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Goddess Musings

Witch. Photographer. Writer. Runner. Dreamer.

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Manifesting

The Witches that watch over my magical space.

A few weeks ago, I came across an article about manifesting goals or dreams and how from a scientific perspective, it wasn’t possible. I didn’t finish reading the entire article; I got sidetracked (hello ADHD!) and I’ve hunted for it to no avail. But it did get me thinking.

They aren’t wrong. But they aren’t right either. It’s true, from a purely scientific perspective, you likely cannot 100% prove that you can manifest your goals or dreams. I mean, if you are a 5’2” woman and you state that you want to be a 6’ tall super model, we all know that’s not going to happen. But, that isn’t manifesting. That is wishful thinking.

I’ve heard manifesting referred to as the “New Age” form of prayer. And it really isn’t any different than Christian prayer. Or a spell that a Witch would cast.

Manifesting, isn’t any different. You are speaking your goals and dreams into being. It’s more than that too. Just because you speak it, doesn’t make it so. It’s the work that you put into it after you speak it.

Whether you are casting a spell, praying to a God (any God/Goddess), or manifesting something you seek, it’s not as simple as saying the words and then sitting down to wait for it to happen or materialize.

As a Witch, anytime I cast a spell, I’m putting my intention and will out into the universe. It doesn’t stop there though. I still have to continue to do my part. There is always a price for manifesting, praying or casting spells. I am reluctant to use the word “sacrifice” because that can be taken very out of context when discussing Witchcraft. But it’s an accurate term. Only that sacrifice would be of your time and energy. And that sacrifice is required no matter what religion or deity you pray to.

If we’re manifesting wealth, we have to work on our finances; focus on saving money. We may have to invest in additional schooling or training to enhance our skills to advance our career. Or if you’re manifesting a healthier body, we have to change our behaviors.

When casting a spell, or manifesting something, we have to be specific. Are you looking for a new job? Write out what it is you want, be specific, write down the job a field you want to work in, add in details – salary, benefits, location, etc. This applies to anything you seek. You want to be specific. Then realistically look at what you’ve written, what additional work do you need to do to obtain said goal? Make a plan and start working towards it while asking the universe, Goddess/God for their help and guidance.

Be open to what may present itself to you as you work toward manifesting what you’re seeking. What the universe has in store for you may not be exactly what you wrote down. It could be even better than you dreamed! Sometimes we have to take a leap of faith and trust that the universe has our best interests at heart.

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Connection. Power. Purpose.

Last week, I did one of those hidden word memes where the first three words you see are supposed to be for whatever. My first three words were connection, power, purpose. In that order.

It’s interesting how the universe is able to put into very specific words the feelings I’ve been experiencing. And just when I needed to read them. I’ve been searching, but had not really given exact words to it. I’ve been restless, but not knowing exactly for what; I have strong ideas of what, but was just not articulating it well. And then I read those words. They completely sum up how I’ve been feeling and the work I need to do.

Spiritually, I have been drifting for a quite some time. Since 2020, I have been pulled to reconnect with my spiritual side and my Practice. I started rebuilding my library of books on the Craft. Acquiring new copies of many books, and discovering new authors to add to my collection.

The fact that connection, power, and purpose are the three words I saw confirms to me that my decision to step back into an active role in the Pagan community is my path. It will not be an easy path, but I’ve never been known for choosing the easy way.

As I’m working to fully embrace my own magic power and purpose, I’ve accepted that I need to continue to heal too. Heal from my own trauma and the generational family trauma I carry. It’s time to make peace with those things, lay them down and set them free.

I’m bought a copy of Heal the Witch Wound by Celeste Larsen a couple of months ago. If I’m being honest, it took me those couple of months to read it not because I was deep in other reading material, but rather good old procrastination. It’s a heavy subject. But I started reading it over the weekend and so much of it rings true. Yes, it is heavy, but that heaviness has been part of my soul for a long time. Reading it not only validates that part of myself I don’t discuss for fear of being thought crazy, but it has made it easier to carry. It’s part of healing and growing.

I’ve journaled a lot about these words. About the process of healing. About embracing my Witch identity. In New Orleans, I was very open and public in my practice. I relocated to New England about 15 years ago and have been pretty private. I lived in Salem, MA for several years and was still private! Of all places!

But, I was also going through a ton of things; divorce, a miserable job, literally running away from my feelings and problems training for a marathon. I was not in a right mindset to practice. After hitting rock bottom pretty much, I began to climb my way out of that dark time. I worked on myself a lot. Not spiritually per se, but I focused on changing my career, building my skills and overhauling my life into someone I loved again.

The spiritual growth came later. It’s happened in fits and starts over the years, but it’s a key focus going forward. It has to be if I’m going to embrace my Connection, Power, Purpose.

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Pisces New Moon

This new moon feels more of a new year to me than the beginning of the calendar year. I think March has always been the “new year” for me rather than January first.

I’ve always felt the need to hibernate during the winter months. For years I always beat myself up for being lazy and unmotivated. I used to joke that I was part bear for wanting to hibernate. It has taken many trips around the sun to realize that I’m not either of those things. In fact, I am very in tune with Mother Earth.

During the winter months, the land is barren and asleep. Our crops have been harvested and it is time to give the land rest. We are meant to do the same during the dark, cold winter months. We were not meant to go-go-go all year long. We need those dark months to turn inward. That is the time to focus on yourself. Your spirit. Your connection to the Divine. It’s a time to rest and reset.

Crocuses in bloom.

March has finally arrived though and our days are getting longer. Mother Earth is starting to wake up from her winter slumber. My crocuses have started to bloom! My tulips and daffodils have peaked up a few inches in their beds. My own energy is returning. I too, am waking up.

I’ve been spring cleaning like crazy. Out the with old! It’s time to make room for the new! It’s time to purge that which no longer serves me, and purging I have been doing. The “Stuff” that has accumulated over the years has gotten a bit out of hand. I’ve been donating and tossing things to make room in my home. This purging has made a lot of room for a lot of fresh, new energy inside these old walls.

New broom I made above my ancestral altar.

This new moon is a time to set intentions for the coming seasons. I have been a solitary Witch for the last 15 years or so. When I lived in New Orleans, I practiced regularly with a very tight knit group. That group is where I trained and learned my Craft. After relocating, I never connected with any group. I’m not sure why exactly, but I took a long break and just practiced alone. In the last few years though, I have felt the pull to step back into the Pagan Community as an active participant. But I never actually did it. I kept thinking, but not doing. Well, it’s time to do!

I have not found a specific group yet. But over the last few months, that pull has become much more insistent. Demanding! It’s literally a scream in my head insisting that I use my voice. That I once again become an active member of the Pagan community. It’s time to embrace my magic, meet other like minded souls where I live now.

I have started looking for those beautiful souls. Our world is a mess. The Witches need to come together, band together to be a force for good. I would love to build a community of Witches (and Witch friendly) to practice with, but also a community that strives for a peaceful harmony with the earth. We don’t all have to believe the same thing from a religious or spiritual perspective; I believe it’s more important that we all come together with an openness to believe all of our paths are valid. Can such a group exist? In a world with so much discord, honestly, I’m not sure. But I’d like to try.

Is that a tall order for this year, or what?! I have smaller intentions too. I am continuing to do a massive spring cleaning. I am making my plans for the garden too. My husband found a set of plans to build a larger tiered herb garden. I want to grow and dry our extra herbs this summer. I have several herbs that I want to grow for teas. We live in an urban setting, so we have container garden beds.

A part of that intention setting is to write more too. In my journal and here. I’ll be writing a lot on this journey to finding my voice, my new tribe, and my place in all of it. I don’t know where this is going to lead me, but I trust The Goddess to show me the path.

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The New Moon in Cancer

This week was the New Moon. I have been focusing on the New Moon more this year than I have in past years. This years Llewellyn’s Witches’ Datebook has a section on working with the New Moon and I decided to intentionally do some New Moon work this year.

Unfortunately, for June, I did not get to do any planned ritual. I’m nursing a case of COVID this week and just not feeling my best. I did however, spend some time rereading and setting some intentions.

Directly from Llewellyn’s Witches’ Datebook, “The New Moon in Cancer is a time to create intentions around self-care, nurturing, belonging, family, home, hearth, and security.”

During this pandemic, I really turned my focus inward to home and hearth. My original intention was finding local sources for things that were in short supply, and where I could, natural or minimally processed sources. Meat and eggs were in short supply early on and we started frequenting a local dairy. We’ve continued this and signed up for a vegetable CSA through that dairy. We’ve started getting a meat CSA through another farm and also get local fish.

I started looking for reusable or more environmentally friendly options to paper products and found bamboo paper towels, toilet paper and tissues. The bamboo paper towels are compostable, so less of them go into the trash. Plus, bamboo grows much faster than trees. I do use cloth towels as much as possible. The toilet paper works well too. The only thing I didn’t love in the bamboo is the tissues, they are a bit rough and scratchy on the face if you’ve got a cold and blowing your nose a lot.

As I rebuild my practice, I’ve also started rebuilding my herb collection. Not just herbs for ritual use, but also for medicinal use too, where appropriate. I’m definitely a believer in Western medicine, but I also believe in utilizing Eastern medicine and herbal remedies. A good chunk of my current reading list if books on herbalism and making natural products for the home.

Some of my summer reading list.

Hearth, home, family, and self care; for me these all tie in together with getting back to living closer to the earth. Closer to the Goddess and reconnecting with nature.

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Renewing My Wiccan Practice

I have not actively practiced or been part of a group in well over a decade. I still consider myself an Eclectic witch and follower of the Wiccan path. It is similar to any other faith or belief in that respect I suppose; just because you don’t practice doesn’t mean you are no longer of that faith.

I used to be very active in the Pagan community in New Orleans. I was part of a tight knit group; that particular group is no more, or rather, not in that incarnation. After Hurricane Katrina, much of our group relocated, including myself. I lived in Nola for a bit over a year afterwards, but eventually work and life took me elsewhere. I made a couple of pitstops in other areas for a few years before moving to New England. I checked out a couple of groups up here, but none of them clicked for me.

Over the years I’ve always noted the change of seasons, and the different holidays as the Wheel of the Year turned. I didn’t do anything to celebrate them otherwise and had not set up an alter in my home in years. This past summer though, something awakened in me demanding I pay attention to my path once again. We all walk our own path and I certainly had a journey back to mine.

I spent most of the fall in my head, thinking of returning to active practice. A dear friend and High Priestess would tell me to stop thinking and just start doing. She’s not wrong. She’s been gone from this earth for 5 years now and I can still hear her voice in my head telling me to stop overthinking it.

All of that thinking this fall has lead me to some decisions. I debated finding a group, but I’ve decided to keep a solitary practice for now. While I do enjoy a likeminded community, I’d rather remain solitary until the Goddess presents the right group, time and situation. I’m rebuilding my Book of Shadows. When I divorced, my ex and I dissolved our shared BoS. In addition to starting to write here on my blog, I’ve started keeping a journal as well. Writing has always been important to me, so I am starting to write again, both for private and for public use.

I set my alter back up for the first time in ages. It’s a work in progress. I have some things that were given to me that I have saved and cherished; other things I’ve acquired over the last few months. There are some things I’ll buy and others I’ll make. I remind myself I don’t need any of it to actually practice, but I find certain things help my focus and concentration. I’ll post some pictures of my alter in the coming weeks as I get it ready for the full moon and Imbolc.

My library took a huge loss when I divorced too. My ex kept most of the pagan books and honestly, I’m fine with that, it freed me to build a library of my choosing. I’ve bought a lot of books over the last few months and I’m diving deep into my reading. While going through boxes in my cellar, I came across my course work from my year as a novice and initiation. I’m going to reread that and incorporate it into my library.

I’m not sure where my path will lead me, but I’m looking forward to walking it once again.

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Coming Full Circle

Goddess Musings is a monicker I’ve been writing under in some form or another for about 15 years.
I’ve been a witch for over 20 years.
I’ve been a runner for 10 years or so.
I’ve been a photographer for many, many more.

We all take breaks from things we love. I’ve taken various breaks from all of these things.  I’ve had many reasons and excuses- some valid, most probably not. Some breaks have been because I lost my path, or intentionally stepped off the path. Life is a journey, not a destination. I think we all forget that, and forget to enjoy the journey instead of racing to obtain more, bigger, better everything. I know I’m guilty of it!

It’s time to step back on my path to once again find those things I love. To find those things that have always been a part of me. It’s time to find me again (cliche, yes, but true nonetheless). All of them. Maybe not all in the same day, but baby steps.

So this is where I’ll be blogging about that journey and the adventures and photography along the way.

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