Your Work Is Not Your Worth : Herbs + Essences to Move from Overwork into Interdependence

I’ve been on a journey of slowing down the past year in ways that have brought me relief and joy, but also a lot of trepidation, rigid fear, and destabilization. This move towards slowness has been a long time coming and holy heck have I resisted it for what I thought were all the “right” reasons. None of these reasons served me or the wholeness, resiliency, and pleasure we need in ourselves and our communities right now and yet I clung to them for way too long. Because why embrace change when you can cling?

So what were these reasons that I was convinced deserved my clingy effort? Prithee, enjoy:

• I can’t slow down because the world is on fire and who am I to take time “away” from the fight? (Because who needs to sleep or eat! That’s sustainable!)

• I think I have it hard! HA! Look at all the other folks who have it way harder than you and get back to work. (i.e. the endless, disconnecting, and demoralizing comparison game!)

• If I don’t work this hard I won’t be able to pay my bills (now this reason can be very true sometimes, but it was not true for me all the time and I used it as an excuse to not ask for help from others).

• I mean I work too much but I love my work so that doesn’t count, right? (i.e. the entrepreneur’s death knell)

• I have got to get it “right” on the first go or not only am I “wrong” but a bad person (i.e. the purity politics that are running us ragged in social justice circles).

• If I slow down who will I become? (Aha! This fear is actually a beacon by which to explore deeper needs and desires with)

I’ll be honest - none of these “right” reasons every felt right to me. But I was raised on the internet and this is the sort of messaging we’re bombarded with in communities agitating for change. Slowly but persistently over the years, these whispers of anxiety moved from the corners of my consciousness to taking center stage as my very own personal internet choir of doom and tear-downs. I knew it was happening and tried to alleviate this growing tightness in my spirit in a multitude of ways except the one way I was most afraid of - slowing way down.

Slowing down would be admitted a few truths to myself that I am still learning to be comfortable with:

• I am very introverted but often appear to be extroverted in my life (though this is changing as I grow into these inward parts of myself). Through denying my introversion I frequently set myself  up to feel like a social experiment gone awry using inappropriate markers to judge my “success” of being a person in the world. Coming from overcultures and personal cultures which prize extroversion over introversion means there’s just a lot of stuff to untangle. That and recognizing that we are all a variation of introverted and extroverted tendencies - I’ve just been relying too hard and long on my extroversion skill set and need a break.

• I’ve been doing too much the past few years, following the tight path of fear instead of the open flow of desire.

• The internet choir of doom and devastation in my head? It may have been built on lived experiences, a hyper-connected culture, and real-world problems, but I’m the one giving them the stage, providing refreshments, and making sure the mics are on.

Yet, the allure of slowness has aligned more strongly with my desires than my the power of my fear teaming up with anxiety. What I have known all along is that my worth (and your worth) is not tied up with my work, my productivity or the ever changing measurements of overculture success. I’m going to take a moment to quote adrienne marie brown at length now for two reasons a) consider this an extended invitation for reading her work Emergent Strategy and b) because her words are a pleasure and get right to why we need to step together and slow down.

“One of the most common and exciting elements of the visioning exercises I have done with social justice movements and organizations is the desire for a society where there is more interdependence - mutual reliance and shared leadership, vision. This is particularly our longing in the face of economic competition.

Most of us are socialized towards independence - pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps, working on our own to develop, to survive, to win at life. Competition is the way we hone our skill and comfort with the opposite of mutual reliance - we learn to feel proud about how much we achieve as individuals, and sometimes, to actively work to bring others down in order to get ahead.

In a capitalist society like the United States, every aspect of our survival - from food and water to healthcare, childcare, and elder care - is based on our success at being an individual in the world: Do we compete well enough to make good money so that we can live a good life?

… Do you already know that your existence - who and how you are - is in and of itself a contribution to the people and place around you? Not after or because you do some particular thing, but simply the miracle of your life. And that the people around you, and the place(s), have contributions as well? Do you understand that your quality of life and your survival are tied to how authentic and generous the connections are between you and the people and place you live with and in?” (Emergent Strategy, pages 87 + 91)

Take a moment to breathe that in.

These words brought me back to the moment a few years back of knowing in my bones that I, in all my complexity, have a right to exist. There is nothing to prove to myself or others, but plenty of opportunity to participate. This memory and brown’s words also affirmed a feeling I’ve been having to describe my work not as intersectional (though it is) but more accurately as interdependent - but that’s another post… Right now, that’s feeling good in my bones and getting slow means I’m paying more attention to my rootedness.

Slowness as a sacred act of resiliency, homecoming, and pleasure, has reminded me that my worth is not tied up in my work, my productivity, my success or my failures. It’s bound up in relationships. Yes, work can be one way of creating relationships, but it shouldn’t replace relationships, or be a measurement by which to determine if you are worth relating to. Some of the earliest lessons and knowings my Pagan Witch path was tied up to the idea of being in harmonious relationship with myself, the elements within and around me as well as the community of people, creatures, and kin that I was part of. I remember learning “a Witch is only as good as their word” and, being people of spoken charms and incantations, listeners of plants and animals, and storytellers of lost myths, how important this felt for me. How filled with a sense of worth I was knowing that the world might be telling me one thing about how my worth was determined, but I knew that it was these sacred relationships that were the true reflection of my worth.

But it was really hard to take the first few steps of slowing down. So I turned to my relationships with my plant kin for guidance. And if you’re feeling resonance with what I’m writing, I hope that the following recommendations for both flower essences as well as herbal remedies help those of you who are trying to slow down in order to do less but be more. More in love. More in life. More in your wholeness and relationships. 

Herbal Allies

Milky Oat (Avena sativa): All of the herbs I recommend are nervines because our nervous systems are overworked when we use work as our marker for our worth. Milky Oat is a beloved of mine and a true friend to those of us who have crispy and frayed nervous systems. This is a daily long-term (multiple months) sort of remedy to really take root. Along with nourishing and restoring the nervous system to balance, Milky Oat softens us up. Overwork creates a state of rigidity brought on by tension and fear. As we learn about how to be internally nourished from Milky Oat they help us to seek out similarly nourishing relationships with the people, creatures, and places around us. Read the full Milky Oat plant profile.

Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata): Neck and shoulder tension, stress headaches, and a being tightly wound or type A, are all indicators that Blue Vervain may be a helpful ally to you. The herb is lovingly relaxing and tension-reducing as well as alleviating inflammation. As a temple herb - a plant that is well-suited to sacred rites - Blue Vervain helps us to figure out what is sacred in our life and how much space we want to gift to our sacredness. Read the full Blue Vervain plant profile.

Rose (Rosa spp.) Flower + Essence: I’ve written about Rose quite a bit, but in particular for overworkers and folks struggling to place their worth in a framework that is healing instead of disruptive, Rose helps us to reconnect us to our heart presence. As a symbol of mystery and complexity, Rose helps us to embrace our own complexity and ability to adapt. And adaptation is not just another excuse for running yourself ragged (i.e. I can adapt to only 4 hours of sleep a night and maintaining a toxic relationship to social media, it’s cool) but real adaptation means we know when to step up, step back, and step into the arms of support. 

Elm Flower Essence: I resisted taking Elm flower essence because I didn’t want to recognize myself as someone who tied up so much of their worth to their work. But immensely patient Elm said, “That’s fine. I’ll wait.” Here’s the description of Elm from Dr. Edward Bach “Those who are doing good work, are following the calling of their life and who hope to do something of importance, and this often for the benefit of humanity. At times there may be periods of depression when they feel that the task they have undertaken is too difficult, and not within the power of a human being” (The Twelve Healers and Other Remedies). Elm is an excellent ally not only for the “work as worth” dynamic but for when burden outweighs hope in one’s life, remembering that burdensomeness in one’s life can manifest as persistent anxiety. This is a great pre- and post-therapy session essence, too.

Oak Flower Essence: The essence for folks who don’t know when to sit down and rest. We all know how strong you are - you don’t need to prove it to anyone. It’s time to believe it yourself and rest up before that resiliency runs out on you. This essence is great for folks who feel a sense of duty to set the world right at the cost to their own health and wellbeing. Stubbornly resisting slowing down even thought there is small but persistent inner knowing that it’s just what you need? Make friends with Oak. Oak is one of the most beautiful teachers of interdependence and a longstanding embodiment of wisdom with a root system even more extensive that then vastness of its aboveground presence - which should tell us something about longevity. Again from adrienne marie brown’s book this time quoting Naima Penniman:

“When Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, almost everything lost its footing. Houses were detached from their foundations, trees and shrubbery were uprooted, sign posts and vehicles floated down the rivers that become of the streets. But amidst the whipping winds and surging water, the oak tree held its ground. How? Instead of digging its roots deep and solitary into the earth, the oak tree grows its roots wide and interlocks with other oak trees in the surrounding area. And you can’t bring down a hundred oak trees bound beneath the soil! How do we survive the unnatural disasters of climate change, environmental injustice, over-policing, mass-imprisonment, militarization, economic inequality, corporate globalization, and displacement? We must connect in the underground, my people! In this way, we shall survive.” (Emergent Strategy, 85)

While I still feel like it’s early days learning about my slowness, it also feels like a return to something very old within me that I’ve always known. And old places within ourselves can be hard to get to. So lean on the elders in your community, be they plant, people or creature, and remember to slow down when wisdom is shared. Yes, the world needs changing if we’re going to find ourselves in more just and kind relationships with one another and our ocean planet. But though we need to act quickly, ultimately the solutions remain ones of slowness. Slowing down unrelenting growth, dominating expansion, and consumerism, into something more considered, unafraid of real change, and tied to the sacredness of life and death, not just its exploitation. Remember not to exploit your own resources in an attempt to save other resources.

Practice slowness as a spiritual calling.
Know slowness as self-love.
Create slowness in your community as an act of resiliency.

In slowness and gratefulness,
Alexis

Alternatives to Year Ahead Tarot Spreads

Whenever the new year lands for you whether in January or one of the many seasonal and celestial celebrations of the year, it’s a popular time to cast a big ol’ annual spread of cards. I did this myself for many a year and then I stopped. Not because I don’t think the tradition of a year ahead spread is not a completely magickal way to begin your year, but because it no longer was useful for me and my practice. I began to notice that by the time I hit months seven through twelve of my reading in real time (i.e. seven to twelve months after casting my spread), the cards energies felt water down if not completely out of alignment with what was occurring in my life. Were the cards wrong? Or was I reading them wrong? No. In truth my life in recent years has seem to go through these seismic shake-ups and changes that the lines of my wyrd, to use the Old English word denoting a combination of personal unfixed destiny and the power of becoming, have been reweaving at a rapid pace. 

Experiencing a weird and wild wyrd? I think that’s true for a lot of folks right now. And I think at different parts in our lives different styles of an annual spread make sense. I imagine that in a decade or two I’ll probably try a traditional twelve month spread for my new year, but in the meantime, I’ve come up with a few alternatives. These spreads developed from my own seeking to find something that felt more flexible and co-creative with my cards and my magick. Here are my three alternatives to annual tarot spreads that are a little less fated, more wyrd, and a way to keep engaged with the turning wheel of the year.

The Elemental Tarot by Caroline Smith + John Astrop

The Yearly Guide

The simplest alternative is to choose to work with one card as a guide and ally through the year. Since I work with the wheel of the year, I like to call this card the Guardian of the Wheel. The Yearly Guide(s) act like a teacher, helping you to meet anything that may come your way during a year. They also embody qualities for you to examine within yourself including qualities that we might need to release and others that need developing. I recommend pulling from the Major Arcana of your deck to find a Yearly Guide card, but feel free to that which you are called to do.

There are a few ways to figure out which card is your Yearly Guide. You can pull out your deck and shuffle through, pulling a card at random to be the card of the year for you. You can look through your deck face up and purposefully choose a card to work with (this is especially powerful if you’re trying to gain a sense of will and personal power about yourself). Finally, you can use a bit of sacred numerology to discover your year card from the Major Arcana. To do this, add together the number of your birth month and birth date with the number of the year. Here are a few examples:

Someone born July 17 and seeking their annual card for 2019 would add their numbers as so: 7 + 1 + 7 + 2 + 0 + 1 + 9 = 27. Since 27 is larger than 21 (the highest number of the Major Arcana) they would then add 2 + 7 to get 9. Their card for 2019 would be The Hermit.

If you were born on November 9 your numbers would add up as so : 1 + 1 + 9 + 2 + 0 + 1 + 9 = 23. Then adding together 2 + 3 you would get 5 representing The Hierophant.

Sometimes you get two numbers. For example, someone born on January 17 has an annual number of 21. You could further add together 2 + 1 to get 3. So they would have two Yearly Guide cards - the World and the Empress. Alternatively, they could choose to work with one card over the other or work with one card for half of the year and the other card for the second half of the year. 

Once you’ve discovered your Yearly Guide card, you can incorporate it into your magickal work, add it to your altars, keep a copy in your wallet, paste it to a seven day candle. Keep it in your sight both physically and magickally.

The Luna Sol Tarot by Mike Medaglia

Six Months Ahead Spread

As the title suggests, the six months spread is half the length of an annual spread recognizing that energies often change halfway through the year. The six month ahead spread is a great choice for those who like the familiarity of the annual spread but are feeling, like me, that the cards for the last six months of the spread aren’t always as resonant as the first six. It’s also establishes a great mid-year magickal practice where you cast another six cards for the final half of the year.

The Numinous Tarot by Noel Arthur Heimpel (left) and Thea’s Tarot by Rhea West

The Solar - Lunar Spread

Here’s my most complex proposal for a year ahead alternative spread. It combines the tradition of the twelve card annual spread with a bit of Moon magick. Begin by casting your twelve monthly cards which we’ll card the Solar Cards from here on out. Alternatively, if you want to really tie it to solar energies, cast twelve cards for each of the twelve signs of the zodiac. So your first card would be for Aries corresponding roughly to the period of March 20 to April 20 (this changes year to year, so be sure to check your astrological calendar).

Your Lunar Cards are cast each month on the New Moon. If your Solar Cards are just for each calendar month, on the New Moon in January you would cast a Lunar Card to go alongside your Solar card. If you’ve chosen the astrological method, you would cast your Lunar Card on the New Moon corresponding to the solar sign. To cast a Lunar Card for your Solar Card of Aries you would cast it on the New Moon in Aries. 

The Solar Cards act much in the same way as a the twelve cards in a traditional annual spread. They give an overview of energies for a month-long period in their life. The Lunar Cards, which are cast month-to-month, take into consideration the fluctuating energies and changes happening for you at the moment in time that you’re casting them. The Lunar Cards can reveal what had been hidden but come to light or speak to the ways that you have changed since you cast the original twelve Solar Cards. They’re really helpful at nuancing the message of Solar Cards cast for the latter half of the year. It can be very revealing to read the twelve Solar Cards at the beginning of the year and then notice how your interpretation shifts or deepens when you pair each Solar Card with their Lunar Card partner.

What will I be doing this year? A combination of all three! I’ll be working with my annual guide along with pulling a six month Solar - Lunar spread.

So there are my three alternatives to year ahead tarot spreads! You can check out all of my divinatory spreads or my spreads for each one of the Sabbats if you’re feeling inspired. And if you’re thinking it’s time to discover the intersections of herbal healing and tarot, come this way.

Smoke Relief : Herbal Remedies for Fire Season

We are living in fiery times in more ways than one.

The chaos of cultural, climate, and interpersonal change has left many of us breathless and burnt out. Fire can be a source of life-sustaining life, the heat of transformation, the spark of poetry. And it can be a hungry beast which destroys with terrifying swiftness. So what can we do as herbalists, healers, and magickal folk during fire season and beyond?

In practical ways we can donate time and resources (check out the CA Wildfire Relief Fund and Frontline Medics). Make sure that our communities affected by fire or any other natural, sociopolitical or interpersonal disaster know that there are free resources for their mental and emotional health that they can access at any time such as Crisis Text Line, The Trevor Project, RAINN, National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center and many more. Check in with those we love. Check in with ourselves.

image via landis brown

I created the following recipe for my family during this particularly challenging wildfire season. In addition to herbal support, staying indoors, and air purifiers (which can be super pricey - but you can search for diy versions), face masks are essential and you can get ones that will last longer than single use such as these. Herbal steams are useful, too, for helping to fill the airways with moistening and healing plant medicine.

The foundation of my Smoke Relief blend is Plantain (Plantago major) which is helpful in healing tissue and restoring the lungs after inhalation of the particulate matter carried in smoke. Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) and Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) are the main respiratory system tonics and Elder Flower (Sambucus nigra) helps aids with antihistamine magick and nervous system tenderness. Nervines are important for fire season, too - our bodies are stressed out for many reasons which is why Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) is in my blend. I also see Lemon Balm as an herb of the collective and the community mind with its relationship to the magick of bees and their hive consciousness. I usually like to use Yerba Santa (Eriodictyon californicum) for smoke relief but did not this time simply because I was out - but it’s a powerful ally during fire season that you should take time to learn more about.

You can endlessly adjust this recipe and if you want it to be less about smoke relief and more about general respiratory wellness during winter, check out this post for some inspiration.

Smoke Relief Tincture

Either mix the following individual tinctures or blend dried herbs together to create your tincture from scratch.

• 4 parts Plantain Leaf (Plantago major)

• 2 parts Hyssop Leaf(Hyssopus officinalis)

• 2 parts Mullein Leaf (Verbascum thapsus)

• 1 part Elder Flower (Sambucus nigra)

• 1 part Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)

Recommended dosage: 5 - 10 drops up to three times daily.

Expanding Balance : Meeting The Luna Sol Tarot

When I was contacted by the kind folks at Liminal 11 to see if I was interested in reviewing their new deck, The Luna Sol Tarot by Mike Medaglia, I took a look at their other publications and a few sample images of the deck and happily accepted the offer.

Now look, I don’t do many reviews, though I’ve there’s been an increase in publishers reaching out to me to share their latest publications with my readers. I don’t say yes often because if I’m going to spend time writing a review and sharing a publication with my rad community I want it to be something that feels purposeful and enriching. The Luna Sol Tarot got one of my rare review “yeses” and I’m genuinely excited to share with this charming deck with some real depth.

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But first a purposeful detour…

Asali Earthwork has already written a review for this deck and said so much of what I wanted to write about. So please read her words and get lost in the honey of her work as well as her gorgeous ongoing list of tarot that celebrates and includes QTPOC in its images. Something that Asali addresses and one of the things I wanted to write about, too, in this post was about how we do inclusivity around race, color, and ethnicity in indie tarot and oracle decks. The Strength card, the suit of Pentacles but often the Nine of Pentacles at minimum, and, of course, the Empress are increasingly becoming the standard place for folks of color and especially Black folk. Go ahead, rummage through some of your decks and you’ll start to notice a discomforting pattern. 

On examining this trend, Asali asks a powerful question: “Who gets to be soft and reflective and who has to be strong and resilient?” This isn’t just a question for tarot but one for life and definitely one to be asking in our social justice movements.

So why is this trend of enforced strength fo folks of color and especially Black folks so persistent not just in tarot but in other inclusive art? Here are some (but certainly not all) of the reasons that I think tarot and oracle creators trying to be inclusive fall into the trap of painful stereotypes and restrictions. None of what I’ve listed are excuses for lack of inclusivity or not well considered attempts at inclusive imagery - but a way for us to excavate beliefs that are no longer useful and cultivate new ones that are truly inclusive.

Traditional Court Card Correspondences: There is a tradition of tarot cards, especially the court cards, having physical characteristic correspondences. The Pentacles, for example, were supposed to correspond to folks with black and dark brown hair as well as dark eyes. And then there is the idea that different court cards correspond to, if not to the different races of the world, then at least the amount of melanin someone possessed. The suit of Swords, for example, corresponded to the fairest skinned (i.e. the suit of intelligence and quick thinking going to the whitest folks) and the Pentacles to folks with the darkest skin. I mean… sigh, right? This is not a useful system and quickly degrades revealing racist roots.  

Earthy Origin Story: I remember hearing one person defend having Black folks and folks of color in the Pentacles suit or as the Empress because it was a nod to our origins as a humxn species from Africa. But that too often slides into “noble primitive” thinking and this constant, problematic association of folks of color and especially Black folk with earthiness. Please pause and rethink this dynamic, whether it’s something you’ve imposed or internalized or a bit of both.

Trying to Celebrate Strength + Fierceness: There’s a terrible twist that happens when folks begin to unpack oppressive and prejudiced behavior - what was once avoided and denigrated can suddenly become worshiped and overly idolized. Both perspectives lack letting someone be humxn and flawed and needy and tender. In the US, Black women have increasingly become the fill-in image for strength and resilience whether in our politics or in our tarot decks. And while celebrating strength is one thing, it can create a damaging, isolating, and unreasonable expectation on the same people we’re trying to uphold. The point of social justice is not to move our opinions of “the other” from that of the lowest to the highest, but to meet everyone in the beautiful and messy middle. 

Basically, I would encourage all of us to think more critically and, more importantly, more creatively about inclusive imagery. So, how does The Luna Sol Tarot hold up to all this examining? Pretty darn well.

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When I saw the sample card for Temperance and the Star I knew that this deck had at least moved beyond Diversity in Tarot Decks 101. Folks of color show up throughout all four suits of the deck and in a broad range of emotional experiences. I actually said “thank the Goddess” when I saw an image of Temperance. It’s rare to get a masculine-presenting Black person for this card. And, damn, do we need more imagery like this. Also, since the Star is one of my favorite cards in the deck I was thrilled to find a hairy, curvy, South Asian person represented.

Can I take a moment to put out my personal request to the tarot and oracle card universe? More Asian representation, please. The Luna Sol Tarot has both.

The Luna Sol Tarot has a welcoming and trendy color palette but still uses color purposefully and is full of inviting imagery that would be easy enough for most beginners to connect with, with some real lovely innovations for experienced tarot readers to enjoy. The Major Arcana in this deck is familiar to most PCS / RWS readers with some great innovative twists. I love the inclusion of animals in each Major Arcana card that reveal an extra layer of meaning that’s incredibly useful for old and new readers. The Hierophant gave me chills and the Lovers… Well, the description in the accompanying little white book is a gift.

And speaking of the LWB - it’s great! I commend folks who are able to pull off a useful LWB - it’s a hard task and Mike Medaglia’s experience with writing short insights and descriptions from his comic writing is a definite boon. 

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The Minor Arcana is detailed without becoming distracting and the innovations found in the Major Arcana continue through the four suits. The Ten of Swords shines, the Four of Disks is such a clever and useful way of understanding the energy of that tricky card, and the Ten of Cup is adorable. The Court Cards don’t deviate from the classic titles, but many of the court feel queer and nonconforming to me and the art feels fresh and inviting.

I really like this deck. It’s one I’ll be reading with it in my own personal practice and that I’m happy to recommend to folks who are looking for an inclusive deck that both honors and innovates on tarot tradition. I like that The Luna Sol Tarot is gentle without being stripped of power and that it speaks to the Medaglia’s commitment to balance without getting lost in the arbitrariness of binaries. Because balance is less an act of trying to find equality through opposites and more about expanding access to experience - where we’re not asked because of the color of our skin, our country of origin, our disabilities, class, queerness, gender and so on to exist more on one emotional frequency more than any other. This deck feels like an act of service and love to the reader. Also, Asali pointed out something I hadn’t considered before reading her review - The Luna Sol Tarot is positioned in a more accessible price point than many other inclusive decks - heck yeah! 

And, please, please check out the other publications happening at Liminal 11 - there seems to be a lot of tarot-inspired content including a beautiful webcomic exploring the Major Arcana. Along with The Luna Sola Tarot and calendar, they kind folks at Liminal 11 sent me Women + Pattern + Plants by Sarina Mantle. I’ve never wanted to use one of these adult coloring books before until this gem arrived on my doorstep. Oh, and the Modern Witch Tarot looks like an utter delight (hot tip: be sure to look at the 10 of Swords).

Would you like to see more reviews on this blog or general recommendations for things tarot and magickal? Let me know in the comments. Also, be sure to share your favorite inclusive decks in the comments, too, letting us know why you love them.

Reconnecting with Your Lost Magick

If you practice magick, there will come a time when you feel less than magickal. When you feel that you have lost your magick completely. Whether this lasts for a week, a month, a year or more, one day it’ll arrive leaving many magickal folk confused as to what is going on.

But the appearance of magick’s absence is just that - an appearance.

See, magick is like the Moon - even though the Moon seems to wax and wane each night, disappearing from the sky altogether every month, She always remains whole. It’s simply our perception of Them that changes. So it is with magick that we can experience periods of disconnection in our practice that appear to us as if our magick is gone altogether.

image by annie spratt

At this point you might wonder why this happens. I don’t have that answer but what I have observed is that once we realize that magick, like the Moon, is never absent, we can begin to pay attention to what’s looming large in the place we usually expect our magick to be.

While your journey reconnecting with your magick after a period of fallowness will be uniquely shaped by your life and needs, here are some activities and tips to help you shift perceptions, open up to wonder, and cultivate enchantment. You’ll notice that many of these suggestions are similar to those I would make to someone experience burnout and that’s because burnout and feeling like your magickal fire has been extinguished often go hand-in-hand. In addition to trying one or two of the suggestions on this list, you might consider some seasonal self-care or connecting with herbal allies that are especially suitable for sensitive or overwhelmed folks.

image by annie spratt

Do nothing.

I know, what a way to start off a list of how to reconnect with your magick. But sometimes we try and do all the things in a mild but meaningful panic to attempt to reconnect to our magick. Rather, take a look at what it is that’s driving you to do something instead of just be. Even if that being feels decidedly unmagickal. It’s ok to be a bit confused and not knowing where to go next in your practice. Use your discomfort as a tool of discovery. Practice a bit of slow magick.

image by annie spratt

Go back to basics.

It can feel too easy to rush on to the next great thing when it feels like our magick has left us. If I just master Enochian magick, I’ll find my spark again. And while learning something new can help us to reconnect to what we love, it can also create a cycle of always seeking something else that exists out there to give us back our magick. Instead, I suggest returning to the basics of your craft and, in particular, a practice that has significantly shaped you but you now no longer practice or, if you do, it’s infrequently. That will mean something different to everyone reading this. I might, for example, pull out the very first book I used for casting circle and do that same rite. Returning to basics creates a touchstone for your magick - your modern self is revisiting an important point in your magickal development. During this act of returning, pay attention to what is happening in your body and your energy field - interesting revelations often arise and we begin to remember who we are as magickal beings.

image by annie spratt

Talk about it.

I find it strange that the magickal community doesn’t seem to talk much about the very common experience of not feeling magickal. Let’s change that! Connecting with another magickal practitioner and sharing with them that you’re struggling to find your flow and connection in your practice can be incredibly healing and rewarding. You’re not less of a witch or magick maker if you don’t feel magickal - you’re just at an important transition point. No shame required, but reach out to others for encouragement and inspiration. If you don’t have someone to talk about it to at the moment, try journaling or free writing. Ask yourself questions like:

I don’t feel magickal, I feel…
I’m afraid that…
I feel my most magickal when…
When I think of magick…

image by annie spratt

Work with allies.

Gods, herbs, stones, ancestors, tarot cards, spirits, pets, strange shaped gourds, best friends, lovers, therapists… Connect with your allies! As suggested at the start of this post, the absence of magick often marks the arrival (or, really, exposure or revelation) or something that requires our attention. But that something isn’t always easy to give our attention to or understand for various reasons. So just as I’m encouraging you to talk about where you’re at in your magickal practice, I’m also encouraging you to connect with your allies in whatever form they come in. No one can give you back your magick, but your allies can help you remember and return to it. Don’t know which allies to start with? How about connecting with your stars. If tarot or oracle cards are some of your favorite allies to turn to, this spread is my go-to when I need some extra love and support.

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Feeling like you’ve lost your magick is never easy, but you’re not alone. We’ve all been there and soon it shall pass. In the meantime, be kind with yourself, celebrate what does inspire you, and let the rest be.

Remember, the Moon is always full, and your magick remains. Soon you’ll remember just where that is…