By Renee Bedard
The solemn act of lighting candles in the silence of the night. The seductive lure of being wrapped in the heady scents of sacred smoke. The slow, steady breaths we purposefully take that leads us to our center once again. Circles are cast to celebrate the ever-turning wheel honoring the seasons and cycles and the partnership between the beings of spirit and beings of flesh. Body positions and deliberate, thoughtful movements help build energy in and around the body of the witch. It is the action that will allow a practitioner to break free from the chatter and chains of the day with intention to propel them into a state where they intend to seek solace or perhaps enlightenment. Each act is a ritual. Each movement made and word whispered is a sacred and meaningful act. They are beautiful and thoughtful expressions of the practitioner’s art and soul. As witches, we often partake in these hallowed rites when we are called to ceremony, meditation, and for our spiritual well-being. We work to develop a strong sense of ritual in our magickal life. How we create our rituals is a reflection of our inner and outer selves. However, the sacredness does not have to end as we release the circle. It does not expire as a candle flame burns out or our incense turns to ash. No. Every day our rituals touch every aspect of our lives whether we realize it or not. So, do you bring your magickal lens with you as you weave your way through the everyday landscape?
We all share personal and social rituals at home, at work, and in our various communities. It is how we move in this world. We are directed to act in specific ways at specific times. We are taught from a very early age about expectations, rules, and commitments. Growing into adulthood, this can be evident in our overly scheduled calendars and very long to do lists. This can leave us with very little time and energy to practice our craft. As a result, we can feel our lives split into two worlds: the magickal world and the mundane or everyday world. As this rift continues, we can begin to feel unbalanced in a spiritual way, losing pieces of ourselves in the process. Over time, this can create a divide where we may feel disconnected from our magickal selves and only feel that magick is to be held within a sacred circle. This does not have to be the choice we live with. For there is magick to see and experience in every moment of our lives. What is to be remembered, is that we have the power to choose to see the magick. Every day, magick can be woven into our daily societal rituals, just like our magickal rituals. As witches, we contain the power to create what we wish to see, but how do we do this?
In our daily life, we hold the power to see and express ourselves. We give ourselves titles or labels and act accordingly. As a result, the weight of their meaning is formed. It is what we knowingly or sometimes knowingly dress ourselves in every day. This too, is a ritual. We declare what we are, who we are, and where we stand in our societal circles. Whether we like our position or not, a judgement is placed upon us. However, we often forget that we are the ones placing the judgement upon ourselves. The words and titles we wear swirl around us, creating an energy of their own. These labels and words hold weight, meaning, and power. Day after day, year after year, thoughtforms are created and sustained. We can put a lot of energy and emotion into these declarations that feed the thoughtforms. Sometimes the labels or thoughtforms will help us. Other times, they can be harmful. For what we tell ourselves on the inside will always be reflected on the outside. The labels we give ourselves are spoken intentions. They are energies that we put out into the universe. As witches and magickal practitioners, we know that the universe will always respond. How do you talk with yourself? Do you take the time to evaluate how you are communicating with yourself and others? What kind of labels and thoughtforms have you been charging and creating?
It is easy to forget that there is beauty and magick all around us every day, especially when we get caught up in the chaotic currents that churn all around us. As humans, we are taught that everything has a time and place. We do what we need to do and when it is complete, we move onto the next task at hand. We are directed to gather in specific ways to preform specific tasks. However, as witches, we see the magick in every day life. Our magick does not end at our altar. No. We have the ability and responsibility to breathe the sacred into our lives. We communicate with the energies that flow all around us. We have the ability to weave our magick throughout the world. We have the power to ignite necessary change in our lives. While all of this is true, do we also take the time we require to be still, to listen to what our bodies are telling us, and to rest when we need to rest? There is a give and take in life and magick alike. Witches understand that and sometimes need the reminder that we cannot successfully send energy out when our energy is depleted. There is a delicate balance to our lives that must be attended to. Healing, restoration, breathwork, and dreaming are also important actions. Are you taking the time you need to refill yourself with healthy food, rest, reflection, laughter, study, and play? Do you take care of yourself as you would take care of a loved one? Are you in need of stronger, more defined boundaries in order to achieve your goals and peace of mind?
Each aspect of our lives contains sacred and magickal rituals. We no longer need to place our magick behind a locked door or upon a shelf. The magick is in us because we are the magick. It is who we are at our core. As witches and magickal practitioners, we move in our circles every day experiencing the highs and lows in the dance of life. It is how we live, love, learn, and grow. We see, feel, and experience connections in all things. It is the sun upon your skin. It is a smile from a stranger. It is the way we stand up for ourselves and others. It is the wind that kicks up in response to a question we have asked. The more we remember who we are as witches, we will be able to embrace the magick within us. This grants us the potential to breathe magick into every corner in our lives, whether we are walking inside or outside of our magick rooms. It is how we create a balance. It is how we create peace. It is how we create the bridge from our witch soul and into this life that we are living today. Through this powerful act of remembering, we allow ourselves the space for the healing, love, and comfort we deserve. Through these actions, may we lovingly birth new rituals into our daily lives where we willingly bring ourselves home, fortifying the beauty within us and the world around us. Every moment is a ritual and we, as witches, have the power to embrace and experience it.
Renee Bedard is a Witchcraft 4 student and a deputy minister for the Virgo Ministry. She also is a psychic intuitive and Reiki Master Teacher / Practitioner.