Essential Needs & Why I Love Folk Magick
Having our needs met is something we cannot escape as humans. Love and money are amongst our primary needs; we are inherently tribal creatures who need connection, and money is the means by which we provide for food, shelter, etc. Volumes about the topics of love and money exist in tomes and hearts. We often keep our particular situations in regards to those topics either hidden from public view, or broadcast an idealized version of events to the world. In many ways, I consider them to be esoteric subjects, too. Information about them isn’t technically secret but it takes digging, dedicating oneself to the study, and honing skills with trial and error to earn that hard-gained knowledge. Only practice can lead to experience which requires time and quite a bit of effort.
Seeking to satisfy these physical and emotional requirements can bring joy or pain or even danger. We wear ourselves out and waste time, even lifetimes, chasing these things. There’s no need to be like a hound dog hunting a rabbit. There is never a need to exhaust ourselves pursuing what is meant for us. Why chase when we can attract the things we’re seeking? We can turn ourselves into a magnet to bring to us what our heart desires.
There is no shame in pulling the things that we need for survival into our lives. When we relieve the pressure of life’s requirements it creates a safe haven. When we feel supported and comfortable enough to slip out of survival mode we can enter into a space where growth is possible. When we allow ourselves to breathe easy and feel relief from struggle, we free up the necessary mental bandwidth to accomplish our goals and step into the life we’ve always wanted. It takes years, and oftentimes therapy, to undo the damage that we sustain from not having our needs consistently met. There are feelings of shame, failure, inadequacy, and while they may feel real, they aren’t valid and they have to go. This is not the proper mental or emotional climate for practicing magic or manifesting better conditions.
Old stagnant beliefs have to be cleared away to make space for the better things to come. This doesn’t happen overnight, but the process of undoing it can start today. Don’t hold on to guilt for being locked into an old pattern. It is important not to deny your feelings, but also to let this baggage go. A part of growth and leaving behind that which no longer serves us is examining what we know to be true and casting light on why we developed these beliefs in the first place. The bottom line is, obsolete thoughts and beliefs have to be countered with the essential understanding that they are no longer true, if they ever were. Ruminating doesn’t bring change. Doing something different than we did yesterday is the key to moving into a different reality.
We tell ourselves a tale about who we are and what we deserve all the time. This story is cobbled together from fond memories, favorite films, feelings, stories from our loved ones, the society we inhabit, fairy tales we grew up with as a child, old photos, and every psychic blow we’ve ever taken. If this self-myth speaks of not being enough, having enough, loving enough, or any other energetic famine, it is paramount to start altering that story. Who you are and what you are capable of in this myth need to align with your dreams and the future you deserve. Gas yourself up every chance you get. Don’t make self-deprecating jokes. Surround yourself with people who see your greatest potential. Reframe the stories about you that embarrass or disappoint, to give yourself some grace. Highlight your successes, your talents, and what you’ll be doing when you’re deep in success. Start understanding who you are from the perspective of your highest self, the most satisfied and evolved self, the person you are striving to become. Untangle the old stories from struggle and villainy and recenter yourself as the hero of your story.
The pursuit of witchcraft has broadened my horizons in ways I could never have dreamed of. The process of emotional alchemy I have undergone has freed me from this story of never being good enough or having enough. It has helped me to lift the burdens that constrained me, and create space to be able to think beyond my day-to-day existence. My practice has put me on the road to my destiny, one step at a time, just as it has for many others before me. We are satisfied when our material needs are met, when people we love surround us, and when we have the resources to indulge in whatever small luxuries we desire. Creating this room for comfort in our lives creates a space where we can level up to our next phase of existence. If a magician has clarity and peace of mind, moves with intention, and has the proper tools and support, anything can be possible.
