People Swear These 4 Completely Unhinged Witchcraft Hacks Really Work And Research Actually Agrees
T.Dem_Team | Shutterstock Witchcraft may be a bit taboo. In fact, one of the covenants of witchcraft itself, according to Lady Sheba in her Book of Shadows, is not to say that you are a witch, but witches are coming forward to make a community for themselves, and why shouldn't they?
Witches are known for spells and rituals meant to utilize the energy of nature to manifest positive outcomes in life. Stereotypes obviously abound, but the truth is, even what some might consider completely unhinged witchcraft hacks, research actually agrees with. Perhaps not in the cauldron stirring, double double toil and trouble way, but in useful practices that can calm your spirit and attract a better outlook. There are some rituals that are evidence-backed enough to improve your life.
People swear these 4 completely unhinged witchcraft hacks really work, and research actually agrees:
1. Say everything you’re doing before you do it
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When you walk into a room, say to yourself, “I am walking in the room,” or “I am getting a glass of water,” etc. This is, according to practicing witch Nataliia K. Mirelda, believed to enhance intuition because “your mind believes your words more, and will more naturally work to make them happen.”
Science calls this “mental rehearsal.” It's a way of using your imagination first to train your body. The habit can improve the action you are attempting, or wish to do, like playing an instrument, for example, and make you more skilled at it. Just visualizing what you do makes you better at it.
Researchers discovered a way to measure this “mind over matter” technique and “found that this ability could hinge on getting the mind to the right starting place, ready to perfectly execute everything that follows.”
2. Talk to the trees and animals, especially crows, which are highly intelligent
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You might find yourself in a short (or long-winded) one-sided conversation with a tree, the birds who frequent your backyard feeder, or even your beloved houseplants. In witchcraft, it is recommended to do this when you meet an element of nature. Especially a crow, which is a highly intelligent animal, so much so that you may perceive that they are actually listening.
It’s no wonder a study found that 48% of people talk to their plants. A majority of those respondents said they only talk to their houseplants; there were plenty who admitted to chatting with outdoor plants and trees. Talking to plants is not only beneficial to you, but also to the plant. Studies show that plants grow faster and healthier when they are chatted up, especially by women.
3. Just before you go to bed, do a strenuous activity, then when you're falling asleep, think of things you want to achieve.
Mirelda explained that for this ritual, you do a short exercise to tire yourself out: push-ups, jumping jacks, dumbbell curls. Then, when you go to sleep, imagine things that you want to achieve. Commenters reported having tried it and gotten the best sleep ever.
Although it is generally recommended to stop all exercise about 4 hours before you go to sleep, a 2014 study found that exercise before sleep leads to better rest at night. The study found that “greater self-perceived exertion before bedtime was associated with higher objectively assessed sleep efficiency.” Researchers also found that exercise before sleep made for “high self-perceived exercise exertion was associated with more deep sleep, shortened sleep onset time, fewer awakenings after sleep onset, and shorter wake duration after sleep onset.” Try this ritual for a more sound sleep, and maybe add in thoughts about what you want to achieve.
4. Speak to your physical pain with intention and never claim it
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According to Mirelda, intentionally focusing on your thoughts and rejecting the pain can lessen the pain you feel. Her recommendation was to speak to the pain as if it were separate from yourself, and never claim it as part of you.
Scientists, unfortunately, still have a long way to go in understanding the mechanisms of pain and the brain processes responsible for chronic discomfort, but it has been shown that imaging pain in a way that removes it from a part of your makeup seems to affect the brain's perception.
Studies show that pain can be associated with coping and non-coping images that either increase pain in those with chronic pain or decrease the pain. It may be more of a meditational technique, but witchcraft swears by speaking your desires with intention– including to reduce pain.
Laura Lomas is a writer with a Master’s degree in English and Creative Writing who focuses on news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
