I wrote about magickal desk prep in my eBook The Witchy Freelancer, so I thought I’d show you how I’ve set up my own space. Get inspo for building creative energy and how to keep it flowing!

Environment and desk positioning

I like to have my desk next to a window in a tidy, uncluttered room. Of course, most of this is personal preference, but there are also some magickal benefits.

A clear desk allows for the free movement of energy around your workspace, and that’s what we want. Natural light is known to be good for mental well-being, and being near a window also helps my creative brain by giving me something to stare at while I think!

Obviously, a window seat or natural light isn’t always possible, but adding a little bit of nature into your space, be that with plants, flowers, or regular breaks spent outside should do the trick!

I clear my desk at the end of every work day and give it a thorough clean every weekend, complete with white sage smudging to clear any energetic nasties. A clear desk is a clear mind!

Decorations, adornments, ornaments

I’ve been big into Feng Shui since I was 12 years old (I got a book on it at the Scholastic Book Fair in year 7), and I’m still a firm believer in using décor to create harmony.

Yeah, I know. That sounds wanky AF, but it is what it is.

In Feng Shui, you’re encouraged to decorate your space with things that make you feel happy. There’s obviously much more to it than that, but those are some of the very basic fundamentals. So that’s what I do in my magickal freelance desk space.

I sit next to a signed Alan Lee painting of Gandalf, Bilbo and the dwarves at Mirkwood. I've got a corkboard opposite my desk as a shrine to everything that makes me feel creative.

Emma's desk cork board featuring an array of very cool pictures and badges.

Highlights include a B-Side Label Kitsune sticker I bought in Japan, a horror movie calendar that I made via Vistaprint, and a collage of my rates.

When I see these things, I’m reminded of all the great art that makes me feel excited to create. And that’s the kinda energy I need in my creative workspace.

I also made a writing talisman from a pressed sugar maple leaf, picked up from the sidewalk outside Stephen King’s house. I got it while visiting friends in Maine and even found this cool frame in a thrift store. I like to think there’s a dash of Steve’s writing magic in it.

Photos of a frame on my desk. It contains a pretty red leaf, pressed on a background of white parchment.

Tools to hand

My desk isn’t just where I come to do a day’s work. It’s also a kind of altar — a sacred place I come to write or be creative. For that reason, I like to keep specific magickal tools to hand while I’m at my desk.

I reserve my left-hand desk drawers for my Book of Mirrors, Book of Shadows, and Dream Diary. I use the dream diary as my morning pages (find out more here) then I decode the main symbols with the dream dictionary I keep hidden under my right desk pedestal.

It’s handy to have tools like this nearby just in case I need to do a brain dump or look something up (which incense for creativity or gemstone for confidence, etc.!).

My desk drawers are also home to my tarot card deck and oracle card deck. I pull a tarot card for myself every month and an oracle card every day. If I need to make a decision or examine a situation, I’ll get the cards out and start asking questions.

I also like to keep a few gemstones nearby, namely my lapis lazuli palm stone and a grounding stone I found on a walk in Highgate Cemetery. Communication and grounding are two things I need to channel most in my work, so I like a little magickal help.

Finally, I keep a box of incense cones in with my diaries. Not only does it make them smell amazing, but it also helps me program my brain into work mode by using scent association.