This talk (blog post) was originally given at the seminar “Witchcraft and Ecospirituality” at the University of Copenhagen on October 24th 2025.

This talk (blog post) is weaved from my own philosophies, opinions, observations and experiences with facilitating various events and building community in the witchy realm.

Introduction: Me

My name is Mariia, and I am a modern witch and amongst many other things I am a facilitator and spaceholder of magical events in Copenhagen and beyond.

My own witchy journey began in childhood. I grew up in the countryside, spending my days in the forest making little dolls of mud and moss, collecting rocks, talking with the spirits of the woods, and wandering with my dog while feeling the energy of trees and plants. I devoured every book on witchcraft I could find in the tiny local library. It all felt natural — it shaped how I saw the world and how I saw myself.

Like many, I drifted away from my true self while growing up in a capitalist society. In my twenties, I tried on many lives: creative studies, long backpacking trips, building a life with my partner. In my thirties, I spent nearly a decade in sales in the Danish design industry — “working for the man” while my inner witch slept beneath the surface.

Then the pandemic hit. Overnight I lost my job and, for the first time in adulthood, had months of silence and space. With the hamster wheel paused, something long-buried began to stir. My heart started whispering — then screaming:

“What about all this magic you’ve been hiding? What are you gonna do with it?”

Right in the middle of this awakening, I turned to an astrologer — because I knew what I was seeking would never be found on LinkedIn. To my surprise, so much of what she said pointed directly to the occult. And yet, it was exactly what I had felt deep in my bones but hadn’t dared to name: that my path was here, in the magical realm. That I was meant not only to study and practice, but to teach, to lead, and to help others discover their own magick — and to create spaces where that awakening could unfold.

One of the first undeniable signs came from my old tarot deck. Once just a party trick to me, it suddenly called to me with real power. Nervous but compelled, I began to study seriously and fell headfirst into the endless rabbit hole of witchcraft, divination, and the occult.

“For the first time, I felt my true self emerging from the persona I had built over the years to survive.”

I immersed myself deeply — reading tons of books, listening to hours of podcasts, taking all sorts of weird spiritual online and offline classes, learning everything I could — while also completing a formal education in marketing and communication design to ground and shape this new path. It became clear this was never a side project: the occult path was my true calling.

And so here I am — reclaiming my magic, my truth, and my role as a modern witch and community builder.

Introduction: Copenhagen Occult Club

And one of the deepest longings that arose in me at this time was clear: I didn’t want to walk this path alone. I needed community. That longing became the seed of the Copenhagen Occult Club. While back in school, I realized how much I craved the company of like-minded souls — other occult nerds to share ideas with, to learn from, and to befriend. During lockdown, I had found an amazing Tarot community on Instagram, but what I was craving were real-life experiences. I couldn’t find these people anywhere. My partner, my friends, and my family didn’t really understand what I was doing, and in many ways, I felt alone on my journey.

“One night, I had a dream: I had created a club in Copenhagen where all the magical people could hang out — a space for witches, weirdos, and occult nerds. I woke up, turned to my husband and said, “I’m starting a club.”“

Over breakfast, I wrote the words “Copenhagen Occult Club” on a Post-it note. A few days later I called a friend who owns a venue in Copenhagen — a place I knew was often empty on Sundays — and asked if I could use the space in a few weeks’ time.
“For what?” he asked.
Without much hesitation I replied: “For the Copenhagen Occult Club’s first gathering.”

I had no idea what the event would be anout or how it would unfold. But then, as if on cue, I received a message on Instagram from a cool witch named Mai Ulrikka Sydendal. Mai had picked up on the signal I was sending out into the ether. I already knew of her as she is the lead singer of a band from my youth and from various podcasts where she spoke about witchy things. She asked if I wanted to meet up, drink some sherry, and “do something witchy.”

We met — and in that very first meeting, we founded the Copenhagen Occult Club. Just a few weeks later we held our first event, and the venue was overflowing with weirdos, witches, and occult nerds. I was amazed to realize how many magical people were hidden in Copenhagen.

What began as small Sunday gatherings in a beer-stained concert venue — with workshops and rituals squeezed in between empty pint glasses — soon grew into markets, bigger events, and now even a talk at the University of Copenhagen on witchy community building. More than 30 events later, I stand here still in awe that our little club of weirdos has become a living, breathing community.

Many people associate witchcraft with forests, mountains, and solitude in nature. But Copenhagen Occult Club unfolds in the heart of the city — in concert venues, at markets, at art museums, and in circles held in basements.

“This journey has shown me, time and again, that witchcraft is not bound to any single place, aesthetic, or set of rules. It is a state of consciousness — a way of weaving connections: to ourselves, to each other, to the earth, and to the universe.”

And in a time of climate crisis, anxiety, and separation, we need precisely this: new connections, new experiences of belonging. Here, modern witchcraft becomes a special form of activism — not only outer protest, but very much also an inner transformation that shifts our vibration and worldview.

The Individual’s Journey into Witchcraft

Most begin alone. Perhaps with a cute deck of oracle cards, some pretty crystals, a strange book that seems to whisper secrets, a candle flickering on a makeshift altar, a podcast that feels like a lifeline, or even a reel on Instagram or TikTok that sparks something ancient inside. Often, the journey starts with nothing more than curiosity and a weird kind of pull— or a quiet longing for a more meaningful and connected life.

The first steps are usually deeply private, even secret. We try little rituals, whisper intentions, shuffle the cards, light the candle, and we hope something will happen.

“And, let’s be honest — when we look back, many of those first attempts might feel a little awkward, even “cringe.” But that is part of the beauty: it shows that something deep within us was trying to reach beyond the ordinary, to stretch toward the magical.”

Then, at some point, something shifts. We feel it: there is magic in the world. Intentions can be set. Rituals hold power. Tarot cards speak. The forest listens. The universe responds. This is the moment when curiosity transforms into practice, when the cringe dissolves into courage. We begin to step into our light, our power — into our witchiness.

And then, something else almost always happens: the longing for community awakens.
We begin to wonder: Who else is out there? Who are the other witches, the weirdos, the seekers and what are they doing?

Because the truth is, our partners, our families, our everyday friends often don’t quite understand what we are doing. Witchcraft is not just about spells and symbols; it stirs a yearning for resonance, for recognition. It is beautiful to stand alone under the moon and send our prayers or invocations into the universe. But when those prayers are shared with others, the power doesn’t just add — it multiplies. Together, we become braver, more creative, more daring in our magick.

Again and again, I see this pattern. People who begin their journey alone, quietly experimenting in the shadows of their own lives, eventually find their way to events like those of Copenhagen Occult Club. Sometimes they come out of sheer curiosity or that weird pull, sometimes because they feel a call, maybe they’re looking for a coven, and sometimes simply because the relaxed, open club format resonates with them.

“And then, something essential will often take place. We realize we are not strange -not in a bad way anyways. We are not alone. We are part of a living, breathing community of magical, like-minded souls.”

In that space, we mirror ourselves in others’ experiences. We are inspired by each other’s stories. We grow through the simple — yet profound — gift of belonging. And in that belonging, our magic deepens, expands, and takes on new life.

The Magick of Community

When we gather together — sitting in a circle, standing in ritual, or simply sharing space — something extraordinary happens. Our individual practices, which may feel fragile or uncertain when done alone, begin to expand and resonate. It is as if each of us is an instrument, and together we form an orchestra. One voice, one gesture, one intention joins with the next, weaving a tapestry of tribal energy.

In this shared space, many feel for the very first time that the universe truly listens and answers. It is no longer just my meditation or my candle, but a chorus of flames, a harmony of prayers, a collective message sent out into the great unknown. And the answer that comes back feels stronger, clearer, more undeniable. The circle acts as an amplifier, magnifying what each of us brings. One spark becomes fire. One whisper becomes song. One intention becomes a force.

But the magick of community is not only in the rituals — it is also in the way we learn from one another. When we share experiences, techniques, and visions, our power grows. We borrow courage from each other, we find new ways of seeing, we discover practices we never imagined.

“In this way, community is not about being a “real” or “correct” witch. There is no single right path. The magick lies in authenticity — in becoming more ourselves, more aligned with our unique gifts and truths.”

Community strengthens us. It builds faith when our doubt feels heavy. It deepens trust when fear whispers. It gives us courage when we might hesitate to step further into our light. And it teaches us that witchcraft is not only about spells and symbols, but about connection — to each other, to the earth, and to the great web of life.

In belonging, we are reminded that we are part of something greater. We are not isolated seekers fumbling in the dark, but glowing threads in an endless pattern of magick. When we come together, we don’t just become better witches — we become fuller, braver, more whole human beings.

*Photos from different collective COC rituals*

When the Universe Answers

At first, sending prayers, intentions, invocations, and wishes into the world can feel like speaking into emptiness. But with patience and practice, something begins to shift. Signs appear. Synchronicities ripple through daily life. A candle flame dances, a stranger speaks the words we needed, a door opens where we thought there was none.

And this changes us. For if the universe hears us, then we do not live in a silent, indifferent world. We live in a living cosmos — one that listens, responds, and resonates with who we are and what we send out.

“In that moment everything turns. If the universe hears us, then we too must learn to hear the universe: to listen with our whole being.”

To catch its whispers in the wind, its rhythms in the tides, its guidance in the voices of others. To hear the universe is to hear the earth, to hear each other, to hear all that is alive and singing around us.

And so our practice deepens. No longer a one-sided act of sending, it becomes a dialogue — a relationship with mystery. We speak, we listen, we respond. In that ongoing exchange, magic ceases to be abstract. It becomes lived, embodied, undeniable.

This is the heart of magical practice: a dialogue, not a monologue. What I call “the universe” may be named differently — Spirit, ancestors, mystery, energy. Whatever the word, the truth is the same: we are not alone. Something larger listens, and answers when we reach out.

Photo One: Mai Ulrikka Sydendal at the “The Art of Divination” event. Photo Two: Mariia Snebjørk Damkjær hosting “Det Okkulte Dilemma”. Photo Three: Albert Björn Shiell at the “Plant Magick & Lore” event.

Resonance as Cultural Magick

German social philosopher Hartmut Rosa describes modern life as marked by acceleration and alienation. In response, he offers the word resonance — a way of naming a living, responsive relationship with the world.

In witchcraft, we might call this vibration: the sense that the world listens back when we speak to it. Witchcraft is a practice of cultivating resonance — lighting a candle on a city balcony, sharing a song in ritual, speaking words that make the air itself vibrate.

Resonance has many names — Spirit, vibration, inspiration — but its essence is connection. And connection is never only personal. It is cultural magick: a quiet revolution that resists separation and calls us back into respect for the earth, for each other, and for all that lives.

“It is an animistic way of seeing, where the world is alive, responsive, and in relationship with us.”

Witchcraft as resonance becomes cultural magick — a subtle yet radical act that re-enchants the world. It reminds us that life is not an object to exploit, but a mystery to be in relationship with. And when we live from that awareness, our very being becomes a spell: weaving connection, nurturing healing, and resisting the forces of disconnection that define our time.

From Within to Without

How does this connect to nature, when the Copenhagen Occult Club gatherings so often happen in urban spaces?

First: inner transformation.

Through ritual and community we cultivate balance within ourselves, and this balance radiates outward into how we meet the world. We discover that harmony is possible — and once we feel it inside, we cannot help but seek it beyond ourselves.

Second: collective vibration.

When many people shift how they sense, relate, and respond, the cultural field itself begins to change. Communities become living laboratories where we rehearse the values of the future: care, love, balance, and a deeper sense of belonging. What begins as experiment grows into culture.

Finally: connection.

When we experience reality as alive and responsive — whether we call that Spirit, resonance, the sacred, or simply the mystery of life — we begin to encounter the earth in the same way. Not as a resource, but as a participant. Not as dead matter, but as a living being, a relative, a companion in the great web of life.

Photo One + Two: Collective ritual with approx 70 participants “The Ritual of the Dark Feminine” at Occulture Conference Berlin 2023. Photo Three: From “Witch Tales Unveiled” event at Køge Museum 2024.

Conclusion: The Power of the Circle

So the question is:

Can small witchcraft communities truly spark cultural change?

Yes! — because this is where it always begins. Many start alone, but grow in power, awareness, and love when they step into community. And communities themselves are seeds. Each circle, each ritual, each whispered prayer or flame lit in the dark, each message sent into the unknown— all of it weaves into a greater pattern.

“When enough seeds take root, they grow into a forest. A forest of new practices, new values, new ways of being in the world — dense, resilient, alive.”

Witchcraft is therefore not only spirituality and magic, but also a form of activism. A quiet revolution that begins in the small — in the candle, in the circle, in the spell of connection. And from here, it ripples outward like rings on water.

So when we ask whether small communities can change anything, the answer is simple: they can change everything. For within their magic of connectedness lies the seed of a new culture — a culture of respect, resonance, and love for the earth and for each other.

Witchcraft as Inner Activism: From Individual Practice to the Magick of Community