Fairly Take and Fairly Give - Voluntary Simplicity for Wiccans

The term “Voluntary Simplicity” refers to a conscious choice of lifestyle in which one focuses not on gaining more, but strives to find the threshold of “enough” in order to feel content. Sociological studies have demonstrated that for most people there is a threshold of security attained through material goods and income level at which point most individuals feel content. Raise their level of wealth even slightly above this threshold, and surprisingly, contentment gives way to anxiety, pressure, depression, doubt, and misery. A greater number of people worldwide are awakening to this concept that abundance exists in a delicate balance, and that while having too little to survive contributes to emotional stress, so does having too much!

The movement toward consciously choosing less material gain beyond a point of basic comfort is not new and can be traced back as far as ancient times when Greek philosopher Diogenes, credited as the “First Cynic,” openly rejected a life of hard work in pursuit of more “stuff” and instead, chose to live as he saw a truly free man to exist- without strings attached to the burden of material goods and the toil required to make, keep and maintain them. While not everyone would want to follow Diogenes or even more modern examples like Thoreau, seeking simplicity has become a popular way to de-clutter not just the home, but life itself.

Historical surges of simple lifestyle movements have often held some form of moral or religious connection as well: one may think of the Amish for example, shunning both the excesses of modern luxuries and also being detached from the stress brought about by email, cell phones, cars etc. For Wiccan practitioners however, the value of “voluntary simplicity” resonates just as much as for followers of monotheistic religions. In fact it is a fundamental part of Wiccan belief to strive for balance, avoid excess and live in harmony with nature rather than seeking to dominate one’s environment.

This is not to say that acquiring income, assets and material goods makes one “un-Wiccan.” There are as many different facets of the Wiccan religion as there are practitioners. However if you are looking for a way to tone down the pressures in your life, simplify your needs, and reconnect to the voice of the Goddess in nature who may have recently been drowned out by the roar of emails, faxes, summer homes, car repairs and other noises of the “rat race;” exploring Voluntary Simplicity can be a great way to reconnect with your physical, emotional, and spiritual needs- and for once, tune out the rest!

Keep It Simple

Starting small is important to any lifestyle change, especially one that runs counter to most of what our culture has promoted in the form of upward mobility. Turning off the “more” switch and finding the “enough” factor requires one to tune in to a form of intuition. As a Wiccan, you are no stranger to intuition. You look for it in perceptions, synchronicity, and sensations in the body. You seek inner guidance in dreams and mediation and you know that there is a more subtle and deeper voice than that of the never-resting ego that rules the “more” button. Breaking away from the “more” race and sitting in the contemplative silence of the present moment is an art that Wiccans no doubt engage in to support many of their ritual and spiritual practices. Why not use the same process to silence the voices of advertising, the compulsive draw to obtain and improve, upgrade and climb the ladder, settling instead into the comfort of experiencing what already surrounds you? 

Start slow: use the following steps to explore ways to incorporate Voluntary Simplicity concepts as part of your Wiccan lifestyle. There are various degrees to which people engage in the simple lifestyle and not all forms will work for you. The goal is not to undercut things you value or engage in martyrdom or self deprivation. The goal is to simplify, and to be more conscious around material and financial decisions: to “fairly take and fairly give,” a little more mindfully.  Try the following experiments to scale down your lifestyle, the Wiccan way!

Fairly Give - We all know the joy of donating no longer used goods and clothing to a worthwhile charity. Don’t save this habit for seasonal or special occasions, make it more of a habit! Set aside a box to fill with items you have not used in 6 months, or things you only think about when you see them (and still don’t use even when you think about them). Don’t panic, you don’t have to donate them for another 3 months. In that three month time if you run to the box to retrieve and use something, take it back out and put it away. If you haven’t used it in the three months, it is time to bless someone else who needs it by making a donation.

Let’s Make A Deal - Help humanity, the Earth, and yourself! Make a deal with yourself and your family that each day that you drive the car you will find something in the home to donate to a charity.  Yes it sounds extreme and that is why it is a challenge. Remind yourself that the act of driving takes a toll on yourself and the Earth, and so by donating to those in need you are balancing the scale, taking and giving, and perhaps being more conscious of your choices to drive or find alternative transportation. Still too overwhelmed by the thought of daily donations? How about aligning special days with donations such as the new and full moons, Sabbats, and other cyclical markers aligned with the Wiccan faith?

Separation Anxiety - Learn to separate the objects you hold on to from the emotions attached. Wiccans know full well that all objects carry energy, but also that energy can be summoned from a distance. It might take many tries to let go of some clutter because of fond memories attached to the objects even though they weren’t and likely wouldn’t be in use for a long time. The acknowledgment that memories and conscious thought do not disappear with the release of an object made it easier to finally let go of a significant amount of clutter.

There is a good feeling in knowing that someone in need will benefit from items held hostage by nostalgia. As Wiccans we transcend time and space barriers to practice meditation, astral travel, and Magick, therefore we can remind ourselves that we don’t need tokens of fond times to re-experience them. Some people even prefer to take a picture of the items to trigger memory and then donate the item itself. Go at your own pace. The important thing is to keep what you value but allow yourself to release what no longer serves you. This can even be done as a ritual and akin to a cleansing process. Remind yourself that by releasing what you don’t need you are opening up room for new abundance to come your way.

Induce a Black Out - Plan a day during the week and stage a black out. Turn off and unplug any items that are not essential for support of life in the home. You may choose to keep the fridge plugged in but the computers, clocks, TV’s, radios etc. must go- just for one day. You may be amazed at the level of connection you find with nature and loved ones, and the sense of recharging after a fast from the electronic world. For an added challenge, try fasting from the cell phone and iPod as well.

Air Your Clean Laundry - At 91 years old, my grandmother has never had a clothes dryer. The act of hanging laundry rather than using a dryer not only helps the Earth and preserves the clothing itself, but is also a great way to commune with the elements and interact with nature.

Take Time Out - Invest in quiet time every day. Meditating, sitting or walking in nature, all of the latter actions make it essential to unplug and to tune out the mundane world. Whether you can only spare 5 minutes or an hour, treat yourself to this luxury and you will quickly feel the difference.

Eat Your Leftovers - Open up your creative streak and make Magick in the kitchen. Americans waste a horrendous amount of food every day. This is not only bad Karma, it hurts Mother Earth. Recycling is not just for bottles and cans, but applies to reusing parts of meals that are still good for one, or even 3 days, or ideally until they are gone. Being more conscious about portions also helps avoid wasting food. There is no reason a meal has to stay the same day after day. Have fun creating new dishes and combinations using last night’s leftovers. You can even make a game out of having family and loved ones guess what’s in the stew, casserole, salad, or stir fry!

These are just some basic ideas to help scale down your life to reconnect and find serenity.  By sharing these experiments with friends you may be amazed at how your introduction to a simpler life both alleviates stress and opens up doors to explore a life of freedom, abundance and excitement!

Article by: Angela Kaufman.  Angela is a Priestess for the Dragon Warriors of Isis Coven in Upstate, New York, and the co-author of Wicca: What's the Real Deal?  She is a professional tarot reader.  For more information about Wicca: What's the Real Deal? visit http://www.wwtrd.webs.com.

The Magickal Workout

If exercise has become synonymous with torture, it is time for a fresh perspective. Why not bring the recognition of Magick and energy from your Wiccan or Pagan practice into the work out for a full body-mind-soul charge? To begin, we need to flex one of the most important parts of the body- the brain! Decide for yourself why it is important to engage in physical activity. Better health? Less stress? Endorphins? Once you have clarified the basic reasons you have been working out in the first place, it is time to extend beyond the mundane in true Witchy fashion and start to discover what more the practice of regular physical activity has to offer.

Could this half hour to hour of time dedicated to the body be a way to seek solace in your physical form, while realigning energies of your body with your intentions for the day? Why not make the work out a sacred time, free from distractions, out of reach of the demands of work, home and other obligations? What if the process of working up a sweat was also the process of cleansing the body of toxins, refreshing you cell by cell? The view of exercise begins in the brain. Extend your list of reasons to be active further now, including benefits to your mood, as well as cultivation of a specific type of energy. Now that you are closer to the zone, let’s explore other ways to make Magick at the gym!

Sacred Time for the Body

If an exercise routine has become boring it is time to reclaim the routine! Instead of a chore, consider this time - however long or short it may be- as sacred time. This is your body’s time to play! The experience of your body stretching and moving is a gift to be cherished. This is your time to let the parts of your body that have been cooped up at a desk or in mundane routines thrive and wander through movements that you don’t typically get to enjoy. This is also your uninterrupted sacred time. For your next routine of whatever length you can devote to yourself without interruption, unplug or silence the phone. Limit distractions like television. If music helps to charge you for your work out, that’s fine: set a playlist on your music player and use this and not clocks or watches to keep the boundary of time in which you will relish in movement for the sake of reinvigorating your body.

Sacred Motion for the Body

Forget bicep curls, jumping jacks, or stair climbers. These terms are boring and lack life. When you engage in lifting a weight toward you, imagine that you are pulling forth refreshing energy. Align your actions with spiritual intent and expand the meaning of the motions you are making. Your movements are sacred, filled with energy both expanding and constricting, bringing harmony and growth. Consciousness makes all the difference. When running, try to align your physical sensations of your motions with a purposeful sense of spirituality. The legs are not just repeating the same forward movement; they are carrying you through the breeze. Jumping Jacks are not a means of repeatedly pounding your feet on the floor while flinging your arms carelessly, they are an opportunity to raise energy from the Earth below you and collect energy from the sky above you, this energy being drawn in as your arms lower and collected when arms are outstretched. Explore other ways motion common in your exercise of choice draws or repels energy, and then add the factor of intent.

Visualize

As you engage in the practice of cycling, swimming, weight lifting, walking or other physical activity, visualize in this delineated time of sacred communion with the body, and what you are striving for too. It may be a mental representation of a goal, each motion bringing you closer to your dream. It may be a color or image representing the energy cultivated in your exercise. Consider the process of exercise much like the process of raising energy in a magickal circle, you are building up this energy with some kind of intent which can be as magickal or mundane as you would like.

Release and Cool Down

Don’t forget the importance of cooling down the body. This provides a transition time between your sacred motion and re-emergence into the mundane world. This is an opportune time to release the energy raised during the work out. Visualize sending out the excess energy raised to take its course toward manifesting that which you intended. It should be for positive ends at all times. Stretching will open up the body to realign and adjust, allowing for more energy to refill and replenish. Use this time to focus on refilling your system with renewed energy, intending any stagnant, negative, or residual energy having dissipated through the cleansing activity. You have allowed motion to regulate and refill your body’s energy. Don’t forget the cleansing power of water as well, and be sure to stay well hydrated even if you don’t think you need it. Remember, water is powerful and can be charged to provide another source of reinforcement to your original intention.

As always the goals of these practices are to bring connection to the body and not to cause harm to one’s self or others. If the body is giving signals that certain activities are beyond your current capacity, then activity should be modified to prevent injury. This should be a process of celebrating and joining with the body, not fighting against it.

Article by: Angela Kaufman.  Angela is a Priestess for the Dragon Warriors of Isis Coven in Upstate, New York, and the co-author of Wicca: What's the Real Deal?  She is a professional tarot reader.  For more information about Wicca: What's the Real Deal? visit http://www.wwtrd.webs.com.

Activity Planning for Wiccan Youth Clubs

There are fun, educational, and socially conscious activities that youth can explore that would promote and develop their identity as Wiccans.  One of the most important things to bear in mind when planning these activities is that whatever is done under the public banner of “Wiccan Club” will be a representation to the community of what Wiccans do.  Just as a community would take note if a troop of Boy Scouts were caught hosting a rowdy party, so too would a club of this nature draw attention and negative judgment if it’s members were to present out of alignment with their true ideals and philosophy. Also of importance in forming a club for Wiccan teens is to be sure to consider safety measures in determining logistics of club leadership, meeting places etc.  Be extremely cautious when establishing leadership for such a club as it will be essential that a credible individual, preferably one met by parents of youth joining the club and approved of by the same, is overseeing club activities.

A good place to start in solidifying a club for Wiccan teens would be to grow in understanding of the 13 Goals of a Witch.  In fact, an ongoing project for this group could be to focus on one goal at a time for 13 consecutive months and establish projects for individuals as well as the group to explore what each of these goals mean.  As an example, goal number one is “Know Thyself,” so activities and journaling assignments can be used to enhance exploration of this goal.  To make things fun, these activities could extend to art making, writing, music making etc.  One of the ending projects could be the topic of a local art show.  Another goal, “Keeping Words and Thoughts in Good Order,” could be attained through a challenge of practicing assertiveness with others and committing to abstain from aggressive, impulsive, or harmful speech. 

Activities that enhance the concept of honoring of the God and Goddess through the care of Mother Earth as well as nature and animal life would be perfect activities for Wiccan clubs to show their true colors as well as to get valuable experience in community service while strengthening their connection to Nature.  Weekly or monthly service days in which members volunteer collectively at animal shelters, neighborhood cleanup projects, or get involved in animal or environmental protection campaigns can be great and exciting ways to bring the spirituality of Wicca into a mundane and practical use.  The experience gained in volunteer work is priceless to both the volunteer and those on the receiving end of such charitable work.  Working to give back to nature and animals also increases the connection to Mother Earth.

Other activities that can help with group cohesiveness and enhance study of the Craft can be established through group practice of psychometry or telepathy.  This can be turned into a series of games.  For example, each member of the group can present an object such as a watch, piece of jewelry or picture.  Then distribute the items to someone else so no one ends up with the item with which they are familiar.  Each member will then hold the item in their receptive hand and attempt to receive psychic impressions from the energy of the item.  Other games can be created with the purpose of enhancing group members’ abilities to give and receive psychic impressions to each other, and things like photographs, cards, or small items can be used as props to enhance this practice in earlier stages.

Arts and craft activities are great for Wiccan Clubs as well.  Brooms, cauldrons, wands, grimoires, and other common tools can be created or enhanced by refurbishing old items collected or recycled materials.  To add even more variety, if each member of the group brings one collected item to contribute to making a single tool, creativity as well as teamwork can be enhanced. 

There is no limit on types of activities that can be implemented for fun, learning, networking, and the pursuit of social justice or environmental protection.  These activities can give Wiccan club members a chance to grow in their own faith and demonstrate a positive attitude in the community thereby role modeling what following the Wiccan faith really means.

Angela Kaufman is the coauthor of Wicca: What's the Real Deal? Breaking Through the Misconceptions, along with Patricia Gardner and Dayna Winters.  The book is available at Schifferbooks.com, Barnes and Noble.com, Amazon.com, and fine bookstores everywhere.