Rituals and Writing: How Magic Can Support Your Creative Practice by Bailey Lang
Let’s welcome back Bailey Lang as she shares with us “Rituals and Writing: How Magic Can Support Your Creative Practice.” Enjoy!
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I consider myself a Literary Witch — that’s my title, and writing and witchcraft are major parts of my life.
Magic and writing both involve craft, after all, and in my experience, combining the two activities amplifies their benefits.
I also believe that writing is a uniquely human form of magic, and one we all have access to.
When I sit down for my writing practice, ritual is always involved.
Depending on how much time I have, that ritual might be more or less complex.
Sometimes it’s as simple as pulling an oracle card and reflecting on it.
For example, the card I pulled as I started working on this post was all about endings, and specifically patterns of death and rebirth.
As a book coach, I regularly talk to writers about how cycles of creation and composting are essential for creative work — we need periods of productivity and times when we rest.
Getting that card during my own creative ritual was a good reminder that self-care is part of writing, and that fallow periods are normal and beneficial.
So, for the rest of this post, let’s talk about the relationship between rituals and writing.
First of all, what is a ritual?
And, most importantly, why should you incorporate one into your writing practice?
What is a Ritual?
Rituals are everywhere, although we don’t always notice them.
When we think of ritual, we often assume we’re dealing with something mystical or religious — dancing around a bonfire under the full moon, or following along with a church service.
Those are obvious forms of rituals, but they’re far from the only ones!
A ritual is any type of repeated, symbolic actions that distinguish a space, event, or interaction and set it apart from normal, everyday activities.
More simply, a ritual is something you do to mark something as important and shift your energy to focus on it.
Some other common examples of rituals include:
- Shaking hands with someone when you meet them for the first time
- Singing happy birthday before the candles get blown out
- Attending a commencement or graduation ceremony
When it comes to your creative practice, a ritual could be anything that helps you create the right internal and external conditions for your writing.
Creative rituals can be highly personalized to your tastes and interests.
Although I enjoy a witchy flair in my practice, that doesn’t mean you have to rush out and buy a tarot deck!
Remember that a ritual is, at its core, a repeated action that helps shift your energy — in this case, we’re trying to shift our energy to our writing.
Elements of a creative ritual might include:
- An environmental element (lighting a candle, starting a specific playlist)
- A clear set of actions (pulling an oracle card, freewriting for 10 minutes, choosing a writing prompt or exercise)
- A mind-body shift (a brief meditation, some breathwork, a yoga sequence)
You could have different rituals for different aspects of writing, too — your ritual for a new writing session might be different from an editing day.
Your writing rituals get to be unique to you, so don’t be afraid to experiment until you figure out what feels right!
Why Should You Incorporate Ritual Into Your Writing Practice?
By now, you might be wondering why you should add a ritual to your writing practice at all — isn’t it just one more thing to check off the to-do list?
It sounds fun, but isn’t it just a bit…silly?
To that I would say, silly things that add some fun to our lives are worth doing for their own sake.
We all need a bit of whimsy now and then!
But starting your writing practice with a ritual is way more than just silly fun, and it’s definitely not just another task to complete.
Rituals are powerful.
Every human society across time has used rituals because they are powerful.
When we perform rituals with intention (even fun, silly ones), we get to access that power and harness it for our own creative ends.
A ritual activity at the start of your writing practice signals to your brain that you have started an important activity.
Rituals are performed to separate an activity from the mundane and signal that it’s valuable, or even sacred.
Treating your writing as meaningful by connecting it to a ritual is one way to ensure you show up for your practice.
Performing a ritual across time can also help you get into a flow state more quickly.
Going through the ritual actions — lighting the candle, pulling the oracle card — tells your subconscious that it’s time to get into the creative zone.
Aligning your actions and expectations creates better conditions for reaching a flow state and getting more writing done.
Treat Your Writing Like It Matters
Creating your own personal writing ritual is a way to treat your writing practice like it matters.
It allows you to bring a bit of magic and a bit of joy into the routine, and to harness the power of ritual.
We live in an era that is geared toward optimization and constant productivity, and most of us are more miserable and burned out than ever before.
Pairing our creative practices with ritual offers us an alternative approach — one that is more attuned to our true creative cycles and our individual needs.
You might feel a bit self-conscious the first few times you try your ritual, and that’s okay.
New things always feel a bit strange at first.
Stick with it, let it be fun, and watch how ritual deepens your writing practice.
Reading Recommendations
- Magic Maker, Pam Grossman (affiliate link)
- Word Witch, Kate Belew (affiliate link)
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About the Author
Dr. Bailey Lang is the Literary Witch, a book coach who helps visionary authors reclaim their creative magic and finish their books.
Bailey has a PhD in rhetoric and writing studies and they love geeking out about writing, language, and magic.
You can sign up for Bailey’s free newsletter, Ink + Alchemy, for monthly missives that will help you build a writing practice you love.
