🤫 WITCH CHALLENGE - Discreet Witchcraft

BryWisteria · June 10, 2026, 12:58pm

Merry meet,

Thank you once again to all those who joined in for the previous Witch Challenge - Witch Wards

After exploring the art of magickal defenses, we’re taking protective methods to the next level. This one is for all the witches who aren’t ready or are unable to come out of the broom closet.

The theme for this challenge was suggested by the creative @katharina and is…

Discreet Witchcraft
Keeping your practice personal, secret, and safe

While every witch should be able to be out and proud about their practice if they wish, there are situations where it may be wiser to keep one’s magickal talents concealed. Some witches live in places without the freedom of belief or where people harbor misconceptions of the Craft. There are also practitioners who, for various reasons, aren’t comfortable or able to come out of the broom closet to their friends and family. There’s nothing wrong with staying safe! It’s important to remember that, at the end of the day, your practice is your own and is valid whether you tell others or not.

This challenge is for those who have to keep their Craft concealed, those who choose to keep their magick private, and for all those who wish to support their magickal siblings in staying safe. So, what witchy tips, tricks, or advice do you use or have to help magick users practice discreetly?

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This challenge is about keeping your practice private - how you choose to take on this theme is up to you. So are you ready? Because it’s…

CHALLENGE TIME!

Picture from Canva

A Personal Practice

Not sure where to begin? To help you get started exploring this theme, here are a few suggested spells and other ways in which a witch might approach this challenge.

Please make sure you are logged into your Spells8 Account so you can view all of the resources shared!

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Hidden in Mundane Sight

With witchcraft and witch-adjacent topics like astrology, herbalism, and crystals being so popular in modern media, it can be possible in some places to wear witchy fashion without anyone raising an eyebrow. Consider expressing yourself subtly through your fashion and accessories.

How-to-enchant-jewelry-360x240
How to Enchant Jewelry

Witch Fashion Challenge

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Elusive Altars

Not every witch needs an altar, but for those who desire a place to practice rest assured that altars can also be discreet. From temporary or portable to non-material, there are many altar options available.

Travel-Altar-Ideas
Portable Travel Altars

The-Inner-Temple-Meditation-Wicca-750x500
Cast Spells Without Tools in Your Inner Temple

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Modest Meditations

When the magick happens within, no one on the outside needs to know! Consider embarking on a magickal experience through guided meditations, visualization exercises, breathing rituals, etc.

Meditation-Roots-Online-Course-750x505
Meditations for Beginners

Guided-Tea-Meditations-750x500
Guided Tea Meditations

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Subtle Spellcasting

Here are some additional resources and related discussions about subtle spellwork and keeping one’s practice on the DL.

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…And More!

The suggestions above are just a few ideas to help kickstart your creativity. If you feel called to explore the challenge theme in another way, you are welcome to do so.

Picture from Canva

How to Join the Challenge

In order for your entry to be counted, all you have to do is write/share about your experience and label it as your challenge entry. There is a lot of chatting here (which is awesome- chatting and discussion are very welcome!) so please clearly write that it is your entry so I know to count it!

Where Do I Share My Entry?

Click here to learn where to share your challenge entry

You are welcome to post it right here- just click “reply” to this post and write your experience in the text box that pops up!

Alternatively, you could create a new post in the forum (this is good for when you have a lot to share and/or would like to discuss aspects of your entry not related to the current theme)

Note: If you do choose to create a new thread, please add the “challenge-entry” tag and/or add a hyperlink back to this post so that it can be easily found- thank you!

Click here for a note for our lovely lurkers

Everyone is welcome to join the challenge. For those who would like the challenge prizes, please know that you will need to share your experience if you want to receive a prize and a public shout-out.

Don’t feel comfortable sharing? No fear! For lurkers and those who are shy, it is absolutely okay to follow along with the challenge on the sidelines. At the end of the day, these challenges are here to help you help yourself by expanding and enhancing your personal magickal practice. I hope they can be helpful for you!

Deadline

This challenge will close in 13 DAYS

To join in, please share your experience by:

Tuesday, June 23 at 7:00 AM EDT (Eastern US Time)
2026-06-23T11:00:00Z

(Note that the time zone is ET- if you don’t see your time displayed above, you can use this time zone calculator to check for your time zone!)

Prizes

For their efforts, all participants will receive a special shout-out and a small prize!

Acknowledgments will be given in a Props and Presents Post that will appear in the forums the day the challenge closes.

After the challenge closes, you are still very welcome to post but please be aware that no additional prizes will be given. This discussion will remain open for about a week after the challenge finishes.

Picture from Canva

A warm reminder that the challenges are designed to be very open - everyone is encouraged to participate in a way that honors and reflects their unique practice

If you’re not sure whether or not something is acceptable to post, please double-check with the Forum FAQ and/or reach out to your friendly Moderator Team.

And for those new to challenges - welcome! Know that the goal of these activities is to help you further diversify and strengthen your abilities. The challenges hope to bring together the Spells8 forum family in ways that inspire and support one another. I hope you have fun with them!

Picture from Canva

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Your magick is yours through thick or thin
It always will be as it always has been
So whether you share freely or keep on the down low,
You’re the only one who needs to know!

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Blessed be!

BryWisteria · June 10, 2026, 12:59pm

Pick the Challenge Badge

The tradition continues! Let us know - which title do you like the most?

(Poll is anonymous)

Undercover Witch
Shrewd Spellcaster
Judicious Magician
Prudent Practitioner
Witch in Disguise

0 voters

The title with the most votes will be awarded to all challenge entrants. Thanks for helping us pick the challenge badge!

Artemisia · June 10, 2026, 3:39pm

Challenge Entry - Discrete Witchcraft

First off, I’m not telling anyone what they should do, nor am I shaming or judging anyone for doing things differently than I do. This is just my personal experience and what works for me

When I was in my early twenties, living on my own, making my own choices (and mistakes), and exploring new ideas was very important to me, as it is for many. I was often so enthusiastic about my beliefs and choices that they became focal points for who I was. I was fortunate to live in an area of the country that (at that time) was accepting, open, and allowed me to explore my interest in magick, even if I did keep my abiding passion for it to myself. So many things were new and changing that I felt I needed to keep something “my own”. I grew up catholic, went to a catholic school for several years, continued CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) when I went to public school, and was confirmed in high school. Mysticism, ritual, reverence, and knowing the sacred were important to me and weren’t confined to just Catholicism. My confirmation project (that I’m still amazed I got approval to do) was comparative world religions.

As the years have gone by, what’s important (to me) has changed. My practice has changed. My life has changed. As I enter the crone phase of my life, it’s less important for me that people know my favorite color is royal purple (followed closely by emerald green), that I can’t abide the texture of pumpkin pie, that I’ve been a runner for over 15 years or that I practice animism and work with land spirits. Are all these things important to me and are integral to what makes me me? Yes. But lately, it’s enough that I know and cherish these things. That those closest to me understand.

I am not, nor have I ever been, a firebrand made to change the world. And that’s OK. I’ve found happiness in finding new friends that share my interests, spending more and more time working with and practicing in nature, and being thankful for what I have and who I am.

All the rest I can’t control, and I let go.

I suppose the TL;DR takeaway is that I don’t take extraordinary measures to conceal my practice, but I also don’t make it the focal point of my daily interactions. If I lead the life I want to support, the life I believe in, others who are like-minded will notice.

Sorry, too much caffeine and too much chatter

georgia · June 10, 2026, 4:03pm

Nope. I’m glad you shared this. Thank you.

TS5 · June 10, 2026, 6:12pm

Challenge Entry - Science as a shield

I think witchcraft has been discreet for most of the modern century, hear me out and see what you think.

For nearly 70 years the Jungian belief in archetypes has dominated the witchcraft community. Our ancestors in witchcraft did not believe in archetypes, for thousands of years witches interacted with distinct, independent, objective entities with their own agency - this is still done in practices like Seidr, Heathenry and Animism but it’s not the majority. So why did witches drop the gods for archetypes? Here’s one theory.

Witchcraft has always been taboo, undercover and dangerous but in the mid-1900s there was a deliberate pivot to make witchcraft acceptable, legal and safe. This was to protect witches from intense social stigma and persecution. So modern occultists turned to psychology to translate ancient, unpredictable forces into an internal mental phenomena.

In the 1950s when Gerald Gardner brought Wicca to the public eye, the UK had only just repealed the Witchcraft Act. Now witches were beginning to be viewed as mainstream instead of wicked evil people in league with Satan.

To further make the practice discreet, witches took the shield of science and in the 60s and 70s prominent occultists adopted Jungian philosophy. By rebranding the spirit world as an archetype of the collective unconscious, witches were now legitimate and more importantly safe.

This was further pushed in the 70s and 80s with the rise of chaos magic which now used belief as a tool. Chaos magicians taught that spirits do not exist externally, but are servitors or egregores created by our own subconscious.

The result of this development transformed the gods or in relation to this challenge, the demonic into nothing more than a part of the human psyche. This took the fear out of witchcraft, and more importantly the need to make witchcraft illegal.

Purists argue that this progression destroyed the power of a witch, and the spirit world withdrew from witches insulted by the degradation of their ancient independent lifeform to that of the human mind.

However, in my view what actually took place was the shielding and protection of a craft, its practicioners and the spirits they worked with (whether they knew they were working with these forces or felt safe believing it was all themselves) from continued persecution that could’ve maybe wiped us out. These progressive ideas, although probably not intentionally developed to shield us, actually did just that.

We have been shielded perhaps by the greatest weapon of all - science and it’s behind this shield we can continue our practice safely.

As the world becomes more hostile towards us, I think this shield will grow stronger. At the end of the day, the only important relationship is between the witch and the spirits they interact with, to the rest of the world it’s just psychology and science, and maybe it’s in our best interest to let them believe that.

We are protected.

Skal

shari2 · June 10, 2026, 9:39pm

Challenge Entry
I have always practiced, but never advertised the fact. A few people knew; most did not. Now I live in the bible belt, so I really keep it on the down low, except to other witches. My altar is always set up, but I keep a large meditation scarf ( seen in some of my pics) handy, and drape it over the altar if people are coming over. Or I try to keep them out of my library. I freely wear crystals, and stuff like that, I am just careful how much I reveal, as many of my friends are very religious, and may not understand. There is still quite a stigma to it, especially among people who follow Fundamentalist religions. I just don’t want a fight on my hands where it doesn’t need to be. Not ashamed, just prudent.

Feathertip · June 10, 2026, 10:40pm

Beautifully said!

Absolutely agree. We are protected by this, and that’s what counts for so many of us!

Exactly. So much hinges on the luck of the draw, so to speak. Where you live, the people around you - we are all faced with varying levels of pushback and have to deal with it each day. There’s nothing wrong with acknowledging this and being careful.

Wonderful entries already. Thanks for starting this new Challenge, @BryWisteria - and thanks to our sweet @katharina for the idea!

underwaxingmoon · June 10, 2026, 11:47pm

Challenge Entry

I’m too familiar with having to hide things from people that I just am not ready to have that conversation with. My altar is in my bedroom, so no one sees that. I have my desk with my witch planner and a few books, but when certain people come over, I turn them over to be honest. It’s a lot easier in public, I wear my crystals and dress in long flowy clothes that make me feel “witchy.” The average person wouldn’t know by looking. I don’t really have to hide but when my mom comes over, I do just because she’s very religious and I can’t imagine what she would say or think if she knew. so, I chose not to disclose that to her. it’s hard. My in laws are also religious so I keep it from them as well, besides my brother-in-law.

So, in the meantime, I just do what I can in the comfort of my own home and share what I can with my husband and my best friend. They’re the two main people I know wont judge me or won’t have anything negative to say.

This was my first challenge so bear with me lol

julie8 · June 11, 2026, 12:19am

Challenge Entry - Discrete Magik

It’s funny how as we get older, we realise it doesn’t really matter what other’s think. In the early days I would be quite discrete but since moving into my current home 26 years ago and the kids leaving home probably 22 years ago, I really don’t care anymore. Probably because I have more time for myself. A life for me and my partner without having to look after kids.

I have gradually filled my whole home with bits and pieces, and it is quite obvious what they are. We have a business and employ around 10 staff. Each year we hold a work Xmas Party at our house (by choice of staff). Most don’t really care or take notice, but I have one particular staff member and his wife who adore all my treasures and usually take a good half hour walking around my home looking at all the bits and pieces. This makes me feel really proud of my home and how I have come to decorate it with what is important to me. My husband is very accepting and so are my kids. I do enough for them in my time that they better not be against my beliefs (ha ha).

This is how my guests get greated in my home - front door and entry displays.

I am me and very proud of it! It has taken me a long time to get to this point, but I am pleased that I have before I pass over and have the time to enjoy being me!

So Mote It Be

katharina · June 11, 2026, 5:45am

Thank you, dearest Bry for taking up my idea!

Thank you, love!

natalie11 · June 11, 2026, 1:40pm

Challenge Entry: Undercover

Im relatively new to the practice with only a couple of years under my metaphorical belt. My parents dont know; only my husband and a couple of close friends. I wish I could tell my parents but they are both very religious and “fear for my soul” so, yeah I just dont mention it. I love learning (im a junior high science teacher by trade) and ive always been obsessed with rocks and crystals. I read tarot even though I cant remember all the cards, usually do first of the month rituals a couple of days late, and I spend more hours than I should growing my plants in my backyard and greenhouse. It is what it is, and it’s me! This is how I chose to live my life: simply and happily. And it that means keeping my craft to myself for now, im okay with that.

shari2 · June 11, 2026, 2:14pm

It seems like some stuff doesn’t register as witchcraft, and will be accepted, but I have learned not to disclose too much, even when I lived in California. I have a friend who is VERY public, and has been on several tv shows, and radio interviews, does all the conventions etc. She is plagued with death threats, online and in person stalking, and a lot of other stuff, including harassing phone calls. People fear what they don’t understand, and there are religions out there that think vegetarianism is Satanic, so just imagine…

bethany · June 11, 2026, 2:36pm

Challenge Entry

I walk a balance between authenticity and discretion. I wear a small silver pentacle necklace. My altar is on my mantle at the entrance to my home and is neither discrete nor hidden, though I’d be surprised if a non-pagan really knew what they were looking at. I have a tattoo of an ouroboros, which now that I’m a Norse pagan reminds me of Jormungand; it reminds me of death and rebirth and my responsibility to fight against evil/chaos. I don’t advertise my religion on social media, nor have I told anyone except my husband that I’m a practicing Norse pagan or a member of two Druid orders. I am protecting my beliefs and my self-concept from other’s doubts and opinions, and you never know with how the country is going what will happen.

georgia · June 11, 2026, 4:08pm

Greetings @natalie11! Welcome!

Challenge Entry

I remember when I first joined the forum. @BryWisteria was kind enough to alert me that I could change my online name if I so chose. I replied to a PM that I wasn’t afraid. Those halcion days may be nearing an end. It was good while it lasted. I’m rejoicing that I have been able to collect so many spells and make some great friends, here. I’d like to find a way to hide what I have collected, and thus keep all of us safe for future generations. Therein lies our immortality, eh?

In my youth, I heard tales of World War III and wanted to save the wisdom of our times for those of future eras. In Search Of… hosted a show about Shangri La- a place hidden where governments could not destroy the things the caretakers chose to keep. These particular items were religious in nature, but they inspired me. This is why I have attempted to collect so much over time. Storage and hiding all of this is a separate issue, though.

Once upon a time, I’d found a program which would encode written information into a picture. It fascinated me. Computers have changed so much over the years that the program may no longer work on them anymore. I’ve lost so many great programs over the years! Without a program to translate what was encoded, the wisdom wouldn’t be found. After all, how long did it take Ellie to find the encoded harmonics in the movie Contact?

When my driver’s grandson notified us that his school no longer taught kids to read or write in cursive, I felt there may be a form of safety in my own handwriting. Then I realized that book burning rituals did not read the books they destroyed. Everything was gathered indiscriminately, unless it was carefully hidden and left unfound through wars and natural disasters.

I researched hiding books in zipper bags in some cave somewhere. The bags degraded over time, even without the natural elements to act upon them.

Invisible inks were a subject of study. Once lemon juice is warmed enough to be read, it will not return to invisibility. Many other formulas for invisible ink were unhealthy to write with or to read. Some even disintegrated the paper.

Paper takes on the scents around it. Who wants to read from a book which smells of sewage while attempting to perform a sacred rite? Simple mold in the paper has caused some readers to hallucinate and lose the meaning. These issues have plagued me for the last 6 years, so far, though I have been aware of them for nearly half a century. Back to the drawing board.

I considered saving digital copies to a thumb drive and protecting it the best way I could. Then I noticed movies wherein advanced technology was found by archeologists who either didn’t have the knowledge of how to retrieve the info or the mechanical memory was degraded to a point of inaccessibility.

A MacGyver movie even revealed how easily treasures of time can be destroyed by those who do not understand and cannot value them (a treasure seeker put his hands into an ancient chest to crush fragile paper to unreadable dust in search of gold). It took Mac quite an adventure to find where The Treasure of Atlantis was hidden, only to be destroyed unread. (Hmmm. We are creating our own legend of an advanced, lost civilization. What will future eras think of us with our unicorns, dragons, fairies, witches, mermaids, and spells? Fond smile.)

It has occurred to me that the items we have found from abusive ages are luck of the draw, protected by the deities. We have little control over that, except to make as many copies as possible and hide them everywhere. I have copies of my writing in landfills across the country. Maybe that counts.

I am still seeking some way to preserve our wisdom, something I can do as an individual with little social authority. This goes a bit beyond discretion of act and image. I simply felt the need to put it out here. Thank you for your patience and time.

MeryWynd · June 11, 2026, 5:53pm

I’ve been practicing Witchcraft for more than 4 decades and have kept it secret from family, friends, employers, neighbors etc. I was raised in a Christian home. My late paternal grandfather was a Baptist preacher. We live in a small town in the southern bible belt. So, under these circumstances, I knew I had to be very discreet. My husband is very supportive but he has never seen me cast a circle or do a ritual. A few close friends know but its not a topic we discuss. I wear a pentacle necklace tucked inside my clothes and small pentacle earrings hidden by my hair. I do not look Witchy in any obvious way. My home is filled with witchy things that go unnoticed by visitors. I’ve only recently began openly displaying pentagrams outside - in a wreath on the front door, painted on a flower pot, etc for protection. So far, no one has commented. My discretion and silence gives me peace of mind because I am certain I would face ridicule and threats from the christian community and who wants to deal with the ignorant masses bearing lighted torches and pitchforks ?

TS5 · June 11, 2026, 6:14pm

So I’ve taken a break from my study to read these fabulous entries.

@Artemisia

The perfect balance, lovely entry.

A great statement and very wise, wonderful entry

That’s beautiful that you can share with them, your entry is fabulous

Wonderful photos, it’s so true as we get older what bothered us when we were young, very often no longer does as we age. Lovely entry

I love this, it could be a life quote. Fabulous entry.

It’s actually important to protect from people’s doubts and opinions, sometimes we forget this kind of protection. Lovely entry.

I love reading all your ventures in this quest, I have a paper copy of one of your treasures - Unicorn Harvest. Beautiful

Oh hell no, exactly noone wants that. Great entry.

Skal

Feathertip · June 11, 2026, 7:17pm

You did just fine! Your mom sounds like my mom, and yes there are certain people we just don’t reveal ourselves to because they feel somehow “responsible” for us and that they have a unique right to lecture - who needs this stress? No one!! Lovely entry!

Wonderful attitude! You look beautiful and free in the picture of you with your dogs, sitting there. Great entry!

Welcome, @natalie11 and Merry Meet! Yes, you sound like those of us who still keep things from our parents because of that unique relationship. You sound like a caring and wonderful science teacher - I’m sure your students appreciate your style!

Exactly. Thank you for sharing with us!

Yep - there’s nothing wrong with being cautious while still practicing your beliefs. I agree, having certain things out in the open will often just get passed by from the casual observer. Good thinking, and nice entry!

Thank you for sharing how deeply you’re giving thought to all of this! Most of us are facing this daily, just to different degrees.

Yes and yes - Southern Baptists are a unique kind, and I was raised in this very religion so know how terrifying it can be with the preacher literally screaming and pounding the pulpit - only to be smiling and shaking hands 10 minutes later as he saw us all out the door. Makes a big impression!

Exactly no one, as @TS5 says! And yet this is the actual scenario where it’s more likely to happen.

Moonbeam · June 11, 2026, 7:34pm

Hi everyone very interesting challenge entries. I am thinking

With Love & Light

Greenbriar · June 11, 2026, 8:42pm

Challenge Entry

I’ve talked about this in other threads, but I just realized I didn’t enter this challenge yet.

I’m fairly new to this, having joined Spells8 in November 2024. I felt very safe telling Eric when I first started reading about it and he has supported me all the way.

We don’t have any family close by so I don’t have to worry about keeping anything from them. And we are both loner types, that don’t have friends dropping in all the time.

So I can be pretty open about my witchiness at home. There are several witchy decorative elements around the home, but they are pretty subtle and a casual visitor might not notice.

What I do, when we go out of town and I know our pet sitter will be in the house taking care of the cats, is to close up my secretary desk/altar and remove most of the witchy stuff from the top. I leave a few crystals artfully arranged on top, but my Gaia painting, Spiral Goddess painting, pentacles etc. all get put in a secure box in the closet.

I don’t have any qualms about wearing my crystal jewelry - bracelets, necklaces etc. outside the house. I wear my triple moon earrings to the grocery store, but not to garden club, where they may raise questions.

As I have mentioned, I belong to a local garden club. I now hold a pretty high position on the executive committee, being the “recording secretary” (I take the minutes and post them on the website). All the other members are very open about their Faith, talk to each other about their churches etc. (Bring English myself, that has always surprised me, in England we don’t make such a big deal about faith and what church we attend) So I just smile and and nod, but don’t offer anything myself. They probably understand I’m not a practicing Christian, but none of them have any clue I consider myself a witch, and I hope it stays that way.

katharina · June 11, 2026, 8:46pm

Challenge Entry

Here are some of my favorites when it comes to discreet magic!

Knot Magic

You will need a ribbon or cord, ideally one whose color matches your intention (color magic).

Take a few deep, cleansing breaths; relax and form a picture, a thought, or even a complete sentence about your magical goal. For example: “I am protected.”

Begin tying knots in your ribbon, being intentional about the number of knots: 3x3 knots, for example, always work well (with the power of 3x3, come to me), but any other number that resonates with your birth number or your intention will also work.

With each knot, repeat your spell. You can wear the ribbon discreetly, as a bracelet, for example.

Magic with your skincare

Your skincare can easily be your discreet, magical helper: enchant your lotion or cream so that it simultaneously envelops you in a protective energetic shield as you apply it. You can also use it to draw sigils on your skin before massaging in the cream.

Color Magic

You can paint your fingernails a color that corresponds to a magical intention.

A scarf, shawl, or other accessory can also be used for a touch of color magic.

We know the trick of enchanting and magically charging our favorite jewelry, but these pieces also have colors or are made of certain metals that have magical correspondences that can be used intentionally. Of course, you can also draw a sigil on a very small piece of paper and keep it in a locket or a “poison ring.”