Magick and technology are often viewed as oil and water, but technology is a big part of our lives and there’s no reason we can’t work our magick with our tech or even for our gadgets. Electricity, communication, connection — all of these are forces that we can work with, even if the starting point is our smartphone.
Related: “How to use technology for better magick,” by Donyae Coles
A few months ago, I read a collection of viral posts (via Tumblr or Reddit) about the worst IT nightmares that these people had ever run into. In one, the technician had opened up someone’s desktop tower to find some sticky white stuff burned onto the components. It turns out that the woman believed all things had spirits and should be paid for their labour. She was paying her computer with one grain of rice per day.
Others laughed at this story but I thought it was quite sweet. I wouldn’t advise stuffing rice (or any food) into your computer or gadgets, but thanking them for the work they do in the service of our lives? That’s awesome.
The world of technology is treated as if it is untouched by the forces we manipulate and call magick but it isn’t. Technology is just another thing that we manipulate. It is another thing in our tool kit to help us live our best lives. Technology may seem off-limits to magical influences but it is far from it. Here are some tips and tricks to using magick with your technology.
Cleansing and thanking
When was the last time you cleansed your smartphone or laptop? When was the last time you thanked your TV for its service? These human-made gadgets are a big part of our lives. If you think they can’t be magical because they’re not natural, guess what? Your wand, altar cloth, statues, pendulums, tarot cards etc are also human-made. We interact with technology constantly, and use it for a variety of things. Your gadgets are probably already involved in your magick life.
You use your phone and computer to look at articles and websites to educate yourself on your craft and connect with sellers as well as other practitioners. You may stream magick-themed videos or background music on your television. These items have become a part of many magick folx lifestyles so just like wands, crystals, cards etc, they need to be cleansed and honoured for their work.
Many cleaning rituals are off-limits for our gadgets however. No water or dirt, and incense use may be questionable as ash collection can be a problem. The safest element to use to cleanse your gadgets, and ironically the most suitable for alignment, is air.
Next time you pick up an air can to blow out dust or crumbs, say a small prayer of gratitude for your gadget’s continued service to you, ask that it continue to serve you so faithfully. Take your smartphone outside and let the wind blow over it while thanking it for what it does for you.
Banish trolls online and other charms
You can use magick more directly by incorporating charm symbols into your posts and emails. If you are working on a mobile device or a newer version of Windows or iOS, then you can tap into the emoji menus for a variety of symbols to help draw the type of energy you want for your post or missive.
Use the eye icon as an evil eye or a bell for protection. A bunny for luck or a bat for someone who you wish to impart good health to. There are a variety of animals and objects that can be used in a stand-alone manner without involving more heavy-duty spell work.
Even if you are on an older machine, you can use simple emojis1 for protection. <*> is an eye for example that can be thrown on posts. One symbol you won’t find on any lists of popular symbols is the Troll Cross2. This symbol, O< or OC, is based off the ancient Swedish and Norwegian symbol used to ward against negative magick. You can use it to ward off commenters who just bring negativity — or as they’re more commonly called, trolls.
This use of digital charms can be extended to your physical space as well. Hard plastic and metal shells of our gadgets can be engraved on, marked with permanent pens and markers, or have paper with charms and the like tapped directly on to the machines. Use this method to enchant your phone so it never gets lost, or returns to you when it does, for example. Similarly, you can place enchantments by using your desktop background, which is a good option for machines that are on loan, such as work or school computers.
Bring better communication and use
Our electronic devices are controlled primarily by air. Certainly, they are composed of various minerals, which would make you think of earth as the primary element, but they function primarily by electricity and air. If you happen to work with a system that includes the primal force of lighting then go with that, but if you’re only working with the basic four (or five, if you include spirit) elements, then the one that is suited for our tech is air.
To that end, you would want to draw favour from those elements to ask favours (such as making sure the “undo” button works on that email you didn’t mean to send) — attach things to your computer or phone to attract them. Phone charms with bells and tassels or small bundles of ribbon hung on your monitor are good and they may feel inclined to help you out in your time of need as a thank you for giving them something to play with.
Air energy or spirits are notoriously fickle though, and tend to do what they want regardless, but if you consistently give them thanks and praise, they will be more inclined to help you out when you need it. Give them thanks for mundane things — perhaps your keyboard didn’t lock up on you, or your Wi-Fi is being awesome — they like the praise and they are always around, listening. Even in our high-tech world, the energy of air is one that is always with us. Open a window or wave your hand in front of your face. That’s the energy of air.
That’s for software. When it comes to hardware or mechanical devices, such as our cars, you’ll need to speak directly to the earth. In order to give this part of technology a bit of a boost and attention, use ley lines3. These are invisible paths which energy naturally travels along.
Since they are invisible, you need to use a pendulum to find them. Check out my past article for detailed information on how to use a pendulum, as well as how to make your own. This practice is the same, save for the fact that you hold your pendulum with a neutral mindset. It will naturally be drawn towards the ley lines.
Position your devices closer to these lines. Charge your phone there, put your computer there, park your car over one. This will vibrate with the mechanical parts of the machine and help you get more out of them.
Related: “Dowsing without a pendulum: Divination on demand,” by Charlz dela Cruz
Technology magick for better living
These are just some simple steps to get you started and to help you think of your technology as part of your magick life, not something separate. By doing this, you’ll be able to incorporate more of your magick self into your everyday life as technology is becoming more and more of a fixture for many of us. These things don’t have to live separate from each other, your magick can serve your tech and vice versa for a stronger practice.
Related: “Binaural beats meditation,” by J Simpson
Related: “Shadowrun: How a video game changed my view of magick,” by Donyae Coles
Image credits: TheEye4Art, cloud.shepherd, and Robyn’s Nest
- Betsy Tekspert, “30 Emoticons: How To Make Faces, Things And Animals With Your Keyboard | Senior Planet,” Seniorplanet.Org, 2017. [↩]
- “Troll Cross”, Symboldictionary.Net, accessed 13 August 2017. [↩]
- Alex Whitaker, “Ley-Lines,” Ancient-Wisdom.com, accessed 13 August 2017. [↩]
