The Magical Writing Grimoire discussion

The Magical Writing Grimoire: Use the Word as Your Wand for Magic, Manifestation & RitualLisa Marie Basile

This is going to get dark (but I promise there's a silver lining!), so brace yourselves. It was the summer of 2014 -- I remember because I was blasting Lana Del Rey's Ultraviolence -- when I started writing about my personal experiences with family addiction, separation & my eventual move into foster care. It's wild to think, but before then, I managed to write poetry and essays that rarely if ever touched on it, which meant my voice and my self and my expression was always half-real, half-honest, untouched by the very thing that made me me. That trauma was such a big part of my foundation and the lens through which I saw the world.

So one day in 2014 I wrote a piece about how foster kids belonged to no one & everyone, how we existed in a liminal space legally and physically. The thought of sharing this essay made me shook me to my core. Because then the world would know my past. It would reveal me as the traumatized thing I was before I wore a new era over my wounds. Yes, this essay said, I came from somewhere very real.

After finishing it, it was as though a spell were cast. I felt like the weight of a hundred galaxies came off my back. Because some of what I wrote were words I'd never even uttered to myself. And when I did write it it fell out of me like rain.

The ability to write is a privilege for many of us, but it's also a free tool that can help save us. I've seen writing help women in domestic shelters, college students move through self-esteem issues, and incarcerated individuals tell their story. It is something sacred in itself because with our words we are taking nothing and making it into something.

So I wanted to design a gentle but effective book that people -- especially any marginalized community -- could use to tap into their truth and self, in a way that felt right for them. It's guided, but it allows space for reinterpretation and individuality so that anyone can tap in."

In The Magical Writing Grimoire wanted to be able to make space for others to write their truth, to invest in their stories, to write for others'...and to turn a writing practice (one that you have or not) into a sacred, healing, magical act where writing is elevated into transformative ritual. Because when we tap into that power, we find, in many ways, freedom, beauty, light. The only way out is through.

In a recent chat with The Witchhassle Podcast, I discussed how writing is itself a magical act. This book isn't *solely* a look at magical or occult practices that will encourage creativity (although of course it explores that); it is a book that places the act of writing firmly in the center of the magic itself. When you write, you are already engaged in ritual and conversation with your deeper self. With the divine. With nature. We write to make magic. When we write, we are casting a spell. We are making change. And so, your words (whether you plan on sharing your poetry with the world or keeping a box of journals under your bed!) are your power. Your wand.

Writers and non-writers alike (witches and non-witches, too!) can use this book. Beyond writing, it's also for anyone who is interested in magic, ritual, healing, manifestation, and reclamation of voice and narrative. It was such an important book for me to write, especially with a trauma-informed background. It's for everyone who wants to feel whole.