FAQs

 

Who are you again?

I’m Diana Rajchel. I write about topics relating to spirituality, witchcraft and the occult. I have practiced witchcraft as my spirituality for over 25 years, and it is the topic that has most engaged my passion. I love all things science, gardening, folklore, and poetic; the occult brings all these wonders together.

I also bring my spirituality into both my career and my community life. I serve as a spirit worker in both the Midwest and the Bay Area, and I assist people in resolving personal blocks that keep them from doing what they need to do in life - sometimes the block is a spirit, and sometimes it’s a belief that no longer serves.

I help people move from their crossroads to their paths through my writing and spiritual practice.

What tradition/cultural foundation do you practice?

I am a practicing, practical animist/pantheist. Because I have some common-to-white-North-American issues like big gaps in portions of my ancestral knowledge, I choose to feel my way through what works and what speaks to and with me. When I do work with deities, I tend to gravitate towards the Hermetic pantheons; in personal magickal practice I am heavily influenced by Hoodoo, Conjure and PowWow because they are North American originated and at least the first two align quite well with an animistic perspective. I also work with my ancestors as best I can; they are a melange of Polish-Finnish, German-English-Irish, and a few genetic curveballs thanks to exposure to all sorts of people along the way.

My personal outlook is that as a spirit worker. I work with whatever Being is willing to talk to me about a given situation. These aren’t relationships of worship, and I am not willing, interested, or able to co-opt any practices that require initiation or a specific family relationship, These are, however, relationships and keeping my agreement with these entities is sacrosanct.

What got you interested in writing about witchcraft, spells, and spirituality?

Like many people in the occult field, I am a huge nerd. I love to read. I love to imagine stories. I love to find out what works. I also love language, the dance of life and death that every gardener knows, and the way a little bit of magick can take an unfair situation and turn it into a very even playing field.

I write what I think about. I think about witchcraft, spirituality, growing things and the way the mind works a lot. So when I sit down at the keyboard, what pours forth is usually something at least tangentially related to the topic.

I would like to contact you about a prospective project. What’s the best way to do that?

I am represented by Red Sofa Literary Agency, so if you want to work with me on a specific project your best bet is to contact my agent, Dawn Frederick.

If you would like me to appear on your vidcast or podcast, use my contact link and my scheduler will follow up as soon as possible.

Why do you go against the grain with so much of what is available on the topics of Paganism and Witchcraft?

I swear it’s not in purpose! If I were a true contrarian, I would probably work a lot harder to know the current Pagan buzz so I could keep that whole schtick going. I try to limit how much social media and group talk I consume, in part because I rabbit hole far too easily, but also because it becomes too easy to accept things at face value when my spiritual practice calls for me to question everything and to listen to my inner voice.

I struggle to hear my inner voice over the din of others’ opinions, so I remove myself and seek opinions from specific people at specific times. The end result is that rather than reading x book that is super popular, or hanging out on y message board, I glance at and glance off these things and end up going down my own rabbit hole. Thus, even though I love to garden I prefer urban spaces, and even though I identify as a witch, Goddess theaology no longer fits with me the way it once did.

Why should I read your books?

I hope you read my books because you have a relentless curiosity about the real world of magic. I hope what you take away from my work is a new way to think about magic, especially as a problem-solving tool. What I really hope to see are more inspired people lighting up the world with their own creativity.