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Pendulums have been used for divination for a very long time. It is thought they were even used by the Pythian Oracle of Delphi in 400 BC. Personally, pendulums were one of my favourite go-to tools for quick answers. As with any form of divination, there are many theories as to where the answers come from. Perhaps it is your higher self, your guardian angels/guides, a god/goddess, or the universe itself. Regardless of the answer, pendulums are easy to use, very portable, and can be made with almost anything. Some of my favourites are made from crystals, but I have metal ones too. You can make one on the go with any kind of chain or string, and an object like a ring, a pendant, or a button even. You just need to ground and center yourself and open the connection. Pendulums are mostly used with yes and no questions. You can determine how your pendulum will answer yes or no by asking it to show you a yes then a no, and watching how it swings each time. Then try asking it simple questions you already know the answer to as your baseline. If, for any reason, it gives incorrect (or no) answer to your baseline questions then it is not a good time to be asking anything, and you should cleanse your pendulum and try again later.
While many people use them for divination, they have other uses as well. They can be used to find lost objects, in healing session to determine things like areas of blockages or chakra balance/spin, dowsing for water or minerals (though dowsing rods or branches are more commonly used for this), and have even been used to determine the gender of a baby while still in utero (Have you tried this? Was it accurate?).
Three important things to remember are:
Do not over use your pendulum. While it can be helpful to consult your pendulum (or other forms for divination) when you are trying to make sense of a situation or find an answer to a problem, you should not consult them for every little thing. It can be easy to become dependent on such things, and that is not healthy. You need to trust in yourself, your intuition, and your decision-making skills. Do not repeatedly ask your pendulum (or other divination tools) the same question. Regardless of whom/what is answering the questions, they will not appreciate being pestered with the same thing over and over again. Your pendulum may stop answering you if you do that. If you don’t like/agree with the answer you get, sit with it. You may not agree, but you asked, and you got that answer for a reason. Your pendulum is not broken. You can ask clarifying questions, but, as I said above, don’t keep asking until you get an answer that you like. If you are going to do that you may as well not ask it at all. I do find pendulums to be an easy divination method that pretty much anyone can use. I have found multiple missing objects using mine. Have you ever used one? Do you prefer ones made of crystal or metal or something else perhaps? What do you use yours for?

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There is a lot of talk these days about inner work, shadow work, personal care, and other trauma releasing/healing activities. This is no surprise given the rise in cases of depression. I am in full support of anything that makes you feel healthier and happier. While recognizing and releasing negative feelings, and healing trauma and drama in one’s life is an important step, I would like to also recognize that this is only just a step in the process. This release can feel amazing, especially at first, but then what? Often, we expect that if we can just “let go” of things that we will feel better; that it will somehow “fix” us. However, when we release something there is then a “void” where it once was. What happens if we do not fill that “void” with something? Well, often we can fill empty, unfulfilled about all our hard work, and maybe like nothing was really “fixed” at all. I am not talking about filling empty spaces within with “busy” work without. What I propose is to fill that “void” with things that truly bring you joy. Do you know what sparks your passion? What brings you joy? Maybe you have forgotten, or maybe you told yourself that it these things are silly or you don’t have time for them..? They aren’t, and you should make time for them. Even the little things, like a quiet cup of tea before work or bed, doodling, reading a book, creating something, taking a walk, or nurturing your plants or pets can make a difference. Big things like spa days, vacations you have to save and plan for, sky diving, or camping trips are also good. The important part is that it brings you joy and/or sparks your passion. It is not an obligation, but something you look forward to, and then experience it fully in the moment. If you don’t know what activities make you feel happy this way, then make a list of things that sound like they would and try them. If it doesn’t then cross it off and move on to the next one next time. I know that journaling/writing is not for everyone, but keeping a log may be quite helpful. Even if it is as simple as a record of the date / activity / how it made you feel. I would recommend, for the first while, taking an empty journal and writing an entry for each day with one thing you are grateful for and ne thing you did to bring you joy. If you miss days, or can’t think of anything put the date down anyway (and maybe an entry of why you could not, regardless of the reason). That way there is a record of the good and the not so good. You might be surprised how helpful knowing both sides can be. No judgement necessary.
So, while you are out there working on yourself and making your inner progress, remember to find the time to welcome joy and passion into your life. Like Greg (Gregisms) on TikTok always says “Find your joy”.

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Before we do spell work, meditate, or any other spiritual work like divination, we usually take a minute to ground and center ourselves. This is taught in practically any craft or spiritual book you will find on the market. Many times the author will assume that you know/understand what this means, and will often give their take on easy ways to accomplish this. These two concepts are either used together or interchangeably as well. They are actually two different practices and can be used together or separately. There are different ways to do both as well.
Grounding, usually done first when it is necessary, involves connecting oneself to the earth and its energies to clear out any excess or negative energies one may be harboring so they can be cleansed and recycled through the earth, and then bringing the grounding earth energy into oneself. Earth energy is stabilizing and helps you become more aware of and connected to your surroundings, as well as the present moment. A few ways in which you can do this is by visualization (usually yourself as a tree with your energetic roots reaching through the earth to the center and connecting yourself to it), earthing (walking barefoot in the grass opening yourself to the connection with earth), sitting in nature (on the grass/a rock, by or in a stream, against a tree, etc..) and opening yourself to your surroundings/practicing mindfulness, meditating with a crystal like obsidian or smokey quartz, or by listening to a guided meditation. These are just a few ways. You can use whatever technique works for you in each situation.
Centering is about balancing your energy and bringing it into alignment. Rather than connecting with outside energies like you do when grounding, you are connecting with the energy of self this time. Not only does this help bring about an inner peace, it offers you the chance of self-reflection, making sure the energies you have held on to during grounding are both calming/peaceful, and your own (something empaths should be checking regularly, especially after social situations). This can also be done through visualization, guided meditation, breath work (alternate nostril breathing techniques are good for this), or dance/movement (which can make you more aware of your body and how it is feeling, as long as you are present mindful about it).
Both of these techniques are beneficial, and necessary to keep you balanced, help you manage stress, and work with/manage the energies used when performing any kind of spell or spiritual work. What is your favourite technique to use? Do you practice these before or after your work, or both? Have you heard of/used any unique techniques for either, would you share them if you have?

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I am sure we have all heard the phrase “My body is a temple”, and the trend of treating our bodies with more love and respect is on the rise. While this is a positive thing, have you ever considered that a temple is a sacred space, and, as a temple, so is your body. If you practice magick of any kind you know the importance of treating the space in which you do magick with respect. You cleanse it, you enter it in the proper frame of mind to do magic, you bring into it the best tools and ingredients you can, you decorate it in way that resonates with you and your particular brand of magick, and you dress in a way that makes you feel magickal/powerful when you enter that space. Even if your practice is not particularly ritualistic, you understand/use the proper frame of mind needed for the intent of your work, and the importance of cleansing magickal space. The same should go for your body…every day. With any magick we do, regardless of tools used, rituals performed, or energy channeled, the magick comes from within. It is our intent, our will, and our belief that directs and propels it into being. Wherever we are, and whatever we are doing, we always have sacred space to work in, because we are sacred space. With that in mind, we should cleanse our bodies of negative energies at the beginning or end of every day (easily done in the shower, using visualization, or tools like crystals/tuning forks/singing bowls, etc..), we should watch our words (you can find an article about the neuroscience behind this here https://brm.institute/neuroscience-behind-words) and be mindful of our thoughts and actions (which ties into an earlier blog post called Speaking of Spirituality from March 18th about mindfulness). We create our life though our thoughts and actions, just as we manifest our will into being with them.
Knowing this, how have your thoughts and actions been shaping your world? Do you consider yourself to be sacred space, or do you believe you must create it each time you need it?

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To Ritual, or Not To Ritual..?

6/24/2024

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As it says in my brief description, I am a non-ritualistic practitioner. All this really means is that I don’t use a lot of, what some might consider standard, ritual elements when doing any sort of witchy work. These might include (but are not limited to) casting a circle, calling the quarters, using all the usual tools (chalice, athame, wand, robes, etc..), chanting, or even preparing well formed, memorized, rhyming spells. I tend to use more herbs, oils, candles, incense, and sigils, and I do it when the timing feels right. As a solitary practitioner I tend to observe the holidays with the same relaxed tone. I do believe that however you practice, you should feel comfortable while doing it. A lot of movies/mass media portray witches as having covens, and performing these great rites with grandeur, but I do not believe that all that is necessary to perform magic, or manifest your desires. Not everyone feels comfortable with the ritual aspect, and for some it can feel downright silly, especially when you are all by yourself…and that’s OK. Ritual is not for everyone, and it doesn’t make you less of a witch, or a less effective witch to not participate in it. While there are ever so many books, classes, and such that outline spell work with at least some ritual aspects, using only the elements that speak to you is best. At least, that is what I have found. What matters is your intent. Whether you feel you need to go all out to put yourself in the right magickal frame of mind, and gather the necessary energy to cast, or you feel you can get the job done with a packet of salt and a little chant, or just your own mind and a quiet space, you are right.
So, my question is, what makes you feel at your witchy best? Do you enjoy immersing yourself in rituals, using all your witchy tools? Or do you prefer the “less is more” approach?

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Most of us are familiar with what space clearing is, and have likely done it once or twice. Usually, we think of lighting sticks of sage and/or other herbs, and going room to room, through the entire house, clearing out the negative energies that have built up over time. Some people also follow up with something like sweetgrass to draw in positive energies. Before the actual cleansing, one can use sound to break up the stagnant, or accumulated energies first. Drums, singing bowls, tuning forks, and tingshas are very helpful for this, though simply clapping also works. If you are allergic to smoke or can’t stand the smell of sage or palo santo, there are alternatives like cleansing sprays. My friend, Rowan Goddess, makes a fabulous Cleanse and Rejuvenate spray that not only smells amazing, but works amazing as well. How often you do this is completely up to you.
While these large cleansing sessions are important, I would like to talk about the smaller, and probably more frequent ones we may not give as much credit to. These are the ones we do before meditation/journeying, before spell work, after a long day surrounded by unwanted/uncomfortable vibes (aka a bad day), etc.. There are many ways we can accomplish this. We can take a shower, visualizing all the “ick” being washed off us and down the drain. We can light some incense like White Sage, Nag Champa, or Sandalwood (to name a few), and waft the smoke over us. Candles are another good cleansing resource. Whether they are rolled in cleansing herbs, or infused with oils/oil blends (like Cleanse & Rejuvenate), or just calling on the element of fire to help cleanse you (fire is an excellent cleanser, but you should limit yourself to a good visualization for this purpose) is your preference. Using a spray (spraying above yourself and letting it fall onto you, or spraying in front of you and walking into the mist are common methods). Visualizations are also popular, and easily done by those with allergies or sensitivities, and in public places. Visualizing whatever colour of light you feel represents “cleansing” surrounding you and removing the undesirable energies. That light can come from within (usually heart center) or from without (the earth or the universe) is up to you.
These are all popular methods. There are plenty more that include crystals, tea drinking, rain, earthing, swimming, salt, and so on. It isn’t so much what you do, as how it makes you feel when you do it. With all of life’s stresses, the amount we have to “people” every day, and how disconnected people seem to feel from one another (which shows in how we treat people, and how we are treated by them), I think cleansing is very important. None of these methods needs to take very long, but that little time one takes for that small, but important, bit of self-care, can make a big difference in one’s day/life. Do you have a cleansing self-care ritual or daily practice? If you don’t, do you think you should/would start one?

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There is a lot of talk about chakras, energy and energy healing these days. I wanted to touch on chakras today. While I will just be going over a basic introduction to them if you are interested in learning more, I highly recommend Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Chakras by Cyndi Dale. It is a (possibly) daunting 1006 pages, but I have yet to find a more comprehensive guide to this most interesting topic.
Chakra is a Sanskrit word meaning “wheel” or “cycle”. They are basically little vortexes of energy located in/on the body that regulate energy. A healthy chakra spins freely and has a bright clear colour. If the chakra is unbalanced, this is where issues can happen, and one’s health may be compromised. When we think about chakras, we generally refer to the most commonly known 7 main chakras of the Hindu system (there are so many more chakras located all over the body).

Muladhara – Root – Survival – Base of Spine – Red – “I AM”
Svadhisthana – Sacral – Emotions – Below Navel – Orange – “I FEEL”
Manipura – Solar Plexus – Power – Above Navel/Below Breast Bone – Yellow – “I DO”
Anahata – Heart – Love – Center of Chest – Green – “I LOVE”
Vishuddha – Throat – Communication - Neck/ Above Collar Bone – Light Blue – “I TALK”
Ajna – Third Eye – Vision - Centered Above Eyebrows – Indigo (Sometimes Purple) – “ I SEE”
Sahasrara – Crown – Spirituality - Top of Head – Purple (Sometimes White) – “I UNDERSTAND”

Each one has other correspondences to elements, sounds, body parts, body systems, and so on. A large part of becoming aware of and working with chakras has to do with healing. These spinning vortexes of energy correspond to different parts of self on all levels. So, whether you need healing on a spiritual, emotional, mental, or physical level, you can work with your chakras to help facilitate your healing needs. This work may include meditation/journeying, or personal energy work. You may seek outside help, such as energy workers, Reiki healers, sound healers, etc.. You can employ all sorts of tools as well, such as crystals, coloured glass, tuning forks/singing bowls, food, and much more.
While the above Hindu system is the most commonly known (at least here in North America), many cultures have their own similar systems as well. These include, but are not limited to, Egyptian, Celtic, Greek, Korean, and even Native American (such as Hopi, Sioux, Mayan, Incan, and Iroquois).
Regardless of what system you are drawn to/works best for you, they are all interesting to learn about. I also find it interesting how so many cultures, with little to no contact between them, developed similar ideas about our energy bodies/systems throughout the centuries. Once again showing that we are all connected to each other in ways we may not realize or understand…yet.
Have you/do you work with your chakras? Have you ever had energy work done? If so, how did it feel? If not, would you be open to it?

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Feelings...Nothing More Than Feelings..?

6/3/2024

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This week I wanted to talk a bit about feelings. We are constantly told that when we do any kind of spell work, how important our intent is. While this is true, I would argue that the feeling behind our intent is what drives it all. I can intend to manifest any outcome I want, but if I don’t put the feelings behind my wants, needs, or desires, it is just a bland statement. How would the universe/the gods/etc.. know I truly want something to happen if I show no emotion towards the making of it or the outcome. This goes back to my previous post about manifesting, and how you manifest through the heart. Much of our healing happens through here as well.
The thing about feelings these days, is that most people don’t think about the full range of feelings they actually express. If you ask someone to describe how they felt about a situation, or how they feel in the moment, you will usually get one of three answers, happy, sad, or angry. While these are all valid feelings, they do not fully or accurately express how we feel. It seems to me that people do not tend to really examine their feelings, and many of us do not feel comfortable expressing our true feelings for fear of upsetting or offending others. I don’t think we do ourselves justice when we do this. Healing can happen when we acknowledge the root feelings of our trauma/pain, and work through them. To do this we need to be able to recognize those feelings for what they are, allow ourselves to feel them (as we often hide from our squash down our feelings “in the moment” as a coping mechanism), own them, and take responsibility for them.
This goes for the feelings behind our intent during magickal workings as well. If you want to manifest something, you need to own those feelings to feel worthy of accepting what you are asking for. Are you trying to manifest something because you think it will make you happy, bring you peace, or help fulfill your purpose? This also applies to when you are banishing or working to release something. If you are trying to let go of a bad habit or negative thoughts/habits, you first have to acknowledge what they are and how they truly make you feel so you can confront them, and properly articulate what you are trying to accomplish and why. Are you banishing something from your life because it makes you afraid, or makes you feel ashamed, or fills you with anger? Are you asking for help to avoid something or to face it and overcome it? Whatever your intended outcome, part of manifesting something is visualizing yourself in the intended outcome, and really feeling how you want to feel when you achieve it. You can’t do that without recognizing and acknowledging a range of emotions bigger than happy, sad, or angry.
This also applies to another post I made about mindfulness. To practice mindfulness, you need to be “in the moment”, which means sitting with those feelings, experiencing them as they happen, and then letting them go and moving on to the next experience. You can do this during meditation as well. Let whatever thoughts or feelings arise; let them happen, and then let them go.
If you want to learn more about feelings, what they are, how to recognize them, and how to make them work for you (instead of against you, as we often feel they do), I highly recommend Brene Brown’s book Atlas of the Heart. It is an excellent read, and particularly helpful if you are interested in doing Shadow Work or any intrinsic self-care. How do you feel about your feelings?

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