Episode 4 Tips & Correspondences for Breaking the Magickal Fast: A Handy List

Have you ever felt like you’ve lost your spark? Maybe you’re suffering from a lack of inspiration or have simply lost touch with your spiritual practice… This sounds like the beginning of an infomercial - but the purpose of this post is to list the ways you can find your way back to enjoying your craft without any guilt, shame or feeling like your pushing yourself too hard.

In Episode 4: Breaking the Magickal Fast, I detailed some ways you can gently nudge yourself back onto your spiritual path. Shortly after, I realized these tips should be available in list form for anyone who is currently struggling with this exact issue.

Here they are:

1) Courtesy of Tabitha from Backwoods Brews and Botanicals, as well as Two Geminis and a Leo - Astrology and Beyond:

Clean up… Straighten and tidy the places in your home that hold your altar tools, your deity representations, the items that hold a place for your ancestors or the spot where you pray or meditate. Not only can this activity help you get motivated to eventually dive back into your practice but its a first major step in reestablishing your relationship with the spirits that preside in these places. It’s show of respect and a gesture of kindness towards them.

2) Consider starting a Daily Practice, if you don’t already have one. For example, you could carve out a small amount of time in the morning or evening - whenever you can break free for a few minutes - make yourself a beverage and also place one on your altar as an offering (I use black coffee and water in the morning), light a candle on your altar, burn some incense, if you feel so inclined, and pull a card for your day or week ahead. Additionally you can meditate, say some prayers or simply speak to your spirit allies or ancestors. You may also choose to simply sit quietly and listen.

You might need to just do the thing with this method rather than wait until you feel compelled to. You just might find tat you feel inspired to keep going once you’ve finished. If not, you just may need more time. Give yourself some grace and try again another day.

3) Elemental Exercises: You can try just 1, 2, 3 or all 4 of these:

Air: Whenever you feel the time is right, step outside - no matter the weather - and wait to catch some wind… Even a small breeze would do. Imagine the element of Air blowing all stagnant energy off of you and carrying it away, leaving you with nothing but fresh inspiration for the day ahead. When you are finished, say '“thank you” to the Spirit of Air for cleansing and re-invigorating you.

Earth: Again, step outside and crouch down, placing your hands on the grass, or slip off your shoes. Touching the ground or standing barefoot on the dirt, grass, sand or concrete, imagine leftover energy from the previous day or a restless night - or any worries or stresses - being absorbed down into the earth through your feet. Then, visualize fresh green Earth Energy rising up through the ground to take its place. When finished, thank the Spirit of Earth for holding you and taking away your troubles.

Fire: You can do this with a candle burning on your altar, a fire in your hearth or a bonfire in your back yard - whichever you see fit. Concentrate on the flame/s and ask the Spirit of Fire to burn away any feelings of inadequacy, guilt or disconnection that have taken over and fill that empty space with fresh passion for your craft. Stare into the flame/s and thank the Spirit of Fire for helping to restoke the fires inside yourself.

Water: In the shower, you can connect with water and imagine it washing away all the disappointments associated with your time spent away from your path. In the shower is a great place to tap into the emotionally healing qualities of water. When you feel ready, thank the Spirit of Water for restoring your connection with your spirit self.

None of these activities have to take more than a few moments, but they can make a huge difference in how you’re feeling about your commitment to your practice.

If you want to perform a ritual for your spirit energy next, refer to the reclaiming power and position ritual in the spells archive.

4) Try cracking open a journal. You’re a witch, so I know you have a few! You don’t have to journal about anything in particular but one topic I recommend is simply examining what it is that may be contributing to your feeling disconnected. Let your pen help you empty your mind onto the pages. It’s not about writing a masterpiece but, simply, about letting your mind drift and possibly discovering some things about your predicament that you maybe never considered.

5) Read something new in the realm of the craft that excites you! Don’t bother with that book you’ve been meaning to read but never got around to – no matter the reason. Pick something that you can’t wait to open up and absorb. Maybe it’s a brand new topic that you don’t know anything about or maybe its your favorite witchy book that you’ve already read twice. The key is to choose - not a book that you think you should read, but the one that is going to bring you joy!

Correspondences/Intentions:

Planetary or Luminary Influences:

Mars: action and passion

Mercury: fresh inspiration and communication with spirit

The Sun: activation, awakening and power

The Moon: magic, intuition and a nurturing energy

Awakening and Activating:

Herbs/Plant Materials: peppermint, thyme, patchouli, sandalwood and pine

Crystals/Minerals: aventurine, fluorite, hematite, clear quartz and rose quartz

Adaptability:

Herbs/Plant Materials:: thyme and honeysuckle

Crystals/Minerals: bloodstone, garnet, jade, selenite and sodalite

Overcoming Challenges and Coping with Change:

Herbs/Plant Materials: broom, lavender, High John, peppermint, vervain, yarrow and oak

Crystals/Minerals: azurite, lodestone, clear quartz and Rhodonite – amazonite and sodalite if the challenges are emotional

Compassion:

Herbs/Plant Materials: gardenia, rose, all spice and lotus and

Crystals/Minerals: angelite, aquamarine, blue aragonite, aventurine, celestite, garnet, moonstone, rose quartz and tourmaline

Confidence:

Herbs/Plant Materials: basil, bergamot, carnation, geranium, passionflower, rose, rosemary, thyme, yarrow, cedar, cypress, oak and dragon’s blood

Crystals/Minerals: agate, aventurine, bloodstone, orange calcite, carnelian, citrine, garnet, hematite, jade, labradorite, moss agate, obsidian, onyx, tiger’s eye and tourmaline

Inspiration:

Herbs/Plant Materials: angelica, grape, honeysuckle, iris, jasmine, lavender, lilac, lily of the valley, rose, rosemary, rue, vervain, cinnamon, cinquefoil, clove, frankincense, ginger, lotus, reed, sandalwood, and vanilla

Crystals/Minerals: amazonite, amethyst, ametrine, apatite, aquamarine, blue lace agate, carnelian, celestite, garnet, jade, picture jasper, labradorite, onyx, opal, peridot, clear quartz, selenite, serpentine, tiger’s eye, blue topaz, tourmaline, turquoise and zircon

Tarot Cards: (to help you break out of your funk, gain new perspective and recapture your magic… you can meditate on these, research them or tuck them under your pillow)

The Chariot, Hanged Man, High Priestess, Tower (to shake things up, if you’re feeling very bold) and Fool

the Queens of each suit are also a nice choices – especially if you choose to work with the elemental exercises

Along your journey, you’ll find that your passion for your craft, as well as your aptitude for magic, seemingly, will eb and flow. Be kind to yourself and employ these tricks when you think you might need to give yourself a gentle nudge back onto your path. Happy trails!