Most witches know that one of the central tenets of Wicca is “harm none”. But many of us fail to recognize that this includes ourselves. I am not saying that we deliberately harm ourselves. I am simply saying that anyone in today’s crazy, busy, hyper-connected world struggles with taking care of themselves properly. And long-term neglect can eventually become harm.
Too many of us do not eat properly or exercise regularly. Too many of us sacrifice proper sleep for “productivity”. And many of us do not handle stress as well as we could. I know that I personally struggle with all of these things. Many is the time that I have just had Oreos for dinner rather than take the time to prepare a healthy meal! However, as I have gotten older, my laissez faire attitude towards my health has begun to catch up with me.
I now find that if I eat poorly, I feel sluggish, and my digestive tract begins to complain. If I don’t exercise regularly, I feel stiff and sore, and I lack energy. If I don’t get enough sleep, I am unmotivated and cranky. And if I don’t manage my stress properly, it begins to bubble out and affect others. Nutrition, exercise, sleep, and stress management: these are now recognized by most health and fitness experts as the Four Pillars of Health.
Since I have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety, it is important for me to take my physical health seriously. Though I take medication, when my health drops below a certain point, I really begin to spiral. Moreover, since I began to study witchcraft, and my psychic powers have begun to awaken, I have become much more sensitive to the emotions of those around me. I have just recently recognized that when I am around certain people, I begin to be subtly influence by their emotions. If they are upset, I start to become upset. If they are stressed, I begin to feel stressed.
In order to deal with this, I have begun practicing special aura cleansing and strengthening exercises, as well as psychic shielding exercises, as part of my meditation routine (I will discuss these more in future posts). I have also realized that I need to strengthen my body physically in order to be able to gracefully handle my new powers, without becoming overwhelmed or fatigued. I am currently overweight, with several nagging injuries that occasionally plague me. I have spoken with my doctor, who has prescribed a round of physical therapy, and I have begun strength training, to make me stronger, increase my metabolism, and help me lose weight. And I have begun to study nutrition, so I can identify a proper eating plan for myself.
Though it’s fun to focus on the spiritual aspect of witchcraft, and work on strengthening our witchy powers, I believe that a good witch recognizes the importance of the mundane as well. In other words, keeping the body healthy and strong, and taking appropriate steps to maintain good mental health and psychic hygiene are just as important to increasing your power as performing spells and rituals, or burning the correct incense. Our physical body supports our psychic and ethereal bodies. It’s important that we treat ourselves properly, and take care of ourselves.
Therefore, I have defined some goals, similar to my spiritual goals, to help me better care for myself:
- Begin physical therapy for injuries
- Strength training four times a week
- Begin to reduce daily calories; define and make better food choices
- Get to sleep by 9:00 pm each week day night
- Continue aura strengthening and psychic shielding exercises daily
Like my spiritual goals, I feel that these are reasonable, measurable, and completely attainable. I hope to reach the point where all these new actionable goals become second nature to me.
To other witches out there, are you as strong as you could be? Do you make time for yourself? What one thing could you do to help promote your physical or mental health?