Subtle Witchery and Broom Closet Practices

While being out in the open about your spiritual practices is beautiful and empowering, staying in the “broom closet” is also completely valid. When we say “in the broom closet,” the meaning can be changed a little bit depending on the person and situation but mainly it refers to a person who practices some type of spirituality or witchcraft, but they hide it completely or are very secretive about it with some people.

For many years I personally would hide everything when family came to visit and I wouldn’t post about it on a social media account that they followed. For me, it was easier to avoid having to explain who I am, what I believe, and why I do what I do. I didn’t want the emotional labor of having to console others because I didn’t follow their line of faith. Even if you just simply don’t want to, you don’t have to share anything about your beliefs or practices. I have many friends who don’t share it with others because they enjoy having this knowledge to themselves and they are at peace with their belief that it’s not something others are entitled to knowing. I also have friends who live with people that it’s not safe to share these things around. No matter your prerogative, you don’t have to come out about your practice.

When it comes to living a subtle practice, there are many options. It's helpful to consider where you may be able to hide things if needed (under your couch is apparently an awful idea, as I learned through a very unfortunate first-hand experience.) I try to think about what it is that I’m wanting to do. Am I wanting to do a spell working, cleansing, and things such as that. In the example of a spell working, what actions would I need to perform? What elements do I want to incorporate? If I’m wanting to do something for release and I want to use red or the earth element, I can correlate that with journaling prompts centered around that release and use a red pen (and the paper could signify earth.) If I took it a step further, I could pre-make my own paper with some herb soaked water using herbs that correlate to different things, or I could dye the water for colored paper. I could also then further this by tearing that paper into pieces before I soak them and bury it in the yard; or I could pick a red flower and dry the petals pressed between the folded paper and toss those petals into the wind somewhere.

When I figure out my main action, intention, elements, and other things that I’m wanting to incorporate, I try to understand how I may have done or used something similar in my everyday life, or how others may utilize those same things in a more mundane sense. Sometimes I even think about things in terms of energy. When I compare how two different things feel to me, such as how release in general also feels like writing things down on paper to get them out of my head, I can sometimes find other replacements for what I’m wanting to accomplish. There’s also the more obvious more secretive things, such as using kitchen herbs for workings which can work quite well added to specific dishes. Here are some other ideas and some I’ve used in the past:

• Buy a lot of different tea flavors. You’ll look like any old tea drinker but you can use the herbs in the sachets for lots of different things (including obviously spelling your drink.)

• Used tea bags make great (and more environmentally friendly) sachets.

• Sun catchers, jewelry, fancy classes, bedazzled phone cases or even jeans, crystals/rocks in the bottom of a vase, all of these things can incorporate specific crystals and be used for various purposes without being too obvious.

• Draw sigils into your skin with water, oils, makeup, etc. and then disguise them if needed with more makeup on top or rubbing it in.

• Write or sew a sigil (or just use color magic and use specific colored thread) into your clothing or hidden on a folded over seam.

• Empower your laundry detergents for cleaning supplies; pour, spray, or wipe them with an incantation or in the shape of a sigil or symbol.

• Read books through the scribd app and sign out when you’re not using it.

• Use incognito browsers for research.

• Pray over your bath or food.

• Use birthday candles or regular home candles.

• Hang a picture of each element on the appropriate wall of your home. So if you believe that South is Fire, North is Water, East is Air, West is Earth, then you could hang a corresponding colored photo/item or picture on that wall, such as a picture of a feather on one of the East walls of your place. You could also draw the directional triangle on that wall in water.

• Do visualization and quick energetic hygiene meditative practices before sleep, upon waking up, or even while looking like you’re zoning out.

• Dress in the colors of planetary energies or other associations, especially do so on a day that is typically ruled by a planet (like wearing pinks or greens on Friday for Venus.)

• Do your shadow work and moon phase manifestations as journal entries.

• Use a junk journal, paint, draw, etc. to do spell work. Color coordinate, make your own paper, make your own paint, clip magazines or add other scraps from various things that correlate to your intentions. Some of these journals and other art things you could even burn afterwards.

• Use a dry erase board or a rocketbook to write a spell, make a sigil, etc. empower it, use it, then erase it.

• For cleansing or other purposeful sprays, “diy” a recipe and put them in those fancy refillable perfume bottles (you could even just add florida water to one if you don’t want to make something. Make sure to dispose of the bottle evidence!)

• Use specific flowers and plants in a table arrangement.

• Plant a garden on your property or in your window sills with plants that have the associations you’re wanting, or get to know those plants and use them for whatever they communicate they can help with.

• Spellwork embroidery or other hangable artwork is a great hobby and is long-lasting.

• Use lemon juice (or maybe it’s lemon water) on paper and let it dry (you should be able to hold the paper to a light source and see what was written.)

• If you’re wanting to use subtle witchcraft on someone else (such as sending someone blessings,) make them a homemade card; or, buy one of those cards that has the loose double sheet inside, write on the card part with a faint or color-matched writing tool and then glue the paper down so it can’t be seen.

• Pick a song to sing with lyrics similar to the energy you want/need and sing it every time you do something that’s within that same energy group. Such as a song that makes you feel cleansed or like you’re purifying something, sing it every time you take a shower, every time you clean dishes, every time you cleanse a room, etc.

While we could think of a million and one ways to do more subtle witchcraft, coming up with ways that work for you will always be the most powerful and potent. If you’re ever at all stuck and in need of ideas on ways you can achieve something, feel free to reach out to Elair or Kristen. We’ll do our best to help you come up with something. Happy practicing!