Make Mistakes

Make Mistakes

Yes, this post is late on purpose. SMILE AND NOD.

6. You will make mistakes. Once you’re done beating yourself up, go back to the first entry.

So. Why would I send you ALLL the way back to unlearning the “Don’t hate the playa, hate the game” post? It’s simple…..and it’s not.

Here’s the thing. We live in a ridiculous world that’s made even more terrifying with the addition of social media.  Whether we want to admit it or not, we’re in a horrible loop of looking for approval and validation. We’re drawn to other people’s drama. We’re quick to judge the train wrecks happening in the lives of others with thumbs up or some other emoji. It’s a human thing.

When we post to social media and our own little “court” of followers, we are looking for approval and validation for ourselves. We are constantly trying to: course correct our social lives by asking the “hive mind” questions we can google on our own; get validation for our feelings and mindsets if there are few people locally who “grok” us; and sometimes we need that touch of assurance that we did the right thing when drama goes down in our own lives.

Did you catch it?

Here let me single it out for you:

.…”and sometimes we need that touch of assurance that we did the right thing when drama goes down in our own lives.”

Yeah, we’re constantly looking to be “right” in our lives, to always do things the “right” way, and to always get a pat on the head and a cookie when we “win.”

HOWEVER!

Humans don’t work that way. We make mistakes. We mess up. We don’t do things right all the time. And in the Kangaroo Court of Social media? One “misstep” can spiral our already low self esteem filled minds right to the depths of whatever hell we’ve made for ourselves.

It’s even worse when you’re living a Witch Life.

Most of us are studying alone. We don’t know exactly when the Gods and Spirits are talking to us. We don’t know all the pitfalls that are around us… AND, the last “elder” or mentor we had was stark raving mad… Ahem.

For the solitary practitioner, we’re obsessed with doing things “right” so we don’t accidentally curse ourselves or burn down our houses (remember the first two rules of Fire/Candle Magick).

Guess what? We’re not going to be 100% right all the time. That’s why you use your “book of shadows” / grimoire / journal to track your work. From there you can learn what works and what doesn’t – and what fails spectacularly. Remind me to tell you about the time I: 1. Almost burned down my house; and 2. Nearly cursed myself into oblivion.

Good times.

Now, that you’ve gotten through all that? Here come the warnings:

  1. RESIST THE URGE TO SHARE YOUR FAILURE. Are you’re talking to a trusted colleague who won’t talk down to you? With they help you fix it? If the answer is “no” just stop. You’re just setting yourself up for ridicule. AND! Yes, people who you think are your friends will definitely say some crap like “well you should have known, blah blah blah,” and you will get your feelings hurt. Also?
  2. RESIST THE URGE TO COMMENT NEGATIVELY ON THE FAILURES OF OTHERS. Lookit, we know that we messed up. If we’re talking about it? We are looking for that virtual hug while we clean up the mess. No need for “I told you so” or “I hope you’ve learned your lesson.” We get enough crap from our haters. We don’t need it from our friends. Why? Because:
  3. TRACK YOUR RESULTS: Good, bad or ugly, you need to know what happened so you can see where things went sideways or wrong. That journal of yours will be your lifesaver, cherry flavor, after time.
  4. Lastly, DON’T GIVE UP! The reason why we humans go through this horrible cycle of shame is so that we can evolve. When the first humans ate berries, no one knew which ones were poisonous… soooo you can see how that worked out. As a species, we look to the failures of others to make sure we don’t make the same mistake. And yet, taking those chances made us better human beings.

 

So take chances, get messy, and make mistakes. Learn from them. Forgive yourself, and get busy making more magic.

Looking for more of me? Please consider supporting me on Patreon, supporting me on RedBubble or a Paypal tip https://paypal.me/BMQRVT/5

 

 

TANSTAAFL

TANSTAAFL ~ There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch

Here we are, back to the things I’ve learned while away from the blog.

  1. No one is under any obligation to help you out of any situation or teach you skills for free.

That’s right. There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.

The internet, books from the library, shared skills – none of it is free.  Google gets money from ads.  Facebook is reading your posts and using the information for their marketing engines. The library is subsidized by the province.  You pay taxes to the province. See where we’re going? Even if you share your skills, there should be something you are getting out it. If there isn’t? You’re headed for burnout and feeling unappreciated. All the Reiki people will tell you that when you give a service, there should be an energetic exchange of some kind. The easiest “exchange” is money.

This isn’t spiritual. This is human economics. Don’t believe me? This is from 

3. Production has costs

There is no such thing as a free lunch. Getting something apparently gratis only means that some other person pays for it. Behind every welfare check and each research grant lies the tax money of real people. While the taxpayers see that government confiscates part of one’s personal income, they do not know to whom this money goes; and while the recipients of government expenditures see the government handing the money to them, they do not know from whom the government has taken away this money.

What does this mean when it comes to the spiritual workers? Don’t get mad when your “I just want to ask you a question” is met with “You can book an appointment or consultation for $25.” Before ya’ll get your knickers in a twist, here’s the reason why:

Spiritual workers spend YEARS honing their crafts. In money terms, that means tens of thousands of dollars spent on research, supplies, courses, books and the like. Most spiritual workers still have “day jobs.” So all the money they could be putting towards retirement? They spent studying.

Spiritual workers are usually in the throes of “shaman sickness” because they are giving too much of their work away for free. So that “one question” you have ( that turns into a dissertation) means they now can’t afford to feed themselves right, take time off or get their own medications.

(For those who are wondering, if you’re feeling ashamed, that’s not my intent. That’s a perk of the information. You’re welcome.)

So let’s say that some Spiritual Worker is generous and gives you their time and information. GET THEM SOMETHING IN RETURN. Buy them coffee or lunch. Brag about them to your friends. Post a good review. Carry their bags. Help them set up or break down at events.

Hey, I hear the cheap white light people in the back saying “It’s a gods given gift! You should do it for free!” Hey, guess what? No service in any Christian service I’ve seen is free. It’s paid for by parishioners and congregations. Not even Jesus did things for free. He (apparently) paid for everything with his LIFE.

Now to be fair, I know some of ya’ll are broke or just making ends meet. Still, no free lunch. Do the homework known as the energy exercises I keep asking after. For myself, if I know you’re doing the work, I’ll see results. This is a form a payment. You are learning the skills taught and using them to make your life better. I’ll take it. But ya gotta do the dang work!

So you don’t want to do the energy work? Fine. Everything else is going to be infinitely harder and the magic costs will be greater. No money? STILL NO FREE LUNCH. Get to working for your spiritual worker. Run errands, share their posts, and do all you can in lieu of money to show your worker that you value what they do.

And if you don’t want to do any of those things? Wellll. don’t be surprised when…..

PS.

DON”T ASK FOR COUPONS. To do so means you don’t value the actual product, you’re just cheap.

 

The Good Kind of Lazy ~ Train

My name is Terrie Brookins. I am what you would call an efficient and perfectionist witch. What does that mean in plain English? I’m lazy.
Enjoying The Sun
If I can do something right once and not have to worry about it again? You bet your broom I’m going to do it. What’s more? If you push energetically in just the right place, all that you need to happen will fall together on their own. That’s why I love the small works of magic.
Now when I say small, I mean in it in the context or complexity.  Candle magic is my favorite. One simple flame and a heartfelt prayer can work wonders. Stone and crystal work is great for me as well. Simple magickal support, even just a teeny push in small amounts, can bring about a mountains of change. It’s all about realizing exactly how magic works as a witch.
Let’s face it. This ain’t Hogwart’s. As much as I’d love to wave my wand and make feathers dance, it ain’t happening. The magick I wield is passive at most, and when overt? It usually moves by the path of least resistance and finding a way through all available paths.   That is to say, it finds the place to give the smallest push to enact the greatest change. One simple wish upon a star, offering to deity or salt over the left shoulder has the potential to work marvels. We all know that that’s the simple way of saying things. I have indeed done my homework on this.
To do these small works of magick requires a larger frame of thought. That frame of thought means looking at any situation in as many different ways as possible.  If I want to removed a dangerous building or structure, do I enchant bulldozers ? Glamour the construction workers?  Or can I plant the idea for a new building in mind of someone who works for the county or a building firm by talking about something new with anyone in their company?   Makes you think doesn’t it? For most people, it gives them a headache.
The headache comes from a high pitched whistling sound. That sound is the air escaping an inflated ego. Can’t have a big head, chip on your should OR let you greed or runaway emotions rule you. Just because you’re angry doesn’t mean you should perform that revenge or hex work.  Wait a day, or a week until you’ve got a clear head and clearer resolve. Sure make your plan, get your ingredients together. Then, in the morning? Decide if the work is really worth the work. Yes, even the small work. And let’s face it, us magic users have an arsenal of deliciously naughty curses for every occasion!
Yes, they are small work too 🙂
So ask you witches and magicians, light and shadow workers, what’s your small work?

God Hopping & Spell Casting ~ Pray

In my first decade as a witch, I’ve seen some things.  Some of it blows my mind. Here’s one:
Many pagans, young and old, of all cultures have patron deities, the one or two gods that they feel shapes their spiritual and mundane lives.  I, too, have patron deities that I  am devoted to solely.
Now this is where I start scratching my head.
Few pagans of any flavor have gone without casting a spell of some kind – hex, blessing or curse.  Every one of us has been in a spot where we have to use our gifts to enact change on some level. However many wiccan/witchy spells from a myriad of sources (cough *the internets * cough) have the practitioner working with gods they don’t normally petition or have a mutual relationship of any sort. Candle
Umm what?
If you need to ask a favor, do you call on your family and friends? People who know you and can trust you? Or do you ask a celebrity that doesn’t know you from a hole in the ground?  Yes, yes, I’m sure the “Love and Light” brigade will take me to task for this. However, not everything is love and light when it comes to our deities and everyday life.
I am sure that a spell for love would work great by calling on the the great goddess Aphrodite. Since I don’t work with Her, what is Her incentive to answer my plea? Some offering that was dictated in a book and put out only a payment of services rendered?  Yeah – NO.
The real lesson here? If your spells aren’t working, there’s a reason. Do you have a relationship with the gods or spirits you call on? If not? Well there’s your sign to start again.  Develop some kind of relationship with the deity you’re calling on or don’t call on them at all.
What about  your own deities? Why can’t your own guides help? These are some great questions that you can answer. What are you experiences?
Rev. Terrie