Weave the Liminal: Living Modern Traditional Witchcraft

by Laura Tempest Zakroff

I encourage you to look at deity like family: there’s the grandmother you love and adore, the sibling you avoid at all costs, and the aunt you keep in touch with a couple times a year. You get involved with them to the degree you feel comfortable, and sometimes you want the company. Note: Sometimes the company comes unannounced, whether you want them or not.

“There are the gods of places and the gods of spaces. There are the gods we carry with us and the gods that come with us.”

“The gods of places are the gods that have always been there. They are the elements and elementals, the chthonic, that which has always been. The gods of spaces arrive at a place and create a niche, a space of their own among the gods of places. They are nature that lives, breathes, dies, and is reborn again and again—the trees, the groves, the streams, the ponds.”

“The gods we carry with us are the gods we know—the ones whose names we call upon, whose images we see and acknowledge.”

“The gods that come with us are the ones that know us but are unknown, unknowable, forgotten. They are the ones whose names we do not know, whose faces and images we do not see. They watch and they wait. They are the ones who call to us.”

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.

It’s just happening on a different plane of being now. These conversations are not a constant chatter, nor are the participants consistent, so again, I don’t feel like this is the same as a singular, separate spirit guide.

So there are some of the ways I view and work with the dead as part of my practice as a Witch. I don’t see the dead as something creepy, spooky, or weird—to me it’s just part of life. Lastly, I don’t think that working with the dead is necessarily a requisite for being a Witch, or will be something that everyone will experience, but I don’t think it’s that uncommon either.

Your path and your needs are your own.

Human beings are amazing creatures, but we often get in our own way when we overfocus. We can miss opportunities because we’re more worried about following along.

As Witches, it’s hard to feel like we fit in—we tend to see the world through a different lens. But we shouldn’t let that perception make us feel isolated.

We’re all spirits lodged inside physical bodies, trying to make sense of the world.

On that note, I would also like to say that if you have the choice of getting something from a local shop or ordering it online for a couple bucks less from a big website marketplace, please go buy that thing from your local store. That difference in change means you’re supporting your local community in a multitude of ways.

If your only feasible option is to buy online, then try to buy directly from the artist, publisher, author, manufacturer, etc. If you’re short on money but want to help support a local business or your favorite artist, author, or band, then spread the word online and leave reviews for their products.

They’re also good for keeping your broom from being chewed on by the drama llama!

The Same Plant Can Heal or Harm, Depending on How You Interact with It

hexing to bring justice, binding to contain a situation,

you purposefully pour poison into the well you drink from, eventually you will feel the effects.

It also allows you to beat the sinister demon of the internet: autocorrect.

Don’t like the way something is run? Volunteer, offer assistance, or bring into existence your own vision if you dare. Community is created by those who show up. If you’re willing to raise your voice and want to see change happen, you should also be prepared to follow through by actively participating and being present to the best of your ability.

So like the jellyfish, it’s not a bad thing to float on the currents—it can bring you to interesting places. Nor is it a bad thing to protect yourself with the resources that you have available.

“I’m an effective Witch.”

Which was greater, my guilt and angst over breaking a vow or losing my life over an extremely unhealthy relationship?

You can’t live in self-doubt and practice Witchcraft confidently. You need to be able to trust in yourself. Cut yourself some slack and try to let go of this fear. There’s always room to grow.

“Don’t conjure up anything you can’t get rid of.”

But effective change is often far more subtle, happening on a one-on-one basis, sharing ideas with friends, families, and neighbors.