In the past few months, I've traveled around the country promoting Intuitive Witchcraft: How To Use Intuition to Elevate Your Craft. One of the most common questions I'm asked is, "How does intuitive witchcraft work?"

The simple answer is that intuitive witchcraft is all about accessing your intuition at every stage of your magic. By being aware of all of the options available to you, you can choose items and methods that are most relevant to your magic.

Some of my ideas for writing Intuitive Witchcraft came about from experiences with spells and rituals that didn't resonate with me. Something about them seemed more like a cookbook approach as opposed to something I actually felt inside of me. Additionally, many times, I didn't have all of the ingredients or I didn't want to work with the deity or a spirit they used. Other times, I didn't like the methods, magical actions, or the words of the spell. Those spells and rituals felt more like someone else's magic than my own, because they were.

There's nothing wrong with using someone else's spells or rituals, especially if they resonate with you. However, designing your own spells and rituals according to your intuition is much more rewarding. You're almost guaranteed to identify with the magic more if you create it yourself.

This article explores how to get in touch with your intuition, how to design your own intuitive magic, and how to make that intuitive magic come alive.

Connect with Intuition
The first step of intuitive magic is to connect with your intuition. There are many ways to do this, but often, the easiest way is to take a deep breath and ground into your body. Connect with the tips of your toes, your feet, your legs, your hips, your spine, your stomach, your chest, your shoulders, your arms, your hands, your neck, your jaw, your eyes, and the top of your head.

Listen to Your Body for Magical Inspiration
Now that you're in your body, sense what's showing up. Get still and listen to your body. The main point is to hear your intuition and allow it to inspire your magic. This will help your magic travel in the path of least resistance because it's something that you feel called to do.

If you feel tension, don't release it—many people have a tendency to energetically fix their problems without paying attention to the message. This is what's known as "spiritual bypassing." It might make you feel better in the moment, but it's not the best way to deal with a problem. If your body is holding constrained energy, it's a sign that something has been triggered and your intuition desires to work through it.

Sit with any tension you may have and pay attention to what it's telling you. You'll use this information to inspire your magic. For example, a knot in your stomach could tell you that you feel uneasy around a certain person. This could inspire protection magic to keep your energy more secure around them or a binding spell to prevent that person from interacting with you. You could also view that stomach-knot energy as an opportunity to express your boundaries to them. If that's the case, you'd do intuitive magic for confidence and communication.

If you don't have tension in your body, you may feel light or expansive energy. This is often the case with positive emotions such as inspiration, love, and excitement. Identify where you feel that sensation and listen to the message about what kind of magic you should do. For example, if your mind feels like it's sparkling with creative energy, your intuitive magic could include connecting with your muse spirit or doing an art project blessing. Or, if you feel excitement in your chest, you might want to do love magic.

If you're unsure what your intuition is saying to you, tune into it further. Take some deep breaths and meditate on the predominant question in your mind. For example, you could ask yourself, "What do I feel right now?" Close your eyes and ask yourself this question with each full exhalation, over and over. When I do this exercise, often times, I receive an answer that feels right within a couple of minutes. If you're still feeling blocked, do some self-care and try again after a couple of hours.

Create an Intention and Goals with Your Intuitive Message
Once you have a handle on your intuitive feeling and the magic you feel inspired to do, write them down. Use words like, "I feel_________," and, "The kind of intuitive magic I feel called to do is______________."

Turn these into an intention, using words that intuitively resonate with you. Write down a few goals as well.

Choose an Intuitive Magical Action
Now that you have your internal work done, it's time to design your magic. Ponder what kind of magical action will assist you. Think about the energetic gap between where you are right now and where you want to be. Which action would best represent the transformation of this energy? In other words, what action could you perform that would help you achieve your goals? Use your intuition to figure out what feels best. Common actions include burning, combining, creating, planting, growing, destroying, lighting (as in a candle), releasing, containing, freeing, charging, binding, and transforming.

Choose Personal Correspondences for Your Magic
Look around you at the materials you have on-hand to do this work. Consider herbs, colors, crystals, oils, and anything else you have available. Evaluate each ingredient by connecting with the energy—as you feel the energy, ascertain whether you're drawn to them for this magic or not. Collect the items to which you're intuitively drawn.

Choose Which Spirits or Gods You'll Call In
You may wish to call upon some deities or spirits for the magic. Feel their energy and use your intuition to assess whether they feel right for the magical work or not. Write down which ones upon which you'll call.

Choose How to Raise Energy
Raising energy is important because it puts you in a higher state of energy than when you started, which makes the magical action magical. The amount of energy you raise will go directly toward your intention and goals.

How can you raise energy in the most effective manner? Choose a way that's in alignment with your magical action and the general feeling of your magic. Common ways to raise energy include dancing, singing, expressing your desires or frustrations, listening to music, making music, chanting, breath work, drawing energy from nature, and walking in a circle.

Choose If You'll Cast a Circle
Not every magical act needs a circle, but if you need a container for your energy or protection from malignant spirits, a circle may be an appropriate choice. Decide what kind of circle you'll use and how you'll cast it by using your intuition as to which method suits your magic best. If you're doing simple spellwork, feel free to skip the circle.

Make Intuitive Magic
Now it's time to put your intuitive witchcraft together. Here are the steps I usually take for my intuitive rituals. Note that nearly every step has the influence of intuition.

1. Cast a circle in your intuitively chosen manner.
2. Call upon the gods or spirits that resonate with the magic.
3. Speak your intuitive intentions and goals out loud.
4. Raise the energy until you intuitively feel it reach a higher level.
5. Use your personal correspondences for the magic (perhaps with the intuitive magical action).
6. Perform the intuitive magical action.
7. The work is done! Release the energy toward your intentions and goals. Envision the energy doing the work you desire.
8. Release the gods/spirits.
9. Release the circle.

If your intuition tells you to change anything while you're in the middle of the magic, go with the flow. Make changes that feel right according to your intuition. For example, if you intuit that lavender oil is necessary in the spell, by all means, go get it! Or if you feel that a deity has shown up and it feels right to invite them in, do so. The best thing you can do when it comes to intuitive witchcraft is to be in constant communication with your intuition about how to work the magic.

Conclusion
Intuitive witchcraft may seem a bit more labor-intensive at first. While it's true that it likely takes more time than other magic, I believe it's worth the effort. When we use intuition to create magic, it's more in alignment with ourselves, how we feel, and what we need in the moment. In other words, we show up for ourselves magically. This is an important step in building trust with intuition, which will exponentially advance your magical knowledge and confidence.

With time and practice, accessing your intuition will become easier and your intuitive witchcraft will become second nature. For more information and details on the process of using intuition in magic and the many other ways you can use intuition in your practice, check out Intuitive Witchcraft: How To Use Intuition to Elevate Your Craft.