The beauty that I am finding in the Winter season is the heightened sense of awareness of my own inner workings and the calmness that has overtaken my inner landscape. I have found myself at a threshold, reflecting upon the journey of 2021 while simultaneously looking forward to the journey of 2022. Indeed, many of us have been preparing for the Winter Solstice and planning for our next season. What do we desire in 2022, what do we long for, and what must we create space for?
Our Magic
I remember starting my witchcraft practice. As a teenager, I would sneak books in, hide shiny things in caboodles meant for makeup, and just do my own thing in secret. As an adult I became completely restless, searching for all the information I could find, joining classes, searching for somewhere to belong where I could connect with others like me.
Here is the deal though…there is no one like me.
There is no one like you either.
What unites us is also the thing that will set us apart in our practices of magic and both are correct for the person practicing. We can learn from each other, provide ideas, perspectives, and still leave everything on the table that does not feel empowering to us personally. There is no one right way to practice, but as I have said before, if you’re not connecting then you’re just collecting. I am not a collector of practices, I am a practitioner of my own brand of magic. Own and hone your brand of magic!
Own it and Hone it
This idea of owning and honing my practice came to me once I recognized that there are traditions and practices that I still use out of habit instead of actual connection. In 2022, I am saying ‘Ciao Bella’ to practices that are stagnant or hold no intentional value/connection for me. We can start by asking specific questions:
- Why do I do this every day, week, month, sabbat? The best and worst parts of habits are that they can become an unconscious thing we do, we are unaware of the trigger that causes us to do it now, except that we do it just because we have trained ourselves this way over time. If it is no longer intentional, we can either bring awareness back to it or we can let it go.
- Does it still feel connected to my magic?
- Do I use this practice as a bridge that builds into other parts of my practice? Does it bring me greater awareness? Joy? Creativity? Curiosity?
- Does this still feel powerful to me?
- When I think of releasing this as a practice, what is my gut feeling? Sadness? Distress? Does it feel like a weight off the shoulders?
By looking at my current practices as they are, I can see where I can evolve, create space to dial in on other practices I want to learn more about or dive into deeply. I can be playful and curious without subscribing to the voices of others telling me what this should look like or what I should be doing. I can make my own choices and set my own goals.
Get Clear on Goals
Grab the Eyebright! A pen and paper! Or whatever method you use to get really clear on what you want and actionable steps to take in conjunction with your magic. This is typically the most difficult part because knowing our own desires and speaking them has come with labels (selfish), judgement (why can’t you have normal goals?), and guilt or shame or a mixture of both (I should just be thankful, others don’t have what I have, I don’t deserve this or that because this thing happened that I need to make amends for).
I BANISH IT FROM THIS SPACE.
It is time to dive deep. It is time to connect with ourselves, our knowing, to shush the voices of others, and tune in fully to what we want from our practice of Witchcraft. What are we wanting to weave into being? What are we passionate about? What is realistic?
- Start listing everything out, looking for common threads and deeper needs being met through those goals.
- Make a plan: list out the actionable and practical steps that you can take
- Magic in your favor: what energetic alliances do you have and what auspicious astrological timings would work with the magic you are creating?
- Commitment Ceremony: Write your goals out and have a ceremony to commit to them this year.
- Timelines: Create a plan of action for your magic, for example, if your goal is connect to the Runes this year, what Runes are you studying each month and what is your methodology for connecting with them? Break it down into bite sized pieces to reduce overwhelm.
- Check in: Put it on your calendar to check in with your goals, adjust them if needed.
Witchcraft is not a race
There is no finish line. There is no first place. There really isn’t a medal for “Witch of the Year” either (even if there is, I am not sure that I would want that to be the ultimate goal I am shooting for, but you do you). There is you, there is your brand of magic, and everything you have ever hoped for in between the reconnection of a thought and an action.
May the next season be revamped in your favor,
Kaycee
You can now connect with Kaycee and Revelations of a Witch on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Kaycee is also over at Dark Goddess Collective, they are building a community of Sovereigns!
Feature Image Credit: by Kellepics at Pixabay