hope

Choose the Goddess When Moments Are Dark (a Witch’s Perspective)

/ Moonwater / 2 Comments

“How much choice do we have?” my friend, Alex, asked.

“I always go back to what Doreen Valiente wrote in The Wiccan Rede:
An it harm none, do what ye will.” I said.

Later, I reflected on this conversation.

I have two insights about this.

1. “An it harm none” includes you.

Sometimes, we must make the bold choice. Why? Because we might harm ourselves by “not even trying.”
You might try a class. Or ask someone if they’d like to have coffee with you sometime.

Also, we must be careful of addictions.

My sweetheart is addicted to YouTube Shorts with golden retrievers and kittens (Don’t ask.)

So, when he needs more sleep, he promises two friends that he will avoid YouTube Shorts for the day.
Then he avoids harming himself due to lack of sleep.

2. Think about what you really control.

I notice that stoicism emphasizes that we only really control our thoughts and responses.

Many external events, plus the opinions of others, are outside of our control.

“You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” – Marcus Aurelius

We may not control our first thought.

But our second thought can be towards the Goddess.

You can use a prayer like this:

Goddess,
Show me what I can change,
and help me understand
what is out of my control.
Strengthen my virtue and my heart,
For my love is strong for You.
So Mote It Be.

May these insights support your journey.

Blessed Be,
Moonwater

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You May Be Surprised (A Witch’s Perspective)

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The Triple Goddess symbol of the waxing, full, and waning moon over dark background. (Photo of the moon: NASA)

“I’m exhausted,” my friend, Amy, said.
“Your Sjögren’s syndrome is a lot to bear,” I said.

Part of caring for my friends is to listen well.
I ask questions, and they discover details for themselves.

I asked, “Would you be okay with exploring two ideas?”
I waited. Maybe she was too tired at this moment on the phone.

“It’s okay,” she said.

“What does the fearful part of you say?” I asked.

“That I’m done. My life is going to stay in this box of illness. That I’m going to have this level of pain until I leave this planet.”

We talked some more.

A few minutes later, I asked, “What would Goddess say?”

This stumped her.

She paused.

I waited.

Eventually, she said that Goddess would encourage her. Goddess, would say, “Be compassionate with yourself. Because you are My child. Pain has different colors and textures. You’ll have times when you won’t think about the pain.”

Later, I reflected on this.

Often, I return to the words of the Goddess, in The Charge of the Goddess, as written by Doreen Valiente:

“Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever towards it; let naught stop you or turn you aside.  … Let My worship be within the heart that rejoices, for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are My rituals.  And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you.” – The Goddess speaking in The Charge of the Goddess, written by Doreen Valiente

May these insights support your journey.

Blessed Be,
Moonwater

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See What the Goddess Reveals (A Witch’s Perspective)

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“I feel so vulnerable,” Sheri, a friend, said.
I nodded. I deeply related to this.
I reflected on this later.

What if we could align ourselves with Goddess? What if we could know Her power?
And, we can!

Goddess and the God placed divinity within us.
That is our essential identity. Yes, our essence.

Here is something that stands out: the Goddess’s Principles.
Here is a definition of principle:

A principle is a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning. – Oxford Languages

We can find some of Goddess’s principles as she speaks in the writing of Doreen Valiente:

“Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever towards it; let naught stop you or turn you aside.  … Let My worship be within the heart that rejoices, for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are My rituals.  And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you.” – The Goddess speaking in The Charge of the Goddess, written by Doreen Valiente

Here is a prayer to support you in your own identity.

My Gracious Goddess,
Show me my own beauty and strength,
My own power and compassion,
Let me strive for honor and humility, mirth and reverence in all I do.
Let me see myself in You, and You in myself.
So Mote It Be.

May these insights support your path.

Blessed Be,
Moonwater

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Sleepless with Regret or Shame? Goddess Is Present (a Witch’s Perspective)

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It happened again. I thought about something I regretted. It looked like I wouldn’t get sleep.
Then I shifted my thoughts. I brought an image to my sleep-deprived mind.
I am floating in the ocean. Peaceful.
The waves softly flow.
The Ocean is Goddess.

Eventually, I fall asleep.

Later, I reflected on this.

Here are two definitions:

“Regret is an emotion. It’s a negative emotion in that it’s an emotion that makes us feel worse, not better. And it’s an emotion that’s triggered when we think of something from our past and wish we had done something differently, done something in a different way, not done something, taken an action, not taken an action.” – Daniel Pink

“Shame is the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging.” – Brené Brown

Whoa! Stop!

Goddess put divinity within us.
We ARE worthy of love and belonging.
We belong to the Goddess.

I remember this quote:

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.” – Maya Angelou

So I need to shift from regret to reflecting on what I may want to do differently in the future.

Here’s a prayer you can use.

Goddess,
Let Your waters of love caress and flow within and without me.
Let my shame and regret be washed from my mind, body, and soul.
Soothe me, nourish me, and heal me.
So Mote It Be.

May these insights support your journey.

Blessed Be,
Moonwater

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The Witch’s Path to “Stronger Than a Habit”

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“You look frustrated,” my friend, Susan, said.
“Got that right,” I replied.
“About…?”
“I just can’t get in more meditation sessions,” I said.

Later, I reflected on this.
So, we hear that improving our lives is just about adding a habit. (As if that were easy.)

Ever put in a new habit and in 47 days—poof!—the habit is gone?

Frustrating, right?
What’s the answer?

It’s not just a change of habit.
It’s a shift of identity.

Robert Rodriguez, the film director, said that he would throw out his back every time he made a film.
He asked Sylvester “Sly” Stallone how he managed to stay strong and athletic.
Sly said, “Get a personal trainer.”

But then, Robert had a revelation. Yes, it was good to have the support of a personal trainer. AND, he needed to shift his identity to “athlete.” Then it was about “what does an athlete do?”

We, witches, can choose layers to our identity.

I can choose and say firmly, “I AM a meditator.”

In fact … I’m taking a pause …

Now, I am back.

Guess what I just did?

I did a brief meditation session. Why? “I AM a meditator.”

What identity would you like to add to your practice as a Witch?

Here’s a prayer.

Goddess, show me the way to transformation.
Guide my actions on my desired path.
So Mote It Be.

May these insights support your path.

Blessed Be,
Moonwater

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Burst through the “It’s Good for You” Wall (a Witch’s Perspective)

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“What’s good for you—that’s Wicca—that you don’t do?” my friend, Margarette, said.
“Meditate more often,” I said.
“What holds you back?”
“It’s a freakin’ cliché. I have no time in the morning. I’m too tired at the end of the day. And, I spend my day mostly taking care of my parents (often). And one diabetic cat,” I said, my shoulders drooping.
Margarette nodded. She looked sad.

I have an insight for you.

Attach The Good For You Action to Something You’re Already Doing

Something good for me is to do an action that makes me feel better.

For example, my husband massages my back every night. (Yeah, I feel lucky.)

But I just don’t get around to massaging his back.

I don’t feel good about not supporting the Love of My Life.

Except, now I’m turning that around. Now, I’ll take 10 seconds to massage the trapezius muscles next to his neck when I walk past him to my workstation (in our home).

10 seconds is better than nothing.

He smiles and says, “Wow! You remove a lot of tension from my trapezius muscles in a short time!”

So I’m going to walk past him anyway. I’ve just attached being kind to my husband (and I feel better) to my daily action.

My way to add Wicca to these 10 Seconds is to say a prayer like: “God and Goddess, thank you for my sweetheart. May he feel safe in my arms and loved.”

What would be good for you to add to your daily life?

Here’s a helpful prayer.

Goddess,
Guide me to make time for
What’s good for me,
What’s important to me,
What makes me smile.
So Mote It Be.

May this insight support your path.

Blessed Be,
Moonwater

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How Witches Deal with Someone Who Won’t Hear Them

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“My sister just won’t stop for a minute to hear me out,” Milly, a new acquaintance, said.

“She has all these judgments about me and my faith. She doesn’t see me as a person. It’s like she’s talking to her projection of what she thinks I might be.”

I reflected on this.

Here are two insights that might help you.

1. You push, and they push back.

    Ever try to explain your faith to someone? And, they just push back. Telling you that you’re wrong and that they know—better than you—what your spiritual path is.

    Arrogant, right?

    You push facts, and they push fiction.
    But what does the pushing get?
    Nothing good.

    2. Invite the Gods to help you lower your “intensity.”

    Have you noticed that when someone says unfair and ignorant things against you, it’s your internal “intensity” that rises?

    Here is a prayer that you can use to help you lower your intensity.

    I breathe in and bring in the love of the Gods.
    I breathe out and let go of my anxiety.
    I breathe in and bring in clarity.
    I breathe out and let go of my intensity.
    I breathe in calm.
    I breathe out and let go of my intensity.
    I breathe in peace within my integrity.
    I breathe out and let go of my intensity.
    May the Gods bless me.
    So Mote It Be

    May these insights support your path.

    Blessed Be,
    Moonwater

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    Are We Entering Another Burning Times?

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    “I can’t believe what President Dumbdumb just did,” one of my friends said.

    “I know. I can’t buy eggs, anymore,” my other friend Sarah said.

    “And it looks like there is going to be legislation against certain spiritual paths,” my friend said.

    I reflected on this.

    During the Burning Times, what did our ancestors think about such awful circumstances?

    I considered that we must do what we can and hold strong in faith.

    Here is a prayer you can use.

    Goddess,
    Help me endure like my ancestors did.
    No matter what stupidity or viciousness I and my brothers and sisters shall face.
    The Gods are with us!
    So Mote It Be

    May you stay surefooted on the path.

    Blessed Be,
    Moonwater

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    How Witches Experience the Privileges of Being Wiccan

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    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 Fill an Inner Need

    / Moonwater / 2 Comments

    At night, I cannot eat enough. What?

    Have you had this experience? You eat something—something good like a dessert.

    Then it’s chips.
    Soda.
    Cookies.
    Cashews.
    Peanut butter M&Ms.

    (Not you? Am I alone here?)

    Recently, I said, “You can’t satisfy an inner need with outer stuff.”

    (But I’m willing to try.)

    I have three insights for you.

    1. What is your inner need?

      Some researchers suggest that we are 95% motivated by things in our subconscious mind.

      So how do you make the subconscious stuff visible to your conscious mind?

      You can meditate and ask the Gods about some of the driving factors.

      But, one of the most important things is to observe your actions.  

      Ever open a cupboard door looking for something to eat?

      You know that hunger—that no matter how much you eat—is never satisfied? Just close that cupboard door.

      It’s Halloween time in the United States. Or for us witches Samhain.
      How do you feel when you see the green-skinned, cackling caricature of a “so-called witch”?

      What does this cackling, green caricature need? Popcorn?

      Chocolate? Definitely chocolate.

      Let’s pull back. Away from that… What could be the inner need?

      Wanting comfort.

      So, how would you like to be comforted?

      (I do rely on my coffee in the morning…)

      2. Step on the path of “centered and whole.”

      Have you attended a ritual with other witches and felt at home?

      Or…

      You’re a solitary witch and your personal ritual came together well. You felt calm, but also invigorated!

      To get to “centered and whole” you need to push away distractions.

      So, what is distracting you?

      3. Ask the Goddess for clarity in the face of distractions.

      To me, cookies, pastries, and other treats are a plea for comfort. What about you?

      Here is a prayer you can use.

      Goddess, clear my mind,
      Free me from the mud of distracting thoughts and feelings.
      Flush me clean with the spring waters of Your love.
      Hold me close with Your arms around me.
      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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      Check out my site MoonwaterSilverClaw.com  for spells and more.