Living Life As The Witch – Dealing With Grief: Let the Healing Begin

Blessed Be Comments

Let the Healing Begin

 

The hardest part in overcoming grief is taking the first step because you’ll have an “I don’t care” attitude. Along with pain, you feel a great apathy toward life. That is typical. The first spell work I performed–and still perform–to relieve myself of grief and depression is speaking an affirmation or a devotional daily.

It doesn’t need to be lengthy. Just saying out loud that you’re not alone and that your loved one is still with you in some way is a great help. Whether they have passed on or simply passed out of your life, the part they’ve had in making you the person you are today will never go away. Now is also a good time to thank your Guardian Spirits for their help. If you’re up to it, light a candle on your altar as you do this. At night, thank the Divine Spirit for returning you home safely. If you’re mourning the passing of a loved one, don’t be surprised if you feel a gentle touch at this time. They are close to you.

Dreams can also be important now, although they’re not easy for us to control. However, a deceased loved one will most likely contact you during a dream. This can be most comforting. Try to remember the details of the dream because they may contain messages.

Receiving Help

Since many witches belong to covens, the coven would be an ideal place to start if you feel the need of a support group. And if professional help is needed, you can begin by talking to your doctor. He or she will often be able to recommend a local therapist or counselor who specializes in grief or in the specific situation you are facing.

A note on giving help: If you know someone who is grieving and you’re both part of the magickal community, please don’t do any type of spell work without being asked. This could cause bad karma.

References:

Excerpt from:
The Sun Also Rises:
Dealing with Grief
James Kambos

~Magickal Graphics~

The Daily OM for November 28th – The Understanding Underneath

The Understanding Underneath

Experiences with Multiple Meanings

by Madisyn Taylor

The refined impression you glean from your experiences after contemplating their significance can add a new richness and texture to your life.

Though we humans are self-aware, we nonetheless cannot distance ourselves from the world around us and have a natural tendency to ascribe meaning to all that we experience. The significance we perceive in our experiences is rooted in our observation of patterns as they relate to ourselves. One situation has the power to teach us about life because it exposes us to something unfamiliar. Another touches our emotions deeply by enabling us to see how fortunate we are. Yet our initial impressions of an experience may not wholly reveal the true significance of that occurrence because our full response to an experience is like an onion with many layers that all have disparate meanings. Consider that a sunrise may stun us visually while simultaneously evoking memories of childhood and reminding us that each new day is a rebirth.

If you take the time to examine your experiences closely, you will discover that your original impressions may only be a part of a larger story of significance. Peeling away the layers of an event or incident can be a fun and interesting process if you allow it. To begin, relive your experience in your mind’s eye and from multiple perspectives if possible. Your interpretation of any situation is based not only on facts but also on feelings, beliefs, and your values. As you ruminate upon your experience, spend a few moments contemplating how you felt when it began and how your feelings had changed by its end. Ask yourself what abstractions, if any, it awakened in your mind. If an experience stirs up questions within your soul, it may be that in striving to answer them a new layer of meaning may reveal itself to you.

The significance of an experience may remain hidden to you for some time. The meaning of an event can change when viewed from another context or may only become apparent after intense meditation. An incident that seemed superficial may unexpectedly touch us deeply later in our lives. If you take a truly open-minded approach to your examination of each new level and do not shy away from revelations that could prove painful, you will learn much about your relationship to the world around you. And the refined impression you glean from your experiences after contemplating their significance can add a new richness and texture to your life.

The Daily OM

Daily Motivator for November 7th – Stop stopping

Stop stopping

Stop stopping yourself. Stop holding yourself back.

Stop giving power to your limitations. Instead, give commitment, action and  persistence to your best possibilities.

Fear and anxiety are immensely compelling, yet you are even stronger. The  inertia of complacency is powerful, and yet you can overcome it.

Whatever may have been holding you back has done so with your cooperation.  Choose now to no longer cooperate.

You have made the excuses and rationalizations, and you can now let them go.  You have focused on the fear, and you can now move beyond it.

The challenges facing you are very real, but that doesn’t mean you must add  to them. Instead, use the positive power of your life to move successfully  through them.

— Ralph Marston

 

The Daily Motivator

Your Ancient Symbols Card for October 3 is The Journey

Your Deck of Ancient Symbols Card for Today

The Journey

While physical travel may be involved, The Journey represents an individual’s spiritual trek from one point to another. The Journey is represented by a sailboat gliding across an open sea. Like those traversing the ocean The Journey requires that we move off the firm ground of our present state and strike out for a new destination. The trip itself may well be full of adventure and challenges. There may be times when we lose sight of where we came from and possibly not even know where we’re going. Storms may crop up without warning. Diversions may slow our progress to our destination down. While it’s good to have an idea of where you want to go, it’s equally important to remember that often it’s the getting there and not the destination that is the most rewarding. To take such a spiritual voyage takes courage and conviction that direction in which your are moving is right for you.

As a daily card, The Journey indicates a time in which you are likely to derive insight and spiritual growth by moving off your everyday path. Although the time span is short, this movement may have a profound and enduring effect on your life. Indeed you may be on the verge of experiencing a revelation, or enjoying a period of self actualization. Be open to new paths and you may well end up with some very positive changes in your life.

Daily OM for September 28 – Aging Parents

Aging Parents

The Cycle of Life

by Madisyn Taylor

When we begin to deal with parents that are aging, it can be a good time to examine your life together and familial past.

For most of us a natural part of the cycle of life is when our roles as children start to shift from that into caretaking roles where are parents are concerned. This can be as major moving a parent into a retirement facility, or coming to the realization that it’s necessary to check in with them more often than usual. Whatever the case, such a shift is momentous as it signals a time of confronting our own mortality as we confront that of our parents. In addition, it can bring up issues about how well they cared for us when we were young. We may also find ourselves consumed with fear at the thought of losing them, even if we’ve been on our own for a very long time.
Talking to other friends and family who are going through similar experiences can be a large source of support. They can help us look at both the unresolved past and the unfolding present, and we are free to talk only about ourselves. Sometimes we need the kind of undivided attention a friend can offer in order to deal with the material that comes up at this time of our lives.
In many ways, this time of life signals a rebirth as we examine our individual past, as well as our familial past. As our parents’ lives move toward completion, we are able to see what they did with their time on earth, what we have done so far with our time, and what we might want to do with the time we have left. These challenges and blessings are all part of the cycle of life.

 

Daily OM

Daily OM for September 21 – Opening the Channels of Communication

Opening the Channels of Communication

Dealing with Difficult People

by Madisyn Taylor

When dealing with a difficult person, try not to be judgmental or defensive in your conversation with them.

We encounter a wide variety of people throughout our lives. Many of them touch us in some positive way. Occasionally, however, we encounter those individuals who, for whatever reason, can be difficult to deal with. Perhaps this person is a colleague or close friend that you feel is deliberately being obtuse, inviting in trouble, or doing foolish things that you find annoying. Sometimes, it may be possible to appease or avoid those people short term. Dealing with them in the long term, however, can be exhausting. The behavior of difficult people can even make you feel like losing your temper, but keep your cool. Staying calm is the first step, especially when you are ready to confront them.

Avoiding a difficult person can improve impossible and not in your best interest, especially if you live or work together. Likewise, attempts to steer clear of them can become a source of stress and anxiety when they are a part of your social circle. When this is the case, it is best to kindly address the problem. Try not to let their actions or mood affect you. You also may want to try expressing your feelings directly. Tell to the person how their actions make you feel and encourage them toward a more positive course of action. Speak assertively, but respectfully, and don’t portray yourself as a victim. Another approach for dealing with a difficult individual is to gain a deeper understanding of who that person is. Ask them why they do or say certain things. If you disagree with their motives, question them further so you can try and discover the root of their behaviors. In doing so, you may be able to gently shift their perceptions, or at least help them understand your point of view.

You may want to think about what you want to say to a difficult person before you actually talk to them. If you can, avoid being judgmental or defensive, and try to approach the conversation objectively. If the person is open to the idea, try coming to an agreement. If approaching them fails, let it go and move on. There is no reason to let a difficult person or situation have power over your state of being. Remember that a lot can be accomplished when you take the time to listen and offer up alternative perspectives.

How About A Quick Quiz – How Stressed Out Are You?

How Stressed Are You?

by Cait Johnson

Recently, a friend said she had been feeling unaccountably drained and on  edge. As we talked, she admitted she was in the midst of a battle with her  husband over something their son had done, was feeling overwhelmed at work, and  was deeply angry about an unkind remark a co-worker had said to her. All of  these are big stressors: no wonder she was tired!

See where you rate on the stress scale. If your stress levels are high, this  book can help you find greater self-awareness around what needs to change in  order to bring more ease to your life.

There are no right or wrong answers. Rather, use your answers to gain a  deeper understanding of where you are not able to cope and what areas in your  life need attention and consideration, and then find a way to express your  feelings and needs. Changing your relationship to stress means changing yourself  from the inside.

About Your Work

1. Do you feel you have too much to  do?

2. Do you often work overtime?

3. Do you believe you are capable of  what is being asked of you?

4. Do you enjoy what you do?

5. Does your  work environment feel depressing? Sad? Loud? Pressured?

6. How do you feel  about your colleagues? Intimidated? Angry? Jealous?

7. Do you feel  unfulfilled? Unacknowledged? Unrecognized?

8. Would you rather be doing  something different?

About Your Family

1. Have you recently experienced a  death or loss in the family?

2. Have you recently been married, separated,  or divorced?

3. Has anyone in your family recently experienced a  particularly difficult time, such as mental illness or trouble with the  police?

4. Is anyone ill or in need of your care? And do you resent  this?

5. Do your parents worry you a great deal?

6. Do you feel unable  to share any of these difficulties?

About Your Relationships

1. If your primary relationship  is not a happy one, do you believe you have to stick it out regardless of your  feelings?

2. Do you disagree about money? The children? Your lifestyle  preferences?

3. Do you have sexual difficulties or differences?

4. Do  you feel unable to stand up for yourself?

5. Did you grow up watching your  parents have difficulties, either fighting or ignoring each other?

6. Do you  find it difficult to be committed to a relationship?

7. Do you have anyone  you can talk to?

About Yourself 1. Do you believe, or have you been told,  that you are no good, hopeless, worthless, or incapable? 2. Do you get  irritated or annoyed easily? 3. Do you always seem to be rushing from one  thing to another without being able to complete anything? 4. Do you have an  addiction of any sort? 5. Do you feel trapped and powerless to change  anything? 6. Do you panic easily or feel anxious about the future? 7. Do  you talk to anyone about your feelings? 8. Do you feel shameful about  something you have done? 9. Are you angry about something that was done to  you?

About Your Health 1. Do you get tired or run down  easily? 2. Do you get any regular exercise? 3. Do you eat while doing  other things, such as working, watching TV, reading the paper, or feeding the  children? 4. Is television, alcohol, or food your main means of  relaxation? 5. Do you have deep muscular aches and pains? 6. Do you  drink more than two cups of coffee a day? 7. Do you spend any part of the  day being quiet and reflective?

If your answers showed high levels of stress, forgive yourself! We live in  stressful times. But meditation, prayer, yoga, and other time-honored methods of  stress-relief might be helpful to you. Even a warm bath or a soothing foot-rub  could make a positive difference.

How Powerful Is The Mind?

How Powerful Is The Mind?

You don’t need to set up an altar with half a dozen bat’s feet and thirteen black candles on it in order to curse someone. A simple thought of hatred toward another person can have the same effect. When we think a thought with feeling, we are in fact hurling an energy ball into the ether. Scientists have not yet fully explored the mysteries of this power, but just as we can do damage with our bodies, we can also cause injuries with our minds. A mental hex–called the “evil eve” in many cultures across the world–is widely feared.

By targeting an individual and sending fiendish thoughts their way, we can create a negative energy that hovers like a black cloud over them and sometimes their loved ones too. Life for them becomes stressful and difficult and often spirals out of control. Illness may befall them, financial hardship may hit, they may lose their jobs, or other terrible things may happen to them. . Only strong minded people with a little bit of magickal know how recognize this negativity and know how to stop it from reaching them. Although you can protect yourself with pentacles, salt, prayers of protection from your Book of Shadows that you have used in the pass, and other methods, these techniques only work if you have the strength of mind to believe that the curse will not reach you because negativity thrives on fear. I haven’t made many enemies in my life, but on the very few occasions that I have, I’ve noticed a certain level of chaos building up in my everyday life. This can be anything from the roof needing repairs to a pet getting sick to catching a very bad cold. It’s at times like these that I block destructive thoughts which deflects them straight back to the sender.

It’s not always easy to be pure of heart, because we are human beings and we were born to be emotional People often make us furious, and it’s one of our basic instincts to seek revenge if someone does us a wrong. If, for whatever reason, you find yourself despising or loathing someone, you have to rise above those natural instincts and be the better man or woman.

The best way is to avoid mixing with individuals who hinder your soul and to remove those people from your life completely if you can. It’s important that the people around you connect perfectly with your own energy, complementing it rather than disrupting it. If this isn’t possible–say, you have to see your ex-partner every weekend when he or she visits the kids–try your utmost to be civil and courteous and keep telling yourself that you are the better person. Self-control is a wonderful thing, and although you may not feel very godly at the time, you will feel better once you realize you have not increased your negative karmic load. By being the very best you can be, you redress the imbalance in the situation. It shows great strength of character and acts as a way to further your spiritual development. Your guides commend this type of behavior and often throw in a little reward to follow, be it a bit of extra cash or just a wonderful day out.

Excerpt from:

“A Modern Day White Witch’s Guide”

“Wiccapedia”

by Shawn Robbins

& Leanna Greenway

Daily Motivator for August 28 – Effort is opportunity

Effort is opportunity

Every effort, no matter how small or tedious or seemingly insignificant,  builds value in your life. Every effort is an opportunity.

With every effort, you make a difference in the world. With every effort, you  express your ability and your influence.

Give joy to each effort, and you add joy to your life. Give your attention  and focus and gratitude to the efforts, and they produce meaningful, lasting  value.

Seek out efforts, perform the efforts, and what you get is achievement. What  you get is the experience of life lived in a truly fulfilling and satisfying  way.

With effort, problems are solved, obstacles are transcended, and dreams come  true. With effort, you can change the world in accordance with your highest,  most authentic vision.

Fill each day with positive, purposeful efforts. And you’ll fill your world  with great meaning and joy.

— Ralph Marston

The Daily Motivator

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’ for August 22

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

If you’ve ever been alone in a strange place, you’re bound to know how wonderful it is to have someone make you feel welcome.

Many people have the knack for being at home in whatever place they find themselves. And in this gift they find no loneliness to tug at them, but more often than not most of us feel like strangers. And in doing so we set ourselves apart, or make it sometimes questionable as to the wisdom of asking us into a friendly circle.

A friendly face and a friendly voice can make the most timid souls feel welcome. It can make them feel at home. For in the midst of many there is loneliness. Perhaps it is because our feigned look of self-sufficiency made someone question our need for help.

Many a door has opened, and many a sound friendship won when someone said, “We’re glad to have you….” The very atmosphere can be charged with concern when we see others who cannot find their way. The warmth of divine love is for daily use in making someone feel welcome.

We should not forget nor fail to see the wisdom of Hebrews 13:2: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unaware.”

There must be no stronger feeling in the hearts of most people than the desire to belong. To belong to something, to someone, and in a place where the feeling is warm and friendly. The most blessed children in town are the ones born and raised in the same neighborhood, who have the tightly knit sense of belonging to everyone. Suddenly these children are not just the children of their parents, but the children of everyone in the church, in school, and anywhere where there is warmth and love and peace.

War rages within so many, disallowing them any connection or any strand of love that would tie them to anything that gives them a sense of security. And when people become insecure they become demanding. And in demanding they lose the most essential part – the ability to attract love to themselves simply by loving first.

In the words of William Blake: “Love seeketh not itself to please….Nor for itself hath any care….But for another gives its ease….And builds a Heaven in Hell’s despair.”

Some of my most productive moments are not when I consider how evil the world is, but how powerful is my God.

Some of the best times are not all when I’m enjoying life, but when those I love are knowing happiness.

The highest peak of wealth comes when the joy within surpasses anything I can create out here.

The bloom of good health is felt more richly when I let it flow through me rather than dwelling on the possibility of sickness.

Friendships are strongest and most true when I don’t worry about giving more than I receive.

In order that others forgive me, I must also learn to forgive.

I must never forget that negative thoughts feed on fear and starve on faith.

One of the greatest mistakes I can make is to believe myself to be without friend or faith or opportunity.

These personal proverbs belong to all thinking persons who want their lives to have more meaning, know more happiness and feel more richly the love that is the medicine for the sickness of the world.

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Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones……and also for those who don’t have access to the Internet:

 

http://www.hifler.com
Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com

Elder’s Meditation of the Day
By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’ for August 15

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Have you considered the effect your presence may have on people around you? Do they need you? The answer is yes. We are somewhat selfish with our presence at times. We want to withdraw and think our own thoughts and read quietly rather than entertaining someone or just listening to them. But we never really know how much they need us, not to perform good deeds for their good, but only to be company to share a happening of the day.

Perhaps within their minds we can quiet some restlessness, assure them that they are needed or give them a feeling of tranquility. To many lie is no simple matter, and to hear them out may be the remedy.

It has been said by a very wise man that if you never make a mistake you’re not doing anything.

It is a relief to know that every day, without fail, we come in contact with people who put such confidence in us that we strive ever harder to never fail. Such people build human beings – and there is no job more worthy, or more creative.

Building character and confidence in fellow human beings is a delicate task….for no two people respond in the same way. Challenges may be the way to boost up some individuals, while others may need encouragement and praise to guide them on their way. But, oh, how human we all are having the need for accomplishment….for attention….for approval.

And how great the responsibility for leaders who must have the wisdom to inspire….the integrity to trust….the heart to understand. The race is hard for leader and follower, for each must understand the other – and there must be compassion for the slow, courage for the weak, and appreciation for the loyal. To follow one must be secure; to lead one must be very wise.

It should be the practice of all of us that when we hear something complimentary about someone to tell them. It is so true that man does not love by bread alone, and to be recognized in having done something that rated approval is a very great reward.

Nothing so builds character in children than to let them know someone believes they have a fine potential. That feeling that “someone believes in me” can be the very thing that will anchor their faith deep in hope for humanity.

To be able to see the good acts of others renders service to ourselves. Swiss theologian Johann Casper Lavater once said, “He is incapable of a truly good action who finds not a pleasure in contemplating the good actions of others.”

Appreciation for the achievement of others is akin to sunshine – we simply can’t help it shine on other people without feeling the glow ourselves.

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Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones……and also for those who don’t have access to the Internet:

 

http://www.hifler.com
Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com

Elder’s Meditation of the Day
By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org

Daily Feng Shui Tip for Aug 9th – ‘Book Lover’s Day’

When I saw that today is ‘Book Lover’s Day’ I remembered an ancient intuitive technique that uses a book as the vehicle to answer important life questions. This meditation was taught to me by a Mayan Shaman who learned it from ancient ancestors who carried the secret of the ages. She told me that if I ever had a question to which I needed an answer that I should sit quietly with both feet firmly on the ground and my back straight. She said to take any book and place it on my lap before putting my left hand, palm down, atop the cover. With left hand in place, I was to think of my question and then ‘send it out into the Universe.’ I should then wait a few minutes, and when completely calm and quieted, open the book to any random page. She told me, ‘The first words you read will hold the answer that you are searching for.’ I have used this sacred way of asking for answers for all these years and it has never failed. Once you try this I’ll bet that you become a book lover too! It can really help you figure out the next chapter of your life!

By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com