Image of a portable altar open with shelves atop another altar.

I want to share some of the ways I navigate illness and disability within my practice and a few tips that have worked for me. I do want to clarify, this is from the pov of my symptoms and limitations and may not be right for every disabled person or every illness.

I’ve been wanting to write about this for sometime now, but especially after being in a live with Hija de la Agua (who has a whole bunch of amazing goodies in their brujatanica) where they spoke about having a chronic illness. This is something that isn’t really talked about in the community (at least from my perspective in my lil corner of the internet sphere) but something that I think a lot of people want to know more about.

To begin, I’ll tell y’all a bit more about me and my illnesses and disabilities. I’ve got a body that’s got a LOT of boundaries. About 11 years ago I was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis after having Psoriasis for about ten years. I was literally the youngest in my Rheumatologists office to be diagnosed and it took a while to get that diagnosis because of medical racism and sexism (but that’s a whole other story). PsA is a degenerative illness that works in flares. So while I may have some days where the pain isn’t super high, the illness has progressed enough to this point where I’ve lost mobility, strength, and have experienced a breakdown of some of my joints. I may look “normal” on the outside, there’s a lot that I struggle to do that you’d only know if you were around me. Aside from this, I also have Endometriosis, and I have Chronic PTSD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Like most people who develop an autoimmune disease, I have developed other illnesses that go hand in hand with it.

Now, let’s talk about how I navigate disability and illness within witchcraft and some tips I have that work for me

For starters, let’s explore divination. Tarot cards are amazing. But I don’t always rely on them and I don’t only use them. Sometimes my hands can’t shuffle certain decks, or I can’t shuffle as much as I’d like to. Sometimes it’s a call for rest, but mostly it’s a call to shift how I approach connecting. I do want to say that I respect the need for rest, but sometimes pain, fogginess, or an inability to do something the way you’ve always done it, isn’t necessarily a call for rest or to step away. I’ve seen insta graphics that suggest this, but that ignores that there are some people who navigate these things daily and still want to connect during the pain or the brain fog. So, if that’s you as it has been me, it may be that you just need to shift how you connect. Now, I want to bring up an idea that was hella discussed in witchcraft when I first started reading tarot: the idea that you MUST bond with your deck (tarot, oracle, Lenormand, etc). There were ridiculous ideas like the need to sleep with it (umm hello neck pain - no thanks). The need to constantly cleanse it, like after every reading. The idea that you had to be gifted a deck, or that you couldn’t ever let anyone touch your deck. And a lot of these beliefs made me consider the tool hella sacred in a way that I think is harmful. Beyond this, the idea in and of itself, is a bit ableist.

I think it’s good to occasionally clear your deck, in the way that I think it’s good to occasionally clear your bed, and your chairs, and your closets or any other space, especially if used during a time of high emotions. But a deck is just a tool. Sure, each deck of cards is powerful in that they are imbued with the energy of their creator and the intent to use them as spiritual tools, but that can also be done with any spiritual and divination tool: a pair of common dice, a set of playing cards, etc. This also takes the power out of online tools like online tarot decks, online i-ching, shufflemancy, etc. There are many who have argued that these aren’t as effective because they are online and not something you can touch and imbue with your energy in the same way people have argued that you can’t have a powerful online tarot or psychic session, which we’ve clearly proved false by now. For people like me, who need to use more accessible forms of divination, this idea only perpetuates the idea that I’m/we’re doing witchcraft wrong or that the connection I/we have to these tools isn’t as powerful or true as a witch using a big ass deck and sitting right in front of you, when that’s simply not the case.

An image of a rose adorned skull on a cell phone screen.

So, my first tip is this: don’t feel like you MUST connect to a divination tool that is popular and prevalent just because it’s common.

If you need to find other ways to connect with spirit, then do whatever the fuck you need to do. Teejay or The Halfass Witch is actually teaching a class about alternative modes of divination with Mystic Mysteries. You can connect to any method you want. Tarot cards are useful in that there’s a whole history and practice with books and definitions and such, but ultimately, you’re not going to want to follow the exact definition (most of you won’t, anyways). So feel free to use other methods. My guides are currently teaching me how to use dice. Some people throw bones. Others read coffee and tea leaves. Whatever is most accessible for you is going to allow you to connect best. If you’re in pain shuffling cards (as I previously have been) then you’re going to have a really fucking rough time connecting because you’re focused on the pain in the act of shuffling more than anything else.

It’s important to remember that tools are powerful. But you also add power to your tools. You don’t need the latest deck to connect to your spirit team. Just like using basil and cinnamon alone doesn’t create the money spell. You add to the tools you use and the tools you use add to your magic. Respect whatever tool you use, and that includes how you use your body.

Next tip, in terms of magic-making, don’t feel like you need to participate in every sabbat, or every full and new moon. do what you need to do, and what your spirit team wants you to do.

Depending on how new you are to the craft, and what path you follow, you may or may not know that much of the sabbats don’t actually have a huge significance. Sure, some are related not to celestial events but to deities, while others may be linked to non-witchy holidays, but that doesn’t mean that you have to do any more than you already do. As you begin growing, and you begin learning about astrology, it can become very overwhelming to hear about the different moon’s significance and feel like you HAVE to use that energy, or you HAVE to charge your crystals… and gather moon water… and give offerings… and do a tarot spread. Look, I create guides for each new and full moon, but that doesn’t mean that I think everyone is going to use them every cycle.

Just because each celestial event carries a type of energy does'n’t mean that you have to work only on those days or that you have to make use of that energy. The most important thing you can do, is focus on your needs. Beyond that, your spirit team will guide you. Spending time with your ancestors is likely WAY more important than casting a spell. Doing a bit of channeling in bed is probably much better than going outside beneath the moon and doing a full ritual if you’re in a flare or experiencing a lot of pain. Pick the times and days that are best for your body for ritual and go from there. And if your spirit team would never punish you, try your best not to punish yourself.

Let’s talk about endo and the menstrual cycle. Periods don’t have to be magical.

You may or may not be surprised to know that prior to my endometriosis, I actually didn’t mind my period and I actively thought it was a spiritual time in that it called for me to listen to my body, to connect to myself and my needs, and to tune out the outside world. Post-endo is a WHOLE other story. I get the idea that connecting to your period cycle can be transformative and healing for many people. I agree that it can help people heal from trauma, connect to their body, and aid in blood magick rituals. I’m not in disagreement with any of these facts, and I also want to offer permission and a different outlook for those who feel a bit of difficulty connecting to this idea.

If you, like me, struggle with an illness that makes your periods, ovulation, and the whole of your cycle really painful and difficult, don’t feel like your period HAS to be a magical time. Prior to my major endo symptoms started, I would do divination during my period, channel, go into deep meditation, etc. Now, that is just not possible.I’ll occasionally save my blood and do a working with it after (thank you menstrual cup) but I rarely do a good deal of connection on my period. I don’t do client work on my periods. It’s just too much. If I’m in unbearable pain, I’m likely crying out to my guides instead of trying to channel, and that’s OK.

So, if you’ve been struggling to connect to your period and cycle in a magical way, I am here to give you permission if you seek it, that your period does not NEED TO BE a magical time. It absolutely can be. But it won’t ALWAYS be. And if Netflix and ice cream and heating pads and muscle relaxers are what you need, then do that instead of trying to sit and read cards. You decide what is a magical part of your life.

A photograph of the many moons of a cycle

Prioritize what you must in your practice

This may contradict a bit of what I said earlier, and that’s okay. In my practice as an espiritista, a bruja, and an astrologer, connection to my deities and my spirit team is the most important thing. This is what my spirits consistently tell me to share with my clients, too. With that being said, at the end of the day, I don’t decide what is best for you. So, my next tip is about prioritizing what is most important to you as you navigate illness and disability within your craft. If connecting to plant allies is most important, what you cook, drink, make, etc, should be at the top of your list. If tracking the astrology of the skies and learning about astrology in general is most important, then prioritize your learning. If spellwork is the only time you feel connected magically, then prioritize that. The point I’m trying to make is that knowing what’s most important is going to be essential for navigating your practice especially on days when you need to do less in your practice. And, keep in mind, that your priorities may shift from day to day, week to week, and month to month. What you can prioritize may shift as well based on your symptoms of the day.

This is why, for my final tip, I suggest learning to be flexible

For a long while, I used to pull a daily tarot card. Then there came a point where I just slowed down. My connection with my spirit team was much stronger at that point, but I still felt like I was failing for falling behind in my practice of daily pulls. Then I realized I didn’t really need to do daily pulls anymore because I knew what my spirits wanted me to focus on that day. Then there were times where I felt guilty because I didn’t do my ancestral offerings in a set way on a set day, until I realized it was because I knew what they wanted and when. So my final tip, and my best guidance, is to find ways to be flexible. Ask yourself what’s most important: establishing a set routine that you stick to 24/7 or developing a connection and learning to change with your practice? Depending on what stage in your craft you’re currently in, one may be more important. It’s alright to rely on routines early on, but eventually, I found that learning to be flexible allowed me to develop a much deeper connection to my practice and my spirit team.

THAT ABOUT WRAPS IT UP FOLKS!

I hope this has been helpful, and remember that each craft journey, each disability, each illness, will have different needs. I hope to continue sharing some tips like this in the future for those who are disabled or chronically ill. In the meantime, if you found any of this helpful, feel free to send a tip, purchase a service, or sign up for my Patreon!

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