This is my second post on infusing your everyday life with magick. Read the first one here!
There is no definitive text for modern Pagan worship. While this is a wonderful and liberating thing, it can also leave practitioners at a loss for what to do next, how to go deeper into Pagan practice, or how to incorporate your spirituality into your everyday life. Here are some suggestions for how to make your average day just a bit more magickal:
1. Meditate
Meditation is an excellent way to connect to the Divine, and even a short 5-minute meditation can leave you feeling refreshed and recharged. Making meditation a part of your daily routine automatically carves out some time for communion with the Divine and some deep listening. You don’t need to cast a circle or anything (though feel free to do so if you have the time!) – Simply close your eyes, bring your awareness to your breathing, and see what comes.
You may wish to try a few of the different types of meditation I talk about in my post Going Deeper – Are You Ready to Dive In? You may come up with your own version of meditation that is a blend of these, or something completely different! Experiment with a few different methods, and stick with what works (though don’t be afraid to try new approaches if they present themselves!)
In addition to a conscious meditation during the day, I also like to meditate before going to sleep at night. It relaxes me, and I like having a touchstone to Divinity before entering sleep. My sleep feels more restful and I feel more open to receiving potential messages in my dreams when I meditate beforehand.
2. Pray
Prayer is an ongoing conversation with the Goddesses and Gods. I wrote a little about prayer in Going Deeper – Connecting with Divinity, but prayer is such an important part of my practice, I’d like to elaborate on incorporating prayer into your everyday life.
I know many Pagans who have some baggage associated with the word prayer, coming from their religion of origin or the general overarching Abrahamic paradigm and Judeo-Christian socialization in our modern society (at least here in the US). If this is you, I suggest reading Reclaiming Worship as a Modern Pagan before you continue. Simply put, prayer (for me) is a conversation with Deity. It is a way to open the line of communication between us and our Goddesses and Gods. Prayer is in no way a debasement of self before the Gods. It does involve a certain amount of respect and honor, but not to the detriment of your own respect as an autonomous being.
Prayer can be an ongoing activity throughout the day, either at specific times or when inspiration strikes (or both!) I use prayer in my daily devotions in the morning and evening. I pray at special times throughout the day as well. Anytime I see all of the same numbers on a digital clock (11:11, 2:22, 5:55, et cetera), regardless of what I am doing, I take a breath, give thanks for my beautiful place in this Divine symphony called life, and pray to Aphrodite. It’s a spontaneous thing – I don’t set alarms on my phone for these times; I just do it whenever it organically happens. It’s a nice magickal infusion into my day.
I also pray on an as-needed basis. If I hear a friend is having a rough day, I will pray to Aphrodite to surround them with loving energy. If I’m having a difficult time, I will pray to Aphrodite or the Firebird, or another Divinity I may be working with, to give me strength to get through the tough situation. It is good practice to not only pray when you need something, but also for thanks and celebration! The goal of prayer is to establish a relationship with Deity – it is not 1-800-DIAL-A-GOD to help with every single problem you encounter.
3. Grow Plants
I love plants! I’m academically trained as a botanist, so my interest is scientific as well as spiritual. It does wonders for the energy of a space to have healthy green growing things. This can include houseplants, an outdoor garden, and even your office succulent! Taking care of plants is a magickal act, and strengthens your connection to nature.
Plants come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and difficulty levels. If you aren’t sure of the status of your green thumb, start with something easy. Air plants and succulents are fairly low maintenance, as are some herbs. If you’re a kitchen witch, growing your own fruits, vegetables, and herbs can be a very rewarding experience, and pack an extra energetic punch to your workings!
If you live in an apartment, you will have some limitations to what you can grow. I have a bunch of basil growing on my south-east windowsill that is doing quite well! If you have pets, you will also need to be careful not to have any toxic plants in your house or places where they are allowed outside. Please see the ASPCA’s list of toxic and non-toxic plants for pets when planning your botanical projects!
4. Bring Fresh Flowers into Your Home
If you can’t grow plants in or around your home for whatever reason (not enough sunlight, frequent travel, drought-prone area, brown thumb, et cetera), you can still bring fresh flowers into your space! Each flower has a specific energy (I’m partial to roses and sunflowers, myself), which you can research and align with your intentions. Flowers are fairly easy to take care of: give them a full vase of fresh water every day and trim their stems by ½ inch, and they will last longer.
Again, if you have pets, please double check the ASPCA’s list of toxic and non-toxic plants! Also, be careful of any flower food you may add to the vase if your pet likes to drink out of unconventional places. (I know my cat does!)
5. Dedicate Your Daily Exercise to the Divine
There’s no shortage of research on the mental and physical benefits of exercise, but did you know there can be spiritual benefits, too? You can dedicate your daily exercise to honor your Deity (or Deities). Exercise involves expending energy – You might as well channel that energy into something! While yoga might immediately come to mind (and I highly recommend that you try it if you haven’t!), any kind of exercise will work.
Some forms of exercise are easily connected as an act of devotion (Ecstatic Dance or Pole Dancing for Aphrodite, a hike or run in the woods for the Horned God, swimming for Manannan mac Lir, martial arts or self-defense for the Morrigan, or practicing archery for Artemis), while others, like doing squats at the gym, might be a little more difficult to connect. I’m a firm believer that “all acts of love and pleasure” can be dedicated to the Divine (Doreen Valiente – The Charge of the Goddess), so as long as you are enjoying it (or will enjoy the results later), channel that energy and get your blood pumping!
6. Journal
Writing is a wonderful way to process life, from the spiritual to the mundane. You can record your dreams, ritual ideas, and encounters with Deity. You can chronicle the spells you work and how effective they were. You can even create a devotional poem or song for your Deity! The possibilities are limitless. Grab your writing utensil of choice (mine is a sparkly gel pen), and just start. It doesn’t matter if it sounds good – This is for you.
7. Light a Candle with Intention
In addition to just being straight-up candle magick, lighting a candle with an intention is a good way to bring a spiritual component to a daily activity. You can light a candle before meditation to help focus. You can light a candle before a meal with gratitude to honor the Earth and your Deities. As I discovered during a power outage, lighting a few candles to read by transforms any book into a magickal one.
I love using beeswax candles. They support pollinators, they are all natural, and they smell divine! They even release negative ions which clean the air and are beneficial to the body in a number of ways! Ordering in bulk off of a site such as Etsy is often cheaper than what you may find in stores or on Amazon.
I’ve also found that lighting a candle is a nice way to do a low-key mini-ritual. If you don’t have the time or energy for a full circle, lighting a candle to send good vibes to your sick friend is an effective and easy way to work some quick magick. If you anoint the candle with essential oil, recite a prayer, and/or incorporate a meditation – all the better!
May your day be full of magick and beauty! Brightest blessings!
For more posts on modern Paganism and serving the Goddess of Love, visit www.priestessofaphrodite.com