Gianni Testore

With New Year's Day fast approaching many of us are thinking about our resolutions. Pagans and Witches tend to think along the lines of their spiritual lives when considering resolutions, and one of the most common complaints one hears uttered is that people have difficulty integrating their spirituality into their daily lives. Creating a daily (or at least regular!) spiritual practice can be challenging, but it is the best way to stay connected to the divine and to continue co-creating your life instead of being subject to it.

Here are some suggestions based on over 20 years of practice and experience. Pick one or two and be resolute in your attempts to integrate these practices into your every day life, and you will find your spirituality expanding to touch all aspects of your life.

Sitting Meditation - Ten minutes of sitting meditation can make all the difference in our ability to confront the world head on as we do our best to be what we are; walkers between the worlds. Sitting meditation need not be complicated. Try simply sitting and focusing on your breath. You can use a timer if you’re on a tight schedule. Sitting in the same position every time and incorporating a simple hand gesture of some kind (also known as a 'mudra') will help you enter a relaxed state more quickly. Don’t expect miraculous visions or mind blowing experiences when you sit meditation. Expect to sit, following your breathing, bringing your attention back to the breathing whenever you lose focus. If you prefer guided meditation, there are several podcasts that provide them. Meditation Oasis is generically spiritual, while Ariel's Meditations and The Scrying Bowl both have a pagan focus.

Keep A Journal  - The Artist’s Way is a great resource if you’re new to the idea of stream of consciousness journal keeping.  Alternatively, just write out whatever is on your mind that day. This is a good opportunity to discover where you’re out of balance or what’s really bugging you. It’s also a good time to count your blessings and express gratitude for all the many things that are going your way. Journal keeping is one of the best ways we can track our growth, keep records of our magical experiences, and touch base with ourselves.

Water Purification - Once a day, preferably after your meditation &  journaling session, breathe all your stresses, troubles, and all that does not serve you into a glass of clear, clean water. As you breathe out, imagine all the muck leaving your body and filling the water. When you feel emptied out, hold the water up and outward and invite the divine to clean and clear the water of all you put in it. Imagine the water blazing with pure light of whatever colour works best for you that day. Once the water is pulsing with light, drink it down, knowing that it has been charged with power and will fill in all the spaces that were emptied out during your purification. As you drink, imagine yourself glowing with this light, sparkling and shimmering with it.  Once you’re done, ground in whatever way best works for you and get on with your day. This need take no more than three to five minutes, and can be integrated with your daily shower or bath if you’re really pressed for time.

Prayer - At some point during your day, offer up a prayer affirming that you are open to the love of the divine, and to whatever messages the divine has for you that day. If you have a history within a religion that has made prayer difficult for you, push through that. Keep trying. Offer prayers out loud or silently. Think of this as talking to a cherished friend. If you aren’t sure who to pray to, pray anyway. Someone is listening and in time, they will reveal themselves to you wearing whatever mask you most need to interact with.

Making Offerings  - You’re already offering your time and effort in the previous four practices, but if you’re having an especially wonderful or difficult time, take a moment to offer something of personal value to the divine. This can be food based - honey, milk, liquor, fruit, bread, a portion of your meal - or bardic - a song, a poem, a story of your own creation - or you can offer natural items like flowers, crystals, stones. Anything that’s pleasing to you is bound to be pleasing to the divine.  You can do this as often as you like as a way to express gratitude for what’s going right, or as a way to petition the divine for assistance with issues that are troubling you.

Consulting the Oracle - Once a day, or however often you like, pull a card, draw a rune, or use your oracle in whatever way best suits you to get a very basic, simple read on where you’re at. If you’re new to using methods of divination, the most widely used method is Tarot. As a beginner with Tarot, I suggest using the Rider Waite deck. Pull a card, jot down your impressions and what you think the image on the card is telling you, and then and ONLY then, look the meaning up in a good resource. One of the best freely available resources is learntarot.com.

Walking - Walking puts your feet in direct contact with mother earth, and it’s best done out of doors, which makes it an ideal way to connect with natural forces. While it’s true that we are surrounded by the elements of life whether we’re stuck inside or not, it is easier to relate to air as wind than as some abstract concept. Walking out in whatever weather can increase your physical stamina, which is important for energy raising (and dancing with abandon around a festival fire pit!). It also heals lazy libidos and is effective in easing depression. 

These simple practices can be done together, flowing from one to the other beginning with meditation and ending with walking, or you can also just pick one and focus on that one for a period of time until you find your interest flagging. At that point, switch things up and try something new.

As Pagans we are in charge of our own spiritual lives. There are places to go to get a dose of spirituality, such as the Wiccan Church of Canada, or our own private covens and spiritual groups, but these options aren't available to all. Motivation can be difficult to drum up if you're working alone. There is an ongoing series of podcasts available at SpiritsCast.Com that explores deepening spirituality. This series goes live every full moon and provides information and inspiration that can assist you in deepening your spiritual life.