Here's our last round of questions for 2024!
Welcome back to our monthly advice column! This is December's list of questions, and a great wrap up for a year in the Christian Witch community. Wishing everyone a very happy New Year, and a great twelve months of learning, growing, and witching with God!
Remember: if you have any questions, all you have to do is check out this Google Form right here and fill it out with your question!
Now for all this good conversation!
How Do You Choose a Tarot Deck?
"How do I choose a tarot deck?" —Lena
Hi, Lena!
Honestly, there's no right or wrong way to do this. Choose decks based on what speaks to you! When you look for decks, consider:
their art style (there are so many different themes of tarot art!)
whether they have reversed meanings or not (I recommend decks with reversed meanings)
their size (are they massive or easy to tuck into a purse?)
Take some time to hold each deck, read about it, look into the artist, and see what resonates with you. What matters is you have a deck that you love to look at and that feels good to shuffle—and that's really it!
How Has Your Perception of God Changed?
"Since reading God: An Anatomy, how has your perception of God changed?" —Moses
Hi, Moses!
This is a great question. That book is a treasure trove of information, truly solid archaeological and anthropological work. However, when it comes to my view of God as a result of it, I actually found my view of God becoming more intimate and easy to connect with, even for all the craziness Stavrakopolou talked about, precisely because it showed an image of God that wasn't this lofty, distant being in the sky, but a mighty, deep-feeling, active being that feels remarkably human as much as divine.
It's been a lot easier to look at God and see not just God, whatever this insanely loaded word means to people, but also an ally, a hero, a complex figure, a wrathful thing that lashes out in His anger, a guiding and familial force. It's easier to step back and realize that at the end of the day, even God has a messy backstory—and if He can have a messy past and still be God, then anyone can have a messy past and still have a future.
Wildest book I ever did read about God, but also one of the best, I gotta say.
Is All This World Just an Illusion?
"I struggle with non dual Christianity so much: the thought that this reality is not real, nothing matters, that everything is an illusion. I hate this. I as a Christian Witch believe in loving God, each other, and ourselves. If nothing matters then how can we care, love, grow spiritually, and experience joy in our beautiful world? I see more and more of these videos and also some dire and depressing Gnostic ones too. How do you feel about this concept?" —Patzy
Hey, Patzy!
So, this question reminds me of the difference between Nihilism and Absurdism. Whereas both of these philosophies acknowledge that nothing really matters in the world, their approaches to this idea differ radically. One will either accept the meaninglessness of life, and even try to tear down any systems that would suggest otherwise (Nihilism), while the other would accept the objective meaninglessness of life while acknowledging people can find subjective meaning—meaning that is specific person to person (Absurdism).
And I feel that I agree with the idea that life is inherently meaningless—but I take an Absurdist approach to it, in that we have to define what is meaningful to ourselves even if the world at large has no reason to exist. While Absurdism's founder, Albert Camus, would insist that our belief in a God has us actually committing "philosophical suicide," I.E. refusing to accept meaninglessness in life and clinging to a belief in a cosmic Other just to avoid this truth, I argue that I actually don't avoid that truth at all, because I acknowledge that God didn't have to make us in the first place.
God didn't have to create this world. He didn't have to do anything He's done. And as far as I know, He's done it all just for fun. None of us on this earth, and hell, not even the earth itself, are necessary to His being or His self-experience. We're here solely because He wants us to be, and there's nothing more to it than that, really.
But that, in my opinion, is the glory. We don't have to be here, and we have no inherent meaning... yet here we are anyway, and here we are making meaning. Making it with God, no less. We build this relationship, we weave this story together, we push and pull on each other for no other reason than because we can. That doesn't mean all the love we show and feel, both to God and ourselves, isn't real or isn't of any value. It just means that we have to actively decide it has value. After all, there are many things I love that people think are meaningless—but the meaninglessness of art or music or books to others doesn't change how much they mean to me. Doesn't change how much I enjoy them or want them to exist.
Don't feel scared at the idea that this world is inherently meaningless. Feel inspired, because that means this world is a totally blank slate, and that you ca put emphasis and meaning into anything you choose for the sake of creating a beautiful world with God.
How Do I Restore My Faith in God?
"This is more faith based, if that’s okay, but I would like to know your take. How might I restore my faith in God when He seems silent and I can’t hear Him?" —Anonymous
Hey, there!
It sounds like you're going through something that St. John of the Cross called, "the dark night of the soul." (This is separate from the less popular term he coined, "the dark night of the senses.") With the dark night of the soul, there's a sense that God has disappeared, or that at least we can't really sense Him as much; it's like our senses are dead to Him, and so too is all our motivation, interest, and connection with him. At least, that's how it seems.
However, these times exist precisely to test you the way you're being tested now. How do you restore your faith in a God you can neither see nor hear? How do you hold onto a faith where the Being you're faithful to seems to not be there for you? It's a struggle that many a mystic have gone through, whether Saints like St. John or even prophets in the Bible like Elijah. This is a time of purification, ironically—because its a time where God reminds us that all the ways we shape our understanding of Him are wrong, as God is simply too big to be understood.
When we get too comfortable with how we interact with God, this tends to happen. It's a part of what's called apophatic mysticism, in which all our associations, images, ideas, and frames of God are systematically deleted, until absolutely nothing remains except the raw, unnamed Nothingness of an ineffable God. Every image we make of God (kataphatic mysticism) is arguably more harmful to our ability to connect than less, because no image or idea we can attach to God can ever truly encompass Him, therefore limiting our ability to fully experience Him. That's why God destroys those images until it feels like He's disappeared altogether.
Keep your chin up. Trust that this time will pass, and that by being patient and accepting God's methods here, you'll only grow closer to Him, not farther.
How Do I Find Appropriate Folk Christian Resources?
"What's a good place for resources on Folk Christianity, and how do I navigate it without stepping on toes and appropriating Folk Catholicism?" —CT
Hi, CT!
So, let me just tell you off the back: there's no really appropriating the Catholicism aspect of folk Catholicism. Catholicism has forced itself on like, a solid third of the world at this point, maybe more; the RCC bitches and moans all the time about syncretic traditions because it's "not true to the Catholic faith," and all I can say to that is that the RCC shouldn't have forced people to be Catholic if they didn't want that to happen.
However, you can appropriate specific traditions, and so what's really important to do is find out what tradition your family is coming from. Even me, as a Slavic person, doesn't have a right to certain aspects of Slavic magic because they're initiation-based (specifically zagovori); those I can't touch because of both lack of resources and sheer respect for the tradition. Other traditions yet actually have roots outside of Slavic tradition altogether, like reading fortunes from coffee grounds, which comes from the Turkish. This is not appropriation for me to do because... the Balkans only knows about it through centuries of Ottoman colonization and oppression. As far as I'm concerned, if people pick up your practices from your brutal occupation of their lands, you lose the right to bitch about people outside your culture using it.
Look into your culture's superstitions, folk medicine, and folk magic, and see how they thought of plants and spirits. See what mystics from those cultures thought (like St. Hildegard of Bingen for Germany), and see what people would do for good luck, health, for holidays, etc. This will take you farther than trying to just search "folk magic" in general!
What Does Exodus 22:18 Mean?
"Hi! I've been struggling on my journey with witchcraft and Christianity. I just wanted to ask your opinion on the verse in the Old Testament, Exodus 22:18. I know some Christians don't follow the Old Testament. Thank you so much. Love your videos." —Anonymous
Hi, friend!
I've addressed this a few times on TikTok, as well as in Discovering Christian Witchcraft. In fact, let me give you a little snippet from the book on this exact verse:
But truthfully, what Exodus 22:18 boils down to is doing magic that’s unauthorized—and painting that magic, specifically, as evil. Because the ritual to cure leprosy in Leviticus 14, which requires two birds, one of those birds’ blood, cedar, hyssop, and red thread, was a perfectly normal and justified piece of magic when used officially by the Levite priests. However, those same priests, just the same as the priests and augurs of any other official religion of any of the Israelites’ neighbors, couldn’t have had competition like this—not only because there were associations with evil and demon-working and hexing that could cause obvious harm to the community, but because it would destabilize the hierarchy of religious leadership itself. It would perhaps undermine the religious authority given to them as the tribe of Levi, God’s designated priests. After all, as John Dominic Crossan asks in The Historical Jesus, “if a magician’s power can bring rain, for what do you need the power of temple priesthood or rabbinical academy?” If a single, solitary magician can be his own priest, for what does one even need the hierarchical structure of church in the first place?
Within this verse is a specific connotation to poisoners, to magic that is harmful, a la the Hebrew word mekhashepah that is translated into "sorceress"—and in a society where the priests were the ones responsible for undoing "evil" and "harmful" magic, it also became something political. It doesn't have anything to do with what Christian Witches do today.
How Do I Reconnect with Ancestral Christian Magic?
"Hi Sara, thank you for being so open with your faith and practice. I believe my family has practiced christian folk magic for generations but unfortunately most of those that did have passed on, and the little that is still known is passed off as old wives tales. I really feel called to come back to my roots but I don't know where to start? Are there any books or podcasts you would recommend for someone beginning their journey?" —Anonymous
Hi there!
So right away, the first thing you want to do is figure out where your family comes from. A lot of Christian folk magic, when you want to get into a specific style of it, has way less to do with being Christian and way more to do with being Italian, German, etc. All of these cultures have been Christian for centuries, but they all have different ways of going about their folk magic.
If you do have any old wives' tales, though, start with those! Look into your culture's folktales, stories, and superstitions. Those bread crumbs will lead you to the origins of such practices, potentially in pre-Christian beliefs, and how they work. You'll want to look for scholarly sources like those from ethnologists, anthropologists, or archaeologists, though; while "witchy" books can be great for getting started (if you can find good ones about your specific culture), these scholars will have the plain stories there to look at that you can glean information from. (For example: a lot of legal records on witch accusations will, hilariously, detail exactly how the "witch" in question did his or her workings, which will tell you a lot about what folk magic might've looked like if you can read between the lines; special prayers, special materials, special times of the day or month or year, these are things to look out for). Consider also folk medicine and what remedies people used when doctors were nowhere to be found—especially in rural, mountainous areas that were hard to get to.
It's a lot of digging, that's for sure, but it's also really fun, so enjoy your search!
How Do I Get Started Learning About the Christian Part of Christian Witchcraft?
"Hi! You've been a huge source of inspiration for me to try to understand Christianity and how it can be incorporated into witchcraft. I've been exploring the idea of dedicating more of my craft to Christian witchcraft, even just for a bit to better understand both, but I don't know where to start. Do you have any advice or recommendations especially, for someone who's never studied the Bible before?" —Anonymous
Hello!
Thank you for your kind words; I'm flattered, and I'm glad that I could help you along your way in Christian Witchcraft! Of course, outside of reading Discovering Christian Witchcraft, the next best thing, especially when it comes to intertwining the Christianity with the Witchcraft, is to look into mysticism and folk magic. Your ancestors have likely already been weaving their faith and magic together for centuries, and the mystics themselves are all about that direct connection with God (visions, miracles, Godly living, etc.).
However, to make the most sense of things the mystics say, I highly suggest checking out The New New Testament by Hal Taussig to start. Eventually, you'll want to look at the whole Bible, of course, but this collection of New Testament works is amazing because it has both the canonical parts (the Gospels, Acts, Paul's letters, etc.) and the parts that got tossed out despite their importance to early Christians—including incredible poems like The Thunder: Perfect Mind. Taking a mystic eye to these things and seeing what they say beyond the words at face value will be incredible for realizing just how truly magical Christianity already is, and what values you should be framing your magic through.
When Do We Pray vs. Cast Spells? Is There a Difference?
"If we consider spellcraft to be your will/petition layed upon the universe, what is the real difference between it and prayer? I'm curious to when you think it is better to pray vs do a spell. I notice those who pray tend to be more stoic, aka accepting God's will is not under their mortal control, and those who do spellcraft become more rooted in their own personal power." —Viera
Hi, Viera!
You ask a really good question, but the truth is that for the Christian witch specifically... there is no difference between these two things. Prayer and spellcraft are completely synonymous when it comes to doing formal workings.
When we have witches who have different religious/philosophical structures, they might use spellcraft more like the way you're defining it. Back in ancient times, too, this was the path of folks who actively tried to put spirits under their control for certain workings. Others, like priests (and certain types of "good" magicians that petitioned gods for help rather than tried to twist their arm backwards to do stuff for them) would do their spells more as rituals, intercession, invocation, etc. As Christian witches especially, though, it should go without saying that God's will trumps our will. (Why, as a Christian, would you ever want to go against what God's trying to work into your life?)
All that said, though, notice I said these are synonymous for the Christian witch in formal workings. By that I mean: all my spellwork essentially just becomes a mini-sermon, where I do prayers of praise, of intercession, and of thanksgiving. It's during times of high holiday, or of regular ritual (like the first of the month), or astral events (new/full moons), that I'll pull out these big workings that look like what we think of as spellwork, even though the things being said are still prayers and still put the onus on God as to whether or not they'll actually work. That's not the same as my everyday prayers, where I'm basically just giving thanks, talking to God (just in my head or via tarot), or praying for other people quickly. There's a more immediate, "anywhere/anytime" feel to those prayers vs. what I call spellwork. I can't tell you when to do one or the other, but maybe this will make it make sense as to when you'd want to do one or the other.
Do I Have to Read the Whole Bible to Be Christian?
"As someone raised atheist, turned pagan, now grappling with belief in God and interest in teachings of Jesus, do I have to read the whole entire bible? And how can I accomplish that task? I feel like following every word in the bible exactly isn’t the same as following God or even the teachings of Jesus but I am no expert, of course." —Anonymous
Hey, there!
Well, I'll tell you: you definitely should read the whole Bible just so you can get the whole story. After all, the Bible as a text spans literally centuries and covers so much of the history of the relationship between God and His people. You wanna know that just like any pagan would want to know the stories and myths of their gods to better understand the gods' personalities, functions, origins, etc.!
However, reading the whole Bible doesn't mean following the whole Bible. It's quite literally impossible to "follow the whole Bible" because the context of each book within it is so specific: they address specific people, specific times, specific laws for specific reasons. It wouldn't make sense for you to try following the law of the Israelites while Paul is out there talking about how we're liberated from that exact law in Galatians 3 a la the death and resurrection of Christ:
For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
—Galatians 3:10-14 (emphasis mine)
So, like... you see what I'm saying. The Bible really shouldn't be treated as a massive rulebook, but more a storybook, as well as something that'll show you God's values and where He stays consistent. And if you do read anything, you definitely want to read all four Gospels and Acts. That's the actual story of Jesus and then the story of the Apostles after Jesus ascends.
As for how, easy: by taking it a little at a time. You don't have to read the whole Bible in a week. Maybe read one book, or even one chapter of a book, every week, and really study it: the language, the terms used, the places that appear, the way the narrative weaves itself. Study it like you'd study a book in English class; read between the lines and see what the deeper meaning beyond the text at face value. Read scholarly commentaries and critiques, too, or get a good study Bible like the Jewish Study Bible and Jewish Annotated New Testament. They'll help things make way more sense and help you get a way better appreciation for it all.
How Do You Consecrate a Tarot Deck?
"How do you recommend consecrating a tarot deck? Do you pray to God directly every time you use it or is it 'understood' that you are asking God the question?" —Corey
Hi, Corey!
For me, whenever I get a new tarot deck, I'll cleanse it with frankincense, a bell, or if it won't hurt the cards, holy water. I offer it up to God as a sacrifice, labeling it as a tool of His possession to use to tell me whatever He wants to tell me. If I ever have to use a deck for a different spirit, like with my Interview with the Gods series, I'll ask Him to let that spirit use it and knock on the deck to knock any old energy from past readings out. Then I'll knock it again to "give it back" to God when I'm done.
It really doesn't have to be more complicated than that, and once I do that initial consecration, that's it! Then whenever I do tarot with God, I just ask which deck He wants to use (since they all explain each card differently) and go about my business. It's always implied that the cards are nothing more than a tool that God's using to speak to me; there's never anything the cards themselves are doing because they're just card stock with pictures.
Ask Your Questions!
Remember, all your questions can go to this Google form, so don't hesitate to reach out! I'm looking forward to seeing what questions people have in the future, and I hope this has been a helpful read! Thank you everyone who participated!
—Sara
Sara Raztresen is a Slovene-American writer, screenwriter, and Christian witch. Her fantasy works draw heavily on the wisdom she gathers from her own personal and spiritual experience, and her spiritual practice borrows much of the whimsy and wonder that modern society has relegated to fairy-and-folktale. Her goal is to help people regain their spiritual footing and discover God through a new (yet old) lens of mysticism.
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