From newsletter I get from: Carolyn Elliot.
1) No matter what your ethnicity, pretty much all of us in the modern world have been alienated from the indigenous magical ways of our ancestors.
Folks who have had living traditions passed down to them by their grandmothers, for example, are very rare and lucky.
So, a lot of modern magical folk feel they don't "have a right" to practice, because they haven't been personally, intimately initiated.
Or maybe they're still struggling with the baggage of mainstream religious upbringing that hints that all magic is super-dangerous and wrong.
2) Thanks to the wonders of the internet and modern publishing, there's a vast array of possibilities available - which leads to possibility paralysis.
Think about it: even 100 years ago, if you sought out magical instruction, you'd have limited options. If you were very bold or fortunate you could travel to learn from a shaman of some sort...
... or you could join some Rosicrucian order like the Golden Dawn....
.... but that would be about it for your options.
Now there's a vast smorgasbord of information available, on everything from Hoo Doo to Wicca to runework to Thelema to a thousand things in-between.
So, it can be very hard to just "pick something" and get going.
3) "Spiritual" communities aren't always the healthiest of environments.
If you've joined covens or circles or other "spiritual" organizations over the years, online or in-person, you may have run into super-weird, oppressive cult-like environments where you didn't feel empowered to act on your own inner authority.
I've encountered this a few times myself, and I've heard dozens of hair-raising stories about spiritually abusive situations.
So, what's to be done?
First, start by recognizing that just by being human, you have a right to practice magic.
Second, understand that there's no "one right way."
Third, get cozy with the notion that if you've ever had a night-time dream that stretched the horizons of your being - you've been initiated.
Initiation into a magical worldview ("as above, so below - as within, so without") is a spontaneous gift from your own soul (or Higher Self, or Holy Guardian Angel or whatever you want to call it) -- and the primary thing you need to do is accept it.
Next, I'd encourage you to begin a simple daily practice of giving a small offering of incense and 1) No matter what your ethnicity, pretty much all of us in the modern world have been alienated from the indigenous magical ways of our ancestors.
Folks who have had living traditions passed down to them by their grandmothers, for example, are very rare and lucky.
So, a lot of modern magical folk feel they don't "have a right" to practice, because they haven't been personally, intimately initiated.
Or maybe they're still struggling with the baggage of mainstream religious upbringing that hints that all magic is super-dangerous and wrong.
2) Thanks to the wonders of the internet and modern publishing, there's a vast array of possibilities available - which leads to possibility paralysis.
Think about it: even 100 years ago, if you sought out magical instruction, you'd have limited options. If you were very bold or fortunate you could travel to learn from a shaman of some sort...
... or you could join some Rosicrucian order like the Golden Dawn....
.... but that would be about it for your options.
Now there's a vast smorgasbord of information available, on everything from Hoo Doo to Wicca to rune work to Thelema to a thousand things in-between.
So, it can be very hard to just "pick something" and get going.
3) "Spiritual" communities aren't always the healthiest of environments.
If you've joined covens or circles or other "spiritual" organizations over the years, online or in-person, you may have run into super-weird, oppressive cult-like environments where you didn't feel empowered to act on your own inner authority.
I've encountered this a few times myself, and I've heard dozens of hair-raising stories about spiritually abusive situations.
So what's to be done?
First, start by recognizing that just by being human, you have a right to practice magic.
Second, understand that there's no "one right way."
Third, get cozy with the notion that if you've ever had a night-time dream that stretched the horizons of your being - you've been initiated.
Initiation into a magical worldview ("as above, so below - as within, so without") is a spontaneous gift from your own soul (or Higher Self, or Holy Guardian Angel or whatever you want to call it) -- and the primary thing you need to do is accept it.
Next, I'd encourage you to begin a simple daily practice of giving a small offering of incense and 1) No matter what your ethnicity, pretty much all of us in the modern world have been alienated from the indigenous magical ways of our ancestors.
Folks who have had living traditions passed down to them by their grandmothers, for example, are very rare and lucky.
So a lot of modern magical folk feel they don't "have a right" to practice, because they haven't been personally, intimately initiated.
Or maybe they're still struggling with the baggage of mainstream religious upbringing that hints that all magic is super-dangerous and wrong.
2) Thanks to the wonders of the internet and modern publishing, there's a vast array of possibilities available - which leads to possibility paralysis.
Think about it: even 100 years ago, if you sought out magical instruction, you'd have limited options. If you were very bold or fortunate you could travel to learn from a shaman of some sort...
... or you could join some Rosicrucian order like the Golden Dawn....
.... but that would be about it for your options.
Now there's a vast smorgasbord of information available, on everything from Hoo Doo to Wicca to runework to Thelema to a thousand things in-between.
So it can be very hard to just "pick something" and get going.
3) "Spiritual" communities aren't always the healthiest of environments.
If you've joined covens or circles or other "spiritual" organizations over the years, online or in-person, you may have run into super-weird, oppressive cult-like environments where you didn't feel empowered to act on your own inner authority.
I've encountered this a few times myself, and I've heard dozens of hair-raising stories about spiritually abusive situations.
So what's to be done?
First, start by recognizing that just by being human, you have a right to practice magic.
Second, understand that there's no "one right way."
Third, get cozy with the notion that if you've ever had a night-time dream that stretched the horizons of your being - you've been initiated.
Initiation into a magical worldview ("as above, so below - as within, so without") is a spontaneous gift from your own soul (or Higher Self, or Holy Guardian Angel or whatever you want to call it) -- and the primary thing you need to do is accept it.
Next, I'd encourage you to begin a simple daily practice of giving a small offering of incense and a bit of food to your local nature spirits.
Faeries, elves, good folk, whatever you want to call them - they're around, and by making offerings to them, you begin to restore your sense of yourself as a being who exists in a deep web of interrelation.
And you'll very likely notice that your "luck" improves immediately
Giving offerings to the humble local nature spirits around you is a concrete way to express gratitude. As the old saying goes in 12-step programs, "gratitude is an action word."
You don't need a fancy altar to do this - just an incense burner and a little plate set on a windowsill will do.
You can respectfully remove the "old" offering in the morning before you set out the new one (composting it or putting it in the trash is okay - the spirits have had a whole day to "eat" the energy of your gift).
Try it, and see if your sense of magical purpose doesn't immediately get a boost
love and wickedness,
Carolyn
editor of WITCH
teacher of INFLUENCE
author of Awaken Your Genius