Questioning the Craft

Storytime Sunday

Something that I think many of us go through is struggling with the rules we set upon ourselves concerning what it means to be a good witch or spiritual practitioner.

When I first began this journey I was very taken by Wicca, and got what is still one of my favourite books, “Hedge Witch” by Rae Beth. I began rigorously celebrating the Wheel of the Year and followed the rituals set out in this book. I was also doing some Buddhist meditation practices, working with the plants, and in general thinking a lot about how a witchy, spiritual practice could (and “should”) look like.

As is usually the case with me, I leaned too much into rigidity, rules and structures, forgetting that the whole point of these practices and experiences is to feel and be guided by intuition. By the time my third year of Sabbats rolled in and I didn’t feel like following Rae Beth’s rituals, I felt like I was doing something bad or wrong. Like I wasn’t a real witch, not committed, being lazy. Some months I meditate a lot and some I really don’t at all, or change up the practice indecisively because I don’t feel like doing anything but still force myself to.

I think this is one of the many cases where social media and external influences hinder us, because comparison is the thief of joy. If you start to compare yourself to what other people are doing, or telling you to do, and stop following your own desire and intuition, you lose yourself. Not only that, you kill any possibility of building a practice that is truly beautiful and suited for you, grounded in your reality, which will let you grow in whatever direction you need to go in.

So, what I’ve found is that when I let go of all expectations I’ve built for myself, when I drop all the rules I’ve made up about these things and simply go with the flow, that is when I am joyful in my craft. Maybe in summer I’m very into being outdoors a lot and simply spending time with the plants, instead of doing my formal meditation practices indoors, sitting lotus-shape with intense concentration. Maybe in winter I drop the meditation completely because I am half asleep in body and soul from the dark and the cold and all I want to do is play videogames and let myself be hedonistic for a couple of weeks. Maybe one Imbolic I’ll follow Rae Beth’s ritual with my own modifications; maybe for Mabon I’ll make up my own ritual entirely with whatever feels right for the moment I am in. One period I can read tarot daily and others not touch the cards at all. I think there’s definitely a balance to be found between not doing so little that you slip out of the practice entirely and forget the lesson, and overdoing it because you “must”. I think that balance lies in a simple way of living where, if I am always truly mindful of where I am, how I feel and what I need (not want, but need, what my higher self demands), then it’s all good, because I can honor each stage with whatever is required each moment. The key is to not separate “normal life” from this, but live every moment with an integration of the wisdom you attain through the craft and practices.

Rest is sacred, even from craft. If we follow the rhythms of nature, which our bodies are so attuned to (if we let them), then the craft and practice becomes natural and fluid, without “lust of result”. When we work towards intention and not outcome, listening to the needs of each season, I think that’s when you truly grow and learn.

What do you think about this? How do you flow with your practices and craft? We’d love to hear about it, because it really is a struggle!