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
neurodivergence & transitions: entering and exiting magickal space (of course, it’s all magickal)

neurodivergence & transitions: entering and exiting magickal space (of course, it’s all magickal)

Last updated on: October 5, 2023 at 4:24 pm by Irisanya Moon

0 Comments

neurodivergence & transitions: entering and exiting magickal space (of course, it’s all magickal) 2023-10-05T16:24:30-07:00 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.

Since my ADHD diagnosis, folks have reached out and asked me about how to navigate witchy spaces knowing what I now know about my brain. And I tell them, I take medication, so things are easier and also nothing has changed.

(All brains operate differently, after all.)

But when I returned from BC Witchcamp last week, I realized something I hadn’t realized before. I mean, I knew I wasn’t the best with transitions and that I would have a post-magick drop when I came home, but I did not link that to my neurospicy brain.

I linked it to being lonely without so many beloved witches. I connected it to not having food made for me. I thought it was because I had to go back to work.

It was texting a friend that made me realize this drop might be from the lack of a clear container, a schedule, places to be, and things to do. While I’m always at choice to do what I want to do at camp (well, as a teacher, I do have ‘a few’ responsibilities), things are outlined and known.

Breakfast is at 8:00 a.m.

Path (classtime) is at 9:15 a.m.

Lunch is at 12:30 p.m.

Ritual is at 7:30 p.m. (ish).

I know where to be and who to be with. I know what to do within that sacred time container.

And then I go home.

What now?

a blurry photo of a woman's face

Photo by Taylor Deas-Melesh on Unsplash

Making the Shift After So Many Shifts

My ADHD hates schedules. My ‘tism needs them. My work time is up to me, mostly, so it’s an ongoing debate. Every day is generally outlined in the same way, with some movement based on my mood and energy and other things I shove place carefully into my life.

But my calendar does not include mealtime (yeah, yeah) or transition time. Coming back from camp feels rushed and my days feel more cramped. Time feels like it’s compressed and all I want to do is step away from the To Do and wander back into a forest.

And I don’t because…capitalism. Bills. Bah.

I have to admit that when I realized I might be reacting to the lack of schedule, I started to hyperfocus on a solution. In the past, I have tried to eat the same foods upon my return to ease the transition. But what if I also kept to a schedule?

I clear my schedule for a day or two post-camp (when I can afford to). I need the time to rest, integrate, do laundry, and beg for my cats’ forgiveness for leaving them. But at some point, I will start to feel lost. Like I’m supposed to be somewhere that I’m not.

What to do, what to do. Create an enclosure for my scatteredness. Return to what has held me in grace and magick.

My new plan includes:

Scheduling my meal times to align with camp for a few days
Talking with friends who went to camp to ease ourselves back
Re-creating magickal moments with pictures and music from camp
Staying in the same hour blocks of things, or acknowledging where I would be if I were still at camp

Long story short (too late), I could ease my transition but not pull myself away from where I’ve been for a week.

But What About Beforehand?

I ALSO realized that I could prepare myself ahead of time. Instead of dropping myself into a new schedule, I could start to ease into it a few days before camp or pre-camp planning starts. The camps usually have the schedule organized ahead of time, so I could know what to expect.

I could start sleeping with that magickal timeline in mind. I could start eating at the scheduled times. I could listen to a grounding song ahead of time and then come back to it at camp if needed. I could try being around more people to get used to more stimuli and noise.

I could (GASP) be kind to my present and future selves by showing them what to expect.

My neurodivergence just sighed.

And maybe this isn’t what I end up doing (thanks ADHD). It’s a first draft and a new thought. The usual Witchcamp schedule isn’t the way I tend to structure my days, so I may need to adjust things for me. For camps that are in other time zones, I might need to get even more creative in my preparation and return.

However, for those who have trouble transitioning from one speed to another, remembering that you can introduce yourself ahead of time may make things smoother.

Maybe I won’t have to cry on the first day of camp, like I often do.

WHAT.

***

What do you think? What do you do? What secrets could you share?

***

Here’s where you can find my teaching schedule and books: www.irisanyamoon.com

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

September 22, 2023

Honoring the Wild: The Long Arc of Magickal Activism Bends Toward Hope - Part 2

Next Post

October 19, 2023 Daily Magickal Practice & Neurodivergence

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