11 Witchy Questions for the Season of the Witch (2024)

We’re entering the “season of the witch,” so why not play 20 questions (or 11, in this case) to kick things off right? Feel free to play along in the comments!

(And these are fairly agnostic questions. In fact, you don’t even necessarily have to consider yourself a “witch” to answer them. But maybe, after answering, you’ll discover the magic you’ve been carrying in you all along!)

What symbols, animals, plants, or other tools do you most commonly work with?

For me: four-leaf clovers, keys, snakes, ravens, coins, runes, tarot (of course). I’m really into anything symbolizing luck, liminality, transformation, abundance, and connection with ancestors/Norse myth.

You can only use three objects to create an altar. What do you choose?

First, a caveat: You don’t have to have an altar to do magic, and you don’t even need three objects if you want to make one. Just one would suffice! If I had to choose, I’d use a candle, a key, and a stone or other object I found outdoors. A candle is always useful and signifies to me that the magical working has begun. Keys are the door openers, inviting you into the liminal dreamspaces and otherworlds. And I’d want something from outside, like a stone found in my yard, for example, to establish a connection with nature.

What is your favorite type of spell or ritual to perform?

I really like making spell sachets and bottles — for myself and others. I heard from someone recently that the protective spell sachet I made for her a couple of years ago had apparently been super-effective.

I also really like making witch gifts — sort of like party favors — for other attendees at Witch Camp. Nobody knows exactly what they’re getting until they open their gift, and not to brag, but I’ve heard that they tend to be spot on.

Last year I made collaged altar cards in envelopes labeled with words like Goddess, Muse, Enchantress, Alchemist, and Conjurer. Another year, I sewed cloth bags filled with hand-drawn Lenormand cards, blackout poetry, and crystals. I have one coming up for Witch Camp 2023 that I can’t talk about yet, but I’ll be excited to share (and document the creative process here) once I’ve handed it out.

Of the four elements (air, fire, water, and earth), which are you most drawn to (either now or most frequently)?

I tend to be drawn to earth. I’m always picking up stones, leaves, sticks, flowers, or other items I find outside.

If you were a deity, what items would you want your worshippers to leave as an offering for you?

I would probably want roses or rose petals, fancy stationery, clovers, a skeleton key, and coffee. (Definitely the coffee!)

Do you do any tech witchery? For example, setting a picture of an altar or magical working as your phone background, using any astrology or divination apps, etc.?

I’ve had my “As Above, So Below” image from my book, The Creative Arcana, as my background for over a year now. I want to give my lock screen a refresh, but I just love seeing this image and its sigil so much.

What’s the most unique or interesting magical item in your personal witch kit? (It doesn’t have to be something traditionally “witchy.”)

This one has me stumped. I’ve collected so many random objects through the years, so many tarot decks, and plenty of witch “crafts” that I’ve made. A few things:

• A Ouija board my mom owned as a kid that I have hanging on the wall in my office.

• My Magician sigil necklace from Witch Camp last year. (And, okay, the tattoo, too! And don’t worry — tattoos are definitely not mandatory at Witch Camp!)

• This little vintage candy tin that my Grandma apparently kept, found after she passed away. I use it on my altar as a sort of spell jar/container. (I explained how I made this one in The Creative Arcana.)

Which tarot card do you most identify with (or use as your signifier, if you use one)? (Even if you don’t know the tarot, are there any archetypes in the deck that you relate to?)

It sometimes depends on the deck for me. Since I have a tattoo that’s a sigil for “The Magician,” I’d pick that. I love the card’s message of “You have everything you need,” with all four of the suits represented in the traditional imagery. I also tend to have a lot of personal associations with the suit of wands, for creativity, especially the 3, page, and knight.

Whether you believe in it or not: What’s something that you’re pretty sure you actually manifested (or willed into existence) in your life?

There are quite a few things, but I’ll give one example. Back when I was a teen witch, I got a very basic crash course in astrology from Seventeen magazine, and a feature they did on celebrity signs and compatibility. I had seen something about how Cancer and Pisces were supposed to be compatible, with Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain as an example of this watery pairing. Since I’m a Cancer, I thought to myself: someday, I’ll fall in love with a Pisces — that’s the sign for me. (Sorry, Scorpios!) And I guess it worked! It’s years later, and I’m happily married to a very sweet and sensitive Pisces.

Where is your favorite place to perform a spell, or your favorite place you’ve performed one?

When I went to Witch Camp just outside of Woodstock, NY, I always loved our spot down by Saw Kill, the creek that runs through the area. One of the most magical spots in the area is up Overlook Mountain, in the remains of the Overlook Mountain House. One year, we hiked up the mountain and had a picnic in the ruins of the burnt-down hotel. Afterwards, we wrote down wishes on scrolls of paper, tied with a rose petal and twine, and put them into a tin that we placed in what was left of the hotel’s fireplace.

What’s the most magical place you’ve ever visited? Was it somewhere with a reputation for being supernatural (Salem, New Orleans, Lily Dale, Glastonbury, etc.) or someplace off the beaten path?

Woodstock is definitely one of them, especially in the mountains. However, I don’t think you have to travel too far to experience magic, the sacred, the divine, or whatever you’d like to call it. For me, anywhere in nature is magic. One of my favorite memories is one September, right before fall, sitting by the creek at Five Arch Bridge in Avon, NY, a special spot for me and my Pisces.

Things have slowed down for me here recently, but I’m not gone. I’m working on a gentler publishing schedule for myself as summer ends and the holidays approach.

If you’re new here, welcome! You can learn more about Visionary Alchemy here and check out the archive. I also have a blog on my website with more about the art of building a creative practice.

Looking for more magic? Check out my book, The Creative Arcana, a grimoire for artists, writers, and other visionaries. Each chapter introduces a card from the tarot’s major arcana and gives you spells and activities to make creative magic.

There’s also my zine, The Muse Manifesto. The Creative Magic issue is designed to help you do some art witchery just in time for fall. You can find the zine and my book on Gumroad.

Happy fall, witches!