Busy Witch

Around this time of year especially, I fantasize about being a fulltime witch back in the day. I picture living in a little home at the edge of the village, people coming to me for various herbs and cures. I provide everything from potions to poppets, and I’m friends with the local crows so I’m the first to know the juiciest gossip.

Alas, this is not the world I live in; instead, I live in a capitalist society demanding more and more money to support the most basic of needs. If you’re anything like me, you’re working multiple jobs to make ends meet, maybe shopping at a local discount store to find the best deals on food. Funds and time are both in short supply, and though you want to go hang out with Hecate at your local crossroads, dance naked with your coven under the full moon, and ride a broomstick with the devil himself, you’re tired because you’re working two jobs and fitting 80 hours worth of work a week into 40 hours so you can afford groceries. Not to mention that you have friends, family, and others to fit into your life.

Where’s a girl supposed to fit a proper sacrifice into a busy schedule like this?

Luckily, we witches have always been the adaptive sort. That means we know how to fit magic into the everyday – even when the everyday is packed with work and other things. Here are some ways I make my busy day a little more magical:

n  Pour yourself a cup of intention – This is an easy ritual that can be done alone, or around people. Heck, you can do this while you’re on a Zoom call, or in the office, and no one will be the wiser about what you’re doing. Here’s how it’s done:

o   SUPPLIES: Whatever you like to drink in the morning, and something to stir it with. OPTIONAL: something to stir in the drink.

o   Pour your chosen beverage into your chosen cup/mug/etc.

o   Stir with the intention of release – For some, release is stirred best as counter-clockwise, others prefer clockwise. Do whatever resonates best with you – what’s important is the intention behind the stirring, not the direction.

o   Stir in the opposite direction to welcome the good things the universe has for you.

o   Once you’ve finished stirring, use your stirring stick/spoon/straw to gently and lightly tap the side of your cup/mug to complete the ritual.

n  Combining cleansing and protection magic with your morning ablutions:

o   While in the shower, envision the water cleansing you of any negative energy. Water is a powerful element, and a great way to release anything that won’t serve you for the day.

o   While putting on lotion, moisturizer, soap (etc.) you have an opportunity to draw a protective symbol on yourself. You can draw it on your skin with the intention of protection, leave it to set in a little bit, and then ensivion that protection being absorbed as you blend in the soap/lotion/etc. Some ideas for protective symbols include:

§  Pentagram or Pentacle – The Pentagram and Pentacle have each been used for millennia for protective purposes.

§  A cross – Many find the symbol of the cross protective due to a Christian background. If you find it protective, this is a completely okay symbol to use. Also, according to The Women’s Encyclopedia of Myth and Secrets (Walker, 1996), the symbol of the cross was sacred to Aphrodite – a fitting symbol and deity for glamour magic (among a lot of other things).

§  Name Invocation – Some like to use the names of saints and deities for protective purposes. Remember to only use names of those you align with, and, that you focus your intention on the protective purposes.

n  Grounding: I am a mess of ADD and caffeine, so grounding is of the utmost importance during my day. Usually not just at the beginning of the day, but sometimes during the day as well so I can re-center myself and prevent overwhelm. It doesn’t take long, and is – just like most things in our craft – customizable so it feels right for you. I’ll share my method of grounding:

o   Place feet on the ground and feel supported. This can be done inside, or outside, seated or standing. The most important thing is feeling a physical connection to the ground beneath you.

o   Focus on the energy gathered at your core. This can look different for everyone. I tend to think of my energy as looking like a long red ribbon. For you, it might look something else – that is completely okay.

o   Picture your energy moving so that if flows from your core, down your legs, through your feet, and into the ground.

o   Picture your energy still connected to your core as it stretches into the earth beneath you. Notice the worms, roots, and rocks you pass until you reach the earth’s energetic core. For me, this energetic core looks like a silvery pool of light. Sometimes, I picture deities I work with there waiting for me, sometimes, I am alone. This is a safe place, a meditative place, and you can breathe and stay here for as long as you want to stay.

o   After you’ve taken at least a breath in this place, ask for grounding energy from the earth.

o   Picture the earth’s energy wrapping around yours. It feels like a hug as it swirls back up along the trail your energy left through the earth and reaches your feet. Feel it swirl up your legs and around your body and know that you are protected, loved, and grounded by the earth.

o   Take a deep breath and then release it – you’re grounded and ready for the day!

n  The use of candles/candle warmers/battery operated candles – Offering a light can be a great way to honor any deities and/or entities you work with. If you work from home, you have the freedom to burn candles if you want and utilize any scents you wish for whatever your workings might be. But, if you are busy in and out, or if you work outside the home, a battery-operated candle might be a safer option. The use is the same – light (turn on) with the intention you want, and put it where you want it for, you’re your magical use. Does it have the same burning fun as a candle? Maybe not, but it’s a lot safer – and, if you work in an office, it’s generally going to be more acceptable.

n  Lastly…Give yourself permission to rest. In the world of #witchtok and other social media magical practitioners, it can seem like everyone is fitting magic into their day, except for you. Especially when so many of them have the aesthetics down, and, they make it look easy. That is what social media is for – we have to remind ourselves that a lot of times it can be performative. That’s okay – it doesn’t make their practices any less legitimate. It does mean that we must maintain proper perspective, and remember that we don’t have to do magic the way everyone on various social medias do. In fact, sometimes it’s best to just rest. Wanna do a spell but you’re just too tired? Rest. Close your eyes, connect to your inner self, and tell yourself to rest, however that looks to you. Working magic when your energy is low isn’t a good idea anyway, so, get some rest. Your cauldron will still be there when you wake up.

Here's the deal, babes: you’re still a witch, even if it’s been a little while since you’ve done a spell. You’re busy, and that’s okay. Sometimes, just offering a little greeting to your deities, burning a candle, or, just adding grounding moments during your day can help strengthen you for your practice. And don’t worry, you’ll get back to making sacrifices according to the phases of the moon soon enough.

Sources:

Walker, B. G. (1996, January 1). Women’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets. Book Sales. http://books.google.ie/books?id=DoNBMQAACAAJ&dq=The+Women%27s+Encyclopedia+of+Myths+and+Secrets&hl=&cd=1&source=gbs_api

Tosh Locken is a writer and Hedge Witch from the Pacific Northwest. She enjoys tarot, spell-work, and writing about everything from travel to witchcraft.  She brings her trademark practicality and no-nonsense approach to her writing, so you’ll always get a genuine perspective on the topic from her. She lives with her familiar at the edge of her village, and if you want to follow her, she is @on.the.hedge on Instagram