Basic Witches: How to Summon Success, Banish Drama, and Raise Hell with Your Coven

by Jaya Saxena

The modern witchy zeitgeist doesn’t only glance backward into childhood; it looks forward to the future of powerful, defiant women.

You might be into spiritualism and the occult. Maybe you don’t believe tarot cards truly predict the future, but you still give yourself readings when you feel lost because the symbolism helps you tap into your hopes and fears. Maybe you’ve gotten together with friends to put a hex on your ex, not because you believed anything would happen but because it was fun and made you feel better. Maybe you’ve bought spells out of the backs of magazines just to see if they work, or maybe you dressed like the girls from The Craft because, hey, it’s a good look.

For you, a witch is any woman who understands she has power even when the world insists she doesn’t.

witchcraft means the kind of mundane pursuits that might once have resulted in accusation: enjoying sex, controlling reproductive health, hanging out with other women, not caring what men think, disagreeing, and just knowing stuff.

witchcraft is just a fancy word for keeping your house in order and caring for your own.

Reds grant strength and power; blues are all about tranquility and peace. Yellow connotes joy, green deals with luck (especially in finances), and purple signifies healing. (The signs of the zodiac are sometimes associated with specific hues, too.) Pair colors with facial features to further strengthen this magic. Want to channel female energy to your soul? Cover your eyelids in silver powder. Want to encourage kind words to come out of your mouth? Paint your lips orange. Want everything you touch to bring you financial success? Get yourself a green manicure.

If these are the people you show up for, they are also the people who will show up for you, at your best and at your worst, however you grow and change. No matter what happens, they will be there for you, ready to strip and dance naked in the woods.