Night Owl Meditations
I haven’t been a polytheist for my entire life. I’ve circled many different spiritual paths and learned many different traditions before coming to this place in my spiritual practice. It was really difficult at first to navigate the waters of polytheism since I don’t come from this kind of a background. My magickal practice is deeply intertwined with my spiritual practice, and for me, they inform one another. I grew up with a Catholic background/base, and Catholicism has influenced my practice and beliefs to a degree. I work with saints, and I work the psalms for magick sometimes, but most importantly my love for ritual inherent in Catholic practice was imbued from a young age. I understand the necessity of spiritual practice even when I’m not “feeling it,” and how practicing despite whatever mood or state of mind I’m in benefits me on every level of my being.
My practice is like a tree with concentric circles of devotion and magick. Ancestor veneration is the center of my practice. I have an altar set up to honor my ancestors, and I put out an offering of food once a week on it (with water and candles of course), though I pray to them daily. When I first began practicing ancestor veneration it felt weird and disconnected. I think that’s the reality for anyone who comes from a background where certain ideologies were drummed into your mind, and you’re transitioning into a new way of relating and existing in the world. Even though I’ve been a witch my whole life, my beliefs about the spirit world have changed as I’ve grown in my practice, knowledge, and experience. That doesn’t mean it’s a smooth transition, though.
Ritual really played a valuable role in fortifying the connections I have with my ancestors. I consecrated the space I created for them and invited them to it as their place to dwell within my home. They work on my behalf all the time without me even having to ask for anything, providing protection and opening roads. When I prayed to feel them more in my life a chickadee came to my window and stayed on the sill as soon as I was done praying, and when I moved to another room the chickadee followed me to a window in that room, marking a clear sign from my ancestors. Our ancestors want to see us thrive. We are their progeny. They have a natural vested interest in us and our wellbeing. It just made sense to begin here as I moved forward on my path of polytheism, organic spirituality, and magick.
The importance of nature is another one of the circles in my practice. Many of our ancestors were animists, understanding that there is spirit in everything. This animist belief was crushed and discarded by the Christian movement, which has paved the way for the continued desecration and maltreatment of the earth we live on. A human-centric view of the world needed to be discarded and replaced with an understanding that we are part of the ecosystem and everything we do affects everything around us, and everything around us affects us. We may hate mosquitos in the summer, but they are food for certain birds. If you poison the ground with chemicals, you’re poisoning the food you eat. Transitioning to this view humbled me and helped me to connect to the spirits of the land and forge positive relationships with them without the barrier of an excessive sense of self-importance.
I also have relationships with three deities (Hekate, The Lady of the Lake, and Loki), the fae, and a variety of saints (though mainly Saint Expedite who was been incredibly amazing and to whom I give offerings on Wednesdays) which make up other areas of my devotion. Hekate is my Witch Mother, the Light that guides me, Sovereign Queen. She’s been with me as long as I can remember, and she has helped me immensely with the work of healing that I’ve had to do during my life. It has been my role in this life to heal ancestral wounds, and it is not an easy task. She has been a force of protection over me, and my connection with her has brought me into community with a ton of other great witches who all walk their own paths. I honor her with offerings on the new moon.
The Lady of the Lake initiated me in a dream earlier this year. She is the one who showed me where the haven of my soul is during meditation, a place I visit often now. She’s guided me in growing my magickal practice, and she’s taught me a variety of methods of healing. I’ve received direct instructions from her that have been helpful in easing ailments. There really isn’t a specific day for offerings with her, but she prefers creative activities that are dedicated to her. The bathroom I use for ritual bathing is the space in my home where I honor her.
Loki is the Great Liberator. He brought immense change into my life with great force, and helped me break free of constraints I had placed upon myself so that I could fully embrace who I am. He’s been pivotal in helping me to discover truths about myself, and he’s brought a lot of laughter and joy to my life. He also brings vexation sometimes, like when I’m getting hangry and there’s more delays before I can eat. I’ve grown in patience due to him, and it’s made me a better person. He hasn’t asked for an altar yet but I’ve put out some offerings of chocolate for him anyway. He just likes to hang out, and is the most sociable deity I work with.
My first real life encounter with the fae happened when I was around nine years old. I was working with the Faeries Oracle, my first deck, late into the evening. I went to sleep and woke up a couple of hours later, and the oak tree outside of my bedroom window was filled with lights. Perfect circles of silver lights, all throughout the branches, so close to where I was. They weren’t moving or dancing. They resembled the lights of the Faery Godmother from the deck I was working with, and they were a gift to me, a sign of the connection I had forged through the work I was doing. I still work with this deck to this day, and honor the fae by how I honor nature, and by leaving out offerings for them. They’ve been allies to me my entire life.
Devotional gardens are one my favorite ways to connect with and honor not only my ancestors, but the gods I work with as well as the nature spirits. It’s a way that I get to do my part to help the bees and honor the spirits of the earth. It helps too that I get to cultivate my connection with plant spirits by directly caring for them, as they assist me often in my magickal practices. I don’t think I can stress the importance of gardening to my practice enough. Plants contain so much magickal energy, and lend their energies to our workings easily when we care for them. Night blooming flowers that lend their energies to outdoor moon rituals increase the wonder, power, and awesomeness of the experience.
I pray daily, I divine daily, I meditate irregularly but shoot for daily, and I give offerings on the appointed times and days per my practice. I don’t necessarily call on the deities I’m in relationship with when I’m doing magick. Sometimes I do, but most of the time I petition saints or my ancestors, or I’m working directly with nature spirits. My deities are more like friends I can count on who are helping me in my regular mundane life with practical inspiration or work that I need to do. Keeping my spiritual practice strong is a solid foundation for the magickal workings I do, because I remain in the right mind to influence and bring about the best results this way.
I’ve found that moving into polytheism was natural, but also strange at first. It takes a bit to grasp the contemplative requirements that come with it, and the presence required as well. It can be easy to think that the motions are enough, but they aren’t. A deeper understanding and a real connection is necessary. I didn’t start there. I started like a bull in a china shop in many ways. I made a lot of mistakes. I wasn’t the best listener. Shallow thoughts lead to shallow results, which was a lesson I had to learn. My entire outlook and way of relating to others and to the world has changed significantly as I’ve been on this path. My ability to traverse the liminal and walk between worlds has improved, and my newfound understanding has brought peace. I live a slow life now even if things are busy, and my magick is stronger, and the wisdom imparted by these spirits and entities have been invaluable.
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