The Meaning of Wu Wei (無為)
Wu Wei is often translated as “non-action” or “effortless action,” Wu Wei (無為) is far more subtle and alive than these terms suggest. In the Dao De Jing and Zhuangzi, it’s not about passivity or withdrawal, but about deep attunement, moving in accordance of the seasons, cycles, arcs, and other patterns rather than imposing upon it.
I’m particularly interested in how Wu Wei shows up in witchcraft, particularly spellworkings that utilizes the Yin aspect. This is also essential in understanding how to cast spells in a way that feels sustainable for the practitioner and the materia magica.
Wu Wei isn’t the absence of doing. It’s action that arises from alignment with nature, with timing, with spirits. Sometimes this means waiting. Other times it means striking at the precise moment, with clarity and grace. It’s a practice of discernment, restraint, and responsiveness that is rooted in trust so one does not waste energy resisting what is already in motion.
It’s not always comfortable. Wu Wei asks us to release control, to trust emergence over agenda. It challenges our conditioning around productivity, certainty, and force, in fact, Wu Wei challenges white supremacy and the Empire in every way. It unravels and leverages the binaries: active/passive, speaking/silent, intervention/withdrawal and invites presence, timing, and relational awareness. As I shared in my blog post on witchcraft and extraction, if we haven't done the deep work, it's almost guaranteed we will approach activist magic with the same extractive mechanisms we are resisting.
Is Your Magic Extractive?
Signs of Extractive Spirituality
Approaching spirits, deities, planets, or plant beings only when you need something
Casting spells solely to gain without offering thanks, tending, or relational presence
Treating spiritual allies as utilities or energetic tools rather than beings with agency
Summoning deities in times of crisis and forgetting them afterward
Asking for support without asking what you might offer in return
Neglecting to ask for consent from spirits or spaces before entering or engaging
Assuming access to all spirits or entities without relationship or permission
Using animal parts, herbs, or ancestral names without offerings, humility, or context (including having regard for tradition)
Collapsing the Unseen into a service role for your will or outcomes
Failing to acknowledge what spirits, ancestors, or the land might need or carry
How To Tell A Real Psychic From A Fake
So are mediums for real or fake?
Coming from someone who professionally offers spirit mediumship readings (psychic readings), I realize that my line of work is naturally under more scrutiny, as it should be. That said, there are quality professionals in every sector, and unfortunately, also ones who aren’t. So if you’re in need of deep spiritual and psychic work and support, here are some suggestions on what to look for.
Tips for spotting a legit psychic versus a fake medium
Clarity: Look for someone who, even on their website or marketing materials, communicates clearly and doesn’t over-rely on buzzwords or trend-based spiritual vocabulary that’s vague or requires interpretation on your part. A trustworthy psychic and spiritual educator will use occult terminology with specificity and context, and will also be able to translate concepts into everyday, accessible language. I do my best to share a term and then define it so the querent is clear.
Specificity: If a psychic medium only speaks in general or vague terms with unverifiable information, those are red flags. I offer spiritual guidance that is specific to a person, situation, or social/familial dynamic, and can often provide time frames as well.
Impractical or unrealistic advice: It’s important that the psychic stays on topic and doesn’t distract the querent with unhelpful or intangible advice. They should attune to the heart of the matter, cut through distraction, and provide actionable or otherwise practical guidance.
How to Cast Spells: Effigies as Ritual Tools
What is an effigy? This blog post outlines their function, theory, and practice
What is an Effigy?
An effigy is a constructed figure or representation, most often humanoid, animal, or spirit-form, used in ritual, spellwork, or spirit mediumship. Effigies can be made from wax, clay, wood, cloth, paper, or even roots and are charged to act as a vessel, proxy, or link in magical operations.
How To Cast Spells with Effigies?
In occult and animist practice, effigies serve as intermediary bodies, giving shape and density to an intention, a morphic field, a spirit, or a target (human or non-human). This is grounded in sympathetic magic: the belief that actions performed upon the representation directly affect its referent. Effigies make the immaterial tangible, localizing and concentrating energy for magical working, ritual work, and mediumship (hint, this is a key to good psychic readings!).