Divination: Practical Magic; Inner Witch Oracle

 

Practical Magic: Inner Witch Oracle 

by Joseph Benitez-Egerton under the Grounded By The Moon name. 

This deck is designed specifically around witchcraft, everyday magic and personal spiritual development. The deck was inspired by Benitez-Egerton’s love of the Practical Magic novels and films, but it is intended to function as an independent witchcraft oracle rather than simply being a movie tie-in. 

The deck itself

There is an interesting discrepancy in the creator’s descriptions because the original Inner Witch Oracle is described as a 37-card oracle, while the current second edition is described as 46 oracle cards plus nine additional spread cards. The second edition also comes with a substantial guidebook of more than 100 pages. 

The cards are tarot-sized, approximately 2.75 × 4.75 inches, and the second edition is presented in a book-style magnetic box. There are two visual editions:

• Full Moon Edition — gold-foil edging
• New Moon Edition — black holographic edging

Both have the same fundamental oracle system; the difference is principally the presentation and finish. 

What makes it different?

The emphasis is very much on practical witchcraft rather than abstract divination. Each card has an image and a keyword, while the guidebook expands upon the card’s meaning and provides an affirmation. The creator describes the deck as being suitable for everyday guidance and self-discovery. 

The subject matter incorporates familiar elements of a modern witch’s practice, including:

• 🌙 The Moon and lunar magic
• 🔮 Divination
• 💎 Crystals and stones
• 🌿 Herbal and natural magic
• 🔥 The four Elements
• 🧙 The Witch archetype
• ✨ Spellwork and magical intention
• 🕯️ Altar and ritual work
• 🌱 Personal growth and self-discovery
• 💭 Affirmations and inner guidance

One particularly interesting feature is that some cards can be used outside conventional oracle readings. The creator suggests using elemental cards as altar/casting cards, Moon cards in lunar workings and spreads, and crystal cards as part of crystal magic. 

Using it for witchcraft

This is where I think the deck is particularly appealing if you enjoy witchcraft alongside tarot.

Rather than asking only “What is going to happen?”, you can use it to ask questions such as:

“What magical energy should I work with today?”

“What aspect of my witchcraft needs attention?”

“What do I need to release?”

“Which Element should I connect with?”

“What quality should I bring into my next ritual?”

You could also draw a card before spellwork and use its symbolism as the theme for your working.

For example, if you drew a crystal card, you could incorporate that stone into your altar. A Moon card could suggest a lunar meditation or spell. An Element card could determine which elemental energy you work with. In this respect, the deck becomes almost a small magical prompt system or portable Book of Shadows rather than merely a fortune-telling device.

How to Use the Deck

• Daily Guidance: Pull a single card or use simple multi-card spreads for personal reflection.
• Altar & Elementals: Use specific elemental cards as casting pieces on your altar.
• Moon & Crystals: Integrate the moon cards for cycle activations or pair them with crystal healing practices. 

The connection with Practical Magic

The aesthetic and philosophy are strongly influenced by the world of Practical Magic: domestic witchcraft, intuition, herbs, candles, crystals, Moon symbolism and magic integrated into ordinary life.

That makes it quite different from something like the Thoth Tarot, ( I will be looking at this deck next week) which is densely packed with Qabalah, astrology, ceremonial magic and esoteric symbolism. The Inner Witch Oracle is much more approachable and grounded.

Interestingly, Benitez-Egerton subsequently created a companion Practical Magic: Inner Witch Tarot, specifically intended to work alongside the oracle. That tarot is based on the Rider-Waite-Smith system and expands the Inner Witch concept into a full tarot system. 

The artwork and atmosphere

The cards have a distinctly witchy, darkly romantic aesthetic, with black backgrounds, gold detailing and imagery involving magical tools, crystals, plants, celestial imagery and other occult motifs. The gold-edged version in particular has a rather luxurious, Victorian-occult appearance.

The overall feeling is less “ancient ceremonial grimoire” and more modern cottage witchcraft with a polished magical aesthetic.

Who would enjoy it?

I’d particularly recommend this deck to someone who:

• practises Wicca, witchcraft or pagan-inspired spirituality;
• enjoys combining tarot, oracle cards and spellwork;
• likes crystals, herbs and lunar magic;
• wants an oracle that can be used for daily guidance;
• enjoys the Practical Magic aesthetic;
• prefers relatively accessible symbolism rather than highly complicated occult systems.

It’s also potentially a lovely companion deck to tarot. You could use tarot for the deeper situation and the Inner Witch Oracle for the magical advice surrounding it.

In short: Practical Magic: Inner Witch Oracle is less about predicting the future and more about awakening and directing your own magical practice. Its central idea is essentially that the witch is already within you—the cards provide prompts for discovering how to work with that inner witch in everyday life. 

The deck is still being offered by Grounded By The Moon, including the second edition and its Full Moon/New Moon variations.

About the creator 

Joseph Benitez-Egerton

Joseph Benitez-Egerton is the creator behind Grounded By The Moon, an independent magical and divination project centred on witchcraft, everyday magic, tarot and oracle work. He is credited as the designer and writer of the Practical Magic: Inner Witch Oracle, as well as the companion Inner Witch Tarot. 

What is interesting about Benitez-Egerton is that his work appears to be very much rooted in personal magical practice rather than academic occultism. His stated aim is to create accessible tools that help people connect with what he calls their “Inner Witch.” The decks are deliberately described as down-to-earth and straightforward to use. 

Grounded By The Moon

Benitez-Egerton works under the name Grounded By The Moon, which has become the home for his various oracle and tarot projects. His philosophy combines traditional witchcraft themes—such as the Elements, Moon, crystals and magical correspondences—with modern approaches to self-reflection and personal spirituality. 

The name Grounded By The Moon is quite revealing of the approach: earthy, practical witchcraft combined with lunar and intuitive spirituality.

His projects include:

• Practical Magic: Inner Witch Oracle
• Practical Magic: Inner Witch Tarot
• Witches Grimoire Oracle projects
• Elemental Alchemy Oracle
• Further witchcraft-oriented oracle projects in development. 

His connection with Practical Magic

Benitez-Egerton is particularly influenced by the Practical Magic novels and films. Rather than simply reproducing imagery from the franchise, he took inspiration from its underlying vision of witchcraft as something that can exist within ordinary domestic life.

This is important to understanding his decks. His idea of the witch isn’t necessarily the formal ceremonial magician surrounded by complicated occult systems. Instead, it is the witch who works with intuition, nature, crystals, herbs, lunar cycles, elements, ritual and everyday life.

He has described his admiration for both the movie and the complete novel series as the inspiration for creating the Inner Witch Oracle and subsequently the Inner Witch Tarot. 

The Inner Witch concept

The phrase “Inner Witch” is probably the best way of understanding Benitez-Egerton’s work.

The oracle isn’t presented primarily as a device for predicting events. Its purpose is to help the reader develop their own intuition and magical awareness. The creator describes it as a tool for self-discovery and everyday guidance. 

That makes his approach somewhat different from more traditional occult tarot creators. The emphasis is on empowerment and participation: the cards give you something to contemplate or work with, but you perform the magical or spiritual work.

His approach to tarot and oracle cards

Benitez-Egerton also seems to view cards as magical tools rather than merely divination instruments.

For example, he suggests that cards from the Inner Witch Oracle can be used on an altar, that Moon cards can be incorporated into lunar workings, and that crystal cards can be used alongside crystal magic. 

That gives his work a distinctly witchcraft-oriented character.

His later Inner Witch Tarot takes this further. It was deliberately designed to work alongside the oracle and uses a simplified approach based on the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot tradition. 

A creator with a very hands-on approach

One thing I find particularly interesting about Benitez-Egerton is that Grounded By The Moon appears to be a creator-led independent project, rather than a conventional large publishing-house tarot brand. The decks, descriptions and magical framework are presented as his own creations. 

There is also evidence of him discussing his work directly with the Practical Magic community . For example, he appeared as a guest on the Magnolia Street: A Practical Magic Fandom Podcast in an episode specifically devoted to the Inner Witch Oracle in December 2023. 

So, although there isn’t a huge amount of conventional biographical information publicly available about Benitez-Egerton, his creative work gives us a fairly clear picture of his interests: witchcraft, lunar symbolism, the Elements, crystals, tarot, oracle work and the idea of bringing magic into everyday life.

Grounded By The Moon — Joseph Benitez-Egerton's official site⁠