The Magick Rut (and Digging Your Way Out)

Since the moment the warm-fuzzy glow of discovering my spiritual path wore off, and still to this day, I occasionally suffered from "The Rut". Have you ever thought to yourself, "Crap... when was the last time that I did an Esbat ritual? or meditated? What phase is the moon in, anyway?" Unlike most religions, we don't really have rules saying that we need to pray at certain times, or visit a building on certain days. We have few or no rules (depending on your tradition), no expected schedule of worship, and no holy book of guidelines; We are pretty much all winging it on our own path. And this is wonderful! We are free to connect to the Gods and Goddesses however we want! We are our own sacred temples and the only preist/ess that can tell us how to worship is our own Spirit. We are the Divine! However, we are also human, and humans are lazy. And kind of forgetful. And easily distracted. (Did you see Game of Thrones this week?) So naturally, sometimes we wander from our Spiritual path, and get stuck. This realization that you aren't currently as connected to you Craft as you once were can be followed by guilt or even a dip in your personal energy. I'll be real with you, this happens to me a lot more than I would like to admit. It's not because I'm swept away by millions of mundane obligations, but rather because I just forget that I am a witch, and that the Universe really is completely awesome and well worth connecting with.

For a while, I thought that I was the only witch who suffered from "the rut" because my circle of Pagan friends was very tiny at the time. Then, my fabulous former Craft partner loaned me an amazing book (The Witch's Bag of Tricks by Melanie Marquis ) that seemed to be the kick-in-the-pants that I needed to boost me out of my funk. Clearly, I can't be the only witch with this chronic lack of inspiration because the first chapter of this helpful book is titled, "Out of the Rut, and Into the Fire". Here, Marquis states that, "There are two places in particular on the path where we are likely to get stuck in a rut of magickal mediocrity if we dont actively take steps to climb higher. The first occurs when we reach a point in our development where we've learned all the basics of magic [...] We look to books, but most are geared toward particular denominations, or are too basic." The other time being, "When we've been practicing magick for so long that we take it for granted".

So, what can you do to keep yourself in a witchy state of mind on a daily basis? The best advice that I've received came from my working partner: Just write; Write about anything, or nothing. Just write something. Nowadays, that is my go-to move when I'm not sure what to do with my path. I write in my Mirror Book (magickal journal) and just reflect on whats going on right now in my life, and eventually, an idea or a gentle nudge from the Divine pushes me in a direction that feels right. Just write something every day, even if it's just a sentence or two. If that doesn't put a hitch in your giddy-up try these tips:

• Check out your alter. What does it look like? Is it cluttered and unused? Is the energy stagnant? Your alter is a reflection of you and your craft. If it has stale energy and seems neglected, you're the bad-ass witch to change that! Your world without reflects your world within, and vice versa. If you can't change your state of mind, change the state of your alter, and give it a good cleansing. You might be tempted to use this lovely, energized alter now that it doesn't have cat hair and candle stumps all over it.
• Aim to do just one thing everyday that you find to be spiritually rewarding. Not sure where to go on your path? Try doing devotionals. You can incorporate a small, simple ritual into your daily routine to remind you that each day is sacred. You can greet the sun with a salutation or a positive affirmation for the new day, say a quick prayer before meals and pass bread/bowls around the table with a heartfelt "may you never hunger" to your loved ones, lay in the sun and meditate at high-noon, watch the sunset in the west and put an offering on an ancestor shrine (if your home has one), or have a quiet moment at your alter before bed. You can do one, none, or all of these, as long as it feels right to you.
• Make a Witch Bag. Simply, dump whatever books you're reading, a few divination tools, and whatever else you feel might be useful into a bag to carry with you (and yes, this is for men, too.)
• Buy an almanac. Do you have trouble remembering what the moon is up to or when it will be full? You wont have an excuse with a handy-dandy almanac in your witch bag. I recommend Llewellyn's Witches' Datebook which shows astrological events, shares recipes, has interesting articles, spells, and poetry. Yeah, it's pretty cool.
• Go on a nature outing as often as you can. For us city folk, it can be hard to connect to the Earth through a foot of pavement. So get out there! Swim in a river! Go for a hike! Lay in the grass! 
• Stay in touch with whats happening in the world around you and sign up for updates from Pagan news sources such as Pagan Newswire Collective
• Get in touch with other Pagans. You may have reached that point where you've learned as much as you can from books, and you would like to learn from others in person. You can connect through various resources such as Witchvox.com or search on Facebook for Pagan/Wiccan/New Age groups in your area. 
• Take a field trip to a New Age store. You can get a professional tarot reading, meet new Pagan peeps, take a workshop, get some cool jewlry, etc. Go have some fun.
• If there is an area of study that you're interested in, get a book on the topic. If there is already a seed of inspiration, water that bad-boy and see what it grows into. You could have a new hobby or end up starting your own Tradition. 
• Start a long-term project relating to whatever you're interested in. You can write a grimoire to collect all the knowledge that you've learned from that new book you just got. You could start a garden, a blog, a sanctum sanctorum, etc. Get crackin'!
• If you feel like you've outgrown your Craft, maybe you've outgrown your Book of Shadows as well. Does it have random print-outs and notes shoved in it? Go through and straighten it up, or start a second volume if you are running out of space.
• If you are interested in a certain path, but have no books or peers to help you on your way, try working with a specific God or Goddess.
• Have a Magick movie night. Gather some friends, or cats, or make a blanket fort (you never get too old) and watch movies that inspire you and take you back to that warm, fuzzy newbie feeling. Practical Magic, the Craft, and Mists of Avalon are popular favorites.
• Break out your Harry Potter novels. No, you never get too old. If you don't like reading a book twice, scout out Witchcraft fiction at the library. The Circle of Five books by Dolores Stewart Riccio are are about a real, honest to goodness group of witches without all of that Hollywood nonsense. If you have never heard of Terry Pratchet, get acquainted because his Discworld books are phenomenal and cleverly funny.
• Listen to Pagan music, or any other music that inspires your magickal side while you're going about your mundane life. Even doing dishes can be fabulous If you're dancing to SJ Tucker:  

Sound off, folks! What do you do when you are off your game? Do you have a favorite Pagan themed book or movie? Favorite Pagan band? Share how you get inspired in the comments, and as always, thanks for reading!