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

save yourself time. That way you won’t have to think about time management when you’ve had a crazy day.

5) Who should you tell about the changes in your life?

When your life changes in any significant way, a good rule of thumb is to tell anyone who would notice: telling them means you can help them understand what’s going on without guessing (and possibly coming to the wrong conclusion). If you need to see friends less than you’d like, telling them why will help them understand and not take offense. If you’re working with a magical or religious group or teacher, it’s also good to talk to them and figure out the best options for everyone. Consider finding a group of people who are dealing with similar issues or situations. There are lots of support group options (both online and offline) that can help you with specific, practical issues around caregiving, parenting, or chronic illness. Many Pagan forums also have spaces for people with specific interests to share ideas and support one another. These resources are fantastic because they help you learn from what other people do, so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel for yourself.

As you get more experience with the changes your life has gone through, you’ll also get a sense of which things still need adjustment. For example, I’ve enjoyed the Pagan camping festivals I’ve been to, but they take a lot out of me, not only the time of the festival, but extra planning beforehand to make sure I’ll be able to enjoy myself and have lots of recovery time afterward. These days, I’d rather spend my time in other ways, so I help create less-intense events or choose to see people at local one-day events that don’t put the same demands on my health.

Interweave Magic

Once you’ve taken the time to sort out the bigger pieces of your life, it’s time to take a look at how you can weave magic and religious practice into your life in ways that help you, not drain you.

Creating an altar or shrine is an ongoing way to remind yourself of your goals and important deity or magical relationships. You might create one to honor a particular deity, to focus on healing, or to help with any other goal or desire in your current life. You might choose to have several smaller shrines in different rooms with different goals. A shrine does not need to be elaborate: a few small items are often just as effective for keeping you mindful as a large and elaborate shrine. Think through the upkeep: fresh flowers take more care than a houseplant that only needs occasional water. Seasonal altars can be lovely, but if you don’t always have the energy to change them promptly, they might be more distressing than helpful. Tarot or other divination deck cards can be a great and easy way to bring a specific focus to a shrine (by picking an appropriate card for your focus), as can other pieces of art.

A related practice is wearing jewelry. This doesn’t need to be limited to a pentacle or another obviously magical symbol: any piece of jewelry that’s meaningful to you will work. Most of my jewelry comes from small independent jewelry-makers, and each piece has a particular focus for me. I might wear one on a day that I want balance and grace, another on a day when I need a little extra patience, yet another when I could use some extra healing. Simply reaching up and running my fingers over the piece (or just feeling the weight around my neck) helps me remember what my real goals for the day are, which can help immensely.

Music and other things you listen to can also be a great way to include your magical and ritual life throughout your busy day. Computers, phones, and mp3 players often have applications that allow you to select music for an alarm (or there’s the older method of a mix CD in your clock/radio.) Even if you choose a louder alarm, you can still put the music on while you’re getting ready for the day, and choose music that will help you keep your focus on your goals and the things that help you start the day with a smile.

Consider taking time every day for a little reading, as well as some listening. You might choose to read a few interesting blogs before you start your day, or you could bring a book with you to read over lunch or while waiting for things to get started at a meeting. If you’d rather not bring something witchy with you, you can pick fiction or non-fiction that still fits in with your goals and interests in some other way. I’m really fond of microhistories (those books about a single subject like salt, color, honey, or many other topics) for this: I always pick up fascinating folklore and history that then gets tied back into my magical practice. If reading is too tiring for you, podcasts, audio books, and movies might all work better for you, letting you enjoy learning something new or be carried along with a powerful story that helps you along your path as well. Audiobooks from your local library can be a great way to make commute time more useful and enjoyable. Most libraries have a good audio collection of fiction and classics, but you might need to search online if you want specifically Pagan books.

Food is another great way to tap into your magical and religious practice. If time and energy are at a premium, you might not be up for a lot of cooking, but there are quick and easy ways to add things in. (See Melanie Marquis’ article on page 66 for some quick ideas.) One of my friends introduced me to the idea of “opportunity food”—those things that are quick and easy to make, but still nutritious and filling. It’s easy to add a seasoning herb with