Tag: healing the witch wound

Fall Equinox: Healing the Witch Wound & Reclaiming Our Power

I’m always excited for fall because it’s the one season of the year where it feels like who I am as a witch and introvert is more normalized. We slow down and do more introverted activities like reading, being cozy, cooking warm comfort food, and harvesting the abundance of the garden. We watch cozy or witchy shows like Gilmore Girls, Practical Magic, wear fall colors, hike in the woods, take moments to reflect with a cup of tea.

This is my jam all year round. But as we know, fall can also be challenging. It is a season of letting go, grief, and discernment. It is a season of shadow work and healing. Ultimately, this season helps us shed all that no longer feels authentic and reclaim our power. Those of us on the witchy path may wish to use this time to connect with our Witch Wound and take steps to nourish and heal our inner witch.

What is the Witch Wound?

The Witch Wound is a layered, collective wound rooted in our ancestral memory and our DNA from persecution and death related to colonisation, the burning times, patriarchy, capitalism and religious extremism. It is a deep and collective ancestral wound we all may carry to varying degrees, and for many, it is still carrying a traumatic charge.

Most of the people tried and harmed or killed for witchcraft historically in Europe & the UK were women, especially older women who were independent and/or owned property. It sometimes had nothing to do with spell work or healing at all. However, many of the women persecuted were healers, midwives and herbalists, and fears regarding the power of women ran (and still run) deep. There were men also persecuted, and in some countries only men were allowed to practice magic, thus they were targeted. Often the men were poor, unhoused and some were gay.

Economic stress often underlies the timing of witch hunts. There have been witch persecutions and deaths for centuries and they continue today in some countries around the world. There is a correlation between the rise of capitalism and accusations and killings related to ‘witchcraft’ in these places.

You do not need to have literally been persecuted for witchcraft in a past life to feel the Witch Wound active within you. The Witch Wound contains a vast array of similar historical and current harms and traumas that still exist to keep power in the hands of a few, specific people and institutions- those that dominate our current culture and have for centuries. Patriarchy, capitalism, white-supremacy, religious extremism, homophobia/transphobia, and harm to the earth and its creatures all take part in this.

There are many more subtle and insidious ways the witch wound is still perpetuated today- Unequal pay, health cutbacks, lack of housing, poor elder care & community care, impossible beauty standards, tech-centered existence, demolishing the earth- all of this keeps the witch wound alive in us. But this wound prompts us to call for change, healing and resist the perpetuation of it. Many of us are called to do this in our own ways for our lineages past and future.

The Witch Wound can manifest in our current life as several fears, including fears of:

  • Speaking up or speaking our truth
  • Persecution
  • Being different or an outcast
  • Standing in our own power
  • Success or being in the limelight
  • Trusting our intuition
  • Our body, its natural functions & aging
  • Being feminine, female or gender non-conforming
  • The wild/nature
  • The unseen and spirit world
  • Pursuing a spiritual or alternative lifestyle or profession
  • Calling yourself a Witch, Pagan, Priestess, or other similar identification publicly
  • Issues around sisterhood, belonging, trusting other women

As a result of these fears, we may resort to excessive people pleasing, dismissing our intuition, dissociating from the body or present moment, distrust of the body or fear nature, and more. There are many avenues and layers to the healing process, and I feel that each generation and everyone is drawn to their own way of healing it for themselves.

Having some of those listed fears may not be connected to the Witch Wound specifically. Many traumas can create these. However, having a lot of that list activated in your life along with a sense of being persecuted for your spiritual gifts in the past (a past life or ancestrally) may mean you carry the Witch Wound.

Healing the Witch Wound

So much of this wound centers around power- having had it taken away, or continually dismissed or being punished for having it in society. When this happens, many of us will diminish our power within ourselves before others can get the chance to. We may fear our own magic, our intuition, our body, our connection to nature and the divine- and dissociate from this power because at some point when we embodied it or expressed it, we were harmed and shamed. Even if were didn’t experience this, we may have witnessed it. We feel staying small keeps us safe- because in the past, it did. If you have been called to this path again- it can mean you are ready now to heal and reclaim what is rightfully yours.

Healing the Witch Wound is of course, a life-long journey, not something a quick ritual or a few practices can do alone. The longer I walk this path, the more deeper layers of this wound comes forward to be seen, felt and integrated. It is not simply one wound, but a collection of wounds that intersect.

Also, not all of us are here to work on healing it or have it highlighted in one’s life. Once we realise we want to walk this path- especially if we are open about being a witch publicly, the wound can be activated.

So, how do we heal? Like anything, it is important to hold yourself in deep compassion and gentleness. You don’t have to do this alone. It can be helpful to work with a therapist or body healer for this as well. You can also work with me! More on that later.

How to start healing:

The first step of healing the Witch Wound is connecting to your Inner Witch. Your Inner Witch may have many facets, and it’s ok if you’re not ready to explore them all yet. She may have been persecuted, exploited, oppressed, or hidden for survival over generations, and you carry that memory in your nervous system and DNA. But you also carry her power and gifts in your DNA and memory too!

Some parts may feel more comfortable to connect with than others. For instance, connecting with plants more intimately may feel safer than ritual, spells or doing shadow work.

Wherever you are at in your journey I highly recommend reading the book- ‘Heal the Witch Wound’ by Celeste Larsen

I am a fan of gentle reconnection to one’s Inner Witch. This is a tender, yet very powerful part of yourself that cannot be rushed or forced out. And even when the Witch IS out, it may be a long journey of fully accepting and embracing her.

If you are interested in healing your Inner Witch, here are a few suggestions that have helped me:

  • Intentionally commune with nature as often as you can. Whether it is tending an indoor plant, spending more time outside, or talking to a neighbourhood tree, remember that you ARE nature, and it is YOU. You don’t need to have a green thumb or extensive herbal knowledge to be a Witch. You don’t necessarily need an intermediary to teach you. You have a right to a relationship with the earth. Cultivate your own connection with nature. Choose a tree to have a relationship with. When the sun shines on your face or when you dip your toes into water, acknowledge the elements as beings in their own right, that offer themselves to you and wish to get to know you in return. Even if you are sitting in a fluorescent-lit office in a downtown high rise, you can take a deep breath, close your eyes and connect with your favourite place outdoors in your mind. Surround yourself with reminders of the natural world on your desk or whenever you can’t be outside.
  • Practice Gratitude. As cliché as it may sound, taking a few minutes every morning and evening to connect with what you are grateful for opens you to the abundance that supports you, and this is essential when doing brave work of healing. It reminds you that you are loved and supported, you are not alone. It may be interesting to note who you are giving thanks to. What higher power do you believe in? When you cultivate gratitude, you grow your spiritual support system and strengthen your trust in yourself, in others and in the unseen, which is a trust that the Witch Wound often erodes.
  • Tap into your intuition. It’s easy to bypass this wisdom as we are conditioned to dismiss intuition for logic in every situation. Take some time to regularly practice re-connecting to your innate knowing. You may feel intuition as a flash of insight, a gut instinct or a tug in your body somewhere. Next time you need to make a decision, even as small as deciding what to eat or where to park you car, check in with your sixth sense. Discerning intuition from other parts of ourselves may be tricky at times. To navigate this process, you may wish to read my blog ‘Is it my intuition? 5 Ways to Tell.’
  • Explore different beliefs and paths. There are many different Pagan paths, so it can take some time and experimentation to find what resonates with you. If your chosen path deviates from how you were raised or the dominant belief system in your environment, this can be where the Witch Wound fears show up. Know that you are not alone. We often rely on the trailblazing of others, so seek out elders who have paved the path before you. Perhaps YOU are the Trailblazer of your generation, making it easier for the younger generations to be themselves, OR you may be a Bridge-Maker who facilitates movement between different belief systems and ways of thinking.
  • Explore your fears. When you are more comfortable with the above suggestions, you may wish to look at the list of Witch Wound fears from the list and choose one to work on. Perhaps the one that stands out strongly or comes up most regularly for you. It may be something worth exploring through journaling, reflection or a therapist.

If you’re ready, choose one fear from the list- one of the ‘easier’ ones first, maybe one you are a bit more experienced with or one that doesn’t hold as strong a charge in your body.  Take time to set a sacred space for yourself to journal and/or reflect on this fear. How does it show up in your life? What childhood experiences contributed to this? What desires do you have that get blocked by this fear? Imagine what your life could look or feel like if this fear was quieter or gone altogether?

Now what is one baby step you can take now to confront this fear in your life? For now, it might be just imagining what it would be like to live without it. It might be to create an affirmation, or an intention to do a small habit that honors your desire.

  • Connect with community. The digital age has made it much easier for Witches to find each other! Whether it is through social media, a local gathering, or just emailing a Witch blogger like me to say hello or ask a question- connecting with like-minded souls is very healing! I know how intimidating it can be to reach out or meet new people.

How I can help:

I have walked this path for 20 years and am still healing and learning more about the Witch Wound. There is always more to it. So, I don’t pretend to be ‘fully healed’, just fully dedicated to healing this within myself and helping others do the same. I understand the complexity, the challenges, the fears, and am always finding new ways of confronting and integrating them.

I help folks like you to connect with your inner witch through connecting with your intuition, creating a practice, and aligning your habits and lifestyle with your witchy ways, so that your magick has a container to grow within. There is no pressure to be ‘out of the broom closet’ at any time. You can nurture your power at your own pace and come out however and whenever you wish, or not at all if you wish to keep your practice and beliefs private.

I offer seasonal in-person Hearthfire Circles, Spiritual Coaching Sessions and my Nourish Your Spirit program which follows an animistic approach to empowerment.

I recommend you also check out this meditation journey I created to support this transition into Fall, to release blocks and reclaim your witchy power!

Guided meditation journey: Fall Equinox Reflection & Healing the Witch Wound

Wishing you a beautiful Fall Equinox and may you release all that no longer serves you and reclaim the innate power within you!

Blessings,

Serena

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What is Earth-Based Healing?

What exactly is earth-based healing? How can earth-based spirituality help us heal and grow?

Earth-based spirituality is a nature-based path of connection, remembering, healing and growth, rooted in animism.

Animism is the world view that sees all life as alive and interconnected. Each tree, rock, plant and animal has a spirit, and therefore a healing gift for the world. We are not separate from nature, and therefore, when we connect with our non-human kin, we remember our own medicine, too, and that we are not alone, that we belong in the family of this Earth world.

This is an ancient way of being that has existed in cultures all across the globe and is a foundation in many paths of witchcraft. It is very much alive in Indigenous traditions.

I feel one reason it is so popular today, is that we are in a crisis of isolation and have a deep hunger for belonging.

Social media, pandemic mandates, capitalism, and all the ‘isms’ have all contributed to this sense of isolation and separateness that has escalated in recent years.

My hope is that as we move into a new paradigm, as challenging as it may be, more folks will wake up to the fact that this deep hunger for belonging cannot be satiated through social media. Human connection is essential to our well-being and many of us are only satisfied with connecting with people in real life. Beyond that, I feel many of us have an even deeper need for belonging that connections with other people cannot fill- It is the need to feel a kinship with nature. There is a need to belong to the land we walk on and our animal, plant, tree and rock kin. This is our original relationship to the source of life- without the human mind and its drama- we need to remember our belonging with the land.

Deep down in our bones, we know we too, are wild.

The cleansing rain, the soft mossy earth, the whisper of a raven’s wing, the haunting song of humpback whales, the crackling flames of a bonfire- all live within us. We are Earth and Earth is us. When we spend time in the woods, there is often a deep remembering. Remembering the ancestors and how they lived, and of our own belonging to the earth. A remembering of the ancient wisdom trees hold, and the sacredness of the life of a deer- just as sacred as our own.

Life becomes magical when we remember our own inner wildness.

When I say ‘wildness’, I mean our innate connection to the Earth, which can be very quiet and introspective, not necessarily dance-around-the-bonfire-naked kind of wild, though that may be included too!

When we re-ignite our remembering of our kinship with the earth, our sense of belonging grows. It is hard to feel alone when we remember this.

How Do We Practice Earth-Based Spirituality?

The great thing about this practice is that there is no one way. Each individual will have their own unique way of practicing. At its foundation, it is about connecting with nature regularly, and intimately. It’s about going beyond the physical and into the energetic and spiritual essence of animals, plants, crystals, rocks, bodies of water, landscapes, sacred sites and more. It is a deepened sensitivity and intuitive listening to the world around us- to feel what’s beyond the surface and into the heart and soul of the living beings that surround us. It is also fundamentally about being in reciprocal relationship with the being around us- not feeling superior or ‘other’, but being a friend or family member with the beings around us.

One’s practice can entail listening to and talking to plants, and getting to know their energy and medicine. It can include connecting deeply with animals, and working with animal spirits for protection, energy, or healing in daily life. It can entail observing the equinoxes, solstices and moon cycles, connecting with the ancestors of the land, and much more.

Some folks are solitary, while some like more formal gatherings. Some prefer structured rituals, while some keep it loose and just live in tune with the earth and its cycles more intuitively. Someone living on a farm or in the woods will have a different practice than someone in a big city. Neither way is right or wrong, all are valid.

For me, my earth-based practice includes a lot of attuning to the energies I feel from the earth and its cycles as well as the moon. Connecting with the spirits of trees, rocks, animals and the elements is central to my practice, as well as observing my emotional and embodied experience during moon cycles and seasonal cycles.  

I don’t really spend time doing spells, but I have a lot of regular rituals- such as visiting local trees, talking with them, learning from them and giving offerings to them. I try to visit trees almost daily.

I also grow plants in my garden and like to take care of them and listen to them, harvest them and make teas, smoke cleanse, and herbal charms.

I also take regular sojourns to the spirit realm to connect with animal allies and do different rituals of connection with them.

I have many rocks and crystals in my space as well, which I enjoy placing on my body for healing, or wearing for protection, or adding into a healing pouch.

How Does an Earth-Based Path Help Us Heal?

Earth-based spirituality is healing because it is about being in relationship with the world around us. It heals our collective isolation wound. It helps us remember that we belong. Being in relationship with our non-human kin is the foundation of its power.

When we see plants as kin, we don’t wish to harm them, we respect them. This is a form of un-colonising our conditioning. True witchy power doesn’t come from using plants, herbs or crystals to fulfill a personal desire, but from having a respectful relationship with them and treating them as friends or family. They may wish to help you fulfill a desire, or they may want to teach you something, help you heal, or they may simply wish to simply ‘be’ in the environment, or work with insects and animals and not with humans.

Our non-human kin may be called ‘healing allies’ or ‘spirit allies’ or guides that help us heal or deal with a challenge in the present. Their medicine, or the special qualities they carry serve as reminders of a part of ourselves that wishes to come into wholeness.

Each aspect of nature, including us, are an expression of Spirit which flows through everything. Sometimes along our human journey, we forget, suppress or reject aspects of ourselves- to survive, to fit in, or to ‘succeed’ at goals that we set for ourselves. Over time, those aspects may call to be remembered, loved and integrated. These shadow aspects of ourselves, often contain gifts and medicines long forgotten or suppressed over generations in our lineage.

When we answer the call to remembering our kinship with aspects of nature, we are remembering our connection to the whole, and to our own wholeness.

In reality, we are completely whole, and perfect, just as we are. We are perfect and whole just as nature is. We only need to simply exist. Yet, we forget this, and need reminders.

Our kin in nature help reflect back to us forgotten parts of ourselves that are ready to come into integration within ourselves.

For example, we may have gone through some painful breakups that have left our heart untrusting and closed to intimacy. Connecting with a Rose Quartz crystal- and developing a relationship with them over time, can help us heal our heart. Working with Rose could also help, as these allies hold the energy of unconditional love. They can help us remember how to love ourselves again and open our heart to more true connections.

Another example could be that we’ve forgotten our confidence, and thus we may find working with a wild cat like a lion ally or another animal can help us remember this aspect of our nature. Or perhaps we work with the element of fire or sunlight to help ignite our inner flame of strength and confidence.

If we are in a situation where we need to get more grounded and sustain strength over a long period of time. In this case, an Oak tree may help us remember our strength and help ground us.

If you were embarking on a journey- whether a new educational program or traveling, you may find a bird ally helpful, as they resonate with freedom of movement and perspective. Each bird is so unique however, that there will be a specific one that carries an energy you would most resonate with.

How Do We Know Which Ally to Connect With?

Trust your intuition and curiosity. Perhaps you keep noticing a certain tree lately? Or, an animal keeps showing up in your dreams? Or you find yourself craving baths, being near water or wanting to cleanse?

Experiment and notice how you feel. Remember, this is an innate part of you, your inner wild one that has always been there, waiting to be remembered.

It doesn’t have to be complicated, and we don’t necessarily need a human teacher to intermediate between us and the earth. However, it is always great to learn from others! Especially Indigenous folks, when it comes to this land here on Turtle Island.

I believe we all have an inner spiritual guide or healer within that leads us to exactly where we need to be, and shows us what we need. We just need to listen, and to notice what we are being shown. Notice your dream symbols, notice your desires, notice repeated symbols in your environment. Be curious!

What area of your life do you feel drawn to healing or improving? What type of energy does this area need? What animal, element, crystal, herb or tree carries a similar energy?

Here are some more ways you can bring some Earth-Based rituals into your life:

–Walk in a nearby park or forest and allow yourself to be drawn to a plant or tree. Get to know them, sit with them, talk to them, become friends. Bring an offering of animal-safe food or herbs, or offer loving words of gratitude, song or even a kiss or a hug.

–Choose a crystal you are drawn to. You may also find a rock on the ground and ask if you can take them home. Hold the rock to your heart or wherever on your body you intuitively feel their energy. What is their energy like? How do they make you feel? Rocks hold the wisdom of time and the land they are from. Read about their origins and properties, wear it or keep it nearby.

–Get acquainted with an herb you are drawn to. Connect with them outside, if possible. If not, connect with them as a dried herb- either as is, or in a tea or tincture. (Of course be sure to check out the medicinal properties if you are ingesting it!). What is their energy like? If they were a person, what would they be like? How do they make you feel?

–Keep a Moon journal. Note the phase and how you feel during that phase. You may wish to read my blog posts on honouring the moon cycles here and here.

-Let the elements heal you. When the sun is out, take some time to receive the healing light of its rays into your heart, mind, belly. Feel the warmth and light fill any areas of sadness, fear, emptiness or malaise. If grief, wistfulness or overwhelm come over you, spend some time near water for cleansing and renewal. Even just listening to a recording of ocean waves can kindle our remembering. When experiencing anxiety, confusion or overwhelm, spend some time grounding in the earth. Take off your shoes and feel it under your feet. Lean against a tree or sit on a rock to remember your own stability.

As our practice grows over time, we start to feel a greater kinship and belonging- not only to the land, but also to ourselves. When we connect to all the beauty and medicine that exists around us, we remember that it is the same beauty and medicine we carry within.

If you are looking for some support to help you embark or continue on your earth-based spiritual journey, I am here to do just that! I take you on a guided journey to find your allies, through my one-on-one program: Nourish Your Spirit. In a series of 6 sessions, we uncover the healing needed through a Tarot Reading, learn grounding, centering, energetic cleansing and protection practices, and find a crystal, animal, herb, tree and elemental ally for you to work with. Contact me for a free 30 min consult!

In kinship,

Serena

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