Where are you?

Where are you? When are you? How long… How much… How many…

In a world obsessed with measurements, we find ourselves constantly striving to do more, be more, source more, give more! So when we finally stop for a minute, we are often faced with immediate questioning – where, how, when, why?

So… where have I been?

This little Witchy has been brewing up a storm. I have been reflecting, growing, changing – both physically and mentally – preparing to pass my knowledge on to someone who is yet to learn the weird and wonderful ways of our World.

The more I think about it, the stranger it seems…the concept of time and our obsession with it. As well as our everlasting need for more (of everything).

The indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.

Oxford Dictionaries: Time

Just as above, we are progressing. As individuals, as population, as World, and as a whole. However, is it fair to measure this? How can something so abstract be measured by the tick-tocking of a clock? Are we not capable of taking things in their own stride, and stop worrying? Would a World be in a better place if we were not so obsessed with measuring and scaling everything?

And then we come to my favourite – more.

Why do we need more? Of what do we need more of? Can we not be content with just enough?

So today, I invite you to express some gratefulness over what you have, and mindfully accept that that is enough.

Blessed Be!

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Creation

“In the beginning, when God created the Universe, the Earth was formless and desolate…” [Genesis 1]

So here we are…a Witch talking Bible verses…

Before you go head over heels in dissing my pagan ways, STOP and think! Creation happens every day – we take something formless and desolate (like clay), put an intention to it, and voila – we’ve got ourselves a vase!

Why am I talking about this? Well.

Thinking about all the things that happens around us every day, I stopped for a minute and realised – if I am to make a new beginning, I must first create something myself. We create food, and have a new taste; we create a child, and we gain new love; we create a garden, and discover a new life… and examples could keep going on.

So here I was. What can I create? And the decision was to re-invigorate the old with the new! What a better way to celebrate creation! And with this, my mantra will be:

“Let the old be new,
New be great.
We’ll work hard to make
Happiness”

Blessed Be!

Transmutation

“The action of changing or the state of being changed into another form”

So here we are again friends! As I was brewing this blog post, SO MANY words came to my head – change, envy, empathy, transformation, growth, path, bigger picture…and I couldn’t put my finger on it. What was it that I wanted to articulate so badly?

*Enter Epiphany Here*

 TRANSMUTATION. It’s much like a change, but so much more! Change is simple – stimuli occur and the response to it is change. It can be temporary or permanent, but it is simple in it’s entirety. However, transmutation brings alchemy and magic into the mix, transmutation implies a complete change from one state to another.

I digress… The reason for me wanting to talk about transmutation is that I have recently went through this process myself, and OH BOY! has it been an eye-opener. Going through the process I didn’t realise how deep will the changes be, and how the process is influenced indirectly by the state of mind of those around you.

So much like the stages of grievance (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance), transmutation happens in much the same way.

Denial

At first, you deny that there is anything wrong. You look around and see that you are comfortable (or not…but you convince yourself that you are), because you are scared of change/transmutation. What-if’s, but-why’s and how-can’s take a hold of your consciousness, so you start denying the need for change. But you know what they say…

“The only constant is change” (Heraclitus)

so you get…

Anger

You wake up each morning, brush your teeth, get ready, do what you do…all the while lacking the greatest thing in life – happiness. Instead, you’re like the grumpy old Uncle Joe down the road – bitter, grumpy, forever muttering under your breath, despising happy people and smileys in your text messages. And then you get angry with yourself, because you are stuck. Same routine, same environment, same, same, same… But inside, your soul is craving for you to pack a backpack full of Pringles and climb Mount Everest!

Then you start the process of…

Bargaining

And this is where the real journey to transmutation begins…

You barter with the Universe – you promise you will work out EVERY DAY for the next three lifetimes, just so you get to do what your heart desires. You make deals with yourself, about what you will give up to gain some extra Karma points on some imaginary scale, that you have created yourself. You deconstruct all your past actions and thoughts and promise you will learn from your past, and will do differently in the future.

And while you’re busy doing all of this…

Depression

sets in… You think you have begun losing it. Every plea deal you’re posing to universe is going unanswered, but to you it seems it goes by unheard. You think the Universe has given up on you, or Karma has too many “bad” points on your scale. The actions you have taken in the past, the bad words you’ve said to the asshat that cut you off at the roundabout the other day have somehow blocked your path to transmutation.

And at this point you have two options – you roll back to step one, start denying there’s anything wrong, because you slowly convince yourself that the current way is the right way. Or you move on to…

Acceptance

You shake yourself up. Make a to-do list. Re-evaluate your goals. Set up a plan. And make it happen.

Why?

Because you have accepted that transmutation comes from WITHIN. The Universe listens (and wants to help you) and will respond, but only if YOU take the necessary steps to put your life into motion. Kick-starting yourself is the ONLY sure way to make a change/transmutation and reach your soul’s potential, fulfill your dreams and goals.

Final thought – live in the moment, enjoy it. Accept every experience and learn from it (be it good or bad), and pass it on, for you do not live forever…

Blessed Be!

Pain

Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging stimuli […].Because it is a complex, subjective phenomenon, defining pain has been a challenge […].(Wikipedia)

Today, I want to talk about pain. Mental, physical, spiritual…
We all go through periods in life when all we feel is pain, so we begin to identify ourselves and see ourselves as a walking wreck, in a great need for relief and support. And then there is the usual:

“There are many more people in the world in a worse situation than you!”

Well…FUCK OFF!

Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. That’s relativity. (Albert Einstein)

EVERYTHING IS RELATIVE. For one person a lifetime can mean 15 years, for another it is 80, but it does not mean that they have any more or less experience or right to say what you should and should not feel like. Pain is there for a reason. Pain is individual. Pain does not discriminate.

Religions teach us that pain is a test of strength, resilience, patience, and ultimately of faith. Medicine takes pain as a distress signal, body’s cry for help, a sign of not-so-well being. In art, pain has been the reason behind some of the greatest paintings even made – think Frida Kahlo and Vincent van Gogh.

And here we are. Looking at pain from a prism of emotions, feelings, spirituality.

In my experience, pain has been something I have lived with for years now. I have accepted it as part of me, a sort of uninvited friend that has overstayed it’s welcome. It has definitely made me stronger, and able to accept and sympathise with everyone else’s position in their journey of pain and suffering. However, I am by no means the one that keeps her mouth shut and lets the pain go by unheard. Every person suffering from pain (be it mental, physical or spiritual) needs support, help and most importantly an ear that will hear them out.

Pain is a journey you must take yourself, however that does not mean that everyone else is a passer-by. There MUST be friends along the way, there HAVE to be cheerleaders and well-wishers! That’s the only way to keep taking a step after step, and finish the journey. Suffering from pain calls us to immerse ourselves into taking care of our body and soul, ask for help, be more humble, and be able to ACCEPT help.

People suffering from pain more often than not get rebuked, making them go inward into hiding, which usually makes everything worse. And when there is not outlet, the build-up of emotions, pain and loneliness does not allow them to take the next step towards recovery.

But there is another side to this. There are some people that view their own pain as weakness and shame takes over them, making them unable to ASK for help, thus unable to GET help. So, my advice is to accept the situation, make certain amount of peace with it and then TALK ABOUT IT. Talk about it with you spirit guides, with your gods and goddesses, yourself. And then take the next step, have a conversation with the people you trust and respect, and who in turn trust and respect you. That is the only way forward. In their hearts, minds and should they might have felt your pain, and been unable to ask you what’s wrong. Accept, that sometimes YOU have to make first steps towards recovery yourself.

Think of the AA – the first first step in their programme is admittance and acceptance.

“We admitted we were powerless over alcohol— that our lives had become unmanageable.” (The AA)

So, let’s take that first step together. You and I. On our journey to recovery. This is my mantra that I am putting out to my Spirits and the Universe.

“I am in pain. And I accept that. You might be an unwelcome visitor, but I will greet you with the same hospitality as the friend I have invited. We will walk together – you and I. And we shall get to know each other, and part our ways when the time is right. But for now. I am yours and you are mine.”

Blessed Be!

Tired Witches

Here I am…sitting at home, getting cozy, in my comfy clothes and wrapped up in a blanket. And this got me thinking – far too often we allow ourselves to be bullied into the stigma of “you’re a Witch, you have the access to ALL of the energy in the Universe! Why are you tired?”.

Well…

ALL OF US have the access to the energies of the Universe, Earth, spirits, Gods and Goddesses, but at one point or another we all get tired. It’s about how we choose to deal with this.

In my humble opinion, being tired is your “down-time”. A time that you have to cherish, enjoy and hold to some respect sacred. Being tired means you’ve done something, created something, been somewhere! Whatever it is you have dedicated a part of yourself to something or someone – and YOU DESERVE TO BE TIRED! The feeling of job-well-done, the satisfaction of finishing your project, meeting people or just being productive (whether it’s big or small) is something to take with pride and gratification. And tiredness is your body’s and soul’s way of letting you know that you need to gather momentum for the next step/leap/moon landing 🙂

So…

Take your cuppa (tea, coffee, or something stronger), get cozy, be with yourself and your loved ones. Let out a big sigh and proudly say “I’m tired!”

Blessings to everyone!

Leap Year Craze

So here we are again, February has come to an end – but this year we’ve got an extra day. For a Witch, this is a day that can be used for all kinds of magic…

This year though the magic is of the banishing kind, so before the sun comes up again think of all the things you want to get rid of in the upcoming months – do a spring clean of the mind and body! This is the time to slowly cleanse out that winter’s sleepiness and stagnation, make way for the fresh spring ideas and ventures, as well as let the Spring come in.

For me the magic was simple – I did what I had wanted to do for many months now, and started my own blog, bought seeds to plant, and had a generally wicked day! And…I didn’t even realise it was Feb 29th. What a crazy coincidence! But you know…that’s what Witches do – when a spirit calls one must answer.

So, for those of you looking for some guidance tonight, here’s what Lenormand has to say:

PAST

Whip&Broom – We’ve experienced futile attempts, setbacks, arguments and a general waste of energy over the past few months, however…

PRESENT

Home – …now it’s time to concentrate on the home (here it can signify literal home or the body as a “home”). Looking to now get that broom out of the closet, clear away the negative and sluggish (see the connection with my rant above?) and move on to the…

FUTURE

Sun – …new beginnings and ventures, make business plans and delve into new hobbies. This is the year of the fire monkey after all! We need to harvest this wild cheeky energy and utilise it to explore the creative, spontaneous side of ourselves!

That’s all for today,

Blessed Be!

About me

My name is Agate, and I’m a Green Witch.

That’s it…

or is it?

Being a crazy “green kid” from the beginning, it’s only in the past 5 years that I have been able to put a finger on what I really am – a green witch with a great love for nature, animals and spirits. What do I do? I’m a practicing witch with a flair for card readings.

So…

if you’re pagan-curious, already a pagan or just want to know what do witches do…

you’re at home!