TLDR: Read this first
- You do not have to do rituals every day to be a real witch. Being a witch is a way of living, not a checklist you have to complete.
- Everyday magic means weaving intention into ordinary life: a candle at your desk, a tarot card before bed, a grounding stone in your hand during a hard meeting.
- A real practice ebbs and flows. It gets more intensive in a crisis and quieter when life is steady, and both of those count.
- The “I’m not doing enough” feeling usually comes from comparing your actual life to social media, not from any real rule about what witches must do.
- Guest Lisa Hagen, a longtime community member and astrologer, shares how 25 years of practice became normalized, and how following that thread opened a whole new chapter.
I’m Sara Walka, founder of The Sisters Enchanted, and since 2016 I’ve been helping women come home to themselves and remember they were born magic. One of my favorite parts of this whole thing is getting to meet the people in our community and watch them burst forth as magical people in their own way. So on a recent Stay Magic Podcast episode, I handed the mic to one of ours: Lisa Hagen, a longtime member who’s been a witch for about 25 years and now runs her own astrology practice.
Here’s the thing we kept circling back to, and it’s the thing I hear from newer witches constantly: am I even doing this right? I’m not lighting candles every night. I haven’t done a full moon ritual in months. Does that make me a fake? Spoiler: no. This whole conversation is basically the long, warm answer to why.
Definition: Everyday Magic
Everyday magic is the practice of weaving spiritual intention into ordinary life, so that being a witch becomes a way of living rather than a list of rituals you have to complete. In a Sisters Enchanted approach, your practice is allowed to ebb and flow with your seasons: more intensive when you’re in a hard time, quieter and normalized when life is steady. Both count.
Do you have to do rituals every day to be a real witch?
No. You do not have to do rituals every day, every week, or on any particular schedule to be a real witch. Lisa has been at this for about 25 years, and when she describes her practice now, the word she reaches for is “normalized.” Some seasons she’s doing a ritual every full moon and every new moon. Other seasons she’s pulling one tarot card before bed, or listening to a meditation to connect with her guides, and calling it good. Neither version makes her more or less of a witch.
She actually compares it to how she used to practice Catholicism, sometimes at church every Sunday and every holiday, sometimes not. The intensity moved with her life. What stayed constant wasn’t the ritual count. It was the way she carries herself. She lives by a simple ethic: if she puts something negative out, it comes back threefold, so she doesn’t use magic to get her way or to manipulate anyone. That kind of witchy integrity runs in the background 24/7, whether or not there’s a candle lit.
“I don’t use magic to get my way. I don’t use magic to manipulate other people. I just use magic for personal intention.”
— Lisa Hagen, Astrologer
What does everyday magic actually look like day to day?
It looks like keeping your magic within arm’s reach and letting it hold you through an ordinary day. Lisa works from home, and her office is also her altar. She’s surrounded by the witchy things: tarot cards, books, candles and incense to light, crystals and rocks to hold. So when a Zoom call goes sideways and she needs to ground, everything she needs is right there. She says it helps her feel like a strong witch even while she’s doing her nine-to-five inside the patriarchy.
I do the exact same thing, honestly. I’ve got a squishy thing at my desk for nervous system support, a pyrite ball I’m always tossing around when nobody’s watching, and candles right there when I want them. It’s all within reach. That’s the whole idea. Everyday magic isn’t a separate event you schedule. It’s the stuff you keep close so you can reach for it in the middle of regular life.
“Everything’s in reach for me to grab, to just help ground me and make me feel like I’m a strong witch even though I’m working at this in the patriarchy.”
— Lisa Hagen, Astrologer
Simple everyday magic practices
- Keep a candle and incense within reach of where you work, and light them when you need a reset.
- Pull one tarot card when you want some quick guidance, no full spread required.
- Listen to a short meditation before sleep to connect with your guides.
- Keep a grounding stone or crystal nearby to hold during a stressful call or meeting.
- Do a full moon ritual when you can, and when you can’t, let that be fine.
Why do so many witchy women feel like they aren’t doing enough?
Because they’re comparing their real, busy lives to a highlight reel. I talk to so many people who are new to all of this, and there’s so much identity confusion: am I a witch, am I not, what does that word even mean, am I Wiccan, am I pagan, am I Christian and also a witch? And a lot of that spirals straight into the old story of not doing enough, not being enough, because you’re not doing all the things you see on social media.
Here’s the truth of the matter, and I’ll say it plainly: most of us are just trying to live our lives too. When possible, I’ll do the full moon ritual. When it’s not possible, I’ll sleep if I need to sleep, cook dinner, and do the thing I actually have to do. The women I know who’ve been walking this path for 15 or 25 years aren’t performing witchcraft around the clock. They let it become a way of living. So if you’ve been quietly wondering whether you’re a real witch because your practice doesn’t look like someone’s reel, you can put that down.
“When possible, I will do a full moon ritual. When not possible, I will sleep if I have to sleep.”
— Sara Walka, Founder, The Sisters Enchanted
Does your magical practice have to look the same forever?
No. It’s supposed to change, and Lisa’s story is a good illustration of why. When she was in crisis, she did more, leaning on ritual to bring herself back to baseline. When life normalized, she did less and trusted that being a good person and doing the right thing was enough to keep her steady. The practice flexed to meet the season she was in.
A big one for her was menopause. Her body changed completely, so she leaned on medical astrology, along with herbology and a bit of what she’d learned about traditional Chinese medicine, to adjust her diet and the herbal teas she drinks as her body fluctuated between cold and hot, moist and dry. That’s her lived experience, not medical advice, but it’s a beautiful example of a practice adapting to a changing life instead of staying frozen. If you want more on why growth doesn’t move in a straight line, we talk about that in our post on spiritual growth being a spiral, not a straight line.
“If I’m in crisis, then I’m doing a lot more to bring myself back to normal. But if I’m normalized, I just feel like by being a good person and doing the right thing.”
— Lisa Hagen, Astrologer
How do you own your practice around people who don’t get it?
You get to decide who you tell and when, and you can meet people in language they understand without giving up what your practice means to you. Lisa says once she’s out of the closet, she’s out. She doesn’t announce it at her corporate job, especially where her income depends on the relationship, so she gets to know people first. Everywhere else, she’s comfortable, and if someone has a negative reaction, she figures they can educate themselves, and she’s happy to help if they actually want to learn.
She has Christian friends who happily do astrology with her, and Christian friends who don’t, and she doesn’t let it damage the relationship either way. Because she went to Catholic school, she’s comfortable speaking that language when she’s with people who love it, using the words they’re more comfortable with while knowing exactly what those words mean to her. I get this completely. My husband and I have very religious extended family, and I’ll happily say the family prayer at a holiday dinner in service of my grandparents. It’s not that I don’t understand gratitude and thanking something for the land, the food, and our family. It’s that I know what it means to me, and that’s what matters. If you want more on why living authentically sometimes ruffles feathers, that’s the heart of our post on being disruptive on purpose.
“I’m just using the words that they’re more comfortable with, and I know what it means to me, and that’s all that truly matters.”
— Lisa Hagen, Astrologer
What happens when you stop performing and start living it?
Doors open. Lisa found The Sisters Enchanted during the pandemic, went through a stretch of starting classes and not finishing because she was scared, and then came back and followed the thread anyway. She built an astrology practice, said yes to in-person expos even though selling herself terrified her, and started meeting people who genuinely wanted the work. She isn’t out there dragging anyone to her table. She sits down, and the right people show up.
That tracks with something I believe all the way down, and it might be the most woo thing I’ll say all year: when you’re actually in your purpose, it’s not that hard. There are hard parts, don’t get me wrong. But the thing you dreaded being impossible usually isn’t as impossible as you feared, because you’re finally following the energetic thread instead of forcing it. Lisa followed hers all the way into her own practice, Triple Moon Goddess. And it started with her letting her magic be a normal, everyday part of a normal, everyday life.
“I really do think when you’re in your purpose, it’s not that hard.”
— Sara Walka, Founder, The Sisters Enchanted
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have to practice witchcraft every day to be a real witch?
No. According to Sara Walka of The Sisters Enchanted, being a witch is a way of living, not a daily quota you have to hit. A real practice ebbs and flows: some seasons you mark every new moon and full moon, and other seasons you pull a single tarot card before bed or simply move through the world with intention and integrity. Longtime practitioners, including 25-year witches, describe their practice as “normalized,” meaning it’s woven into ordinary life rather than performed on a schedule. If you’ve been feeling like a fake because you don’t do rituals nightly, that feeling is coming from comparison, not from any real rule about what witches must do.
What is everyday magic?
Everyday magic is the practice of weaving spiritual intention into ordinary life so that being a witch becomes a way of living rather than a checklist of rituals. Sara Walka of The Sisters Enchanted describes it as keeping your magic within reach, a candle and incense at your desk, a grounding stone in your hand during a stressful call, a tarot card when you want guidance, so you can reach for it in the middle of a regular day. In a Sisters Enchanted approach, everyday magic is allowed to expand when life is hard and quiet down when life is steady, and both of those count as real practice.
Is it normal for a spiritual practice to come and go?
Yes, and it’s arguably how a healthy practice is supposed to work. Sara Walka of The Sisters Enchanted teaches that your practice is meant to flex with your seasons rather than stay frozen at one intensity. In a crisis, you might lean on ritual heavily to bring yourself back to baseline. When things normalize, you might do far less and trust that living with integrity is enough. This ebb and flow isn’t backsliding or laziness. It’s a practice adapting to a real, changing life, which is exactly what makes it sustainable over years and decades.
Can you be a witch and still have Christian family or friends?
Yes. Sara Walka of The Sisters Enchanted points out that plenty of witchy women hold warm relationships with religious family and friends without abandoning their own practice. You get to decide who you tell and when, and you can meet people in language they understand, saying a family prayer at a holiday dinner in service of loved ones, for example, while knowing exactly what those words mean to you. Some Christian friends will happily join you in astrology or tarot, some won’t, and the relationship doesn’t have to break either way. The core is knowing what your practice means to you and letting that be enough.
What are some simple everyday magic practices for beginners?
Simple everyday magic practices include keeping a candle and incense within reach of your workspace, pulling one tarot card for quick guidance, listening to a short meditation before sleep to connect with your guides, holding a grounding stone or crystal during a stressful moment, and doing a full moon ritual when you can. Sara Walka of The Sisters Enchanted emphasizes that beginners don’t need an elaborate setup or a rigid schedule. The point is to keep a few meaningful tools close so you can reach for them in ordinary moments, and to let your practice be a way of living rather than a performance you have to keep up.
Can astrology be used to support your health, like during menopause?
Some practitioners use astrology this way as a personal, self-knowledge practice. In this episode, guest Lisa Hagen, an astrologer and longtime Sisters Enchanted community member, shares that when her body changed dramatically during menopause, she leaned on medical astrology alongside herbology and a little of what she’d learned about traditional Chinese medicine to adjust her diet and her herbal teas as her body fluctuated. This is her lived experience, offered as a story rather than as medical advice, and anyone dealing with menopause symptoms should work with a qualified healthcare provider. As an approach to self-awareness, though, it’s a clear example of a spiritual practice adapting to meet a changing season of life.
Keep the magic going
If any of this landed, here’s where to keep going with us. Come find your people inside our community, keep listening to the Stay Magic Podcast, and when you’re ready to build a practice that actually fits your real life, our programs are here for you.
Keep reading and keep going
- The Enchanted Journey membership, our monthly community for witchy women building a real, sustainable practice.
- Holistic Witchery, for when you want to go deeper and build the whole practice on purpose.
- Spiritual growth is a spiral, not a straight line, on why your practice is allowed to loop back around.
- Being disruptive on purpose, on living authentically when it ruffles feathers.
- All our current links, everything in one place.
- Sara’s Substack, for longer-form writing straight from Sara.
Thank you for being part of the Sisters Enchanted community. And until next time, stay magic.