Chronic Illness and Witchcraft/Magic
Here are some suggestions for witches and magical practitioners who are neurodivergent or have a chronical illness – a physical or mental one.
If you do not know the »spoon theory«, you can read about it here. I am going to mention spoons and energy in this blog.
A Disclaimer
Witchcraft oder magic does not substitute seeing a doctor or therapist about your condition. Witchcraft cannot substitute medication or therapy. Witchcraft or magic can be complementary to these medical treatments. Also, herbs and crystals are no substitutes for this. Yes, herbal medicine works. But some conditions, some illnesses cannot be treated just with herbs. And don‘t just take it from me. Irisanya Moon has written about this, Mat Auryn has created a video about this (1) and other renowned people of the witchcraft and occult community have talked about this, too.
Now, whether you are a newbie to witchcraft or an experienced witch, let‘s take a look at how witchcraft is visible today. For instance, there is social media. Many witches are presenting their witchcraft on the internet, on Youtube channels, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, in the Fediverse, on Tumblr or in forums. There is a lot to be seen, lots of ideas, lots of pictures, texts, videos … which can be overwhelming for anyone, not only neurodivergent folks or people with a chronic illness.
You might also get impostor syndrome (more on that later), if you compare yourself and your craft too much with other people and what they present to the world. And given that you haven‘t got as many spoons every day as people without a chronic illness or neurodiversity, you might feel a kind of pressure.
Do not listen to victim blamers
In New Age Spirituality communities (and possibly also among some witches and pagans) the following idea is quite popular: You are the creator of your own reality, for instance you can raise your vibration, to attract more positive things into your life. The “Law of Attraction” is all about this, too. For instance the idea that you can literally change your life by using positive affirmations. There has been quite a hype about the Law of Attraction, for instance with the documentary “The Secret” and the respective self-help books about it.
But how can all that be seen if you have an incurable chronic illness? Many illnesses cannot be fixed with positive thinking or affirmations, no matter how hard you try. And if someone tells you, your chronic illness is the result of some unsolved business or issues in your life (or a past life) and you should work on that - they are basically victim-blaming you.
Do not listen to them, they are wrong.
Of course, stress and other problems in one’s life can make a chronic illness worse, but there are many other factors influencing such illnesses, for instance some are hereditary, or maybe you have a general disposition towards it or something else and all of that cannot be solved with positive thoughts and such. And magic alone will not help either, because magic follows the path of least resistance (more about that below). So if someone focusses very much on “positive vibes only”, better stay away from them, because this is not helpful. In fact, such an attitude can lead to toxic positivity which is really bad (you can read more about that here.)
So, if you have an incurable chronic illness, better accept it. See it as a part of you, even if that is hard. Learn to live with it. You are not a lesser witch because you have a chronic illness - no matter what anybody else tells you. And remember: You cannot cure yourself with magic, or exaggerated positivity, because there is no cure. And that’s okay. I mean, see it like this: You are not a supernatural being with superpowers which would overcome a longterm chronic illness. That is the stuff fantasy stories are made of, not real life.
What about a Daily Practice?
For instance, some witches and elders on the path say or write in their blogs/books, you should by all means have a daily practice – and there are lots of suggestions out there how such a practice should look like, for instance one hour per day of devotion or divination or meditation or (insert more ideas here) …
However, what if you just do not have the spoons on a particular day or on more days a week, how to do this practice? What if you feel really low or are experiencing pain and have to fight to fulfill your everyday tasks, like your work or education, the household chores or something else?
There are two answers to this from my point of view.
1) You can either do a daily practice which is really short and simple. It could be as easy as saying a daily prayer to your deity or deities and maybe lighting a candle or some incense. Or to stir your morning tea or coffee clockwise (for instance deosil, to attract positive energies) and make a short wishing spell for a good day or just bless the beverage. (You could also bless the cup or mug instead of the hot beverage, at a time which suits you.) Or make your shower a blessed one by stating your intention to wash away all the energies you do not need. You could also chant or repeat a personal witchy mantra while you do household chores, or while you cook or wash your hands.
Some witches like to draw a daily Tarot or Oracle Deck card or read about the astrological quality of the day.
There are also some very easy meditation practices for which you do not need a lot of time, just 5 to 10 minutes (for instance in the book »Psychic Witch« by Mat Auryn, there are some basic and also several advanced meditation techniques). You could also start with guided meditations. I have created some for free, you can find them here on Youtube: https://bit.ly/cavorta_meditations
2) Or you can leave the idea of a daily practice behind and instead practice, when you have enough time, energy and spoons for it. This might work better if you do not pressure yourself to follow a fixed schedule, but rather work spontaneously when you feel like it. Of course, I have to admit, this is easier to handle if you are a solitary witch and not part of a coven with regular meetups and group rituals etc.
I’d like to close this section with a quote from a book:
"You don’t necessarily need to be up at 5 AM in meditation with Loki [or basically, any deity] for an hour every day to be a “serious” devotee. A daily practice should never become guilt-ridden drudgery."
from "Pagan Portals - Loki: Trickster and Transformer" by Dagulf Loptson (p.75)
Spells and Rituals can be simple and yet effective
The most important thing about spells and rituals are not the tools you use, but your intention and your ability to manipulate energies to direct them in the direction you want them to go. So, if you read about elaborate, time-consuming spells or rituals with lots of materials and are interested but see no way of doing them in this particular form, maybe simplify them. Make them your own, so that you can work with them. Or create your own rituals/spells, if you have the spoons for that.
Imposter Syndrome
Many witches, especially newbies, often feel like they are not good enough at their craft. A part of this comes through comparison with other witches on social media. Look at it this way: There will always be witches who have more abilities than you. Or who have more experience because they are longer on this path than you. Or they have a better camera for more beautiful pictures on Instagram. Or they are more creative than you. Or maybe they are even professional witches who make a living with their craft (or use it as a side job) and spend much more time with respective activities.
If you want to do yourself a favor, maybe limit the time you spent on occult/witchy social media.
Some people generally think they are not good enough. Not good enough at work, or in their education, or as a parent or in another aspect of their life. And then they live a spiritual life and continue beating themselves up for not being good enough at it.
If you have a tendency towards that - be kind to yourself. You do not have to be perfect. In the end, most of us try the best we can, on most days, over and over again. And that is enough. In this human existence we are no celestial, supernatural beings. Instead, the experience of being human is messy, full of failure, of trial and error. Please remember that when something goes wrong or you feel like you are not good enough. If you suffer from Imposter Syndrome, in your craft, your spiritual path or at work, in college or elsewhere, take a look at the further reading section. I have included a self-help book about the Imposter Syndrome there.
Don‘t set your Goals too high
Magic follows the path of least resistance. If you work a spell, and there is a good opportunity for the situation to work out like you want it to, it may happen. (Or not. There is no guarantee that magic works every time). However, keep your goals realistic. I am going to give you an exaggerated example to explain this.
If you would do a general love spell, stating your intention to find a lovable, friendly partner, and you actively go out to meet people, chances are good that eventually this partner-to-be will find their way to you.
However, if you would do a spell about how your favorite celebrity should madly and deeply fall in love with you but the two of you have never met and likely never will … well, that is a very unrealistic goal by all means and even magic will not help you achieve it. (And besides, even if you met that person, they surely would just see you as a fan and not a potential partner.)
And another thing: Always check first if you can reach a personal goal with mundane means. Sometimes, magic isn‘t necessary at all to achieve something.
Working with Deities
I bet you have seen pictures of altars and offerings and such on social media, where people show a part of their devotion to their deities. If you are chronically ill, you might not have the energy to work regularly with your deities and show them your devotion.
Here are some suggestions of what you can do instead.
Sit at your altar, if that is possible. You can just try to feel the energies/the presence of the deity/deities. You could also talk to them, without the need to hear an answer. However, you might get an answer anyway if you listen carefully.
Say a prayer if you feel like it. You can improvise the words or read something written out loud. Light a candle for a few minutes, or some incense. Express your gratitude to the deities that they are a part of your life and are listening to your prayers. From my own experiences and from what I heard from others, most deities understand when their devotees haven‘t got much energy or spoons for devotion, rituals etc on a daily basis.
Visualization and Aphantasia
Some neurodivergent and other people cannot visualize things in their minds. No matter how hard they try, they cannot learn this. This is called aphantasia. If you experience this, don’t worry. You could try and engage other senses, for instance, maybe you can hear or feel something instead of seeing it with your inner eye.
The following is a tip by HearthWitch: You could talk yourself through the visualization exercise, telling yourself what you are experiencing. After all, words have power.
Further Reading
Blogs
Excellent blog by Sidney Eileen with many practical tips and tricks:
"Spoonie Witch Tips: Give Yourself Grace"
http://sidneyeileen.com/2021/11/02/spoonie-witch-tips-give-yourself-grace/
A recommendable blog by John Beckett on Patheos Pagan: “No, you didn’t choose to suffer”:
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnbeckett/2021/07/no-you-didnt-choose-to-suffer.html
"Toxic Positivity Culture: Why Pagans, Polytheists, & Occultists Should Guard Against It" by River Enodian:
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/teaaddictedwitch/2018/08/toxic-positivity-culture/
"No, Magic Doesn’t Solve Everything: Handling Ableism In Magic And The Craft"
by River Enodian
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/teaaddictedwitch/2019/03/ableism-magic-witchcraft/
Video
“Low Energy Witchcraft: 30+ Magical Activities For The Tired Witch” by Ivy the Occultist:
Books
“Curative Magic: A Witch's Guide to Self Discovery, Care & Healing” by Rachel Patterson
Self-help Book: "The Imposter Cure: How to stop feeling like a fraud and escape the mind-trap of imposter syndrome" by the psychologist Dr Jessamy Hibberd
“Facing the darkness” by Cat Treadwell
”How Witchcraft saved my life” by Vincent Higginbotham
”Practically Pagan - An Alternative Guide to Health & Well-being” by Irisanya Moon
Footnote
1) Sorry, I cannot find the link to Mat Auryn’s video anymore, it used to be on Twitter, but I left that platform which has been rebranded as “X”.
© Andrea Grünbaum