Witchcraft Safety 101

I want to start this by saying that I hate the widespread notion that witchcraft is a dangerous hobby. The fear mongering in the witch community is ridiculous. I would say witchcraft is as dangerous as sports, as long as you have the proper protection you’re good to go. Accidents happen, things can go wrong, but you can keep yourself safe. There’s no reason that potential practitioners should be discouraged by fear. Many people believe that beginning your witchcraft journey will pull you into this new metaphysical realm filled with dangers such as the fae, demons, or the wraths of other practitioners. However, we are all constantly existing with one foot in the metaphysical realm. Practicing does not make you anymore susceptible to metaphysical attack than you already are. In fact, the argument can be made that practice will keep you safe from harm because you will be able to reverse and dispel baneful workings, cast protection, and gain knowledge about interacting with other beings. 

Do not let the fear of getting lost keep you from finding the path to who you really are. 

The practice of Witchcraft comes with a few risks, so you should make yourself aware of how to be safe. I think we can break down witchcraft safety into two categories: physical safety and metaphysical safety. 

Physical Safety 

There are three types of physical safety you should be aware of before you start practicing: proximity, fiscal, and fire. Proximity safety may seem outdated or unusual to some of my readers but for many practitioners it is a big concern. Proximity Safety constitutes how safe it is for you to openly discuss and engage with your practice without risk of isolation, abuse, or harassment. For potential practitioners who find themselves living in situations with some form of dependency (whether it be financial or emotional) there is a risk of being disowned or cut off from those individuals if they mention their practice. This is more common in extremely religious or conservative households. For this reason a witch may choose to place themselves in the “broom closet.” Fiscal safety is a more personal form of safety, and if I’m being honest the majority of us fail at this once in a while. Fiscal safety is established when we set money aside for witchcraft items and resources without interfering with our necessities budget (like groceries and rent). Crystals are really pretty but put dinner on the table for yourself love. I speak from personal experience. Fire safety may seem a little extreme but you’d be surprised how quickly you become comfortable with fire. Activating sigils, lighting candles and incense, heating up your cauldron, or brewing a fruit bowl, are all common witch practices that involve fire. Making sure you keep your fires in a controlled space and have access to water, fire extinguishers, or fire blankets may become useful. Also I know you want it to be pretty but maybe don’t light hair candles on your altar cloths.

Metaphysical Safety

The more expected form of safety that comes with witchcraft is metaphysical safety, and there are three types: protection, shielding, and warding. Protection in witchcraft usually involves some type of enchantment or spell casting. It protects you during your spellwork in case a spell backfires, or  has unintended consequences. Shielding, just like protection magic, provides personal safety as well. However, instead of protecting you during spellwork from your own casting, it blocks out outside energies from getting in. Shielding is extremely important for people who are empathic or who find themselves constantly interacting with emotional Succubi. The final form of safety is warding. Many individuals who have strong wards will start to loosen up on protection and shielding in places where wards are active. Wards provide safety to particular places or objects. For example, people often place wards on their grimoires and altars to keep the energy and powers safe from negative intent. Even your own negative energies can start to attach to the items you interact with regularly.