Winter storms

 

 Mother Nature isn't always gentle and kind, as we see in storms of all kinds.  But winter storms have the added effect of lingering, and can last days...or more!  Even today, winter storms can cause a lot of devastation, interrupt our lives and even prove deadly.  And that is even with all our advances in modern science, for our ancestors this time of year would have been even more dangerous.

But while storms can create unexpected tragedy, they are also undeniably powerful, and we can tap into that power for many purposes.  As with most storm work, storms can be unpredictable, so stay mindful of that as you prepare for your work.

When we think about work our ancestors might have done with storms, we often think of protection and destruction as the two main focuses.  Protection was mainly focused around protecting you and your loved ones (and property) from the storm itself, where with destruction work you were using the storm as a representation of the destruction you were wanting to cause.

Today, while protection work is still quite valid, it may just look a little different from what our ancestors would consider.  In most cases, it would take a historic storm to do more than inconvenience most of us.  Even when we loose power, we have resources at our disposal now to help make sure we are taken care of.  With cell phones, we often don't even loose communication, which can be quite problematic when talking about being snowed in.

But even though we may not have the same deep seated fears about the effects of storms, we still want to avoid the worst they have to offer, and would welcome help in not being too effected by them.  So along side tapping into the storms energies to protect you and your household, consider also the myriad of ways your life will be effected by the storm.  While I can absolutely manage in my house without internet, I'd rather not have that limitation, so protecting my connection to the outside world is something I work towards.  On a similar thought, while we could probably survive for months on the food in our house, I like having the option of outside food, so I also work to keep the roads clear and safe (because we live in a place that doesn't get a lot of winter storms, so people aren't great at driving in winter weather).

I also really enjoy opening myself up to the energy of storms, as I find that it often lets me express feelings that I bottle up inside.  Especially in the winter, with all the holidays and events and obligations (and gifts!) weighing us down, we can become quite frustrated with having to stay in good cheer all the time (because you aren't allowed to be grumpy during the holidays, right?)  Try opening yourself up to the energy of the storm, and have some good tools of self-expression handy for whatever comes up.  You might feel inspired to do art to express what your are feeling, or you may want to write/type about the experience instead.  If you have a witchy (or just open-minded) friend you trust you might do this together and you can talk about how it felt afterwards (as well as doing any other activities, together or later when you are alone).

If you do end up being snowed in, I think that is a very special kind of energy as well.  I know the Pandemic has altered many people's thoughts about being 'stuck home', and I know that as adults we often have trained ourselves to look at what we 'should be doing', but I have always seen being snowed in as I did when I was a child...it's a free day!  Yes, you can't do the things you had planned to do, and often you are quite severely limited in what you can do....but that just means that you now have no plans for the day!  It's the perfect day to just play (whatever that means to you...it might mean playing a game, reading, watching something, doing a hobby, crafting.....and bonus points if it is something you 'always meant to try' or 'never have time to do').

Divination is always a fun activity to do, whether you want to tap into the energy just before the storm starts, at it's height, or in it's aftermath, each provides you an opportunity to explore a part of your life that isn't ordinary.  Just prior to a storm, there is often that stillness and a sense of something about to happen.  We can get a similar experience sometimes in life around a powerful event.  So this would be a good time to look for clarity on big changes in your life, especially in what you can do to prepare for them.  In the middle of the storm, you are caught up in all the drama of everything that is going on, and sometimes it can feel hard to slow down enough to think.  Here you might ask about what the best course of action is, and how to move yourself into a safe space where you can have the time you need.  And after the storm, we are often just so overwhelmed with the sense of loss that we can't figure out what we need to do to recover or how to start moving past it.

 

So, when winter hits, and you feel that stillness in the air, get ready for any storms that might be approaching.  Think about how you want to work with each storm that comes your way, for each one is an opportunity to connect with the storm and use it's energy to enhance your life.  Whether you simply want to stay safe and protected or whether you want to ride the storm and see where it takes you, remember to not only take appropriate magical precautions, but also all the physical ones as well.

Researching your path

 

One of the things I find so wonderful about Paganism is that there is so much room to personalize your path.  If you really love divination, you can dive deep into that, but if you don't care for it you don't really have to do it at all.  There are so many areas of interest that we can explore, and sometimes it can be daunting to try to figure out how to actually learn about a new subject that sounds interesting.

 

I think one of the first steps is to learn some basic information.  If you learn about something that sounds interesting to you, before you rush out and buy a bunch of stuff, dip your toes in.  Look up the topic and read some basic info online (for free!).  This will allow you to gauge if you are interested enough to pursue further study....or you may find out that the bit you read satiated your curiosity and now you are content to not explore it further.

 

It's important to remember that deciding not to study a topic right is not only perfectly fine, but it doesn't close any doors!  Not every subject is going to be interesting to you, and you may have thought something was going to be different and as you learn a bit about it, you realize it's not what you thought it was, or it just doesn't hold your interest enough.  You may find yourself drawn back into the topic later, and it might be more compelling then.  You can always choose to come back to things you passed by previously...and sometimes the timing just isn't right when you first learn about a topic, and later you are more suited to actually dig in and see what it's all about.

 

Once you have decided to look further into something, it's time to find more resources.  There are often a ton of resources online, and sometimes quite a few books on the topic.  But not every source is created equal, and I find it good to not only check reviews, but to ask around for other people's suggestions.  Even in very public groups, asking for recommended reading can give you a lot of insight...pay attention to sources that multiple people recommend, and try to avoid the ones that people seem to tell you to stay away from.

 

*note:  I personally like reading both good and bad books on some topics, but I keep mindful of the ones that have a bad reputation...I like knowing what types of misinformation or harmful stereotypes are out there.  Your mileage may vary, but getting recommendations from the community can help you get a sense of what is generally considered useful information and what might be misleading or even downright harmful.

 

When asking for recommendations, it's always helpful to give a little context.  If you just starting to explore a subject, ask for beginner sources!  Many topics can get quite complex, and starting off with a more advanced source can be frustrating or downright impossible to make headway in.  Many advanced books assume you already have a certain level of understanding on the subject, and may gloss over basic concepts, so having your foundation in place first is important!  But, if you get more advanced suggestions of really good sources, it might be useful to keep a list of those, so that when you get more familiar with the subject you have some good ideas of where to look to deepen your knowledge and understanding.

 

I also have learned that when you are reading something and a really unique idea pops out, it can be helpful to cross-reference that idea with other books on the same subject.  Pagan topics can often include a lot of UPG (unverified personal gnosis...aka people's personal experiences or ideas).   The thing about UPG is that it can be amazing and thought provoking...and it can also completely contradict the generally understood information.  This is another of those things where being aware of what type of information you are consuming (is it UPG, is it historically sourced, is it fiction) can allow you to decide how to handle the information.

I'm of the personal opinion that much can be gained from UPG (or fiction, or other 'non-historical, non-traditional' sources), but I do always take them with a grain of salt.  There are a lot of topics that, if you take them far enough back, started out as UPG, and enough people shared the same types of experiences that eventually the ideas became tradition, and they have remained applicable throughout the years.  

The thing is that we deal with a lot of stuff that can't always be scientifically observed and measured.  What we experience in meditation is highly personal.  Our interactions with spirits or deities is often internal.  Even spellwork can be debated as to whether it's a matter of causation or correlation (aka is the result coincidence).

Ultimately, I think that no matter what you learn in a book, the value of information is how it works in your practice, so the final step for me is always "does it work for me."  I think it's important to remember the "for me" part of that...because we are all different and what works for one person may not work for someone else.  This is where UPG comes back in, and why I love hearing how other people do stuff.  It won't always work for me, but I enjoy trying things that others have recommended.

 

So, no matter what you are looking to learn more about, these are a few steps to help get you on your way, and to avoid some of the major pitfalls (and mental blocks) about exploring a new fork in your path.  For so many of us, there is always something new to explore and learn, and having some tips to help make the process smoother is always useful!  Don't be afraid to dabble in a bunch of things until you find the one that really grabs your heart and makes you want to learn everything you can!

Figuring out your spiritual needs

 

 One of the things I've always loved about Paganism is how much of it is very much 'choose your own.'  Sure, if you join a group or pursue degrees in an organization, there may be structure, but in our personal practice, there are no hard and fast rules or really anyone to tell us that we should (or should not) be practicing a particular way.

And in fact, this can be a struggle for a lot of people, both new and more experienced.  It's hard, because you kind of have to figure it out yourself, there is no guidebook to turn to when you have a question about how often to do a thing or whether one method is 'better' than another.  It definitely takes some getting used to, that every part of your practice is ultimately up to you.

I also think it complicates things that many resources out there suggest a way of doing things, but don't make it clear that it is JUST a suggestion!  I've read so many books that will introduce a practice, like meditation or reading tarot, and they will give suggestions on how often to do something, but not give a lot of options for if that one way doesn't quite work for you.

Meditation is a great example.  A ton of sources recommend meditating daily, often for between 10-30 minutes.  And for some people, that works great!  For others, it's too long, or too frequent.  Maybe you just don't have that much free time (and you don't want to spend what time you do have meditating!), or maybe you tried it and sitting for 30 minutes a day was just too much for your body.  

 

One saying I absolutely adore suggests that doing a thing at all is better than not doing it (often applied to difficult tasks, where we may not be able to do them perfectly or even completely, but doing a little is still better than not doing it at all).  In the case of meditation, if 30 minutes a day doesn't work for you, but you enjoy doing 30 minutes once a week on the weekend...do that!

Many people like to have a framework to start from, and books are great for that.  It used to be that Pagan books told you how to do things (as in they explained how to cast spells, how rituals were structured, how to ground), but didn't often suggest a plan for actually doing all the stuff.  However, in recent years, more books have come out with a plan, whether it is a way to build up practices or a full year of daily activities.

If those kind of things appeal to you, find one that seems enticing and give it a try!  I haven't seen a suggested plan yet that I feel I would be worse off for having tried it, even if it didn't work for my life.  So you really aren't out anything by giving things a go, and you might find that even if the whole plan doesn't work for you, bits of it do (and you can always keep the parts that work for you and let go of the rest!).

I think that having a rough idea of what you want your path to look like can help, so it may be useful to sit down and brainstorm about what spirituality means to you.  Are you looking for something with more structure, or do you need freedom to follow your whims?  Do you want daily practices that you can build on, or would you rather stick to bigger observations throughout the year (or both!)  How close of a relationship do you want with deities...or do you even want to work with any?  Do you want to work alone, with others or a combination?

These are a few, broad questions to start with, but anytime you learn something new, you can ask yourself how you see that fitting into your practice.  It might be that you want to start off learning a little bit about a bunch of different topics, just to see what interests you the most, or maybe you already have something you really want to dive deep into, and you can start planning out how you want to approach that study.

I feel like one thing to always keep in mind is that you are absolutely free to change your mind (and your practice!) at any given time.  You may have tried some things out, and realize that it's too much or not enough for your needs.  Adjusting how much time and energy you devote to this aspect of your practice can make it fit better with your life.  And remember, we are constantly changing, so our needs might change too...a practice that fits you now, might need adjusting in a few months, or even after decades of doing things a particular way.

 

Wherever you are on your path, spending some time to check in and see if your spiritual needs are being met (and are meshing with the rest of your life), can be a very helpful way to make sure you are living the best Pagan/witchy life you can.  And just taking a moment to think about whether you are doing enough, or too much, of anything can be a helpful starting point in figuring out just where that sweet spot is for you.  You may be surprised to find out that things that you thought were 'just fine' could actually use a little tweaking!

Brainstorming work

 

One of the things that I think takes the longest to get comfortable with is creating your own spells and rituals (or any practice really).  As much as I feel like Paganism embraces individualized and personalized practice, most books only go into the bare bones on how to build a working from the ground up, and many 101 books don't really talk about doing your own thing at all.  They just include a handful of premade spells and rituals, and often those don't really fit (because we are all individual, and we might live in a different country or time period from where the spell originated, which also makes things complicated).

 

I've always been a big fan of making your own spells (and for ease of wording, I'm going to say spells for the rest of this post, even though the same process can be used to build any spiritual working, from rituals to protections to Sabbats!), or at the very least tweaking the bits that don't work in spells you find out in the wild.  In my very early days I did work with spells straight out of books, and while it has a certain comfort level (because it's very easy to doubt your own capabilities), it was always like wearing hand-me-down clothes....they feel like they don't quite fit most of the time.

 

But writing your own spells can feel daunting, and for many people even figuring out where to start is an issue.  It's one of those weird things that feels like it should be talked about everywhere, and yet it's not, and when it is talked about, it's in a very bare bones kinda way (I mean even this blog post won't be as complete an explanation as might be wanted, but it's more extensive than a lot of the 'how to write your own spells' sections we see in books). 

The start is always the why...why are you doing a spell.  Note, I don't start with what you want to seek, because I feel like the why is always more important than the what.  The why will lead to the what (and sometimes, as you explore the why, you discover that you are actually needing to work towards a different what than you thought you did!)

So start by asking yourself why, and really dig in here.  If you wanted to make a spell to get a job, why are you looking for a job (do you want money, more excitement in your life, a chance to do something creative, or are you just bored).  Notice, that all of those things could be reasons to find a job...but many of them lead to very different types of jobs.  Knowing the why of your spell will help inform every step of the process!

Sometimes the why will be straightforward, like if you have a friend who is sick and you want to do something to help them heal.  You care about your friend and you want them better, that is your why.  But sometimes the why is more elusive, like if you want to loose weight, your why might be that you want to be healthier, but it might also include wanting to look better (and feel sexier or more confidant) and that you want to be able to play soccer without feeling winded immediately.  You don't have to pick just one why, in fact exploring the many reasons behind your spell can help you create a much more inclusive working!

If you are struggling with understanding your why, it can be helpful to get outside advice.  This might mean turning to your favorite divination method, and spending some time journaling out your whys, or it might mean asking a trusted friend or loved one for their input.  Just remember, if you are talking to other people, that you want to not only ask someone who you trust (and who knows you), but also someone who isn't going to try to talk you out of doing your work (sometimes you can get advice on your why without explaining what specifically you are planning on doing, so take our job example, you might ask a friend what type of job they think you would enjoy without telling them you are planning on doing a spell for it).

Once you have your why, you can start to think about the main shape your spell will take.  There are tons of types of spells out there, from candle spells to jar spells to bag spells or simple fire and forget spells.  This is one place where reading examples (especially examples that are similar to what you are planning, so if you are wanting to heal a friend, looking at a selection of healing spells can give you a sense of what other people have found works, and that is a great place to start!).  You might also just like one method over another, and prefer to use it, and that's perfectly fine too!

Almost every spell includes correspondences of some sort, whether they are physical items, representations or simply words to be called upon.  This is where your whys really come into play.  You will want something to represent all of your whys, so if I am wanting to loose weight (to be healthy, to look sexy and to be able to enjoy soccer more), then I should have at least one thing to represent each of my whys.

I sometimes think of deities as a way to include more correspondences.  I have a pretty wide group of deities I work with, so I have a lot of choices for deities that will fit my spell.  And sometimes you can work with multiple deities for the same spell, though this can often require more planning (and some deities just don't work well together, so understanding how they interrelate is important too).  You don't have to call on a deity for your spells, and some people have a patron deity that functions like a catch-all for them, when it comes to calling on deities in a spell.

I also want to note that spell creation isn't necessarily something that needs to be done all at once, in one sitting or quickly.  It can be, and learning to create on the fly is somewhat of a different skill, but for the purposes of this blog post, don't feel like you need to rush the process.  Sometimes, I will let an idea stew in my head, and that helps me come up with connections and ideas that I might have otherwise missed.  If you are planning your spell like this, having a notebook or some spot to jot down your ideas and thoughts as they come can be really helpful!

And, your actual 'spell work' doesn't have to be done in one setting either.  Sometimes, we ritualize the prep, especially if you are making any kind of herbal blend, poppet, totem or amulet/talisman (which might need to be prepared ahead of time).  Your spell might also extend into the future (like when you burn a 7 day candle for a spell), or have reactivation activities (like shaking a jar spell when it needs a boost or charging a ward every full moon).  

With any spell work, I think it's important to not pressure yourself too much over the results.  You aren't a bad witch/Pagan if you do a spell and it doesn't work out.  It's not even necessarily that the spell didn't work...sometimes our spells are like trying to hold back the push of the ocean with just your hands....you might not have enough force to create the change you are working towards.  But every spell you do (especially those you create) help you become better at them in the future!

One thing that I think can be important (but often overlooked) when talking about spell creation is reflecting on, and adjusting, the spell after the fact.  Especially for something (like a healing spell) that you might want to use again in the future, taking the time to think about (and make some notes on) what went well and what didn't go as well as you would have liked, along with how the spell felt as you did it and the results afterward...these all help to let you refine the spell for future use.

 

Creating your own spells isn't as hard as it first seems, and the benefits are countless.  Not only does it give you the ability to tailor your spells to your exact needs, but it also gives you complete control over what you use to do your spell, what deities (if any) you choose to work with, and how complicated or simple you prefer your work to be.  I highly recommend anyone who hasn't made their own spells give it a try...it's not as scary as it sounds!

Books of shadows

 

 Welcome to my library...or at least part of it.  I am a book lover and a writer, and of course I have a million books that make up my 'book of shadows' (honestly, this isn't even all of them).  When we talk about a Book of Shadows, it is often described as being a huge tome, handmade with an ornate cover, with illustrated and beautiful pages, holding all the information one has collected as they walk their path.

But as you can see, for some of us, one book just won't do!  Not only is it simply not big enough, but it may not have the organization you want (or need!).  And a fancy book of shadows probably isn't something that the average person would have had (even the big coven BOS' were probably quite plain on the outside).  Of course, we live in a time now where we are free to have beautiful and fancy books to write whatever we want in, so if you like that kinda thing, have at it!  I have a few really lovely and unique books in my selection...though as you can see, quite a lot are very simple or basic.

My first BOS was a three ring binder.  This binder....which was really just my favorite binder from school.  It has pockets (which is really handy for all those odd shaped papers that I like to keep in them).  But most importantly, it has tabs and three rings!  It let me move stuff around as often as I wanted, and in the beginning, that was priceless.  It also let me easily remove and add pages...at any point!

In my early days, I remember reading all about the Book of Shadows, and how it had a counterpoint, the Book of Light.  If the BOS was dedicated to the nitty gritty "stuff you do" then the BOL was all about inspiration:  poetry and stories that delighted you.  I think of it as something to turn to when you need a bit of spiritual uplifting.  I have a few books where I keep particularly moving poetry (one for poems I write myself, and one for others I find).  I even have a wishes book, which is basically a paper version of a pinterest dream board!  I have a bunch of pictures I cut out of magazines or printed out, and it's just all pretty witchy stuff that makes me happy to look at.

From there, my books just started expanding.  I made a little one (so it was portable!) for a Correspondence book, and I also made a travel BOS (which is a cute little leather bound book that I kept my most basic and most well used stuff in..for when I was away from home, but still wanted something!).

I have a dream book, though I struggle to use that.  I used to dream every night, but only remembered my dreams for a short time upon waking.  The problem was, that I really hated the process of writing it down.  As soon as I started, it was like the process of writing made the fragments of dream flee even further.  I think this is part of the process of figuring out which kinds of books you might want for your practice...sometimes they just don't work out!

Another type of book I kept early on (but don't use as much now) is a working record book.  I would record the spells and rituals I did, how they went and how things turned out (okay I almost always forgot that last bit...).  I have several of them now, though today I am more likely to use my witchy log than directly recording my work.

Speaking of the witchy log, that is a very recent book I started a few years ago.  I really struggle with keeping up with tasks (in all realms of my life), and a planner has helped my everyday life so much, I thought having a book specifically dedicated to my witchy life would help.  It gives me a place to check in everyday, do moon work, journal about the sabbats, record random witchy facts or ideas....and it's really working for me.

 

This kind of replaced my old Sabbat book, which was dedicated to my own reflections after Sabbat rituals.  This one sort of fell in a funny place for me.  It felt like a cross between reflective journaling and record keeping, but when I started keeping the Witchy Log, I just stopped using this one.

I also started some topic specific books (because my brain likes organization).  I have books dedicated to runes, to tarot, to astrology, to moon work...pretty much any subject you are interested enough in to want a separate book for!

Art books are another whole category for me.  I have the one that started it all, which is a smashbook I did for an intentional art retreat.  It holds art that was done with specific purposes, so some of the pictures are about exploring archetypes or grounding or transforming.  I ended up with another book (that holds hole punched pages) for loose leaf art, and what I call my healing art book (which is blank pages that I draw pictures/symbols in for healing).  Sometimes my magic isn't about words, sometimes it's about images or color or emotions and these help me tap into that.

I also keep a small book for future ideas.  I heard someone toss this out as concept, and it's so perfect for my brain!  The idea is that you write down stuff you might want to work on...but that you don't have time/energy/motivation to do right now.  It's a future log for magic!  Mine is broken into problems and dreams..so problems are often more outward focused (like when a situation in the world is just bugging you), while dreams tend to be more personal (though of course you could just keep all your future ideas together!)

 

Now, you can probably see that most of my books are pretty spartan.  I don't really decorate them (minus the art books, but those aren't technically decorated either...just full of art lol), because for me that honestly just feels like work.  It's also a bit like that feeling of having a blank (expensive) book and not wanting to use it (because you are afraid of 'messing it up'...though I find just deliberately making a mistake early helps in this...I'm not perfect, my books don't need to be either).  But many people really get into making their books into amazing art works, doing collage and making every word beautiful.  So if that's your thing, go for it!

And if physical books aren't your thing....there are always digital options!  I keep a ton of files on my computer, from books to stuff I've written to things I've clipped from websites.  I've been playing around with OneNote as a way to organize digital stuff, though I've heard great things about Notion as well (and seen some amazing digital books there!)  There are advantages to digital, it's easy to keep a ton of information organized and handy (and with smart phones, portable!)  Personally, I'm more analog than digital, I sometimes struggle to read online text (books are easier for me), so I doubt I will ever be fully digital...but it's so nice for stuff that I am not sure I want/need for the long term.

When it comes to your Book(s) of Shadows, the sky is the limit.  There is no right or wrong way to keep one, just ways that work better for you.  And there is nothing wrong with trying out a few!  Find the books you like to use (bound, spiral, 3ring, digital), figure out how you prefer to keep things (do you like one big book, lots of little ones, write as you go, dedicated sections) and then see which ones stick with you (because sometimes the one you are most excited about just doesn't click).

Spells: fire and forget versus ongoing

 

 There are two major approaches that one can take when casting a spell:  fire and forget versus ongoing.  With fire and forget, you do the spell, and then you walk away, and you let the spell work without further influence (and often thought) from you.  With an ongoing spell, you keep coming back to it, feeding it your attention and energy.  Both styles have strengths and weaknesses, and you can use both at different times and for different purposes.

Many people have a preferred method for casting their spells, and I feel like this is often dependent on how you learned to cast.  You may have seen mostly ongoing spells described in books, things that spread the spellwork out over days (or more!), and you might love the way that you can devote more time to a working, but don't have to do it all at once.  Or, maybe you like being able to build up a lot of energy, pour it into something, and then walk away, trusting that your will be done.

 

Let's talk about ongoing magic for a bit.  With this type of magic, timing is often important, and you may need to do different things at different points in time.  This may mean spreading out your spellwork over the course of a full moon cycle, doing different actions at different phases.  It might mean preparing a candle, and then lighting it for a specified time every day for a week.  It might mean creating the initial spell, and then returning to it every month to recharge it.

 

The biggest benefit of an ongoing spell is that it is spread out over time.  This allows you to build up to bigger energy without having to handle it all at once.  It maintains a more constant flow of energy, and gives you the opportunity to adjust as you go (if you feel things aren't moving in the way you want them to). 

The biggest downside is that these types of spells need the continued attention.  You have to devote yourself to the same working over many days, and if you miss a day you may feel like you need to start over or at least make up time.  It's a commitment to the spell work, and if you can't meet that commitment you may feel like you can't do this type of work.

On the other hand, fire and forget spells can feel more spontaneous.  You can gather up your stuff, and do the thing, and then you move on.  No big buildup, no need to continue to dedicate time to it, just one and done.  This can be especially appealing to people who may not know if they can maintain an ongoing spell, or who's life just doesn't work well with that level of regular practice.

But fire and forget spells can require more upfront energy (because you are doing it all in one go instead of spreading it out), and it may be hard for you to forget the work (some people feel like continued thought on the spell muddies it, as you may start unintentionally become unfocused in your intentions).  Also, many people just don't like the idea of deliberately forgetting their spell work, and not being able to check in and see how your work is progressing can feel frustrating.

For me personally, I think they both fulfill different roles in my practice.  I like ongoing spells for things like protection, stuff that is, by it's nature, ongoing.  I find that being able to set up the spell and then just boost it from time to time works very well.  I tend to go for fire and forget for more temporary things, like finding a job, where you may want to do it again in the future, but it will be a separate working. 

I also factor in that, for my brain, fire and forget is a natural thing.  It's much harder for me to remember to refresh (or come back to) ongoing spells, especially if there are large time gaps.  Plus, I find it daunting to have too many ongoing things at the same time, it feels like I have to juggle and remember too much, like I am spread too thin.

Whether you are just starting out or have walked this path for many years already, it's always good to try different ways.  If you normally work with fire and forget spells, it can be very rewarding to devote yourself to an ongoing spell, and to see your continued work bearing fruit.  But if you mostly do ongoing spells, mixing in a few fire and forget spells can feel spontaneous and fun.  You may find, as I did, that you like doing both, but that each method works better for you for specific things.  So give both ways a try, and see how you feel about the way you approach spell crafting.

What's in the meaning of a name

 I've talked before about the power of words, but I think it's something that is important enough to talk about again.  Language is an ever-evolving thing, and I think right now we are seeing a huge change in how we approach language (with the topic of pronouns).  

Words are created things, at some point in time, all words were 'made up'.  And it's not like we aren't used to the concept of adding new words to our vocabulary, because slang is a very commonly accepted concept, and while we may view slang to be casual language (not suited for 'official' type settings), we still acknowledge them as words.  

Where things get a bit tricky is when the same word has different meanings to different groups.  We saw this with Wicca, where for a long time Wicca was seen by some as a specific path (British Traditional Wicca or BTW), while many people weren't aware of that meaning and came to know Wicca as the catchall for generic witchy Paganism (what we might now consider Neo-Wicca).  Now, one might definitely argue that BTW is the 'true' meaning of the name, but if you have a whole generation of people who grew up thinking what they did is Wicca (because that is what a lot of 101 books and articles called it), are they really wrong in calling their path Wiccan (since that is what they were taught it was called)?

Now, take that same issue, but add in a few more generations and you start to see how this can be a complicated issue.  I see similar issues with naming when it comes to food.  Think about the divided opinions on what a biscuit is (American versus British).  Both countries have been calling their food a biscuit forever, and both versions are dramatically different.  Neither is wrong, in this case it comes down to context.

To further complicate the issue, sometimes people pervert the meaning of a thing, so it can no longer be used for it's original purpose.  Almost every slur or curse word follows this path.  At some point down the line, a word became a negative name for some marginalized group (or in the case of curse words, a slightly taboo word is shifted from it's original meaning to a general exclamation of frustration or outrage).  The thing is that once a meaning has shifted, it's almost impossible to reclaim the original meaning (and even if you use it in proper context, it's still flavored by the negative slur meaning).

And finally, sometimes names are linked to other names in a way to other people.  There is a long history of associating marginalized people with unsavory mythic creatures (who typically are considered 'evil') as a way for the people in power to demonstrate the negative characteristics of the people they wish to other.  This has come up recently with goblins, both within the Harry Potter world and in Dungeons and Dragons.  

The thing is that, to the best of my knowledge, folklore about goblins existed before the connection to any specific race, and in fact goblin lore is quite varied and what characteristics goblins have differs greatly depending on where in the world you are.  It is only a few specific areas/times that have linked goblins to a particular people, and I honestly had never thought of goblins as 'representing' any particular race...until someone pointed it out.

And it's worth pointing out that these types of negative associations only work if you agree to the racial stereotypes about the people involved!  Sure many fantasy goblins have distinct physical features and some have a love of money....but if you don't stereotype a whole race of (actual) people, then you won't see goblins as a way of representing those people.  

In a similar line, going back to gender names for a minute, I am starting to see more and more people finding alternative language to the typically gendered way we approach things in the witchy realm.  There are SO many things that we needlessly gender.  And I do understand that, for a very long time, gendered thought (especially when it came to personality types) was the standard.  Men were masculine and that meant tough and rough and active and 'good', while women were feminine so they were dainty and passive and 'evil' (yes, most binary systems equate masculine with positive and feminine with negative).

It's one of those things that has been done forever...but that doesn't mean we need to continue it!  Even just taking the gender part out and talking about things in terms of active/passive, nurturing/protecting, external/internal....these allow people to step outside of their stereotype (and trust me if you want me to be a stereotypical 'female'...you are going to be disappointed!).

Words will always have power, but that is a power we can harness....and most importantly it's a power we don't have to fall prey to.  Just because someone wants to use a word in a way that hurts or oppresses other people, doesn't mean we need to buy into that.  And just because a word has meant something 'for a long time' doesn't mean we can't change that meaning.  And multiple groups can use the same word to mean very different things (context is important!).  This is why it is so vital to be open to conversations about what things mean and to not cling to something just because it's what we know.  Language evolves, and so should we.

Informal notes...aka Pagan Prayer Journaling

 Okay, so a bit ago I was thinking about stuff to write about, and I stumbled across this blog post:  65 Prompts for Pagan Prayer Journaling.  Now, this is a fabulous list of things to write about, but what especially caught my eye was the reframe it had on studying, notes, daily practice and journaling!  

As someone who is a big fan of taking personal notes (I definitely remember more when I have to write it out by hand, but also information sinks in better if I need to reword it into my own words), I still think of 'notetaking' as a formal process.  I have organized Books of Shadows, as well as a whole collection of notebooks that hold other notes and information I've written down.  And in my head, the goal is always to keep information tidy, so that when I want to find it again, I can.

But the idea of just writing stuff down everyday, whatever comes up or seems to want to be written down is such an enticing one.  I used to keep an 'internet notebook' just for copying over stuff I found online that I wanted to have..but didn't really fit in my BOS or maybe I wasn't sure where I wanted to put it just yet.  I sadly fell out of the habit as I got more used to just bookmarking sites (to be read later....my tbr bookmark selection is like my book tbr list....it's longer than I expect my lifetime to be, and I expect to live for quite a long time!)

I also feel this practice of keeping your daily writing in one place would be very helpful if you are one of those people who (like me) struggles with remembering to work in books that are put away (sometimes, the act of pulling out the specific book I want to write in is too much and I don't end up doing anything at all).  It would also be great if you spend a lot of time outside your home, as you would only need a single notebook to carry with you!)  You could even do this on a journaling app (which makes it even more travel friendly, and you could find one that lets you tag or organize your notes in a way that works for you).

One of the things I really like about this idea is that it lets you vary your daily spiritual writing practice.  Especially when you use a prompt list like this, you have lots of ideas of stuff to write about, when you want to do something spiritual but maybe don't have anything specific in mind (please tell me I'm not the only one who wants to do something but then kinda gets hung up on what to do).

It's kind of like a combination of a commonplace book (which is basically your personal journal of helpful tips and information to remember....made popular back in the days before published books were a reasonable price for the average person), a bullet journal (where you note down important stuff from your day) and BOS (specifically the style of BOS that is like a personal magic diary).

I definitely see aspects of this when I look for examples of witchy/Pagan bullet journals or calendar work.  And I used to see these pretty (or functional, depending on your style) pages of notes and think "wow, that would never work for me, I wouldn't ever be able to find anything", but I think that's really not the point of this type of practice.

Sure, you may end up with notes on things you are interested in and studying, and of course you could go back through your journals and compile the notes into something more cohesive...but you could also just keep making new notes (especially if you are like me, and your brain remembers best through small bits of repetition over the years...it's okay if this is my millionth time writing about astrology because I still don't remember what all the signs mean!!!)

Looking over the list, I think a lot of it could be distilled down to:  "Find a thing that interests you today.  Read about it, or do it...then write about it."  It's an action and then a reaction, and that's where the beauty lies!  It's funny, while I always hated reflections when I had to write them in school (especially reflecting on papers I had written..I hadn't yet figured out that teachers weren't just there to give me grades, but to help me learn, and that honest reflection on what went good, what went bad and how you felt about it is such a major part of learning).

In some ways, I think that is something that can be missing from solitary practice:  the feedback.  This style of journaling allows you to give your own feedback, both immediately and also later, when you go back and read what you wrote previously.  In fact, that would be my own addition to the list:  read a previous journal entry and then write your current thoughts on what you wrote before.

I also really like that they include brainstorming and planning as part of it.  Brainstorming or just coming up with ideas is such a great task, and it's something that we sometimes forget we can do in an unfocused way.  Sure, we can plan out that next ritual or gathering we are attending, but we can also just keep a running list of:  things we'd like to research, ideas we read that we want to try (someday), ritual ideas that would be fun, books to read, tools to buy....anything that you may want to do in the future (but have no definite plans for right now).  The best thing about playing with brainstorming like this is you end up with things you can turn to later (when you are actually looking for stuff to do).

But the absolute best thing (in my opinion) about informal notes like this is that there are no rules.  You don't have to format it in a specific way, you don't have to list your sources (but you can if you want!), you don't have to have all the answers or even know really what you are going to do.  Just pick a thing, and let your thoughts flow onto paper.

Things don't always age well

 The world is constantly changing, and we are living in a time where we see ideas become obsolete in our own lifetime, and sometimes things that were socially acceptable when we were little are definitely not now.  It can be hard to adjust, and to reconcile our feelings with our thoughts.  But we also don't want to toss the baby out with the bathwater, and just because some things are outdated and didn't age well doesn't mean that they should be completely set aside.

This is one place where I feel like we have to engage both our critical thinking and our ability to see things from another perspective.  Just because we don't agree with an idea today, doesn't mean we can't see how our ancestors might have viewed something (and how it could have been something good for them while simultaneously being not good for us).  

One of my favorite examples of this is with mythology.  Many modern practitioners accept myths as a version of teaching stories.  They were a way that our ancestors tried to make sense of the world around them, especially when they lacked the understanding to explain things in a way that made sense to them, and so creating a story to explain what was going on helped them accept changes and situations that would otherwise create anxiety and stress for them.

A lot of myths talk about how things came to be.  Perhaps they are explaining the universe or why humans are different from other life on the planet, or they might be explaining unusual natural phenomenon (like eclipses or earthquakes).  Our ancestors would see a thing, and it wouldn't match with the rest of the world, and they would try to figure out why this thing was different.

Of course, today we often know the reasons why the earth shakes or how humans evolved to develop speech and use tools.  And this may cause us to question our love of myth, because we have two conflicting sources of information (or more, especially if you follow multiple pantheons and now have multiple creation stories for different things).  

But we also have more levels of understanding on how our own brains work.  We have the left brain, the thinking brain, the ego, and that part is the one that likes knowing the why.  In our modern lives, this is the part that often turns to science and logic.  We also have the right brain, the child self, the id, and this part of us loves whimsy and play and symbols.  (yes, these different parts don't quite line up, and then there is the superego/higher self....but you get the idea)

And that is where we can love a thing and also understand why it's not Truth (with a capital T).  Things don't have to be 'real' to be real....a story can be completely made up and still carry weight.  It can move us, in ways that logic and science don't always.  It can bring us to a place of magic.

With outdated ideas, this can sometimes bring real conflict.  Thinking about some of the earliest books on Paganism that I read, there were a lot of really inappropriate ideas about how people interact with each other (being skyclad, sexual initiations, power dynamic, gender duality, cultural appropriation).  Even at the time, I knew some of the things I was reading didn't 'work' for me, I just kind of assumed I was the odd duck out, I must have been just not ready to be that open or that connected to other people.

But even the parts I was conflicted about imprinted in my brain as examples of 'how magic works' (especially magic with multiple people).  I think I will always have romantic ideology about dancing naked in the woods or a working partner, and I kind of tuck those thoughts away in the fantasy part of my brain (you know, the part that idly dreams about movie stars and being rich...yeah that part).

The thing is...I can enjoy those thoughts in my brain, even though if I were to be in that situation in realty I'd definitely be freaking out and highly anxious.  Things aren't black and white, and there are a lot of places where we can live in the grey area.

We may be absolutely opposed to any kind of nakedness with other people, and still enjoy reading a novel where a coven holds those kinds of meetings.  We can watch a movie that embraces very sketchy magical practices....and like the movie, but still condone real world work in those areas.  We can examine a historical document and recognize that we have methods available to us today that simply weren't there before (and thus our ancestors had to take a very different approach when put in a bad situation).

Everyone has to decide their own levels of comfort with things that haven't aged well.  For some, it may make them uncomfortable enough they want to avoid it altogether, and that's fine.  For others, they may be okay with sifting through the troubling bits and pulling out the parts that are okay.  Or enjoying something in a purely entertainment fashion and recognizing that the things we may enjoy in a bit of fiction aren't things that we actually support.  The important thing is to know that there are different ways to approach this, and you don't have to completely avoid things that haven't aged well, if you don't want to.

Your path is private

 We live in an age of sharing and public announcements about...everything.  So many people are posting their entire life online, and this has spilled over into our spiritual lives as well.  It's quite fashionable to post your altar pics, spells/workings, tarot spreads and everything else online for everyone to read.

And while I'm okay with anyone who wants to and chooses to do this, what I'm not okay with is any kind of pressure to share things that someone isn't comfortable sharing.  Whether someone is bugging you for details about a spell you cast or asking you to read their cards or wanting to hear about your interactions with any deities or other beings you work with...your path is private!

This means that you get to decide what and how you share anything regarding your path.  If you are out and want to post pictures of everything you do, go for it!  I adore seeing pictures or reading about other people's paths and practices.  It's super inspiring to see how people do stuff, and I've learned a ton from just being exposed to a million ideas that I might have never known about if people hadn't shared what they did.

But I also fully support everyone who chooses to not share specific things...or anything at all.  Some people aren't in a safe place to share stuff (especially in a public forum like social media).  Some parts of our practice are intensely personal and not the kind of thing for public sharing (and some things are so private you may never tell anyone about it, and that's fine too!)  And sometimes, things are just embarrassing, and maybe we don't want the whole world knowing that we spilled candle wax all over our carpet or how spectacularly wrong our prosperity spell went.  

I do want to speak a tiny bit about social perception though.  Sometimes, we may want to share something (like an altar picture or some spellwork we've done), but we stop ourselves because we have seen all the gorgeous pictures or perfect descriptions online and we don't feel worthy.  If the only thing that is holding you back is a feeling of being 'not good enough', then that is an opportunity to do some inner work and to remember that many people only post the absolutely perfect stuff online (and spend hours to set everything up), and we are all walking our own path, and if yours works for you, then it is perfect and if you want to share you should!

But, if you are only sharing something because other people are demanding that you do, and you don't really feel comfortable putting that part of you online, for any reason (even the above mentioned feelings of self-worth...only you know if sharing something will hurt more than it will help), then don't let other people pressure you into doing it!

I'm a pretty open person.  I'm blessed to have supportive family and friends and to be in a position where I'm not overly worried about my personal business effecting my life in a negative way.  And there are still things I don't share.  There are parts of my practice that I consider secret...they are between me and my gods and it's just something I don't talk about.  And honestly, some of the things I don't share are definitely due to self-esteem issues (video is my kryptonite, it has to be very important or the only way to share something for me to put myself on video lol), despite me knowing that no one else will ever judge me as harshly as I judge myself.

One thing to remember is that sharing doesn't have to be complete.  It is perfectly fine to draw your lines wherever you need to.  It's okay to explain the gist of a practice...while leaving out all the specifics which make it personal or private.  It's okay to edit things off your altar (or blur them out of a picture) before you share it.  Kind of like the concept of 'no is a complete sentence' comes the idea that 'private is all I have to say about that'.  You don't need to justify why it's private or explain why you don't want to talk about something...just say it's private.

A final note:  I am talking mostly about private practice.  If you are doing group work or working with a coven, you may be expected to share some things within that group...and likewise expected to keep some information secret within that group.  Make sure you are aware and comfortable with all levels of sharing and secrecy when you join a group...and if you ever get uncomfortable with what you are required to share (or keep secret), that group might not be the best on for you.

We can feel a lot of pressure to share things, either from specific people who are asking very personal questions or just the general culture of posting everything online that makes you feel like you aren't a 'real' whatever because you aren't posting a log of everything you do in your practice.  But setting boundaries on what you share publicly and what you keep private is a very healthy thing to do.  It may take some work to get those boundaries in place, but just remember...your path is private, and you don't owe anyone access to it!

Spiritual Fads

Fads and trends have been a part of human life....pretty much since forever.  We have this innate need to fit in, and that means we have a tendency to follow along with whatever is popular.  And while getting in on the latest fad isn't necessarily a bad thing, it can create issues when the fad is...less than great.

The amusing thing is that most of the time fads start by someone doing something new.  It may be a whole new practice, it could be a twist on an old classic or it could be something completely superficial.  Often fads are started by 'influential' people, though this could mean someone with actual power, someone with a solid social media following, or simply someone who is highly charismatic and personable.  But they inspire others to follow what they are doing, and suddenly a fad is born.

I feel like spiritual fads fall into two categories: those within the community and those without (in this context, I'm talking about the spiritual community).  Within the community you might see things like certain pantheons being more popular at different times, or distinct practices that become 'standard'.  Often these fads are influenced by things that are popular in mainstream culture.  So when Vikings became a thing, Norse practices grew and became fads.  

 

When looking at spiritual fads outside the community, you are looking more at things that many people do as spiritual acts that become popular (and accepted) in mainstream culture.  Recently we have seen this with crystals and tarot.  In some cases (like crystals), the object is often stripped of it's spiritual meaning...crystals become just pretty rocks to decorate your house with.  In other cases they are demystified, so tarot cards aren't about tapping into the divine but rather a psychological tool to help you make decisions (and it's totally valid to believe in both the spiritual practice and it's demystified logic).

Spiritual fads that gain popularity outside the community can be great boons.  As more people accept and enjoy things we practice (even in a demystified fashion), things become more available and less demonized.  It not only allows people who are just starting out to try things without having to tumble all the way down the rabbit hole, but it means that their family and friends won't necessarily freak out if they find your supplies.

On the other hand, fads within the community can be really confusing for many people.  Often fads challenge existing traditions (as in the way things are commonly done, not Traditions as in groups of people, although those could also be challenged by fads), and if you don't have experience with your basics you might struggle working with fad practices that either assume you have the basics down or aren't based anything other than UPG (unverified personal gnosis...in other words, personal experience of the person who started the fad).  

The other thing about fads is that, by definition, they fade away.  What is 'in' today might be out tomorrow, and people who continue to practice an outdated fad are often seen as uneducated (often fads are debunked as being fraudulent, not just fading out of popularity).  And I have a real big problem with judging any practice's validity based on how popular it is.

It can be fun to jump on the bandwagon and play with whatever the newest fad is.  And sometimes this leads to great discoveries about your path and your practices.  It can also lead to spending a bunch of money on stuff you will regret in a month or so.  I think the important thing to remember, when thinking about spiritual fads, is to make sure they actually appeal to you.  Try them, test them out, see how they work for you, and if they work, fabulous!  But if you would only be doing something to 'fit in', then perhaps it's worth passing the fad by and sticking with what does work for you.

Journaling as practice

 While it has become quite common for many people to have or use a journal as part of their practice, the act of journaling is often seen as an auxiliary thing.  You write things down as a secondary part of a primary practice.  But the journaling itself isn't seen as spiritual (with the exception of a practice like morning pages, which does embrace journaling as a daily practice).

I have a sort of funny relationship with journals.  I have a TON of them, and I do use them.  I tend to like themed journals, so I have tarot journals, magical journals, book journals, rune journals, study journals and activity journals (like for challenges and what not).  But I also often journal in phases.  I much prefer to journal by hand, but hand writing doesn't work well for me (my handwriting is atrocious, and it hurts me to write for any length of time by hand).

But there is something so very satisfying about grabbing a pen (or a handful, I tend to write in rainbows!) and filling a blank page with words.  I adore looking back through my journals and reading what I was about at different times in my life.  Even reading notes I took while researching a subject tells me a lot about my mindset at the time.

With Art and Junk Journals being quite popular right now, a lot of people are finding that creating beautiful artistic pages in their journals brings them a lot of joy.  I've seen fabulous spreads dedicated to a wide variety of topics, and there are definitely people who turn making these works of art into a spiritual practice.  Finding the right way to decorate a page to represent the information on it is a wonderful way to deepen your understanding (and experience) of a subject, whether it is one you are studying about or something you are reflecting on.

On the other side of the spectrum, Bullet Journals offer a lot of great organizational options, helping you keep all your writings neat and tidy.  And they are highly customizable, so if something doesn't quite work for you, simply change it!

But even if you aren't artistically inclined (or maybe you don't want/have the time to devote to this level of journaling), or you don't want to fuss with all the organization of a proper journal system, you can still use journaling as part of your personal practice.

I've been working with moon cycle journaling for just over eight months now.  The bones of my moon cycle journal practice are simple:  note the moon phase for the day, write an intention, and do one more thing for each phase (typically a card draw or more writing).  For me, taking the time to look up the phase (I use an app on my phone for this), and then think of an intention for each day helps me tune into both my daily life and the larger, natural cycles (that I often struggle to tap into, being very much an indoor person).

This moon cycle journaling led me to Sabbat journaling, and using my journal as a vehicle for observing and honoring the Sabbats.  I've journaled Sabbats (as record keeping) on and off for a few years, but I'll be honest, my actual observance of Sabbats isn't regular.  I try to keep my altar set for the current Sabbat, and to do other little things around my house to honor the shifting of the seasons, but I don't always have big work to do, so doing a full ritual (on my own), often feels off.  Instead, I find that spending some time writing about what the Sabbat means to me is helpful and allows me to honor the thoughts and feelings the Sabbat brings up for me.

Another journal practice I've started is an ancestor journal.  The idea is to have a place where I can write to my ancestors (blood, spirit or otherwise...pretty much anyone who isn't alive anymore).  This sort of encompasses themes from Samhain, Memorial day, Veteran's day, Mother Night and the many other times where we honor our dead.  But I like the idea of a journal that is kind of like letters to the dead, where I can talk to my beloved dead whenever I feel the urge.

And of course we have tarot journals!  I'm one of those people who thinks better in writing, so for me, journaling out a reading is an important part of the reading.  I also find that reading my notes on readings helps me to refine my understanding of specific cards.  I can see how I interpret the same card in different ways depending on the style of reading, the other cards involved, the deck and any other influences I may have experienced.

One thing I'm looking forward to is expanding my tarot journaling to include tarot journaling games, which I've recently become aware of.  I have a couple now that I've picked up, that include prompts that you then answer by drawing cards, but you weave a story in your journal, which I find absolutely fascinating.  And while it may seem to be a bit frivolous, I'm one of those people who learns best through play, so any way to play with my cards is a way to get to know them better.

I feel like one of the best things about journaling as a practice is it is something that you can do pretty much anywhere, with no one the wiser about what you are doing.  Which makes it great for travel or doing work when around non-witchy folks.  You can use your journal as a visualization tool, writing out what you are visualizing as you 'do' it (which means you don't need to have your tools or supplies with you, you can simply write out what you are doing and with what).  The brilliant thing about this is you can easily dip into guided meditations as well, where you note down the prompts, but then write out your responses.

In this digital age, of course you could also do some or all of your journaling online.  And you could absolutely make parts of it public (especially if you have other witchy friends who might want to journal along with you!), but I think there is something special about having words that are only for yourself, and journaling often fits that need.

So no matter how you do it, journaling can be a main part of your practice, not simply a way you make note of the other things you do.  Find new ways to entwine your practice and your journal, and you might be surprised at how robust a journaling practice feels!

Mental diet

 Diet (as in the food we use to fuel our bodies, not being 'on a diet') is something that we are constantly being reminded about, but we often forget that we need to feed our minds as well, and in the information age, this can be quite tricky (just as finding a good diet that suits your body can be).

It seems obvious that we should be mindful of the things we consume (from a mental standpoint), that if we constantly consume distressing content that we will feel unsettled, and that if we don't incorporate new information we may feel stagnant.  But figuring out how to tune our mental diet is a path full of hidden landmines.

We are surrounded by SO much information, and sadly it can be quite difficult sometimes to figure out what information is accurate.  Not only do many so called 'news' outlets deliberately tilt their articles toward whatever bias they embrace, sharing news becomes a form of telephone, where each time it gets passed along, new bits get left out and other bits get added, and the information you receive might be very different from the original truth.

As much as I hate that this is a thing, it falls on us, as the consumer of the information, to do a bit of fact checking.  Now, I don't think we all need to be researchers or that we need to have a handful of sources for everything we read, but there are a few simple ways to do a basic fact check that will help a ton.  

Firstly, look at the source.  There are sources (especially when we are talking about internet sources) that are flat out not news sources, but are often shared as if they were.  Satire sites especially like to create content for entertainment, but not everyone pays attention to the source, and if it looks like a legit article it may be treated as if it were one (even though the actual intent was to be humorous).  

There are also sources that are known to be quite sensational.  They find some obscure factoid and then figure out a way to twist it into some crazy theory and present that (in order to get more traffic on their site).  This is definitely more subjective, but if you start paying attention to the sources of the things you read, you will find that some are definitely less reliable than others.

And finally, there are interest group sites, which have a very biased slant.  Think of these as any site that is run by a group with an agenda (and yes I know this could be pretty much any site).  Often religious or special interest sites (like charity organizations) fall into this category.  They have a viewpoint, and they will only post information that supports their viewpoint.  Now, this doesn't mean that all the information they share is faulty, in fact some groups are great sources of information on the topic they focus on, but the bad ones will twist information (or flat out make it up) to suit their needs, so it's always worth remembering that and being aware of the potential bias.

The other big (but simple) tool for fact checking is to do a simple search.  You want to look for other articles or sites that have the same information.  Typically, if the majority of search results line up, you can feel pretty confidant that the information is legitimate.  Just be careful and peek at a few of the different sources as sometimes you will find that one article is just shared a bunch of times (it will literally be the exact same article, word for word, just posted on a variety of sites).

Weeding out false information can be a huge thing in maintaining a healthy mental diet, but you may find you need to go a step further and limit your exposure to people and sites that share these kind of sources.  You may notice that some people in your life thrive on digging up dramatic posts, just to get people fighting. If you find this inflammatory behavior to be distressing, then you may need to limit your contact with these people.

Everyone has different thresholds for what bothers them.  For some people, it can be enough that they just stop reading and scroll to something else when they encounter this type of drama, but for others, they may need to actually cull their contacts so that they aren't constantly being bombarded by these types of posts.  This can be really hard, especially if you have dramatic people who are family or who you have been friends with for a really long time.  But you have to consider the toll it is taking on your mental state and do what is right for you.

Now the flip side of these 'bad' mental influence is infusing your life with good mental input.  I think a mix of new information and entertainment is key (and again, what mix is right for you is highly independent!).

I feel like I need to point out that there is a difference between exposing yourself to different people's perspectives and treating those perspectives as if they were fact.  I think it is highly useful to learn about how people who are different to you think and act.  Even people who you absolutely don't agree with, if for no other reason than you can understand how they might react if you were to come into contact with them.

But often when we explore people who live and think differently from us, we can find some common threads.  We can see the ways in which we agree, but also the ways in which we disagree.  The great thing about expanding our mind in this way (especially through books and/or documentaries) is that it is a passive interaction...we aren't getting into a heated discussion with someone who may feel attacked by our different beliefs.  If we read (or watch) about different things, it allows us to wrap our heads around that different perspective at our own pace...even if our final thoughts are 'wow that's a bit crazy.'

I also feel like entertainment is necessary in life.  It's a sort of mental downtime, but I also find it to be nourishing.  I often am drawn to entertainment that fills a hole in my life, it helps me feel connected in a way that I'm not.  If I'm very stressed, I'll definitely turn to more simple, happy things, whereas if I'm in a good place I may want something a bit spicier or that has some drama.  I can create a balanced mental diet by adjusting what I am consuming to fill any voids in my life.

Our minds need stimulation as much as our bodies need movement, and by cultivating a good mental diet you are giving your mind things to think about, new ideas to play with.  It will help you build up your view of the world at large and help you to expand your horizons. 

Magical experimentation....science style!

 A friend of mine shared a meme with me, thinking it would make a good blog post, and she was absolutely right!  The meme said:  Witches should treat themselves like magical scientists.  I see way too many comments asking "could I also use this for..." and not enough "I'm going to try this and see."  Stop asking for permission from creators online to experiment.  Your magic advances when you get messy.

Now, I definitely agree with the overarching sentiment of this (thought there are a few points I want to unpack within it).  Magic didn't appear fully formed into the world, the way we learned what things 'work' and what don't is through trial and error...and paying attention to what works and doesn't work.  It's basic scientific theory!  You see something that seems to work, you test it out and verify if it does or doesn't.

I've talked before about the difference between universal correspondences and personal ones, but the basics are that universal correspondences are the ones that have been generally accepted by a population (this is often cultural), and thus have built up a lot of energy because so many people believe in them.  Think about how black cats are seen as omens of bad luck.  

 

But personal correspondences are based on your own personal history.  Instead of drawing on the power of the masses, you are tapping into your deep personal connection, which is often highly charged with emotion.  

When it comes to magical experimentation, you can test out either universal or personal correspondences.  There are two ways to approach experimentation.  You can start with the desired outcome or you can start with a potential ingredient.

 

***Quick safety note***  We live in the information age.  When it comes to experimentation, there is no excuse to not check for basic safety first.  Anything you are ingesting, breathing in, putting on your skin should be checked first to make sure it's not toxic.  Of course we all might have a personal allergic reaction (so always pay attention when you are trying things new to you), but definitely rule out actual poisonous or not-safe items first!  Remember, we are working energetically, so if you feel a particular plant might fit well but it's not safe to consume, you can use a picture or call on it's spirit without actually using a dangerous plant.

Starting with the desired outcome would be where you want to do some work to increase your health, and so you think about all of the things that you associate with good health.  This might be white (from the doctors robes), or maybe every time people send you 'get better' cards they are all bright pink, so pink might feel like it links to health for you.  Once you have a list of things that you feel could work for health, you can start working with them, and see which ones bring you the best results.

 

Starting with a potential ingredient might mean that you decide you want to work more with cat, for example, and so you brainstorm things that cat could help you with.  Like before, once you have your list of ideas, you can start trying them out, and seeing which ones seem to give you the most gains. 

Sometimes, we have a theory, based on an experience we had or something we noticed.  Maybe you start noticing that there are dandelions nearby whenever you hear bad news.  Testing to find this connection might involve keeping a log of what you see and what happens afterward.

This is one place where I think great record keeping comes into play.  It's something I'm not really good at, because I find a lot of record keeping highly tedious, but if you are wanting to do some magical experimentation, logging what you try and how it turns out is highly helpful (especially if you are like me and have horrible memory, so you don't remember which things you tried when...or how they worked).  

I think one important thing to mention here is that most of the time magical experimentation will be benign.  If you are trying things (remember to check for actual dangerous ingredients first!), and they don't work, then it's not a big deal.  If I am trying out a new combination of ingredients for a prosperity spell, and it's not effective, the most likely outcome is that I just won't be extra prosperous.  It's almost impossible for my 'failed' spell to backfire on me or create some other kind of disastrous effect. 

It's also worth noting that failure is a part of the experimentation process, so if you try out spells and they don't work, that's fine!  That doesn't mean you aren't a good witch, or that you won't be able to work future spells....just that this one didn't pan out.  Make some notes on what you did and what didn't happen, and try something else!

Returning to the meme for a moment, I think that the bit where it mentions 'asking permission from creators online' is something to take note of.  It doesn't actually say asking about historical precedent (and while 'what worked in the past' is a great place to start, it shouldn't be a limiting factor!), instead it mentions online creators.  And if you think about it, that implies that you are asking someone else for things they created (which also implies they experimented until they found something that worked).  The underlying thought here is that you are accepting the idea that they are a better witch than you, which is really tricky territory.

Of course, someone who has been practicing for fifty years probably has a bit more experience than someone who just started, but the way you gain that experience is trying things.  Even if you only work with spells that other people swear by, some of them won't work for you, for a variety of reasons.  It is by trying things that we figure out what works.

Which brings us to the final line of the meme, that you get advances when things get messy.  This I absolutely don't agree with.  I don't deny that sometimes mistakes are great teaching moments!  I don't deny that failures can lead us to success (honestly that's what the scientific method is based on...failing until you succeed).  What I do take exception to is that this implies that doing things yourself is the only way to get ahead.  And that's just not true.

This may seem like a complete contradiction to this whole blog post...but you can absolutely be a great witch by only using spells that other people have suggested.  Honestly, your path is so personal to you that you are the only one who knows what works best for you (and sometimes we don't know what works best for our selves, and that is fine too).  But if the idea of experimenting and building your practice from the ground up sounds exhausting and terrifying...you don't have to!  I just don't like the fact that some of the witchy community has created this terror around trying things, as if you might 'fail' on a spell and accidentally burn your town down or cause your loved ones to catch a horrible disease.  It just doesn't work like that.

I guess what I really want to end with is a simple reminder that magic isn't inherently dangerous.  It's okay to try things out, it's okay to fail, and it's okay to make stuff up and see if it works for you.  Don't assume that people online who are speaking with authority have actual credentials...no matter how sure they sound or how many followers they have or how pretty their pictures are.  Try stuff and see!

Winter crafting

 As winter time approaches, we may find ourselves with more free time, as we are unable to do our favorite outdoor activities.  It is a time of year where many people spend more time inside, and often look for ways to fill the time.  Crafting is a great activity to pick up in the winter, whether you consider yourself a crafter or not.

First, I think we need to bust up some impressions of crafting.  The first one is that you don't need to be 'good' or 'artistic'...and yes both of those are in quotes because I really dislike how these types of valuations are thrown around.  Crafting is a wonderful hobby, and the great thing about hobbies is you don't have to have any kind of skill.  The important thing is that you enjoy the process.  It's very much about the experiences and not about making a thing that has value or improving or any of the other judgments we level on the rest of our lives.  In fact, I might say that is the value of a hobby, it is something we do purely for the fun of it, and we give ourselves permission to be bad at it but still love doing it anyways.

Also, crafting is for everyone, young or old, irregardless of gender.  I promise I'm not going to go on a rant about the ridiculous gendering of things (I could, I have some great rants saved up!), but really there is no craft that can't be done by anyone.  If you wanna sew, carve wood, bake, paint, sculpt, scrapbook or forge metal...go for it!  If someone tries to give you a hard time...craft harder out of spite!  (Or find people who are happy to support you and ignore the rest)

Now, back to the bit about not having to be good at it.  It really doesn't matter if you have any experience at all, or really any knowledge about a thing.  If it looks interesting, try it!  There are resources all over for anything you can imagine.  I have talked to a few people who taught themselves how to forge metal (watching videos online), and that's pretty impressive to me.  There are groups for about every hobby and craft you can imagine, where you can chat with people who are just as excited about the craft as you are.

It also doesn't have to be something you do alone!  Poke about and you might find that there are groups in your town that meet up and craft together.  Our library (which is always a great place to find out information about anything) often does crafting workshops, where you can go and try out a craft.  Many are free, and the ones that aren't have a low fee (to cover materials).

You can also throw a crafting night, invite some friends and make a party out of it.  Potluck snacks and drinks (so you don't have to do it all), and have fun making things together.  One of the great things about crafting is it often is something you do with your hands, so it leaves you free to chat and hang out while you do it.  I used to go with my mom to her quilting group, and that was pretty fun (speaking as the only teen who went, it was still fun to chat with the older ladies).

Winter crafting can also be a time of experimentation.  Just because you try a craft doesn't mean you have to do it forever.  Maybe you don't like it once you get into it.  That's fine, put it aside and try something else.  Or maybe you like it just fine, but you don't want to get further invested in it.  Play with it for a season and then, when the weather warms up and you get into other things, you can set it aside.  Maybe you come back to it next winter or maybe you try something else.

Crafting can also become part of your spiritual life.  Crafting as devotion is nothing new, and maybe you find a craft that is associated with one of the deities you work with, or that is part of your cultural heritage.  Learning the craft brings you closer to that part of your spiritual life.  

You could also craft things that directly enhance your spiritual practice.  Making tools is something that a lot of people enjoy doing, and there are many different crafting options that can be used.  I've made wands, smudge fans, statues, offering stones and more!  Maybe you have seen some of those amazing videos of people making fancy scrapbook style BOS and you want to try your hand at that.  

You can also craft things to give away.  With holidays coming up, many people don't have family to share the holidays with, and gifting handmade things to retirement homes, hospitals and the like can make a huge difference in someone's life.  If you are enjoying making food items, you can gift those to friends and family (you might be able to gift to other places, but you would want to check first if they can accept home-made food items).  

And, if you are someone who feels a little down, or stressed over the winter and with all of the holidays, crafting is a great mental pick up and way to unwind.  There is a real sense of accomplishment when you make something, especially when you figure out how to do something that you were struggling with.  Many crafts also include things that appeal to our senses.  Fiber arts, metal and wood working all involve our sense of touch.  Baking and cooking invoke our smell and taste.  Painting and drawing utilize color.  Learning an instrument or singing gives us sound.  Engaging our senses helps ground us and energize us at the same time!

So, whether you think of yourself as a crafty person, an artsy person....or just a person, winter crafting is a great activity to explore as the weather turns cold and the nights get longer.  Look around and you will find crafting inspiration everywhere.  Let yourself be curious and see what crafts call out to you.  You might just surprise yourself!