*Flaming June* (1830-1896) by Frederic Lord Leighton

What is Hygge?

Hygge is a Danish word that describes a feeling of cosiness and contentment.

Hygge is all about slow living, mindfulness and life’s simple pleasures.

Denmark is consistently ranked as one of the happiest places to live.

While I’m sure there’s a lot more to this than just hygge, it’s interesting nonetheless.

Why Do We Need Hygge?

Hygge has become a highly marketable term in recent years.

Is it any wonder?

Mental health rates have been rising since the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic.

According to a study by the University of Bristol, the number of young people with anxiety in the United Kingdom has more than doubled from 13% prior to the pandemic, to 27% by January 2021.

According to the World Health Organisation, at least 301 million people worldwide are suffering with an anxiety disorder.

That’s not to mention…

Attention stealing social media
Mass consumption
Extremist politics
Illegal wars
Apocalyptic climate change
Mass extinction

All set against a back drop of soaring house prices, stagnating wages and savings eroding inflation.

Honestly, it’s enough never to get out of bed again!

Hygge can offer us a brief respite from the stresses of modernity and a way to embrace the dark, slowness of winter.

While we can’t control everything that happens in the world, we can find respite in life’s simple pleasures.

Hygge Essentials

*A Young Girl Reading* (1769) by Jean Honore Fragonard

There are several items that will help you to invoke a hygge atmosphere at home.

Obviously, you don’t need to go out and buy all of these things but they can certainly help to create that hygge feeling.

Candles

Nothing says ‘hygge’ more than the soothing flickering flame of a candle. In a survey, it was suggested that the Danish like to light several candles at once to help achieve that warm hygge feeling.

Lighting is incredibly important for making a space feel more cosy, fairy lights are another wonderful choice if you can’t have candles for some reason.

Cosy Clothing

Ah yes, comfortable clothes.

Wearing soft loungewear and popping on a pair of warm socks after a hot bath is quite possibly one of the greatest of life’s simple pleasures.

Cosy TV and Films

What’s comforting TV to one person is going to be different for another. This frazzled millennial grew up watching:

Think about which TV and films feel uplifting and magical to you. I also comfort watch films like:

Clearly, I’m perpetually stuck in some sort of early 2000s TV and film loop. It’s my happy place and I’m not leaving it gods damn it.

Blankets

Blankets and throws make any sofa or chair more homey.

I like to snuggle up on the sofa with a soft throw or bring down the weighted blanket from upstairs.

(Weighted blankets are literally magic).

Books

There’s nothing like a tangible book with actual pages to curl up with on the sofa (or if you’re like me, pace around the house in your Oodie with).

Reading is a great hygge activity and physical books in particular are super cosy. As an avid book reader.

I would be remiss if I didn’t recommend some of my favourite cosy reads:

Homecooked Food

Nothing says comfort like a homemade cake.

I happen to cook the majority of my food from scratch, being vegan and all.

But if you’re someone whose culinary skills are sadly lacking. I fully encourage you to spend some more time in the kitchen and try to cook something simple.

Choose one of your favourite simple meals and attempt to cook it.

You can listen to a podcast or an audiobook while you cook, plus it’s healthier and cheaper than buying pre-made rubbish.

Hot Drinks

I personally find the taste of coffee to be pretty horrible (haha).

But warm drinks like coffee, tea and hot chocolate are all excellent choices for adding a little more hygge into your life.

For bonus points, brew them without mindlessly scrolling on your phone.

Journals

Journalling is a very hygge activity.

It promotes mindfulness and connection with your inner-self.

Here’s a great video by Therapy in a Nutshell on YouTube who discusses how to journal and the scientific benefits of a regular journalling practice.

YouTube Ambience Videos

YouTube is great for many things. But by far, it’s most valuable contribution to society is its ambience videos.

These are cosy seasonal scenes set to nature sounds and music. A few of my favourites include:

Now that we’ve Avengers assembled our hygge essentials, below you’ll find a few brief ways to suffuse warmth into your magical Pagan practice.

1. Create A Cosy Altar

Create a temporary altar dedicated to cosiness! Or perhaps your whole house can become an altar to this feeling.

If you have the space, you can also create a cosiness nook in your home.

Cosy Altar Ideas

scented candles
cinnamon sticks
orange crystals
incense
cosy tarot deck
books
journal

Creating a tidy, clean and pleasing environment in which you can relax is essential for that hygge feeling!

Clean, declutter and look at where you can create more cosiness.

Adding some warm toned fairy lights and some good quality scented candles is the cheapest thing you can do to add an injection of warmth to your space.

A nice idea is to set an intention or whisper words of power every time you light a candle at home.

Investing in a weighted blanket or a simple throw and attractive cushions can also make your home feel much more tranquil.

2. Connect With Your House Spirit

I’ve written a blog post all about household spirits in ancient Greece, but they’re common to most cultures.

If you’re of a chaos magic persuasion feel free to work with Calcifer from Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) as your hearth spirit.

3. perform some Kitchen Witchery

You can engage in some kitchen magic for that perfect hygge feeling. Gingerbread men are the perfect warming baked item for this time of year.

I use this vegan recipe to make mine and they always turn out well, I just omit most of the bicarbonate of soda because they swell too much otherwise.

You can also decorate them with positively intentioned sigils and ingest them!

But really any homemade dinner, or cake can be infused with intentions.

You can charge herbs and spices with intention, stir clockwise to attract and anticlockwise to banish.

While you’re in the kitchen and things are bubbling away, you might as well create an autumnal simmer pot.

Simply select a small pan for the hob and add:

slices of orange
cinnamon sticks
star anise
cloves

Add some water.

While the potion is simmering it’ll release a beautiful warm scent which is very hygge.

Just remember to never leave your simmer pot unattended.

4. Charm Your Blanket

Hygge and relaxation can only happen when we feel safe.

For anxious people, feelings of safety can be elusive at times.

So, infusing your blanket with safety and comfort is a great way to help you relax.

Simply focus on the emotional state of feeling safe and chant your intention into the chosen banket.

Weighted blankets are also fantastic for anxiety.

5. Journalling Magic

Brain dumping, stream of consciousness into your journal can help you to release your worries and relax.

You can make this more witchy by scripting how you’d like to feel.

For example, scripting about how relaxed and cosy you feel after getting home from work.

You can also burn specific incense and use a particular colour pen.

Gratitude is also magical as it reinforces positive neural pathways in the brain and helps you to see more of the great stuff in your life.

6. Use Cosy Tarot Decks

Embrace the hygge spirit by using your favourite cosy tarot or oracle deck.

One thing I’ve been doing lately is creating cosy tarot readings.

All this entails is candles (obviously), incense, a hot drink, a warm blanket and basically just getting cosy on the sofa or on the floor and slinging some cards.

It’s just a simple, soothing ritual that makes reading tarot feel more ritualised.

You can also play around with some cosy or self-care themed spreads!

7. Have A Ritual Bath

You can turn your bath or shower experience into something more hygge by bathing by candlelight.

Light some candles and warming incense, add a handful of purifying sea salt to the bath and turn off the lights.

Decadent hot drinks and books are optional!

I also like playing YouTube ambiences in the background.

They really help to create a relaxing atmosphere.

I mean.

Who doesn’t want to pretend they’re bathing in a cosy faerie forest?!

8. Cast A Cosy Candle Spell

I’ve been playing around with the idea of using a simple anointed candle to invoke an archetypal energy.

In this instance it’s the feeling of cosiness.

You can go about this in any way that feels appropriate to you.

Infuse your intention into the candle, dress it with oil and herbs and light your candle.

Hygge Witchcraft: 8 Ways to Embrace the Magic of Cosiness