A Curse & A Blessing: Both Are About Energy

Last updated on: February 2, 2017 at 3:50 pm by Laura Tempest Zakroff

A Curse & A Blessing: Both Are About Energy 2017-02-02T15:50:07-08:00 Laura Tempest Zakroff

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.

391A8230-de I have a blessing or gift. It’s also somewhat of a curse, depending on how you look at it. It is my ability to maintain calm in the midst of chaos. I should note that you could define chaos in both negative and positive connotations here. Everyone’s super excited about things? I am calm and absorbing it. Shit’s hitting the fan? There I am, scoping things out, gathering information, formulating plans. It’s a curse in the sense that it sometimes gets me in trouble with others because I don’t exhibit strong reactions from their point-of-view. ( FYI: I’m not on medication of any kind, but I do have low blood pressure. But mainly I think it’s a behavior I learned growing up, finding it highly effective for getting things done.)

But I can also guarantee you, per my name, when it’s time to say or do the thing, I do it in full force. All the way.

There has been a lot of chaos around Patheos in the last week, for better or for worse. If you want the TL;DR version: I’m not going anywhere. If you want to know why (and especially where I believe it ties into witchcraft), please keep reading.

Late last week, I got the head’s up that all Patheos writers (all of the channels) would be getting an updated contract. When the contract arrived, some of the language did not sit well with me (or a lot of other people). However, even though I am not a lawyer, my past experiences with contracts is that in most situations, you can most certainly work to amend them. That was my plan.

I’m not going to comment on the drama that happened, except that I think we would have reached the same conclusion without it, with a lot less stress. Others might not think so, but we are entitled to our opinions and perspectives. Everyone right now everywhere is freaked out. We are all on edge and on the defensive. It’s very easy to start seeing bogeymen everywhere and incite a riot. Sometimes the latter is necessary, but I prefer a more grounded approach, especially in these times. No need to waste energy that can be used to manifest birches.

When Jason invited me to move my blog over to Patheos, it was a no-brainer. From their mission statement/about page: Founded in 2008, Patheos.com is the premier online destination to engage in the global dialogue about religion and spirituality and to explore and experience the world’s beliefs. Patheos is the website of choice for the millions of people looking for credible and balanced information about religion. Patheos brings together faith communities, academics, and the broader public into a single environment, and is the place where many people turn on a regular basis for insight, inspiration, and stimulating discussion.

That’s exactly what I needed. While I do indeed write for some great P-word-targeted sites, like Witches & Pagans, I feel that right now, more than ever, it’s extremely important to be visible, to make our voices heard, and Patheos is an excellent platform to make it happen. We don’t gain anything by hiding in our caves or cottages. We can’t only have the comfort of our echo-chambers. They have their uses, but my work requires getting the message out beyond those boundaries.

Per an earlier discussion today, I realized I’m not afraid of business. In fact, I have a long history of understanding business, thanks to my father owning his own company – which happened largely out of our house. I grew up with it. I don’t label everything involving money capitalism – I have a realistic and practical world view of money and commerce. In fact, I think it’s crucial for our continued survival that more P-words start learning to balance the practical with the metaphysical (Stay tuned for an upcoming post on exactly that).

In our house, we have 3 rules that originated from my partner years ago:
1. Take care of yourself. (because no one else will take care of you if you don’t do it yourself)
2. Take care of others. (because we’re nothing if we don’t look out for each other.)
3. Don’t be a dick. (be kind, be compassionate, and be strong, don’t hurt people deliberately unless it’s necessary, and usually it’s not.)
I take these rules into consideration before I act, nearly all the time. And it’s always done me (and others) well.

When the revised contract came through after the negotiations and discussion of facts, I was happy to sign it – because this is a business and the terms allow me to do what I need to do. It’s not much different than any other contract I have signed for art, design, or writing. The speculations were largely unfounded, and no different of a situation than any other place were I have worked or contracted. As long as I have the freedom to say what I need to say, then I am on board.

I have been working with so many people over the last 20 years through art, dance, writing, and music – they come from a variety of backgrounds. I’m not going to turn away students because they believe different from me, or are interested in something that doesn’t align with my personal beliefs. I am not going to waste that opportunity to MAKE THAT CONNECTION with them, and share with them my views. Nor have I had that approach with any company I have ever worked for. Business first: get the work done. If I feel in danger or pushed, then it’s my choice to get out. Right now, my witchcraft calls for being as vocal in my own way as possible.

Lastly, I respect every writer’s choice to do what they feel they need to do. I might not agree, but it’s not my decision to make, it is theirs. And I respect that deeply. Here’s a key thing about witchcraft folks – it’s important to be able to respect others – even if you don’t always agree with them. That’s how things get done. That’s how energy moves best.

I believe standing at the Crossroads allows for some mighty powerful magick. It’s not exactly safe, but it’s where things get done for me and my work.

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts. And remember, #WeAreAradia

Previous Post

January 30, 2017

A Different Cut: The Witch on the Edge

Next Post

February 3, 2017 The Power Sigil & #WeAreAradia Designs

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Art Books cats cauldron month community contest Events home Metaphysics Modern Practice Movement Myth & Folklore satire sigils Tradition travel Uncategorized video

Select a Month May 2026 March 2026 January 2026 September 2025 August 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 August 2024 June 2024 May 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 February 2023 December 2022 November 2022 September 2022 July 2022 May 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 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 June 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 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz