Q&A: Help! I'm behind in my witchcraft.
Are you magic avoidant? This message can help.
Inside: A reader asks about feeling blocked and behind in her magical practice - something most of us can relate to. I follow up with some ideas based on my own struggles. Would love to hear your strategies for staying connected to witchcraft in the comments. ❤️
Dear Amanda,
I completely spaced on the petition for August 1st. I’m actually only now starting my Lion’s Gate because I’m just so behind on all my witchcraft. Lately I’ve been feeling blocked and behind with my practice. I was wondering if you had any words of advice? I’ve missed full and new moon spells the past couple months and am even behind with my reading group readings. Any advice would be greatly appreciated and I’m so so sorry for forgetting the blessings.
Signed,
Witchcraft Avoidant
Dear Witchcraft Avoidant,
I read a beautiful passage in a book about ritual and magic the other day by Victor Turner, in “From Ritual to Theatre: The Human Seriousness of Play,” where he was tracing the etymology of the word “experience.”
The “per” in experience gallops back through time, galavanting through the Old English word for fear, dancing across the Latin word for experiment, reveling in the ancient Greek word for trying or testing.
Experience hides in pirate, peril, experiment, and passage. Reading about the daunting expedition of the word “experience” over thousands of years, from its Indo-European origins moved me and also made me think of witchcraft. Like “experience”…
…witchcraft is a vessel that both carries magical things within itself, and also carries us to the magical places that we long to reach.
Witchcraft is a vessel for rebellion, ancestral folk practices, myths about holy wells, selkies, and hollowed hills. Its rituals connect us with plant spirits, and animal wisdom, feminist histories and people today across the continents weaving webs of care and imagination with which we can repair the world.
My guess is that you know this, which is why you were attracted to witchcraft in the first place.
So, the question is, why would one avoid something that they love and want?
When I avoid things that I actually want more of in my life (which is often), I usually do so for one (or all) of the following reasons:
I’m tired, just want to veg, and feel overwhelmed by doing anything more than mindless scrolling or binge watching Scandinavian noir
I have a million personal chores to do, or requests other people have made of me, that I feel like I need to attend to before I do the things that I love best
I’m about to do it — but then I get distracted by tidying up my desk, making Pinterest boards of post-apocalyptic style inspo, playing with my cats, more scrolling, answering emails, cleaning out the refrigerator, having ADHD, etc.
I have a shit-ton of work to do, and I don’t feel like I’m allowed to do fun things until I finish all my work, which will never happen, because it’s not possible
I feel overwhelmed by the idea of practicing witchcraft (or making artwork) because I don’t know where to start and it’s also attached to all these big, grand ideals I have about what I want my life to be about. So shifting from making breakfast to practicing ritual feels too daunting when I’ve got my whole identity riding on it
I could go on.
There are a million reasons why I might avoid doing the very thing I want to do most in the world, which are probably very similar to everybody else’s reasons. Exhaustion and overwhelm, basically.
The trouble is, at least for me, that when I avoid doing what I love best in order to complete a chore, answer an email, or binge-watch tv, I end up feeling bad about myself and … kinda lost, really. Like, “what am I doing with my life?”
IOW, avoidance makes me miserable. It makes me forget who I am.
Witchcraft is an orientation. It’s like a direction on a compass. I want to orient myself towards witchcraft because the enchanted world is the one I want to live in, and grind culture is the world I want to leave.
But grind culture (aka capitalism) does not want you to leave it.
Grind culture hides the key, stands in front of the door, demands that you stay, then puts a bowl of Skittles on the table for you to nourish yourself while you continue working.
Grind culture puts its hooks in us, but witchcraft is a medicine to expel them.
Practicing witchcraft connects us with all the other witches throughout space and time devoting their lives to celebration of the animate world, inspiration, plants, creativity, and freedom for all beings.
But it’s not the idea of witchcraft that binds us to its magic. It’s the practice. It’s the experience.
Without the daily experience of magic, the currents of capitalist grind culture are so strong that its undertow will rip us away from the shores of enchantment.
If that sounds scary, well, it is. At least to me. It’s unfair and infuriating that we have to do so much to stay connected to the magic that is our birthright just because the culture we live in tries SO HARD to break our bonds. But, c’est la vie!
The good news is that witchcraft feels good to do, and…
…our connection to one another gives us power.
We can tap into our collective power when we’re trying to find the strength to return to our wellspring of inspiration, which, for me at least, is the practice of witchcraft itself.
The experience of practicing witchcraft is the antidote to the alienation and exhaustion with which capitalism poisons us.
So how to have that experience when every single little thing seems to be getting in the way?
How to Practice Witchcraft When You Keep Making Excuses Why Not
Set smaller goals.
Set a goal for this month to send in the petition for the next Candle Spell this week. It’s 10 words. You can send them anytime. Maybe make it about reviving your magical practice! And then that’s it for the month!
Print out the Witch Guide and put it on your refrigerator. Choose 1 THING from the guide to do this month, whatever feels like the most fun. Maybe it’s just pulling a tarot card or paying attention to the plants on your morning walk. One thing is enough!
Attending the monthly Full Moon ritual is probably the easiest way to stay connected to your practice, because I’m doing the heavy lifting for you, you get recharged by the power of your community, and I will give you constant reminders to feel the magic as it flows through you. It’s like having a personal trainer that you only have to see once a month for it to work.
If you can’t make it to the Full Moon Ceremony, watch the replay. Even while you’re doing dishes, putting on your make up, or on your morning commute. The Full Moon ceremonies are designed to last you through the month, even a little bit is powerful medicine.
Remember to enjoy yourself. Witchcraft is a restorative practice. Doing it restores your power, puts you in connection with your most authentic self, and is a way of connecting with your muse and your community. But in order for it to work, you need to be present for the experience and enjoy it. ENJOY lighting a candle in the morning. 2 minutes of enjoyment is better than 2 hours of ritual that you don’t do because you’re too stressed out.
Practice gratitude for the rituals, and to yourself for showing up. Instead of getting on your own case for not doing it right, remember to practice gratitude to yourself for showing up, even if all you can do is sit there. Your inner witch will respond to your kindness.
Make it easy, and make it a habit. A lot of the time when I’m avoiding my witchcraft it’s because I’m making it too much of a big deal. Lower your expectations. And find a time to commit to ONE SIMPLE PRACTICE that you can do daily, right after you do something else that you do every day (like visiting your altar and lighting incense right after brushing your teeth).
Remember your witchcraft is your art. When you are a witch, you are an artist. Which means that YOU are making the decisions, you decide what you need, you get to be creative. Artists don’t make art because someone tells them to. They do it because it brings them joy, it’s how they stay connected with themselves, and it gives their life meaning. Your witchcraft isn’t a chore, when you’re a witch practicing witchcraft is like breathing, you need it to thrive.
Here are a few simple practices to integrate into your day to get you back on track.
You don’t need to do all of them, but any of them will help you find your way back to the land of enchantment.
Make small offerings at your altar as often as you can (incense, light a candle, leave a cake or a cup of tea)
Read about a goddess, practice, or lineage that inspires you
Print out the monthly Mystery Cult Witch Guide, keep it on your refrigerator, and commit to doing just ONE THING from the guide each month
Listen to a witchy podcast (Between the Worlds is mine, but there are so many great ones out there)
Journal about what feels magical in your life, just noticing it will help it grow (you get journal prompts in the Witch Guide)
Cook making a conscious intention to work with a specific herb
Spend time in nature, do something that fosters your connection with the web of life
Pay attention to the turning of the seasons
Come to the Full Moon circles, or listen to/watch the replay
The most important thing, as you’re doing ANY of the things above, is to notice how you feel before, during, and after doing it.
For me, that noticing is the most important thing because I always remember how good witchcraft makes me feel. It always is like, “Oh! There I am! This is who I am! This is where my power is.”
Try some of these and let me know how it goes!
If you’re still struggling you can always book a 1-1 session with me and we can come up with something that works for you.
(Remember that Founder’s Level subscribers get 10% sessions - just email us at guardian@oracleoflosangeles.com for your coupon code).
Sending love and power in the meantime,
Amanda
P.S. You never need to apologize to me for not coming to the circles, or not sending in your petitions. I am not the one you’re doing this for! You’re practicing magic for your inner witch. Let her/them know that you’re working to find your way back to them, and offer them some gratitude for inspiring you to ask this question. You got this!