End of the Year Work

For the last several years, I have participated in Silver Ravenwolf's Great Release Challenge. This year, I am and I am not.

We are going to build a much smaller house. Ever since I moved into this house, I have been scaling down in preparation for our big move. And it's not just the house that needs to be emptied, our yard has to be cleared as well. Not only have the grounds been neglected just as much as the house, but we have to clear space to build.

I've been applying magick to the downsizing. I try to begin on an auspicious day like a new moon or a day ruled by the sun or Saturn, and I find an area to focus on. I might clean bookcases or fences or empty drawers or I might wash windows or pull weeds. I'm trying to make sure things actually clear out and stay away. This is harder than it sounds. All my in-laws are hoarders. When my father-in-law was a boy, his father moved the family several times. Something was always left behind. Once he went to summer camp and when he came home his step-mother had thrown away all his comic books. He has the mentality of 'keep everything' and he has taught this to his children. I have arguments with my husband about boxes. He wants to keep empty boxes because they may be useful. Never mind that we don't have the space to store cardboard and that on the rare occasion when we do need a box it won't be the right size. More than once I have taken things out only to see my husband bring things back in.

I need all the magick I can get or this will never work.

Since I've been clearing almost all year, I'm not following the program closely, though I do read it each day and if something looks like a good idea I will do it.

The other thing that is different about this year is planning. The Great Release is awesome for banishing and clearing clutter. But rarely is anything mentioned about planning for the year ahead. I've been doing a good bit of planning and I have been doing. If something needs to change, I've already started the new habit/program/plan. This is a lot of fun, but it is eating up my time as I work out what I want to do, what I can do, and then I get used to doing the new thing.

People are always hopeful on New Year's. They look forward to new and exciting things. I don't want to wait. I want my life to be great right now. Don't put off good things. They can slip away before you notice.

I am also planning for bad things. I know problems will arise. I know we will have trouble. I am trying to think of what could go wrong and have a contingency plan. I realize I can't plan for everything, nor can I wait for trouble to arrive. But I feel like I should think about what we will do if one of us becomes ill, our income is lost, or there is a fire. Then at least if something happens we won't be completely unprepared.

I've also started working uncrossing spells. It really takes a great deal of effort to curse someone. I don't think many problems are caused by cursing. But feelings of envy and jealousy can settle around you weighing you down. Send that negative energy back to the one who caused it. How can you tell when an uncrossing spell is working? People around you will suddenly have a multitude of bad luck. If you do an uncrossing and your best friend's car breaks down less than 24 hours later, then your friend is probably sending negative energy towards you. They may not be aware of this. They may be secretly resentful of your success or they may not be a friend at all. That is really the whole point of uncrossing- to make you aware of what you didn't know.

I used to think magick should be used as a last resort. That you should do all the mundane work and then turn to magick. I don't believe that anymore. Now I think that as a Witch magick should just be what I do. Now I do magick every day. I cast spells for good luck and good health. I carry charms for happiness. When the moon begins to wane I work uncrossings and banishings. I banish problems. I sweep away negative energy. I empower soap and water to wash away trouble. I don't think doing these spells mean I will never have a problem because life is filled with difficulties. But I do think a little preparation certainly makes life easier.