Witches & Magick Alchemy

Now alchemy isn't Witchcraft. But it is a magical system and it is fun to do. There's many kinds of alchemy- what eventually became chemstry, the very fantastic brand shown in books and movies, and the many modern forms which can borrow liberally from fantasy. The thing to remember about alchemy is the end result doesn't matter so much. The process does.

During the process of creating, several things happen. One could learn a new skill. One remembers why they do or don't like making something. If they don't like it they might find a better way to do it. They learn to work within time restraints. Problem-solving skills come into play when materials are no longer available. There could be lessons about stress or group dynamics. No matter how many times the process is repeated the circumstances surrounding the process will not be the same. The alchemist should learn more about himself as he works.

Alchemy can really provide prospective into your core self. The neat thing about alchemy is that once you see details it first becomes easier to observe rather than react, and second being aware makes change easier. Explained this way, I can see why alchemists value the process over results. But I see no reason to do something just for the experience. I want results. That's why I'm a Witch and not an alchemist.

I do find it useful to look around periodically. That is what I'm doing now. It's amazing how much negative energy seeps in when we aren't paying attention.

It makes sense to start paying attention now because this is the time of year when I start letting go of clutter. There's other kinds of clutter besides physical junk taking up space.

I'm still having problems with my stepson. I stopped taking him to counseling for two reasons. First I was running out of money and second other problems were developing that the counselor wouldn't address. Homework began to take hours. He would stare into space rather than work. If I noticed he got a problem wrong and I told him to correct it, he'd erase every answer on the page. He wouldn't read and his writing was beyond messy as he wrote over words, half erased letters, drew over his work, and wrote somethings backwards. We'd spend three or four hours a night fighting him. We took things away, tried rewards, tried explaining things differently, and ask him repeatedly what was wrong. He gave us the same answer every night- he was mad that he couldn't live with his mother. We'd work through it all, he would cry, promise to not do it again and the next night it would be the exact same thing.

I stopped helping with homework.

This worked. I quit signing papers. I stopped asking how school went. I stopped checking math problems. I stopped asking him to read. I insisted that he do his homework, but I took myself out of the situation.

It helped that his teacher started using class dojo. I have mixed feelings about the app because I think it's distracting in a classroom of small children and it makes phones more prevalent in schools. I think we need more human interaction. But he's very concerned about his dojo points and if he doesn't do homework he loses points so since class dojo is helping I'm not going to complain.

My husband and I have been debating ADHD medicine. We are questioning if the boys really need it. I can no longer tell if they have taken the medicine or not because their behavior is unchanged even if they skip a dose. Apparently they're skipping many doses because  the Rx was filled September 22, it's currently October 30 and there's 9 pills left.

I started reading about long term usage of the medication. I learned some children may become obsessive. There won't be a gain to what they are doing yet they continue with it no matter what happens. Hmmm, like turning homework into an hours long chore? Every night? For well over two months?

Some of the behavior I can explain. He's starting to act out even when he knows he'll see his mother. I think he's trying to get grounded because if he isn't going anywhere he can't be disappointed when his mother breaks her promise. But the number of times he pulls the exact same stunts even when he knows they aren't working is probably the medication. I am starting to worry how else it affects him.

I realize all of this doesn't have anything to do with Witchcraft unless I finally find that spell that modifies behavior. But, this blog is about my personal life as a Witch. So I can tell you that I thoroughly cleaned the house then smudged. And that helped. I placed crystals around the house and that helped too. I've started rethinking intent and that helps. Writing about the problem helps. So I'll keep observing what happens during this process.