Why I Purged Half Of My Witchy Supplies And Reorganized The Rest

This past Saturday, I turned my neat witchcraft cabinet into an explosion. I dug through all the shelves and boxes and threw away at least 40% of it. The next 20% or so I set aside for donating/selling, leaving me with less than half of what I started with. Why did I do this? Contrary to popular belief, I haven't lost my mind again.

Why I Threw Out Supplies

Earlier this week, I spoke to a friend who gave away many of their witchy possessions. They did it for a different reason--they contemplated leaving the craft, and then changed their mind--but still said that they felt oddly refreshed having fewer tools. After this conversation, I remembered how I used to practice back in my closeted days. I used to keep all my possessions in one box. Whenever I wanted to practice, I would take tools out of the box, and stuff them back in afterward. It sounds hard, in theory. But I practiced more often in those years than I do now.

Don't get me wrong: magic tools are fantastic. But there's something about having a few go-to items that streamlines your practice. You don't have to stall by debating over which tool to use. You have one wand, one divination set, one offering bowl, one altar--just grab your tools and go.

In sorting through my belongings, I realized that I had plenty of tools I would never use. I've never been one for tarot decks, yet people gifted them to me; so I set them aside for donating. I saved numerous jars that I never put things in. For some reason, I kept remnants of spells that already finished. These things crowd your space. And when you're looking at a messy shelf or box, you're more likely to feel stressed out, which inhibits you from practicing.

Why I Reorganized

For this section to make sense, I have to explain how my supplies were set up. I live in a small apartment with my fiancé, so we don't have a lot of room. Because I had so much witchy stuff, I stored supplies in multiple areas. But most of them were in a cupboard, packed into multiple shelves and boxes, that was half-hidden behind my work desk. Not only were these supplies hard to reach, but they were also impossible to see. I couldn't just grab a couple of supplies and practice like I wanted to.

In order to rearrange my belongings, I have to weed out the junk. Once I finished, I had about 40% of the supplies I used to have. So I did two things: (1) I made all supplies visible and easy to reach; (2) I kept all of them on the same shelf, including my altars.

Instead of placing my tools back in the half-hidden cupboard, I put them on a bookshelf and moved the books to the cupboard (how often do you take books off your shelf, anyway?) I place my two main altars--a Wiccan altar and another for Hades--on top of the shelf. All of my supplies stayed underneath, so I can easily reach down and grab whatever I need.

I also organized my tools more efficiently. Here's how:

• I labeled every jar and box. When I was cleaning, I unboxed so many supplies that I never knew were there, only to go, "OH, that's where that was!" To prevent this mistake in the future, I labeled all my containers: CANDLES, CONE INCENSE, WANDS, BONES, whathaveya. 
• I put similar tools together. Divination tools sat near each other, as did bones, candles, crystals, incense, etc. Shelves are much easier to sift through when you have a general idea of where they'll be.
• I ordered my shelves, placing tools on one shelf and dried herbs on another. Herbs are a common tool in my craft, and I have so many that they deserve their own shelf. Since I won't be using them as often, I placed them on the lower shelf.
• A storage box contains tools that I don't use as often. I have one box (the original one I used, actually) that stores all my "extras." I limit these to things that I use once in a blue moon. Examples include: seasonal altar decorations, beeswax, spare altar cloths, fancier candles, a compass, and a handheld mirror. 

Do I still have a lot of witchcraft supplies? Yes. But it's all stuff that I actually use. Having them easily organized and accessible will not only push me to practice more often, but it'll also relieve a lot of my indecision. If you're feeling sluggish in your craft, I recommend cleaning out your altars and supplies.

My current witchcraft shelves.

My current Hades altar.

My current Wiccan altar.