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Have you ever considered using magick as therapy for emotional wellbeing?
Sometimes traditional healing approaches don’t quite hit the mark, especially for people who are more spiritually minded. That’s when exploring the ancient art of magick might offer the breakthrough you’re looking for. Humanistic magick is “the philosophy and art of affecting intended change through an unseen cause” and this approach puts you squarely at the centre of your own healing journey, placing the tools for change directly in your hands.
We believe what makes this approach particularly interesting is how magick works alongside therapeutic practise to create a more complete healing approach that considers the whole person. When humanistic counselling and magick come together, they create a synergy that enhances what both can achieve individually. Unlike conventional therapy on its own, this combined approach helps you engage with your subconscious mind in ways that might surprise you.
Through symbolic rituals and intention setting, you can connect with your subconscious mind, access your inner wisdom, and manifest positive change in your life. Throughout this article, you’ll discover practical magickal techniques for emotional healing, understand the psychological foundations that make these practises work, and learn how to weave magick into your existing therapeutic journey. We’re excited to explore how magick might support your emotional wellbeing, shall we begin?
Understanding Magick as a Therapeutic Practise
Magick offers an approach to emotional healing that extends beyond conventional therapeutic methods. Let’s explore what makes it such a compelling tool for personal growth.
We mentioned earlier that we believe magick is “the philosophy and art of affecting intended change through an unseen cause. This definition highlights that magick is fundamentally about creating intentional change in your life. Rather than something otherworldly, magick is essentially a systematic approach for achieving both spiritual and material goals. The principle is straightforward: every act performed with clear intention becomes a magickal act.
When we look at magick in practise, it might involve working with the elemental forces of earth, water, fire, and air. It might involve ritual, or incantations. Magick might also involve visualisation and working with Tarot. These can all be symbolic representations of our own emotions and experiences.
Symbols function as a visual language that conveys complex ideas and concepts, allowing you to tap into deeper levels of consciousness. They serve as potent tools for communicating with your subconscious mind and accessing archetypes within the collective unconscious. Through symbols, you establish connections with specific energies and intentions, creating a pathway for manifesting desired outcomes and healing. It’s rather like having a direct line to parts of yourself that everyday language can’t quite reach.
The connection between magick and emotional healing centres on how both tap into symbols and archetypes that resonate with the human psyche. Rituals allow you to transform internal experiences into physical representations. In other words, magick becomes “metaphor made real.” This process creates something quite useful: a protective boundary when working with intense personal issues, because the focus shifts to the symbol rather than directly confronting raw emotions. Additionally, research has demonstrated that ritual practises can reduce anxiety, increase happiness, and improve emotional regulation. What’s particularly interesting is that magickal approaches provide a cushion that encompasses difficult emotions without forcing you to confront them head-on. This gentler approach can be exactly what some people need.
Psychological Foundations Behind Magickal Healing
The psychological underpinnings of magickal healing reveal why these practises prove effective for emotional wellbeing. Understanding the theories that support magickal work gives you deeper insight into how these techniques foster genuine change.
Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy theory provides a framework that explains how magickal practises support emotional development. His theory begins with physiological needs (food, shelter), progresses through safety, belonging, and esteem, ultimately leading to self-actualisation, which is the fulfilment of one’s potential. Humanistic magick uses this hierarchy to offer a structured approach to healing. Magickal practises can also be aligned with specific levels of needs, allowing practitioners to address foundational issues before tackling higher-level growth.
Carl Rogers emphasised that people have an innate tendency toward self-actualisation—becoming everything one is capable of becoming. His therapeutic approach centres on three core conditions: empathy, genuineness, and unconditional positive regard.
These principles align perfectly with magickal practise. During magickal work, you create a non-judgemental space where you can honestly explore your emotions and potential. Rogers believed that for personal growth to occur, individuals need an environment of acceptance and understanding, precisely what well-designed magickal rituals provide.
Why Magick Aligns with Humanistic Counselling
Humanistic counselling and magick share a fundamental philosophy: both view the individual as the primary catalyst for change. They both prioritise the client’s subjective experience over external observations.
Both approaches focus on facilitating growth rather than merely treating pathology. The “humanising ethic” at the core of counselling psychology, which is all about respecting and validating a person in the totality of their being, mirrors the holistic approach of magickal practise.
This alignment creates a powerful synergy: humanistic psychology provides the theoretical foundation, whilst magick offers practical tools for implementing these principles through symbolic work, intention setting, and ritual practise. Together, they create a comprehensive approach to emotional healing that honours both your rational mind and spiritual nature.
Practical Magickal Techniques for Emotional Healing
Let’s explore practical magickal techniques you can start using immediately in your emotional healing journey. These methods blend ancient wisdom with modern psychological understanding to create genuinely useful tools for personal change:
Journalling: Journalling is brilliantly low-commitment yet surprisingly powerful for emotional management. The simple act of writing helps you work through emotional challenges by creating a private space to explore your inner world. For effective emotional processing, find a quiet place and aim for 15-20 minutes of writing. If this feels daunting, start with just 5 minutes and gradually increase. Allow yourself to express all emotions without censorship, even those you might label as negative or “inappropriate”. Journal prompts such as “Which emotion am I trying to avoid right now?” or “What does this emotion need from me?” can help you access deeper feelings.
Guided visualisation: Guided visualisation helps you access your subconscious mind, offering clarity when your thoughts feel like a tangled mess. This technique creates a mental landscape where you can safely explore emotions and gain new perspectives without feeling overwhelmed. Find a comfortable position and take several deep breaths. Imagine a bright light of peace and love that you breathe in, while releasing dark emotions on the exhale. Visualise yourself as a bird flying above your problems, observing without judgement. This “observer perspective” helps you recognise what’s within your control and what isn’t.
Candle magick: Candle magick offers a focused ritual approach to processing difficult emotions. For grief work, gather a black candle (representing releasing) and a dark blue candle (for spirituality). Light both candles, then write messages on fallen leaves to honour your grief. Burn each leaf while watching the smoke rise as a symbolic gesture for comfort and release.
For anxiety reduction, yellow candles work particularly well. As you observe the flame, visualise it melting away your worries and replacing them with calm energy. The ritual aspect provides structure during emotionally chaotic periods, something your nervous system will appreciate.
Tarot cards: Tarot cards serve as powerful mirrors reflecting your subconscious thoughts and feelings. Rather than predicting the future, use tarot for gaining insight into your current emotional landscape. A simple three-card spread for self-reflection includes: Card 1 (current emotional state), Card 2 (what to release), and Card 3 (healing action). Before drawing cards, set a clear intention such as “What part of me needs healing?” After your reading, journal about how the cards relate to your situation to process insights more deeply. This combination of intuitive work and conscious reflection creates a particularly effective healing practice.
Affirmations: Magickal affirmations are powerful statements infused with intention that can shift your inner world and consequently your external reality. Create affirmations in present tense, as if already manifested: “I am surrounded by endless opportunities and prosperity.” Incorporate affirmations into daily rituals: repeat them upon waking, during mirror work (saying them while looking into your eyes), or as part of evening routines. Combine with visualisation by imagining your affirmations manifesting as you speak them. This practise helps reprogram your subconscious mind, shifting your energy to align with your intentions. The key is consistency, rather than perfection, even a few minutes daily can create noticeable changes over time.
Weaving Magick into Your Healing Journey
The journey of healing through magick requires thoughtful integration into your daily life. Creating balance between magickal practises and conventional approaches ensures a more complete healing experience.
Magick and conventional therapy create a powerful synergy when used together. To be clear, we’re not suggesting magick should replace professional mental health support. Rather, it can complement and enhance the work you’re already doing with qualified practitioners.
Monitoring your magickal practise helps recognise patterns, understand what works best, and celebrate growth. Keep a journal documenting emotions before and after rituals, noting energy shifts, mood changes, and intuitive insights. Record which tools and techniques you gravitate towards most frequently as well. Remember that tracking isn’t about judgement but awareness and feedback.
How To Use Magick as Therapy
We believe magick works so effectively in a therapeutic setting because it creates a bridge between your inner wisdom and the world around you through symbolic rituals and clear intention setting.
What strikes us as particularly remarkable is how magickal practises align so naturally with established psychological principles. The frameworks we’ve explored from Maslow’s hierarchy to Rogers’ person-centred approach don’t just complement magickal work, they actively support why these techniques prove so effective. They address your needs at multiple levels simultaneously.
The practical techniques we’ve shared in journalling, guided visualisation, candle magick, tarot reflection, and affirmations, all offer accessible starting points for anyone seeking emotional healing. Each serves as a tool to process difficult emotions, gain clarity, and set intentions for your wellbeing.
True change happens when you integrate magickal insights into everyday life, not just during ritual moments. The most powerful magick occurs when you honour both your rational mind and spiritual nature as equally valid aspects of who you are.
To put it simply, magick empowers you to become the primary catalyst for your own change. The journey may challenge you at times but the rewards of emotional freedom and self-discovery are worth the effort. As you continue exploring these practises, trust that you already possess everything needed for profound healing.
References
Credit where credit is due, we aim to cite our sources because we value truthful content. 3 sources were referenced during research to write this, but you are encouraged to follow our other links as well.
- Brooks, Alison Wood, Julianna Schroeder, Jane Risen, Francesca Gino, Adam D. Galinsky, Michael I. Norton, and Maurice Schweitzer. “Don’t Stop Believing: Rituals Improve Performance by Decreasing Anxiety.” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 137 (November 2016): 71–85.
- PsychologyWriting. (2024, December 23). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Social-Emotional Development. https://psychologywriting.com/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-and-social-emotional-development/
- https://www.simplypsychology.org/carl-rogers.html
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