How to Get in Touch with Your Inner Green Witch This Summer
Updated by Heather Lefebvre
Summer is (almost) here, and if you're anything like us, you're ready and eager to get out and commune with the outside world: feel the sun on your face, lie in the grass, wander through the woods, even go for a hike. Once the trees bloom, the sun comes out, and everything turns green, it's especially easy to see why some people see the divine in the nature all around us.
Yes, we're talking about modern witches ––green witches, in particular. And yes, you too can be a green witch this summer (if that's what you want)!
What is a Green Witch?
Green witchcraft isn't just for hippies, or avowed pagans who call themselves priestesses. Simply put, this spiritual practice is just a way to honor Mother Earth and recognize the grace in every blade of grass. (Where do you think we get the phrase "Mother Earth" from, if not a spiritual tradition of deifying the natural world? Gaia was a whole thing back in ancient Greece.)
While you may have noticed a rise of modern witchcraft and New Age witchery in general––like crystals and sage sticks as self-care––green witchcraft has been the biggest beneficiary of the trend. Back in 2017, longtime practicing witch and author Arin Murphy-Hiscock published a practical guide to this type of magick called The Green Witch : Your Complete Guide to the Natural Magic of Herbs, Flowers, Essential Oils, and More. The book became a bestseller––so popular, in fact, that a year later, Arin Murphy-Hiscock published The House Witch , another practical guide to modern witchcraft for would-be kitchen witches . Then, in 2020, podcaster and professional green witch Paige Vanderbeck––host of the podcast "The Fat Feminist Witch"––published her own guide on the way of the green witch, Green Witchcraft .
It's no wonder that green witchcraft has taken off more than other forms of magick. In short, nature is beautiful! You don't need a deep knowledge of tarot or chakras or the eight Sabbats of Wicca's Wheel of the Year to be a green witch. You just need to believe in the power of plants. (And perhaps invest in some apothecary items like essential oils. But isn't that just self-care, anyway?)
How to Get Started as a Green Witch This Summer
Well, witchcraft books like Arin Murphy-Hiscock's and Paige Vanderbeck's above are super, super helpful to learning the magical properties of various plants. But before you do that, you might do some thinking––and journaling.
Where do you want to center your witchy practice? There are as many kinds of witches as there are colors in the world; you're not stuck with kitchen witchery or white magic or or Wicca. (Or green witchcraft, for that matter!) So, is there a place that makes you feel the power of nature? Whether that place is your backyard, a public park in your city, or the nearest hikeable mountain, that's the place to be. Lean into it.
Do You Need a Coven?
No, you don't need a coven to practice natural magic or connect with Mother Earth as a green witch. Modern witches practice their magick just as much on their own, if not more, than they do with a group of witchy friends.
That being said, if you want the support and community that a coven provides, go for it! Just don't feel like you need to wait to learn natural magic until you find a coven in your town. Everyone takes their own path in witchery, and you don't need anything formal to start.
Do You Need a Grimoire?
See the above. You don't need anything so formal as a grimoire, aka spellbook, to explore folk magic. All you need is curiosity, that special place in the natural world that makes you feel a sense of wonder, and a "book of shadows."
A book of shadows is nothing more than a fancy name for a journal. You'll want to keep notes on the magical properties of various essential oils, herbs , and plants, as well as what happens and how you feel when you use these ingredients in a ritual.
Think of it like a diary or habit tracker: if you tracked your coffee habits and sleeping cycle for a month, only to discover (surprise, surprise) that you had trouble sleeping when you drank coffee after 2pm, wouldn't that be helpful to know? Well, if you keep using lavender essential oil while you're meditating and it just makes you sleepy instead of focused, you'd want to know that too. Maybe you'd want to swap out the lavender for some rosemary for clarity, instead.
The Way of the Green Witch: Paying Attention
Start with your happy place: your backyard, the community garden, that one crape myrtle tree planted in the sidewalk, wherever. If you live in a place that only has a balcony, or have to go to a park to get your dose of nature, that works too.
Take your (note)book of shadows with you and journal a bit about what you observe: the fat little wrens or sparrows hopping around, the tiny blooming flowers among the grasses, the squirrel or pigeon looking for the rare leftover. If this sounds like a basic self-care practice––journaling, or even a gratitude list––that's no coincidence. Witchery isn't all full moon rituals and cackling over a cauldron. Magick starts with intention, and intention starts with observation. To paraphrase the common saying, you can't visualize what you can't see.
So start observing. Learn to be present. Visualize your summer goals. And then, do your research. (Arin Murphy-Hiscock and Paige Vanderbeck are experts for a reason!)
Here's to a magical summer.
