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Irish Witchcraft, with its rich tapestry of folklore and tradition, offers a unique way to bring a bit of magic into our everyday lives.Â
âš Post by Lora OâBrien
Focusing on the practical side of things, let’s explore some simple rituals and spells that can seamlessly integrate the essence of Irish Witchcraft into your day-to-day activities, without delving deeply into its religious or spiritual aspects.
Of course, you can include any of the Gods, Guides, and Guardians you work with, worship, or want to build relationships with, into your Irish Witchcraft practise right alongside the everyday spells and rituals. They can be powerful allies as you work your Craft.
However, itâs not necessary to believe in Gods or work with Ancestors in order to be an Irish Witch. You do you.
Morning Rituals for a Magical Start
Begin your day with a simple Irish-inspired ritual. As you wake up, take a moment to greet the day with a positive affirmation. We have some cracking seanfhocail (old sayings, ie. Irish proverbs), given how rich the Irish language is in poetic expression. Find one online that suits your day, or try one of the following:
- To focus on living in good community… Ar scĂĄth a chĂ©ile a mhaireann na daoine – It is in each othersâ shadow that people live.
- For better mental and physical health, accompanied by deep breaths… Maireann croĂ Ă©adrom i bhfad – a light heart lives long.
- To release negative elements or energies and draw positive ones… An donas amach is an sonas isteach – out with the badness and in with the goodness.
[Find Pronunciation Help on Abair.ie]
If you do want to bring a little ancestral guidance into your Irish Witchcraft, it’s simple to do that too. You might say something simple like, “I welcome the strength and wisdom of my ancestors to guide me through the day.” Or, write something that suits your intent more closely.
This practice sets a positive tone and connects you with the strength of your lineage as you begin your day.
>>> For Free Guidance on Ancestry – Click to Start Your Journey
You can also keep a small bowl of water near your window. This can be gathered rain or natural running water⊠but tap water will do, as youâll be charging it.Â
Echoing an old Bealtaine tradition for collecting the morning dew⊠Each morning, capture a bit of the dawn’s light in the water. Use this water to anoint yourself, envisioning the light filling you with energy and clarity for the day ahead.
Bringing Irish Witchcraft into Household Chores
I fecking hate housework. Like, when the Gods were handing out the Domestic Goddess Gifts, I was away in a bush somewhere reading my book.
However. Though household chores might seem mundane, they’re ripe with opportunities for simple spells.
There is a VERY long history of magical sweeping in Irish Witchcraft, for example. Dame Alice Kyteler was a famous Kilkenny business woman who was the first (and one of very few) recorded person condemned for Witchcraft in Ireland, in the 1300s. One of the stories recorded of her is that she would go through the streets of the town in the early hours of the morning, sweeping all the wealth of Kilkenny to the door of her son William.
>>> Read her full story in Irish Witchcraft from an Irish Witch, Available Here.
In more recent times, the National Folklore Collection, online at Duchas.ie, has a plethora of records collected in the 1930s about sweeping magic and good or bad luck, particularly at Samhain (November) and Bealtaine (May), but adaptable at any time. Some examples include:
Superstitions – Amongst other things supposed to bring bad luck was the sweeping out (of) of ashes or dust on the 1st May or 1st of November. [County Galway Folklore – The Schoolsâ Collection, Volume 0015, Page 280]
It is unlucky to sweep the dust out the door for you would be sweeping your luck out. [County Cork – The Schoolsâ Collection, Volume 0308, Page 138]
If a girl got a “broom” or brush on Nov. Eve & began sweeping up to a Fort whoever would come & finish it for her would be her husband. [County Galway again – The Schoolsâ Collection, Volume 0045, Page 0213]
May morning a woman with long tailed dress sweeping dew off neighbours field and squeezing the wet tail into her own land to take the cream off the neighbours. [County Kerry – The Schoolsâ Collection, Volume 0457, Page 893]
If you sweep out the house on November’s day you will be sweeping out your luck. [Sweeping lore was big round Galway, clearly – The Schoolsâ Collection, Volume 0084, Page 025]
So, when sweeping your own floors, imagine that you’re not just gathering dust but also sweeping away negative energy. For the record, I see no reason why a modern vacuum canât be used for this either, as long as you empty the bag or chamber outside, preferably (if at all possible), not on your own property!
If youâre doing the opposite though, and sweeping good things into your space, I think an old fashioned brush or broom will need to be employed.
You can re-use the above seanfhocail here too. For getting rid of the negative, say An donas amach, and for bringing in positive say An sonas isteach.Â
This transforms a routine task into a cleansing ritual, or prosperity/ success magic.
Irish Witchcraft in the Kitchen
Incorporating magic into your cooking is a delicious way to practise Irish Witchcraft. For a simple spell, you can bake bread while focusing on an intention. Bread holds a significant place in Irish tradition. Again from Duchas.ie we see:
Bread in the local district in former times was made principally from wheat. Some of this wheat was grown on the local farms but the greater amount of it was brought from foreign countries. There were three different kinds of bread made, namely Potato Cake, Stampy and the ordinary soda bread. Potato cake was made by kneading a little flour with potatoes and water with a little milk. Stampy was made of flour and water and when baked was of a flat nature. The soda cake contained a mixture of flour, bread soda and fermented sour milk and baked in a bastable. After the dough was kneaded and before being placed in the bastable two insertions were made with a knife in the shape of a cross so that the heat would go through the cuttings. Except where there were large families the bread was usually baked three times a week.
[County Limerick – The Schoolsâ Collection, Volume 0498, Page 131]
Our lovely friend and teacher at the Irish Pagan School, Amy O’Riordan (The Crafty Cailleach), has created a fantastic resource
>>> How To Make Traditional Irish Soda Bread (Video)
Bread was for more than just sustenance however, and featured too in charms and âcuresâ. Obviously, the following is not medical advice, if you have a problem please see a medical professional for advice. I hate to have to state the obvious there, but some of your US folk are fierce litigious!
- Cures – If you give a donkey a piece of bread to eat and hold your hand under his mouth and catch the crumbs and give them to the child to eat would also cure the whooping-cough. [County Meath – The Schoolsâ Collection, Volume 0703, Page 097]
- Local Cures: Chilblains – A very good cure for a chilblain is a white bread poultice. [County Wexford – The Schoolsâ Collection, Volume 0890, Page 184]
- Old Cures – When you have whooping cough if you go to a married person who has the same name as when she was single and ask her for a piece of bread or a grain of meal it will cure you. [County Cavan – The Schoolsâ Collection, Volume 0977, Page 155]
As you knead the dough, concentrate on a wish or goal, infusing it into the bread. When you enjoy the bread, you’re literally ‘eating’ your intention, making it part of you.
If you want to try this with an even more traditional recipe, please enjoy the following:
My mother told me that the following is the way old people used to make oat cake long ago. First they got a basin and put in enough oatmeal that would make a fair sized griddle cake. They then put in a handful of flour and some salt. Enough soft water was added that would make a paste. Then they would roll it out with a roller or a common bottle and let it stand for some time until hardened. It was baked on a griddle before a good clear fire. Very often it was eaten with butter and sugar before it would be properly baked. Sometimes buttermilk was taken along with it or drank after it. The old people say it was a good healthy form of food. People could fast for a long time after eating it. It was carried about in people’s pockets and eaten even while they walked or worked. It takes about five minutes to chew one piece properly. It was good for the teeth also.
[County Leitrim – The Schoolsâ Collection, Volume 0226, Page 470]
Is it just me now, or does that sound awfully like Tolkien got his notions of Elven Lembas bread from traditional Irish baking?!
Evening Rituals for Reflection and Peace
End your day with a simple ritual to clear your mind and space. Sitting by the fire of an evening is very much a part of Irish culture, and I dare say much in the way of divination and scrying would have been conducted in such a way.
If you donât have access to a hearth fire, light a candle and spend a few moments in quiet reflection. As the candle burns, imagine it absorbing your worries and transforming them into calm.
With a clear and calm mind, see what images play out in the flame, or if any feelings and messages are coming through for you. And if not, just take some relaxing breaths as you enjoy the peaceful meditation.
Before going to bed, you might want to say a traditional Irish blessing, and again we can turn to the seanfhocail. Find one that suits your mood, or go with something like, GĂĄire maith agus codladh fada, an dĂĄ leigheas is fearr i leabhar an dochtĂșra.
This means âA good laugh and a long sleep, the two best cures in the doctorâs bookâ, and can be a soothing way to end the day with a wish for said long sleep and healing, and perhaps even a good laugh in the morning!
Make Irish Witchcraft Part of Your Day
These simple rituals and spells are just a few ways to weave the magic of Irish Witchcraft into your everyday life. By incorporating these practices, you honour the traditions of old while adding a touch of contemporary magic to your daily routine.Â
Remember, the key to these practices is intention. It’s not about elaborate rituals but about finding small, meaningful ways to connect with the magic all around you.
âšWant to Learn More about Practical Irish Witchcraft?
If you have struggled to follow complicated spells and magical instruction, if you’ve bought every book and course on witchcraft or ceremonial magic, if you’ve tried to research folk magic traditions by yourself, if you’ve sought out academic instruction on cultures and traditions long dead, if you’ve diligently followed the step by step instructions of accomplished magic teachers but haven’t seen any noticeable results… then you’re about to discover the missing pieces from your magical practice.
Click Here to Access DraĂocht: Foundations in Irish Magic…Â
Learn Essential Magical Theory, Practical Skills, and an Introduction to Irish Magic for Complete Beginners. âš
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