Magick Without Stuff

I am currently on holiday in London. Right now, I have no crystal ball, no oracle cards, no divination tools and no witchcraft books. I wondered what I could use to divine the future. The answer that came to me almost instantly was clouds: I could read the clouds.

I have probably written before about magick without "stuff". One thing that bothers me about my favourite witchcraft books is that they are essentially recipe books – recipe books that require ingredients. They require stuff: coloured candles, coloured ribbons, essential oils, spices and more. I want to develop my magickal abilities separate from the stuff of the world. What's more, I often don't have the right ingredients. I might be able to scare up some ground cinnamon, but I don't have lady's mantle, the use of a horse, or a hunk of root ginger in the shape of a man.

So, how does one practise magick without things? Can a beginner witch or psychic get by without all this stuff?

I think it's possible to specialise in the magick of the mind. The specialism that comes to mind is astral projection. Is it possible to fly about the universe, tethered to your physical body only by a strong thread if one doesn't have a background in the magick of stuff? Can you travel through the ethers if you don't know the basics of cord and candle magic?

I like to think that stuff is a distraction. It's pretty. It's collectable. Like everyone else, I love a piece of shiny red ribbon. Love a candle. I just don't think it's necessary to accumulate it all. Personally, I believe that all you need to get started is a few moments of peace and solitude.

Meditation is the basic building block. For meditation, all you need is to be able to sit somewhere quietly by yourself. You can start with as little as a minute or two. Meditation is not about conquering your mind, it's about getting comfortable with it. With your own thoughts. I am lucky that I have the time and space to do that. That said, I don't meditate as much as I feel called to.

So I'm going to begin meditating more. I'm starting right now, here on holiday. I am dedicating myself to quit buying stuff, accumulating stuff, wanting stuff. I'll see how long I can get along without magickal things while still being a magickal person. Luckily, I already have a well-stocked magickal library so I can always read when I cannot buy. I'll read about astral projection, about meditation and more. I hope to tell you all about my stuff-free adventures.