9 Easy Things You Can Do To Live With More Intention As a Witch

Being a witch isn’t all about spells and hexes and dancing with your coven in the moonlight. It can be all those things (and more), of course, but there are some simple ways to bring witchcraft into your everyday life and live with intention.

Most — if not all — witchcraft is rooted in intention. But, it doesn’t always have to be connected to a spell. You can integrate intention into your life. And, doesn’t that generally sound better than going whichever way the wind blows you? (Though, yes, that can be enjoyable too.)

So, here are some ways to live with intention… in a witchy way.

9 Ways to Live with Intention… As a Witch

1. Move Clockwise.

In witchcraft, clockwise movement is known as circumambulation. In ritual, it’s advised to cast a circle clockwise, to move in a clockwise direction around your altar, and to place things on your altar clockwise. The idea here is that you’re bringing in the energy so you can harness it.

It’s also known as deosil because it’s the direction the sun moves. (As a person, but especially as a witch, it’s generally best to work with nature instead of against it.)

You can apply this to a lot of movements in your life. You can pour cream into your coffee clockwise or stir it with your spoon in that direction. You can open doors by turning the knob to the right instead of the left.

Dance and rotate your hips clockwise. Feel confident when you step into a room by circumambulating around it.

2. Or, Counterclockwise.

Just as clockwise brings energy in, making gestures or moving in a counterclockwise manner — known as widdershins — sends energy out. Kind of like swiping left. If you are trying to move energy away from you or release an emotion like fear, keep this in mind.

3. Pause Before Responding

Truly powerful beings have domain over their emotional reactions. It doesn’t mean they don’t feel emotions, but they give themselves a moment before responding.

This is because when we’re triggered we instinctively react or defend ourselves from our lizard brain. Sometimes when we do this, we regret what we’ve said or done later. Or, we’re disappointed that we fell back into old habits we’re trying to break.

If you give yourself a moment — assuming you are not actually in a dangerous situation — and allow yourself to respond instead of reacting, you’ll be more likely to respond more calmly and in a more constructive (or at least less destructive) way.

4. Connect with Your Body and Mind

Do something each day that helps you feel centered and connected to your self. This can be something grounding like meditation, spending time in nature, doing yoga, making art, or simply deep breathing.

Getting quiet can help feel your intuition more. And, it can help give you something centering to come back to in those moments when you want to react vs respond.

5. Listen to Your Gut

The more you trust your intuition, the more you’ll be able to hear it. However, this comes with some caveats. If you have anxiety or attachment trauma, what you think is your intuition might be just your brain trying to warn you of a tiger that doesn’t exist.

If you go to the mall is something really bad going to happen or do you just not want to run into anyone from high school?

One way that can help you discern between the two is by challenging the anxiety. Intuition tends to come through extremely clearly. It feels different for everyone, but might feel like a wave of peace or an instantly tight knot in your throat or stomach.

If you challenge the feeling and discover there’s a story behind it, it’s possible you’ll realize you have some coping mechanisms you might want to work through. Again, ignore this advice in actually dangerous situations.

6. Draw Sigils

Sometimes when I’m walking through the forest, I’ll grab a stick (or use my foot) and draw a sigil or protection symbol in the dirt. Or, if I’m at the beach, I’ll draw it with my finger. Going back to the coffee creamer example from above, draw the sigil with your cream as you pour it in or with your spoon.

Doing these little things can help reconnect you with your intention.

7. Keep Color Magic in Mind

Color has a lot of psychological power. There’s a reason that Target and Coca-Cola use red, not yellow. In college, I once covered my very tiny dorm room in blue fabric and not only did it make it feel smaller, it made it feel depressing.

In witchcraft, colors are used to decorate quarter altars and when doing candle magic. But you can use color magic almost anywhere.

When getting dressed for the day, choose colors that align with the intention you want to set. Paint your nails in the color of what you want to manifest. Choose sheets or rugs for your bedroom in colors that have the vibe you want in that space. And, so on.

8. Declutter

If you are a witch that prefers to work in a cluttered space that looks like it hasn’t been dusted in 100 years, go for it. But, personally, if my space is cluttered, I get distracted easily and it’s harder for me to focus.

9. Speak What You Want

Words are spells. Not just for witches.

The philosopher Lao Tzu once said, “Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”

It’s important to feel and process your emotions and co-regulate as needed with others, but consider his quote the next time you feel the urge to gossip or speak ill of yourself. Speak out loud that which you want to manifest into existence.