A Brave New Year – The Tarot and Escaping the Comparison Trap – A Witch’s Perspective

A New Year. Thank Goddess! 2024—good riddance. Tough year.
Parents with troubles at the senior facility. (It’s called facility-for-profit!)
My husband’s parents had trouble. Oh, and his mother died. And he got physically attacked at work. Crap year. Bye, 2024.

Hellooooo 2025.
Have you tried New Year’s Resolutions?
No fun? Me, too.

Here are three insights.

1. Envision Your Personal Unique Path for 2025.

    “Let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you.” – The Goddess in The Charge of the Goddess, written by Doreen Valiente

    Some of the word pairs in the quote seem to be “opposites.”
    Power without compassion can be evil.
    Humor (mirth) and reverence—good stuff.

    Here’s the problem.
    Humans seem to be Comparison-making Machines.
    We look around to gauge… Am I okay?
    Why does that other person get the promotion? (Or to even keep the job?)

    Politicians love to say, “Are you doing better now?”
    Compared to what?

    Here’s the good news. The God and Goddess put divinity into you.
    You are gifted with a personal unique path.

    Let’s escape the Comparison Trap.

    Let’s begin with your heart. That’s what counts. (Not what other people are doing in their own lives. Yes, letting go of comparison.)

    What does your heart want for 2025?

    2. Arrange your daily life to nurture both the mundane AND the spiritual.

    “Live your earthly life fully, but try to see the spiritual aspects of your activities as well.” – Scott Cunningham

    How are things going for you?
    Are you doing well enough on the mundane level?

    There’s an old phrase: “Treat yourself as a good animal.” What’s that? Eat, sleep, and move so that your body is well-supported.

    And … treat your spirit well, too.

    How? Ritual, meditation, time in nature…

    This is part of a process to reconnect with your spiritual essence and the God and Goddess.

    People are driven to eat for survival on the mundane level.

    However, we need to choose to devote time and effort to experience existence on the spiritual level.

    Are you going to be sure to devote time to ritual, meditation, and more – in this New Year 2025?

    3. Ask the Goddess to Guide Your Tarot Process of the “New Year’s 6 Card Spread.”

    Recently, I did a “New Year’s 6 Card Spread” for myself.

    Here are the elements of the Spread:

    1st card: Theme of the New Year 2025

    2nd card: Where you are starting from

    3rd card: Your path forward to prosperity

    4th card: What you need to learn

    5th card: Trials along the way

    6th card: Things to consider during your journey

    Important Facets of the Tarot Process:

    1. It is truly helpful to ground and center. You get in line with yourself before you start the Tarot Process.
    2. Realize that your spread is a “picture” of one moment in time. Just by studying your spread, you are likely moving the pieces of your future. If you see a “warning,” then you can modify your behavior. (This is a reason that doing multiple spreads over time can be helpful. My spiritual elders advise avoiding doing a daily spread on the same question. It can be excessive.)
    3. Realize that an inverted card does not always mean “awful.” It can mean a new angle to the topic.

    What is your vision for the New Year 2025?

    May these insights support your journey.

    Blessed Be,
    Moonwater


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    How to Make the Light Return to Your Eyes – A Witch’s Perspective

    “My mom died, and the world feels twisted,” my friend Sarah said.

    I listened a lot to Sarah.

    I reflected on this. Life hits us hard. It’s easy to go dark and get bitter.

    Instead, I direct my focus on repeatedly bringing the light back to my eyes.

    How about you? Do you want to recover from the dark times?

    I have three insights for you.

    1. Focus on words that elevate.

    Sarah felt regret. She remembered times when she just needed to have quiet time to herself, and she did not visit her mother. Her job is extreme. She had to have recovery time to avoid getting physically sick.

    Something that helped was when I said, “Your Mom would like to see you keep going for your dreams.”
    Sarah said, “Yes. You’re right. Thank you.”

    How about you? When has someone said something positive that helped you carry on?

    2. Make space to “feel it all.”

    When I feel pain, I remember that to feel the good feelings I need to avoid going numb.
    I realize it can be good to “feel it all” … sadness, joy, fear, and courage.

    When you feel it all, you can let the tough feelings stay and then go.

    “I [The Goddess] give knowledge of the spirit eternal, and beyond death I give peace and freedom,” The Goddess, in The Charge of the Goddess, written by Doreen Valiente

    Some spiritual elders mention that when we suffer losses, it is like we suffer “little deaths.” The child becomes a teenager. The time of childhood has died, and the teen is the butterfly who carries on. Then, we transform beyond the teenager.

    To grow, we learn the value of “feel it all.” Beyond sadness and suffering is peace and freedom. How? When we integrate what we learn on our path as witches.

    Do you make space to “feel it all”?

    3. Ask Goddess for renewal.

    You can use a prayer like this.

    Goddess,
    Guide me to renewal.
    Just like the Yule Time, when the God brings light, laughter, and love to the land,
    Help me rise again.
    Restore the light in my eyes.
    So Mote It Be.

    May these insights support your path.

    Blessed Be,
    Moonwater


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    Happy Yule 2024

    Blessings to you all on this Yule.

    Blessed Be,
    Moonwater


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    Spiritual Solution for Depression Relief



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    Goddess Style Weight Loss: Wiccans — Happy, Healthy, and Confident

    Goddess Has Answers to Life’s Tough Problems: Wiccans – How You Can Experience Happiness and Healing through Goddess’s Wisdom

    Break Free with Goddess: Wiccans – How You Can Get Free of Worry, Illness and Anxiety and Enjoy Abundance, Health and Confidence

    Be a Wiccan Badass: Become More Confident and Unleash Your Inner Power

    Goddess Reveals Your Enchanted Light: Peace, Prosperity, Possibility Along Your Wiccan Path

    Real Magick

    Beyond the Law of Attraction to Real Magic: How You Can Remove Blocks to Prosperity, Happiness, and Inner Peace

    Goddess Has Your Back

    Goddess Has Your Back: How Wicca Can Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem and Make Your Life Magickal

    The Hidden Children of the Goddess Book

    The Hidden Children of the Goddess Embrace Wicca, Become Strong, Be at Peace with Yourself and the World Around You

    Goddess Walks Beside You: How You Can Listen, Learn and Enjoy the Wiccan Path

    Goddess Style Weight Loss: Wiccans — Happy, Healthy and Confident


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    How Witches Make Meaning that Actually Helps Them

    “If I clear this floor of clutter, what do I get?” my husband asked.

    “A clear floor,” I replied.

    “What else?”

    “My admiration.”

    “That’s it,” he said.

    “What?”

    “The meaning. You make the meaning,” he concluded.

    I reflected on this. Being a witch means a lot to me.
    It means that I am a child of the Goddess. It’s about being in touch with the natural world around me. …. And more ….

    How about you? Where is the meaning in your life?

    Here are three insights.

    1. Find your best choices.

      “You make me happy,” I exclaimed to my cat.
      He looked at me confused.
      Okay. So, he did not major in the English language.

      Does my cat make me happy?

      We could say that my interactions with my cat “set the stage” for my experience of happy feelings.

      My point is that relying on external events for happiness may be a road to trouble. How?
      Often, we cannot control external events. But we can make choices for the small joys in life … That’s my cat!

      What are the small joys in your life?

      2. Witness how you make meaning.

      A girl, Cheryl, is tormented by her older brother. Does she take that as a sign that everything in the world is unreliable and awful?

      A different girl, Molly, is tormented by her older brother. But then she asks her parents for karate lessons. Then, she defends herself against her brother. Molly became formidable.

      The same first situation. Different meanings and different actions.

      How do you make meaning in your own life?

      3. Let the Goddess guide you to your Higher Meaning.

      You can use a prayer like this.

      Goddess,
      Lead me to my Higher Meaning.
      Guide me on my path.
      Clear away useless distractions.
      So Mote it be.

      May these insights support your path.

      Blessed Be,
      Moonwater


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      How to Lift Your Life from “Ruined” – a Witch’s Perspective

      Divorce. I didn’t want it. My hopes were crushed. More than that, my soul was crushed under my then-husband’s constant berating.

      Sometimes, it feels like life “comes for us.” Divorce. Death of a loved one. Job loss. Loss of a close friend.

      What do you do when you feel your life has been ruined by some tough life event?

      I have three insights for you.

      1. Face the trouble; gather support.

      I had been married for seven years. I had no idea what would be next. Would my parents take me back? Because I had nowhere to go, even for a brief time?

      I was also losing my identity. I had wanted to be a life mate. Someone who loved and was loved.

      Now, this was all gone.

      But things were worse. I had no support. I was buried in depression symptoms. I had no energy. I could not even think of getting help. Also, I did not see any older people who demonstrated compassion or wisdom (Later, I would have spiritual elders.)

      If I could go back and give counsel to my younger self, I would say, “Gather support.” Seek the help of mental health professionals. Seek appropriate spiritual elders. Develop your own self-renewing activities like meditation, exercise (like walking in nature), good nutrition, and sleep.

      About “face the trouble”… I did not deny the pain, suffering, and trouble. I did not put a pretty bow on the trouble and call it “a challenge.” No. It was a painful trauma. I needed to grow, stretch, and endure.

      How?

      Gather support.

      In my circle, people I know step forward and make changes.

      • One friend had to try four chiropractors before finding one who was a match.
      • Another friend had to see four doctors before hearing about sinus rinse. The other doctors pushed antibiotics. This friend, with a daily sinus rinse, has avoided sinus infections for 15 years.
      • Another friend “fired” her psychotherapist. Then, she was truly happy with the next therapist she met and worked with.

      So, gathering support may require multiple steps.

      What can you do to gather support to help you endure a terrible transition?

      2. Realize that you’re losing an identity. And build your new identity.

      Sometimes we lose an identity and friends. If you step away from drinking alcohol, you may lose your “boozer friends.”

      They may resist you changing your lifestyle for a healthier one.

      Some friends that aren’t helping you may drift away. Not always quietly.

      They may get angry, or even accusatory. They might even try to sabotage you or make you feel you’re not “cool” or “fun,” anymore. Or say things like, “You can just (____) one more time, right?”

      Is some old friend sabotaging your new life?

      Sometimes, you just need to get the support you really need, that is, from the Gods.

      3. Ask the Gods for support.

      What can look like ruin to us, may be a step to the Gods.

      You can use this prayer to help you.

      Goddess,
      Help me nurture my inner worth with Your love.
      God,
      Give me Your strength to resist temptations that may ruin my path.
      Gods, guide me and soothe my doubts.
      So Mote It Be.

      May these insights support your journey.

      Blessed Be,
      Moonwater


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      How You Can Ease Up on Beating Yourself Up (A Witch’s Perspective)

      Photo by Lisa Fotios on Pexels.com

      As I settle to sleep, I suddenly remember messing up when talking to a friend.
      “Damn!” I grumble.
      “You okay?” my husband asks.

      “I’m all right. Just thinking about something I messed up.”

      “You want to talk about it?”
      “Not now,” I say.

      Do you emotionally beat yourself up?
      I have three insights for you.

      1. Find healthy comfort.

        A hug from my husband can help. Or a bite of a chocolate chunky chip cookie. (Okay, I must avoid going to extreme on the cookies!)

        Comfort is not a cop-out.

        Comfort is a necessary part of life.

        Who or what provides you with some comfort?

        2. Get outside in the breeze and more.

        As a witch, you know your kinship with nature.
        Don’t hesitate. Get that 15-minute walk next to trees. Feel the breeze. See the sky.
        Connect with nature.
        Get out of the box (office).

        How can you experience your connection with nature?

        3. Make prayer your ladder upwards.

        In the mundane world, we humans have limitations.
        Call for reinforcements!

        Here is a prayer you can use.

        Gods, shift my mind from self-blaming,
        Keep me growing with kindness and self-love.
        Lift me up to Your light.
        So Mote It Be.

        May these insights support your path.

        Blessed Be,
        Moonwater


        Enroll in my Online Course Beyond the Law of Attraction to Real Magick At Udemy.com


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        Spiritual Solution for Depression Relief is also an online course on Udemy.com



        Looking for gifts?

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        How You Can Experience the Profound Moment (A Witch’s Perspective)

        Warm energy. Pure love. Total approval and kindness. The God and Goddess were with me. The most profound moment of my life.

        Still, I have had glimpses of this Divine Energy in my daily life, too.

        How? It’s when I make a shift from a limited, mundane view of my present moment.

        You can shift to the Divine Level. I have three insights for you.

        1. Get into the Flow of the Universe.

          Some people look at the world through the lens of “it’s only my happiness that’s important.”

          This doesn’t ring true to me. Helping people and creating joy in others is a gift. Spreading joy around is important. 

          “There is only one happiness in this life: to love and be loved.”
          – Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin (known as George Sand)

          2. Avoid an emphasis on “separation.”

          Have you had a moment of “This will make me happy”? Were you thinking about a dessert or a new piece of clothing?

          Stuff can be fun.

          And yet…

          “Happiness shared is happiness doubled.” – Swedish Proverb

          I’ve learned that my path is elevated when I connect with others. Humans, animals, and more.

          Perhaps, you’ve felt a certain joy when giving a gift to a loved one.

          We, witches, know that we’re connected.

          The birth and rebirth of all nature,
          The passing of winter and spring,
          We share with the life universal,
          Rejoice in the magical ring.
          – Doreen Valiente

          I realize that the Three Time Laws also works to our advantage. Give and be kind and the blessing returns on you three times.

          3. Let go of “It’s not perfect yet.”

          Do you know someone who is never satisfied with anything or anyone?
          I find myself on edge and not feeling “satisfied.” It’s like a reflex. I probably got it from my mother.
          Still, I take this awareness into my meditation. It helps me shift to another state of being.

          “Misery might love company, but so does joy. And joy throws much better parties.” – Billy Ivey

          I’m grateful that I got a smile from this quote. On Thanksgiving Day, I’m visiting with my parents – and also my friends. I recall the classic idea: What you focus on grows.

          “Happiness is already there. It is within us. We have just forgotten it and need to remember it again.” – Socrates

          The God and Goddess want us to remember that They placed divinity within us. It is who you are.

          Each of us is a representation of the God and Goddess. We all have a piece of Them within us.

          When you get stuck in “it’s not perfect yet,” ask yourself: “How would the God and Goddess view this?” They see the big picture. What is that? It is the reality that we live in both the mundane world and the Divine Plane.

          So if a friend calls when it’s inappropriate, you can shift to the Divine Plane and realize the blessing of having a kind soul as your friend.

          May these insights support your path.

          Blessed Be,
          Moonwater


          Enroll in my Online Course Beyond the Law of Attraction to Real Magick At Udemy.com


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          Looking for gifts?

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          How Witches Create Badass Boundaries

          At 6 years of age, I punched my 9-year-old brother in the gut. The little torturer deserved it. More than that, I deserved to be defended. So I defended myself. That was a badass moment for me.

          Now, I don’t recommend violence. But I was 6, I had no one else to go to.

          To be a badass, witches need to know what they stand for. They also need to know what they will not tolerate.

          I have three insights for you.

          1. Experience Inspiration from the Warrior Goddess Athena.

          Athena is known to be related to wisdom, crafts, and warfare. I knit, brew wine and mead, make soap, and more. In the past, I painted with oil paints, and I have created jewelry.

          The Badass Boundary is to Reserve time for your creativity.

          “Your habits define who you’re being.
          Your boundaries define the space you require
          in order to be who you’re being.” – Jen Sincero

          What activity do you like to do? Do you feel called to create something? Something artistic?

          2. Experience inspiration from the Goddess Brigid.

          Brigid is connected to wisdom, healing, protection, poetry, smithing, and domesticated animals. My cat, Magick, just jumped on my lap. I have the connecting with animals covered. For example, years ago, I volunteered at The Peninsula Humane Society. I took care of the small animals—known as pocket pets.

          The Badass Boundary is to Reserve time for connecting with flora and fauna in the world.

          Do you enjoy having a pet? Do you have any interest in having a familiar?

          3. Experience inspiration from the Goddess Venus.

          Venus is related to love, desire, sex, fertility, beauty, prosperity, and victory.

          The Badass Boundary is to Reserve time for your personal victories.

          I made the first move to bring my husband into my life. It took courage. And he’s sure glad I expressed interest! Lucky guy!

          How do you want to feel? In what area of your life can you move forward? What can be a small step toward your next personal victory?

          May these insights support your path.

          Blessed Be,
          Moonwater


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          Spiritual Solution for Depression Relief is also an online course on Udemy.com



          Looking for gifts?

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          How Witches Experience the Privileges of Being Wiccan

          When I found Wicca, it was like coming home. A whole new world opened to me. And of course, I discovered the God and the Goddess. Here is something amazing. You have privileges as a witch.

          I have four insights for you.

          1. You can be close to the God and Goddess

          You can communicate and be close to the Gods.

          Do you pray? Or do you meditate? Using these tools as a witch we can communicate with the God and Goddess. They are only your next breath away. You can say a prayer now. Something  like:

          “Goddess, thank You for the comfort you give me now. So Mote It Be.”

          What would you like to pray about?

          2. You can wield magick for your benefit and all involved.

          Ever daydream about a dream job? Want to get a raise or make more money with your own business? In these situations, and more, witches can use magick for their benefit.

          I have learned that a combination of magick and taking practical actions in the mundane world makes abundance happen.

          What would you like to manifest? What form of spell would you like to do?

          3. You can experience community.

          You can have a family-by-choice. It is true we can’t choose our family by blood. But we can have a chosen family by making good decisions.

          I have learned that aligning with your spiritual family and certain friends can make for strong bonds. Bonds that are more nurturing than many bonds with family by blood.

          Who in your life encourages you? Do you want to devote more time to the encouragers in your life?

          4. You can avoid being tossed about seeking your personal worth from the human-mundane world.

          If you must seek your personal worth from any human, you’re in trouble. Why?

          Because human beings have flaws. Many are so self-focused that they have no room for you. Have you ever gone to a parent or sibling for comfort and they just ignored you?

          Realize that your true worth is the divinity that the God and Goddess placed within you.

          Sure, you can work to accomplish something in the mundane world. But you do not have to earn your worth. You already have a divine nature. It’s something to celebrate!

          When we incarnate, it’s like we put on blinders.

          When you pray and meditate, you take off the blinders, even for a few moments. You connect with your real worth—your divine worth.

          Do you want to add or grow your rituals of prayer or meditation?

          May these insights support your path.

          Blessed Be,
          Moonwater


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          How Witches Deal with “the Question That Illuminates Your Life”

          “That’s it. I’m done!” That’s what I want to say about the depression symptoms I deal with.

          If you have clinical depression, you may have heard a therapist say that “depression is defined as a low mood or loss of pleasure or interest in activities for long periods of time. This is different from regular mood changes and feelings about everyday life.”

          However, one day, an idea, like a bright light, bloomed in my mind.

          “My depression symptoms give me compassion for others. When someone is going through pain, I can understand. Because I go through that every day.”

          I experience suffering, and I can empathize with and understand some form of how others feel. This means that I often listen well to people who express their feelings.

          Each person’s journey is different. And yet, we all go through some versions of pain.

          I have three insights for you.

          1. The power is in the question.

          If you’re stuck in a rigid mindset, you may miss out.

          So, what is the question that illuminates your life?

          This question is: How are you not honoring the divinity the Gods placed in you?

          Depression symptoms want me to stay in bed and suffer.

          But that would not honor the Gods, my husband, my parents, or my friends. So, I get out of bed.

          And, sometimes earlier because my cat, Magick, swats me on the forehead. “Get Up!”

          He needs his insulin shot and food. But that’s not his order of priority.

          How can you honor the Gods by choosing different actions to take?

          2. Honoring is to use the gifts you have been given.

          What gifts have the Gods given you?
          Perhaps, you’re suffering right now. Blessings to you.

          And…

          You’re likely reading this. So, you can see.
          How can you honor the gift of seeing?
          See something beautiful.
          Visit with a friend. See their face.

          You can think. Honor the Gods by thinking of something kind you can do for another human being…or pet…

          How can you act to fulfill your gifts given by the Gods?

          3. Ask the Goddess for insight and energy.

          Here is a prayer you can use.

          Lovely Lady,
          Give me the Element Fire’s energy and passion,
          Give me the wisdom of Air, to know who I am.
          Wrap me in the flow of Water’s intuition,
          With Earth’s strong foundation of Your grace.
          So Mote It Be.

          May these insights support your path.

          Blessed Be,
          Moonwater


          Enroll in my Online Course Beyond the Law of Attraction to Real Magick At Udemy.com


           Enroll in my Online Course At Udemy.com


          Spiritual Solution for Depression Relief is also an online course on Udemy.com



          Looking for gifts?

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          For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:

          Visit Moonwater’s Author’s Page for all her books here.

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          Check out my site MoonwaterSilverClaw.com  for spells and more.