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.