Winter Witchery: Update #1

Hello everyone! Micah here with an update on my Winter Witchery Challenge. We’re a week into December, so here’s a quick summary of what I’ve done for each day so far:

December 1st: A brainstorming day for where I wanted to go from here. I asked myself 4 questions: what do I want to continue or resume in my Craft? What would I like to explore? What do I want to do more of? What do I want to do less of?

December 2nd: Today was a ‘research day’ where I explored one of the areas I identified yesterday, which is crystals. I happen to have a crystal shop within walking distance, so I took a stroll up and took one of the little cards with crystal correspondence on it for every. single. crystal. in the shop. It was quite a thick stack of paper by the end! I came home with a few crystals I picked out myself by intuition, and one more that one of my spirit companions led me to.

December 3rd: Today I spent time with my spirits, just being with them. I also started a document with the name, correspondences, and some geological info of crystals. I’m basing it off the little info cards I picked up yesterday. It isn’t all crystals, of course, but it’s a start. The geological info was to help keep me grounded in what I know and trust–I’m still a little dubious on crystals, but I do have an interest in them from a geological standpoint as well.

December 4th: I chatted with one of my spirits about crystals. This spirit happens to be rather knowledgeable about them (they’re the one that lead me to one on the second). We chatted mostly about the powers and limitations of crystals, what they can and can’t do, and also a little about how to use them. I always feel I don’t know what to do with them once I get them.

December 5th: Today was the resumption of a habit I tried to start a while back, “Shadow Sunday”, where I take some time each Sunday to do a little shadow work. This time I used a visualization, which you can find here.

December 6th: I spent a few minutes doing some energy work practice. It’s been ages, but this used to be a daily habit, and I want to return to that.

December 7th: Spirit time. I spent a few minutes meditating, trying to sense my spirit friends and identify who was where. It quickly turned into a cuddling session with me just trying to be still and sense them. It didn’t last long, as I’m not in the habit of sitting still, but perhaps in time I can do this for longer.

Well, that was a much, much longer update than I intended it to be! But I do want you to get a good idea of what the challenge is aimed at, and hopefully inspire you as well!

Are you participating in the Winter Witchery Challenge? How is it going for you? Are you enjoying it? Is it helping you get back into your Craft?

I’ll be back next week or so for another update!

Reaction to the Pain: Shadow Work Visualization

Hello everyone! Today I have something for shadow work. I first came across this in a partial hospital program, so while it wasn’t referred to as “shadow work”, I realized its potential use in shadow work immediately. I found this visualization incredibly useful for getting closer to the root of something in your shadow, helping to realize why something is so painful. Of course, your experience with it may be different. It is rather abstract, but I hope it helps some of you:

Picture a thought, feeling, or memory that is painful for you (for your first few tries, I don’t suggest something horrendously painful. Something kind of in the middle. This can get intense, so take your time building it up to more painful things).

Call this thought, feeling or memory your ‘target’. Try to picture your target in as much detail as possible. What color is your target? What is your target’s shape? What is its speed? What is its surface texture? What is its internal texture? If it could hold water, how much would it hold? What is its weight, if it has one?

How do you react to this target? Do you hate it? Do you feel angry? Or something else? Take this reaction as a new, second target. Shift the first target off to the side in your mind, and focus on the second target. What color is the second target? What is its shape? What is speed? What is its surface texture? Its internal texture? If it could hold water, how much would it hold? If it has weight, how much does it weigh? How do you react to this second target?

Take a look back at your first target. Has it changed at all? If so, how?

When you are ready, gently, willingly, and acceptingly take both targets back within you. They are still a part of you, a part of your shadow.

That’s the visualization! I feel this could be taken to many more layers, to many more ‘targets’, though it might be difficult to keep track of them all. You could also do it a second time, using the second target as your initial target, if you have trouble tracking more than two targets. I feel this could be a great aid to some of us, and I knew I had to share it as soon as I came across it!

…as my analyst in Zurich once said to me, “You must make your fears your agenda.” I knew he spoke the truth, and knew what my assignment was. We all know that our frontiers are easily circumscribed by our fears. Pushing back is how we grow up and claim the life we are meant to live.

James Hollis, Why Good People Do Bad Things, page 224

New Year’s and Fears

Hello everyone! Here to have a little chat about shadow work again.

With New Year’s here, many of us may be working on resolutions. I’ve never been big on New Year’s or on making resolutions, but I usually try to stick to a few changes for self-improvement. And like many other people, I often don’t keep to them.

In looking back at my previous attempts during this past December, I realized there was one common thing that often held me back: fear. Specifically, of change. Yes, these were positive things I wanted to do, things to improve upon, but they were still change. And as a form of chang, it was out of my comfort zone. Even if they aren’t perfect or pleasant, comfort zones are just that–comfortable. It’s so much easier to keep to old habits, to not make changes, to not step out of one’s comfort zone–even if that step is obviously for the better.

This year I’ve once again made a few resolutions–some of them repeats from previous years. But this time, I am armed with shadow work. I have my shadow work journal, my tarot cards, the support of both physical and non-physical friends, and my habit tracking apps. Will that be enough? I can’t be sure yet. But I have the feeling shadow work and investigating what holds me back, as well as how to step out of my comfort zone, may make this year more successful.

Ask me how it went in December.

Shadows on the Longest Night

Happy Solstice, everyone!

By chance, my usual post here on Science and Sigils falls on Winter Solstice (summer, if I have any readers in the Southern Hemisphere). It is the longest night, the shortest day, and thus to me feels appropriate for shadow work in the midst of that darkness.

For those of you unfamiliar with shadow work, it’s working with the not-so-nice sides of yourself, your fears and negative emotions. I have a masterpost on the topic here.

This isn’t going to be a “happy Solstice, have a wonderful celebration” kind of post. I’m here to talk about shadow work.

Shadow work is not an easy thing. I’ve used it to face my anger, my anxiety, my depression, my trauma. It is by no means a replacement for my therapy, but I have found it aids me. Mostly I turn to my tarot cards, and introspection, and focused meditation. The journal I reserve for shadow work is slowly falling apart.

The more I do shadow work, the easier it becomes. The topics do not become any easier to face (if anything, the way my life has been recently, the topics have only become more difficult), but the process is easier. I recognize my feelings more, and it becomes easier to ask myself questions and start to get to the root of things. I have found that doing it regularly makes it not a chore I wish to avoid, but simply something I do. It may not be pleasant, but I find it helpful, especially in the long run.

Like my professional therapy, it is not a one-and-done process. This is lifelong. No one is perfect, and no one’s life is free of negative emotions. The shadow is forever, but that is not to say progress cannot be made. The goal is to integrate the shadow self, to recognize those aspects of yourself and bring them into you as a whole. It is a means of self improvement, but there is always improvement to be done. No being is perfect. The shadow is forever there to be worked on, always to be worked on, a challenge to always continue. Perhaps to some, that idea is overwhelming; for me, it is becoming more and more of a helpful, albeit difficult, challenge.

May your shadow work be beneficial, and you solstice be wonderful!

Red In My Eyes: Color My Cartomancy

Time for another Color My Cartomancy spread! This one is for working with anger. It could be applied to shadow work.

As usual, the text version:

1. Why does this situation make me so angry?
2. What can I do to release this anger safely?
3. How do I come to terms with this situation?

You are free to use my spreads as long as you are not making money off the reading or assuming credit. If you like them, please consider showing your support! And as usual, I’d love to hear how it goes if you use one of my spreads!

Green Goes On: Color My Cartomancy

Hello there everyone! Today brings us to our very first Color My Cartomancy spread, this one for green. This spread is aimed at being used after a painful event.

If you’re not one for images, the questions are written here:

1. How can I heal after what has happened?
2. What can I do to improve my mental health in the aftermath of this event? (Obligatory reminder that witchcraft, tarot, and the like is not a replacement for professional medical help. If your brain needs assistance, find a professional!).
3. How can I move forwards from this event?
4. How can I use this pain to grow?

If there are multiple painful events that you are trying to work through, I recommend drawing a “zeroeth card” before you begin the spread, asking “which event should I focus this spread on?”

You are free to use my spreads as long as you are not making money off the reading or assuming credit. If you like them, please consider showing your support! And as usual, I’d love to hear how it goes if you use one of my spreads!

Unblocking the Shadow

Another day, another shadow work spread…okay, that’s not quite how it goes, but it feels that way sometimes.

This one is for when something is blocking you from doing shadow work, and you aren’t sure how to get past it. Feel free to draw extra cards if you feel it is needed. There could be more than one block, or more than one thing that could help ease the pain that often comes with shadow work.

If you have trouble with the image, this is just three cards:

1. What is blocking me from starting this work?
2. How do I get past this block?
3. What can I do to ease the pain this work will bring up?

My spreads are free to use so long as I retain credit for creating the spread and you are not making money from the reading. Do not repost or remove caption. If you like my sigils, spreads, blog, or me, you may want to consider showing your support!

Shadow work requires a discipline, an attitude, a consistency of intentionality on the part of each of us. And none of us can avoid the discipline this work will demand, work for which more rigor than technique will be necessary.

–James Hollis, Ph.D, Why Good People Do Bad Things, page 235

A friend recently opened up to me about her anxiety, and while doing so she said she thinks people who believe in an afterlife are “ignorant.” This really hurt, especially since I’ve been trying to figure out what I believe in lately. How do I let go of the fear of being judged for my beliefs? My family are antivaxxers,and though I’m not it does play into the fear of people thinking Im not scientific enough. Or that I just got into spirituality to ease my fear of death/oblivion. I’m confused hlp

That was a rather insensitive thing of your friend to say. I would be hurt by that too.

As for working through the fear, I am not sure what to do for that. I am not a psychologist (but if one is needed for you, please don’t hesitate to find one). The only other thing that comes to mind, really, is shadow work, seeing what really drives that fear. You can check my shadow work tag if you like. It is not formal therapy and shouldn’t be used as such but it may aid you, but isn’t a replacement for professional help.

Fears are a really hard thing to work through. It won’t be easy. I still struggle with the same fear and my beliefs are not what they once were.

I wish you luck on your journey. And I feel the best path is the one that feels right got you, regardless of what others think.