becoming

About a month ago I became the mother of some small herb plants for my city apartment (trailing rosemary, creeping thyme, oregano, purple sage, chamomile, lemon balm) and I'm now in that first phase where I've pruned and let the cuttings dry. But now what??

How do you decide whether to keep the stems? When should I put these little guys into a real pot? They're still all in their nursery pots and I'm afraid they will get hurt if I repot them. Any tips for aphids or annoying little bugs on my sweet baby plants? How do you incorporate an indoor herb garden into your craft?

March 30 Update:

Welp, I'm going through a break-up right now, everyone. So I put together a three-night ritual for releasing my energy and regaining my sovereignty as a solitary person.

Ever since embracing magick I've struggled with a manic attachment to doing spellwork the "right" way; doing it "correctly" so that I'm not a fraud. And this fixation has only served to hinder my practice because I scare myself out of doing spells because I'm not ready or knowledgeable enough.

A very large period of this self-imposed paralysis ended last night when I started this three-night releasing post break-up ritual. It's taught me that one can only learn by doing, and even a failed spell is part of being a witch. I need to trust myself more and have the courage to step out of my comfort zone.

Mind/Body/Spirit

I. Six of Cups

Nostalgia, familiarity, comfort, healing, sentimentality, pleasure

II. Six of Wands

Success, victory, triumph, recognition, praise, pride

III. Page of Swords

Curiousity, wit, inspiration, curiosity, mental engagement, passionate ideas

~~~

As the first spread I have done in my new apartment, I am pretty relieved. What does stand out about this spread as far as personal growth--it would be really nice if I felt more triumph and victory on the mind side of my life, and felt more familiarity, comfort and healing when it comes to my own body. Yes I have been feeling more confident physically as a result of actual effort I've put into my fitness/diet/skincare, but I don't feel a sense of comfort or familiarity in my body. I'm always scared that my body is going to revolt against me. So yes, a positive spread, but it's also pointed out areas I should be working on going forward.

Challenge | How to Overcome | Goal

I really miss being on here and talking to you all! I hope everyone on Witchblr is doing well and enjoying the season.

I want to say that I have been undergoing a bit of a career change and that's why I haven't been on here as much. I have transitioned from being a librarian to...dun dun dun...a historical archivist! In February, I accepted a new position at SCV Historical Society. When I was in grad school I had no idea that museum archival work was even in the cards for me. It's crazy how much can change in just a year. This was emotionally difficult for me because I was so attached to the library and the work I was doing there. The commute, however, was slowly killing me and I didn't feel like I was being challenged. I took the new job because my intuition was firmly telling me it was the right thing to do, but it was not an easy decision.

Now that I am (more or less) adjusted to the new position and sleep schedule, I'm excited to be more active on here because everything witchcraft makes me feel at home. I'd also like to give a quick update on where I'm at on my path:

As with a lot of secular witches, I had a phase of reading about Chaos Magick and finding ways to adapt this model to my own life and practice. The idea of creating servitors and working with archetypal deities really resonated with me. I'm now reading a book called Why Woo-Woo Works: The Surprising Science Behind Meditation, Reiki, Crystals, and Other Alternative Practices by David R. Hamilton Ph.D. It really helps solidify for the reader why all religions/spiritual practices tend to work for people (at least some extent). The book pairs well with Chaos Magick and witchcraft in general because the author highlights the importance of belief in achieving your goals, getting results, living a better life, etc. He also cites a startling amount of scientific studies and lists them in the references at the end of the book (for skeptics like me that want to be sure that the author isn't stretching the truth or taking any liberties with explaining the results of the experiments).

Next--over the winter holiday, I was gifted a shitload of calligraphy supplies for some reason. So I've started to get into calligraphy and various ink colors and pens. Naturally this calligraphy hobby really has me obsessed with color magic and ink magic (I still don't know if ink magic is a thing, but it should be).

Between work and all the craziness of life, I've also been steadily working on a master list of personal correspondences. I started on paper, but soon transitioned over to a digital list because it really is a living, iterative document that can change from day-to-day. For this I've been using the whiteboard feature on Canva, and I've also been working on some other stuff on there that really deserves its own post.

I also have way too many witchcraft books to read; it's really intimidating at this point. If you have any tips on how to set up a reading schedule or reading priority list, let me know. Actually if you have any advice on how to keep up a reading habit while also keeping up with everything else, please please please throw it my way.

I. What is behind me

II. What I want

III. What will guide me

IV. What I need to overcome