We are all feeling the
effects of a tough economy and having to make difficult choices about
how we spend whatever money we still have. And this concern can affect
our Witchy athames lives as well as our mundane one. Let’s face
it—Witchcraft can cost you a lot of money if you’re not careful:
ritual garb and velvet cloaks, and wands crystals, magickal candles, herbs, and oils can all add up to a chunk
of change. And that’s before you even include books, my particular
weakness. Or have all your friends over for a big ritual and feast.
Does this mean that we
can’t have a satisfying spiritual and magickal practice without
spending money we can’t afford? Not at all! All we need to do is
adopt a different attitude and a new approach. I call it witchcraft on
a shoestring, and I, and my coven Blue Moon Circle, have been
following this path for years without sacrificing any of the aspects
of our practice that are truly important to us.
Witchcraft on a
Shoestring Basics
To adapt your current practice (or start a new one), you need to start
with a few basics:
 | Remind yourself that
all you REALLY need to practice The Craft are your heart, your mind, and your spirit. The tools we
use otherwise are useful (and often fun), but not necessarily
irreplaceable as long as you have faith, will, and focus.
| Figure out what your
priorities are. For instance, I value learning and acquiring new
knowledge over almost any other aspect of The Craft (besides
connecting with the gods and my fellow Witches), so I’m going to
keep spending money on books, no matter what. But I may not buy
new garb, or add to my (already large) crystal collection until
the economy picks up a bit. Take some time to think about what
your focus is when you are practicing, and what you must have in
order to support that practice.
| Decide what you MUST
have, as opposed to what you’d LIKE to have. For instance, if
you have a tough time focusing when you cast spells, you may still
need things like candles and incense, to get you in the proper
mental state. If you are working on healing, you may need a
particular crystal. And of course, you need a new book or two
(hint, hint). But do you really need a third cloak? Probably not.
| Look for less
expensive options for the tools and supplies you do need. I’ll
give you a few suggestions below to give you a head start. |
| | |
Use This, Not
That—Inexpensive Substitutions for Expensive Items
| Instead of buying
garb, go to a consignment store or the local Salvation Army shop
and find something funky that can be used as witchy garb. For
instance, if it is black and lacy, any shirt or skirt is likely to
look Pagan. Or keep your eye out for old Halloween witch costumes
at yard sales.
| Instead of buying an
expensive metal chalice,
go to the dollar store and buy a glass goblet. Decorate it with
glass markers or ribbons if you want to dress it up a little.
| Instead of using
fancy candle holders, get some inexpensive glass or pottery plates
(bowls work, too) and sit your pillar candles or votives on them.
Just make sure the containers are fire-safe and that the candles
won’t tip over. In our outside circle,
out behind my barn, we often just use four of the large flat
stones already in the circle to put our quarter candles on.
| Instead of a pricy
athame or wand, go out into the woods and find just the right
piece of wood and sand or decorate it as needed. If you have one,
you can use a wood-burning kit to inscribe mystical symbols on
your stick. Or use colored markers, ribbons, feathers, or crystals
to make it a little more magickal. But since both tools are
primarily used for pointing and directing energy, a plain piece of
wood is fine. For that matter, your finger will work, too.
| Instead of buying a
pre-made Book
of Shadows, take an inexpensive binder or folder and decorate
it with magickal symbols, a pretty cloth cover, or pressed leaves.
Or just find a cheap journal that already has a cover you like.
| Instead of spending
a lot of money on special spell candles, take a votive or taper
(less than a dollar, most places) and anoint and consecrate it for
whatever magickal work you are doing. You can etch appropriate
rune signs into the candle with the point of a toothpick, if you
want. |
| | | | |
Ten Ways to
Deepen Your Practice for Little or No Money
There are plenty of witchy activities you can do that cost nothing, or
next to nothing. Here is a list of ten, just to give you the idea:
- Grow your own
magickal herbs and flowers. Even apartment-dwellers usually have a
sunny windowsill they can devote to a few herbs. And growing the
plants yourself means that you are putting your energy and intent
into the magick you will eventually do with them from the very
first moment you plant the seeds.
- Go for a walk and
pay attention to nature. If you live in the country, or have a
park nearby, it is easy to take a mindful stroll and watch for the
animals and birds we share the planet with. Even in a city, you
can usually find a green spot, or go to a botanical garden.
Breathe the air and notice what you smell. Listen to the sounds,
and just connect back to the earth. If you can, sit for a while
with your body in contact with the earth or a tree, and feel its
strength supporting you.
- Stand out under the
night sky and look at the stars. Feel how small you are, and yet
how vital a part of the universe.
- Stand out under the
night sky and look at the moon. What phase is it in? Is there any
way in which that phase corresponds to where things are in your
life? If the moon is full, be sure to soak up the light and love
of the goddess while you’re out there.
- Teach someone
something about The Craft. Passing on knowledge in one of the most
important aspects of being a Pagan. Share what you know with
another Witch who is just starting out, or gently educate a non-Pagan
about what it really means to be a Witch.
- Sit by a body of
water and listen to the soothing sounds it makes. Think about how
all the water on the planet is connected, from the smallest drop
of rain to the biggest ocean, and so are we.
- Plant a tree. You
can usually get bare-root trees for very little money at your
local Cooperative Extension, or from the Arbor Foundation. If you
don’t have property on which you can plant a tree, see if a
local park will let you plant one there, or help a friend to plant
it on their land. Or donate to the Arbor Foundation and they will
plant one for you, if you can’t do it yourself.
- Drum. The drum has
been used by Pagans for as long as we have history to look back
on, so drumming is a connection with all those who went before. It
can help you achieve a meditative state, or you can just use it to
send out a message of joy into the universe.
- Help someone who
needs it. I firmly believe that the goddess
(or deity in whichever form you find it) wants us to look out for
each other. When you help another without expecting anything in
return, you are doing Her work.
- Give someone a kiss
or a hug and tell them you love them unconditionally. Perfect love
and perfect trust are at the core of a Witchcraft practice, yet
who among us can say we truly get or give enough love?
Why You Should
Spend SOME Money
Witchcraft on a shoestring isn’t about spending NO money ever on
your magickal practice. It is about being careful how, when, and why
you do buy things. And there are a few reasons to occasionally open
your wallet and pull out a little of your hard earned cash.
For one thing, it is
important for us to support the rest of the Pagan community, and that
includes those who own Pagan stores, bookstores, or hand-craft items
with a magickal bent. After all, if we don’t buy things from these
folks now and again, they won’t still be there when we need the
items for our practice we can’t get anywhere else.
For another, I believe
it behooves us to buy books on Pagan topics, for much the same reason.
Yes, I am a bit prejudiced, since I write some of those books, but
let’s face it—I was buying books on magick long before I ever
wrote one, and I’ll undoubtedly still be buying them long after I
write my last magickal tome.
As I said earlier,
learning and acquiring knowledge are among my greatest priorities. And
if we don’t buy books, the publishers won’t publish more, the
authors won’t write more, and then how will the next generation of
Witches learn? Few of us are lucky enough to have a Witch who lives
nearby and who is willing to share his or her knowledge, so books are
the path that many of us walk to get from there to here.
That doesn’t mean you
have to buy every book you ever want to read, of course. Sometimes you
can find one at the library, or swap with a friend, or even find a
Pagan book at a yard sale, if you are very fortunate. As with
everything else, you’ll want to consider how much you’ll use any
particular book (I have quite a few Witchcraft reference books I refer
to over and over), and how much you need the knowledge contained
within its pages.
Witchcraft on a
shoestring, at its core, is all about making choices and setting
priorities. And always keep in mind that as long as your heart belongs
to the goddess and the god, you already have gifts that no amount of
money could buy.
 |
Deborah
Blake
Deborah Blake is the author of Circle, Coven and Grove: A Year
of Magickal Practice (Llewellyn 2007), Everyday Witch A to Z:
An Amusing, Inspiring & Informative Guide to the Wonderful
World of Witchcraft (Llewellyn 2008), The Goddess is in the... Read
more |
Republished courtesy of Llewellyn.com. Copyright © 2010, Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.
|
