At one of the reiki shares we were sharing what was going on a bit in our lives. One share stuck out to me the next day. It was of a parent who was putting two kids through college and how as parents they had to go over what their budget was so they could afford to send both progeny to college. One thing that had to be factored into their budget was witchcraft and what they spent on it. I started to mull over this idea of a “witchcraft budget.”
Budgets in themselves are not very exciting but they are necessary to achieve a long term goal. To make one you have to be introspective as to what your priorities are. It takes courage to see yourself in the eyes of a budget for it can bring up sadness as we let go of things of less priority to make room for our true priorities. This could be why people avoid doing them. As witches we need to be introspective and a budget is a great way to think about how we “spend” our lives.
This conversation had me thinking not only in the terms of money but also in the terms of how I spend my time and energy when it comes to witchcraft. What practices give me the most back in enjoyment, benefits to community, benefit to my own self growth? As witchcraft is a science, as well as an art and religion, one needs to have data to be able to judge how well something works for you. Turning back to my journal I looked over what seemed effective for me and where I had “over spent” on something that did not give a whole lot back. This type of introspection is helpful to make future plans.
Tracking our “spending” in our journal can be a valuable experience. Spending a little time learning how to track one’s progress and self in a journal can be valuable. Learning how to bullet journal can be helpful in learning what you have been doing and its effects.
A budget is just a plan and should change with the circumstances. Looking to my students through their progress through the craft, I have found that at different times students’ “budgets” had to change to accommodate a priority. One example was a student who lost a family member during their classes. Suddenly they found themselves behind because their budget had to now accommodate their grieving process. This sudden life change disrupted their life but was a sudden priority change that was completely necessary to their healing process. This is why the witchcraft budget is an adaptable plan to the circumstances we are going through at the time.
We have to include the circumstances we have to deal with in our budget. Every one’s circumstances are different. Some people have kids, some have medical conditions, some have elderly parents to care for, an addiction, a chronic issue, a job commitment, or a multitude of variables. These circumstances call for us to be creative and to realize what our priorities are. When it comes to dealing with our circumstances it can be helpful to budget out time, money and energy to see what we can afford. Some people put off their craft to make room for these circumstances and some will over spend on the craft to escape dealing with them. The goal of the budget is to find a way to make it balanced and remember the benefits of your craft.
As a hypnotist I think about what I say and how to frame things to make sure I am telling my subconscious things that are helpful. Saying that “this isn”t in my budget yet” is different then saying you don’t have the money, time, or energy for it. When I say it isn’t in my budget I am saying I have different priorities right now and If I want to make something new a priority I have to shift things. You have time, money, and energy but they are being spent on different priorities recognizes that you have abundance and does not put energy into creating lack. Following the sentence with the word “yet” makes it so you are not limiting the field of possibility for this to manifest in the future when priorities shift.
Adam Sartwell (New Hampshire) works as a certified Consulting Hypnotist with the National guild of Hypnotists and ICBCH, and professional Tarot reader. He is a co-founder of the Temple of Witchcraft, a religious nonprofit. Award wining Author of Twenty-one days of Reiki and The Blessing Cord. He has been published in anthologies such as Green lovers, Ancestors of the craft, and Foundations of the temple. For more information on his work as a hypnotist and online courses go to https://hypnointuitive.com. To see more about his work as an author, psychic reader, and teacher go to his website https://adamsartwell.com