Hope Is a Spell: Magick for These Times
Resources, rituals, meditations, and resistance for a world on fire.
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about hope, both in meditation and in my personal practice. It’s a word that comes up often alongside other words like joy, love, and peace. For a long time, that shaped how I understood it. I thought hope was supposed to feel like those things, that it was something light, comforting, and easy. But the deeper I explore the idea of hope the more I realize that hope doesn’t always feel good. I’ve come to believe that hope is more of a discipline. It’s the decision to trust in possibility, especially when there’s no clear sign of it. Hope says change can still happen, even if you can’t yet see how. That kind of trust is essential to magick. Without hope, there’s no reason to cast a spell. No point in setting an intention, calling in energy, or working with spirits if you don’t believe something can shift. Hope is what carries our will into the unknown. It’s the quiet force that makes the work matter.
And all of this feels especially relevant now, in a time that’s anything but easy. We’re living through a period of deep uncertainty and rising fear, where basic rights are being rolled back and entire communities are being targeted. Under the Trump regime, the machinery of power has become more brazen, more punitive. The cruelty isn’t hidden. It’s flaunted. For many of us—witches, queer folks, people of color, immigrants, trans people—it feels like the ground beneath us is shifting in dangerous ways. In times like these, hope can feel almost impossible. But that’s also when it becomes most vital. Hope isn’t denial. It doesn’t mean pretending things are fine when they aren’t. It means believing that the spellwork we do, the protection we raise, the mutual aid we build, and the boundaries we hold can still matter. Hope says there’s still power in community, in resistance, and in sacred rebellion. It reminds us that magick isn’t just about changing ourselves. It’s about refusing to let the world harden us into silence. This is why they constantly bombard us with horrific news, outrageous statements, and propaganda. The intent is to overwhelm us so that we feel hopeless. Hope is the most basic quality we need to hold onto. Without it, all else is lost.
If you haven’t already, make sure to check out the latest episode of THE CIRCLE IS podCAST. Rachel True and I had the honor of sitting down with the incredible T. Thorn Coyle for Season 1, Episode 32: Spellcraft, Service, and Surviving Empire w/ T. Thorn Coyle. This conversation goes deep. We talked about the role of magick in times of crisis, how to stay spiritually grounded while navigating systemic collapse, and the power of showing up—for yourself, your community, and the work. Thorn brings such clarity and depth, and their insights on service and resistance are exactly what so many of us need to hear right now.
As many of you know, I’m going across the country and leading a powerful ritual that was given to me by one of my spirits for these purposes that’s titled, “Shared Light: A Ritual for Community Healing and Protection.” If you’ve been the ritual at Convocation or Sacred Space, you know what it’s all about. Be sure to check my event schedule of places I’m presenting at if you’d like to take part in this. I’m not giving out many details about what the ritual specifics because I need silence to carry the power as much as possible as I continue this ritual series. But essentially it’s creating an energetic framework across the United States to help heal and protect the most vulnerable of our society right now and for the coming times under this regime.
I know many people are asking for magickal resources for these times for themselves and others, so I thought I’d spend this post sharing some helpful things you can do as a magickal practitioner, regardless of your experience level at home from magickal practitioners that I have a lot of respect for.
A Spell for Justice - T. Thorn Coyle
T. Thorn Coyle, author of Resistance Matters: Essays on Love and Action shared this spell. On their instagram post they wrote:
Once again, it is time to level curses at the hoarders of wealth, the architects of brutality, and the stealers of dreams...
Wash your hands. Take a breath. Become willing to take on justice and compassion for yourself.Hold the symbol of the triangle and cracking heart in your mind.
(Or draw it on a wall. Staple it to a utility pole. Trace it in the air.)Aim the spell toward a person or leaders of a corporation or institution.
Speak the words: "I curse you with justice, and with so much compassion your heart cracks wide open."
Repeat as many times as feels necessary.
This image is printable and shareable.When I wrote this curse 6 years ago, little did I know people would say out loud that they were against empathy. That empathy was a crisis.
We knew it, but they used to not speak it in public. For these sorts of people, justice and compassion are two of the most potent curses I know.
This curse can become a blessing as soon as people allow it to.
That’s the spell.
Sigil Witchery - Laura Tempest Zakroff
If you’re looking for sigil witchery for this work, I highly recommend checking out the recent work Laura Tempest Zakroff, author of The Sigil Witchery Oracle has been sharing. She’s been posting a series of incredibly timely and powerful sigils, each crafted with intention, clarity, and deep relevance to the moment we’re in. There’s the Stabilizing Sigil, designed to help anchor and ground in the face of chaos. The Power Sigil, for reclaiming strength and agency when the world feels overwhelming. The Freedom Sigil, calling in liberation and autonomy. The ICE Sigil, a protective ward in response to ongoing injustices and threats. You can find these on her blog here. Also, we had her on recently on THE CIRCLE IS podCAST. You can find her episode here: Season 1 Episode 29: Symbols, Sigils, and Sacred Creativity w/ Laura Tempest Zakroff Also, be sure to check out her anthologies on magickal resistance she’s been curating by Revelore Press, that you can buy here. (Two of those anthologies I also contributed to.)
Calming The Inner Storm - Ivo Dominguez, Jr.
Speaking of Tempest’s Revelore anthologies, Ivo Dominguez, Jr. has shared a powerful pathworking based on a spell he originally contributed, now adapted into a guided meditation, read by his husband James. It’s a working to calm the inner storm we carry when thought-forms born of stress, fear, and overwhelm begin to gather and weigh us down. You can read and listen to it here. He was also on THE CIRCLE IS podCAST and you can listen to his episode here: Season 1 Episode 7: Magick, Mysteries & the Stars with Ivo Dominguez, Jr. Also in other news related to Ivo. He did the new foreword to the new expanded deluxe hardcover edition of Psychic Witch and I did the foreword to the new expanded edition of his book Spirit Speak: A Comprehensive Guide to Connect Beyond the Veil. Both are coming out in September.
In Case of Emergency: The Bad Vibes Field Guide - Devin Hunter
My husband Devin Hunter just released his new book, The Bad Vibes Field Guide: A Definitive Handbook for Psychics and the Afflicted, which is so incredibly timely in its release. It’s full of the kind of support and clear, grounded exercises you want when you’re dealing with any kind of energetic mess, big or small, known or unknown. I asked him if I could share a bit of it, and he pointed me to the section right at the beginning called Start Here In Case of Emergency. It’s exactly what it sounds like, and you can read this whole section on bookseller sites that let you peek inside anyways.
Start Here In Case of Emergency!
Start here if you need exercises that can make an immediate difference in a vibrational emergency situation. Keep in mind that whatever bad vibes you are battling right now want you feeling as powerless as possible in this moment. Don’t let them win! As you perform these exercises, do everything you can to surround yourself with your version of positivity, whatever that might be. Follow these guidelines starting now and come back to the rest of the material when you feel ready to take on the rest of the world. For now, let’s take care of what ails you.
Recite this core belief as an affirmation:
“I am safe and protected. I am worthy and loved. I am in control of my mind, body, and soul. My spirit is wise; it knows what to do. My vibration is strong; it overrides all others. My intention is clear; it takes precedent over my fear. I am capable. I am powerful. I am in control.”
Recite this often and whenever you start to feel yourself losing nerve.
Avoid media that makes you feel anything less than happy to be alive. Listen to stuff that makes you feel good and watch shows and movies that make you laugh, but avoid anything too serious or too emotional. We need to keep your headspace as light as possible. Avoid mind-altering substances. Again, headspace is important. It might not be fun, but you should avoid alcohol, marijuana, and other mind-altering substances for a few days. Being anything other than clearheaded when in spiritual crisis will only exacerbate the issue and keep you from being able to see a resolution.
Take two showers a day, being sure to stand with the water running over your head for around ten minutes. As you do this, focus on the sensation of the water rolling over your body and visualize it removing unwanted psychic energy. The sensation is key, as it helps to relax psychic muscles that are likely stressed in addition to physically stimulating blood flow, which is good for energy flow.
If possible, replace one of those showers with a bath containing two cups of table salt (for a full bath) and soak for at least ten minutes, rinsing off when finished in the shower. If you don’t have a bathtub, you can make a quick salt scrub for the shower to be used once a day by mixing half a cup of your favorite body wash with a cup of table salt. Gently scrub your body (avoiding the face) with the mix and rinse thoroughly. Salt helps to break energetic patterns and is especially useful when one is under spiritual attack.
Dance when you feel you can. Yeah. Really. I know it sounds ridiculous but it’s good for stimulating life force, and you need as much of that as possible. Even if all you are capable of doing is wiggling your pinky toe to your favorite tune, do it.
Avoid sex with people you aren’t deeply connected to and sex that doesn’t make you happy. Junk-food sex is only going to deplete your life force, and during sex is when we are most psychically open and vulnerable.
Avoid people who are agents of bad vibes or who are connected to the vibes you are trying to separate from. If you have access to LED color-changing lights, as are the fashion in many homes, sit in a room filled with purple light for two hours. Green and orange lights are also particularly useful in stimulating the psychic channels.
Light incense, preferably cleansing mixes containing frankincense or copal, but anything that you have a positive association with will work.
Drink tea containing lavender, lemon, ginger, or rosemary, as those herbs are known to help clear negative energy and stimulate the flow of personal energy.
— Devin Hunter
The Bad Vibes Field Guide: A Definitive Handbook for Psychics and the Afflicted
(pp. 7-9).
Shared with permission.
Invoking The Archangel of the Earth - Christopher Penczak
Christopher Penczak, author of The Mystic Foundation: Understanding and Exploring the Magical Universe is offering a free online guided ritual this Sunday, April 20th, called Invoking the Archangel of the Earth. In his words, this ritual is a response to the troubling times we’re living through, a working for both personal alignment and collective healing. Drawing on the concept of Malkuth and the many faces of the Earth’s angelic intelligence—Sandalphon, Uriel, Lumiel, Melek Taus, and others—this invocation is meant to help us connect with the guiding force of the planet itself. Unfortunately the class capped at 100 registrations and is full. Christopher told me that it will be posted online in the Temple of Witchcraft class store as a free download later. So keep your eyes peeled for it at this link next week.
The White Candle Conspiracy - Michael M. Hughes
Michael M. Hughes, the author of Magic for the Resistance: Rituals & Spells for Change (Revised & Expanded Edition) has shared a simple yet potent ritual called The White Candle Conspiracy, designed to foster spiritual resilience and collective resistance in challenging times. This daily practice involves lighting a white candle at 9 PM local time, symbolizing unity and the enduring light of compassion, truth, and justice. It's accessible to individuals across various spiritual paths and serves as a quiet act of defiance against oppression. You can learn more and participate by reading the full ritual here.
Raise the Dead - Matthew Venus
Matthew Venus, author of Ensouling the Effigy: The Witch’s Arte of Enspirited Objects and owner of Spiritus Arcanum, recently shared a powerful graphic on his Instagram calling on witches to conjure the righteous dead. There are no formal instructions—this is a call to action, not a prescription. Work with it in the ways your practice knows how. Call upon your ancestors, your beloved dead, the martyred and the maligned, in whatever form that takes. These are the spirits of those persecuted for daring to live authentically—as activists, as immigrants, as queer folks, as witches. Those who were made into offerings on the altar of empire. Let their memory rise. Let their voices move through you. It is time we raise our dead.
The Great Invocation For Our Times - Mat Auryn
And of course, I still encourage people to try to incorporate this invocation into their daily routine. My whole last post was about it and you can read it here.
Coalition of Visionary Resources Awards
I'm honored to be nominated for the Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR) Awards this year. It means a lot to have this work acknowledged, especially knowing how much heart and intention went into each of these projects. If my work has resonated with you, I’d be grateful for your vote: THE CIRCLE IS podCAST with Rachel True and me is nominated for Podcasts & Radio Shows. The Witch’s Sun Sign Series by Ivo Dominguez Jr.—which includes Pisces Witch, a book I had the honor to co-write—is up for Book Series. The Psychic Art of Tarot, my latest release, is nominated in the Tarot Books category. And Houseplant hortOCCULTure by my husband, Devin Hunter, is nominated under Witchcraft & Magick. Thank you for your support, your kindness, and for being part of this community. You can vote by clicking here.