DIY Witchcraft: Pendulum Chart

If all goes well, I'm going to be posting an easy Pagan project once a week (emphasis on easy because truth be told, I'm a little lazy). This is very simple and there are endless variations of charts that you can make (or find online) for your pendulum. Lost your car keys? Draw a blueprint of the house. Can't decide where to eat? Write a bunch of restaurant names around a semi-circle. You can also use them for serious, less emergency-related issues, like deciding what branch of the Craft to study this spring. Don't have a pendulum? No problem. Take something and dangle it from a string of some sort. No really, it's that simple. A necklace, needle and thread, limp spaghetti noodle, nearly anything can be a pendulum. Get creative with it!

If you have never used a pendulum before and want to try it out, clear your mind and cleanse your chosen dangly tool with incense, water, whatever suits you. Get a baseline reading by asking a yes or no question that you know the answer to and see how it behaves. Example: "Did I wear shoes this morning?" Pendulum swings in a circle, so that means "no". "Was I drunk this morning?" Pendulum swings in a line, meaning "yes". See? Easy. Enjoy your divination.

Desperate Witch Tip #2: Using birthday candles is not cheating, it's efficient problem solving.

Pagan Standard Time

Many of you folks have likely experienced this scenario: A fellow witch calls because he or she is running late for a ritual or get-together. Inevitably, some one leans over and chuckles, "Oh, she's just running on Pagan Standard Time." This is probably common because (hate to judge a huge group as a whole) Heathens tend to be pretty awesome, understanding people. We get it. Life, flat tires, and traffic happens. We are more likely to make it into a light-hearted joke rather than chew our panties into a wad because someone ran late. 

However, I have heard tales (few and far between) of folks that really do not care when they arrive at a gathering, because the important part is to be there. Rather than fretting over trivial, mundane things like time, or what supplies they were responsible for bringing, these magickal folk are habitually late for most events. Honestly, I blame Gandalf; Even he can make "fashionably late" look good.

I can assume these habitually late heathens have their hearts in the right place, and can understand that it is important to follow where the Universe leads you. On the other hand, when you have a group of folks who have taken time away from their family and career to host this celebration, set up, and organize the event, it comes across as pretty disrespectful to leave an entire gathering waiting for half an hour.

Now, there are ways to alter time for your benefit. Time is not fixed, or linear. More importantly our perception of time is relative to each individual and event. For example, a boring class or meeting will seem a lot longer than it actually is, whereas a day swimming in the river will slip by easily.

 
We are going to dive into the topic of Timecraft, which I first started exploring because of an article in Llewellyn's Witches Datebook. (If anyone has read this article and remembers the author or what year it was published, please comment so that he or she can receive credit. It may have been 2009) I know, you may be thinking "Oh Persy, you've lost it! You can't alter time; that's ridiculous!" To which, I would reply "Hogwash! We do this all the time!" Every time we cast a circle, we are creating a space outside of space and a time outside of time. If that's not altering time, then I don't know what is. Some of us have done a lengthy, exhausting ritual only to leave the circle and realize that it only took 30 minutes, or have completely lost all sense of time in a trance and was astounded that an entire afternoon had slipped by. Each and every person, witch or not, has the power and responsibility to shape their own reality. Now, lets take a deep breathe and dive in! Here are a few examples of altering time to suit your needs:

Expanding Time

If you are in a situation where you need a little more time or want to be overlooked by those around you (like needing more time to study before class, late for work, or wanting to make a private conversation last longer than the time around you two), this is a handy technique to whip out. Ground and center, feeling your personal energy expanding within you, then visualize it growing into a large shield surrounding you, your car, or anything else that you want to be moving a little faster than the time around you. Visualize yourself stepping out of your shield, arriving at work, or sitting down in class at the exact moment you intend or a little earlier. In the meantime, do your best not to glance at the clock, focus on time, or focus on your surroundings. Just enjoy the ride, do what you need to do in this time outside of time, and see yourself arriving at the future point that you are aiming for. It takes some practice, but this has saved my ass and my job on several occasions. After you are done, just let that shield deflate back into you, and carry on with your bad self.

Compacting Time

Right now, you are in the last four hours of work and it's dragging by. You can barely stay awake, and you have Life to do after work. What are you going to do? Darn right! You're going to do some problem-solving. Just like before, ground and center, pull up a shield, but this time, visualize the world buzzing around you faster, and faster. Feel this going on and visualize yourself stepping out of the shield at the time you aim for. Basically, you will be in a world of your own while everyone zips around you at high speeds, barely noticing you or bothering you (benefit of shielding for shy folk), and you clock out and hit the road in no time. Sounds amazing, right? Sound too good? Well, just like some people feel a little off when the speed of a ritual doesn't match the world around them, they may feel a little jet-lag for a few minutes to an hour. No Biggy. Will it be like a sci-fi movie where you age prematurely if you keep doing this? No. Time is not linear, so its not like you are jumping ahead a few spaces. Time will catch up, or you will catch up. The Universe is very flexible and understanding; It runs on Pagan Standard Time.

Desperate Witch Tip #1: Keep baby food jars! Either you will use them or a friend will ask for them

I'm going to keep these helpful / lazy witch tips coming. I keep these little jars filled with salt and lemon juice in each room to absorb negativity, and clean them out as needed.

Babies, Altars, and Sacrifices

A few months ago, when my daughter was just beginning to walk, my husband and I were watching a movie in the bedroom when she walked into our room dragging a baby doll. She pulled it by the leg across the floor, and flopped it down on my altar before sitting on the floor and singing. Without missing a beat, my husband looked at me and said matter-of-factually, "Ah, she has prepared the sacrifice...". 

We both had a good laugh and watched her put toys on the altar. This wasn't shocking to either of us, because she had been interested in my little corner of the room since she could crawl. My altar has nothing shiny or colorful on it; Its just a small wooden chest. Nevertheless, she has always wanted to play around it and set her treasures on it. This was one of the main reasons that I had given up my nightly Altar Devotions, as well as a few other spiritual practices (God knows meditation was out the window). There were many aspects of my old ways of worship that I had sacrificed to spend more time with her, because she was either too distracting, too antsy, or just not willing to sit with her Dad for a few minutes. As you can imagine, this was a bit upsetting because it felt like a huge part of who I am had been neglected ever since I had become a new mom. Aside from a toddler grabbing lit candles, there was always something more pressing that needed to be done that kept me away from the alter. 

One day after about a year without meditating, I sat down in front of my little sanctuary, and meditated on the Triple-Goddess as Mother. While drifting along in this light trance state, my daughter played with her toys on the floor next to me. I listened to her chattering and singing as I connected to the presence of the Great Mother, and all mothers that came before me. It dawned on me that mothers of the past didn't have play-pens. Mother witches would have had their little ones with them during any magickal workings, and they would have adapted. After that mediation, I felt a completely new connection to my daughter on a spiritual level. Yes, having a baby threw a wrench into my old ways of worship, but the Universe gave me an opportunity to create new practices, try louder rituals, and include her in some of the most meaningful moments of my life. 

A few adjustments that I made included making a family altar and doing devotions with my daughter rather than in my room by myself. We now have a large wooden shelf in our kitchen that acts as an altar that the whole family is welcome to add to, and is a fabulous idea for any kitchen witch. As for devotions, I do miss the quiet moments of reflection that I rarely get these days, but It is very rewarding to connect to the Divine throughout the day as well. One popular devotion for Pagan families that we are slowly incorporating is "Pagan grace". Also, on days that I am up before the sun, I stand outside or at a window, raise my arms, and say a simple affirmation to guide me through my day, such as:

"I am a Witch.
I am at one with the Earth, the Universe, and the Divine.
Let this day be free from strife and fear.
Let only love and joy come near.
With blessings given and received, 
I walk in peace, in word and deed."

The lesson here (and overall point of this blog) is that whether you are a stressed-out mom, busy student, or anyone else who is short on time, there are still opportunities to celebrate the spiritual side of life.