Continuing the discussion of being authentically you, I have a bit more to share with you today. We humans are shaped each and every day. Our experiences and how we experience them make all the difference, as this becomes our "set state". This is what our mind and consciousness comes back to, and the narrative we choose to hold within directly shapes or personalities, how we interact with others, and how we interact with ourselves. 

If someone can make you believe that you're worthless…Really make you believe it, that will ruin your life. I can attest to this personally, as I spent the entirety of my childhood feeling that way. It was a horrible, awful thing, and it molded me into shapes that were twisted & alien to me. Undoing this programming took years and years of work, and this a hard-won lesson I share with you.

When others seek to pervert your truth, be mindful of how close you let them. If a person is consistently critical of you and fails to provide helpful advice, it may be time to recognize that what they give you and what they feed you is incongruent with your desired future. If someone is harshly criticizing you and making you feel worthless, and like you have no direction, chances are they are not there to help you. Chances are they don't see what you really wish to become. Facing that down and rejecting it can be extraordinarily difficult, and for some it takes years worth of shadow work (like me) to comprehend that, but the end result of facing this down is the recognition that you are the only one that can give yourself a stamp of approval. You are the only one who can make yourself whole. You are the only one fit to define what is and is not good and right and healthy for you, and you owe it to yourself to determine just how incredibly amazing you can be!

So take it from someone whose been there. Take it from someone who was pushed into a box over and over and over again and subsequently found his way out…The box has been created by others, and we've allowed ourselves to be stuffed in it. We are so much better than that, and we deserve so much more than that. And so it is with great love of you that I say this here: I give you permission to be wholly and fantastically you. Please, live that truth. 

Be fierce, be brave, and above all, be true to yourself. If you don't know what that is and what that looks like, then some part of you has been living a lie, and you owe it to yourself to figure out what needs to change. If you are to be authentically you, that's not something you can become blindly. ;)

This is at the core of the Great Conjunction that will be occurring on December 21st. If you're not already signed up, get in on this giveaway I'm running through IG. Signups close at midnight on December 20th!

Sending hugs and love from the Pacific Northwest! Happy Holidays folks!
-Chris 

As we experience this Dark Moon & the timely eclipse, we approach an opportunity for interior exploration and self work that's largely unparalleled. This is occurring just as some kingdoms are being unmade and others are just taking their final shape, and so it is a time of great change and greater upheaval. A time where a clear mind and resolute steadfastness matters a great deal. Where growth becomes a means of staying ahead and maintaining relevance in a chaotic world.

It's a unique experience, just as this year has been, and so I am here to offer a bit of advice to those who would choose to be magically opportunistic. ;) 

During your free moments this week, contemplate your existence and how you relate to you. Contemplate how you imprison and free yourself with your actions, and consider how free you really feel. Dig deep and get a proper feel for what is and isn't you. You're meant to recognize and honor the quintessence of Self, as that awareness is what makes it possible for one to strive towards a meaningful path & related fulfillment.

As you consider this, take note and begin to compare your current state of being to that ideal you hold inside. Take stock what you are currently lacking in that pursuit, and make an agreement with yourself to honor all that is you. 

Note carefully each of these observations, and following your meditations, use your newfound awareness to figure out how to support your own goals. Determine how to do this through ritual, through mundane actions, and through genuinely supporting and caring for yourself.

This WILL be hard, especially if you're at all distant from who you really want to be. The further the divide, the more this will hurt. The greater the distance, the more imperative the journey, as this discomfort you hold deep within is a reflection of that inauthenticity, be it placed upon you by others or by yourself.

For me, a great part of that journey involves facing and appreciating my own inner Female Divinity. I was born different, and so I can't fit into the mold of another. I can only be true to myself and live my life, and the same is true of you. You don't have to be me or be like me to be important, and I don't need to reflect you to stand on my own two feet either.

That's the point. Be true to you and don't let others keep your cordoned off in a box that doesn't really serve you. You don't need to vocalize any of this or explain to others how or why you're different - just be different and be yourself. That's a beautiful thing, and its important to each of us.

Without actualizing the Self, its difficult to derive meaning from life and be properly happy.

Just my two cents. I hope it helps you today & as the holidays approach. Blessings to you, and as always, thank you so much for your support. It means the world to me, and I care deeply for you guys and gals.
Much love,
-Chris

​Lately, I've been seeing more and more chatter about the importance of tools in magic & magical practice, so it seems appropriate to address that here again. I've written some about this topic in the past in articles like Comprehending the Essence of a Thing and Ancestor Worship, A Condensed How-To, but its also a topic that deserves some standalone attention.

Let's see to that here!

Magical tools, spell bags, altars, statues, herbs, stones, etc. are all reflections of magical current and magical intent. They are a physical representation of that an inherent function in nature, and reflective of the individual essence and series of actions represented by the item itself. They are NOT physically active representations of that process unless they are 1) made to be that way and 2) we have the capability of using them as such.

Until both criteria are met, its just a stone in your hand/a knife in your hand/a bag of herbs in your hand. Making something actively magical and substantial in its capacity to sustain growth takes serious time and effort to do, and much of that effort begins within you. Recognizing this, when you seek to do good works & connect with spirits, pay attention to the fact that this process begins within, not without. Your tools don't define you or your practice, so if I could get by with Dollar Store materials & conjure serious results, so can you.

Its just a matter of approach and taking the time to do this right. Don't get lost in the nonsense of what tools you do or don't have, as whatever tool you lack can usually have its core function supplemented through the addition of another ingredient of like presence & impact.

Food for thought! 
Be safe. :)
-Chris