Seven Ways to Tap into Your Witchy Side

It’s Jezebel’s favorite time of year! The air is crisp, pumpkins are out in full force, there’s something eerily magical about the fog and rain…fall is most definitely here, lovelies! We love spooky season for many reasons, but one of the biggest is that we think there’s something powerful about the way we see women showing up for themselves as the days get darker. 

We’re agents of transformation, so we witness a lot of growth in our studio (and long after Belles have left). And something about the fall season brings out a woman’s unique magic. 

Maybe it’s because it’s the one time of year many people feel OK talking about witches. Perhaps it’s because many of us naturally draw inward and give ourselves time and space to explore our shadows as the days darken. Whatever the reason, Jezebel VonZephyr fully supports women finding their magic and honoring their own unique witchy ways. Hell–we even have a witchy set up in our studio this month! We’re all booked up this month (though we do have sessions open next month!), so even though you can’t come in to play on that set,  there are many ways you can find, grow and honor your inner witch. 

Here are seven ways to honor your witchy side and appreciate your own unique kind of magic. 

Create your own ritual.

We know what you might be thinking. A ritual? Isn’t that something complicated? It doesn’t have to be! A ritual is a habit, ceremony or action that is done consistently at specific times. Rituals can be as big as a wedding ceremony or as simple as lighting a candle. Humans are experts at rituals–we just don’t always realize it. 

So when we recommend that you create a ritual of your own, what we mean is that you come up with some habit or action that you can do at a specific time, whether it’s daily, weekly, or monthly. 

The goal of creating a ritual is to do it just for you. If you’ve been thinking about implementing a bedtime routine, turn it into a ritual where you dim the lights, fluff your pillows and read for fifteen minutes. Or it could be some specific action you do in the morning like making tea or watching the sunrise. Whatever your ritual is, make sure it’s meaningful to you. A ritual should feed your soul and fulfill you in some way. 

Savor a seasonal drink.

Confession time: many on the JVZ team love Starbucks. We run on their lattes and chai, especially if it’s a long team-shoot day! So we love when it’s Pumpkin Spice Latte season. But we also recognize that the PSL is not loved by all. When we say “ seasonal drink”, we mean that in the most loose, interpretive way possible! We just love that fall means seasonal drinks of all kinds. Fall beverages feel special because they’re only around for a limited time. So it’s a bit of a special occasion when they come out. Why not celebrate that? 

So grab a PSL if that’s your preference. Or perhaps you savor apple cider. Or maybe even a hard cider or hearty fall ale. Whatever your preference, make sure you take the time to raise a glass to yourself this season. Plan it out, make it a me-date and enjoy your autumnal beverage of choice. Because you deserve to save the special little things and celebrate the small joys of life. 

Dance.

Dance often. By yourself. With your friends. Or your pet. Or your partner. Or under the moon. Just dance. Even if it feels weird at first. Because there’s magic in moving your body. There’s something primal and fulfilling about being in the moment and allowing music to move you. So if your favorite song comes on or you hear a beat that you just can’t keep still to, then move your body. Return to yourself, even if it’s just for a moment. There’s magic in your movement and it’s a beautiful thing.

Tune into the moon.

The moon is powerful. And while it feels a little cliche to mention the moon in this article, we feel like we’d be remiss if we didn’t because the moon’s cycles are so magical and powerful. You don’t have to do much to begin feeling connected to the moon. It could be as easy as going outside each night and finding it in the night sky. You could create a ritual around the full or new moon. (Some of the Jezebel team likes to put out a container of water on the night of the full moon and make moon water to help with manifesting!) You could learn what each of the cycles means and how you could use it to your benefit. Or you could just dance under the moon if the mood moves you. It’s a powerful planet and if you feel drawn to it seek out ways that help you connect personally to it. 

Read a book.

Spooky season is the perfect time to fall into a new book! Many Jezebel team members and Belles are book lovers, so we love discovering magical new reads. Reading feels like magic to us: time stops, we get immersed in another world and nothing else matters in that moment. Books of every genre can make us feel empowered and inspired, but this season is perfect for books about witches. A few magical favorites include the Practical Magic series by Alice Hoffman, The Once & Future Witches by Alix E Harrow, The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin, The Night Circus Erin Morgenstern, and the Scholomance series by Naomi Novak. 

Journal. 

To know yourself is to own your power. One way of cultivating a deeper relationship with you is to journal. While we know that this practice may not be for everyone, journaling is one of the best ways to process things you’re thinking about, work on healing (if there are things within you that need healing) and just get out of your head. The wonderful thing about journaling is that there are many ways to do it! You could set aside twenty minutes at the end of the day to reflect on how it went. You could invest in some pretty pens and a bullet journal and create lists, to-dos, and track your mood. Or grab some paints and magazines and go to town making an art journal. Expressing yourself is a sacred form of magic and one that helps you to deepen your relationship with the most important person in your life: you. 

Prioritize your needs. 

Self-care is critical. Self-care is magic. Self-care is the best way for you to honor yourself, your needs and your magic. Every single one of the above suggestions could be considered self-care in some way, shape or form. Because at its core, cultivating your own unique magic means focusing on you. You cannot recognize or step into your power until you prioritize yourself. So make sure you are drinking enough water, eating regularly, sleeping enough and doing the hard shit that makes up adult self-care like going to the doctor or seeing the dentist. Then focus on the more fun and magical aspects of being the Head Witch in Charge of your life. Because you deserve nothing less than magic, you ethereal being!