Every Wednesday we feature one of our favorite members of the community by doing a quick interview with them. We invite you to get to know the lovely Serafina from @imperfect.witchery a bit better! Be sure to head over to her page and give it a follow, not only is she very open about her magick, but she's very down to earth! We know you will love her as much as we do!!

Show her a warm welcome, and let us know if you enjoy reading about her craft!! We love hearing your feedback!

I've been interested in witchcraft and magic since I was a a little girl. I know we all say this, but I think so many of us have known since we were children that magic is real and we just felt different. I was ever enchanted by whimsical things, tales of mermaids, faeries and the like. In fifth grade I had a very cool teacher who was into Greek mythology, and we got to learn all about the myths. That got me interested in the Oracle of Delphi, fortune telling and divination.

A few years later, the movie Practical Magic came out. I loved everything about it, and I was hooked. I remember not long after, my mom and brother and I were at our local Half Price Books. I had picked out two books, The Wiccan Mysteries by Raven Grimassi and and Scott Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. I timidly handed them to my mom, wondering how she would react to my choices of reading material. She read over the description on the book backs, said “ok” with a smile, and put them in our basket. I must have been around 15, and from that point on I never felt scared to be open about it with my mom. You have to realize, we lived in Texas, and this was in the 90s. The internet had barley begun and folks in that part of the country are mostly very conservative. This was also the end of the era of Satanic Panic. It wasn’t easy or welcoming to be out as a witch like it is for a lot of us now. I feel very fortunate to have a mom like her, and to have lived in a town like Austin, progressive enough to carry such books at the local Half Price store.

My mom also took me to buy my first tarot deck when I was around 19 or 20. I don’t remember her reading cards herself, and didn’t grow up being taught anything explicitly witchy. But I do remember her and a friend would get together sometimes and her friend would read them and show my mom how to read for her. My brother and I would play with her chocolate lab and I was always curious about those cards. I also have memories of things my Big Mama, my great grandmother, would do that are very witchy. She was Christian, but also a country girl. Her ancestors hail from Appalachia, mostly North Carolina, Tennessee and Mississippi. In this culture many folks are Christian but also practice witchcraft, though lots would never call it that. They lived for generations in tune with the natural cycles of the land. There was a lot of cultural blending as well. This is where American folk magic comes in, and there are many variations of these practices such as hoodoo, footwork, and pow-wow.

Over the years my witchcraft practice and beliefs have evolved a lot. As I mentioned earlier, I started out with Wicca. It served me well for my beginnings and I am thankful for what I learned with the system. Over the last four or five years I became very interested in venerating my ancestors and incorporating their beliefs into my practice. I started digging into my family’s genealogy and looked for folk magic, witchcraft and religious practices from the regions my ancestors come from, before they came to America. I found so much that nourished my soul and gave life to my spirit. I learned much more about the people of my Italic and Mediterranean heritage, from Greco-Roman paganism to the folk catholic practice of Benedicaria. I learned about my Pictish, Celtic and Gaelic ancestors, and the true history of the Fae, the Tuatha Dé Danann. These are the belief systems that shape my witchcraft most today.

I am a witch every day, not just on a full moon or Halloween. I infuse my magick into the mundane tasks of motherhood. I find the divine in the everyday, not just during ritual. I focus a lot on my relationship with myself via shadow work, and my relationships with my gods, spirits and ancestors. Sometimes this means simply talking with them, and I would anyone else. Divination plays a big part in my practice as well. I use cards, charms, dreams, the clouds and water scrying for this. I am also not opposed to fortune telling style readings, as this is where cartomancy comes from, and it should not be discarded as the cheap trick some holier than thou witches make it out to be these days.

I don’t read as many witchcraft related books as I used to. But over the last year there are four books that have been deeply inspiring to me. These books are in no particular order, By Rust Of Nail And Prick of Thorn by Althaea Sebastiani, Italian Folk Magic by Mary Grace Fahrun, Backwoods Witchcraft by Jake Richards and most recently I started Keeping Her Keys by Cyndi Brannen. The book by Althaea is available on kindle, and the rest are all widely available and under $15. I would encourage anyone new to the craft or who has a desire to learn more to check out these books. I also strongly recommend checking your local library. Most libraries in large cities have at least a few occult books on hand.

Another tip I offer for new witches is don’t worry too much about doing it right. Don’t compare your practice or beliefs. What you see on Instagram isn’t necessarily indicative of how proficient others are in their practice. At the same time, be careful not to judge those who enjoy the aesthetic. Some of us really have a thing for making our surroundings beautiful, and that doesn’t equate superficial practice. You just don’t know what a person does in their practice simply from their Instagram. Too much comparing can lead to imposter syndrome, or feelings of superiority. Neither of these is a good situation for the individual witch or the community. Be weary of any witches who make you feel less than for the way you practice or what you don’t yet know. Elitists and assholes are everywhere, even spiritual communities. Classes are a wonderful way to get inspired and figure out what works for you, but use discernment when choosing teachers. There are many good mentors out here, but there are also many frauds looking to make a quick buck. Classes should not cost hundreds of dollars. On that note, don’t worry about acquiring all the things. The things are fun but the things don’t make the witch. You doing the witchcraft makes the witch.

Lastly, have fun! You are allowed to change your mind and start anew if need be. Just try things out and have fun. This something you do for YOU, no one else. This is your witchcraft 🖤