Llewellyn's 2012 Witches' Companion

by Llewellyn

  So, again, how do we get real job skills? Taking a job in your chosen field at the entry level is one way. But not all of us live in areas where entry-level jobs are available. Part-time job opportunities are pretty full in my area, as people take whatever jobs they can get in order to earn some kind of paycheck or get in the door of a company they hope will hire them when the job market improves.

  But what about the rest of us?

  I am going to open a magical door here and make a suggestion that may sound off the wall, but will be a big bonus on your resume if you decide to do it: volunteer.

  No matter what you are studying in school, there is an opportunity to volunteer, usually right in your own neighborhood, that will give you an edge in so many ways.

  Yes, I know—no pay. Are you receiving an unemployment check right now? Do you have one or two mornings or afternoons a week to give back to your community? That’s all it takes to find your way into a place of opportunity to do something that will impress potential employers.

  Are you interested in health services? Volunteer at your local hospital. Are you interested in agriculture or horticulture? Volunteer at your local botanical society. Interested in computer programming or IT? Find one of the local 501(c)(3) organizations that offer IT Volunteer/Internships to local college students. Interested in retail? Volunteer in a store associated with a hospital or any kind of shop attached to a charitable organization. Interested in helping young men or women? Volunteer in a youth organization. There’s the Red Cross, the United Way, HIV support organizations, cancer hospices, women’s shelters, soup kitchens, public schools, libraries, and children’s services. There are secretarial and clerical duties that need to be done for these organizations, as well as educational programs that need volunteers to do outreach to the communities.

  Again, these are volunteer positions, which means they offer no pay. But let’s examine the benefits: You will be in or near a field you want to work in. You will get on-the-job training. You will often receive verification for the hours you put in, which means you can put this on your resume as experience. And your future employer will be very impressed that you were dedicated enough to give your time and skills to a worthwhile project.

  There are grants, scholarships, funding, training, experience, and opportunity out there if you will just take some time to work the magick. Be as diligent at working up a plan and sticking to it as you are with laying out your ritual items. Prepare for the process like you were writing spellwork. Follow through as if Deity were walking beside you with their hand on your shoulder, guiding you through this maze to your final destination.

  The final part of working magick is validation. And I can validate this process because it has worked for me and for others. It worked so well that I sponsor a Volunteer Internship Program in my organization for aspiring IT students at the local college. The experience benefits both the students and the organization.

  Examine this article and see if there is something that sparks your imagination, see if the magick calls you. Put your feet on a magical path to getting yourself out of this bad economy rut and into something that will benefit you for the rest of your magical life. Make some magick for yourself.

  Boudica is reviews editor and co-owner of The Wiccan/Pagan Times and owner of The Zodiac Bistro, both online publications. A former New Yorker, she now resides with her husband and eight cats in Ohio.

  Illustrator: Rik Olson

  Making the Most

  of the Moments

  Jenett Silver

  We all have them—those times when the list of things we want to do is far longer than our resources allow. Sometimes, it’s for the best possible reason: we’re planning a wedding, having a child, starting school, buying a home, or some other wonderful but big project. At other times, it’s for less pleasant reasons: our own health problems, the death of a loved one, the needs of a family member, or long hours at work. It can be easy to feel too overwhelmed for magical practice at the exact time when we most need and want support from our religious and magical work.

  What’s even harder is that a change in one part of life often triggers change in other parts. A schedule change may affect when we can see our friends or what events we can attend. Someone who is facing constant exhaustion may need to adjust their meditation practice or how they handle their own energy work. Someone who is the caretaker for a loved one may not have much uninterrupted time for rituals.

  Challenges also change how we see ourselves. Someone who does a lot of writing, reading, or creative work can find it hard to adapt if they can’t concentrate or focus for long. Someone who loves larger group events can be just as upset if their health, available time, or energy limit their attendance. Some people find that health issues or medications change how they perceive and work with magical energy. If we’ve been active in our community, we might also worry about what others will think of us if we don’t continue to take on a particular task or attend all the same events. We may be forced to take a break from a group or practice we truly enjoy.

  The good news is that we can choose how we face our busy challenges by choosing to use all the tools available to us—including magic and ritual—to help ourselves through the hard times, and to help make sure we remain focused on what we truly care about and need. This article outlines ways to help ourselves do just that, as well as ways to share our experience of these hard times with others when we need a little extra help and support.

  Take Time For Reflection

  It’s easy to get tangled in the complexity of change. We forget to step back and look at the whole of our life—all the things that go into making our lives rich and full and meaningful to us. One easy way to avoid this is to find some time for reflection when we first start to sense that changes are in the air. Some people like sitting down and talking through changes with a close friend. Some people like writing in a journal. You might like to try a divination reading to help you focus your attention, or meditation or ritual to help guide you to the areas that need your attention most. Fundamentally, though, you just need yourself, some time, and some questions.

  1) What makes you happy and feeds your dreams?

  Our joys and passions are important, especially during challenging times. For some people, it’s creative work; for others, spending time with family, gardening, or another hobby. Write a list of the things you enjoy. Some items will take more time, energy, and focus than others. Brainstorm ways you can include these things in your life. If you enjoy music, listening to music has different demands on you than playing or writing it. You might enjoy cooking, but find that easy slow cooker meals fit your new schedule and energy level much better than preparing a fresh seven-course meal.

  2) What must you do?

  Obviously, it’s important to take care of our basic needs. That means everything from sleep and food to paying your bills. And for most of us, that means work. While we don’t always have a lot of control over the details of our work environment, there are often simple practical things we can do that can save our time and energy for other things. Perhaps changing how we get to work would cause less stress, take less time, or allow us to read or listen to music on the way. Maybe bringing our lunch would help us eat in a way that better supported our health. Maybe taking time to find a quiet corner and read or listen to music during a break would let us recharge. Perhaps going for a walk outside on break would be of more benefit than ten minutes spent surfing the Internet. Long term, be open to changes, maybe in what you do or where you work, that would better support your dreams. If you work in front of a computer, try evoking the different elements and their energies to balance yourself while you do what you need to do. Use pictures of an ocean or river for watery calm, a cozy campfire or hearth for fiery energy, a wind chime or streamers for airy inspiration, or smooth stones for earthy grounding. Or just put up a photo or desktop background that reminds you to relax a
nd take a deep breath.

  The same thing goes for home. Someone has to do the dishes, laundry, and other cleaning. However, a clear look at how we’re doing those things helps us find a great solution. Look at all the tasks you’re currently doing: do they all need to happen that often? If you live with others, check in about chore preferences. You might find out that one person hates doing dishes and would be glad to swap that task for something you dislike or find especially tiring. If you live alone, consider whether your budget could stretch to occasional cleaning help for the chores you really struggle with, or invite a friend over to talk while you do the task. This will keep you on track to stick to the task but distracted by your friend. Don’t be afraid to look for unusual solutions, either. I don’t have a dishwasher and kept putting off doing the dishes because I hated washing glasses by hand. I then decided to replace the glasses with ceramic mugs, which I actually enjoy washing. (And if I drop one, they’re much easier to clean up.) The point is to find ways to do what you have to do while either incorporating something you enjoy or lessening the time it takes to do it.

  3) What time and energy is left?

  Take out your calendar and list everything you need to do in an average week, including work (and your commute), household chores, meals, your shower or bath, and enough sleep. If you’re dealing with medical issues, factor in plenty of time for rest. Once you have your average week, look at the time you have left. A good rule of thumb is to plan events to take up about 80 percent of your available time so you have some flexibility. That means that some things you’ve been doing may not fit in your life right now. You’ll get more enjoyment out of one ritual where you are fully present than three where your mind is distracted by all the other stuff you need to get done. You can choose events that fit well in your calendar (at times you don’t have other commitments), or you might choose to have a busier Tuesday than you’d like, but leave Monday and Wednesday open, so you have plenty of time to prepare and recover.

  4) Are there any other considerations?

  A number of life events—grief, many medical conditions, medication, a new baby—can make us feel like we’re moving through a thick fog for months, right at a time when we most need to focus. There are lots of great resources out there for time management and handling commitments. A good starting place is David Allen’s book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity (Penguin, 2002), but a search on “productivity” online will turn up lots of other options. Another good term is “lifehacking,” commonly used for tips and tricks that save time and energy in varied ways. Take a bit of time to research how you can save yourself time. That way you won’t have to think about time management when you’ve had a crazy day.

  5) Who should you tell about the changes in your life?

  When your life changes in any significant way, a good rule of thumb is to tell anyone who would notice: telling them means you can help them understand what’s going on without guessing (and possibly coming to the wrong conclusion). If you need to see friends less than you’d like, telling them why will help them understand and not take offense. If you’re working with a magical or religious group or teacher, it’s also good to talk to them and figure out the best options for everyone. Consider finding a group of people who are dealing with similar issues or situations. There are lots of support group options (both online and offline) that can help you with specific, practical issues around caregiving, parenting, or chronic illness. Many Pagan forums also have spaces for people with specific interests to share ideas and support one another. These resources are fantastic because they help you learn from what other people do, so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel for yourself.

  As you get more experience with the changes your life has gone through, you’ll also get a sense of which things still need adjustment. For example, I’ve enjoyed the Pagan camping festivals I’ve been to, but they take a lot out of me, not only the time of the festival, but extra planning beforehand to make sure I’ll be able to enjoy myself and have lots of recovery time afterward. These days, I’d rather spend my time in other ways, so I help create less-intense events or choose to see people at local one-day events that don’t put the same demands on my health.

  Interweave Magic

  Once you’ve taken the time to sort out the bigger pieces of your life, it’s time to take a look at how you can weave magic and religious practice into your life in ways that help you, not drain you.

  Creating an altar or shrine is an ongoing way to remind yourself of your goals and important deity or magical relationships. You might create one to honor a particular deity, to focus on healing, or to help with any other goal or desire in your current life. You might choose to have several smaller shrines in different rooms with different goals. A shrine does not need to be elaborate: a few small items are often just as effective for keeping you mindful as a large and elaborate shrine. Think through the upkeep: fresh flowers take more care than a houseplant that only needs occasional water. Seasonal altars can be lovely, but if you don’t always have the energy to change them promptly, they might be more distressing than helpful. Tarot or other divination deck cards can be a great and easy way to bring a specific focus to a shrine (by picking an appropriate card for your focus), as can other pieces of art.

  A related practice is wearing jewelry. This doesn’t need to be limited to a pentacle or another obviously magical symbol: any piece of jewelry that’s meaningful to you will work. Most of my jewelry comes from small independent jewelry-makers, and each piece has a particular focus for me. I might wear one on a day that I want balance and grace, another on a day when I need a little extra patience, yet another when I could use some extra healing. Simply reaching up and running my fingers over the piece (or just feeling the weight around my neck) helps me remember what my real goals for the day are, which can help immensely.

  Music and other things you listen to can also be a great way to include your magical and ritual life throughout your busy day. Computers, phones, and mp3 players often have applications that allow you to select music for an alarm (or there’s the older method of a mix CD in your clock/radio.) Even if you choose a louder alarm, you can still put the music on while you’re getting ready for the day, and choose music that will help you keep your focus on your goals and the things that help you start the day with a smile.

  Consider taking time every day for a little reading, as well as some listening. You might choose to read a few interesting blogs before you start your day, or you could bring a book with you to read over lunch or while waiting for things to get started at a meeting. If you’d rather not bring something witchy with you, you can pick fiction or non-fiction that still fits in with your goals and interests in some other way. I’m really fond of microhistories (those books about a single subject like salt, color, honey, or many other topics) for this: I always pick up fascinating folklore and history that then gets tied back into my magical practice. If reading is too tiring for you, podcasts, audio books, and movies might all work better for you, letting you enjoy learning something new or be carried along with a powerful story that helps you along your path as well. Audiobooks from your local library can be a great way to make commute time more useful and enjoyable. Most libraries have a good audio collection of fiction and classics, but you might need to search online if you want specifically Pagan books.

  Food is another great way to tap into your magical and religious practice. If time and energy are at a premium, you might not be up for a lot of cooking, but there are quick and easy ways to add things in. (See Melanie Marquis’ article on page 66 for some quick ideas.) One of my friends introduced me to the idea of “opportunity food”—those things that are quick and easy to make, but still nutritious and filling. It’s easy to add a seasoning herb with magical intention to a can of soup you’re heating, or add a few herbs to prepared pasta sauce, even if you’re not up to making it from scratch. Do the same thing with wh
at you’re drinking, too. It’s easy to stir a little healing into a mug of tea or a little extra love into a mug of cocoa or spiced cider—try honey, cinnamon, or nutmeg. You can also try cooking large portions of freezable foods when you feel better or have a bit more time. You can then pull them out on the days when time and energy have completely run out—homemade food without the homemade fuss.

  If your time and energy are limited, it may be a bad time to attempt lots of major magical work. Instead, focus on building your magical and ritual work around those things you need to do anyway. Including a simple energy cleansing ritual in your bathing routine doesn’t add time and can help you feel better. You can pick soaps or additions that help you keep your goals in mind—rosemary for healing from illness, rose for blessing yourself, even products that include coffee or citrus to help you wake up in the morning. Some people find it helpful to offer the work of tending their home or their children to a particular deity associated with those things; others do the same thing with tending a pet or a garden. Say a blessing before each meal. Add a short cleansing ritual to your dish washing. Experiment with other practices, like a daily devotion, but don’t be rigid. If you can’t keep it up, look for alternatives that fit your current needs better. This is an area where ideas and help from others can be especially helpful.

  While each of these by itself is a small and fairly simple step, added together, they can provide many options to keep your personal path vibrant during a time when changes in your life mean longer rituals or activities may not be practical. Follow a few of these tips and you’ll see that you can indeed live a busy, but magical life.