{"id":483,"date":"2017-03-31T18:58:06","date_gmt":"2017-04-01T02:58:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/?p=483"},"modified":"2017-03-31T19:07:08","modified_gmt":"2017-04-01T03:07:08","slug":"the-dork-witch-the-art-of-humor-in-the-craft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2017\/03\/the-dork-witch-the-art-of-humor-in-the-craft.html","title":{"rendered":"The Dork Witch: The Art of Humor in the Craft"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"Believe — Believe it or not, a very powerful ritual experience followed this\u2026<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
I\u2019m just going to lay this on the line. I\u2019m a dork. A big one. \u00a0I\u2019m a mix of awkward, earnest, silly, passionate, scholarly, artistic, and an octopus for good measure.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve always been this way, but the biggest difference between 20-something me and 40-something me is that I\u2019ve learned to embrace it. \u00a0And it has truly made life so much more enjoyable all around.<\/p>\n
It doesn\u2019t mean that I don\u2019t take things seriously. \u00a0My approach to art, dance, witchcraft \u2013 is very sincere and grounded. \u00a0Technique, history, application, practice \u2013 any of these in any area of expertise will launch me into TELLING YOU ALL THE THINGS. (#geminiproblems)<\/p>\n
Rather, I don\u2019t fall into the trap of taking myself<\/em> too seriously. \u00a0Or the Universe for that matter.\u00a0If you think the Universe \u2013 as in the flow of things, the deities, life, reality \u2013 is\u00a0for the super Serious, it\u2019ll strive to prove you wrong. \u00a0It celebrates the odd, the absurd, boundary pushing, and juxtaposition \u2013 and it does it with a side helping of smug snark.\u00a0<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>How did I learn this? Through the power of observation combined with cause and effect \u2013 in ritual, in practice, in dreams, and adding up circumstances. \u00a0Like the time at one of the Cauldron of Annwyn\u2019s public labyrinth rituals, while singing the Samhain fire song with extra gusto \u2013 that we managed to set the table on fire. <em>(That year was best subtitled, \u201cFun with Elementals!)<\/em> Or any time I\u2019ve ever been at an event with\u00a0a raffle, happen to look up from my table at whatever is on the block and go \u201coh I so do NOT want that thing, WTF would you do with it?\u201d, moments later it\u2019s mine. \u00a0(This doesn\u2019t work with things you <em>actually<\/em> want. I\u2019ve tested it.)<\/p>\n<p>I bring this all up for a few reasons. \u00a0One is because everywhere I see examples of people trying so damn hard to appear to be serious \u2013 or at least perceived as such is my guess. \u00a0But I\u2019m here to say, it\u2019s not an \u201ceither or\u201d situation. \u00a0It\u2019s more like, the harder you <em>try<\/em> to appear Serious, the more you can look like an idiot. \u00a0It\u2019s like trying to drive with a mirror directly in front of you. \u00a0You\u2019re going nowhere fast and you\u2019re going to crash. \u00a0Just be \u2013 without overly worrying about how people see you \u2013 and people will see the real you. Or at least a version of the real you. \u00a0<em>(Are you afraid of the real you? Or people seeing it? That doesn\u2019t really work well.)<\/em> Really, who has time for all of that pretense???<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Yass Cat Vine 5 Minute Loop\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jGUn-rOl_9s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>As a teacher, I also find that people learn best when they\u2019re relaxed. \u00a0It may offend the Serious, but there\u2019s a reason why I believe in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2017\/03\/witchcraft-is-cookies.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">cookies in witchcraft<\/a>, and why you should evoke the Sky Bunny and Wall Kittens in movement. (Sorry no link, you\u2019re just going to have to come to one of my workshops!). \u00a0It\u2019s why I delight in getting a room full of occultists to all say \u201cyaaassssss.\u201d \u00a0And why I hand out ribbons at conventions with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2016\/12\/manifest-birches.html\" target=\"_blank\" class=\" decorated-link\">\u201cManifest Birches\u201d <\/a>printed on them. \u00a0It gets people to pay attention, to let go of themselves and allow for change and new ideas.<\/p>\n<p>You experience and absorb things much more quickly and effectively when ego is put aside and humor is embraced. \u00a0It also gives the Universe less of an opportunity to poke at you, and increases your chances of it partying with you. \u00a0And it allows you to conserve your energy and resources for when you need it the most. It\u2019s not exactly easy either. \u00a0It takes skill to be able to embrace the dorkness. Life is a pretty crazy place, you might as well try and enjoy it.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Some helpful hints:<\/strong><\/em><br>\n\u2013 Embrace laughter in your rites.<br>\n\u2013 It\u2019s OK when things don\u2019t go exactly as planned. Sometimes it\u2019s better that way.<br>\n\u2013 Having fun can still be serious business, in the best way.<br>\n\u2013 You\u2019re more flexible and think more clearly when you\u2019re relaxed\/at ease.<br>\n\u2013 The gods definitely have a sense of humor, and as we know some of them enjoy a good prank.<br>\n\u2013 Worry less about what people might think of you, and more about if you are being who you should be.<br>\n\u2013 If you can laugh at your mistakes, you can learn from them more easily.<\/p>\n<p>(And if you read all the way down to this point, but disagree with me, the joke could be on you.)<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019m just going to lay this on the line. I\u2019m a dork. A big one. \u00a0I\u2019m a mix of awkward, earnest, silly, passionate, scholarly, artistic, and an octopus for good measure. I\u2019ve always been this way, but the biggest difference between 20-something me and 40-something me is that I\u2019ve learned to embrace it. \u00a0And it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2676,"featured_media":488,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[213,215,212,214,43,7,4],"class_list":["post-483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-modernpractice","tag-craft","tag-dork","tag-humor","tag-laughter","tag-ritual","tag-witch","tag-witchcraft"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Dork Witch: The Art of Humor in the Craft<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I'm just going to lay this on the line. I'm a dork. 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