“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”
As I write this I’m snuggled up on the sofa, wrapped in a warm blanket with a rum (the second of the evening with one left out for the ancestors of course) and soft candle light making the room glow and the shadows dance. Tonight I’m not making any magick, I’m not working on anything for anyone else. Tonight is about self care. In a few minutes I’m going to run myself a bubble bath as hot as I can stand and lose myself in my favourite music, or perhaps I’ll take a book, the latest Stephen King and read until the water cools. Tonight is about self care and perhaps that in itself is a kind of magick, the healing kind maybe.
It’s been a busy few weeks, the new year has brought with it new experiences, opportunities and encounters and as much as I relish it all, it is also hard graft. It’s tiring. I’ve done magick for those who perhaps didn’t deserve my time or my effort. They certainly didn’t appreciate it, that’s for sure but they are lessons learned I suppose. Growth of any kind is hard, life can be hard and with it there are many people who would kick you when your down. And amongst a few people, the social media celebrity types, there seems to be a train of thought that goes something like you shouldn’t seek help or advice from those who haven’t got all of their shit under control.
That is shit advice. On the contrary, I wouldn’t take advice from anyone who claims to have it all sussed out because they are lying and are nothing more than a fraud.
Nobody has everything sussed out.
And besides, it’s the tough times that give us experiences, that make us strong even though it never feels like it at the time. I used to kickbox and box competitively in the ring where the aim of the game was to win, preferably by knockout or stoppage. I would train six days a week, sometimes twice a day and man was that hard. Roadwork, bag work, pad work and the hardest of all, sparring. You would feel like hell! Always sore, always tired. Sparring was proper sparring and with good people too. When you’re going through it, it’s easy to feel bogged down, to feel rubbish or not good enough. It tests you mentally and physically and you sometimes wonder how you’re going to keep it up for eight weeks. But then on fight night, when you’re standing in the middle of the ring with your hands raised, you realise it was worth it. All of it. You realise how strong it made you. How fast, how strong, how sharp, like a predator. It’s like my coach often says, iron sharpens iron. The hard times makes us harder, stronger and more able to cope but you don’t realise it until afterwards.
Unlike fighting though, the hard times we face in our actual real times are not chosen or asked for or organised. They come in and rip us apart until we are able to rebuild ourselves, like a muscle that is torn by the lifting heavy weights. The trouble and strife of real life takes a toll on our mundane selves, our spiritual selves and our magickal selves. And whilst we often realise that we need to take care of our bodies and our minds, we often overlook our witchcraft practices in our self care rituals and practices. And so we must make time to do so.
Self care in all of it’s forms is important. It is vital.
We must slow down. Do not be afraid to tell people no or to cancel readings or other services offered. They can be rescheduled. Lose yourself in those things that give you solace. Take time to immerse yourself in nature, to refuel your energy, to fill your soul. Commune with your spirits. Wallow in the beauty of it all until it makes your spirit ache with it. Forget about the opinions of others, particularly internet strangers and those who would call you out for dealing with the realities of life. Such people offer nothing but take everything they can, all that you offer. Instead return to source, as it were. Rekindle your passions, the things that first brought you to your practice. Return to those things and practices that bring you joy. Find the magick within yourself once again.
Self care of any kind is not selfish. It is a necessity. It is an act of resistance.
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“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” ~ audre lorde As I write this I’m snuggled up on the sofa, wrapped in a warm blanket with a rum (the second of the evening with one left out for the ancestors of course) and soft candle […] -
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” ~ audre lorde As I write this I’m snuggled up on the sofa, wrapped in a warm blanket with a rum (the second of the evening with one left out for the ancestors of course) and soft candle […] -
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” ~ audre lorde As I write this I’m snuggled up on the sofa, wrapped in a warm blanket with a rum (the second of the evening with one left out for the ancestors of course) and soft candle […] -
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” ~ audre lorde As I write this I’m snuggled up on the sofa, wrapped in a warm blanket with a rum (the second of the evening with one left out for the ancestors of course) and soft candle […] -
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” ~ audre lorde As I write this I’m snuggled up on the sofa, wrapped in a warm blanket with a rum (the second of the evening with one left out for the ancestors of course) and soft candle […]
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