“The Craft”, Spiritual Psychosis, and the Cost of Unprepared Power
“You are playing with something that is bigger than you are.”
— Lirio, The Craft
Upon rewatching The Craft as a more evolved witch and practitioner, I found myself struck by something I hadn’t fully absorbed before: Nancy’s unraveling after invoking Manon.
Despite being warned not to, she charged ahead - hungry for power, intoxicated by it, and ultimately undone by it.
Her descent reminded me of someone I once knew. Someone just as devoted and ambitious in their spiritual pursuit. They, too, invoked great power without first tending to the soil of their own inner world. Without anchoring. Without humility. Without integration.
During a sacred window of journeying alongside this person, I was channeling fluidly and often. This upset them, as they couldn’t understand why they were incapable of crossing that threshold - one that required deep surrender and trust in Spirit.
It was during a moment of complaint and confusion on their end that I received a message resounding, loud, and clear. A transmission meant for them.
“HUMBLE YOURSELF!”
It came three times like a steaming hiss in the air.
I tried to deliver it gently, but it was as though I spoke to no one at the door. Only vague acknowledgment followed, and a continuing of arrogance, of trusting themselves more than the sacred. What they opened themselves to after that was far darker than I could have ever imagined or anticipated.
The result in both cases?
Spiritual psychosis.
Invoking Too Soon: The Cost of Skipping Shadow Work
When power is called upon without grounding or discernment, it doesn’t strengthen.
It fractures.
This is the birth of spiritual psychosis. It isn’t just delusion - it’s a destabilization of the psyche under the weight of raw mystical energy. When one’s inner scaffolding isn’t strong enough to hold what they’re calling in, that energy overruns the system. It feeds the ego - the wounded self that has yet to transmute.
Symptoms of Spiritual Psychosis May Include:
Power overload and manic behavior
Delusions of grandeur (“I am God,” “I am the chosen one”)
Loss of empathy and disconnection from community
Unhinged behavior disguised as “awakening”
Dissociation, paranoia, or the inability to discern guidance from delusion
It’s something I’ve witnessed both in real life and in spiritual communities online - especially among those undergoing:
Ungrounded kundalini awakenings
Intense ritual work without integration
Plant medicine journeys without proper support or readiness
When the Ritual Is Performed, But the Soul Is Not Ready
In many traditions, initiation is not simply about performing a ritual. It’s about being made ready.
It’s earned through shadow work, patience, and inner maturity. Often, this is developed slowly over time, where one is tested again and again. This is meant to not only to refine the spirit, but to deepen the wisdom of the heart.
This is why the mystic path demands humility. It requires discernment, devotion, and the courage to face oneself before you ever facing the altar.
Without this, ritual becomes dangerous. The ego seizes the power, and instead of spiritual evolution, we witness collapse.
Witchcraft Is More Than Aesthetic or Power
It is:
The quiet, painful work of integration
The patience to wait when you want to rush
The wisdom to know when something isn’t yours to hold (yet)
The discipline to root before rising
The journey of facing a thousand deaths of who you once believed yourself to be—refinement
Being a witch(or awakened) is more than calling in power. It’s about becoming a clear enough vessel to hold it… and still remain humble to it.
What to Remember:
Power without balance becomes chaos
Invocation without integration is spiritual danger
Shadow work is a sacred prerequisite, NOT an accessory
The deeper your roots, the safer your expansion
A Final Reflection
Nancy’s fall wasn’t from evil. It was from unpreparedness.
She was brave, but not yet rooted. Devoted, but not yet ready.
She reminds us that the cost of spiritual ambition without spiritual readiness can be steep.
Let her story be a mirror and a warning.
Let us be witches, practitioners, and spiritual leaders who walk with care, reverence, and humility in the inner knowing that we are vessels for something far greater, and our first responsibility is to make ourselves ready to embody it.
