Crystals, moon phases, tarot; CMU student finds way as witch

Story and photos by Makayla Lewis-O'Rourke

Graphic by Noah Wulbrecht

Allen Park senior Madison Lutsey grew up in a Christian household where witchcraft was frowned upon.

Lutsey's family did not accept her interest in witchcraft. She decided to suppress her interest until she was older. In 2018, she revisited witchcraft and dove deeper into spirituality.

"I would consider myself a practicing witch,” Lutsey said.

As Lutsey started to come back to witchcraft and spirituality, she began to create her own altar. This is where she keeps all her supplies and where she honors different gods and goddesses, she said.

“I like to celebrate the goddess Venus or Aphrodite," Lutsey said. “I just feel like I am more susceptible to receiving love in various forms, beauty and happiness. That is what she is associated with.”

Lutsey reads Tarot cards, studies astrology, works with crystals, does rituals and breathwork as part of her spirituality and craft. Although she does not follow any organized religion, she uses what she knows about witchcraft and spirituality to create her own path.

“I take what resonates with me and throw out what does not," Lutsey said. "What I do is a lot more free, loose, and not as constricted. I take my intuition combined with the elements of nature and the cosmos to shape my life and intentions into the way I want them to be,”

Lutsey said she must be very attentive to the moon and its phases to receive her full cosmic power.

“During the full moon, I write a list of my manifestations that I want to see come into fruition or set new goals for myself," Lutsey said. "During the new moon, I write down things that I want to release and then I burn it in the moonlight. This represents letting go of things that no longer serve me.”

Lutsey enjoys perfecting the art of witchcraft for others and herself. She came to a revelation that using her crystals and her breathwork is the best practice for herself. Lutsey believes that if she continues to perfect her craft and utilize many other tools, she will get better at what she loves.