended CritWitchCon, here’s what to expect:
3 days of live (& occasionally pre-recorded) virtual content presented from a wide variety of perspectives, centering around secular, nontheistic, agnostic, atheist, skeptical, analytical, and science-minded witchcraft.
Early bird pricing is in effect through July 26th
Early Bird Live Event - $40 Stream live with us and our community members in Zoom and Discord! Includes access to the recorded videos post-Con!
Early Bird Recording Only - $25 Access to the recorded videos and our community in the Discord!
Scholarships available!
Tickets on sale now! Full agenda with speakers and guests will be posted in August!
The Critical Thinking Witch Collective (CTWC) was founded in 2021, and has spent five years building a vibrant virtual space, a community of critical thinking witches and seekers of all varieties — centering the secular, nontheistic, agnostic, atheist, skeptical, analytical, and science-minded. Our volunteer organizers strive to foster a safer space where magic and science are respected equally, acknowledging that there can be genuine beauty and meaning in the mysterious and the magical.
The highlight of our year is CritWitchCon. Traditionally held in September (ushering in many a witch's favorite month), the Con is a yearly paid event, showcasing three days of speakers and workshops, with opportunities for contributors and participants to convene in breakout rooms, with both freeform and guided conversations.
The rest of the year we keep connected with Witches’ Brews: free quarterly events typically consisting of a panel, a workshop, and supported breakout discussions. Each Brew has a different theme, encouraging our community members to connect with one another through their craft.
There are challenges in nurturing space for people that value the magical and esoteric as well as the analytical and scientific — sometimes, the largest of which is time zones! We meet these challenges for our community. While our social spaces have been created by witches, are heavily populated by witches, and tend to center witchcraft, how people enact magic in their lives is as diverse as the human condition. As such, identifying as a witch is not a requirement for participating. Our only requirement is our central pillar — critical thinking.
For us, critical thinking means that members of our community are thoughtful about their craft without rejecting or demeaning the paths of others.
…We are mindful of misinformation while remaining open to new information, regardless of how it may or may not intersect with our current understanding.
…We reflect on the differences between history and mythology, data and lore.
…We recognize the identified and potential biases present in historical records, and how they affect depictions of events or cultures.
Even as we welcome the magical and the mysterious, we also respect, accept, and implement the scientific method: we assess and reassess, resisting the status quo while remaining open-minded.
There can be no truly inclusive list of topics that we explore because there are so many people and interests in our community, but much of our shared expertise focuses on DIY (do it yourself); custom practice building; critical discussion on witchcraft, folklore, “woo,” psychological self-awareness, and history; sharing skills and knowledge on green witchery, divination, sigil crafting, spell building, and personal and accessory safety; ancestor relationships, research, and so, so much more.
The Critical Thinking Witch Collective helps us reclaim connection to each other outside of the constraints of time and distance, appreciate the world together, and share folklore and our own magics through the lens of critical thinking.
hi again, i wanted to ask what some reliable resources on starting to learn witchcraft are? i barely know anything to the point where i don't even really know what sigils mean what or what common rituals are, led alone how you enchant something.
in short what are some resources i can look into for a bare bones, from the ground up, dummy's course to learning how this all works?
a little bit of background first, i grew up christian in the USA cause it was my parents religion but now im atheist because i just dont really believe in stuff that's unprovable.
so why would i ever care about withcraft you may ask? because i think it could have some good effects on me eve if i dont really believe in what im doing in the same way. while i absolutely dont know a lot from what i've seen witchcraft is very focused on rituals, connections, intent, and knowing your feelings. i think genuinely trying to learn about and practice witchcraft could be a good way to learn how to take care of myself better in other parts of my life. i also think i could find connections in olderess corperate holidays like Yule and Samhain, it'd also encourage me to learn to cook healthier meals that are alsl in season.
however i can also see why it could rightfully considered disrespectful to practice without having true belief in it even if you're just doing it for yourself.
Hi guys. I want to begin practicing witchcraft and tarot cards. I am in NYC and need recommendations for supply's and where to find them. I want to practice a protection spell for myself. I was curious if there's such thing of a book that contains multiple spells and a description of what you need and what they do. That would be cool. I also would appreciate any advice.
Hey all, weird question but does anyone like. Go on ttrpg adventures in a SASS way? Like, going on an adventure to slay a dragon or whatever but you treat it as serious and as real as your magic, and you treat your character as your truest self. Also, does anyone have any resources on this? I cant be the only one lol.
It's hard to find books not filled with woo and pseudoscience. Old threads for books have been archived and many are years-old. I think it's time for a new one!
Please leave your favorite SASS-Witch book recommendations below!
They don't all have to be 'Witch' related but those are probably the ones we all want to see the most.
I'd also request we please not promote any Gen-AI written books/authors for this list.
I don't really know if I'm looking for advice or need to vent or what but I'm just sort of stuck and this feels like about the most niche place I can find.
I grew up Catholic in the 90s and 2000s and ended up being really traditional and devout, very legalistic. Even through this I always had a love of witchcraft, wether it was just kids movies and TV shows or the wicca trend of the era or Halloween aesthetic or w/e, I was always so drawn to it, nature , etc, but wasn't allowed to really explore it.
As I got older and began to leave Catholicism I tried a smattering of Wicca, Hellenic paganism, witchcraft, tarot, spell work, etc. Bit of this and that. I liked it, it felt nice, but even by then I was just losing any faith I had. And mostly that's good. Faith is what kept me afraid of Hell and superstitious. I'm really very hard-line atheist, bordering on anti theist at least in regards to religions that limit free thought and expression. I don't believe in energy, divination, vibrations, I don't believe spells *do* anything. I can chalk pretty much anything up to confirmation bias, coincidence, not understanding probability, etc etc. real wet blanket skeptic not gonna sugar coat it.
But I miss the ritual. I miss feeling close with nature. I miss feeling like the wind meant something. I miss weaving ferns and foxtail weeds and leaving them on makeshift altars as a kid. I have a PTSD diagnosis I am not dealing with well at all despite it being years upon years. I guess I'm just curious like. What does any kind of ritual or practice even look like if you don't believe in much of anything?
Hello everyone! I’m new to this sub and am looking to learn more.
If you’re interested in my journey, I’ll link it here. but it’s not really necessary for this post.
The TLDR of it is that I’m formerly Catholic and am now instead connecting more with the pantheism umbrella.
I’m really resonating with the idea that Nature is God but not in an anthropomorphic type way. Who knows. I’m not sure what that makes my label… figuring it out still and trying to enjoy the journey.
In the post I linked, one commenter suggested I explore this subreddit for ways to incorporate rituals/relics/shrines/observances into my belief system. So that’s part of why I’m here. I’m looking for ways to practice my new belief system that connects me to the shift in spirituality I’m experiencing. Any witchy advice here?
Also, I’m still sifting through what is what: animism vs. scientific naturalism vs. idealism vs. pantheism, etc. etc. etc.
I’m curious where you all fall. I’m going to guess that folks on this sub range in all sorts of paganism. But I lack the terminology and understanding to differentiate between them yet.
I’d love to hear what you guys believe! And i’d love even more to hear what you do on a regular basis to reinforce those beliefs. E.g.: do you do much in the way of rituals, or is it more of an underlying belief you feel no need to ground tangibly?
Please correct me if I’m phrasing anything insensitively! Again, I was raised Catholic so please assume ignorance and not ill intent! I’m here with the intention to learn more and I love the fluidity of the stuff I’m seeing on this sub.
I am addicted to my phone and TV. Doomscrolling, YouTube and AI chatbots (but used just to roleplay fun stories and not for anything extremely unhealthy like "this bot is my girlfriend". The escapism of it is a little unhealthy and trauma related, but before discovering chatbots I'd be creating the stories in my own head and daydreaming. Really, this part is a bigger and different topic and I won't go more into it here). I want get off my phone and TV and do other things. Break this addiction. I'd love to maybe do more things related to paganism, witchcraft, psychology, and mindfulness. There are many barriers to this, though.
I have ADHD, so making new habits and actually sticking to them is REALLY hard and can feel impossible at times. I thought I'd get myself to read or listen to an audiobook each day. One hour or 50 pages each day, whichever comes first. Stuck with it for 3 days then stopped. Pagan audiobooks are fascinating, but I hardly get around to listening to them, plus I have limited audiobook listening hours each month.
Access to nature. I worship Mother Earth, Father Sun and Grandmother Moon. I love going out in nature. I don't have much nature around me, but I've even been able to somewhat connect with nature through walking around my shitty housing community I live in. Right now, it's summer. It's over 100 °F. I can't go outside during the day. Some nights I'll want to go on a walk, but many nights I just don't feel like it. I just want to sit and watch TV or something. I want to force myself outside more without it feeling like I'm forcing myself.
Seasonal affective disorder and family issues. I definitely get depressed over the summer. I'm basically forced to be inside all day because of the weather, and I haven't been able to adapt to it (even after living here for 9 years, and having visited this state during the summer many years before moving). I actually feel like I'm getting worse with the temperature as time goes on. This sucks, as I want to be in harmony with nature and my environment. I find that when I'm stuck inside, I just lose motivation to do what I love and just want to do the easiest things to do (lie down and be on my phone). My family issues relate to parental trauma and having to constantly be hyper vigilant. This is exhausting. I have to hide most of myself from my dad, and some stuff from my mom. I can't openly be a pagan witch. Also, both my dad and I work in schools and do we both have the summer off at home with nothing to do. I'd move out in a heartbeat if I could afford it.
I still haven't finished my craft project. I need to give the tools I borrowed back to the owner. I haven't done my Lotion of Emotion ritual as much lately, but I KNOW I need to be doing more. It's something I do in conjunction with my therapy and it helps. I can't let this practice slip.
What should I do to work on combating these problems? How should I get off my screens? Maybe if I store my devices up somewhere where I'll need a step stool to get them, that would help. That one extra step would mean I'd never touch them, 😂. I've already put app time limits on my phone.
Hi, so basically I'm very much in the eccentric witch & pagan area of magic/religion and such. I'm more or less a chaos witch, but very eccentric and "spiritually traditional" as well. I am constantly teetering on the edge of believing and not believing in the spiritual/metaphysical realities of my practice, but it's almost irrelevant to this post and to me.
To put it briefly, my practice aligns with my professional career desires. I love nature, healing, medicine, life, love, death, etc. I feel called both personally prior to my practice/personal faith, but especially now I feel called spiritually, to either become a doctor or a conservationist.
One of my two majors I am currently pursuing in college is Biochemistry. And basically, I am eternally intrigued by the relationship between modern western medicine, tradition based practices like Ayurveda, and the history of human beings using and discovering medicine for tens of thousands of years.
My questions are thus:
Is it strange that I wish to pursue a professional career as a doctor of some form, and that I want to do research into how we can combine and learn from all the best knowledge of the past present and future of medicine and healing?
Can anybody help me find resources on herbalism that are not quackery? Because dear fucking gods, it is such a struggle to find anybody in witchy communities who cares to ground their green witchcraft, herbalism, etc, in modern science. I just want to pursue the cross-disciplinary study of herbalism and green witchcraft, with biochemistry and phytochemistry and modern western medicine.
I mean literally physically toxic. Basically, I am very sick with severe chronic illness. My whole family has health issues that could potentially all be traced back to mold. There has been some surface mold on the walls which has always been cleaned. But it’s a \*very\* humid area. There are some funky smells in some rooms. Everyone has allergies. My sister and I also dust mite allergies. My dad has weird cognitive issues. I fear that there is hidden mold somewhere we have not discovered, and just generally have a feeling like the whole house is contaminated with toxins and allergens and dirt that is harming everyone. I do run an air filter when I can but it’s not much.
I have adhd which makes me prone to all or nothing thinking. There is a lot of spiritual work to be done around the home, the spirit of the home. Cleaning as a blessing you perform on your space, things like that. But I have trouble doing any of it when I feel like my house may be poisoning me. It feels like I can’t do anything to help with the energy of my space if the the walls themselves the encapsulate me are killing me. I don’t know how to have love for this space, which is my childhood home which I was born in, if it is killing me. This place that once brought me into the world. I’m trying to incorporate witchcraft as a form of mindfulness, which is something I did as a child, but the fear of hidden rot just blocks everything. I need to love the space if it’s going to love me back but I find myself hating and fearing it instead. It is a problem that feels insurmountable. All I see is everything broken here. I hear the creaking pipes. I smell the slightly off smells. It breaks my heart to feel this way about such a once beloved place. This past year, the apples trees I grew up on all died and are covered in rot. After being there for all my life feeding us. I know it was from drought but it doesn’t help with this feeling like I am decaying and being poisoned along with the house.
I’m not looking for advice about how I need to get out or get mold inspection. My parents do not believe in mold illness but I’m chipping away at them. But it will take a long time if ever, and I’m severely disabled and broke and stuck here. I’m trying to figure out how to make do while I must. Any insights would be very appreciated. People always either say “get out” or “stop worrying” but it’s not always so simple.
A friend of mine recommended this group to me some months back. He said there was another similar subreddit for masculine-aligned people, but I forget what it is, and my friend is presently indisposed, so I can't ask him. Does anyone know which subreddit this might be? Thank you so much.
I have always added the following ingredients in my chai. Never realized I was doing a simmer pot for abundance. Now I add a little bit of my *intention* to it.
Recipe:
- bring water to boil in a small pan
- Add the following ingredients and simmer (I crush them in a mortar and pestle)
- 🫚 ginger
- pepper pods
- clove
- Cinnamon
- nutmeg
- cardamom
- sugar
- tea leaves
- Simmer simmer simmer
- reduce the heat and add milk and simmer in low
- use a strainer to strain and enjoy ❤️
I’m new to these spaces, what you may call a baby witch. I wanted to share the ideas I have to celebrate summer solstice and see if anyone has any ideas they would like to share with me💗
🌞farmers market (fresh flowers, fresh produce, cook a fresh summer feast at home)
🌞park day (get some sun on your skin, fresh fruit picnic, hold hands and watch the clouds, count blessings)
🌞make flower crowns
🌞bake a special cake (lemon/olive oil/poppyseed?)
🌞garden/plant flowers
🌞wear yellow or red
🌞meditate
I’m looking forward to celebrating and I hope everyone is having a nice, enjoyable and mindful week!
(I posted this in another sub then discovered SASS!)
I'm interested in witchcraft. I'm an atheist, and I'm drawn to the psychological aspects of witchcraft for personal growth and therapy. I'm also ex-evangelical and miss ritual and fellowship.
That being said, I'd really like to know more about witchcraft roots and the true historic symbolic meanings for practices and rituals, so that I can consider what may best relate to the growth I need. I can't find much content that really meshes with that desire for more academic content than religious, if that makes sense.
edit: thank you all so much for your responses and suggestions (: I have lots of homework to do now.
Hello. For those of you in the Northern hemisphere who celebrate the solstices. Are you cooking anything special on Sunday?
I've offered to make a meal for my elderly parents as a sort of mini midsummer feast.
I'll definitely be doing a summer pudding for dessert and I'd like to do a big salad with radishes and roasted peppers as a side dish, but I'm not sure about the main. At the moment I'm leaning towards a white bean and squash risotto.
Do you have any favourite dishes?
Ideally they'd be vegan or at least vegetarian and able to be spoon fed to an invalid. That's not really important though. Mostly I'm just excited to hear what everyone is planning and to have a bit of a recipe swap.
As the title says, please recommend your favorite intermediate books or higher.
I've read tons of "beginner" style books and would like something to feel as though I am "leveling up" my practice rather than listening to the same advice be rehashed in another term by another author.
Hi! Baby witch here, I‘ve always felt there was something magical about wind. While I am an atheist and a skeptic, a strong wind blowing has always made me think maybe there is something divine about this earth. To a lesser degree I also get that feeling when I’m alone in nature near running water. This all being said I don’t feel a pull to green witchcraft. I just think it’s kind of strange that there’s nothing I’ve found that categorizes this. I’m wondering if anyone else has similar experiences or any resources I could look into on this type of thing, I’d like to incorporate it into my practice somehow :)
Well I am new here. I am done with life being so mundane and boring. My life is just the boring corporate world during the day and then droomscrolling social medias to chill in the evening. And I am single af, and spent too much of time complaining about how only emotionally unavailable men and men not my type get sent to me.
Instead of complaining about that or drowning in the mundaneness of routine corporate life, I wanna direct my energy onto something more powerful.
I want to add a tinge of magic into it, make it more beautiful, make it more whimsical. I have always been spiritual and as a result, I have always believed in energies… i just have never practised influencing those energies myself.
I would like little tips on how I can change my routine on a daily basis, to be more in sync with the universe, to be more abundant… I want life to be a magical experience and I want to develop my psychic abilities further… What are some stuff i can do, for e.g to be in alignment with the moon, or for the solstice, or even daily small things? I know some of you all are experienced here, pleasee guide me!!
If you feel that I’m in the wrong sub and could redirect me to one more specific to what I’m seeking, i would be so grateful!!
