October 6th, 2021
Estimated Read Time: 6 Minutes
Making things with one’s own hands is one of the best ways to participate in Wiccan traditions. After all, you can’t take the craft out of witchcraft! With that in mind, we wanted to talk about some DIY projects you can include in your magical practice.
If you’re feeling uninspired or disconnected from your life, making one of these witchy crafts is sure to bring your spark back!
Portable Altar
All witches have some kind of altar or shrine in their homes. But what do we do when we have to travel for work or even just go on vacation? We can’t pack up the whole altar and take it with us!
Well, that’s where having a portable altar comes in handy. To make one, you’ll need a wooden or metal box that’s no bigger than the size of your hand. Once you have that, you’ll start by decorating it however you want to.
On the one hand, you can paint the exterior and interior of the box and add various sigils on top. Alternatively, you can glue some decorative paper on the inside and keep the exterior bland, as was done in the above Magical Crafting video.
When you decorate the box according to your specifications, you can fill it with significant objects. In the video we have linked to, you’ll see that the objects in question can represent the four elements. So you can have candles, incense sticks, matches, crystals, feathers, a vial of salt, and so on. You can even use air-dry clay to make mini candle- and incense holders for your portable altar.
Book of Shadows
Over time, every witch starts developing a Book of Shadows, an inventory of her most-used spells and recipes. Even if you like performing rituals intuitively, you’ll eventually do one that’s so effective, you’ll want to remember it.
Of course, before you can start writing in your grimoire, you’ll have to make one. Many witches find that the act of binding the pages and creating the cover by hand prepares the notebook for its later usage. With that in mind, you’ll want to start by brainstorming some ideas for making your spellbook.
Ultimately, its appearance will depend on the type of magick you like to practice. For example, a green witch might use natural textures and materials to make her Book of Shadows. She might incorporate leaves, flowers, shells, or pebbles into the design of the pages. Alternatively, someone who channels their ancestors a lot might have darker imagery on the cover of their spellbook.
However you end up making your grimoire, we guarantee you’ll find the process fun. You may even decide to take up bookbinding as a hobby! In that case, you can also try making a Book of Wishes. A small notebook with all your goals and intentions is sure to keep you grounded throughout the year.
Wands and Brooms
Wands can be really useful tools for directing one’s energy during magical rituals. Moreover, every witch can make theirs according to their specifications. Making the base out of different kinds of woods can emphasize certain kinds of energy. Once you have your base, you can use different colored ribbons, crystals, and runes to further personalize the wand.
Similarly, there are several ways to go about making your witch’s broom or besom. Just remember that those are usually pretty small ritual cleansing objects. With that in mind, you could use pine needles for the brush itself, a wooden stick for the shaft of the broom, and twine to connect the two.
Once you have your ingredients, you can paint them whichever colors you want, attach the brush part to the shaft, and even add a charm or two into the mix. Alternatively, you can buy a small pre-made broom, and decorate it to your liking.
Our free Wicca 101 course provides the essential knowledge and skills
you need to start confidently practicing Wicca.
Join the Wicca Academy community today!
Divination Tools
If you like practicing divination, you could also make yourself some runes or even a pendulum divination board. Once again, there are different ways to do that. In the above Magical Crafting video, the runes were etched into the wooden discs with a burning tool. However, you could also paint them onto your base.
And the same goes for making a pendulum and a divination board. First, you’ll want to inscribe your board with all the typical markings. You can copy any image of a board you find online. Usually, the inner circle contains answers like yes, no, maybe, wait, now, and rephrase. Of course, if you want to keep it simple, having yes and no sections only should suffice.
As for the pendulum itself, you can make one by attaching a crystal pendant, stone, or even a key to the end of a metal chain or cord. You could also attach a decorative counterweight on the other end of the line. However, while that would help you hold onto it, it wouldn’t bring additional value to the pendulum.
Metal Jewelry and Gem Decor
If making a pendulum sparks an interest in jewelry, stock up on chains, beads, and various decorative charms. In addition to looking good, the necklaces, earrings, and bracelets you make can be infused with various kinds of magick. On top of that, you can use the materials we’ve mentioned to make decorative items like suncatchers.
And even if you don’t like the way metal jewelry looks, you can still busy your hands with weaving techniques to produce friendship bracelets and protection amulets. Different knots can carry different meanings, and the repetitive hand motions you’ll use to make them can manifest and attract energy. Besides, braiding jewelry is a good stepping stone toward more involved textile-based hobbies.
Scented Herbal Concoctions
Working with herbs to achieve one’s intentions is something most Wiccans enjoy. Some even take up gardening to enhance their connection with nature. But whether you dry your herbs yourself or buy them at a local herb shop, you probably already know your favorite combinations.
After all, everyone can master the art of making herb-infused oils, incense, and potpourri mixtures. All you need to do is understand the symbolic meanings of different ingredients. Once you do, you’ll be able to combine them to make everything from spiritual bath blends to jar spells.
Moreover, the knowledge of different scent profiles can even help you make soap. Just stick to the clear melt and pour base to make it easy on yourself.
Seasonal Wreaths and Other Decorative Pieces
Seasonal wreaths and home decor, in general, are a great way to get into the festive spirit. After all, the Wiccan holidays all have distinct visual identities, so to speak. So your wreath will look different based on the season you’re making it in — if you use natural ingredients, of course.
To build your wreath, you’ll start by making or simply buying a sturdy grapevine base. You could even create a crescent moon-shaped base if you wanted to. To fill up your wreath, you’ll use seasonal flowers, foliage, and other symbols of the holiday.
During Ostara, you could attach some foam eggs to the wreath to represent the rebirth of nature. Conversely, harvest festivals like Lughnasadh, Mabon, and Samhain might feature more grain, fruits, and vegetables to represent abundance.
Of course, making wreaths isn’t the only way to get into the holiday spirit. At Yule, you could make a Yule log centerpiece for your table or settle for a simple cinnamon stick candle holder. During Imbolc, making a Brigid’s cross would be more appropriate than hanging a wreath. Additionally, many pagans make Brigid dolls during that season, and corn dollies for the harvest.
Textile Hobbies
As we have previously stated, knotting thread is a meditative action that can help us set and realize our intentions. Therefore, handmade textile items can also be mediums for that energy, whether they’re friendship bracelets, macrame plant holders, embroidered pillows, or crochet scarves.
If you want to take up knitting, cross-stitch, or even sewing, there are several ways to go about it. You can either jump right into sewing your own clothes or practice with pillows, bags, and doll outfits.
Kitchen Magick
Kitchen magick is one of the most complex kinds of witchcraft a Wiccan could take on. It requires us to understand the meaning of different materials in a magickal sense but also their real-world function. Still, since enjoying different baked goods is one of the best things about the Wiccan festival cycle, you might as well learn how to infuse that food with your intentions too!
So Which Craft Will You Try Next?
One of the best things about the DIY projects we’ve listed is that they can help us connect with our bodies even when that might seem impossible. After all, our lives are so busy nowadays, it’s easy to feel disconnected. But the simple act of creating something with our own hands is often enough to make us feel inspired and joyful!
Check out our other articles:
Sigils for Newcomers
Jar Spells Made Simple
Get to Know Your Familiar
Kitchen Magick for Beginners
Moon Phases and Simple Rituals
See All Articles
Love this article? Share the magick with your friends and loved ones!