Llewellyn's 2012 Witches' Companion by Llewellyn (chrome ebook reader TXT) 📗

on or simply passed out of your life, the part they’ve had in making you the person you are today will never go away. Now is also a good time to thank your guardian spirits for their help. If you’re up to it, light a candle on your altar as you do this. At night, thank the Divine Spirit for returning you home safely. If you’re mourning the passing of a loved one, don’t be surprised if you feel a gentle touch at this time. They are close to you.

Dreams can also be important now, although they’re not easy for us to control. However, a deceased loved one will most likely contact you during a dream. This can be most comforting. Try to remember the details of the dream because they may contain messages.

Using Food and Fragrance for Therapy

Food is a gift from the Goddess and Mother Earth. During the grieving process, you may lose your appetite, but think of food as a connection to the Life Force itself. This will help.

If you cook, please continue to do so. This will help in two ways. First it will provide nutrition during this critical time; second, the scent of food cooking will act as a form of aromatherapy. During the dark days following my mother’s death, I kept a pot of homemade soup simmering, as its aroma would lift my spirits.

Certain spices, such as cinnamon and nutmeg, have proven to have a similar effect. On days I felt I need a boost (and felt up to the task), I’d bake a pumpkin bread using those spices. As the spicy scent wafted out of my kitchen, I just knew things would get better.

If you’re not talented in the kitchen, burn scented candles. Fragrances such as vanilla, apple, spice, and lavender will also help relieve feelings of depression.

Connect with Nature

I have always walked, and even during my darkest days I still took some pleasure in it. Walking will get you outside; you’ll smell the earth and begin to really notice the world again. I found myself looking mindfully at the clouds, the trees, and flowers.

Feeding wildlife will help more than you can imagine. I kept my birdfeeders full and squirrel station stocked with corn. Watching the birds and squirrels feed made me realize life continues, and that there is an order to our world.

As I gardened, I realized I was working with a living entity. It grows, it changes, and, yes, it dies—but it also returns.

Most magical people will find solace in gardening during their grieving period. I know I did, even if only for an hour. As I gardened, I realized I was working with a living entity. It grows, it changes, and, yes, it dies—but it also returns. All of these factors reaffirmed my belief in reincarnation, which was a great solace during my period of grieving.

Working with the Tarot

As we grieve, we search for answers. Being a magical person, I turned to my divination tools. My choice was the tarot. I found the visual aspect of the cards to be helpful, as the images frequently mirrored my feelings.

I used a variety of layouts during my readings, and it’s interesting to note that some of the same cards would always appear. It was also amazing how the same card would move from the present situation into the future. For example, the Five of Cups, which signifies grieving and loss, was in every spread. Eventually it began to move into the future, in a reversed position. This told me that my feelings of grief would begin to lift. I began to feel hopeful.

Using your favorite divining tool will help you focus and meditate. If you don’t feel strong enough to do this work for yourself, perhaps a fellow coven member can help.

Receiving Help

Since many witches belong to covens, the coven would be an ideal place to start if you feel the need of a support group. And if professional help is needed, you can begin by talking to your doctor. He or she will often be able to recommend a local therapist or counselor who specializes in grief or in the specific situation you are facing.

A note on giving help: If you know someone who is grieving and you’re both part of the magical community, please don’t do any type of spellwork without being asked. This could cause bad karma.

A Simple Magical Ritual

This ritual may help ease your pain. Take a walk. As you walk, look for an ordinary stone that appeals to you. Place this stone on your altar. As you meditate about your day, hold this stone. Visualize all your pain entering the stone.

When the day comes that you feel your life is returning to normal, you may get rid of your stone. To do this, go out to a favorite spot, perhaps where you found your stone. Thank the stone, then leave it. Keep walking and don’t look back.

As I have written this piece, the nights have vibrated with the awesome power that only a summer thunderstorm can possess. Thunder has echoed down the valley and the winds have battered the hills. By sunrise, the world is cleansed. Grief is like that. It pounds away at us and then slowly ebbs, revealing the light. This makes me realize that there is still an order to everything that happens in our cosmos. There will always be stormy nights, but eventually the sun also rises.

James Kambos is a writer and artist from Ohio. He spent much of his childhood on his grandparents’ Ohio farm, which helped him develop a closeness to nature. His interest in nature continues to influence both his writing and art. His favorite magical tools are the tarot and pendulum.

Illustrator: Tim Foley

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