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Give It to the Squid: The Realness of Witchcraft

Give It to the Squid: The Realness of Witchcraft

Last updated on: September 22, 2026 at 7:08 pm by Thumper Forge

Give It to the Squid: The Realness of Witchcraft 2026-09-22T19:08:53+06:00 Thumper Forge

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The guidelines for running Sabbat celebrations at Pixie’s Intent are twofold:

Keep it simple.
Keep it educational.

With those guard rails in mind, I came up with what I thought would be a fun and effective Autumn Equinox ritual. This past Saturday, once twenty or so Pagans were gathered in a circle in the courtyard behind the shop, I introduced myself and welcomed everyone to Harvest Home.

Sabbats being a bright light in the darkness of the current political climate. (Image via Pexels.)

We started with a mild breathing exercise and a brief meditation for grounding and centering, and then we called the quarters and invoked the Goddess of the Moon and the Horned One. And after that framework was in place, I gave a quick talk on the meaning of the Equinox, describing it as the end of the harvest season. It’s a time for wrapping things up and tying off loose ends, and a good time for sacrifice.

But sacrifice, I explained, does not have to be a bad thing: We can sacrifice things that no longer serve us, or that are holding us back. Holding up a spool of twine and a pair of scissors, I told the attendees that we would be symbolically cutting those things out of our lives, and I asked them to each think of something from which they wanted to be free.

“This is a celebration, though,” I continued, setting down the twine and scissors and picking up a china cereal bowl, the interior of which was decorated with a teal squid lazing amongst some red coral. “Which means it is totally okay to add some levity to the sacrifice. So, when you cut that thing away from yourself, you’re going to give it to the squid. The squid will tangle it up in its tentacles and drag it away to the depths. At which point it will be the squid’s problem, not ours.”

I went first, just to demonstrate, snipping off a piece of twine and dropping it in the bowl: “I cut it off. I let it go. I give it to the squid. So mote it be.” Smokey, my boyfriend, went next (it was his first Pagan ritual, and we were both very excited about that), and then one by one, each participant approached the makeshift altar to cut a piece of twine for themselves: “I cut it off,” they each intoned. “I let it go. I give it to the squid. So mote it be.”

I am thrilled to report that the process went well. Every time someone made their cut, everyone else cheered; some people tied knots in their twine to bind the thing they were cutting off, while other muttered curses under their breath as they dropped the twine in the bowl, but everyone left feeling a little lighter and a little more carefree, which was absolutely the point.

Plus the squid appreciated the donations. (Image via Pexels.)

Or at least almost everyone. On the drive home, Smokey mentioned that the guy standing to his left wasn’t actually a customer of Pixie’s — he’d been shopping at a different store in the strip center where Pixie’s is located and wandered into the courtyard to see what was going on, and just, like, went along with it.

Apparently, when we were about halfway through the rite, he quietly leaned over to Smokey and whispered, “Is this real?”

“Well, we’re doing it,” Smokey replied. “And that’s real.”

And that, I think, was the best possible answer.

Sometimes, when I’m not actively in the thick of the witchcraft, I find myself slipping into a default setting of atheist/agnostic. I get cynical and rationalize and come to the conclusion that none of this [gestures vaguely] is true or believable.

But when I pray, the Gods answer; when I cast spells, I see the results. Reality is in the simple and educational action, regardless of the belief.

I practice witchcraft, so witchcraft exists.

And any occasional doubts about that can be handed right over to the squid.

Like what you’ve read? *You ca**n buy me a coffee about it.*

Oh, more discord, you say? But of course! Follow Thumper Forge *on Bluesky**, Facebook,* *Instagram**,* Lemon8, *Mastadon**,* Threads, and *TikTok**.*

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The exit is right through the gift shop.

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About Thumper

Thumper (Horkos) Marjorie Splitfoot Forge is a Gardnerian High Priest, an initiate of the Minoan Brotherhood, an Episkopos of the Dorothy Clutterbuck Memorial Cabal of Laverna Discordia, a recovering alcoholic, and a notary public from Houston, TX. Their latest book, THE CHAOS APPLE: MAGIC AND DISCORDIANISM FOR THE POSTMODERN WITCH, was published in November 2025 and is currently available at open-minded bookstores everywhere. You can read more about the author here.

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