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.

Revenge and Magick

Anger can work like a drug. It intoxicates as it compels one to obsess on how they have been wronged, and how glorious it would be to execute revenge on those who are perceived to be the source of the injustice. It is said that anger is a shield, typically hiding fear. When we perceive we have been wronged it is easy to imagine cultivating the perfect revenge. What happens when a practitioner of Magick becomes angry and begins to imagine the perfect revenge? Unlike “keying” someone’s car, students of Magick know full well that they have a resource literally at their fingertips which mundane authorities may never connect to them. It becomes tempting to want to unleash anger through Magick with the goal of revenge.

This is where spiritual and Magickal ethics become paramount. If one has absolutely no spiritual ethics or code of conduct this becomes concerning, as this is the equivalent to anarchy in the spirit realm and is beyond the scope of this article.  Assuming that there is a core desire to live in harmony with others, to not act in destructive ways, and to promote spiritual growth and development, we can explore how impulsive reactions prompted by fantasies of revenge and harmful Magick can actually sabotage one’s spiritual growth and cause more damage than good in the long run.

The belief that all life is energy and that energy remains attached to living and nonliving things for at least some time is the basis of most Magickal practices. It therefore makes sense that thoughts, imagination and words carry a subtle energy as well. When this energy is of a more primal nature and is fueled by anger, jealousy, or resentment, it carries a vibration that is synchronized with these states. These states naturally are temporary emotions, but nurturing these states can lead to an increase in the energy given to the emotion. One begins to cultivate a garden of anger, possibly even hatred. Even fantasizing about revenge and punishment to those who seem to have done you wrong breeds an increase in this energy. Suddenly, the fixation on these people, events, and the emotional states that one associates with them, results in a narrow focus, a mission to seek revenge or spread the anger and hurt to others. The energy accompanying these thoughts and feelings is not healing. It does not refresh or rejuvenate. In fact it may be heavy, oppressive, bitter, leaving one feeling hollow and resulting in despair and the reinforcement of a “victim” role.

To direct one’s mental, spiritual or physical energies toward seeking revenge through Magick would therefore intensify the energy that contributes to a great deal of the pain one is already experiencing. Compare this to someone who is unhappy to be covered in mud, but digs deeper and deeper into the mud puddle to find a source of water with which to clean themselves. The process becomes counterproductive. This is before one even considers Karma or beliefs about retribution and return. This is solely looking at the quality of energy one exudes by becoming too immersed in reminiscing about their loss or grief and seeking revenge as the solution.

Now as to the consequences of using Magick for revenge or to harm, even when one feels justified; many practitioners of Magick operate with some code of beliefs regarding actions and consequences. In our modern societies we mistake natural consequences with value judgments. We have developed such elaborate systems of justice - often based more on illusions of righting wrongs than on realities of bringing order and maintaining peace, that we forget the core concept of consequences.  When a choice is made, it sets into motion a progression of next steps. If one spends the rent money on a vacation, then one faces eviction. It is an objective process made only moral or subjective by one’s human interpretation. If one feels a sense of entitlement to a vacation regardless of other obligations, then one may feel a personalized sense of attack at being evicted for not having the rent money. It is not a matter of one choice or another being “good” or “bad.” It is merely a matter of one choice leading to one act followed by an outcome. Bring this concept back to Magick, if one expends energy, the vital life force, on negative, angry, hostile causes, then one will have little energy left for creating growth, healing and positive. Likewise, the energy spent on the negative will also breed more negative, in the long run creating an abundance of raging anger and resentment with very little inner peace to serve as a buffer or to refill a depleted system. Perhaps this is why many simplify this process by acknowledging that the type of energy one “puts out” is the type they will “get back” usually at a greater intensity. Well, it is only natural, is it not? If I have a potato garden and a pepper garden and I tend to the peppers to a greater extent, I will logically have more peppers than potatoes! The same goes for the type of energy one cultivates through focus and intention. 

Potential consequences of not heeding this conventional wisdom and pursuing revenge through Magick can be disastrous.  By breathing life into powerful negative emotions, one potentially sets the stage for the return of such emotions in force. This return of negative energy not only has the potential to harm the practitioner, but to also bleed into other relationships or goals which one holds dear. This happens on both an energy and mundane level. By focusing on the negative one fails to cultivate much else therefore mundane blessings and opportunities are missed or vanquished. In a spiritual sense, the use of Magick to bring harm to another even out of revenge, returns the quality of the energy to the sender. In the end choices remain; however, one must remember that in battle if one chooses to throw flaming sticks at an opponent, expect to become burnt as well. By and large one must ask; “Is it worth it?”

Anger and pain can serve as great teachers and motivators and it is not suggested that they not be used to influence Magickal working that can have the outcome of personal growth and transcendence of obstacles. If a painful situation brings anger and resentment, but these emotions are dealt with on a human level, but inspire one to use Magick to enhance one’s own healing process, bring greater understanding, or help achieve growth from crisis, then the energies have been channeled to bring benefit rather than harm. It is also not uncommon for some practitioners to appeal to higher spiritual manifestations of Justice, be it Goddesses such as Ma’at or Gods such as Jupiter, to allow the Deities to intervene as they will. This can be helpful because it allows a sense of connection to the Divine to foster the security of knowing one can let go of the need to control or “fix” the situation and allow higher forces in the universe to take charge. It also allows one to regain perspective on their personal role in the universe as part of a greater framework.

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.