{"id":954,"date":"2017-11-13T10:31:46","date_gmt":"2017-11-13T18:31:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/?p=954"},"modified":"2017-11-16T14:20:35","modified_gmt":"2017-11-16T22:20:35","slug":"witchs-guide-thriving-conflict","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2017\/11\/witchs-guide-thriving-conflict.html","title":{"rendered":"A Witch’s Guide to Thriving in Conflict"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"conflict-banner\"So I just wrote several pieces geared towards helping folks reduce fighting, aggression, and disagreements<\/a>, communicate more effectively<\/a>, and be better Witches<\/a>.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t be a proper Gemini if I didn\u2019t address the flip side.\u00a0 (Also, this is the reality check for folks who may all too quickly assume that I have some overly rosy vision of the world.\u00a0 I\u2019m optimistic and imaginative, but that\u2019s hardly all of me.)<\/em><\/p>\n

What is conflict?<\/strong>\u00a0 Dictionary.com says \u201cA<\/span>\u00a0fight,<\/span>\u00a0battle,<\/span>\u00a0or<\/span>\u00a0struggle,<\/span>\u00a0especially<\/span>\u00a0a<\/span>\u00a0prolonged<\/span>\u00a0struggle;<\/span>\u00a0strife.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

My, that doesn\u2019t sound fun, does it? (Ok, for some of you, I know it does\u2026)<\/em><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the interesting thing about conflict \u2013 in\u00a0many situations, it presents an opportunity for growth.\u00a0 That may sound like my relentless optimism shining through, but I\u2019m actually coming at it from a designer\u2019s point-of-view.\u00a0 Where other people see a problem, designers see a challenge to overcome.<\/p>\n

For example, when Project Runway<\/a><\/em> first started out, I loved it.\u00a0 Not because I\u2019m into high fashion \u2013 but because the designers were faced with really interesting challenges.\u00a0 Harvest parts from a car to make an outfit, create a ballgown from party store favors \u2013 wacky things like that. It reminded me of being at RISD<\/a>: like when I had to make a sculpture of violin out of a single sheet of cardboard, not using any tape or glue, and it had to still be a single sheet in the end if you unfolded it.\u00a0 Another class had to make sculptures that would house a raw egg, that would be launched off the roof of a building.\u00a0 The egg had to survive intact for you to pass the assignment.\u00a0 Sure, these things don\u2019t seem like very practical projects in the first place, but their goal was to get you to really think creatively and figure out how to problem solve.<\/p>\n

Then the producers of Project Runway<\/em> started to focus less on presenting interesting challenges (or perhaps ran dry on those ideas) and the seasons got progressively more\u00a0focused on creating drama between designers than neat challenges and excellent design. That\u2019s about when I lost interest \u2013 and well, I haven\u2019t had regular cable TV in 5 years, so I just miss seeing Tim Gunn.<\/p>\n

Also, ever wonder why some updates for programs and applications seem really annoying and useless?\u00a0 Bored designers are a bad thing.\u00a0 Worst than bad designers are corporate non-designers above the\u00a0designers demanding \u201csomething new\u201d when it\u2019s working just fine.\u00a0 (Yay capitalism?\u00a0 Design for design\u2019s sake is typically the result of non-conflict push. It makes no logical sense.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Television, tech and art school aside \u2013 the times when human civilization has advanced in art and architecture, health and science, and other positive things has often coincided with the need to solve problems.\u00a0 What is Witchcraft if not a means to solve problems dealing with physical, mental, and spiritual health?\u00a0 Working with spirits, plants, places, people, and other things to cause a shift or to balance?<\/p>\n

\"Morrigan\" - painting by the author, from the Truth of Myth series, 2014
\u201cMorrigan\u201d \u2013 painting by the author, from the Truth of Myth series, 2014<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s natural when you are presented with a conflict of any nature to be upset.\u00a0 The secret to getting past it involves NOT immediately give in to anger or frustration, and blindly reacting from that place.\u00a0 Or to shut down completely, avoid, or give in to not doing anything at all. Instead, if we keep our cool, we approach the conflict with clearer vision and come out of the ordeal with new knowledge.<\/p>\n

Conflicts can come in many forms \u2013 they don\u2019t have to be caused by humans behaving badly.\u00a0 They can involve natural or metaphysical things, spirits, plants, places, animals,\u00a0or\u00a0weather.\u00a0 It can come from habits, it can come from too much of a good thing (an over-bountiful harvest of plants?), lack of space or time, having too many or not enough people to take care of something.\u00a0 Conflict tends to arise because we\u2019re ignoring something or not properly paying attention. Again, conflict can be an opportunity to be challenged and come out even stronger on the other side.\u00a0 They can help us clear away things that hold us back.<\/p>\n

So to help you thrive in the face of conflict, here are some handy tips from this Witch\/designer.\u00a0 I call it the 4 of Swords. If you\u2019re not familiar with the Tarot, the 4 of Swords often represents finding harmony through balanced action and good planning.<\/p>\n

\"Four of Swords\" from the deck I use the most, Legend: The Arthurian Tarot - published by Llewellyn Worldwide.
\u201cFour of Swords\u201d from the deck I use the most, Legend: The Arthurian Tarot \u2013 published by Llewellyn Worldwide.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Four of Swords Conflict Resolution:<\/strong>
\n1) Source:<\/strong> <\/em>Identify the source\/idea\/nature of the issue.\u00a0 What\u2019s happening and where is the problem\u00a0coming from?<\/p>\n

2) Dualities:<\/strong><\/em> Figure out who or what is involved. All conflicts happen when two or more things collide. A stream doesn\u2019t get diverted without there being a stone or log in the way.\u00a0A person doesn\u2019t get upset without there being some sort of trigger.<\/p>\n

3) Choices:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Consider possible solutions.\u00a0 Don\u2019t be afraid to brainstorm and consider possible outcomes carefully, if time allows. How fast is a solution required? Is the fix temporary\u00a0or permanent?<\/p>\n

4)\u00a0Foundation:<\/strong><\/em> Plan for the future.\u00a0 What will prevent this conflict from happening again? Are there precautions, rules, and\/or plans that can be set into place?<\/p>\n

Sure, you can use this system to approach nearly any conflict, but it\u2019s specifically handy for matters of Witchcraft. Mundanely, most people just want the conflict to go away \u2013 they ignore it or dissolve it without considering where it came from or how to prevent it in the future.\u00a0 In Witchcraft, we look deeper for the connecting threads and to affect change.\u00a0 Things can and\u00a0are often handled mundanely, but we often layer metaphysical approaches on top of that.\u00a0 We can use divination to search for answers and resolutions.\u00a0 Spellcraft can be utilized,\u00a0and we can also work with gods and spirits to get a better understanding, fostering effective change where we can.<\/p>\n

I hope you have found this approach useful and may you thrive in face of conflict \u2013and do it with style, and success.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here’s the interesting thing about conflict – in many situations, it presents an opportunity for growth. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2676,"featured_media":960,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,12],"tags":[93,390,391,7,4,138],"class_list":["post-954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metaphysics","category-modernpractice","tag-communication","tag-conflict","tag-resolution","tag-witch","tag-witchcraft","tag-witchery"],"yoast_head":"\nA Witch's Guide to Thriving in Conflict<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Here's the interesting thing about conflict - in many situations, it presents an opportunity for growth.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2017\/11\/witchs-guide-thriving-conflict.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Witch's Guide to Thriving in Conflict\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Here's the interesting thing about conflict - 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