Weave the Liminal: Living Modern Traditional Witchcraft

by Laura Tempest Zakroff

It is not an eclectic path, but rather a curated one, requiring you to consider and choose the elements carefully that define and make up your personal practice.

My Witchcraft curates a collection of parts, bits, pieces, and ephemera. Yet its practice requires nothing of the physical to do its work.

To find the space in between, we need to see where we have been and feel where we are going.

If our predecessors had the tools we have access to today, would they exchange the flint for the lighter? I think so.

To know yourself means to be aware of your strengths and weaknesses, mentally, spiritually, and physically. When we are conscious of these things, we can make better choices about what we need to do, how to do it, and who to do it with. Be mindful of your own limitations as well as those of others.

Part of being a Witch is being able to acknowledge, accept, and work with both the known and the unknown consequences of our actions and words.

Roots is about exploring the origins and makeup of you. Inspiration delves into what inspires and influences you. Time asks you to think about your schedule and overall calendar of the year. Environment is an examination of location, particularly where you live. Star helps you craft a system to guide your path.

Research Suggestion: Make a list of inspirations and practices that appeal to you. Start with your childhood and work your way to the present day. Are there connecting threads? Can you pinpoint how you got interested in these things? Mark the ones that particularly stand out to you, prioritize them by how much they pull your attention, brainstorm what you know about them already, and start to investigate how to learn more.

Time is much more fluid than we think, and so is the practice of Witchcraft.

Research Suggestion: Evaluate your local landscape, identifying natural and humanmade landmarks. What are the major geological features that surround you (north, east, west, south, and center)? Familiarize yourself with the local flora and fauna as well as the changing of the weather and its effects.

Being a Witch means being realistic about who you are, who you’ve been up until this point, and where you want to go. You need to acknowledge both your talents and your failures and always be willing to learn more.

See Witchcraft as part of everything you do, versus something that’s a side compartment, a hobby, or an attempt to avoid reality.

Act with integrity and grace, and you will always act with true power.

Technically you don’t have to buy or collect a single thing to work magick, perform a ritual, or speak with gods and spirits. That said, we sure do like things. Witches especially seem to have an affinity for shiny things and collecting stuff,

For some people, all it takes is a hot cup of tea or coffee to get them ready, while for others it’s that shower first thing in the morning or a bath after work. Some people get in the mood by listening to heavy metal, while others invigorate their bodies with some form of dance. These creature comforts help to connect us with our bodies. Trust that you know what works best for you—or if you don’t know, follow your inspiration and explore methods that pique your interest.

Consider which “unconventional” tools and aids you use that help you get things done. Maybe you have a favorite pen for writing or drawing, a go-to kitchen knife or a mortar and pestle for tackling herbs, or the beat-up drum you can take anywhere with you and get a great sound out of it. Maybe there’s a necklace or bracelet that you put on before leaving the house or starting a working. Think about what guides and informs you, making you feel confident and connected. Is that something part of your daily ritual, or does it hold special meaning for you? Asking yourself these questions will help you figure out what tools you need—or most likely already have.

we must allow ourselves to be fluid enough to move with the myth, to see and accept (or reject) new versions of it. We should question what we think and what we believe—and why we think and believe that way.

Some modern magical practices rely on a scarcity model focused on an exclusive club mentality. They imply that there are hidden, almost lost things that you can discover only through very specific gates. That is more about preserving power and a sense of hierarchy than about wisdom and safeguarding knowledge.

The whole universe is a free-for-all kitchen and buffet of wisdom. There are all sorts of pies out there, made by all kinds of people. All you need to do is choose wisely, eat your share, and do some work in the kitchen yourself.

1. What is it that I wish to accomplish? 2. What are the possible reactions from my spell? 3. Will I accept responsibility for what happens—that which I can perceive and that which I cannot?

Brushing your teeth, making your morning cup of tea, putting on your favorite necklace, doing your evening meditation practice, cooking your family’s favorite meal, going through your emails in a certain way—these tasks may seem ordinary or mundane, but they are little rituals that help to bring meaning and order to our daily lives.

You don’t have to have some profound relationship with a god and/or goddess to be an effective Witch, but you should work on having a solid relationship with yourself and your immediate world.

My guess is that other people relate to their own self divine in a way where they give it a separate personality from themselves. The human mind is capable of compartmentalizing things in amazing ways to work around itself. But on the other hand, maybe those folks are getting separate aid from other spirits. All I know is that when I consider who is at the helm of my ship, that person is definitely me. There is no one in between.

When we give in to fear, we curse ourselves and confuse our paths. When we embrace love, we bless ourselves and the world we live in.

Don’t forget that you have power. Remember that these are indeed the times we were made for.