Tag Archives: Clergy

Make Mistakes

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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.

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Don’t Call Me Reverend ~ Pray

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No Reverends Allowed
Yes. I am officially clergy. Yes, I have earned the title. No, don’t call me that. Not yet.
The term “reverend” has been around since the 1400s. Under normal circumstances, it’s used as a title of respect for members of the clergy. See that word “respect”? I haven’t earned that just yet. I’m working on it.

To earn the respect of others is a big deal to me. Anyone can study spirituality. Some can pass the tests dictated by their belief systems. Few get to invoke their Higher Selves to tap into the powers of the Universe… That doesn’t mean squat when it comes to respect from their fellow humans and peers.

Earning the respect of others is my ego check incarnate. I may think I’m the best thing since communion wafers – but when things get hard I don’t want to break. I want to be the kind of Reverend that gets those Psychic 911 calls. I want to be the kind of Reverend that goes out drinking with you as the designated driver when you want to drown your sorrows in cheap scotch. I want to be the kind of Reverend that rarely answers Facebook pleas or Kijiji listings for house blessings, readings, mini magic or handfastings. To show respect, to earn that title of “Reverend” means that the people and community I serve know me. They know who I am, what I am and what I can do. My community will recommend me for anything that is needed.

To be clear, this is not to be confused with fame. I know a few famous people and Reverends. I wouldn’t recommend them for giving you the time of day. Sure they are usually favorably know and placed high among their peers…. But that doesn’t mean a thing to me. They didn’t earn my respect either through their actions or attitude. Bad behavior and news travels fast everyone. And in a community as small as mine? Everyone will eventually know a version of the dirty details.

So I know there will be the talk behind my back. I know that there will be rumors. I endeavor to at least get people to spell my name right when it happens. I also encourage those who have a bad story about me to tell me about it! I want to know what the scuttlebutt is! If the dirt is true, I’ll confess. I have no more illusions of my own infallibility. If the gossip isn’t true? I at least know where I stand and where the misinformation is coming from. Who knows? I might have a bit more gossip to spread just to see where and how the information flows. Yes, that is rather low. I’m ok with that.

So for now. Just call me Terrie. I’m fine with “Priestess.” But, don’t call me Reverend…. Not yet.