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Witchy practices
Feb. 3rd, 2019 04:20 pmWe are divine by nature. We are part of, not separate from it. When we recognize the Goddess Brigid, Goddess of Poetry, we recognize the part of ourselves that embodies those qualities. The qualities I am referring to are the creative and intuitive aspects of ourselves. We all possess these qualities, whether we recognize them or not. I am talking about creativity in its broadest sense, that which allows us to build things, to express oneself through song or dance, to start a new project or to write a poem or prose.
Do you wish to enhance your own spiritual practice? I suggest creating to tap into your intuitive nature. In a book, called, “The Artist’s Way,” Julia Cameron 1 recommends an exercise called ‘morning pages.’ She recommends setting a timer and writing without stopping for 10 minutes a day. To create, it is necessary to turn off your internal censor. It doesn’t matter if you write nonsense during that time. You can always edit it later. The creative process requires a person to make themselves vulnerable. It is about the process, not the end product.
The following is a quote by Jeanette Winterson, from an essay and commentary about art: “You could say that whatever is not mechanical is a miracle. That is, whatever is not predictable, statistical, habitual, programmed, planned, running to time, quantifiable, cogged, chipped, causal, will be the thing that we long for and dread in equal measure.” 2
Why do we dread the miraculous? We are terrified of our own humanity. In counseling we know that intellectualization of a problem is a defense against feeling. And we know that feeling can be both painful and wonderful. When we cannot feel negative emotions, we deny ourselves the positive ones too, and then we become depressed. It is no wonder that isolation and depression has become so common given our dominant culture and religious beliefs, which focus on the concrete and intellectual. We dread it because we are terrified of the unknown, and yet, the unknown can be both terrifying and wonderful. Creating is change. Perhaps that is why Brigid is also known as the Goddess of Healing.
Another quote by Jeanette Winterson describes the transformative power of creating:
“What art does is to coax us away from the mechanical and towards the miraculous. The so-called uselessness of art is a clue to its transforming power. Art is not part of the machine. Art asks us to think differently, see differently, hear differently, and ultimately to act differently, which is why art has moral force … Art makes us better people because it asks for our full humanity, and humanity is, or should be, the polar opposite of the merely mechanical. We are not part of the machine either, but we have forgotten that…” 2
Tapping into the creative allows us to recognize our connection with the body, with nature and with each other. When we consider our relationships, both the time spent doing things together and the conversations that occur, they also mean very little without feeling. We know that relationships deepen when individuals feel free to express their feelings. Expressing feelings also requires that we have the courage to become vulnerable. When we connect with nature, we can view it as alive. We can form a relationship with it and allow ourselves to love it. When we love something or someone, we are motivated to take action against injustices against her or her destruction.
In Andersonian faery tradition, we believe in a tripartite soul.
That includes a younger self, which focuses on bodily instincts, much like the concept of ‘Id,’ an intellectual self, much like the concept of ‘ego,’ and a divine self. Spiritual practices in this tradition, such as the three souls alignment we just did, focus on integrating the three parts of the soul. We also integrate the three parts of the soul when we tap into the creative and symbolic to reach the divine self.
Intuition is a vital part of any spiritual practice. When we consider our altar dedications, our acts of resistance, our rituals, our prayers, spells or chants, they mean very little without intuition. Thus in our practice today, we seek to plant the seeds of our intuitive and creative natures, infusing them with symbolic practice, song and most of all, feeling.
I challenge you to practice creating in whatever way makes sense to you. If you have a project that has been sitting on the back burner, get it started, whether it be visual art, dance, writing or building something, or if you don’t have a project in mind, start a regular morning pages practice. Whatever it is, blessings to the seeds of your journey.
1 “The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity,” by Julia Cameron. 2002.
2 “Liza Lou,” An essay by Jeanette Winterson. April 10th, 2006
http://www.jeanettewinterson.com/journalism/liza-lou
Otter Rose is a Unitarian Universalist and an eclectic Witch who follows the Reclaiming and Andersonian faerie traditions, though not as an initiate. She co-leads a local pagan group, called the Dandelion Pagan Collective in Tallahassee, Florida. She is an activist and professional Social Worker.
Do you wish to enhance your own spiritual practice? I suggest creating to tap into your intuitive nature. In a book, called, “The Artist’s Way,” Julia Cameron 1 recommends an exercise called ‘morning pages.’ She recommends setting a timer and writing without stopping for 10 minutes a day. To create, it is necessary to turn off your internal censor. It doesn’t matter if you write nonsense during that time. You can always edit it later. The creative process requires a person to make themselves vulnerable. It is about the process, not the end product.
The following is a quote by Jeanette Winterson, from an essay and commentary about art: “You could say that whatever is not mechanical is a miracle. That is, whatever is not predictable, statistical, habitual, programmed, planned, running to time, quantifiable, cogged, chipped, causal, will be the thing that we long for and dread in equal measure.” 2
Why do we dread the miraculous? We are terrified of our own humanity. In counseling we know that intellectualization of a problem is a defense against feeling. And we know that feeling can be both painful and wonderful. When we cannot feel negative emotions, we deny ourselves the positive ones too, and then we become depressed. It is no wonder that isolation and depression has become so common given our dominant culture and religious beliefs, which focus on the concrete and intellectual. We dread it because we are terrified of the unknown, and yet, the unknown can be both terrifying and wonderful. Creating is change. Perhaps that is why Brigid is also known as the Goddess of Healing.
Another quote by Jeanette Winterson describes the transformative power of creating:
“What art does is to coax us away from the mechanical and towards the miraculous. The so-called uselessness of art is a clue to its transforming power. Art is not part of the machine. Art asks us to think differently, see differently, hear differently, and ultimately to act differently, which is why art has moral force … Art makes us better people because it asks for our full humanity, and humanity is, or should be, the polar opposite of the merely mechanical. We are not part of the machine either, but we have forgotten that…” 2
Tapping into the creative allows us to recognize our connection with the body, with nature and with each other. When we consider our relationships, both the time spent doing things together and the conversations that occur, they also mean very little without feeling. We know that relationships deepen when individuals feel free to express their feelings. Expressing feelings also requires that we have the courage to become vulnerable. When we connect with nature, we can view it as alive. We can form a relationship with it and allow ourselves to love it. When we love something or someone, we are motivated to take action against injustices against her or her destruction.
In Andersonian faery tradition, we believe in a tripartite soul.
That includes a younger self, which focuses on bodily instincts, much like the concept of ‘Id,’ an intellectual self, much like the concept of ‘ego,’ and a divine self. Spiritual practices in this tradition, such as the three souls alignment we just did, focus on integrating the three parts of the soul. We also integrate the three parts of the soul when we tap into the creative and symbolic to reach the divine self.
Intuition is a vital part of any spiritual practice. When we consider our altar dedications, our acts of resistance, our rituals, our prayers, spells or chants, they mean very little without intuition. Thus in our practice today, we seek to plant the seeds of our intuitive and creative natures, infusing them with symbolic practice, song and most of all, feeling.
I challenge you to practice creating in whatever way makes sense to you. If you have a project that has been sitting on the back burner, get it started, whether it be visual art, dance, writing or building something, or if you don’t have a project in mind, start a regular morning pages practice. Whatever it is, blessings to the seeds of your journey.
1 “The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity,” by Julia Cameron. 2002.
2 “Liza Lou,” An essay by Jeanette Winterson. April 10th, 2006
http://www.jeanettewinterson.com/journalism/liza-lou
Otter Rose is a Unitarian Universalist and an eclectic Witch who follows the Reclaiming and Andersonian faerie traditions, though not as an initiate. She co-leads a local pagan group, called the Dandelion Pagan Collective in Tallahassee, Florida. She is an activist and professional Social Worker.
