Magick for the Dark Season

As we move into the dark season, everything begins to shift. We dress differently, eat differently, and often find our sleep patterns and moods changing too. These natural shifts are beautiful reminders that you’re living in harmony with the seasons. Just as our daily rhythms evolve, so do our magickal practices. While you can work any spell any time of year, the darker season naturally lends itself to introspective, protective, and dreamlike magick. Here are some ways to align your practice with the turning of the wheel.

Shadow Work

Shadow work is the practice of gently exploring your inner shadows, those repressed energies, unacknowledged desires, or tender parts of yourself, and integrating them so you can live more fully and authentically. The concept of the “shadow self,” introduced by Carl Jung, refers to the hidden aspects of our psyche that we often ignore or shame.

This practice isn’t dark or dangerous; in fact, it’s deeply healing. Each limiting belief you unravel, each fear you face, brings more wholeness and spiritual growth. Whether you approach shadow work through journaling, meditation, ritual, or therapy, the dark season provides a quiet, supportive container for this deeply transformative practice.

Cleansing

Cleansing your home and sacred space during this time is like hitting a spiritual reset button. It clears out stagnant or heavy energy and prepares your space for new intentions. Here are some simple yet powerful ways to cleanse:

• Salt: Sprinkle it around your home, then sweep or vacuum it up, or leave small dishes of salt in corners to absorb negativity. Just be mindful of furry familiars.
• Herbs & Incense: Burn herbs or incense to refresh the energy. Experiment with different scents to discover your favorites. Room sprays or essential oils work beautifully, too.
• Gemstones: Place stones like Black Tourmaline, Onyx, Selenite, or Quartz around your home, especially near doorways, to help cleanse energy as people enter.
• Sound: Bells, rattles, singing bowls, or even wind chimes break up stagnant energy and raise the vibration of your space.

Protection

Protection magick is always valuable, but the dark season often calls for a little extra attention. With more visitors during the holidays, and the veil between worlds thinning, it’s a perfect time to refresh your protective wards.

Create or update wards at your front door or porch to protect against unwanted energy (and maybe even deter those pesky package thieves). Reset your ancestor altar before Samhain or Día de los Muertos, refreshing offerings and asking your ancestors for guidance and protection. You might also craft a protective amulet to wear or carry to keep others’ energy from clinging to you.

Dream Work

The quiet and stillness of the dark season make it a beautiful time to explore dream magick. This can include lucid dreaming, astral travel, prophetic dreaming, or simply developing a stronger connection to your dream world.

Start by keeping a dream journal. Recording your dreams regularly strengthens recall, helps you spot patterns and symbols, and can guide you into deeper dream practices. Over time, you may uncover insights, messages, or even magickal opportunities within your dreams.

Divination

Divination is a timeless way to seek clarity, guidance, or deeper self-understanding. During the dark season, when the spiritual veil feels thinner, your intuition may feel sharper and your connection to guides or ancestors stronger.

Popular forms of divination to try or revisit include:

• Tarot or oracle cards
• Runes
• Scrying (with water, flame, wax, or gemstones)
• Pendulums or dowsing rods
• Tea leaf reading
• Charm casting
• Palm reading
• Spirit boards or automatic writing

Always begin with a quick cleanse and protection ritual, and when you close your session, express gratitude aloud, something as simple as, “Thank you, spirits, for your guidance. This session is now closed.”

May you have a magickal dark season!

Stay Magickal,
Megan W.