Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Charged by the Goddess

Home
Pagan
holding the unholdable: the magick in the ugh

holding the unholdable: the magick in the ugh

Last updated on: August 31, 2023 at 7:01 pm by Irisanya Moon

0 Comments

holding the unholdable: the magick in the ugh 2023-08-31T19:01:28-07:00 Irisanya Moon

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I wonder sometimes if I seem less witchy because I talk less about spells and more about feelings. Feelings are crunchy and harder to contain. They don’t come with instructions or moon phases or certain essential oils. (Okay, some might.)

They come with questions. They ask only for a witness, a sacred witness. They stand in the periphery, sometimes shadowed, sometimes screaming.

Thanks for reading Heart Magick! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

But I am a more effective witch when I feel. When I dare to feel and to know the name of the feeling, I cast spells with clarity and without confusion. When I know what I feel, I know why I do — or why I do not.

Oblivious magick is potent, certainly. Tapping into my internal landscape allows me to bypass my (often) willful ignorance and to know, which informs my will and activates my daring. What was silent is now seen.

person holding yellow maple leaf

Photo by Gabriella Clare Marino on Unsplash

Calling Out to be Held

I invite you to slow down and tap into your heart. What are you feeling right now? Is it surprising? Is it expected? Is it unknowable?

I was sitting with a friend one day when they told me something I had never heard before. They were in pain, they were confused, they were scared, and they were overwhelmed. (And it was clear they didn’t want to say anything.)

In relationships, we are asked to hold things with one another. But how do you hold the unholdable? How do you know what is unknown? You don’t. You can’t. But you can sit there. Be there. Be present. Be still enough to breathe together.

Back to feelings. The magick of feelings, even the ugh ones. Even the crunchy, misshapen, where-did-that-come-from ones. Those are the ones with stories. And the louder the feelings are, the more I know they are old stories. Old stories that have dug their heels into my subconscious and have hung paintings on the walls of my brain. Those paintings are pictures of things I have done and things done to me. These pictures are far enough away that I can’t quite see what they are anymore.

But I can feel it.

Sitting with Myself

One essential practice in my witchcraft is checking in with myself. It is not easy, sexy, or fun. It is a practice of self devotion (my translation for self care minus the capitalism). It is a practice of returning to the me that is real and raw. The unmasked me that doesn’t know why they’re doing __________, but they are.

Find a quiet space or a place where you won’t be interrupted.

Close your eyes — or focus on an object that is soothing.

Trace your body with your awareness. What is happening? Talk to yourself about what you feel: tension, relaxation, warmth, coolness, fast heartbeat, slow breathing, etc. Describe in your mind what is objectively happening. Describe what your body feels like physically as though someone was across from you and they needed to know such things.

Right now, my body feels tense and my stomach is full. My eyes are tired and half closed. I feel as though I’m close to a headache, but not quite. My neck is in a weird position as I look at the screen. My right foot is a little numb after sitting cross-legged for an hour.

My breath is slow and steady. My heartbeat is there (whew), but not too loud or fast.

Take inventory of your body. And let yourself realize that all of these sensations are just what they are. They don’t have any meaning or morality. They exist because you are a body that interacts with itself and its surroundings.

So why do we think of feelings and emotions as something different?

Naming the Feels

Now, scan for your current emotions. And instead of assigning a story to each one, let them be words. I recognize sadness. This is anger. That is joy. By learning to notice and name, the feelings do not get to take the wheel and drive your attention. Feelings can be present and can be information, but they don’t have to have any more responsibility.

The more you can just be with feelings, the more they become allies. They become a part of you, but not all of you. Not enough to overwhelm or engulf you. The feelings can become something to witness. To sit with. To hold the hand of. To nod at and say, “I see you.”

The more I can sit here, even when it’s uncomfortable, the less distracted I am. The less reactive I am. I can think more clearly and I know I will know what to do next. And that, to me, is a certain kind of magick.

I can be ready to hold the unholdable.

The art of engaging the invisible is what magick is. The practice of discerning and acting accordingly is a spell. And if you want to cast something courageous and authentic, begin with yourself. Be with yourself and all that entails.

The ugh. The ooh. The aah.

Feel it all. And witness your power in all that you can hold.

***

You can go to my website for the latest news about my next book, class, or creative project. Or you can find me on all the social media things. Or both.

About Irisanya Moon

Reclaiming Witch + Writer + Teacher + Priestess + Feminist + Ritualist + Invocateur + Drummer + Sagittarius + she/they You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

August 11, 2023

the body keeps (carries) the cacophony (what is a score for when there is no winning)

Next Post

September 8, 2023 the morning is wiser than the evening: (what i told my insomnia)

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"Hi, I'm overjoied that the Pagan channel still exists."

Spirit Plumber

Falling in Love with the World: ..."

"I love this! Thank you for sharing and being present with the wild."

Irisanya Moon

Gaia: Saving Her, Saving Ourselves – ..."

"Oooh, this book looks like an excellent read. Ironically enough, I was at a playground ..."

Amanda Ingalls

Gaia: Saving Her, Saving Ourselves – ..."

"very good set up, sustain working with this type of intriguing operate. It truly is ..."

Anna

short and sweet magick for the ..."

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Activism ADHD Allies Altars Ancestors Aphrodite Artemis Beloved Dead Beltane Book Reviews Books Brigid Classes Community Daily Magick Daily Practice Deathwork Deity Desire Devotion Divination Dreams Eclipse Everyday Magick Fall Equinox Feri Full Moon Gaia Godds grief Grounding Heart Magick Hope Integration Iris Joy Love Spell Magick Mercury Retrograde Mighty Dead Moon Myth New Moon Norns Pandemic Poetry Practical Magick Priestess Reclaiming Relationships Resilience Resistance Resourcing review Rite of Passage ritual Samhain Self Care Self Devotion Service Shadow Spell Spiral Dance Spring Equinox Summer Solstice Teaching Trance Uncategorized Water Winter Solstice Witchcamp Witchcraft Writing

Select a Month April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz