Otherwise known as; I am in a rut of self-pity and can’t muster the energy to get out of bed, let alone do a ritual. I have eaten onion rings and regret for the past 3 days as my main meal, I am breaking out in acne, I can’t remember the last time I had a wash. Time has become meaningless. I can’t get out of bed.
Devotional Work
This is a big area where depressed witches start giving themselves a really hard time. The guilt of not being a good devotee can become overwhelming, you can convince yourself that your higher power is starting to hate you. None of this is true.
You wouldn’t expect someone with a physically impairing illness to be able to go out and buy a higher power flowers and gifts. Please do not expect it from yourself. One of my biggest tips is that you need to find peace in the reality that you are hurting. Instead of trying to live like you’re well and exhausting yourself by doing tasks you are not ready for or giving yourself huge amounts of guilt by making yourself promises you can not keep, live within your means. There is no need to kill yourself trying to live a life that isn’t possible for you at the minute.
Have an honest conversation with your higher power. Let them know that right now, you are unable to perform conventional acts of devotion and assure them that the love is still there. They will understand. Sometimes they will give you help. One of the perks of being divine is that this higher power has known millions of people just like you. You are not the first devotee to suffer from depression and you will not be the last. They understand.
Here are a few alternative acts of devotion that are more realistic to give you a base to start from.
Eat a meal in front of your altar / dedicate your meal to your higher power
Take a shower.
Clean a small portion of your messes (This can be as little as removing 1 cup from your room, remember, do what you can)
Take 5 minutes to just sit and think about your higher power.
Talk out loud to your higher power like you would a friend.
Go outside for two or three minutes. If you can, go for a walk.
create a Spotify playlist for your higher power; play it only in times of devotion.
Watch a YouTube video about your higher power.
Make your bed.
Spend quality time with a pet.
Light a candle.
Spells
Spells as any seasoned witch will know, require at least a small modicum of personal energy. if you have none to spare, do not push yourself into doing one. There is no witch council looking down and judging you because you have not done a spell in a few months. A lot of people think I am a ‘perfect’ witch. I haven’t done a spell since around March and I hold absolutely no guilt over this. It’s not a requirement. There is more to witchcraft than doing spells.
Having said this, if you are ready to do a spell, do not try to ‘cure’ yourself. You will only be disappointed and have more doubt and self-hatred in your craft when it does not work. You can NOT witch your way into curing depression. Fuck what Facebook groups and crystal healing ebooks have told you. No amount of rose quartz is going to make you love yourself until you are ready to do so. These things are fine used alongside treatment, as an afterthought.They are an aid; they are not and never will be a solution. See a doctor.
Instead of going into spellwork with the mindset of ‘I want to fix x problem’ go in with the mindset of ‘I want to aid the process of my body and soul being able to deal with x’. ‘I want to remind myself that I CAN recover from x’. This is why self-care is a very powerful form of witchcraft. You are merely asking for the traits you already have (power, strength, love) to be enhanced and renewed once again. You are not changing yourself. You are refining yourself into the person you always were. You are reminding yourself how wonderful you have always been.
When your brain is clouded from fog and time is a word you’ve forgotten the meaning of, do not worry about memorising long lists of spell item correspondences. It is an actual, medical fact that when depressed our memory gets worse and we are unable to retain, process and recall information like we once could.
The reality is that the 99% of witches do not remember spells, simple correspondences or tarot meanings off the top of their head. They all use a mix of pure intuition and double checking. I’ve been practising in various different forms for a long time now, somewhere between 7 and 9 years depending on how strictly you use the term witchcraft, and I can not and never will remember the meanings of every tarot card, spell ingredient or colour. I can’t remember ritual orders, incantations or the dates of the sabbats.
I was not blessed with an encyclopedic memory, in fact, I’d go as far to say that my ‘off the top of my head’ memory of witchcraft is worse than someone who has been practising and studying for as little as 3 months. What I do have, however, is notes, books and 6 years worth of blog links to refresh my memory. There is absolutely no shame in having to refer to these resources and it does not make you any less of a witch.
This is why grimoires are a thing. We all have this notion that it’s so you can look back in the future on your old workings or pass them down to a relative. While both of these things are true, grimoires are working active reference tools, just like any other website or book. Don’t be afraid to use them.
I hope you found this post useful and if you have any other thoughts feel free to add them!
Are you a witch, wizard, or other practitioner of magic or scholar of the occult? Do you want to share your knowledge with others and help them on their path? Would you enjoy working with an engaged and dedicated team of mentors and magic practitioners? Then you should consider becoming a mentor with Acturian Academy! What is Acturian Academy? Acturian Academy is an online witchcraft and magic academy dedicated to supplying free guidance and information on a wide variety of occult and magical topics. We are not affiliated with any religion or form of practice and accept students and mentors from all paths and belief systems. Our semesters last 10 weeks at a time and are hosted on Google Classroom. Our next semester will begin in early February. We have a community set up on Discord as well to allow students, staff, and faculty to engage with and learn from one another. Requirements for Mentors Prospective Mentors should have two or more years experience in their field of study, be 16 years of age or older, and must undergo training and pass with an 80% or higher. Once a mentor has signed on with Acturian Academy, the contract being signed holds them to a standard of teaching which states that they must have a semester or more of their class ready before their class will be listed as available to take. Areas of Interest We are currently looking for mentors to teach classes in the areas of -Deities -Self Love Witchcraft -Energy Work -Weather Witchcraft -Demonology -Glamours/Glamour Magic -Death Magic/Death Witchcraft/Ancestral Magic -Grimoire Design/BoS Design -Spoonie Witchcraft -Sea Magic -Sex Magic (18+ applicants only please) While these are our most sought after needs at the moment, we also welcome you to teach your interests! Mentors may teach multiple classes at once as well, as long as they can complete lessons on time. If you are interested in joining us at Acturian Academy, please fill out our application at https://acturianacademy.typeform.com/to/tew3VQ If you have any questions, please feel free to message us, send an ask, or email us at [email protected]. Hope to be speaking with you soon! ~Mentor Sydney, Head of Student Affairs
Are you a witch, wizard, or other practitioner of magic or scholar of the occult? Do you want to share your knowledge with others and help them on their path? Would you enjoy working with an engaged and dedicated team of mentors and magic practitioners? Then you should consider becoming a mentor with Acturian Academy!
What is Acturian Academy?
Acturian Academy is an online witchcraft and magic academy dedicated to supplying free guidance and information on a wide variety of occult and magical topics. We are not affiliated with any religion or form of practice and accept students and mentors from all paths and belief systems. Our semesters last 10 weeks at a time and are hosted on Google Classroom. Our next semester will begin in early February. We have a community set up on Discord as well to allow students, staff, and faculty to engage with and learn from one another.
Requirements for Mentors
Prospective Mentors should have two or more years experience in their field of study, be 16 years of age or older, and must undergo training and pass with an 80% or higher. Once a mentor has signed on with Acturian Academy, the contract being signed holds them to a standard of teaching which states that they must have a semester or more of their class ready before their class will be listed as available to take.
Areas of Interest
We are currently looking for mentors to teach classes in the areas of -Deities -Self Love Witchcraft -Energy Work -Weather Witchcraft -Demonology -Glamours/Glamour Magic -Death Magic/Death Witchcraft/Ancestral Magic -Grimoire Design/BoS Design -Spoonie Witchcraft -Sea Magic -Sex Magic (18+ applicants only please) While these are our most sought after needs at the moment, we also welcome you to teach your interests! Mentors may teach multiple classes at once as well, as long as they can complete lessons on time.
limited ingredient & super limited effort spell designed for when you’re feeling really drained after work or after an outing, yknow <3
what you’ll need;
white candle (or pink!!)
honey
optional;
rose quartz <3
light your candle anywhere you can place it safely in the bathroom, aim for somewhere you can see it’s light nicely from inside the shower but if you can’t that’s ok no worries ofc!! take a dab of honey and place it onto your forehead. i usually just put it on my finger(s) and press in some intention for a moment, sometimes i’ll press some across my cheeks too <3 rinse off your hand but leave the honey on your forehead and anywhere else you put it to rinse off in the shower! if you’re using one, get your rose quartz and hover it above your honey covered area(s) for a moment and take a few breaths, then go ahead and shower with your rose quartz in sight or just near the tub! blow out your candle when you’ve finished up your night routine <3
this little scrub is great to use in the shower after work or after dealing with any other stressful event i.e meeting up with toxic family, running errands, etc! it helps soothe that hectic feeling and provides a healing and comforting energy
what you’ll need;
sugar
thyme
chamomile
optional;
rose quartz helps this process move along and charges up the spell perfectly if you have some on hand! i like to charge the scrub with it as i’m grinding everything up and/or hold it over my chest with the scrub sitting on it for a moment, but literally none of this is necessary i don’t even do it every time i just use it for a little kick when i need it
just mash everything up together neatly and methodically, meditate on the state of mind you’d like to work towards and how you’d like to feel. then take your scrub and work it clockwise over your heart and work those intentions in, after that just scrub all over and proceed how you normally would! i usually end up curling up in bed under a fluffy sheet right after this scrub, it always makes me feel so cozy and safe <3
