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Blue skies

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The whole world is an altar if you let it be.

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Quick tour of my refreshed altar for Imbolc. Changing it up and it feels good. I need to get my February vision/spell collage done and then it will be complete.

I’ve been struggling with a spiritual slump. I spent mid-January bedridden with an infection. When not laid low physically, I’ve been struggling with the typical rush of goals! goals! goals! during the new year and not settling into a soft and comfortable rhythm. I struggle with destination anxiety, the idea that happiness is a far off thing that will happen once I finally accomplish the perfect schedule and life balance. I miss so much right in front of my nose because I’m searching for perfection, something that is definitely religious residue from my Christian days. I’m so used to doing and not just being in a spiritual sense, and that same sense of check box faith creeps into my current practice.

I’m learning that just lighting a candle for a few minutes or taking deep breaths and grounding midday are powerful things. My practice doesn’t have to be big and flashy, though it certainly is fun when it is. Ritual is grand, but it needs to serve me, not be one more to do that I’m scrambling to complete each day.

I’ve stopped to drink in the wonder of falling snowflakes and the brilliant burning red of Mars in the eastern sky. To greet Orion at night and smile at the dawn’s first rays creeping over the horizon. Little moments. More and more little moments.

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Normally on Sunday my husband heads to church and I enjoy a few hours of solitude, lighting candles, burning incense, maybe doing a tarot spread for the week ahead. Today, my brain feels like it’s held together by duct tape and I crawled back into bed. So I’m trying to get some mindful crochet in this afternoon. I’ve been working on incorporating yarn into my spiritual practice through intentional and mindful crochet/knitting. It’s not been steady, but one of my favorite things about my atheopagan practice is the freedom to do as little or as much as I want.

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daniconnorwild on Instagram

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Tidied up my altar this morning and did some re-arranging. I’ve been struggling to spend time in this space. It’s been a tough year for me spiritually, but I’m working on inviting in positive change.

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This week’s mantra. Because I’m really, really not good with change.

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My messy mini altar.

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Gathering images for my Yule vision board/altar.

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I don’t mind prayers. But over the years, it’s been my atheist friends who have rolled up their sleeves and gotten “dirty” with me. Who held me when I cried, made me laugh after bad breakups, affirmed me to the moon and back, and have been “mama bears” against any who would deal emotional damage. Christian friends have come and gone, but the atheist and agnostic that I befriended back in high school are still standing by my side and have never left.

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1000%.

nothing makes you question your ability to count quite like fiber arts.

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Using a quiet Sunday morning to plan out my week, reset intentions, and refocus on my spirituality. One thing that I love about my current atheopagan practice is that it’s okay to be low energy and have days where you slog through work and come home and crash. I’ve struggled with constant fatigue most of my life, and some days all I can do is light a candle and quiet my mind for a minute or two. And that is valid! Sure, I love following moon cycles, planning out spells and rituals, buying every candle and jar I can get my hands on, and all the flashier witchy things. But I also like a practice where the only person I’m trying to please is myself, and some days nothing pleases me more than a nap.

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I’ve been online yarn shopping, looking for the perfect red to use in a spell-shawl. It makes me so happy to see other people use fiber arts in their Craft. Tons of inspo.

For my fellow fibre arts witches, if you're starting to get the Annual Cold Weather Fidget, that driving urge to reach for hooks and needles and that big bin of spools and fabric lurking in your closet....

If you feel like Doing A Witchcraft, you can work some witchy into whatever you're making. Weaving, crocheting, knitting, nalbinding, stitching, embroidery, and knotwork can all carry magic and serve as a vehicle for creating spells, sigils, talismans, or enchanted wearables.

Am I saying you can put a spell into that pair of socks you're knitting? That scarf you've been working on? That pile of granny squares waiting to become a blanket? That cross-stitch piece you've been meaning to finish?

ABSOLUTELY.

There are even books on knot magic, witchy crochet and knitting patterns, and beautifully spooky cross-stitch and embroidery pieces. (And lots more downloadable patterns exist on etsy and fibre arts forums!) Perfect for chilling with your favorite hot beverage and current binge-watch while you keep your hands from getting bored.

Go forth and have fun with it!

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Something that I’ve been enjoying lately is meditative knitting. It’s especially easy to do when knitting in the round. I’ve been working with different mantras and seeing what works best with the flow of my knitting.

Another project is to make my own mantra cards, something similar to an oracle deck, to use during my meditation sessions.

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My affirmation for this week. I’m trying to lean into radical acceptance, both of myself and others. One of the hardest things for me to learn has been that I am loveable just as I am. High control religion called me worthless unless I was meeting someone’s standards. I’m trying to take back that control by defining my own standards and recreating my mind/heart/soul as a soft place for me to land.