Step off the beaten track, dear witch, and discover secret worlds, of poison and love and all things in-between.
The darker months are mine indeed, but these lighter times are not to be sneered at, oh no. For these months are the time of growing and there is so much magic to be had, if only you know where to look.
Go out and look with a witches eye. Discover the secret worlds where you live, of plant and animal, of life and of death (for death follows wherever life goes), of sorcery and magic. Delve deep into the mysteries of Nature and learn of her.
Rise for the sun, but whilst it’s still dark. Await that magical time, that in-between space, where it’s not quite day and not quite night, for that time is special indeed. Midnight is another such time, that moment between the ending of one day and the beginning of the next. These liminal times are times of great power.
When I’m out in the garden in the morning, the street is quiet and I feel like I’m the only one, a witness to this secret time. How many sit still to wonder and contemplate, to take in, to just be?
At this time do I feel most the magic within me, though make no mistake, it is always there. Find your time, your space where you can be yourself, where you can be all that you truly are, and for yourself, free from the constraints of expectation, where you need not fulfil any role. To just be.
Find the secret places where you live, those liminal spaces, and it doesn’t matter where that is, for the city holds secrets, just like the country, and nature is everywhere, is everything, and she will find those secret, forgotten and abandoned places, you can count on that! She will find them and reclaim them; the spirits will return, if they ever left at all. Find them and make them your own. Learn of the spirits that reside there, build a relationship with them. Become a guardian, a steward, if you will, of those places and care for them, in return they will care for you and give you so much more besides.
But mostly make the effort. It’s hard at first, I know, for we have been suckled at the teat of technology, pampered in our climate controlled homes. We toil in our jobs, in shops and services, in light tight factories, and we are tired when we come home. There’s family time, and partner time and time for this and that, our lives a schedule, but there’s never any time left to just be. We’ve become separated from the deepest and most real part of ourselves.
But not us witches, for I often wonder if the first magic we know is the magic of nature. A seed growing delights a small child, they recognise it for what it truly is. Magic.
As a kid, I loved that stuff. I was the kid who made friends with animals. I was that kid that lost themselves in stories of magic and other worlds beyond this one. I was that kid that always wanted magic to be real, real magic too. I was the kid that would plant the seeds from an apple core, or who would wish that the tales of Beatrix Potter were oh so real. Oh how I loved Squirrel Nutkin! I often think that those moments were the beginning of my craft, the start of my relationship with the world, with nature and with magic!
We witches are wild things, and so it is no wonder we seek out nature wherever we can, in whatever form. The pagan mythic of the wild wood is oh so welcoming and romantic, but we often forget or overlook the magic of where we live, and magic is everywhere, you can be sure of that! But what I guess that this is, what this post is really about is that it doesn’t matter where we are in the world, that magic and nature doesn’t belong to any one group or any one place, and that all you have to do to fully experience it is to believe.
As I write this, I’m in my garden. The cherry tree is in full bloom, it is truly a sight to behold, laden with thousands of small delicate, creamy white blooms. The sun is about to set, and I can feel a change in the tone of the day. That
time approaches, fellow witches, and it is time for me to go.
Goodnight, and may magic find you, wherever that may be!
-
With all of the constraints placed upon us today; work and family pressures, financial worries, or even issues of abuse and poverty all work to take our attention away from practising witchcraft. By the time we’ve completed all of the mundane things we have to do in our daily lives, we are all too often too tired to put as much effort into our craft as we might like. Everyone will experience this at some point, but if you want to move past it, you will have to put in the effort and sacrifice something. You might have to get up half an hour earlier or go to bed half an hour later. Give up some screen time, even though that might be the only down time you get.
-
Step off the beaten track, dear witch, and discover secret worlds, of poison and love and all things in-between. The darker months are mine indeed, but these lighter times are not to be sneered at, oh no. For these months are the time of growing and there is so much magic to be had, if […] -
Our paths are ever ongoing, and as such, it is not the destination but rather the journey itself that is important. It is not until time has passed and we can look back at events with cooler heads that the lessons are truly learnt.
-
Anytime the festive season gets too much, anytime you feel yourself losing your connection to the natural cycles this winter solstice, let Elen of the Ways lead you to yourself.
-
Step off the beaten track, dear witch, and discover secret worlds, of poison and love and all things in-between. The darker months are mine indeed, but these lighter times are not to be sneered at, oh no. For these months are the time of growing and there is so much magic to be had, if […]
NO COMMENT