How do Witches deal with Stress?
Our modern lives are full of stress, rushing to meet deadlines, working long hours to pay the bills, looking after our families and keeping up with our friends. Even Facebook and e-mails can be a stress factor. Everyone wants us to instantly respond! Sometimes even the idea of fitting in regular spiritual work such as meditation or morning ritual can be a stressor….and then there’s finding time to exercise and eat well. Reading this post reminding you of stress can be stressful! Do Witches handle stress differently from other people? If so what do they do?
If you go to a non-Wiccan counselor they won’t be able to understand the profound spiritual path you are on. They have never experienced the presence of the Goddess in the Circle or the fellowship of the Coven. They may suggest coping mechanism to you such as exercise or meditation but these things are only band-aids. What you need to do is find the profound stillness of Sacred Space. This is the only way that you as a Witch on a transformative mystery path can move away from the stress of the mundane and into the magickal life.
First Things First
Don’t miss Coven. No matter how busy you are take the time at least once a month (more if you can) to sit in sacred space with your Coven. Cast the Circle properly and call the Elementals, purify the Circle, call the God and Goddess, ground and center. Sit in Their presence. Just sitting in sacred space can have a profound effect on our energy. Doing Solitary ritual everyday by yourself is good but if you are in a disturbed and stressed state of mind the creating of the sacred space can be very disjointed. In a strong Coven the mundane world is left behind and we truly are between the worlds. This is a total disconnect from stress and it can be profoundly healing.
Go Outside
Every day you must go outside, rain or shine, winter or summer, even if only for ten minutes and DO NOTHING. Just be outside and feel the rain, look at the clouds, feel the air on your skin, notice the moon or the sun, touch a tree. This tiny amount of time is your way of connecting with the rhythm of the earth and re-connecting with who you are. You are part of nature and the divine is there. Research has shown that spending 20 minutes outside every day in a nature place (where there is an open sky and trees, fields, plants etc.) can have a profound effect on relieving and preventing depression.
Talk to your High Priest or High Priestess
It’s important to let your HP/S know what is going on with you. They are trained to listen and to support you. This is not counseling but it is pastoral support. Let them know what is going on in your life, spiritual and mundane. Feel the connection with the the Tradition and the Old Ones through them. The Old Ones are the Witches that have gone before and who are looking out for us. They are our ancestors in Spirit (as opposed to ancestors of blood). If you are a Solitary Witch and you don’t belong to any Tradition try and find a High Priestess who would be willing to be your Mentor and meet with you on a regular basis, every month or every few months, just to talk about your spiritual work. Be prepared to pay her for this pastoral counseling though. She won’t charge her Coven but you are coming to her as an outsider and she deserves to be payed for her time the same as any other counselor.
Simplify
Finally, last but NOT least, is to simplify your life. You need time to breathe! Do you really need to have that fancy house with a $3000 a month mortgage? Would you be just as happy living in a little cottage that you could pay off in a few years? Do you need a big car or would a little car get you were you are going just as well? If you don’t need so much money you won’t need to work so hard and will have more time to spend in the garden, knit a sweater, play hockey, cook home-made jam, visit friends and all the other things that make life so rewarding. If you spend every waking minute worrying and working at the end of your precious life you will look back with regret. Take time to spend with people you love and let the others go. Keep it simple! Breathe a big sigh of relief and go outside. Let go of worry and feel the wind on your face. The Lord and Lady are waiting!
Our modern lives are full of stress, rushing to meet deadlines, working long hours to pay the bills, looking after our families and keeping up with our friends. Even Facebook and e-mails can be a stress factor. Everyone wants us to instantly respond! Sometimes even the idea of fitting in regular spiritual work such as meditation or morning ritual can be a stressor….and then there’s finding time to exercise and eat well. Reading this post reminding you of stress can be stressful! Do Witches handle stress differently from other people? If so what do they do?
If you go to a non-Wiccan counselor they won’t be able to understand the profound spiritual path you are on. They have never experienced the presence of the Goddess in the Circle or the fellowship of the Coven. They may suggest coping mechanism to you such as exercise or meditation but these things are only band-aids. What you need to do is find the profound stillness of Sacred Space. This is the only way that you as a Witch on a transformative mystery path can move away from the stress of the mundane and into the magickal life.
First Things First
Don’t miss Coven. No matter how busy you are take the time at least once a month (more if you can) to sit in sacred space with your Coven. Cast the Circle properly and call the Elementals, purify the Circle, call the God and Goddess, ground and center. Sit in Their presence. Just sitting in sacred space can have a profound effect on our energy. Doing Solitary ritual everyday by yourself is good but if you are in a disturbed and stressed state of mind the creating of the sacred space can be very disjointed. In a strong Coven the mundane world is left behind and we truly are between the worlds. This is a total disconnect from stress and it can be profoundly healing.
Go Outside
Every day you must go outside, rain or shine, winter or summer, even if only for ten minutes and DO NOTHING. Just be outside and feel the rain, look at the clouds, feel the air on your skin, notice the moon or the sun, touch a tree. This tiny amount of time is your way of connecting with the rhythm of the earth and re-connecting with who you are. You are part of nature and the divine is there. Research has shown that spending 20 minutes outside every day in a nature place (where there is an open sky and trees, fields, plants etc.) can have a profound effect on relieving and preventing depression.
Talk to your High Priest or High Priestess
It’s important to let your HP/S know what is going on with you. They are trained to listen and to support you. This is not counseling but it is pastoral support. Let them know what is going on in your life, spiritual and mundane. Feel the connection with the the Tradition and the Old Ones through them. The Old Ones are the Witches that have gone before and who are looking out for us. They are our ancestors in Spirit (as opposed to ancestors of blood). If you are a Solitary Witch and you don’t belong to any Tradition try and find a High Priestess who would be willing to be your Mentor and meet with you on a regular basis, every month or every few months, just to talk about your spiritual work. Be prepared to pay her for this pastoral counseling though. She won’t charge her Coven but you are coming to her as an outsider and she deserves to be payed for her time the same as any other counselor.
Simplify
Finally, last but NOT least, is to simplify your life. You need time to breathe! Do you really need to have that fancy house with a $3000 a month mortgage? Would you be just as happy living in a little cottage that you could pay off in a few years? Do you need a big car or would a little car get you were you are going just as well? If you don’t need so much money you won’t need to work so hard and will have more time to spend in the garden, knit a sweater, play hockey, cook home-made jam, visit friends and all the other things that make life so rewarding. If you spend every waking minute worrying and working at the end of your precious life you will look back with regret. Take time to spend with people you love and let the others go. Keep it simple! Breathe a big sigh of relief and go outside. Let go of worry and feel the wind on your face. The Lord and Lady are waiting!
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