When it comes to psychic gifts, there are plenty one can either be born with or develop through practice and patience. Of those, there is a group of gifts that most people know, at least by name. These are The Clairs. Most people are familiar with the most popular ones like Clairvoyance, and Clairaudience, but there are more Clair gifts that are used to access glimpses of the (possible) future, communicate beyond the veil, and alert us to possibilities and opportunities we might not otherwise be aware of. There are 8 such Clari gifts.
 
Clairvoyance: Clear Seeing – The most popularly known of the Clairs. This gift presents as visions or mental images. These can occur within the mind/mind’s eye, or be seen, eyes open, as if they are happening right before one’s eyes. Remote viewing can be categorized under this heading as well.
 
Clairaudience: Clear Hearing – This is when messages are heard, either as sounds, music, or words. This can include (but is not limited to) hearing the message as if someone is speaking to you, hearing the lyrics of a song at just the right time that answers a question or provides relevant insight, or ringing, pressure, or burning of the ears.
 
Clairsentience: Clear Feeling – This is when messages or information is presented through sensations in the body. It might be felt externally, like goosebumps when a spirit is nearby, or a feeling in the body part that indicates how a spirit died or what a health issue in that part of the body. It can also be internal, like an unexplained sense of dread, or feeling like “something is coming” (good or bad).
 
 Claircognizance: Clear Knowing – This is often compared to “mother’s intuition”. It is when messages or information present themselves as abstract concepts or intuitive downloads suddenly pop into your head, that prove to have significance to the reading or mediumship work being done; either in the present or later.
 
Clairgustance: Clear Tasting – this one is a little less popular than most Clairs. It is the sensing of psychic information through taste. It could present itself as a particular taste to mean a particular situation has occurred or will occur, such as tasting blood when a fatal incident has or will happen. It could also be a taste that represents a person or memory the person the reading/medium work is being done, sent by the communicating spirit. This Clair, like a few others, is most often used during mediumship work, though that is not strictly the case.
 
Clairsalience: Clear Smell – Like Clairgustance, this Clair is most often used in mediumship work. However, it involves one’s sense of smell, rather than taste. The same applies to it though. It could be the smell of something that triggers the memory of a particular person, place, or other memory. It likely signals the presence of a familiar spirit with a message.
 
Clairempathy: Clear Emotional Feeling – This Clair also involves feelings, but unlike Clairsentience, this is felt on an emotional level. While that may sound like simple empathy, there is a distinct difference. Empathy itself is feeling the emotions of those around you, while Clairempathy is receiving psychic information or messages through your emotions. These feelings can come over a distance, through the veil (like sensing the emotions of spirits that are present or wanting to communicate), or before an event even happens, not just from the people/animals around you in the present.
 
Clairtangency: Clear Touch – This is what I would have classified as psychometry. It is the receiving of information or messages from the energies/vibrations of an object. This can include its history, the people connected to it, and even the energies of significant events it was involved in (strong emotional energies can imprint on objects).
 
Anyone can possess these gifts at birth, or achieve them through practice. There are plenty of books and websites out there to help one learn how to do this. While inherent talent may make it easier to develop such a skill, they are a skill like any other. You must use and practice them to hone and control them. One could also possess more than one of these skills at a time. While these skills are often used to aid in divination or by Mediums to bring messages across to loved ones (or help spirits cross over), they do have other uses as well. Many of them, like Clairsentience, Claircognizance, and Clairempathy would be greatly useful to healers in their practice. Whether that healing is physical, mental, or spiritual. Any one of them could be helpful in a spiritual wellness/guidance setting, such as a spiritual counsellor or a death doula. They can all provide a way to help bring comfort, understanding, and peace to the user or the one they are using them for.
 
Do you possess any of these gifts? Have you used them to help yourself or others? Have you consulted someone with these gifts for your own personal healing or spiritual journey? Would you want to learn one of them yourself? I would love to know. 

The future can seem rather uncertain, especially these days. It is constantly in flux depending on the decisions we make and the actions we take. Sometimes, to get a little clarification, we will consult some form of divination. There are many forms we can choose from, but the basics are much the same. Consider the situation we are concerned about, decide what we need/would like to know, form the question to receive the answer we are seeking, focus, and consult our chosen oracular system. Whether we choose to do the reading ourselves, or have someone else do the reading for us, the steps are pretty much the same.
 
If you are a beginner reader, or consulting a reader for the first time, it can be difficult to figure out exactly what we want to ask, or how to ask it.  Unless we are consulting a pendulum, we are often advised to refrain from asking yes or no questions. There are, of course, ways to use most any divination system to answer such simple questions, however we are going to focus other kinds of queries for this post. Generally speaking, the usual questions revolve around love, money, health, or career. More specifically, the questions usually cover things like when we will find or receive something, when something will end or heal (particularly when those areas of life are being negatively impacted), or what will the outcome of the situation be. These kinds of questions reflect the common perception that we are searching for a definitive answer to a current problem that concludes sometime in the future. We should be aware that whatever the cards (or any other divination tool) show us, it is only a possible outcome. It can reflect what will happen if we stay on our current path, or what will happen if we change that path (depending on what we are asking).   
 
However, to really utilize your divination tool, especially tarot or oracle cards, you can try a slightly different approach. Restructuring the question to reflect the energies of the situation, the possibilities rather than the outcomes, or your part in how it all plays out can change how the reading unfolds, and give us a clearer picture of what is going on. Doing this, however, can also call us out on some things, make us reflect on ourselves in way we may not want to, or open us to more than what we originally considered. So, be forewarned.  
 
For instance, if you are wanting to know the possible outcomes of a situation you could ask questions like:

• What happens if I stay on my current path?
• What do I have to change in order to change that path?
• What is the likely/possible outcome if I change “X” behaviour or decision. (Note: there are specific spreads that can show you/allow you to ask about two or more outcomes to a situation as well)

 
If you are looking to see how you are affecting the situation*, or how you can otherwise affect it you could ask:

• What am I not seeing about this situation?
• What patterns are influencing this situation?
• What learned/subconscious patterns are influencing my decisions?
• What truth(s) am I avoiding?

 
Or you can ask something like:

• What energies are surrounding this situation?
• What energies or outside forces are affecting this situation that I do not see?
• What needs to shift in order to change the situation?

 
These kinds of questions can be the main part of your reading, or asked as clarifying questions to enhance the reading you are already conducting. They are particularly good for divination systems like tarot and oracle cards, but could also be used with others like runes, playing cards, I-Ching, and others. If you are using cards, depending on the deck you use, you can get some pretty straight up (and sometimes harsh) answers. Decks like the Lantern Orace, the Dark Mirror, or Draconis Loqui can provide some harsh truths, but sometimes we need that kind of perspective to make real change. There are, of course, much gentler decks to choose from. You do what you feel is right to you in the situation.
 
So, my question is, how do you question the divine (or your higher self, however you see it)? Do you ask the same kinds of questions? Do you use ones like those provided above? Would you try them? What are your favourite questions to ask? I would love to hear about your experiences.
 
 
*You can change the words “this situation” to be more specific to your circumstances rather than just referring to it as “the situation”

Many people, myself included at one time, consider concepts like Fate and destiny to be interchangeable. When you read their definitions online, you will even find that they include both words to mean the same thing.
Many cultures had similar deities that ruled over a person’s life. You may be familiar with the Norms (Norse/Germanic) Urdr, Verdandi, and Skuld. The Greeks had the Moirai Atropos, Clotho, and Lechesis, and the Romans had their Parcae named Nona, Decima, and Morta. Each of these triads represented a part of the life and death cycle. The past (the beginning of the life), the present (their fate and the measurement of their lifespan), and the future (the moment and manner of the end of that life). This is often represented by the spinning, weaving, and cutting of the thread of life. There are so many more, spanning many cultures (not all are triads); too many to name here, but I think this imagery suits the theme well.
While the interchangeability of these two concepts seems pretty widespread, it is not absolute. I was reading a book on shamanism the other day, and it presented a different perspective. What if they are not the same, or at least not entirely so.
Fate is considered the predetermined inevitable direction and outcome of any situation, including one’s life (as a whole). In order to believe in or accept that something was “fated”, one must first give up the idea of having free will. Accepting that, no matter what, the final outcome was “beyond your control”. This explanation focuses solely on the final destination of the situation or of life.
On the other hand, Destiny, as explained by the shaman* in his book, focuses more on the journey. It encompasses the choices we make and the actions we take to achieve the desired outcome. This definition suggests the existence of free will, and the idea of individual power and sense of purpose.
Given these definitions we can look at these two concepts in a couple of ways. First, that they are two separate theories that involve choosing whether we believe we have free will or not. This could be overall, or on a situational basis. Second, they could be seen as two parts of the same system. That our overall Fate is determined by a “higher power”, but how we get to that fated destination is up to us. It would seem it would all boil down to one’s beliefs in free will.
So, do you see Fate and destiny as the same thing? Do you believe in either Fate or destiny, or a combination of both? Is it situationally dependent? I would love to know.
 
*The shaman and author was Alberto Villoldo.

We all have times in our lives when we feel as if everything is always going wrong, as if bad luck follows us wherever we go. We complain, pray, second guess ourselves, and maybe even question our faith. In these times it is common, if it has been going on long enough, that we might question if we have been cursed.
Curses are a popular topic in novels, movies, and TV shows. They really do make for some interesting plot lines. However, they are not as common as fiction writers would have you believe. A really effective curse requires an emotional investment in the situation, and, therefore, the outcome. The specifics of a curse depend on what harm the spell crafter wishes to do. It may include chronic bad luck, great loss (money, love, health), or other hardships. Curses are usually very personal. Due to the wide spread belief in the rule of three (what you send out comes back to you 3 times stronger), as well as karma, most people who practice magical traditions avoid cursing all together. (I will not be covering generational curses in this particular post. Maybe in a future one). 
That doesn’t mean, however, that people don’t (or won’t) send negative energies your way, which can be just as harmful. The difference here is that a curse is more of a carefully curated spell designed to do specific harm to someone, usually a specific someone or group of someone’s. Sending negative energies can be directed to target someone specific (the evil eye is a good example of this), or just out into the universe generically. It can be done specifically and with intention, in a moment of anger or frustration, or even by accident. When sent out in a generic way it can land anywhere, affect anyone close enough to catch it (whether they have anything to do with the situation or not), and cause more wide spread harm.
There are some signs/symptoms that may lead you to believe that you are being targeted by some very nasty energy . These can include* (always make sure you have ruled out a medical explanation for any of the following “symptoms” first):

• Drama or “bad luck” seems to follow you everywhere
• Feeling of being watched
• Chronic and consistent fatigue
• Unexplained anxiety or sudden mood swings
•  Spacing out or disassociating for seemingly no reason
• Frequent nightmares (particularly reoccurring ones or ones with consistent themes)
• Technology constantly glitches/turns off or on when you are around

 
Remember that these things should feel “out of place”/not normal for you, and not have any other plausible reason for happening, medical or not.
If this seems familiar to you, there are things that you can do to help protect yourself. You can choose one or more of the following, depending on what feels comfortable and “right” for you. This by no means a comprehensive list, but it is a good start.
First, keep in mind that even if someone is sending you harmful energies/wishes, it will not have nearly as much power behind it if you don’t let it. I have said in a few other posts that words have power, and they do, but they can only have the power over us that we give them. You can choose to not let it bother you, and keep living your life. Much like a grudge, it is more likely, in the long run, to hurt the person sending that energy than it is to hurt the one it is directed at. Here is where the power of positive thought also comes in handy. You are not just surrounding yourself in positive energy, you are refusing to take on negative energy as well.
Remembering to shield yourself daily is both a protective and preventative measure. The more you practice shielding yourself, the easier it becomes to do, and eventually, it may just “pop up” when needed, without you having to work at it. There are many good sources available online and in print to help you learn how to shield yourself, if you don’t already know how.
Regular smudging, clearing, and/or cleansing of your space and your person are also good ways to help get rid of those negative energies. This can be done through smoke, bathing (herbal or salt baths work well, and there are special soaps available for this purpose as well), sprays, or any other method you prefer.
There are plenty of herbs that are used to dispel negative energies/entities or curses**. These can be carried in a small pouch on your person, placed around your house at entry points like windows or doors, or burned like incense. Always use caution when carrying or burning herbs. Be sure they are not toxic and that you are not allergic to them. The first herb we usually think about is sage, however the following list, though not comprehensive, offers some other common plants that can be used.

• Vetivert: Silences those who are speaking badly about you
• Nettle: Believed to be a curse breaker / wards off fear and evil
• Anise: Works against the Evil Eye
• Cayenne: Drives your enemies away from you
• Chamomile: Believed to remove curses

 
Another effective tool for dealing with negative energies is crystals*. Again, definitely not a comprehensive list, but these should be relatively easy to find, and can be carried on your person (in your pocket, in your bra, etc..) in a bag, or not, placed around your home or office at entry points like windows or doors, or set out like decorative pieces (protection hidden in plain site).

• Smokey Quartz: Absorbs and transmutes negative energy
• Jet: Absorbs malicious energies
• Black Tourmaline: repels negative forces / protects against bead intentions
• Tiger’s Eye: Used against Evil Eye
• Onyx: protects against negative energies and promotes mental toughness
• Sardonyx: Repels negative energies/entities (can help prevent them from following you home)
• Hematite: Intercepts dark energies
• Fluorite: Acts as a psychic shield against attacks, and unconscious attachments to negative forces

If you can find one, a Vogel Crystal (a specific cut of a crystal from the quartz family like clear quartz, smokey quartz, citrine, or amethyst) can help remove negative energies and entities when placed on the body; a technique used by some healers.
Symbols and Sigils afford the user the same kind of protection. They are easily carried (in a pocket, on a keychain, drawn on the body, etc..), worn (privately or publicly) as jewelry or as tattoo (permanent or temporary), drawn into your aura energetically, written down and burned, displayed or written on windows or in doorways, or any other way you like. The blue Evil Eye charm so popular in metaphysical stores is a great example. Others include:

• Pentacle or Pentagram
• Witches Knot
• Triquetra
• Runes or Bindrunes
• Cross or Solar Cross
• The Eye of Horus
• The Helm of Awe
• Hexagram (6 pointed star)

 
There are so many that span many cultures. You just need to choose one that resonates with you and your beliefs. You can create your own sigils for protection as well. I did cover that in a previous post, but there are plenty of written and digital tutorials available as well. You can enhance its protective qualities by charging the symbol with that intent before wearing/carrying/using it.
If you are using crystals or symbols/sigils remember to cleanse and charge them.
A couple of  last options. If you know who is sending you the curse or bad energy your way, you can always try a cord cutting. There are people who will do this for you for a fee, but you can do them just as effectively yourself. I did write a blog post about this back in 2024 on Oct 21st if you would like to read it. As always, there are written and digital tutorials out there. Before you go to sleep at night you can also ask your guides/angels/etc.. to protect you from any negative energies, entities, or astral travelers that may wish to do you harm. I found this particularly helpful after leaving a rather toxic relationship and was having troubled dreams and terrible sleep. The final option I will provide is Reiki. If you are a practitioner you can perform a healing session on  yourself, however, if you are not, there are plenty of practitioners out there. You should be able to easily find one in our area, and if not, it can be done over distance. Just be sure to do your research on them.
If you are uncertain if it is a curse, negative energy being thrown your way, or just a run of “bad luck”, you can always consult your pendulum, tarot/oracle, or other divination technique you fancy. You could also consult your guides (maybe ask for a sign), the trusted reader or psychic of your choice, or other spiritual group/leader/professional you trust. Sometimes it helps to just talk it through with an impartial and subjective second party.
So, have you ever thought you were cursed? Have you been the target of negative energy from someone you knew or a random entity? I was once attacked in my sleep. It was a dream within a dream. The oddest experience I have ever had. I would love to hear your story, if you are willing to share.
 
*Extrapolated from https://yourhomeofwellness.com/blog/holistic-therapy/what-crystals-to-wear-for-protection-from-evil/
** Extrapolated from https://waxspiritual.com/herbs-roots-poweders-resin-guide/
 
 

Before we used symbols or markings to communicate, approximately 350,000 years ago, people used pigments made from things like ochre or manganese to communicate family or social ties/groupings. 250,000 years later, they upgraded to personal adornments, such as jewelry, to help communicate these concepts. By approximately 40,000 years ago our ancestors were creating 2 and 3 dimensional objects to depict the world around them. By 8,000 years ago man had begun creating basic symbols to communicate, which developed into the complex written languages we have today.* Many ancient cultures, like the Egyptians, the Norse, and Eastern cultures, used symbols that not only were used to write words, but also had deeper and more extensive, even magical, meaning as well.
Since then, the symbols we recognize and use have changed and evolved with us, our experiences, and our needs. Some have evolved to expand their meaning, some have had their meaning completely changed, and others have or are becoming irrelevant in our current world. Some symbols are pretty much universal. If someone says the word heart, your first thought is likely the symbol we are taught to draw from childhood, rather than the anatomically correct version that beats within us all. If you drew what we know to be a tear drop shape and coloured it blue, others would recognize it as water, however, colour it red, and they would likely think blood instead. We can use these kinds of symbols to communicate general concepts to people, even when we do not speak the same language.
We don’t usually consider the origins of the symbols we use, especially the ones we use every day, like the alphabet we write with. However, despite our daily use that can make them feel common and not that significant, they do have power, which we can tap into. We know that worlds have power, and not just when spoken. We use the written word in spell work every time we write a spell ourselves, write something down and burn/bury/carry it to manifest or let go of things, etch it into a candle, or however else you use words in your practice. If you create sigils you may be using letters or symbols to form them.
Some symbols, while having a generally accepted meaning (to which there are many books available on the subject depending on your use), can also have more personal meaning that depends greatly on your own personal beliefs and life experiences. This is especially true in dream interpretation. For instance, two people may have a similar dream about a spider, but the first dreamer may be afraid of spiders and see this as a symbol of being trapped or caught in a web of deceit (being lied to), while the other dreamer may not mind (or even like) spiders, not be afraid, and interpret it as a sign that they are “weaving” their own destiny, or to take control of their own fate. The emotions that a symbol or sign elicits has a direct affect on how it will be interpreted by the seer/user of it. This is why some symbols that have been deliberately changed or “hijacked” by certain groups have evolved from a more positive or neutral state to now evoke a strong negative response instead. A prime example of this is the swastika. This symbol, derived from the Sanskrit word svastika, is at least 7,000 years old. Originally it represented prosperity, fortune, and well-being, and was used in many religions including Hinduism, Odinism, and Buddhism, and was even found on pre-Christian European artifacts**. It is extremely unfortunate that this beautiful symbol has been used to represent such vulgar and despicable crimes against humanity. I hope one day that we can cleanse it of this negative connotation, and help it reclaim its former peaceful vibration.
There are plenty of magical alphabets out there that one can use in their practice as well. While these symbols have been created by others, and may not have any significant meaning to us at this time, if we learn them and use them consistently we can create a bond with them that will only deepen over time. That said, we can create these bonds with any symbol we use consistently and with intent. Choosing to learn a magical alphabet can also help keep your work private, even if you use or wear them in public, as well.
I really enjoy working with symbols. I love using my runes and rune cards, I quite enjoy sigil magic, and, as you may already know, reading and writing are passions of mine, so symbols are a very important part of my life as well as my practice. How do they fit into your life? Your practice? Do you give much thought to how you use them in your practice, or are they just a form of communication for you? Do you think symbols, warped over time, can regain their positive vibrations after being used to represent such heinous acts? I would love to know.
 
 
*Info taken from https://humanorigins.si.edu/human-characteristics/languages-symbols
**Info taken from https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/history-of-the-swastika
 
 
 

What’s in a Name?
At our birth our parent or guardian gives us a name, a designation that allows us to be identified and, sometimes, categorized by others. We must use it to communicate with people, businesses, and the government, we need it to get an education, a job, healthcare, have a bank account, etc.. We speak and hear our name so often in our lives that we may not even think about how important it can actually be. Whether it is our given or surname, it can open or close doors for us, conjure feelings of warmth/solidarity or shame/embarrassment, and even play a hand in our (perceived) successes or failures in life. For better or for worse, even though we did not choose it for ourselves, it can hold great power over us, though, how much can be up to us.
If you are of the witchy/pagan persuasion, you may have a second name. This name has spiritual context, and may have been chosen by you or have been divinely inspired. It may be created to reflect your spiritual personality, your type of practice, a significant spiritual event, your guides/totem/other creatures you have an affinity for/with, or anything else that inspires you. If you are into numerology, you may choose a name based on the numbers as well, to have a more favourable magical “fate”. This name is used not only during magical workings, but also can be used in witchy/pagan circles, with your coven mates (should you have them), online, as a business name, or it could be kept totally private. Having a magical name is another way you can add to your practice, and your identity/persona as a witch. It can mentally help you more easily slip into that part of yourself, and shed your “every day” persona you share with the world, which adds to the sacred atmosphere during any spells, rituals, or other magical workings, and creates space for this part of yourself to come forth.
Some witches/pagans, if they use one spiritual name publicly, may have a third name that is chosen or divinely bestowed, that is used only when they do magical workings, and is spoken/written only to themselves, or in communication between them and their patron deity/the universe. Having a totally private spiritual name stems from the belief that names have power, and if the true name of something/someone is known, others can have power over it/them. We see this more in talks about energetic/religious workings like exorcisms, where the exorcist tries to find out the possessing demon/entities name to successfully exorcise it from the person. While this is the most commoner example I know of, it is not the only magical/spiritual reason for it. Some also believe that keeping that magical name secret makes it more difficult for others to do magic against you; particularly if someone is trying to work against your own magical workings or against you as a witch. In theory, it is harder to block a person magically if you are working against “person X”, but they are petitioning or manifesting under “secret name Z”. Rather like using a magical decoy. It also can protect the magical practitioner from prying ears. It is easier to talk more freely about someone using their magical name when talking with others “in the know” when out among people who may not be like minded or understanding. While this type of protection may not be as needed in todays day and age, sometimes discretion is important.
While names can have great significance, and they can play a role in how our lives are shaped, it is important to remember that they do not actually determine who we are. We are more than our names (given or surname), we have free will, and are free to change and evolve as we choose (which also includes our name).
So, do you use a magical name? Did you choose it yourself? What was your inspiration? How do you feel it represents you? Has that name ever changed/evolved with you and your practice? How do you feel about your given name? Have you ever looked up what it means? I would love to hear, if you are willing to share.
 
 

When we think about spell or potion ingredients we typically think about things like plants, oils, crystals, etc.. Personal ingredients like hair, nail clippings, and even blood can be added to some spells to create a bond with the person the spell is for or about (a small reminder about free will and consequences here). However, there is another energetically charged, and very personal, ingredient that we may not give much thought to. Tears.
Scientifically speaking, there are three kinds of tears. Basal Tears (the ones created by the body to moisten the eyes), Reflex tears (created to clean the eyes from outside stimuli like onion juices, smoke, dust, etc..) which typically contain higher levels of antibiotics, and Emotional Tears. These are the ones brought on by strong, emotionally charged situations. These tears are thought to contain more stress hormones like cortisol, and pain reduction elements like endorphins, which help bring the body back in to balance (a state of homeostasis). These tears would be most useful in a magical sense.
Historically, cultures around the world caught and bottled Emotional Tears, generally in times of mourning. Ancient Middle Eastern and Roman societies did this, often adding them to graves as a sign of love and respect. In Egyptian culture, it has been said, the more anguish and tears shed, the more important or valued the deceased was. Legend has it that some mourners in the procession were paid to cry and catch these tears in glasses. The more tears caught and the louder the crying, the more they were paid. In the Victorian Era (19th century), it became custom  to catch ones mournful tears in a small ornate bottle, usually silver with pearl, that had a special cap that allowed the tears to evaporate. Once the tears in the bottle were gone, the mourning period was over.
Magically speaking, tears shed in emotional times would not only be physically linked to the person who shed them, but also greatly charged with emotion. While we generally think of tears as a release for great sadness or grief, we can also shed them during times of anger/frustration, and great joy/happiness. What emotional release was happening at the time would greatly affect how you would use the tears in magic, but all could be used in some way (and should be stored separately and labeled if you are going to use them). Tears of sadness could be used in spells to help one let go of things, shadow work spells/rituals, or spells/potions regarding grief. Tears of joy/happiness could be used in spells for things like manifestation, self-love, or transformation. Tears of anger may be used in spells for binding, or protection. Tears could also be used as an offering (as part of self), if that is something your patron deity accepts.
Tears, like other bodily fluids, may  not be your typical “go to” for magical work. That said, they can add a deeply personal element to any spell, potion, or ritual. Tears, especially, can add a boost to your magical working due to their high emotional charge, which, as we know, is a key element in charging with intent. Your investment in what you are trying to create on all levels (physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual), is critical to the implementation execution of your work.
Personally, I love the Victorian Era idea of the tear bottle. While I don’t believe you can set a time limit on grief, it seems like a beautiful way to acknowledge your grief, if not a bit romanticized. Much like how we often carry the ashes of a loved one in a small capsule or charm to remember them by. What do you think?
So, have you ever used tears in your magical workings? Would you, or do you refrain from using any bodily fluids in your practice? Have you ever considered their magical potential before?  

Passing it Down
I have been noticing a rise in conscious parenting. A model of parenting that focuses on the parent being self aware, and modeling the desired behaviour to their children rather than just telling them how to act. This model requires the parent to know how to regulate their own emotions, do shadow work, utilize problem solving skills, and display their own personal growth. It both requires and teaches accountability. While this is not an easy path, it provides children with the skills and coping mechanisms to navigate and adapt to an ever changing world in a positive way.
Influencing the beliefs and behaviours of the next generation relies a lot on our own attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours. They see everything, and, like little myna birds, they emulate us. So, even if we don’t practice a particular religion, follow a strict spiritual path, or even talk about such things, our personal beliefs and conduct  has great influence. How we communicate, our vocabulary, our actions, how we present ourselves, and even our possessions and home décor provide subtle influences on our children. Same for our choices in music, reading material, and TV/movie/social media choices.
If you are a spiritual person and a parent, you may or may not choose to raise your children in a way that includes your spiritual beliefs. However, if you do, I feel that this model of parenting translates well to a witchy/spiritual path, and could be integrated into a spiritual parenting modality (parenting that focuses on nurturing/nourishing the soul/their character and fostering a relationship with the Divine – whatever that means to you). If you travel this path, you likely understand its duality. The importance of both light and shadow, and how either can be a catalyst for growth. The conscious parenting model is based in self awareness, which includes being aware of our own flaws and personal demons. How we perceive these aspects of self, if we face them, and whether or not we are willing to be open and honest about them can impact how our children do the same.  Both of these parenting modalities remove focus from behaviour management of the child.
I have talked in previous posts about the importance of positive talk in manifestation and spell work, as well as the impact of how we phrase things can have on our own minds and perspectives, but that energy is also passed to our children, both in the moment and  in the long term. Which means, that which we reject, talk negatively about, or dislike about other people and things can have an equally weighted impact on them. While we hope to foster the kind of relationships with our children that would allow them to feel comfortable telling us anything, they don’t always tell us everything. The older and more independent they get, the more they are influenced by sources other than us (social groups, media, etc..), and the less we may know about their personal thoughts and beliefs. As they grow, so too do their personalities, and  there may be parts of them they never show us. If we speak negatively or judge others for things we disagree with or don’t understand, we may be unknowingly passing that negativity or those judgements onto or over our own children.
I believe that both spiritual and conscious parenting (or a combination of both) are parenting models that foster accountability, compassion, acceptance, and understanding, among other good traits. While neither are new parenting techniques, I think we are seeing more parents using them, which says good things to me about the amount of healing and growth we are doing as a collective. While I don’t have a time machine to confirm this, I think (or would like to believe anyway) that it is more of a return to a much older approach to raising a new generation. I, for one, would like to see less of the “Do as I say, not as I do” approach that has been so prevalent in the past.
I would like to add here that, as a parent, I know it can be hard. We are only human, and we all make mistakes. We do our best with the information and skills that we have, and we hope for the best. We too were influenced by the generations before us. There is no judgement here. Just information, opinion, and (hopefully) inspiration.
If you have children, did you raise them as a conscious or spiritual parent? If you plan to be a parent in the future, would you? Do you feel you were raised this way, or would have liked to be? I would love to know.