Do you feel connected to nature? Do you enjoy being kind of a homebody? There is a chance that you may in fact be a hearth witch. Hearth witches feel a strong connection to nature and all of the elements. Using the elements in their home and bringing the energies that nature provides into their space.
For thousands of years, woman would be in charge of the home. While men were off fighting wars or hunting to bring home food, it was the women who stayed behind (for the most part). It was their job to cook, clean, tend to children (sometimes other children), learn to use herbs for medicine and midwifery. You never know when someone may need help when the time comes. A never-ending process of learning and working with what nature has already provided for us.
What is a Hearth Witch?
A hearth witch, also known as a cottage witch, is a witch that connects with nature in and around their home. Bringing the elements into their home and making the home warm and nourishing for all who live there or come to visit.
The hearth is a concrete area in front of a fireplace. The fireplace in ancient times was always the center of the home. This is where meals were prepared and eaten. It was also the place to get warmth, entertain company, make offerings and spend time together as a family and tell stories.
They are mostly solitude witches and tend to enjoy their time being at home and doing the everyday home tasks. This is sometimes referred as magical homemaking. Keep in mind that no two hearth witches are the same. Some may put more effort into one thing like sewing while another may like to put their energy into soap making. There is so much flexibility and is unique to everyone.
Hearth witches fall in line with kitchen witches, hedge witches, and green witches. Although they have their differences, they are all very similar. Working around our homes is something magical within itself. It is a sacred place.
Our homes have a spirit, and if we nurture that spirit, it nurtures us in return. It keeps us warm when it is cold, safe from the elements when mother nature decides to scream and protects us from dangerous predators (not just animals).
What if I do not have a hearth in my home?
That is 100% ok. You do not have to have a hearth in your home to be a hearth witch. All you need is your home. Now, think about your home, what room in your home do you spend the most time in? If you host a lot, where do you and your guests hang out? Is it the living room, kitchen, patio, dining room, or another room? Whichever room you feel warmth, relaxed, and grounded, THAT is your hearth.
To make this area of your home your hearth, all you have to do is take care of it. EASY! Give it a little extra attention compared to other parts of your home (but don’t neglect the rest of your home please). Take the extra time to really keep this area clean.
Decorate it in a way that brings you peace. Try incorporating the elements into this space. Something really easy you can try is an element bowl. For example, fill a small dish with salt (earth) and place items within the dish that represent each element such as a feather (air), seashell (water), and a tea light (fire). This can be centered on a table for all to enjoy.
Cleanse and bless your space. To make this area of your home calm, relaxing and grounding, making sure that the negative energy within the space is removed.
Declutter your space. Are there stacks of paper lying on the surfaces, or bags of random items sitting in the back corner? Taking the time to remove items from your sacred space by putting them where they belong, trashing, or donating. This will really help calm your space and your mind when you are in this space.
Make an altar in this space. This doesn’t have to be anything extravagant or the center point of the space. Use a small table, shelf on the wall or a bookcase shelf. You can go all out if you wish, or you can go small. The best thing about this is that there is no wrong way to do it. Make it represent you and how it makes you feel.
Can anyone be a hearth witch?
Absolutely! I know when we hear hearth witch or cottage witch, we all think of that cute little stone cottage out in the middle of the forest, a small bridge arched over a little creek, butterflies flying and birds chirping in the trees. Sounds lovely. But that is not the reality for most of us.
Live many people (me included), live in more urban areas. And being a witch in an urban area is not always the easiest, but it is not impossible either.
Signs you may be a hearth witch:
- Have a love for your home
- Have a strong connection to nature
- Kind of a homebody
- Enjoy DIY projects
- Finds joy in the domestic activities (cleaning, cooking)
- Loves changing with the seasons (decorating, holiday celebrations)
- Enjoys gardening
- Loves sharing the home with friends and family
Turning the mundane into magic
As a hearth witch, doing the everyday tasks are a necessity to us. Especially those of us who have kids. Tending to our homes tend to be high on the priority list. But how can we turn those mundane tasks into something more magical and meaningful?
Intention is an important part of being a hearth witch. Put your intentions into all that you do. Doing these tasks can be a chance to bring positive energy into your home. So, if positive energy is what you desire, doing these tasks may help you accomplish that.
Cleaning
Cleaning your home is about as mundane as it gets. Some of us do not care for this at all and some feel like they cannot find the time to do it. I know it is not at the top of everyone’s top priority list, but taking the time to care for our home should be a priority. Now, don’t get me wrong, sometimes these tasks do fall by the wayside. But don’t let that become a habit. Taking care of our home allows our home to take care of us. Remember it is a spirit, here to give us warmth, comfort, safety, and love.
When cleaning your home, put your intentions into your cleaning products. For example, when mopping your floors, fill your bucket how you normally would. This could be with your favorite cleaner or some water and a little dish soap. Maybe add in a few drops of essential oils that hold the magical properties you wish to place in your home. Use a few drops of chamomile to relax the senses and the body, or lemon to rejuvenate and energize your space. Swirl your mop in a clockwise motion while saying a spell and clean your floors.
Wipe down your doorways and thresholds while chanting a protection spell. Ward off the negative energies that reside within your home. The options are endless with how you can incorporate magic into your cleaning.
Use the elements to guide you and use herbs and oils to boost the magic in your cleaning. I enjoy making my own natural cleaners. Being able to customize them to whatever I desire. Giving me the flexibility and freedom to clean and charge my home the way I wish to do so.
Declutter
As a witch, we have a lot of things. Between the candles, crystals, witchcraft tools, and books. Oh my stars, ALL OF THE BOOKS! Our homes can get overwhelming really fast if we are not careful. Now, I am not asking you to get rid of everything you own and become a minimalist by any means. I personally like the idea of minimalism, and I like to strive for simplicity, but I know that is not for everyone.
Take a look around your home and see if there is anything that you may be able to part with. Something you can sell, give to a friend, or just simply donate. You may be surprised how freeing it feels to unburden yourself from things that add little to no value to your life and how much more your home can breathe without being bogged down by so much stuff.
Cleanse and clear out the negativity
One thing that we like to do in our home is to cleanse it every month or two. We open all of the windows and doors in our home, starting at the back end of the home and working to the front. Going room to room and cleansing everything.
It is important to not only know the proper cleansing methods, but it is also important to open your windows and doors. Even during the cold months. This is not something that takes very long to do, especially if you do a simple smoke cleanse. Having everything open allows any negative energy within your home a place to go. And where do we want that energy to go? OUT!
I know doing this during the winter sounds awful. Just try it once before cutting it out. Not only does opening everything allow negative energy to leave, but it also brings in fresh air into a space that during the winter months can get dry and stale.
Blessing and protection
Now that your home is cleansed, close everything up and bless your home. Go around room to room and bless your home. You can do this with incense, saying a prayer or a protection spell, or even singing your blessings to your home. If you are not into singing or are self-conscious even while alone (me), you can hum a song and think of the intentions of your blessings.
These are not things that most of us want to do or even think about doing on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. But these things can transform your home and your space. When we do those thankless tasks such as laundry or the dishes, just know that your home thanks you and your loved ones thank you (even though you may never hear it). Clean clothes means that you and your family are warm and comfortable. Dirty dishes means that you and your family have been nourished by the food that you prepare.
Keep in mind when doing these mundane tasks, you are what brings the magic into your home. It is you that makes your home a home. When you take the time to nourish your home it will in turn nourish your family and will also nourish you.
Magical Homemaking
Here is a list of things that you can do as a hearth witch. Do not feel obligated to do all of the things. I know some of us (hello, me again) like to think we can do it all. But do not overwhelm yourself. Doing 2-4 things makes you no less of a hearth witch than someone who does 6-8 things. It’s all about what you can handle and manage in your current season of life. There is no wrong way!
- Bring the elements into the home
- Cleanse the home
- Grow herbs
- Reduce waste
- Reuse items whenever possible
- Use less or no chemicals in home
- Have a garden
- Beekeeping
- Tune into natures cycles (lunar phases, sabbats)
- Candle Making
- Soap Making
- Use herbs for magical properties
- Bless the home
- Protection charms, spells, jars, sachets, etc.
- Cooking
- Baking
- Homemade Crafts
- Make homemade kombucha (or other fermented items)
- Sewing, knitting, crochet, etc.
- Cleaning (with intention)
- Gratitude Journaling
- Journaling or keep a BOS (book of shadows)
- Make a home altar
- Make offerings to hearth gods/goddesses (listed below)
- Make tinctures/ salves
- Keep reading and learning
- Start a sourdough starter
- Moon garden
- Walk in nature
- Bring the elements into your home/ or in every room of your home
- Decorate for the seasons
- Make sun water
- Daily Oracle or Tarot drawing
- Make homemade sachets (great for bath rituals)
- Declutter
- Make a homemade wreath
- Charge household tools for desired purposes (broom, mop, duster, etc.)
- Tidy the home
- Plant seasonal flowers
- Decorate your porch/ outdoor space
- Clean/ tidy up the outside of home
- Open the windows (let in that fresh air)
- Turn off florescent light and let in the natural light
- Meditate
- Add protective elements to the home (dreamcatchers, horseshoes, witches bells, etc.)
- Make a witches ladder
- Bring plants into the home
- Light incense or use oil diffuser
- Make moon water
- Add sigils to the home (decor, stitching in clothing)
- Brew up some tea
- Make a simmer pot
- While cooking meats- thank the animal for its sacrifice and for the nourishment it will bring to you and your family
Bringing the elements into your home
It can be hard sometimes to know where to begin when trying to represent something. I think it may be due to overthinking. Something I am 100% guilty of doing. Here are some ideas of different decor pieces you can use in your home to bring the elements in.
- Herbs
- Crystals or cool rocks
- Homemade items (made from nature)
- Seasonal flowers
- Candles
- Plants
- Pictures/ paintings
- Diffusers
- Windchimes
- Bowls of water, salt, sand or dirt
- Feathers
- Bones from animals (please clean properly)
- Use colors to represent a certain element
- Statues of animals
Sometimes something as simple as a pinecone or an acorn can bring the energies of the outdoors into your home. Do not feel the need to overwhelm yourself or your space with these items. A little can go a long way.
Gods and Goddesses of the Hearth
- Beset (Egyptian)
- Brigid (Celtic)
- Cerridwen (Welsh)
- Frigg (Norse)
- Hestia (Greek)
- Juno (Roman)
I hope you enjoyed this post. Tell me! Are you a Hearth Witch or thinking you may be one? What are some of your favorite hearth witchy activities that you enjoy doing?