You may hear phrases like “practicing the arte of witchcraft.” Why is it referred to that way? To me, witchcraft is a way of seeing and moving through the world. Like an artist who mediates a vision into a painting or sculpture, so do witches mediate from spirit and express the magic externally. It can’t all just stay in my head – so I find it important to have a creative outlet as a way of exercising many of the tools I also use in witchcraft.

I can’t draw or paint, and there isn’t space in my apartment for musical instruments. But I’ve always loved taking photographs. Luckily, we all carry a camera in our pockets now – you don’t need anything fancy to begin. Photography became my way of practicing: noticing light, sensing mood, following intuition, capturing what feels unseen but present. If you’re looking for a creative outlet to invite more inspiration into your life and to open new pathways for working with spirit here are a few things I’ve found helpful in my own practice behind the lens.

Inspiration

To me inspiration is a state of being, a state I put myself into to allow myself to be in awe. A willingness to feel the beauty of the world around me. I check in with myself, I open my heart, then I open my eyes. I look to see what spirits are present in the overall landscape, what is the collective feel of the place. Then I look closer at any individual spirits: the stones, the animals, even man-made objects like buildings and roads!

Changing Your Perspective

In witchcraft we look at things from unconventional angles. We see the world through a lens of spirit. When you’re out taking pictures stop and look at your physical surroundings this way too. Look over your shoulder, get down on the ground, peer around a tree. How does the sky look from the view of the plant, or how does the horizon shift from different heights? How do things change and what do you notice from different perspectives? Think outside the box!

Using Your Sight

Practice using your “sight”.  In witchcraft we talk a lot of about “the gifts” or “the sight” – the ability to perceive and interact with spirits. Everything has a spirit, and the relationship between my spirit and the spirits surrounding me is where the magic happens. Once you’ve found your inspiration, and a new angle has caught your eye, approach it without expectation or preconceived ideas. Be open to listening to the story the particular spirit wants to tell you. The key here is looking to have an interaction. To FEEL, to notice, but not to analyze. 

I experience my sight as feelings and emotions.  For some you may notice smells, or sounds, others may see spirits. Find what works for you! I like to notice how the spirit of a place makes me feel. Do I feel peace, joy, longing, heartache? Does it make me want to dance, cry, or be still? Where do I feel that in my body? Is it showing up as tingles in my hands, is it making my hair stand on end, or a heat in my chest? Check in and notice how your spirit is interacting with it.

Through Your Lens

Once I’m holding that feeling inside me, I start taking pictures! But this is an active process. Not just clicking away, but working to really draw the spirit in through the lens. This is an act of communion between myself and the subject.

Editing

This is the part where the communion between my spirit and the spirit of the place really comes to life! Try not to take it too literally; this is art after all! Here is where I get to mediate how this experience felt for me. Did I feel it in black and white? Did it feel dramatic and moody, or subtle and secretive? Did it feel like bright direct sunlight and reaching shadows? I keep pulling that spirit through the photograph with my edits.

Yes, and…

Something a witch I know has told me many times is “yes…and…” Meaning the process is never done, once you think you’ve figured something out, there’s always layers upon layers to unfold. I notice new things in my photos every time I look at them. Many times it will be a face in a rock, the shape of the clouds, or the way a shadow is falling across the frame. So just remember, the spirits will continue to speak… a picture is worth a thousand words after all!