After Magickal Burnout: Five Ways To Get Your Power Back

Last week, I wrote a post about Magickal Burnout and how it happens. Magickal burnout is real and Witches are dropping off broomsticks, everywhere. In such icky times, we can’t afford to lose our Witches. If you do get burned out, getting back into the Magick may seem daunting. Frankly, everything seems daunting when we’re burned out. But there are ways to fix that.

1.) Stop Before You’re Burned out.

When did a ritual last give you life? Can you remember the last time you cast a spell other than one to banish the people who are making you crazy? Have you had a good “Oh Wow!” moment during your divination over the last few months? I knew my burnout was bad when I stopped having the trademark prophetic dreams I’ve had since I was a child. Pay attention to when burnout is looming and it’s

Suggested solution: Regular Sabbaticals from Magickal work. Regular baths with sea salt and apple cider vinegar.

2.) Marie Kondo the Shit out of your Magick Supplies

Do you have a bunch of mostly burned-spell candles hanging around? Trinkets from past rituals? Old oils you haven’t touched in years? Ms Kondo says to hold it and if it doesn’t give you joy, throw it out. Add if it doesn’t give you a Magickal buzz or you can’t easily remember what it was for, it’s time to let it go. Dormant spell pieces will drain the hell out of your personal Magick.

Suggested solution: Do an annual purge at Samhain, laying old spellwork pieces to rest and revitalizing stuff you forgot you have.

3.) Don’t Make Every Magickal Act Earth Shaking/Life-Changing/Insane

When I was living in NYC, my Coven could identify “Magickal junkies” who would go to several rituals in one night just to keep getting a high. One Covener coined the phrase “The Crispy-Fried-Crown-Chakra.” Soul-shaking, ecstatic Magick can be addictive. Making that your m.o. and you will find yourself spiritually exhausted.

Suggested solution: Mix up your practice. Not everything needs to be high-octane. Add a few grounding meditations or some simple walks in the park to your practice, too. Go outside and stare at the Full Moon until you remember how powerful Magick can be quite simple.

4.) Don’t Do Magick for People who Refuse to Help Themselves

When my Coven was an infant, we wanted to help a woman who was in a lot of spiritual pain. She lashed out at everyone who tried to help her and was a serious drain to everyone close to her. We did a working on her so that she would know she was loved, hoping that would stop her terrible behavior. It did, briefly. Without knowing we did the spell, she called one of our Coveners to say that she didn’t know what was going on, but she was walking around in a cloud of love and was happy! Unfortunately, she didn’t like being happy. A few days later, she started more fights and the spell was over. She didn’t want to be happy so therefore, no spell would help her. We’re going to make mistakes. Sometimes we help the wrong people. But doing it too often will burn us out.

We cannot invest more in other people than they invest in themselves. Whether a student, client, or good friend–if they’re not working to change their lives, leave Magick out of it.

Suggested solution: Ask the Tarot, ‘Is this person doing what they should?’ Three cards upright=yes. Three cards upside down=no. Two upright=maybe. Two upside down=probably not. No other Tarot experience necessary for this spread.

5.) Write Your Witch Job Description and Stick To It.

In my last blog, someone commented, “Just say no?” To be fair, I did, but that also led to angry emails, tears, resentment and honestly, more problems. Wasn’t (fill in the blank) my job? people asked. It often wasn’t, but without a job description, the expectations of me were endless. I was spending more time trying to define what wasn’t my job as a Witch and Priestess than actually doing what was. One day, I wrote an email to my Coven with job description: 1.) Leading Sabbats and Esbats 2.) Sharing Magickal information 3.) Being available for private counsel over Magickal things. It was not my job to find people rides to festivals, fix rifts between people, ensure there was enough guacamole at events for Vegans, ensure that Coveners were happy with their lives, make sure Coveners attend each others’ shows and birthday parties. If it’s not in the first three things I mentioned, it wasn’t my job and they shouldn’t even ask.

Now, I don’t run a Coven, but I still lead events, write, and read Tarot. My job description is to provide information that either I see in the cards or have found to be true in my research. It’s not my job to make sure that the client or student hears or experiences what they want to experience.

When we forget what our role is, it’s easy for us to slip into doing what’s not our job. And then we get burned out.

Suggested solution: Write down your description in your Book of Shadows. If you are a public Witch, consider posting it on your website. Above all, make sure that YOU know it, even if they don’t.