Practicing urban magic can be quite confusing and frustrating for some witches. Indeed, we always think of forests, nature, waterfalls, oceans, etc as places that are sacred to the reals of witchcraft, and it is very hard to imagine doing workings in an urban environment. This can be both intimidating and frustrating and can cause many witches to loose their way, especially early on in the craft. That being said, the most important thing to remember is that witchcraft lives in us and magic exists all around us, regardless of where we exist!
The fun part about Urban magic is that it is, by its very nature, so different from the magic found in nature. This is a magic that hums with electricity, shimmers with glass and steel, and carries chaos as its undercurrent. While you will most likely not find a forrest in the middle of an urban area, you will find tall buildings, skyscrapers that touch the heavens and made of glass and steel. You might be able to feel the fresh air, but you will be able to hear the hum of the electricity that flows through the cables. Water might not be easy to find, but the reflections of the world exist all around you. The only fire you need can be found in your should and your actions.
As you can see, the city is teeming with everything you might need to cast a spell, in fact more so and easier to get than people living in rural areas. This city is your canvas and doing with it what you will can lead to a type of magic that is unpredictable but full of life as any urban environment. Below I will go over a few different types of practices that not only work, but excel, in an urban environment.
Sigil Work
When the entire city is your canvas, why not make the most of it! From drawing sigils on cars for protection, using your breath to fog up glass, or even using paint on walls, sigils are a powerful practice that blend in well with any urban environment. Safety during travel, protection against theft or damage, to make yourself more noticeable, or to make yourself fade into the background, all of these and more are popular ways to incorporate magic into an urban environment.
Tech Witchcraft
Nowadays in any city it is impossible to exist without the internet. From hailing ride shares, using Postmates or Door Dash, checking in at various establishments, paying using your phone, ordering services, urban environments are literally the ground zero of where magic and technology intersect. From having a digital Book of Shadows, sending emoji spells, using spell work to increase the efficiency of the internet and your devices, to using charms to hop those pesky internet lines, magic works on energy and no where else in the world is there more energy to play with than with technology. Any tech witch would have a field day living in big city, where they are sure to have much more fun surrounded by the internet, than out in the country where they are cut off from their vital source of information.
Glamours and Beauty Magic
We all know that glamours and beauty magic, indeed all magic, can be used by anyone at anytime, but this type of magic really finds it calling in an urban environment. Being constantly around strangers, never knowing which one will be the one to change your life, it never hurts to throw on a glamour and dazzle a room. From first dates, to job interviews, to even walking down the street or waiting for the subway, glamour and beauty magic shines best the more people you are around. And nowhere are there more people surrounding you in an urban environment.
In Conclusion
Urban magic is wild, it is unruly, and it is chaotic just like most cities are. The magic found there is not the magic found in trees and streams, but in the sounds of a traffic jam and the life in a city that never sleeps. The secret to performing witchcraft in an urban environment isn’t trying to put yourself in a place where the magic is familiar, but remember to look and find the magic around you. While a bit different and possibly strange, working with it brings a new life to any witch or spell.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Witch 