“My husband just shuts down,” my friend, Lisa, said. “I can’t get him to correct what he’s doing.”
Later, I had a thought based on some Wiccan and magick ideas.
Here are three insights.
1. Carefully choose words, and you wield energy.
“Magic isn’t the empty parroting of words and actions; it is an involved, emotionally charged experience in which the words and actions are used as focal points or keys to unlock the power that we all possess.” – Scott Cunningham
You have the power to encourage or shut down a person.
Notice this difference:
Option One: “When are you going to listen to me? You just don’t care.”
Option Two: “Hey, thanks for clearing the filter for the sink.” (The other person smiles. Then you add something like…) Oh, I had another idea. Is this an okay time to talk “logistics”?
As Scott wrote: “words and actions are used as focal points or keys to unlock the power that we all possess.”
2. You influence certain people in ways more than you know.
If someone cares about you, they’d like to succeed in doing something good for you.
I remember inadvertently overhearing two spouses, “Sam and Janet.” Sam looked back at Janet to see if Sam’s washing her car had made Janet happier. No. She just made another request.
Sam did NOT get a moment of success at trying to please her.
It’s about giving your loved one some space to feel good.
In my own life, I need to take care of myself. And that’s tough when I’ve lost sleep. So sometimes, I schedule a nap.
I come back with renewed energy.
My husband and I enjoy a better interaction after that.
“On waking in the morning, try to make your first words pleasant, for this brings good fortune for the entire day.” – Scott Cunningham
3. Ask, in prayer, that the Goddess guide your words
Here is a prayer you can use.
Goddess, Guide my words that they may comfort others, Help me hold my tongue when the words are sharp. Support me to take care of myself, mind and body. May I be grateful for every blessing. So Mote It Be
As witches, we notice the value of being flexible like the willow tree. May we meditate, conduct ritual, and pray to maintain our flexibility.
And remember this:
“That perhaps is at the core of Wicca–it is a joyous union with nature. The earth is a manifestation of divine energy. Wicca’s temples are flower-splashed meadows, forests, beaches, and deserts.” – Scott Cunningham
“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.
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:
It is truly helpful to ground and center. You get in line with yourself before you start the Tarot Process.
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.)
Realize that an inverted card does not always mean “awful.” It can mean a new angle to the topic.
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?
Have you found that feeling tired—or having no extra time—has kept you from doing ritual?
We, Wiccans, know about holding an Esbat ritual during the full moon each month.
We also have the Sabbats that occur at specific times. They follow the Wheel of the Year.
Here’s a real solution. Connect your moments of worship of the God and Goddess with something you do as a natural part of the day.
For example, I have a friend who does daily exercises. Just before he begins his back-stretching exercises, he says, “Thank you, God and Goddess.” It just takes a moment. He tells me that it blesses his life.
You can use a ritual of massaging your feet with oil while you say a prayer of thanks—before you go to sleep for the night.
Here is a prayer you can use just before you brush your teeth in the morning.
Prayer of “Thank You for This Day”
Bless me, Goddess, this day Guide me on my way May I stay on the path And grow in the Craft May I express my best ‘Til night when I rest. Thank you, Goddess. So Mote It Be.
Have you used music to enhance your rituals? Using music can help you raise powerful energy in your Circle. It’s a great way to step up the process—especially when you have some music with a good beat.
Music can assist you in raising more power than you normally would.
Here are some ways to add music to your ritual:
Pre-recorded Music
If you’re like me, and you don’t regularly play an instrument, you may find that prerecorded music is pure gold. You can choose from so many great artists’ work. You’ll find any style or mood you’d like.
Music Played Live
Perhaps, someone in your coven is a musician. Additionally, you could have coven mates join in with something simple like drumming, singing, chanting, or humming.
Use Music in a Combined Format
Consider having a coven mate who has an instrument and some recording device to record a foundation of music. That is, the person could prerecord a percussion line of music or even add a base guitar to it (depending on their recording equipment … plus one can carefully access recording software like Audacity).
For example, you could use drums to create a basic rhythm and prerecord that. Then, during ritual, you and your coven mates can sing, chant or play other instruments live.
How many times have you had a fleeting thought of “I should do a ritual”—but you just didn’t have the energy?
Just five minutes ago, I thought, “I should light a candle for Squat (Goddess of parking spaces).” For a moment, I felt—oh, just let me stay in this chair for a few more minutes. Fortunately, I mustered the energy to rise and light the candle in thanksgiving for Squat’s kindness.
Here are some insights about gathering energy so you do the rituals to bless your life.
Do you need more sleep?
So many of us are existing on the edge of not enough sleep to function. You could be stressed out. How ironic that when we need sleep the most, we find that we have trouble sleeping. I found these actions to help. Before going to bed, I’ve had a nice cup of chamomile tea. Sometimes, I have a glass of milk. Ask the Gods for their help when you lay down for sleep.
Double-check if you’re experiencing medical difficulties that cause sleep trouble. I saw a doctor and discovered that I need a CPAP machine to help me deal with sleep apnea. I find that the CPAP machine really helps. (It also removes my snoring!)
Make your ritual simple and a routine.
Human beings can get something done when it is a simple routine. When X happens, I do Y. For example, if a friend asks for my spiritual support, I do a candle lighting ritual (To see an example of a Candle Healing Spell—click here.) It takes little time, and I do not need much energy to complete it.
Do ritual with fellow covenmates on a regular schedule.
Sometimes, we just need help from friends. If you find you’re going through a tough time and you have just a bit of energy to function, then reach out to fellow witches. Perhaps, join a coven. Or if you already belong to a coven, ask your covenmates to join you in doing a ritual. It’s even better when you do rituals, perhaps, two times each month. This regular schedule builds relationships. Additionally, the energy you and covenmates raise will be substantially more than you could create alone.
“Ahhh. My throat’s on fire and my ears hurt,” my friend, Sharon, said when describing how sick she felt.
Her comment inspired me to think about how, at this time, many of us are having our internal flame diminished.
How can we stoke and tend the flame within?
Getting a cold, having allergies or just feeling shut away from the light of the Gods can really be a downer. This is when we need to feed the fire within.
Doing ritual can help us keep our internal flame lit.
“With the discovery of fire-making, ritual may have started. You did this and this, and up sprang the magickal flame, a spirit at your command.” – Gerald B. Gardner
Consider the Element Fire. As humans learned to harness the benefits of fire, we discovered an essential part of our rituals. What rituals can we do to keep our flame roaring not just a weak glow?
Here are three things you can do to keep your flame bright and powerful:
Walk in the Wild
Recently, I’ve seen materials from doctors mentioning ecotherapy. Ecotherapy is defined as “exposure to nature and the outdoors as a form or component of psychotherapy.” (yourdictionary.com)
Witches have long known that nature is good for us. Now, doctors have finally started to catch on.
I love walking in nature. Why? Because plants, trees, and water around us take in the toxins and free a person from such toxins. Because I deal with symptoms of clinical depression, I walk in nature to become free of sadness, anxiety, and fear found in my body and soul. This does help me. Getting a thorough cleaning and being close to the God and Goddess always brings me joy.
The doctors may not yet know the true reasons why walking in nature is beneficial, but we, witches, know how it works.
For city dwellers, at least, talk a walk on a street decorated with living trees or walk in a public park.
Read Wiccan Books
Make reading a natural part of your day. Support your inner flame by reading in the direction your curiosity takes you.
At this dark time of the year, many Wiccans refrain from doing active magick.
How do you make reading a ritual? Pick a certain place and a certain time. You could light a candle, sit down with a nice cup of tea, and read … and smile.
Meditate and Enter a Good Place—In This Moment
Wiccans use meditation to connect with all that is good in this moment. Focusing on your breath can be part of your gratitude-ritual. You are grateful for every breath of life—the gift from God and Goddess.
Here is a pattern:
Breathe in. I stoke the Flame of Life.
Breathe out. I breathe out all stress and strife.
A Bonus Idea: Meditation can also kindle your positive anticipation for future good things. Think of what you would like to work on next year. Write down your thoughts on separate slips of paper and then place each item, one at a time, on your altar and meditate on how you want to accomplish the different goals.
You can light a candle and play some soft, relaxing music in the background.
In summary, I invite you to keep your internal flame bright and powerful.
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As a Wiccan I found this an inspiring read. Written in a way that makes it accessible to everyone irrespective of their current knowledge. – Shona Cathro
I don’t generally write reviews on books I’ve read…but this time i feel lead to. This book spoke volumes to me, as if the author knew exactly where I’m coming from and what I’m struggling with. It’s not often a book can make me cry, but this one did by making me see the many blocks I’ve put up in my life. I knew they were there, but I’ve gotten skilled at pretending they’re not. Thank you for helping me see I’m not some freak because of circumstances throughout my life that have caused the blocks, and that i need to stop hiding from or burying them and face them one step at a time. – Crystal Sparks
This book is a must have for all of those starting out on the spiritual path of Wicca and for all of those who are just looking for some light and love in their life. MoonWater SilverClaw uses her knowledge of Wicca and her personal experiences to not only teach the Law of Attraction in a clear manner but to help you use the Law of Attraction to better your life.
Through simple guided meditations and tips on living a happy healthy life this book takes you on a journey that will teach you how to love yourself, better your self image, and rid yourself of the negative energies that prevent you from reaching your goals.
This book covers many wonderful topics that will teach you basic magical practices as well as the theory and idea of “like attracts like” From setting up an alter to casting a circle and how to perform and find the magick that you are seeing in your life this book has so much to offer.
MoonWater SilverClaw is truly an inspirational writer for a newer generation of Wiccans and those seeking to use the natural energies of the earth to make changes in their life. Her writing style speaks from the heart because she has been where the reader is, she has used these techniques and steps to better her own life and now she is helping the reader use the Law of Attraction to better theirs – Amazon Customer
This is an absolute gem for the witch with issues. Rituals for things like self-esteem are something i have never seen before. Moonwater’s writing is engrossing and draws the reader in. I am a witch with PTSD M.S. and other issues and this book made me feel hopeful and capable. – t’air
Ms. SilverClaw has written a book that is really great for the beginner wanting to learn about Wiccan or wants to start practicing the art of Wicca. I found this book wonderful, easy to read, and extremely helpful and informative. It covers everything from what Wicca is, the history of Wicca and how Wicca became misassociated with evil, along with how Wicca can help/save people’s lives. Ms. SilverClaw also discusses practicing Wicca either in a Coven or Solo, and all the things you need in order to have in order to perform your ceremony, and she explains what each item means. She explains how to create spells and gives examples to use, and explains the pitfalls of creating certain types of spells. Ms. SilverClaw has truly created a book that is a cast all net the seems to cover everything that I needed to know to begin practicing Wicca. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is searching for their first book on the topic and wants to start practicing the art of Wicca or is just curious about the topic. This is truly a Must Have book. – Tamra L. Shipman
I just wanted to thank all my readers in over 112 countries, new and established. Thank you for all your support. Now for our featured post:
Why Do Wiccans Do Ritual?
It was a tough time. Bills were closing in on me. I felt desperate. I reached for something that is constant: The presence of the Gods and Goddesses. How to feel Their presence? – do a ritual.
Further, Wiccans do rituals to attune themselves to the cycles of the earth.
We do ritual to change ourselves for the better. We even change how we perceive ourselves and in so doing change the world around us.
Because of all of the above, ritual is a powerful tool.
We use some rituals to acknowledge the different stages of life, and in this way change ourselves forever. Stages include: reaching puberty, hand-fasting (Wiccan Marriage) and even for reaching elder status.
Ritual can help us create a true understanding of ourselves. We take a first step to a new reality for us. We get a new perception that assists us to make different decisions which can completely change our lives.
Above, I talked about the tough time with bills closing in. That was 2012. I needed to change my reality. So I did a ritual. In preparation for that ritual, I used another tool–meditation.
The meditation (which can be a ritual in and of itself) led me to the answer of doing a particular ritual.
Enduring financial troubles, I needed more income. I had tried the quick fix spells for more money. Those spells backfired. So if these spells were not working, what would?
I needed to do some inner change. So I did a ritual in which I asked to become stronger, to be able to create my own abundance in life. This is what I needed. Not another spell to just dump money in my lap. But to be able to be my own catalyst in my own life. This was inner work; this was changing me – not just temporarily altering an external situation.
By doing the ritual, I was the catalyst in my own life. I had never written an article. But I had received a vision from the Gods, so I began to write. Because I have dyslexia, I engaged a team of editors. While writing the book, I started writing this blog which now has viewers in over 112 countries.
By meditating, then doing a ritual and then receiving a vision from the Gods, I was on a new path as a writer. In becoming a writer, I then became a workshop leader.
So I am living proof that doing a ritual can change your life. And it can start a positive cascade effect until you uplift those around you. And some of us go further so that a ritual is the start of our changing the world.
So now it’s your turn. Change your world! Make new possibilities bloom in your life and in the lives of others. Listen to your heart. What would you like a ritual to do for you? Look at resources like my book The Hidden Children of the Goddessfor rituals and meditations you can do.
Remember the Gods are always with you. Do a ritual and feel Their support.
GoddessHasYourBack.com 