On Instagram and IRL, I talk a lot about my experience as a practicing witch and a Celtic Wiccan. I call myself "The Sick Witch" because I'm a disabled person whose daily care and recovery is just as integral to my life as my spirituality and witchcraft. However, my definition of a sick witch is so much broader than that.
To all of you beautiful folks who have been following me for years, I have endlessly appreciated our shared experiences being marginalized, ill and queer and the beautiful resilience you all demonstrate through our interactions. And so, if you wish, I believe you all can label yourselves as "sick witches" too.
To be a sick witch, having an interest in magick certainly helps since I will be talking about witchcraft, tarot and herbal medicine quite a bit on this blog. What I believe to be a defining characteristic of a sick witch, though, is:
- a person living with pain from disabilities, mental illness, trauma etc.,
- a person who feels like an outsider, and/or
- a person who has not felt truly seen, heard and helped, and therefore has found a way to survive through self care, magick and sheer will.
Witches are crafty. Witches know how to make do with very little, to turn shit into glitter, to turn pain into beauty, to get shit done. We refuse to quit when the pain becomes unmanageable. We refuse to be silenced when people gaslight and invalidate us. We refuse to die when the medical community would rather withhold treatment and blame us for our own suffering. So yeah, we are pretty fucking powerful.
In my experience, there is nothing more healing in the world than connecting with nature and tapping into the treasure trove that is our inner power, especially for those of us who are nursing traumatic wounding. Because witchcraft is so centered around nature and psychic manifestation, I hope that I can provide some comfort and tools to those of you who get something out of what I share on here and feel nourished by the natural world. We don't have to share a religion or spirituality to channel the forces of nature, the universe and our inner magick together.
Dealing with PTSD and chronic pain, I struggle every day to manage my symptoms and find my own ways of healing when narrow-minded, dismissive healthcare professionals fail to help me or believe me (which is, like, all the time). I make dozens of teas and tinctures to help manage my pelvic inflammatory disease, stomach issues, anxiety, immune system and pain in the body. I use ritual and spellwork to help myself ground, center, and find beauty and alternative solutions in a world that often feels unforgiving and uninhabitable towards disabled folks like me. As a Wiccan, I also have a relationship with deity, which impacts the magick I perform. My spirituality has kept hope and strength alive within me in my darkest moments, and my connection to the Earth and my own power has helped me pull myself up and out of darkness many, many times.
My goal for this blog is to continue to share my personal experiences in witchcraft, and to share magickal tools and practices that have supported me in my own journey towards wellness and peace. Witchcraft isn't for everyone. And for those who are witches or are interested in witchcraft, not everything I share will resonate with you and your own personal practice. And that's okay. Regardless, I hope that me sharing my magickal life with you all more fully can help further inspire empowerment and self love in your own journeys.
I love you all, and I am so appreciative of all of your support over the years. Being in community with you has helped me to grow, soften and breathe a little easier. That's why I'm excited to be sharing more fully with you all - through blog content, tarot readings, and whatever else is in our future (tinctures and teas, anyone?).
Blessed Be to all my precious sick witches,
-Sebastian
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