Star Made Witch: Witches Dreaming

At those hard times when it’s all you can do just to complete your daily responsibilities, when you need magic the most, but have the least time, space and energy to perform it, not all is lost. You still have your dreams. Of course dreams in the sense of hopes are their own kind of magic, but even when you feel hopeless the time in which you sleep can be put to magical use despite your inability to act during the awake times. Austin Osman Spare, a traditional witch and influential occultist, said “verily sleep is better than prayer.” The dreamscape is a place we can meet with the spiritual realm more simply. In our dreams we can both fixate upon a problem while allowing every possible solution to present itself without judgment.

In our subconscious our insecurities and complexes that block some opportunities may still appear but we may not grant them more audience than the many answers. In the limitless of sleep our theater has nightmares and dreams both given free reign. While in a tiresome day to day life of stressful work, illness, family obligations and so on we may not think of our wishes because even the specter of their denial is another burden to carry.

When you are exhausted and you lie down to bed try if you can to describe a symbol of desire so that in your dreams you may experience your wish. Although visualization is a way to do this, choose the sense(s) that you are strongest with, be it just thinking of the shape in words (a long P with an inverted V extending from it’s foot etc) or in scents (new car smell and fried potato chips with a little of my beloved’s spicy perfume). As you fall asleep you sense your wish in some form and let go.

This is a key to dream work and of course there are many including subliminal messages, hag stone charms, and lucid dreaming. Dream magic endures as a magic method because our intelligence still works on things while we rest. How many of us have said we will sleep on a question? We say it because often enough at 2 AM we wake with the answer. But in like measure worry can keep us awake. That is why abstracting your desire in the moments you go to rest can ease you out of the worrying pattern. The abstracted wish can then explore the possibilities less tied down by other concerns. As a regular or even occasional practice this kind of magic can produce results.

A simple result I have experienced is dreams in which I cast the needed spell. Or dreams where I experience my desire so that my rest was all the more fulfilling. But even better is when the wish comes true in life. This is the abstracted wish become concrete and manifest.

Somethings may not come to be, I might just not be cut out for them, there might not be the resources available to me in a scarcity economy especially if I haven’t certain privileges, or perhaps my wish isn’t aligned with my nature. Yet, still I have had many great rewards with magic. I most often perform it while I am awake. But when I have had one of those weeks where I am just beat, my dreams are where I unleash my spell.