Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Pagan
Druid in the City: Simple Magic for Challenging Times

Druid in the City: Simple Magic for Challenging Times

Last updated on: September 23, 2019 at 3:21 pm by Victoria S.

Druid in the City: Simple Magic for Challenging Times 2019-09-23T15:21:36+00:00 Victoria S.

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Many of us live in challenging times and circumstances. We’re witches, druids, and magicians and we can do spellwork, but the popular depictions of magic and spells often involve a lot of props and materials. But what if you are struggling paycheck to paycheck? Or day to day? What if you are in a situation where you are concerned about basic survival? What if you don’t have the time or money to do those suggested spells? What if you are in a dangerous situation and can’t get out of it? How do you feel when you hear gurus who say that you can magic yourselves out of your tough circumstances?

What if you are struggling paycheck to paycheck? Or day to day? Photo by Bruno Glatsch via Pixabay.

Magic has limits. As much as I sometimes wish that magic worked as it did in the movies and in stories, it doesn’t. We can do magic to change ourselves and the way we view the world. Magic may also allow us to affect other people – but it’s mostly through their attitudes and perspectives. So, what do you do when you really wish you could just magic up some cash to pay the rent, or to become invisible, or to make someone go away?

Simple magic is sometimes the best magic, and if you’re in a challenging situation, it’s sometimes the only type of magic that you can do. Here are some ideas of magical workings that you can do with minimal or no cost, and are pretty easy to keep under the radar of anyone you are concerned about. In all of these cases, try to identify any mundane activities that you can do to support the magic. If you’re in a position where your life is in danger, please seek help! I’ve included some resources at the end of this article.

Make Offerings

You can make offerings of your food or drink. Water makes a great offering – especially if it’s water that you are sharing with the gods and spirits. Take a moment while standing at a bus stop, walking on the street, standing in your yard, or hanging out on a patio and pour out a bit of your drink – it doesn’t have to be a lot. As you pour it out, say a prayer (out loud or silently) and ask for assistance from whatever spirits you work with.

Put Your Issues on Ice

If you have something that’s bothering you, or someone bothering you, and you can’t do anything directly about it, try putting your problem on ice. Write the specific thing that you’d like to stop or slow down on a slip of paper and put it in a cup or plastic bag. Focus on the paper and imagine all of your emotions around that issue going into the paper. Add enough water to cover the paper and stick it in the freezer. Once the problem is past, you can defrost and burn the paper.

Try putting your problem on ice. Photo by Myriam Zilles via Pixabay.

Bind and Bury It

Similar to putting your issue on ice, you can bind and bury it. Write a phrase or sentence that describes what you’re trying to push away or stop on a piece of paper. Focus on the paper and imagine all of your emotions around that issue going into the paper. Fold the paper up and wrap it with some kind of string or twine. If you have the option to use red string, do that. It’s preferred that you use yarn or string from natural materials since you will bury the item, but use what you have. Once you have wrapped the folded paper, tie a knot three times, and bury it. If you don’t have a yard, burying it in a large pot is also okay. If neither of those is an option, stick it somewhere that it won’t be found – the back of a closet or at the back of the junk drawer can be good locations. Leave the paper there and let it rot.

Do Some Candle Magic

This will cost a little bit. For this spell, a tea light candle or a birthday cake candle will work just fine! There’s no need to go out and buy a big candle for this. You should use an unused candle. There are many different ways to do candle magic, and this is one way. Think of the thing that you’d like to do – either something to push away from you or something to pull towards yourself. Let yourself feel all the emotions around what you’re trying to do. Hold the candle in both your hands and bring the candle close to your mouth. Focusing on what you’re trying to do and the emotions around it, breathe those emotions into the candle. I recommend doing three breaths to push the energy and emotions into the candle. Put the candle into a firm holder and let it burn. You can stick a birthday candle into a bowl of salt, sand, or dirt to keep it stable. Let the candle burn down, then dispose of the remains as respectfully as you can.

A tea light candle or a birthday cake candle will work just fine! Photo by Myriam Zilles via Pixabay.

Make a Sigil

There are several different ways to make sigils. The TravelingWitch talks about one method where you write a phrase, remove the vowels and repeated letters, then use those shapes to create a combined symbol. You can use this sigil in a lot of different ways. Some people say that you have to destroy them, but I prefer to put them somewhere where it will keep subtly reminding me about what I’m trying to do. You could write the sigil on a piece of paper and stash it in your wallet (if it’s for money) or stick it in your pocket or purse. You can also draw it on your body with a ballpoint pen, so you see it occasionally (or maybe only when you’re changing). If you can put it up somewhere, draw it on a sticky note or on a piece of paper and stick it on the edge of your bathroom mirror. When the magic is done, burn any paper sigils or wash them off if you have written them on yourself.

I hope that you find these simple but powerful spells to be useful to help your situations.

If you are in a situation that is life-threatening – either from external or internal sources – please seek help! You are unique, you are special, and you deserve to be loved.

Here Are Some Resources to Find Help:

http://www.211.org and http://211.ca can help with jobs, housing, mental health, human trafficking, and more through governmental programs.

If you’re considering suicide, please reach out to one of these agencies or google for suicide help: Beyond Blue (Australians); Suicide Prevention Hotline (Native Americans); International Association for Suicide Prevention

If you are experiencing domestic violence, please reach out to The National Domestic Violence Hotline or google domestic violence assistance in your area (use a library computer if you are concerned).

About Victoria S

Victoria is a practical Druid who struggles with balancing an urban life and a spiritual life. She is a member of two of the largest Druidry organizations - Ár nDraíocht Féin (ADF) and the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids (OBOD). Victoria's Druidry is about helping out in little ways, bringing a little hope and compassion where she can, doing what she can to support those who she can. Druidry, to her, is about engaging with the world around you and beyond, in a way that makes sense to your circumstances. You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

September 21, 2019

The Corner Crone: Where Energy Goes, Magic Flows

Next Post

September 23, 2019 Magick IRL: Who Needs A Window When You’ve Got Rexipyle?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Lakeside Hearth Adventures in Wortcunning Alone In Her Presence Arts, Crafts & Cooking Birthing Hereditary Witchcraft Book of Blackbirds Book Reviews Born-Again Witch Cauldron, Sword, Spear, & Stone Cermony and Liturgy Columns Community Dandelion Seeds Dear Jasmine Druid Thoughts Editor's Picks Everyday Pagan Family & Household Practice Family Traditions Full Frontal Magic Gateway Goddess Guest Articles Happily Heathen Health and Wellness Hearth of Hellenism Heathen Woman Hills of the Horizon History Holidays Horse Goddesses Interfaith Interviews Irish-American Witchcraft Jewish Witch Lamp & Labyrinth Letters from Midgard Literature, Media, Film, Music Loop of Brighid Love, Sex & Relationships Magic or Magick Making Light Naturalistic Traditions Nature News Outside The Circle Pantheisticon Politics Prayers, Poems, Blessings & Stories Queer Femme Mystic Queer of Swords Recipes Ritual and Practice Science and Research Seekers and Guides Seeking the Grail Socially Responsible Magic Spear of Athena Star Made Witch Syncretic Electric Technology The Blooming Staff The Busy Witch The Cartomancer The Crow's Nest The Dance of Pagan Recovery The Hearth of Hellenism The Lady's Quill The Other Side of the Hedge The Path of She The Rantin' Raven The Witches Next Door The Zen Pagan Theology, Ethics, Philosophy Tree City Witch Urban Earthwitch Wayfaring Woman Witch on Fire Wyrd Words

Select a Month January 2026 March 2025 December 2024 June 2024 April 2024 March 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 August 2023 July 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was stoned to death for preaching about Jesus?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Paul James Peter Stephen