Feeling Helpless? We Were Made For These Times

“We were made for these times” has been told to me several times over the last few years. How resilient we as women, and witches, are. How all our energy work is in anticipation of all that is happening today.

Lately, probably for many of us, it has been hard to bear the news of the world, what with climate change, eroding rights for women, xenophobia, and more. It’s enough to make you burrow in your blanket, watch Netflix, and hide away from the world. We are all busy trying to survive, with no energy left over to do spellwork, rituals, or anything else.. There have been many hard days and weeks lately, but I have to say, the moments I do something, no matter how small, it helps.

So, what to do when you are feeling overwhelmed? First of all, breathe. I can’t emphasize this enough. Many people don’t take deep breaths, and it sounds like a silly thing, but it is so important. If you can meditate, that’s a bonus, but to start with, take a deep breath. Right now, as you are reading this. Deep, slow breaths, for a count of four…

Now, drink a glass of water. We need to stay hydrated to get through the day and most of us forget to do that simple act as well. And no, coffee doesn’t count (I sob a little as I write this, because coffee is my drink of choice, but I do force myself to drink other things).

Third, hug yourself. I’m a huge hugger, so I hug people all day long, but some of us long for tactile touch, and may not have any during the course of the day. And loving yourself sets the foundation of the work you are going to be doing. So give yourself a hug, and love yourself. We need your energy, so loving yourself is a good way to get you centered so you can help with the work we all have to do.

Ground and shield daily: I cannot stress this enough. Do what you can to ground and shied yourself daily. Walk barefoot in the grass, wear hematite, visualize glorious shield made of diamonds around you, find a mantra, whatever works for you.

Next, decide what you are going to do. A list is below of some ideas (you know I love lists), but do add to what you feel called to do. And if you don’t know, go back to step number one (the breathing) and take some time to decide. Even it it’s one thing, and that is all you can manage, do so.

Light a candle:  The simplest and easiest thing to do, and it sends out your energy, even if it’s for a simple concept of peace or well wishes.

Text your resistance:  Text resist to 50409 and start contacting your representatives. Send as many messages as you are comfortable with, and follow the easy instructions to begin.

Call your representatives: Call them. Call repeatedly. Leave messages. Get your voice heard.

Spellwork: You know what to do and when to do it. Bind, hex, or conversely, focus on positive change. There is a balance of lightness and darkness within spellwork, and if you are not comfortable with the darkness just yet, look up binding. There are many YouTube videos out there, and I highly recommend the one by our Asheville Village Witch Byron Ballard.

Protest: Join protests, make signs, attend rallies. Feel the energy of community when you participate, and focus on sending it outward, so that together we make changes.

Live exuberantly: Live freely, love joyously, laugh often and exude happiness. Those with power want us downtrodden and miserable, so what is the best form of resistance? To do the opposite. Sure, there are day where this seems impossible, but find the moments of joy in your life and experience them. Hold onto that joy during the dark days ahead.

Insert humor: Part of live exuberantly, but do find ways to insert humor. Memes, funny movies, stand up comedians, whatever works for you. My go-to when the world is dark is to turn on “Fawlty Towers” and watch until I can face the world again.

Make decisions: I have been living with the mantra of “If the world exploded next week, would this matter?” Try it, when faced with some things that seem so very important at this moment, but using that mindset, would it really matter? It makes the unimportant fall away, and the important things more of a focus.

Find ritual: There is something soothing and satisfying by finding ritual in your day. Whether it’s part of your daily routine, or a ritual you create, plan or follow, you are moving energy. That energy invigorates you, and you send that out into the world. It’s a small but mighty thing.

Community: Get thee to a festival, a public ritual, a group meeting, or schedule a coffee date with a friend. Connect with someone.

No matter what you do, it matters. Read that again. What we do matters. And you get to choose what you do, so read over this list, or create your own actions. Together, we can change things. The best part of being a witch, to me, is that we actively participate in this world. Lighting a bonfire, gathering friends, performing spellwork, doing a binding with an egg, organizing a group to focus our orgasms for positive change, the list is endless. Get out there, and know that you are not alone!