New Year Resolutions the Witchy Way
If you’ve found this page, you’ve probably tried new year’s resolutions in the usual way, and found it never works for you.
But you still want to make changes like get active, eat healthier, improve mental health, learn something new, streamline time management, save money, deepen relationships, find love, boost your career, or reduce stress.
Can a little magic help make the changes stick this time?
Yes it can.
There are two main parts to this article.
First, we look at how to make some traditional new year changes (with a little magic).
After that, we go full-blown witchy. If that’s what you’re looking for, scroll down to the subhead How to Become a Witch This Year and find out all about connecting with your inner magician; setting magical intentions; how to create a sacred space; meeting your spirit guides; and much more.
Let’s get started. First, let’s help those who have a traditional resolution (like getting healthy, having less stress, or saving more money) and want to do it the witchy way.
Magical Resolution for Every Year You’re Alive: “I love me, and I am awesome. I can do anything when I’m kind to myself.”
There’s one new year resolution that almost all of us need: Being our own #1 fan.
Isn’t that self-indulgent? Don’t we need to get tough with ourselves to achieve our goals?
Ever noticed that it doesn’t work that way? Self-criticism makes us give up or not try at all. Those voices in our heads (from critical parents, bullies, that toxic person at work, or whomever) are what make it seem so difficult to change the things we want so much to change.
If you make only one resolution this year, decide that you will love yourself unconditionally. When you hear your mind talking smack about yourself inside your head or your heart, witness what’s happening and notice that your conditioned mind is hurting you.
Tell your mind that you’re setting some boundaries with yourself (and others) this year and that no one is allowed to criticize, demean, and hurt you. Including yourself.
(More resources on this below, under the magical subhead Read Some Witchy Books.)
SMART Magic
The acronym SMART is super useful (and magical) when it comes to crafting resolutions (and any other goals in life) that actually work.
Here’s what it stands for:
Specific:
Make your goal something small and specific, and are more modest than what you actually think you can achieve. Think you can lose 5 pounds a month? Go for an achievable 1 pound/month and work up from there.
What’s magic about this: When you set a goal that is less than you think you can achieve, your brain and nervous system relax. You feel, “This is easy,” so nothing within you is fighting the process. You can’t wait to experience how easy this will be, and so it is!
Measurable: Workout endurance (or minutes) is measurable. Reduction in anxiety levels is something you can measurably feel. Going from no ability to play guitar to being able to play ten chords is a specific goal you can measure (and is achievable in just a month), with maybe the ability to play 3 songs and sing along in the second month.
What’s magic about this: Consider your resolution as a magic spell. Get a special notebook to record results (both good and bad) for all the resolutions (and spellwork) you do throughout the year. We don’t only make resolutions (magical oaths) at the new year. We can start a new magic anytime. When you write it all down, you now have a record of what works for you and what doesn’t.
This self-research and objective observation is one of the most valuable things you’ll ever do in your life. Next time, you’ll have even more insight into exactly what steps to take to get what you want in life (and what not to do, as well).
Achievable: If you want to save money, set the savings goal based on how many expenses you can delete from your current budget. Get rid of $500 in current monthly expenses, and you can auto-deposit $500 into savings each month. In other words, you know exactly where your savings/investment income will be coming from. Poof! Done.
What’s magic about this: So often, we set a goal without knowing exactly how it will happen. This never feels good because, deep down, we know it probably won’t happen, because . . . how? Don’t try to save $10,000 when you can’t believe it’s possible. Keep the goal small, and, at the same time, look for every way that money is trying to come to you.
Relevant: Is your resolution something you really, really care about? Are you doing it for you, or is it really for someone else? Do you think you should want it, or do you want it, deep in your heart?
What’s magic about this: All you need is love. But it has to be a really passionate desire. Say no to any resolution you don’t feel totally excited and passionate about. And that means being passionate about the efforts you must make to bring your resolution into being.
Time-Bound: Focus on one small step at a time, with a deadline for each step. It must be a deadline that is so crazy easy that there’s no way it won’t get done. Set a time-based goal for just phase one.
For example, if you want to make a career change this year, you might have some research to do in month one. So the goal might be to decide exactly what you’re going for.
In month two, you might start a certification program or retool your resume and start looking for job opportunities.
By month three, you might find there are not enough opportunities. But you still want to make a change. It’s back to the drawing board with all of the new knowledge you have about the job market.
What’s magic about this: Managing our fears, anxieties, and emotions is one of the things that magical practice excels at. Magical practices (keep reading) are the best nervous-system regulators I’ve ever found.
When you set specific, measurable, achievable, goals that have deadlines based on small, realistic steps — and you witchify them using some of the techniques below — you become unstoppable (and so comfortable and confident in your own skin).
After you’ve gone through the SMART steps above, write down your entire plan: specific, measurable, super-achievable goal.
Why you want it so much.
Your timeline for at least the first three steps. (And know that it’s perfectly normal that you’ll adjust your timeline as you learn more about your goal and exactly how you’ll get there.)
The next subhead is a little detour into helping you select your resolution (or non-resolution), in case you don’t know what to try.
If you already know what you’re doing, scroll down to How to Become a Witch This Year for all the witchy how-tos.
Top 10 New Year's Resolutions
Not sure what your goal should be? Curious what most people choose as their most important new year resolution? You can apply the SMART-goal steps (find them above) to any one of these.
***But, wait. Are you here specifically to become a magical being who can make literally anything happen? Scroll down to the next section: How to Become a Witch This Year.***
What most people want from the new year (as reported by Forbes):
1. Get Active and Stay Fit
Hitting the gym, taking up a new sport, or going for a daily walk —activity improves physical and mental well-being.
2. Eat Healthier
Incorporating more fruits, vegetables, and whole foods and/or reducing processed foods and sugar.
3. Prioritize Mental Health
Practicing mindfulness, meditation, or activities that bring joy. Professional help, if needed, can make the biggest difference in mental health.
4. Learn Something New
Whether it's a new language, hobby, or course, learning is life.
5. Improve Time Management
Set realistic goals, learn to prioritize, and learn time-management techniques.
6. Save and Budget Wisely
Save for a specific goal or build an emergency fund — security and stability feel great.
7. Cultivate Healthy Relationships
Learning to communicate, have empathy, and build-in quality time. It’s the secret to feeling loved and connected.
8. Career Advancement
Set professional goals and start on the path: Acquire new skills, find a mentor, or see what’s available at your current workplace.
9. Reduce Stress
Try relaxation techniques, setting boundaries, or healthy outlets for difficult emotions.
10.Volunteer and Give Back
Fill your heart by spending time in a community or cause you care about.
Keep reading, if you want to develop some magical skills this year that can change your life.
How to Become a Witch This Year
My top 10 ways to start your journey as a magical unicorn (or a low-key, under-the-radar witch).
Each step builds on the previous ones (but you can pick and choose).
Plus, you’ll find some links to my hand-picked resources that will get you started.
1. Find Your Inner Magician
Learn to be here now, in the present moment (instead of letting your mind live in the past or the future). This is step one, before ever casting a spell, doing a ritual, or contacting the spirit world.
My top reading suggestions are The Power of Now and I Need Your Love: Is That True? I recommend starting with The Power of Now, and following Eckhart Tolle’s simple (but profound) instructions on witnessing the pain body and staying in the now moment.
When you feel that you have a solid relationship with the present moment, try I Need Your Love, which features four simple questions to help get free of worrying what others think about us and letting go of the need to act out a false self in order to be loved.
These two books help bring you into your own unique realness – whatever that means for you – and this is the first step into becoming a powerful witch.
(Both of these books are over 20 years old, and some of the language is a little dated for today. For example, both books focus on man/woman dynamics and heterosexual examples. Tolle even dares to talk about what women experience during menstruation and he also uses some Christian references. But these books are so transformative and powerful that I still love them anyway.)
2. Use the Power of Affirmations and Incantations
Begin your witchy resolutions by experimenting with intention setting, affirmations, and incantations.
Now that you’ve found your inner magician, spend some time with her/him/them and sink into your desires and aspirations for the year.
Words are powerful, require no witchy paraphernalia, and . . . even with more complex spellcraft, words are at the center of everything.
Two books about magical mindset and affirmations that every witch should own: Big Magic and Ask and It Is Given.
Big Magic is an easy read with lots of “aha” moments about creativity, how ideas come to us (and magical opportuntiies often don’t stick around if we don’t act on them), how to find time to pursue your dreams, how to form a strong relationship with your inner muse, and much more.
Ask and It Is Given is the Abraham-Hicks classic on manifesting. Plus, how to work with internal resistance. Plus 22 powerful manifesting “processes” aka pure magic.
3. Create an Altar as a Place of Power
Transform a corner of your living space into whatever says “magic” to you.
Do you want an altar with crystals, candles, and sacred symbols?
Would you prefer a cozy reading nook that’s your private happy place?
Do you want space to concoct mojo bags, play with herbs and oils, or create candle spells?
If you don’t have even an inch of private space in your home, maybe you can set up a small private altar in woods nearby, or maybe you can have an altar-in-a-box that you keep in your car. (Cigar boxes work great for this, or try this.) Start thinking about what you can do.
Here’s a private altar-in-a-box that folds away to look like a jewelry box and even comes with a tote bag in case you need to store it in the back of a closet or take it with you on the go.
And, I have to mention my favorite travel incense, perfect for burning in the car or wherever. Comes with its own holder on the top of each 2” tiny box.
There are no rules. Play around with your altar until it reaches peak vibe that makes you believe and know that you can change your own reality. Need an altar table or cute storage for things like herbs, candles, card decks . . . .
I love this table with storage and this storage cabinet. Both of them come in lots of different finishes. Or, if you want to start small and hide your supplies under a bed or in a closet, these keep prying eyes away.
4. Meet Your Spirit Guides
Do you have beloved ancestors who have passed and are still with you?
Do you want to explore your family tree into the distant past, and spiritually connect with ancestors who have the skills you want, and can help you?
Or, maybe you have always felt connected to a saint, a guru, or a pantheon of gods. If you’re a non-traditional Christian, maybe your spirit guide is Jesus, Mary, or Mary Magdalen.
If you want to find out more about your ancestry (so you can connect with your ancient ancestors), I recommend this one or this one. Some people do both, since each one has different strengths.
5. Put a Moon Phases Calendar in Your Planner
Align your magical workings with the phases of the moon.
Whether it's charging crystals during the full moon, performing banishing rituals during the waning moon, or setting new intentions during the waxing moon — attuning yourself to lunar energies can profoundly boost your workings.
Plus, it’s fun.
Some great resources for working with the moon: Moon Magic and Everyday Moon Magic.
6. Get Into Crystals and Their Meanings
With just seven crystals and stones, you can do so much.
Here are my personal most-used favorites, what you can do with them, and where you can get them (at non-gougy prices).
My favorite crystals, stones, and how-to books are here.
Selenite: I use selenite wands, towers, and palm stones to protect myself (and my home) from negative energies. It’s also great when you need to rebalance or calm yourself after a negative experience with someone or after a stressful day. (Good to keep selenite in your car, too!)
Black Tourmaline: Absorbs negativity before it gets to you – and you can actually feel the effects immediately, if you’re an empath. You can wear it, carry it with you, and some people keep it on their desks so their energy isn’t sapped by electronic devices.
Rose Quartz: The self-love stone, as well as a great stone to wear or to hold in your hand when you’re tired but need to give to others. It gives you that extra bit of heart-opening so that you don’t snap at an innocent person or hurt others’ feelings.
Aventurine: Attracts money like crazy. Great to have as a bracelet on your left (receiving) hand, or as a palm stone to hold in your hand while negotiating or selling.
Carnelian: This is my go-to when I need sustained magnetic and charismatic energy, but maybe I’m just not feeling it. Perfect for introverts who need to be “on-stage” more than they’d like.
Sunstone: My favorite calm and happy stone. You have to experience it to know how special it is, since most specimens don’t have a visual “wow” factor. Mottled shades of pale coral, white, and spots of black – kind of like some of the paler varieties of koi fish. It’s heavy-weight, grounding, and happy, all at once.
Clear Quartz: The all-purpose, everything crystal. It can do the work of any other crystals or stones. The important thing (as with all allies in nature) is to form a loving connection with it and ask whether it is willing to help you in the way you’d like it to.
7. Try Essential Oils for Anxiety, Protection, Love, Money, Attraction, and More
Just as with crystals and stones, you need only a few different essential oils to use for all kinds of magical uses.
Here are my top witchy picks and where to get them. (These are highly subjective, so I’m just sharing some of the ones I like.)
You can see that each oil can (and usually does) have a variety of uses, so you don’t have to own dozens of oils, unless you want to.
One single oil is usually enough to shift any condition, so if you’re getting started, try these.
Once you have an idea of the effects that different essential oils have for you personally, you can have fun experimenting by combining them.
My “essential” essential oils, plus favorite how-to books are here.
My forever favorite magical essential oils are:
Anxiety: patchouli, vetiver, or lavender
Attraction: patchouli mixed with citrus/orange
Clarity / Decision-Making / Memory / Test-Taking: rosemary
Money Attraction: peppermint
Protection: vetiver
Pure Love: rose (or your own personal favorite floral scent)
Sexual Attraction: vanilla extract (or your favorite vanilla-based, amber, sandalwood, patchouli, earthy scent)
Success: bay
Unhexing / Waking Up From Depression or Fatigue: eucalyptus
8. Learn to Read Tarot Cards, Runes, Coffee Grounds, or a Pendulum
Have you found your personal form of divination yet?
Experiment with various forms, such as as tarot reading, scrying, or rune casting. Learn to connect with a deeper level of intuitive guidance. Here are some of my favorites.
Or click here to get my free Read Tarot for Yourself the Easy Way guide to get you started.
9. Explore Nature and Food Magic
The best way to connect with nature is to spend more time outdoors.
Whether it's a daily walk in the woods, planning/planting a garden, or doing some earthing in a nearby park – notice which plants and trees you feel an emotional connection to.
These are your plant allies, and you can learn how to work with them magically in the future.
Explore the magical properties of herbs by tasting them and using them in cooking.
When you smell and taste each one, how does it make you feel? Remember, everyone is different and you get to choose what each herb and plant means to you and how it affects you.
Check out The Kitchen Witch and Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen. Also, if you can find it, read the book or watch the movie Like Water for Chocolate. This film and book were my first introduction to the idea that food ingredients and your intentions when cooking can be powerfully magical.
10. Read Some Witchy Books
What kinds of topics are you interested in?
Learn more by exploring books, online resources, or attending workshops on witchcraft, astrology, or other occult subjects.
Keep learning about things you’re interested in, and feel free to ignore things that other witches may be doing (but that leave you cold).
There’s no politically correct witch police (although some folks may act that way.) Find your tribe – and it’s ok to practice completely on your own, too. And do only what you resonate with.
Find my top witchy book suggestions here.
Don’t forget to have fun!
If, at any time, your witchy explorations start to feel like work (instead of powerful and magical), it’s time to take a step back, start over, or do whatever you need to do in order to reconnect with your divine, relaxed, confident, and mysterious witchy self.
Want to look at some of the magical swag I love (and recommend)? Click the image below for my Tarot Rosetta Shop. Sprinkle sprinkle!
