It's been far too long since I have last written, even though this blog is constantly on my mind! This latest entry is going to be about incorporating your faith and practice into your daily life!
As a college student, there is simply never enough hours in the day it seems for anything but homework. Not to mention having a job on top of that! And when there is a brief free moment all we really want to do is just take a deep breath and just... relax.
The problem with this is, we are so physically invested that we neglect our spiritual selves. Quickly, we begin to forget to live our faith. Whether it be to call upon our Gods and Goddesses for inner guidance, seasonal festivals, meditation and reflection, and the reasons WHY we are Pagan and (or) Witches.
I will freely admit where there has been times in my life that I had been slacking in some departments of my faith, but how I got eventually out of it was by creating art.
Art to me is a reflection of my spirituality. My art is the deepest part of me. Whether is be painting, beading, wood-burnishing, sewing and bookbinding, my blood hums with the energy that I pour into that object.
With the opening of my online pagan store, it allowed to reach depths of my faith that was unexpected. My creations forced me to further research each Pagan or Witchy object- symbols, spells, history, herb lore, crystals, everything.
I found myself doing more guided meditations and talking to and calling upon my patron Goddess, Danu. I became more active in my spiritual practice. So what I learned is that you need to find something that you are passionate about and weave faith within that action.
For example, say you are passionate about gardening. Start growing a small herb garden! With each herb you will learn their name, their magical and medicinal properties. You can harvest the herbs and use them in your spellwork~ and they will have even more meaning because you nurtured them to fruition.
Say you are not sure what exactly your passionate about but you do want to start being more active in your faith but time is a huge factor for you. There are a few things you can do while on "the go" or incorporate into your daily practice.
1. Incorporate Nighttime magic- create your own anti-nightmare spells, peaceful sleeping, healing, herbal sachets or magical pillows, rituals etc...
Two useful resources for this sort of thing can be found in:
A.) Wiccan Spell a Night by Sirona Knight.
For those of you who are all like "HEY, I'm not Wiccan I'm (insert a Pagan branch here)!" Well, neither am I, but it is a handy resource for nighttime magic. You can always adjust and adapt the spells to suit your needs or make your own!
B.) The Element Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells by Judika Illes
This book is truly invaluable, and be on any Witch's shelf. This is probably my favorite books because there is so much information in it! This book can help spark magical crafty ideas!
C. Make your own magical teas and sleep herbal blends! Pretty self explanatory!
2. Start Chanting.
Learning chants are beyond handy!! You can compose your own, find them in books or on the internet. Most importantly, you can do them anywhere- on the bus or in a car, as you walk, you can do them when you are about to do something important. Eg. I always chant to the Goddess to guide my fingers right before I an about to perform a piece on my harp, because I get nervous playing in front of people. This allows me to have the Goddess calm me down and center myself.
3. Wear a symbol of your faith-
This doesn't need to be some gaudy pentacle or anything, just something that is important to you that you can directly link to your faith as an affirmation of your spirituality. You can make a bracelet braided from yarn that are the colors of the phases of the goddess- maiden, mother, crone. Be creative, and it will mostly have more meaning!
4. Start a Pagan Journal-
This doesn't need to be a Grimoire or a Book of Shadows. What you would do is go about in your daily life and collect fallen leaves, flowers. Write about what you find and what drew you to them. If you happen to know what the object's name is (like an oak leaf or maple leaf) do a bit of research about it and write it down.
5. Start Scrying-
You would be surprised to find how helpful and relaxing it is. To make it time efficient before (or after) you eat your lunch (breakfast, dinner etc.) Fill a dark cup (or a coffee mug) with water. Relax and let the world melt away, if you so desire you can chant! Allow images to rise to the surface of the water and fade away. This is a great way to develop your "sight" and gain greater insight about yourself.
6. Hit the Books-
The best thing about a book is that you can take it virtually anywhere. If you are still in the broom closet and don't want the world to know what you are reading, you can get a stretchy textbook book cover to put over the book. You can learn wonderful things while in line at a convenience store, in a doctors office, or if you are in school~ between classes.
A great book to read for everyday magic is a book literally called: "Every Day Magic: Spells and Rituals for Modern Living" by Dorothy Morrison.
7. Make Sigils!
To learn how to, see my video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaLnrntjHeA
These are just a tiny bit of what you can do to. There is always meditation, beading, knitting and more. Create practices that work best for you!
~*~ I really hope that I have been able to spark a few ideas with this post! So I would love to know what all of your thoughts are, and would love to know how you incorporate Paganism or Witchcraft in your daily life!
Bright Blessings!
~Brittany
