Ask a Christian Witch: How to Talk to Deities, Tarot Cards and God, and Knowing Whether We're Making Our Experiences Up
- Sara Raztresen
- Nov 21
- 18 min read
It's Q&A time again already!
The Black Friday Sale starts today—so grab a paperback or hardcover for 30% off!
The spiral bound journals are all sold out for the season, but that doesn't mean we're all out of journals! Paperbacks and hardcovers are still here, and this year's planner has all kinds of fun pages like:
3 card tarot pulls
Monthly tarot pulls
Seasonal and holiday information pages
Tips and explanations of common Christian and pagan practices
Bible readings for each week
And a whole lot more! Every day, I get a little more excited to use this here journal, despite still having a few pages left of the first one I made. But I think I've really outdone myself with the changes this time, and I think this'll be especially helpful for people who need a guiding hand in setting up their ritual structure!
And now, our November questions. Remember: if you have any questions, all you have to do is check out this Google Form right here and fill it out with your question!
Let's get into all this good conversation!
Where Should I Start in Christian Witchcraft?
Where should I really start when it comes to Christian witchcraft? I truly want to find out more. And, is there a tie with Catholicism and witchcraft? I am a broke college student and really want to connect with God and follow my heart when it comes to witchcraft. —Mikaela
Hey, Mikaela!
So this might be a little biased and goofy of me, but you know I have to recommend my own book, Discovering Christian Witchcraft! My co-writer and good friend Mimi and I worked real hard on it, as well as on its sequel, which is coming out this December, and we wrote that first book especially with folks who are just beginning their craft in mind. It combines two different Christian faith backgrounds, as Mimi comes from an Appalachian Pentecostal perspective, and I come from a southern European Catholic perspective, so I'm sure that you'll find a lot of good information in there on magic, folk tradition, Biblical scholarship, and more!
As for the second part of your question, let me say this: there is absolutely a tie with Catholicism and the modern definition of witchcraft. This is also discussed in our book, but in essence, what we call witchcraft today is not what the Bible was talking about; for most of history, the term "witchcraft" (especially in a Christian context) had to do with specifically malevolent magic or magic that used unclean or negative spirits for their workings. However, that doesn't mean Christians never did any magic at all; often, many of the folk charms you see are actually charms done against witches (like dispelling curses that would cause milk to not curdle into cheese or keeping witches out of the fields so they couldn't send hail down), and many Catholic priests actually helped people do minor blessings on their cattle, property, etc. Before witchcraft got whipped up into a big deal, belief in magic was considered a minor sin of superstitio, or superstition: basically, believing in silly things.
The reality is, though, that our modern definition of witchcraft is now so broad that literally anything could fall underneath it—including standard aspects of Catholic rites. I mean, if I tell you that I'm doing an hour long service with incense, candles, and the transmutation of sacred offerings, would you think that's a witchcraft ritual, or just the common Sunday Mass? If I tell you that I'm writing a special formula over my doorstep with special chalk for the New Year, is that witchraft or the Catholic House Blessing? If I tell you I'm lighting a candle before giving a request to the Divine, is that a spell or a Catholic practice of prayer in church after Mass?
(It was only natural that as a Catholic, I would see the parallels between what I do now and what I've always done.)
Can You Make XYZ Content on Patreon?
Can you make contents or Patreon about making oil for protection, healing, money etc? Thank you. —Anonymous
Hi!
So, I'm not one that really uses things like special spell oils. If you want to purchase spell oils done by Christian Witches, my friends Lina and Mimi both make oils. I focus more on posting spell sheets, as in, pre-made spells and other witch tips, for my highest Patreon tier, The King. More liturgical and ritual magic is my jam.
That said, this doesn't mean I don't ever take requests for topics on Patreon; I just don't have any expertise with safely creating oils of any kind.
Thoughts on the Jefferson Bible?
Hello Sara, CT writing in again!
This is a bit of an odd one, but what are your thoughts on the Jefferson Bible? I'm sure you already know what it is, but I guess for people reading that don't know: At some point in his life Thomas Jefferson (yes the late president) took his personal bible, and snipped and pasted passages from the gospels around.
The finished work was a chronological timeline of Jesus' life and moral - but without all the supernatural elements. So no resurrection, no turning water into wine, etc. I got put onto this one after speaking with some folks in the Free Society Satanists (left-leaning anarchic atheist satanists. ...that is a mouthful even typing that-), and I wanted to know your perspective on it. —CT
Hi, CT!
Honestly, the idea of trying to make a Bible that "removes all the supernatural elements" is so funny, because what the hell is one part of a religion for if they want to throw out the parts that make it a religion (like all the angels, the demons, the mythology, the... you know... God power???) I think this speaks a lot to the dissonance people were experiencing around religion during the Enlightenment, and that if not for the social pressure to be Christian, folks like Jefferson wouldn't have even bothered with Deism and wouldn't just gone full atheist (as they should've always had the right to do). Trying to rationalize the inherently irrational is silly.
However, the idea of the Bible as a story or narrative is still a good one, and I really like The Book of God by Walter Wangerin. It's so beautifully written and captures the humanity of the story that maybe Jefferson would've appreciated (and would've helped him avoid making a hack job of the Bible).
Where Can We Learn More About the Four Main Archangels?
Hey Sara, hope you are doing great! Could you please recommend good sources to learn about the main Archangels Michael, Raphael, Gabriel and Uriel? I would like to build a relationship with them and would like to approach them respectfully by first doing the work and reading/learning everything I can about them. Thanks in advance! —Stephanie
Hey, Stephanie!
So when it comes to the four archangels, the best place to look for their general vibes and talents is within the relevant scriptural stories (both in the Canon and apocrypha). For example, in the Book of Tobit, you find out that Raphael has a thing for giving King Asmodeus a hard time, which King Asmodeus confirms in the Testament of Solomon. Michael is also regularly featured as a warrior, Gabriel a messenger, all that.
In terms of actual angel knowledge, though, this is where books like Damien Echols' Angels and Archangels is handy, as well as medieval grimoires like the Ars Notoria. If you know that the Ars Goetia is about demons, then the Ars Notoria is the counterpart dealing specifically with angels. I also like Travis McHenry's Angel Tarot for basically flash cards with angel sigils and properties.
How Do We Talk to Gods?
My question this go around is, and pardon my language...how the fuck do you talk to gods? Not in the sense of what divination techniques. But in the sense of...well I mentioned already, I'm autistic. So when I'm over here trying to talk to...anything it's...weird.
Like I'll sort of say, "Hello [deity or otherwise], are you well today?", draw a card, and...not understand what the answer is in the slightest. And I even have learner decks (which, Tarotorial is my favorite by far)! It feels like a moment in Baldur's Gate 3, where your character can come face-to-face with a goddess, and just, wave at her. I feel like that. I'm just standing there waving - not in the way to try and get their attention, but in the "Hey, how're you?" way. —CT
Hello again, CT!
Do you know how many times I say something along the lines of "Dude, what the fuck?" when talking to God and pulling tarot cards?
When it comes to talking to Divinity, the worst thing you can do is overthink it. In fact, I do ask the Slavic deities how they are and what they're thinking about before diving into deeper conversations with them! It doesn't hurt, and it builds that relationship while helping roll your shoulders and relax a bit. If it feels silly, maybe ask why you think a deity wouldn't still appreciate those little social graces/social rituals.
Divinity demands respect in various capacities, of course; outright swearing at, bitching at, or hurling insults at Divinity is a bad idea, but so is doing that with people. My honest, overall advice is to talk to Divinity the way you would an acquaintance: open, friendly, but not razzing them or acting like you can take the piss, as that often goes from jokes and giggles to genuine disrespect real fast even in actual everyday friendships, and you don't want to do that with the Divine; there is a level of reverence one might have that keeps the tone not formal, but not as ass-chapping as with a best friend, either.
However, one thing that's really nice about the Divine is that directness is the way. You don't need to dance around topics or mince words; whatever you want to ask about or talk about, you can just... ask. Bluntly. With no worry about what's socially acceptable or not to say.
When talking to God, honestly, for me, it's an all day prayer stream: everything from "God help that asshole driving like an asshole" to "what should I think about today?" to prayers of thanksgiving and appreciation and worship. Nothing's off the table, because God knows what I'm thinking and feeling anyway, so why bother dancing around it?
Just loosen up. Focus on the purpose of your communication: for advice? For relationship building? For taking on new tasks the Divine would give you? This'll give you some direction when you go to speak.
Why is the New Testament so Anti-Intimacy/Marriage/Divorce?
I bought God: An Anatomy and I am currently reading it. I had gotten to chapter 5 and while talking about biblical sexuality, it talks about Paul and Jesus being mostly sex negative. It explains that Paul thought that the second coming was going to happen in his lifetime, hence his pro-celibacy stance, but what about Jesus? Why was he seemingly so against divorce, childbirth, etc.? —Anonymous
Hi, there!
This is a solid question. The reality is that in the ancient world, there were a lot of sociopolitical hang ups around sex (such as what it meant for someone to be on top vs. on the bottom, what it meant for a woman to lose her virginity, etc.). It was a pretty big deal, and most of all for the fact that it created the next generation to whom everything you owned would fall to after your death. That is a massive deal, as that was how wealth was built over time and how people made sure their resources stayed somewhat secure and didn't get divvied up by everyone.
When it comes to Jesus and Paul's apocalyptic message, naturally, the idea that all would one day be taken away in the return of Christ made any need to safeguard one's resources afterwards obsolete. Why bother building up your house? Why bother starting the next generation? All those who were pregnant would have children that would never see the next era, and the calamity that would happen around this time would be so bad that pregnancy and such would only ever be a hindrance, not a blessing. The thought, especially for Paul, was that one should stay in the exact condition they are in when hearing the good news and not change anything, because no changes will have any time to take root or any worth as the new world comes into creation.
With divorce, however, this is a special case. There is a big (and surprisingly feminist-appearing) reason Jesus was not about that divorce life: because a certain sect of folks were abusing the system. There was a class of folks in Jewish society that believed divorce was permissible for any reason, and I do mean any. Like, if she wasn't pretty enough anymore, or if she talked to a man in public, or if she didn't do a good enough job on the housework, that man could divorce his wife and wash his hands of her.
This was a problem, because in this era, a woman's social security entirely depended on her father as part of his household, or her husband as part of his. It's why you see constantly God talking about making sure the widow and the orphan especially are cared for: it's more than just a way to say "people in poverty," as it tells us specifically who ends up in poverty the most. With no breadwinner or socially powerful head of family, it was the child and the wife that would always end up with the short end of the stick in terms of sociopolitical autonomy, property law, etc. It also meant that these folks would either end up having to return to the woman's father's house, thus putting more strain on him and his remaining household, or it would mean they live in the streets as they try to cobble a livelihood together somehow. Jesus saying that divorce in any case except adultery was a sin, was therefore Him insisting that going and creating this awful problem for these frivolous reasons was objectively a terrible thing to do.
Should I Get Rid of the Evil Eyes in My House?
Should I get rid of my evil eyes in my house? Or is it ok to keep them? —Callie
Hi, Callie!
There's nothing inherently wrong with having evil eye items in your house. They're relevant to many cultures, from Middle Eastern culture (the Jewish Hamsa, the evil eye in Arabic cultures) all the way to Balkan and even Italian cultures. It's like any other little protection charm. If you wouldn't think it's a problem to keep garlic hanging in your house to ward off evil, this isn't really any different.
The only thing you would want to be careful of is that cultural component. As far as I'm aware, these aren't entirely closed, but having cultural respect and sensitivity is always important. If you're a part of a culture that acknowledges them, or you were gifted one, or have otherwise come into possession of one and treat it with respect, it isn't necessarily an issue.
What Do I Do About My Path and My Calling?
Hello Sara, I hope this message finds you well. I'm contacting you because I've recently been caught in the middle of an existential crisis of sorts... I've been feeling drawn towards Catholicism, specially Mother Mary, (although the relationship with God is still complicated) I prayed to her for the very first time in my life and I cannot explain the peace I felt, I haven't felt anything like it in my entire life.
I feel extremely drawn to the monastic life, being a cloistered nun! This sounds so crazy.. the most curious thing is that this didn't come from a place of fear towards demons nor witchcraft on itself. Nothing in my practice had went wrong in order to scare me... do you think this is a normal stuff? I understand that with time one's path change but, as drastically as this? To the point I don't feel like the LHP values really go with my personality and personal values no longer? I hope you can read this and give me your thoughts. —Anonymous
Hello!
So, let me start by saying that joining a convent is a massive change to your life that you want to be extremely sure of before you dive in. There are many folks who do these massive swings in a different direction, only to still not find their center until much later. With your background in LHP/occult related stuff, there's absolutely nothing wrong with investigating and getting deeper into Catholicism, or putting witchcraft aside—but big commitments like the nunnery require a lot of extra time and discernment before you pull the lever!
What I would suggest, if you're getting into Catholicism, is to simply enjoy that layman, Level 1, regular Catholic life first. There is so much to enjoy in that alone: the liturgy, the festival, the fellowship, the somber seasons. Participate in church life and in that whole situation for a while and ask God to help you figure out where it is you're supposed to be going in that time. Since you're also coming from a family background that isn't Catholic, trust me when I say that just the culture shock of stepping into the regular Catholic life will be enough.
And if you still feeln pulled to something deeper, and that is something you want to check out, I suggest you go scope out and visit some nunneries first and actually talk to the women there about their life. You don't want to just jump in blind like that, no matter what.
But as to whether this kind of shift in a practice is normal, I'll say: absolutely! Every day you wake up and experience the world and all its many twists and turns is another day you have the opportunity to learn something that fundamentally alters your outlook on the world. This means that over time, your curiosity can continue to show you things you never knew before, leading to a deeper and more colorful perspective that brings you farther and farther along into a truly centered, balanced, and rich practice. You are also getting older, experiencing new life milestones, and adding yet more to your experience with each lesson and event that go by. Give yourself some grace in this time and take it slow, day by day! ♥
Can You Force God to Talk with Tarot Cards?
I was talking to my friend about wanting to try out tarot as a Catholic. He said that although I don't want to ask about the future, I'd be forcing a response out of God, not trusting God to respond to me in His “usual” ways, fears I'll misinterpret the message, and says I may not know WHO I'm speaking to even if I may think they're Him.
My friend also says that God already gave us ways to contact Him, specifically prayer, therefore, pursuing this would be useless. And so, I'm wondering what your take is on all of this. While you've spoken about why it's allowed, I think these thoughts are a bit more specific. Does he have a point? I'm on the fence and I need a second opinion. —Raven
Hi, Raven!
I'm not gonna lie, it's funny as hell when people think you can force God to do anything. As someone who has talked to God with tarot for many years now, trust me when I say that if God doesn't want to answer your question, He won't answer it. You will get no sign to pick a card, or you'll try and pick cards anyway only to end up with gibberish that makes no sense and no clarification or help coming. God has always made it very clear when He doesn't want to answer a question or when the card I picked is not actually the one He was telling me to pick: it goes radio silent in my usual psychic tells, and I start getting a feeling of Five Alarm Bell Ringing when I'm being corrected. Respect God when He says He doesn't want to play ball, by all means, but... He's God. Who and how and where and what is forcing anything from Him?
Moreover, is one's faith based in faith or in suspicion? I find that those that come from a fear or suspicion based mindset are the ones who think in a "you don't know who you're talking to" way. If you know you're calling out to God, why on earth would anyone but God respond? How would another spirit possibly conjure the magnitude of God to try and imitate Him? You know when you're dealing with God; the only way you wouldn't is if you've never actually felt His presence at all in your entire life or done any kind of meditation, contemplation, etc. (which may be why this fear persists: because people have unwittingly cut themselves off from God so they don't have to deal with the supernatural element of their own religion). You can even turn this question around on your friend: when he prays, how does he know it's God responding and not just whoever will tell him what he wants to hear?
The last part I gotta chuckle at, just a little, is the idea that tarot isn't the "usual way" God has given us to get answers. Huh? I think your friend might want to check out Exodus 28:29-30:
“Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the Lord. Also put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.
Now let's reference Acts 1:23-26:
So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.
And just for good measure, let's take a trip to Proverbs 16:33:
The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.
What does your friend mean, "regular ways of contact"? From where I'm standing, God has not only answered the use of divination tools, as we see in Acts and Proverbs, but actively commanded them of His priests, as in Exodus. These are God's usual ways: prophets, burning bushes, crystal "yes" and "no" runes (the Urim and Thummim), homemade lots. Card stock with pictures on them (tarot) fits right into all that craziness.
The only thing I'll give your friend is this: yes, it's easy to misinterpret a message in our favor even when God is telling us to stop being an idiot. I'm thinking of the jokes people make about love readings where a reader can pull Three of Swords, the Tower, and Ten of Swords, and somehow the person paying for a reading will try and convicne themselves that because the Three has a heart on it, that means their ex is totally coming back to them or is hurting without them. It's just goofy and delulu behavior.
If you're going to ask God a question, you best be prepared for the answer to be the hard Truth, not the comfortable Lie. That requires humility, discernment, and detachment from anything you want, so you can focus entirely on what God's trying to tell you.
How Can We Worship Other Gods Without Feeling "Crazy"?
Hi, so I'm getting into Catholicism, but I still want to worship Hekate and Pan; how can I do both without feeling crazy? —Anonymous
Hey, there!
We've answered this question in several ways, but the answer is the same: you have to ask them how they want that structure to work. God may ask you to let go of Hekate and Pan, or they might have some specific arrangement that I can't know because it's got nothing to do with me. That's for you to figure out.
How Do You Know You're Not Imagining Things?
My question is: How do you discern between what is real and what is imagined when you commune with God, Jesus, and any others? And an unrelated follow-up question: Are there any plans for your books to become available in public libraries? Thank you! —Kayla
Hi, Kayla!
Boy, if I had a nickel for every time I asked myself this question, I could disappear into the woods for good.
That said, this is why my structure in my Interview with the Gods series is what it is. I could raw dog that meditation and come away with all the same answers, probably, but the tarot cards I use are tangible anchor points that I know I'm not faking. When I get a sense of how a spirit is answering, and then I pull a completely random card at their request and the language of the booklet is exactly in line with the energy they're giving me, I know that I'm not just LARPing. I know something, someone, is directing my hand.
Another way I deal with this is by asking, "If I get tangible, life altering results, then so what if it is mostly, or all, in my head?" It's not that I actually think it's all fake, but it means that I can let my doubt take a back seat and focus on the fruits of what I'm doing, which is the biggest sign of all that I'm dealing with something outside myself, because I'm stretching and growing in ways I wouldn't even know how to alone, and because I'm discovering things that, the more I study, the more I see are referenced in completely separate texts and philosophies and Saints' stories. It tells me that my experience isn't unique, and that therefore I'm following a well worn path that has results worth seeking.
And this is the big ticket: you have to seek. Like a cave explorer, you have to be willing to go where things are dark, scary, and uncertain. The whole "am I making things up?" question is a good one in the beginning, and it pushes you to focus on the feeling of whoever you're speaking to and getting some good tests out (as we should be testing the spirits, always), but over time, it becomes a hindrance that leads to doubting yourself, and therefore standing in your own way. Maybe sometimes you are making it up—and you can figure that out by following the vibes and ideas and feelings to their logical conclusion, thus allowing you to know what it feels like when you're just gassing yourself up instead of actually communicating with anyone. It also gives you some grace, as you know that no spirit has a specific look, and that your mind is just filtering the energy in the most understandable and palatable way.
Trust your mind and your gut. Your mind puts images, colors, shapes, scenes, and feelings to whatever is coming through, your gut gives you a sense of Danger or Safety, and that tells you much more about both your own refractory psychic lens and the spirit in question than you might realize right now.
Ask Your Questions!
Remember, all your questions can go to this Google form, so don't hesitate to reach out! I'm looking forward to seeing what questions people have in the future, and I hope this has been a helpful read! Thank you everyone who participated!
—Sara
Sara Raztresen is a Slovene-American writer, screenwriter, and Christian witch. Her fantasy works draw heavily on the wisdom she gathers from her own personal and spiritual experience, and her spiritual practice borrows much of the whimsy and wonder that modern society has relegated to fairy-and-folktale. Her goal is to help people regain their spiritual footing and discover God through a new (yet old) lens of mysticism.
Comments