Personalizing Practices in Green Witch Rituals

This chapter explores contemporary spiritual practices, specifically as regards the neo-pagan community and the burgeoning growth of green witchcraft. Green witchcraft has proliferated in recent years, reflecting growing cultural interest in environmental concerns and nature-based spiritualities. There is a multitude of books as well as dedicated online platforms, with an astonishing array of podcasts, blogs and vlogs shared between influencers and their followers. What these mediums share is that they encourage a celebration of nature and empower young practitioners to follow their own magical green paths, offering them a tantalising antidote to contemporary materialism and consumerism. While consumer research has developed theories around how individuals derive meaning from personalised grooming, possession rituals, gift-giving and marriage rituals, there is relatively little known about the personalisation of spiritual rituals and how this intersects with consumer culture. We begin by tracing the origins of green witchcraft, detailing how its aesthetics and practices have evolved and innovated. We then discuss the key principles of green witchcraft rituals: working with the four elements, drawing energy from natural forces, aligning with the phases of the moon, and adapting practices to the seasons and local habitat. Then, drawing on a netnographic study of green witches’ communities, texts and practices, we identify three ways in which practitioners are personalising their spiritual rituals namely: 1) spatialising spiritual practices; 2) foraging for ritual objects; and 3) spellbinding initiatives. We conclude by discussing how green witch rituals intersect with feminist spiritualities, environmentalism, consumption and identity.