How To Include Nerd Culture into your Witchcraft

Listen y’all. I’m a huge nerd. And I love incorporating my nerd loves into my witchcraft.

It makes for a great way to customize your craft and keep everything in a form that feels comfortable and enjoyable for you.

What are Nerdy things?

Really, when you boil it down, nerdy things are anything that you love and think about a lot. I think John Green said it best-

“…because nerds like us are allowed to be unironically enthusiastic about stuff. Nerds are allowed to love stuff, like jump-up-and-down-in-the-chair-can’t-control-yourself love it.”

And the thing about nerds is, the things that they love tend to mean a lot to them, and I’m no exception. I love me a good Firefly reference, and few things are sweeter than rolling that much needed nat 20 when your party desperately needs it.

So when I talk about nerdy things incorporated into witchcraft, I’m really talking about those things that hold meaning or significance that are specifically pulled from pop culture.

 And in all of these things that we love, symbolism is used in one way or another. And where there’s symbolism, there’s something you can use in witchcraft.

But how?

So I want you to take a look at your favorite nerdy franchise. Let’s go with, say, Harry Potter. (I know, a school about witches and wizards is a bit on the nose, but it makes for  great cultural touchstone.)

In Harry Potter, the students use all kinds of symbols to get their magic done. Waving wands, magic words, and visualization are just a few.

So for our little example, let’s say you’re doing a protection spell. A lot of witches enjoy chanting/saying a spell out loud. But maybe you’re not super confident in you’re spell writing, are having a bit of writers block, or just want to give your spell a little more pizzazz. You could throw in “Expecto Patronum” or “Protego” for kicks and giggles. I personally like to do this when I’m adding energy to a spell bottle or candle. I find that it helps me focus the energy for that specific spell and gives that added benefit of making me feel super witchy!

And you can do this most of the spells. Binding spell? Petrificus Totalus. Doing a cleansing? Tergeo or Scourgify. Money spell? Accio money. We could go on, but I think you get the idea.

And this can be applied to any nerdy thing I can think of. Doctor Who fan? Why not learn how to write in gallifreyan and use that for sigils? Or maybe you can grab your favorite dice set and learn dice divination. (I’m currently working on this and have found this video to be super helpful.)

The possibilities are as endless as you imagine them to be, and that is the best part!

Basically, if you can think of a use for it and you think it will be helpful (or just, you know, fun) then there is no reason for you to not include it in your spell work outside of things like coven settings or certain traditions.

But Why Combine Nerdy Things With Your Magic?

Magic, at its core, is taking your intentions and utilizing the energies around you to make it happen. And any tool you can use to harness that energy is a good tool to have in your back pocket.

A lot of the time, we witches feel like everything needs to be derived from an ancient practice, or things need to be done a certain way. We think that if it doesn’t fit into the witchy aesthetic then it can’t be used in witchcraft.

And that is a absolute nonsense. Witchcraft doesn’t have to look like anything in order to be witchcraft. You don’t have to do things a certain way or follow any rules. So long as everyone is respectful of each other and different ideas, then we’re all good!

So why not include some of your favorite stuff into your craft? It keeps your practice unique and fun. And anything that does that is a win in my book!