Tenae Stewart - The Modern Witchs Guide to Magickal Self-Care

Copyright 2020 by Tenae Stewart

Photography 2020 by Chloe Marissa Wood

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Daniel Brount

Cover photo by Chloe Marissa Wood

Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-5431-7

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-5432-4

Printed in China

For my family, who always loves and supports mefamily by blood, choice, and stars.

How do you define self-care?

Is it the day-to-day mundanities of meeting your physical needs? Is it the act of pampering yourself? Or is it a kind of deeper, spiritual fulfillment?

Self-care can look like each of these ideas, but truly caring for yourself requires a sacred combination of all three. The mundane, the luxurious, and the spiritual all have a place in your self-care practice, just as it is essential to honor the needs of the body, mind, and spirit equally.

If you have picked up this book, however, you might be wondering what witchcraft has to do with all of this. How do magic spells, pointy hats, and crooked wooden wands fit into a self-care practice? The short answer is that they dont, necessarily. Real modern witches might cast spells and occasionally wear pointy hats for the fun of it, but most of us practice a kind of witchcraft that is part self-development, part intuitive manifestation, and part nature-based paganism.

Certainly, there is an esoteric and metaphysical aspect to modern witchcraft which might look a bit different depending on the witch. Some read tarot cards, others follow the cycles of astrology and the moon phases, while still others worship ancient goddess archetypes or cast spells with candles and herbs. We will explore many of these different tools and techniques in this very book!

But witchcraft is about more than just the elements of magick, (the spiritual spelling with a k to differentiate from illusion and tricks), and the divine masculine and feminine around us. Modern witchcraft is also about tapping into your own intuition, learning to trust your instincts, and doing the shadow work on yourself so that you can grow, expand, and manifest the life that you want. Self-care is such an important part of that process of expansion, of stepping into your truest and most authentic potential. Even if you have all the right tools, youre doing all the journaling and shadow work, and youre making decisions based on your intuition, you can still fall victim to the pitfalls of a lack of self-care in your life. Burnout, overwhelm, stress-related illnesses, and the effects of an unhealthy lifestyle are just a few of the ailments that can overcome you when you arent making self-care a priority.

This book is intended as a guide for women interested in deepening their self-care practice through witchcraft and magick. As both self-care and modern witchcraft become understood more and more as a part of the mainstream wellness culture, this conversation has made prioritizing the care of your mind, body, spirit, and intuition a core value of todays spiritual community. This community is putting greater stock in nourishing and sustainable self-care than ever before. This community is made up of readers like you who are getting in touch with your intuition and reclaiming the power in the word witch, all while living out your normal, daily lives.

Witchcraft no longer needs to be a taboo topic with scary or evil associations. Self-care no longer needs to conjure images of lazing about in a bubble bath all day, while chores and obligations pile up. Witchcraft and self-care both have vital roles to play in the spiritual development of our age. By combining the elements of modern witchcraft with the mental health and wellness practices of self-care, you are creating a sacred space that honors all of your needs, not just those that are visible on the surface.

And thats exactly what were going to do in this book!

As a professional witch and spiritual coach with my north node in Sagittarius in the fourth house of self-care, it is quite literally my soul purpose to explore my spirituality and to seek and share wisdom around the practice of creating sanctuary in which to care for my needs. Want to know what your soul purpose is and how to reach it?

Well, this book isnt going to magickally tell you that.

But dont be disappointed! What this book is going to tell you is how to identify your own unique needs, how to understand who you are at your core (including from an astrological perspective), and how to use the tools of witchcraft to create a support system of ritual and magick to fulfill those needs in the way that best suits you.

Because when you know who you are and what you need, the door to your soul purpose swings open and invites you in.

So what exactly does witchcraft have to do with self-care?

One of the first things I did when I began my journey as a witch was to celebrate the nature-based pagan practice of the sabbats. These eight seasonal holidays are based around the solstices, equinoxes, and the ancient fire festivals in between; along with following the moon cycle, these are what originally sparked my interest in witchcraft. The sabbats have incredible potential and power for connecting with nature, manifesting your dreams, and opening up your intuitive abilities. For a newbie witch, though, feeling connected to the sabbats, which are based on the ancient agricultural practices of planting, tending, and harvesting crops, can be a challenge.

Many new witches find themselves asking: What does any of this have to do with me? What do agricultural celebrations have to do with my modern, daily life?

As drawn as I was at first to the sabbats and the concept of celebrating nature, I went through that same ebb-and-flow and lack of personal, intimate connection. It took me many years to get in touch with the power of the sabbats in my own way, which has taken on the form of self-care, like much of my witchcraft practice. Now, my sabbat rituals are a time to check in and see how Ive grown, what Ive manifested in my life, and how Im feeling since the last seasonal marker. It has been a natural evolution as Ive developed daily spiritual practices that truly resonate with me and feel supportive.