Many years ago, when I first watched Practical Magic, I was truly fascinated by the film. In the 1990s, Practical Magic was one of the first movies I saw that portrayed witches in such a thoroughly positive way. The witches were not evil, sinister figures, or simply supernatural beings.
Instead, magic and witchcraft were naturally woven into everyday life. Herbs, plants, little rituals, emotions, coincidences and synchronicities were simply part of life. And that created a deep resonance within me.
Interestingly, there were two movies from that time in which real witches were involved as consultants on set: The Craft and Practical Magic. And in my opinion, you can feel that in both films. While The Craft draws more strongly on Wicca-influenced elements, Practical Magic embodies, to me, much more of the atmosphere of traditional and folk witchcraft.
Witchcraft That Lives in Everyday Life
The magic of the first Practical Magic film has always fascinated me because it felt so connected to the earth.
It lived through herbs, plants, beautiful moments, emotions, synchronicities and little magical events in everyday life. The magic did not need constant spectacular special effects.
Many things that we might imagine or perceive symbolically in real magical practice were simply made visible in the film through small visual effects.
A broom suddenly falling over could, for example, announce an approaching visitor. Herbs grown in the greenhouse could be used for a love spell. There were numerous elements of folk magic that were naturally woven into the everyday lives of the characters.
That connection touched me deeply when I first saw the film.
There was something artistic and beautiful about it. The film conveyed a very special atmosphere and a magical vibration that truly enchanted me.
And at the same time, it awakened a longing in me.
I wanted to live like that one day.
A life filled with magic. A life that felt different from the way many people simply live their lives. A life in which magic was not something practiced only at certain times, but something that ran through everyday life.
That is why Practical Magic is still one of my absolute favorite movies. I still enjoy watching it again every year.
Practical Magic 2
The movie is based, by the way, on a series of four books by Alice Hoffman. This year, the second movie was released: Practical Magic 2, which is also based on Alice Hoffman’s The Book of Magic.
Yesterday, I went to the preview screening.
And of course, I watched the new film with very different eyes than I did the first one back then.
The magic in Practical Magic 2 is considerably louder and more spectacular. There are far more special effects, and at times the way magic is portrayed feels more like Charmed or Harry Potter.
Still, the film repeatedly preserves that special touch of the first movie. The magic is simply presented through the visual possibilities and spirit of our time.
For me, the film was therefore not quite as enchanting as the first one – but it was still a magical experience to watch.
What I missed a little, however, was the connection to folk magic and to that earthy form of witchcraft that made the first film so special to me.
It was certainly present, especially in the symbolic portrayal of the left-hand path. There were moments where these elements appeared. But for me, they played only a minor role in the actual magic the witches practiced.
Instead, much of the magic felt more like Harry Potter: more spectacular, more visual and more focused on the effect itself.
That was a small drawback for me.
But even so, the film did eventually enchant me.
The Life I Once Wished For
And then came the truly magical moment for me after leaving the cinema.
I had watched the movie in a small town. There were hardly any stars visible in the sky.
When I drove home afterwards, back to my little village, and finally stood in front of the old house where I live, built around 1860, I looked up and saw a beautiful starry sky above my home.
And suddenly, I thought of the first Practical Magic film.
I may not live in a Victorian house like the sisters in the movie.
But I do live in an old house surrounded by a large, somewhat wild natural garden. Magical herbs, medicinal plants and fragrant plants grow everywhere, many of which I use in my magical practice.
I do not have a conservatory like the one in the movie. Instead, I have a beautiful greenhouse where I grow my plants.
I make herbal oils and soaps, and I work with plants, incense, candles and rituals. People come to me for rituals, for magical help and for spiritual hypnosis. I make the world a little more magical and a little more healed.
I do not live magic only on special occasions. It has simply become a natural part of my life.
Magic runs through my entire everyday life and through my life as a whole.
And as I came home tonight, something suddenly became very clear to me:
I am already living much of the life I once dreamed about.
The longing that this film awakened in me many years ago has become part of my actual life.
Back then, I wished for a life filled with magic.
A life that was freer and more unconventional.
A life in which a herb garden was not simply a garden, but part of a magical practice. A life in which plants were not only beautiful, but could be used for rituals, oils, incense and spells. A life in which the magical did not have to be separated from the everyday world.
And that is exactly how I live today.
For me, this is the most beautiful realization that the sequel to Practical Magic could give me after all these years.
A story can awaken a longing within us long before we know what our own life will eventually look like.
And sometimes, many years later, we realize that we have already begun to live that longing ourselves.
I do not need a Victorian mansion or a huge conservatory for that.
An old house built around 1860, a somewhat wild herb garden, a greenhouse, plants that I grow with my own hands – and the freedom to shape my life in my own way – are more than enough.
As I stood beneath that starry sky tonight, I had to smile.
Because suddenly I realized:
I have come pretty close to living my own Practical Magic vision.
Note: The first image was created with the help of AI. The second image shows my own magical greenhouse.
Leave a Reply