What Is Magical Activism?

I can pinpoint the moment when I realized that my magical practice wasn’t just about me and what I could do for my family and clients. It was about what I could do for my community and the world. 

I was so pissed off about what was happening in our government. We were only a month into the new administration and things were already going badly quickly. I felt called to do something bigger, something more inclusive. To create the change I want to see. And use my magic to do it. 

That’s magical activism.

Magical activism (also called revolutionary magic, magical resistance, or witchcraft activism) is applying intention, ritual, and spell work to everyday acts of service. It’s manifesting positive change, for yourself, your community, and the world. And it doesn’t have to be done through big gestures or huge transformations. It’s all of those little things you do on a daily basis to create continuous ripples of change. 

It's cleaning your house and visualizing safe housing for everyone. It's carrying a crystal in your pocket that’s charged with protection energy when you attend a protest. It's manifesting a better job for yourself because you know that when you have a steady and generous income, it means you'll have more to give to mutual aid and local organizations. 

Personal power and political action aren't two separate things. They feed each other. When you have safety and resources, you can show up to help others achieve the same. When you show up with intention, you can create more powerful change.

In addition to being a witch practically my whole life, I've also watched people burn themselves out trying to "do activism right". It’s as if there's some perfect way to care about the world that requires you to sacrifice everything else. I remember environmental activists sitting in trees for weeks, putting their lives on hold and Greenpeace volunteers chasing whaling ships, putting their lives at risk. I also remember thinking that I could never do either of those things. 

Meanwhile, over on social media, there's this whole other group of people doing spiritual work that ignores the real world. And they claim that it’s getting them millions of dollars, luxury cars, mansions on the beach, and easy living IF you “just visualize” hard enough. 

Both of those approaches were not only making me tired, they were making me feel inadequate. For not doing enough, trying enough, and generally, not being enough. Unrealistic expectations led to me not even bothering to try. 

But… what if we could take care of ourselves AND work for change on a smaller scale? What if personal healing and collective action weren't opposites and could be done simultaneously? What if your morning coffee could include both gratitude for what you have and an intention for everyone to have what they need? Revolutionary witchcraft offers a third path. One that honors both personal wellbeing and collective liberation. That's what mystical activism looks like. It's the everyday activist choosing both personal power and political action.

You know that feeling when you're so angry about an injustice that you can't sit still? The rage you feel when there’s so much corruption and so few consequences? That's energy. 

And when you direct that energy toward something specific and then you DO something about it… that’s the magic!

Magical resistance doesn't require believing in anything particular. It simply requires you to get clear on what you want to achieve, focusing your energy towards it, and then taking aligned action. 

You're probably already doing some version of this on a personal level. The idea of magical activism, this practice of revolutionary magic for social change, just means doing it for the betterment of everyone.

It’s not about being perfect. It's about bringing awareness to situations and choices that you’re already making in your life. 

Another thing that isn't often mentioned, is that for the everyday activist (meaning the average person trying to create change) traditional activism can wreck you if you let it.

There's this unspoken rule that if you care enough, you should be willing to give everything. Your time, your energy, your peace, your health. If you need rest, you're not committed enough. But we can’t all take off work to protest or boycott the only grocery store in a 20 mile radius or not work for one of the corporations owned by a greedy billionaire. Some of those things are simply not feasible for many of us. No matter how badly we want to be able to participate. 

And that's how movements die. That's how people start to feel overwhelmed. And that’s how they become apathetic. 

Magical activism allows you to do what you can, when you can, because it’s personal. It’s you. It’s your focus and intention that provides the magic. The grounding. The rituals that help you process what you're seeing and feeling. And it’s also your action - sustainable and doable - the calls, the donations, the showing up.

Magical resistance isn't about grand, swooping gestures. It's about the small, consistent actions that build momentum over time. It's witchcraft and activism blending into your daily routine. Because that's what's sustainable.

When you practice revolutionary magic, you're not choosing between self-care and showing up for others. You're recognizing that they're connected. That your personal power can fuel your political action. 

Pick one thing you're already doing. Making coffee. Commuting. Folding laundry. Whatever. 

Tomorrow, when you do that thing, think about something you want to change. Hold that thought for five seconds. Feel it. Then do one thing about it. Text a friend. Sign a petition. Make a donation. Have a conversation. Anything. 

That's it. That's how you start.

You don't need permission. You don't need special tools. You don't need to have it all figured out. 

You only need to want positive change in the world and then do one small thing to help it along.