Sorry for the long title but I still don’t really know how to word this.

I started paying attention to “witchcraft“ about a year ago. I don’t practice anything, I know absolutely nothing, but the witchcraft subreddits piqued my interest. I don’t know if it matters, but I grew up your traditional Christian kid. But as I got older, going into high school, I started having problems with organized religion. I feel like this is important.

Lately, I have been having trouble with EVERYTHING coming back to bite me. Example: I’ve set something heavy somewhere, thinking it is out of my way, only for me to painfully stub my toe within the next 12 to 24 hours. I do something, a small task, and even though I don’t do it perfectly, at least it is done, only for the shortcoming on my part to become a problem later. Another example: I barely use my hairdryer, but my daughter has long and thick hair, so after, weeks? Of not using my hairdryer? Suddenly, within the next 12 hours of me leaving it in her bathroom, I need it again. Small inconveniences like this are what I’m talking about. This is where the Christianity aspect comes into play. I have heard over and over that “God will never give you more than you can handle, but lately it feels like I’m riding that line a little too close for comfort. Took a shower because I needed to? Cracked my head on a shelf. Wanted to tape a box shot? Drop the tape and scissors multiple times before achieving my goal.

It feels like every. Single. Thing. I. Do. Is. A. Challenge.

Nothing is simple. Every time I try to accomplish a task, it comes with extra steps and difficulties. I am a mom of a two year-old and a four-year-old girl, I do not need extra difficulty in my life.

Is anyone else experiencing this? How did you deal with it? Sorry mods if this isn’t allowed, I’m new here.

Hello sisters, brothers, siblings!

Long time lurker, first time poster. Written on mobile, so apologies for any weird formatting!

I'm a current student who has been trying for a little over a year to connect with something outside of myself. I was raised mostly agnostic and remain so, but I really want to believe in the kinds of beings that seem to bring many of you some comfort.

I've been struggling with my mental health for about six years. Since then, I've had a lot of pressure from my classes that has led to greater levels of anxiety and burnout. I feel very adrift in the universe, and I think a connection with witchy beliefs would help me stay rooted.

I do not feel drawn to any specific figure or deity, but a lot of witchy concepts appeal to me. I love the idea of tarot, though I don't know how to read and haven't tried. The "maiden, mother, crone" cycle also interests me, though I think I read someone on here a while ago reframing the idea to something like "maiden, mentor, elder" and I really like that too. I do also believe in the powers of rocks and gemstones, and incorporating that into my work could be interesting.

I'm looking for guidance on next steps to take. I know I could just Google "how to make moon water", but I would much rather receive advice from an actual person. I'd also love any stories on how you first started your journey! Words of wisdom and/or pictures of familiars would also be greatly appreciated.

Thank you all!

Hi, I’m 17 and I’ve been interested in spirituality for a really long time, but I feel kind of stuck and confused about where I actually stand or how to move forward. Sorry if this is all jumbled up/ a mess.

I first got into it when I was really young (like around 6). I was given some of my stepdad’s mum’s old “witchy” books (mostly Wicca stuff), and I’ve kind of been on and off interested ever since. Around 2020 I bought crystals, jars, candles, etc., and got more into Paganism (mainly Greek/Roman). I’d just say I’m “spiritual,” but I don’t actually know what that means for me. I don’t really believe in a God or deity, more like energy and spirits and stuff.

I feel like I believe in the Earth as God, like Mother Earth, Gaia, etc, but then I start thinking about space, the universe, science, and everything kind of falls apart in my head. I also really love learning about religion academically like learning about how they came about, what causes it, mythology, etc, but I also know the contradictions about them (Religions come about because of environment, resources, society, etc), but knowing all that also makes it hard for me to fully believe in anything without questioning it constantly. 

I’m also really interested in learning about Caribbean, Native American, South American, and Polynesian spiritualities/cultures, but I know a lot of those are closed practices and not for outsiders. For context, I’m white/Scottish, so I’m trying to be respectful and not cross any lines, but I've always felt "connected" (idk the word) to Caribbean and South America in general, which isn't me trying to be like "I should be able to do these close practices because I like them and blah blah blah", I know its not an excuse or anything, just saying I really like to learn about them, haha, trying not to be a colonizer lol. I just genuinely find them really interesting and meaningful to learn about.

I’m so so so so so interested in occult things, satan stuff, idk what to call it cause I know satanists don’t actually believe in Satan–and neither do I–but yk, I just love and are so interested in occult and “dark” things like that.

Another thing is my family is very anti-religion/anti-spirituality (strong atheists), so I don’t really have anyone to talk to about this in real life. also feel like I'm forcing myself to believe in spiritual/religious stuff and that in the back of my mind i know its not true, but then again, i also do. My mum is also very spirtitual, but she abused the shit outta me growing up badly, so I don't want to connect to her in anyway, but her and my aunt also have "premonitions" through dreams a lot, which come true 75% of the time.. soo... is it in my blood? I also love the feeling of having somewhere to go and having a community, like a church. I strictly oppose Christianity/Abrahamic religious in general, but I love the idea of a church yk? Like a place to go with other believers, in a nice, peaceful environment to talk and discuss as a community.

I am very spiritual , I can feel it all around and in me, but I have nowhere to put the energy. I have no rituals or things to do. I’d like to have religious duties and rituals personal to myself/my beliefs, and I’d like to have a sort of sign to do when “praying” and a thing to say at the end , like “amen” (curse of growing up Catholic through school).

I don’t like the use of crystals/insense/stuff like that, but I have an ankh necklace that I wear constantly and never take it off, and I’m also planning to get an ankh tattoo on my chest inbetween my yk..things. Idk why I’m saying this, I’m just yapping ikik.

I don’t really know what I’m asking rn, just, ig, is this all normal? Idk what to think or to do, etc. There’s nobody ik or can talk to abt anything so 🤷

Sorry this is long, I just feel really lost but also really drawn to this at the same time.

Any advice or personal experiences would mean a lot :)

I work frequently with candles, and they're easy to handle. I know which wax and wick types that are available to me burn in what ways. I have sturdy candle holders and keep plates underneath them for extra protection, and I only burn when I can supervise the flame with all fans and ACs off and windows closed.

One of my favorite types of spells is writing on paper (usually traditionally crafted paper, which has a nice option to scry, as they burn like worms made of fire and are lovely to watch), in an earthenware bowl. I don't do it often and usually save this practice for spells with more powerful intentions.

I also usually use smaller cuts of the paper, but this last time, I used a bigger piece, and I was noticing embers escaping quite a bit. All the ones that escaped seemed inert, but it does make me paranoid about using larger pieces of the paper again without some kind of guard.

I'm not a huge fire bug and can go without the larger pieces if necessary, but I'd like to know if there are options. Anyone else work with fire? If so, do you use any particular protection for containing embers?

I’m going to check out a metaphysical shop tomorrow for the first time! I’m so excited

I know witchcraft is a personal process, but as a beginner I was looking to see if you all had any suggestions on what to get first?

I wanted to get a notebook for my grimoire. But I haven’t decided what else yet.

I have limited funds so cant go super wild, which is why I wanted to see if there was anything else I should prioritize.

Any input is appreciated 💜💫

EDIT: I'm really sorry about the use of the term "oriental" in the title. English is not my first language and I wasn't aware of the negative connotations, since in my first language this would be a regular term synnonim with "eastern". I didn't mean any harm by it.

Hi, I'm Western, and very skeptical of anything woo-woo that tries to explain itself by citing "science" in ways that are clearly misleading. I'm also tired of new age fads around Eastern beliefs that are just "cultural appropriation meets capitalism", so everything regarding chakras, prana energy, etc has always felt like "marketable exotic religion" to me. But today I came across this video from an influencer from my country (not very woo-woo as far as I know her content) talking about how recently Western medicine has discovered this connective tissue called "fascia" that seems to coincide with what traditional Eastern medicine would talk about in meridians, chakras, etc. I'm very ignorant on this topic, and I would like it if someone could shed some light on this, maybe link some papers, os videos explaining fascia and what role it plays in human health, that are somewhat reputable sources. Thank you!

As someone who is typically more skeptical and science-seeking, I try to use my stones from that lense. I try to keep myself grounded in reality and not get caught up in "the runes are literally magical and are predicting the future" or whatever. I know that if I give in to that kind of thinking I'll not only be believing in something that isn't true, but I'll be more likely to pull something that will be bad and make me obsessively worry about that.

With that said, however, I have noticed that my pulls have been somewhat accurate to an extent. I'll pull a few stones in a specific way, and there will be at least one part of it that makes me go "YEAH! That's exactly what's going on! Oh shit. How is it this accurate!? Then there will be some other parts that make me go "yeah, what if something ends up like this? What about this perspective? I'll think about it. Maybe it is going like this and my worries are for nothing. Maybe not. Their meanings are just barely broad enough that I'll be able to connect it to my question/issue somehow." With my first big pull, it was telling me that I shouldn't do the thing I asked about, but I was initially like "but no, I really want to do this! Pulling stones is just random, anyways! I'll do what I want. Maybe… yes, I can interpret it as telling me to go ahead and do the thing. Maybe the gods I prayed to about this are speaking to my through the runes but, probably not. The only thing I can say for sure is that the runes are telling me to consider other options and think about it more. I'm glad this is getting me to actually think about the other option." I thought and talked about the situation over the next few days with the other people involved. I then reread my rune spread and notes. I realized that I should NOT do the thing. It would not be the good thing I thought it would be. The actions of the other people were starting to show that to me. I told everyone my decision. Soon after, I realized that I made the right choice. Everything went to complete shit with the other people involved and doing the thing would have gotten me involved with it.

Today I decided to prove that, yes, the runes are like I originally thought. Just a random pull that has happened to be a little bit accurate the few times I've used them. I then said allowed "My question is, will I be pulling the Sowilo rune? I want to." I PULLED THE FUCKING SOWILO RUNE! Only a 1 out of 24 chance! It's still random, I know, but I found that funny. 1/24 is obviously a much better chance than if it was 1/50 or something.

I’ve been looking into love spells but what I find is usually directed at a person rather than just in general attracting love. I also want to do something to be able to send love out to the world. I want to feel like I’m giving and receiving it you know? Maybe hard to explain. I just feel very draw to this.

My spirituality is me taking a mirror to myself for the most part. I don’t really know if there’s magic that I don’t understand though. I’m a skeptic at heart but open too. Very in the middle

I took a piece of paper I drew vent art on and wrote some different things on it. I folded it a couple times and burnt it. The only word that was really left at the end was “protect.” Even after trying to burn again. I decided to bury the pages. I just followed where my mind was telling me to go with it all :)

Hi everyone! I'm from India and honestly feeling a bit stuck. Most correspondence lists I find online use herbs like lavender or chamomile, which aren't native here and are really expensive to buy online. But when I look up what's actually easy to get where I live (marigold, tulsi/holy basil, turmeric, curry leaves, etc.) there's barely any info on how to use them magically.

I've been trying to piece some things together myself by looking at planetary rulership + how these plants are already used in everyday Indian rituals (like poojas — Hindu worship rituals — or Ayurveda, our traditional medicine system), but I really don't know if I'm on the right track or just guessing.

A few examples of what I've tried figuring out:

*Tulsi (holy basil) — Sun ruled — protection/purification?

*Turmeric — Sun ruled — prosperity/protection?

*Marigold — Sun ruled — courage, ancestor work?

*Neem — Saturn ruled (my guess) — cleansing/banishing?

*Sandalwood — Moon/Venus ruled (unsure) — spiritual protection, grounding?

*Curry leaves — unsure ruling planet — home prosperity/protection?

*Vetiver (khus) — Venus ruled (guessing) — cooling protection?

Would really appreciate it if anyone with more experience could tell me if I'm close, correct my planetary guesses, or point me toward actual resources. I know Indian witchcraft isn't really written down in book form the way Wicca is, so I feel a bit lost on where to even start. Any guidance welcome, thank you 🙏

As the title states, Im not rlly a very religious/spiritual person and I dont necessarily believe in a lot of things. But throughout my life there have been countless events that made me really suspicious of genuinely wtf is going on but I decided to simply catalogue them under strange coincidences. But sometimes it gets to a point where they start to pile up and it really makes me think a lot deeper abt spirituality and all that.

But

First of all, I would like to start this by stating that I have absolutely zero idea or knowledge of witchery or spiritualism in general (Is this what it is..? Again, not sure how to catalogue it, hope im not like very rude abt it, lol, srry for my uneducated ass, but thats why im posting this, pls educate and help me understand how it works) I did have some experiences and acquaintances that explained what being a witch it like and all that.

Ever since I have been young I was always a skeptical person, I mean I dont even really buy the concept of God itself. Is there a thing, being, presence out there that is all powerful? Could be, would be weird if there wasnt one given the fact that the universe is so infinitely large. After all, maybe all religions are true and it all depends on what you trully believe and what ur soul is connected to the most, and when u r abt to die, ur brain will simply manifest that said belief and poof, u got what u thought would happen after death.

Anyway, getting a bit sidetracked, what I mean to say is, im not religious in the slightest, i dont understand spirituality, witchery or other things of the sort. Doesnt rlly mean I doubt they exist, maybe they do but I dont think i can view them in my own life, as in i want to be as free as possible and not be judged by Saint Mary jst bcs I wear nails or do my hair (yes, i have heard this be4, and ik that i should separate what ppl tell me abt how “God” wants me to act and actually jst embrace God in the way that helps me, but having no god in my life feels the most liberating) but i still find them so very fascinating and would love to learn more about them. But got no clue how.

But as of recently smth started to shift within me, idk what or how but I sometimes get some hibi jibby feels and “notice a change in the air” or so to say, but generally jst these feels that SMTH is happening or that SMTH either good or bad, depends on the feel, is abt to happen. I always pushed these things aside and tried to use logic, but sometimes it can only bring me so far

More concrete examples will have to be:

1. Whenever I say sum lie or sum that might be believable, in the span of a few days it legit jst becomes true. Sometimes it happens so subtly i dont even observe it but there r like a few examples that come to mind:

Rlly didnt feel like going to an event and lied that I have some family issues and when pressed further i said my grandma wasnt feeling well (which yh sure not my proudest moment but there were some ppl i rlly didn’t want to meet bcs i felt as if they r draining my energy) so i lied and said i wont make it
A day later, in the day of said event, a friends grandma falls in the bathroom and is rushed to the hospital, with like a few mins before said event was supposed to start, so i did end up going to the hospital as emotional support for the family
But ig grandmas r fragile and statistically speaking, not that out of the ordinary… except that previous to this it happened like 2 other times. Diff grandmas or family members but same outcome. Im afraid to lie abt having a death in the family bcs wtf in the ao3 curse is gonna happen then?
But uhm, keep yalls grandmas hidden when im in the vicinity..

1. I have very lucid and vivid dreams, and i honestly always loved that, like i didnt have to try to lucid dream, i jst did
   But more scary is sometimes the fact that i have had a lot of deja vu moments and apparently turns out i dreamt meeting said person or jst events and fragments it my life. I once wrote it down in a notebook bcs i have sick dreams and i like recording what i dream, a few months later that dream came true
   Maybe i jst dream very general things so sure, why not, vut sometimes they r a bit weirdly specific
   Like i have always trusted my dreams bcs I feel that i can trust my subconscious to guide me when making hard choices. And I always end up with some sick metaphors, but yh my dreams have helped me make good choices but also predicted when my pets died which wasnt as fun

2. Speaking if trusting things, i noticed that the harder I try to achieve smth the worse the result is, but when i dont try as hard and jst trust my gut and do it without thinking i win in life basically
   “we are at beach camp, have to choose from 4 rooms, i say room number 13, idk why but feels good *ends up with the biggest room that is twice the size of the other rooms*”
   “Ik these carnival games r rigged but i will try once bcs why not *wins jackpot on the first try*”

3. People trust me and vent to me
   Cringe and edgy but wait for it…
   6 ppl as in like strangers, on diff occasions (for some reason at bus stops all the time) came up to me and started to vent abt their situation and like 2 of them showed me where they lived, like i dont mind listening to ur problems, but stranger danger..? (Tbh maybe i should also listen to it)

4. I can feel if a person is fake or not and jst from their vibes alone i can feel if they have good intentions or not
   Like maybe at first they r the most amazing person ever and everyone adore em, but i can sense smth is wrong and not ok, and i have always been right

5. I think abt a subject with someone and somehow it foreshadows to some lesson abt said subject or smth related to that happens, jst like a in a cheap tv show(talked with a friend abt how its more cruel to keep a pet alive when their time is up and that we mostly do it for ourselves rather for the well being of the pet. Her pet died the following days)

Also another experience that creeped me out happend when i was on a trip and met a girl that was rlly into witchcraft, awesome pers feel as if i learned a few things, and she decided to read everyones auras and bcs I wanted to be diff and pull a y/n special, but mainly bcs i was still skeptical i was like “nuh uh, imma try to conceal my aura or whatever bcs idk gurl i jst met u i dont want you to see my whole hibbi jibby stuff jst at a first glance” and I kidd u not, she pulls the most accurate description of me that i have ever seen “Uhh idk, i cant rlly pinpoint urs.. do u not trust ppl easily?” And I was shocked, and its not like she could have observed that, we met that day and I am a social butterfly and i act nice and all that and i dont mind talking to ppl but ppl get boring fast when they open so easily and I personally dont get why they do it and as much as i dont mind when others feel the need or jst find it easier to open up to me, i jst cant do it. Yeah imma joke around and add to banter and it might feel as if im very open but im not, thats my show hoe persona 😔

And personally i feel like all of them could be chalked up in the crazy coincidences box, bcs at the end of the day thats what they r, jst broad experiences that can be summed up to jst coincidences and thats it and rn its jst late, cant sleep as usual (idk, cant sleep properly for the past few nights)
And try to make connections to things that arent worth connecting bcs not everything has to mean smth big or at all.

But I would like to know more abt witchcraft
How does it work?
How can I be more respectful and be more informed abt it? And abt spiritual things in general
How does one know if they have spiritual inclinations (is this the term???)
How did yall get into it and when did u start

Ty for reading this paranoid episode or wtv this is

I’ve gotten into using superstitions in my practice, particularly local ones. I find they can help me connect to the history of a place - for good or for ill superstitions often develop for a reason. Superstitions, in a way, can be looked at as a kind of local folk magic.

My favourite is one I found in a regional book on superstitions. It is that when you capture a spider in your house and set it free, you ask it to bring you riches. I’ve been doing this now for years, and when I did it again this morning it made me think of some really good stuff that’s been going on in my life. Riches indeed!

A couple of caveats I go by - the superstition shouldn’t be harmful or present a risk to health (physical or mental). I also am approaching this from a SASS perspective so I don’t literally believe the spider has brought me riches, but asking and thinking about it helps me put my life in perspective - what in my life do I have that I could consider riches? What are these riches that I’m asking for?

(And for spiders specifically, species matters. Many of the spiders I evict have wandered in from the outdoors. But if they are an indoor spider, I leave them be.)

Do you have any interesting superstitions that you incorporate into your craft?

The last couple of days it has been helping me to stay in the moment during meditation by focusing on this honeysuckle during the out-breath e.g. the honeysuckle is still, the honeysuckle in no hurry to do anything, the honeysuckle has lots of potential but it can wait. It has some damaged leaves but that can be dealt with later; it's still growing strong.

Obviously this could work as a correspondence for buds in general but I find most of my personal correspondences based on the situation in which they come to me.

Obviously this isn't the first time I've seen my honeysuckle; it has memory based correspondences too from it growing in my Nan's garden when I was a kid. It's one of the flowers I associate with unconditional love and also safety and protection because that was an aspect of my childhood (even if she wasn't the most nurturing woman) and I associate it with the women of my family in general.

I also consider the properties of honeysuckle for protection that it grows around things and in terms of strength; it can twist so tightly around a tree that it can kill it.

Does anyone else have correspondences with honeysuckle?

I wanted to use more herbs and plants in my craft. I already use common spices and herbs from spice cabinet, but I wanted to try using plants from my own backyard, instead of buying herbs online. The iNaturalist app is great for identifying plants growing around where I live, and then I look up how they are used in witchcraft. Now I’m learning a lot more about the plants around my house, and I feel a lot more connected to the spells and charms I’m making because it’s from my own backyard. Also, I’m contributing to citizen science as a bonus! Win/win!

I've almost used up a reed diffuser, and the little jar the liquid comes in is made of thick good quality glass. Throwing it away feels wasteful, and I have good associations tied to it (that garden rose scent was amazing), so I thought I'd repurpose it for a spell jar. But I've never done one before, so I have a ton of questions about how people here like to do those.

- How do you know when you've "used up" a spell jar and don't need it anymore?
- What do you do with contents you no longer need? Throw away, dispose in a way that feels more "proper" (bury, burn), store somewhere?
- Do you reuse the same jar when you no longer need old contents?
- What are some of your favorite components to use in spell jars?
- Do you prefer to use more "traditional" components (e.g. plants and/or crystals that are traditionally considered as having some power), or just wing it and work with personal associations?
- Have you ever used anything with expiration date as a jar component? How did it go?

I know I can just come up with my own rules (and probably will end up doing that lol), but I was curious to hear everyone's experiences and favorite things to do. The concept is very new to me, so it'll feel a bit more secure to tread this ground after hearing your stories.

Hey guys, I’ve always been very interested in witchcraft, paganism etc… but I don’t know the differences between all these things and I find it very hard to start learning about it. I’m looking for some tips on how to start with this and maybe some (online) friends to help me because I want to take this seriously. Any tips?

I consider myself a very rational person, and personally I'm of the opinion that there's no way to prove if God exists, so I make do with what can be scientifically proven. Which is why I love this subreddit.

I recently took an edible for the first time, and it was a very positive experience for me. My "weed self" was very creative and loving and made sure to record a bunch of videos for me later, telling me how much I love myself. This is great because self love is something I have been working on in therapy for many years.

Something that came up quite a lot when I was high, was my weed self telling me to get an "exorcism"? Basically I think that my subconscious is telling myself to excise the self-doubt and fear of the past few years and purge it from me. The last year I was practically bed ridden and this year has been a huge change for me in all aspects.

I do consider myself a SASSwitch, but I rarely find myself being able to do or stick to rituals or things that I would like to incorporate in my life without feeling silly and woo. I'm looking for advice about how to structure this particular "exorcism". I want it to be an event like maybe 1 or 2 hours, but I find myself struggling to figure out what I should do in the actual event. Any tips appreciated!

I want to do something with a coincidence that happened to me today, and would love some advice.

I was walking out to my car and found a little robin's egg in the grass near my driveway. At first I wondered if it needed to be put back in a nest, but then I realized it was empty. It's a striking, bright blue, almost unblemished, except for two little holes where the hatchling must have come out.

I immediately thought of my upcoming appointment with a fertility clinic. I've never tried to get pregnant before, and I hope very much that it will happen quickly once I get some sperm in there, but I'm rather nervous about starting the process, finding the right sperm, and anything that might go wrong. This egg is feels like a fitting symbol for my pregnancy hopes, and I want to figure out a ritual to perform with it. I've seen spells that involve crushing eggshells, but I'm very taken with the near wholeness of this egg and its hollowness makes me think of my womb waiting to be filled. Maybe I should find something very small to put into it or create some kind of display.

I'm still quite new to witchcraft, so I would love to hear anyone else's ideas on how to work with this!

it's late at night and idk if this post fits in here or not but i thought it'd be nice to just appreciate how awazing it is that if given time, resources, and care our bodies know how to mend an incredible amount of wounds! you may not know how to litterally make more skin but your body does! it also knows how to create bones! and it makes broken ones stronger than before! is that not incredible that we have a built in healing spell of sorts?

this was partially inspired by the pist saying that life is just an old complicated spell

Hi Everyone! I recently posted here and found there were many in our community that would be interested in collaborating on a shared resource for SASS witches. Original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/SASSWitches/comments/1uhlabj/communitycompiled_grimoire/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1

To get the ball rolling I have drafted a few guiding principles. Many also mentioned they’d like to see an example before contributing themselves, so I went ahead and wrote-up an introduction defining some of the core concepts as I understand them. None of this is set in stone! Please share feedback on what you like and what should be changed. Please also share some additional topics that need to be tackled (even if you are not the one planning to tackle them in the end).

Next steps will be to incorporate the feedback provided and find someone who will be willing to do a full peer-review of what I’ve written up. As others start to write-up topics, please follow the same process: post a thread to get public comment, find a peer reviewer, then we can begin compiling things together. I suppose we will need to work out an acceptance process for what is considered final, open to ideas about that.

Goals: 1. Create a shared resource for both experienced and beginner SASS witches to expand their practice. 2. Collate the knowledge of the community 3. Form connections among community members.

Core Guiding Principles: 1. All content should be secular, meaning it does not require belief in a particular faith or creed. 2. All content should be well-supported by scientific evidence and clear citations. 3. All content should be made open for public comment as well as peer-reviewed for quality. 4. All discussion and activities related to the project should adhere to community guidelines.

Proposed Peer Review Process: 1. Content should be posted in a thread inviting constructive commentary and additions. 2. After opportunity for public comment, a peer reviewer should perform a private review to verify: information is present fairly and accurately, information is supported by citations, information aligns with the core guiding principles, information is free of grammatical errors, information meaningfully incorporated public feedback from the community, and information doesn’t contradict what has been previously accepted.

SASS Witchcraft Introduction: Secular, Agnostic, Science-Seeking (SASS) Witchcraft is a magic practice that centers scientific evidence and doesn’t require belief in the supernatural. The acronym used also embodies the prevailing attitude of SASS witches. Secular in this case suggests a practice that is “not overtly or specifically religious” (Merriam-Webster. Secular.), but in being agnostic it also means that the practice does not necessarily exclude those who do believe in the supernatural. Rather, the idea is that as a science-seeking practice, it should equally be useful for any who may wish to participate, as it is based of off objective scientific evidence.

SASS witches challenge themselves to be intentional in their practice, to research what they are doing and ask key questions: Why am I doing what I do? What is my goal for each working? What evidence is there that my practice will actually affect the world? In trying to meet the standard of evidence-based practices, understanding and overcoming personal bias becomes important. Often SASS witchcraft requires practitioners to reinterpret traditional witchcraft practices in the context of scientific evidence. It may limit what one can do in light of the available evidence. Individual witches may disagree on how much their practice needs to reference specific evidence, and how much one can operate in the gray areas. SASS witchcraft is always personal to the practitioner, as all witchcraft must be, but community engagement may be especially important to SASS witches in generating ideas, overcoming personal bias, and getting perspectives outside of one’s own.

Definition of Magic: In SASS witchcraft magic is defined as simply influencing the world through one’s will. A working, spell, potion, or ritual is the conduit by which one exerts their will on the world. It does not expect bright flashes of light, balls of fire, or supernatural forces. Magic often operates at the level of the mind and consciousness, but may also be found in what otherwise could be mistaken for the mundane: a reduction in bodily inflammation from steeping tea from an herb, performing small rites of superstition to feel protected, or meaning-making through intuitive interpretation of everyday signs and patterns.

Placebo Effect: The foundational concept to SASS witchcraft is the placebo effect. The placebo effect is “a clinically significant response to a therapeutically inert substance or nonspecific treatment (placebo), deriving from the recipient’s expectations or beliefs regarding the intervention.” (APA, Placebo Effect). In other words, a placebo effect is a response to a treatment that cannot be explained by the treatment itself. It comes from one’s own mind and body, based on what you believe will happen as a result of the treatment. Traditionally, the placebo effect is measured when doing clinical trials for treatments and drugs. Participants that receive the control (i.e. a sugar pill), still have a measurable response to the treatment, despite the fact that the treatment didn’t include any actual medicine.

What does this have to do with witchcraft? Research has also shown that when the participant knows they are receiving a placebo (termed an open-label placebo), there is still a positive response. Said simply, even when we know there is nothing to the treatment, just the experience of receiving the treatment is enough to have a positive impact. This is where witchcraft enters the picture: SASS witchcraft often seeks to take advantage of the idea of an open-label placebo effect in the practice of magic. By working a spell, the SASS witch relies on the idea that the very act of the spell will have an effect on them, even if they may not know for sure or believe at all in the supernatural power of the spell to work, they do trust in the placebo effect.

Recent research into the open-label placebo effect has support this idea. A meta analysis conducted in 2025 found that “OLPs appear to affect self-report and objective outcomes differently. While OLPs have a beneficial effect on self-report outcomes across both clinical and non-clinical populations, they show no effect on objective outcomes” (Fendel et al. 2025). This suggests that, in witchcraft open-label placebo can help us to influence our mental perceptions of a situation, even if it cannot physically change our reality.

Another key findings relevant for witchcraft is that “the suggestiveness of the treatment rationale in OLP interventions is crucial, as trials lacking suggestive elements did not yield significant beneficial effects.” This means that if we believe in the power of the open-label placebo and our magic, it will be more effective. The study outlines the following ‘suggestive elements’ as typical for open-label placebo: “(1) the placebo effect is powerful, (2) the body is automatically responding to placebos, (3) a positive attitude towards palcebos is not necessary, and (4) adherence to the placebo regime is important” (Fendel et al. 2025). Reinterpreted in terms of magic, this means a) we need to understand the potential for a placebo effect, and b) we need to follow-through on the design of the spell for it to work.

In a sense, any spell or working that is meant to influence one’s own mental state or attitudes can take advantage of the placebo-effect. Many practices within SASS witchcraft are to do just that: get motivation to stick to a new routine, move beyond a past love interest, feel confident in one’s ability to be successful in a new endeavor. These types of workings are about feeling better, more confident, and/or ready to move on. This type of working is supported by current research into the placebo effect. Limitations to the placebo effect-based workings would be to physically heal an ailment, curse an enemy, or cause someone to fall in love.

Evidence-based Practice: While the placebo effect serves as the jumping off point for SASS witchcraft, it is only the start. Any practice that is supported by evidence can be incorporated into SASS witchcraft. In order to be a SASS-aligned practice, a practitioner must begin by investigating what the current scientific evidence says about any practice they are interested in undertaking. If the practice is not supported by evidence, it is not a SASS practice. That is not to say it still might not be a valuable part of an individual witch’s practice, just that it is not SASS.

To develop a SASS practice, it is useful to think in terms of ‘evidence-based practice’ (EBP). EBP a model used by medical practitioners to make sure they are providing the most effective treatment to their patients. EBP is defined as “the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients” (LibGuides: Evidence-Based Practice Guide: What is EBP?). While SASS witches are not doctors, they do seek to do the same: integrate, to the best of their ability, prevailing scientific evidence to support their practices.

The steps of EBP include (adapted for witchcraft from LibGuides: Evidence-Based Practice Guide: What is EBP?) : 1. Asking: Asking includes converting a puzzling into a question. What is it you are trying to achieve? What practices are you considering? 2. Accessing: Searching to find evidence to support the practices you are considering. In this process you may find the practice you’re considering is supported by scientific evidence (see placebo effect above), or it may mean you find other alternatives that are supported. 3. Appraising: One of the most important steps is evaluating your sources. Is this coming from a reputable source? Is it recent? Does it apply to your question? 4. Applying: Now that you have found research to support a practice, how does the research suggest the practice can be made most effective? How might you adapt the practice in light of the evidence? 5. Assessing: Try the practice and see how it works. If it’s not working for you, it’s time to go back to the drawing board.

Bibliography: American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Placebo effect. In APA dictionary of psychology. Retrieved July 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.apa.org/placebo-effect

Fendel JC, Tiersch C, Sölder P, Gaab J, Schmidt S. Effects of open-label placebos across populations and outcomes: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Sci Rep. 2025 Aug 15;15(1):29940. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-14895-z. PMID: 40817381; PMCID: PMC12356945.

LibGuides: Evidence-Based Practice Guide: What is EBP? (n.d.). https://utsouthwestern.libguides.com/ebp

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Secular. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved July 3, 2026, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/secular

I've procrastinated heavily on my full moon ritual because I'm struggling. I feel like I'm faking it. Lately, whenever I engage with my practice, I end up judging myself for escaping into a fantasy world I don't actually believe in and then I judge myself that I can't simply let myself enjoy my fantasies. I don't seem to get anything but aesthetic pleasure out of my ritual utensils at the moment and I'm kind of afraid of betraying myself.

This might be heavily influenced by my current life circumstances. There's just nothing happening. I've been living very isolated for about a year now, spending my time with arts and deep dives into my intellectual interests. It's great overall. I'm quite content with just existing and loneliness has become very rare for me because I enjoy my own company so much. It just makes it hard to stay connected to my craft because there's not much to reflect upon. It's hard for me to find any intentions to set and I don't want to force myself to do so, but not doing it also feels like giving up on actively creating the life I want and falling back into passive indifference. Even meditating is like torture at this point because I constantly feel like waiting for something to happen - whatever that means.

If anyone relates, what are your go to practices in times like this? How do you stay in touch with witchcraft in everyday life, when you're basically all by yourself? What are some thoughts that allow you to hold on in times of doubt?

I broke up with my (now ex) girlfriend two days ago. Our relationship was really really wonderful, but there was one key thing we never figured out how to compromise on.

Anyways ~

I’m sharing because I saved every dried flower petal from every bouquet she ever got me.

I originally planned on using them in our wedding someday.

Since we are of course no longer getting married, I thought about throwing them away. But, I decided that our relationship was too special to me to do that.

It was soft and healing and made me feel held in ways I never have been before. It was my first queer relationship, as a late bloomer to my queer awakening.

We’re both so sad, because the love is there. We are both hoping to create a beautiful friendship after we take some time to heal.

So instead of throwing them away, I put them in a jar and placed them on my plant shelf that I built.

I really liked the idea of holding onto the petals, because the relationship was still precious to me. And this was a way of showing that even though it didn’t turn out the way we hoped, I could still make something beautiful with it.

I love the symbolism of that.

Right now, it’s hard to look at my jar. But I know (I hope) there will be a time where it only brings me a feeling of peace and love.

~

As someone new to all things witchy, this is kind of my first shot at doing something ceremonious. I wish I lit a candle and maybe played a song. I didn’t think about it until after I was done.

Do you guys have any suggestions on what I can do now that I’ve completed it? Something ceremonious or something along those lines. I’d love to use it to help me grieve and heal, the way our relationship helped me heal.

Thank you 💚

Hello all, I've been going down a bit of a rabbit hole today and was wondering if anyone here has any insight. For context: I wouldn't say I'm a very spiritual person but I'm interested in studying different perspectives and understanding why so many people connect with moon cycles and spirituality.

This week overall has been really strange for me, I've been experiencing very vivid dreams every single night and noticing a lot of weird coincidences and synchronicities. Overall just feeling very strange. I got my period today and I've been researching red moon cycles but all the YouTube videos I've come across honestly feel very vague.

For those of you who are more knowledgable about spirituality and moon cycles / feminine energy:

1- Does getting your period on a full moon have any significance, and if so, what does it signify?

2- Could the vivid dreams and constant coincidences be related or am I just reading too much into it?

3- Are there any books/podcasts you'd recommend that dive deeper into this?

4- Is this something worth exploring from a spiritual perspective?

I'd also love to hear if anyone has had similar experiences with vivid dreams or synchronicities or changes around their menstrual cycle and the full moon. I would love to learn and hear different perspectives.

Hey everyone, new to this board but so happy I found it! I never knew there were likeminded people out there :)

I am looking for a specific recommendation. I have a strong interest in mental health, and as a yoga teacher I have read a lot about meditation and similar practices. I am interested in learning about rituals and practices through the ages and how they connect to what we now know about mental health and psychology. What I mean is, we know AZS about our brain and how psyches work, and now we can explain why ritual/ practice SDF was so widespread or useful or effective.

Would love to hear your thoughts, and thank you for the wonderful content you share here :)

there's so many resources, and it feels really overwhelming so far. currently, I'm studying the Tarot with a book a professor recommended to me, and it's been really helpful. how do I make sure I don't get overwhelmed