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Building a Daily Practice, by Stephanie Woodfield

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

A good number of Pagan books, including my own, recommend building a meaningful daily practice of some kind. You can find more about creating daily practices and connecting with deity in my book Dedicant, Devotee, Priest: A Pagan Guide to Divine Relationships. Perhaps, its frequent mention is in part because it is a practice that spans traditions. No matter what kind of Witchcraft, Paganism, or Occultism of which you are a part, "practice" is a key part of finding it meaningful or being an adept at what you do. Witchcraft, after all, is a "craft," and no artisan ever became good at their trade by not honing their skills. The problem is that while creating a daily practice is mentioned so often, it is also one of the hardest things to do.

Why do so many folks find daily practice so difficult? We have other routines that we do every day that aren't necessarily fun or exciting. Yet, I have also found myself struggling with this, too. Some days it just felt impossible to carve out five minutes to do something magical, something spiritual. Part of the problem is how we approach daily practices. Although I was not exposed to mainstream organized religion until I had already started practicing Witchcraft, the things I framed my daily practices around still came out of that over-culture of religious thought. I made a set of Pagan prayer beads and tried using them as my daily practice. What I found was that I really wasn't getting much out of it. I dutifully sat with the beads, said words I thought I should say, and eventually it became a boring chore. The more it became a chore, just something I had to do, not something I was getting anything out of, the less I did it, unless I just stopped completely. Ironically, I do use prayer beads as part of my practices now, but at the time I just couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. The thing was that I was just going through the motions. I didn’t know why I was doing the action. I didn't really have a plan, either; I didn't sit down and decide what I wanted to get out of the practice, or even who or what I was supposed to be connecting to. I had made something very cookie-cutter: it had the shape of what I had seen others do, but that was it. It had nothing personal in it for me. If you don't know why you are saying or doing something, then it is going to hold no meaning for you. Also, if you don't understand the mechanics and meaning behind what you are doing, you'll never be able to build your own and tailor what you are doing to your own needs. The why behind what we are doing matters.

It took me a long time to figure out a daily practice that worked for me. In the end, there were things I had to craft in a meaningful way for myself. I can give you examples of what works well for me, but if you don't change it to fit your own needs chances are you won't keep up with the practice. In the end, I find the practices we create for ourselves are the ones that we get the most out of and the ones we will use consistently. Below you will find a few key things to consider when creating your own daily practice. You could start from scratch, or you could modify one from something that you like.

It Has to Be Something You'll Actually Do
This seems obvious, but I've found I was attracted to do long and complex magical maneuvers when I first started out. I thought meaningful meant that it was to be complicated—it doesn't. There are many deceptively simple practices that can hold a great deal of meaning. I am also not a morning person, so the idea that I was going to get up early and doing something complex to prove my dedication to my spirituality sounded great at one in the afternoon, but at five in the morning you better believe I hit the snooze button more often than not. Be realistic about what you are willing to do on a daily basis. What amount of time can you practically allot for your practice? When should it be? Are you a night owl? A morning person, or something in-between? What fits best with your current schedule? Maybe it's that five minutes after you get the kids on the bus and the house is quiet before you head out for the day. Maybe it's during the time you set aside for your morning coffee. Or maybe it's right before bed. You may want to map out your daily routine. List out all the things you normally do in a day and see where your practice might fit in.

Why Does It Have Meaning to You?
This one is important. If it has no real meaning to you, you won't get anything out of it. A daily practice should be something that you look forward to and enjoy. You should be getting something out of it. Think about words or imagery that have meaning to you. Perhaps there is a certain myth, phrase, or piece of a ritual from your tradition that holds special meaning to you. Think about how you can incorporate that into a less-than-five-minute practice. Also think about what has meaning to you in your ritual set up, cosmology, etc. Should you face a certain way while doing your practice? Are there astrological aspects that should be considered? Do you work with the elements or call on certain spirits in your other magical practices? Should those beings be represented or acknowledged in some way in your daily work? Are there certain hand gestures or movements that have meaning to you? What inspired you? What makes you feel centered and connected to spirit? Whatever those things are think about how you can include them in a very simple, bare-bones way.

What Do You Want to Achieve?
This is the question I really needed to ask myself when I first started my practice. The thing is, not everyone needs the same things. As an empath, I really need to ground, center, and cleanse every day. I also need to feel a connection to my Gods. Otherwise, I feel like a flag blowing aimlessly in the wind. Think about specific things you need. What will make you feel connected and in touch with your spirituality? Maybe you're a healer and need to focus more on cleansing and release. Maybe you are very energy-sensitive and need to focus on grounding. Maybe your goal is solely to connect to a specific deity, your ancestors, or another kind of being. Maybe you want to ask for blessings or aid for the day, or to help you get in the right headspace. Maybe you have trouble shielding and want to ask a deity you feel connected to for helping to do that. The list is endless. Think about what your goals and needs are. They aren't going to be the same as those of other people, and that's perfectly ok. This is your daily practice, not someone else's.

Daily Practice Doesn't Equal Doing the Same Thing All the Time
This one also took me a long time to figure out. Just because I did something daily didn't mean I did the same thing each day. I have a several different practices that I use; some are even for particular times of the year, or when I have a specific goal toward which I am working. Even the best practices can get stagnant, and it is ok to change things up when you need it. The point of a daily practice is for you to connect to the divine, to your magical nature, and to help you in whatever way you need. Needs change. So, our daily practices should shift and change depending on what is going on in our lives, too. Don't be afraid to change things or experiment when what you have been doing doesn’t feel fulfilling anymore.

Daily Is the Goal
I used to feel like I wasn't a good Witch if I skipped doing my daily practices. Don't be hard on yourself. Life is busy and sometimes there are going to be days where you forget, are too busy, or have an emergency. It happens, and it's normal. Daily is the goal, but doesn't always happen. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try to do your practice daily. Just accept that if something happened and you didn't have time in the day, it's ok. It happens to all of us. Your daily practice should feed you, it should uplift you, it should be something we look forward to doing as part of our day. But life is messy, and sometimes it has its own plans for us. So, don't feel bad, or like you are doing something wrong if things get away from you sometimes. The important part is that you keep you with your practice, and change things if you need to. The practice is for you, after all; the only one holding you accountable, or who can look down on you, is yourself. Treat yourself with kindness, and remember you are doing this for yourself.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2021. All rights reserved.

When I was nine years old, I had the most startling spiritual experience of my life. I remember it very clearly: I had just gone to bed and was about to fall asleep, when something in the corner of the room caught my attention. When I looked, I saw this huge angel. It was like a beautiful man with immense wings, and he was sparkly and light. The angel was crying, and I got the impression it was because he had to leave me. I ran to get my parents to see the angel, but when we got back, there was nothing there. This experience has always made me wonder if children have extra guardian angels that have to leave us as we grow up. It was also really startling to think an angel would be sad and cry over a parting like this. Do you think angels experience human emotions?

- Rebecca

Astrea:

When I was little, I can remember my two Guardians going on walkabout. (That's how it felt at the time, though that's not how I expressed or thought of it then). I was in third grade, so I would have been about the same age you were when you had your vision. It took until I was in college to reconnect with those two.

At the time I wasn't upset because I'd been in constant communication with them, and they'd told me time and time again that they would be leaving shortly but would never be far away from me. I knew they wouldn't go away from me forever.

I was sad, but they seemed very matter-of-fact that this is just part of the deal, so I accepted it as a natural part of what happens in life.

This experience comes back to me every time someone asks a question similar to yours. Do Angels have human emotions? I don't believe they do, but they can act as if they have emotions to show or teach us something.

Try to remember the circumstances surrounding your Guardian at the time. Was there something going on in your family that you needed to know or notice that you hadn't seen yet because you were too busy being a kid? That would explain the tears.

Someone appearing as a man (or any adult) shedding tears would make a big impression on a kid. This was most likely something he was doing in order to focus your attention on a matter you had ignored. Was there something you were missing? Even when we're children, our Angels have great expectations of us, and will try to show us the way.

The reason you didn't see him with your parents or again later on was because you naturally tried to show him to someone else, and he couldn't risk being seen by others.

The Angels assigned to us as babies never really leave us, but they do have a way of disappearing until we're ready and able to see them again, or otherwise tap into the guidance and advice they have for us.

I'm sure he has been near you all your life. I'm sure you've been guided by him many times when you haven't known it was happening at all. You've FELT his presence; you just haven't been able to manifest him in visible form since you were nine.

If you would like to do this, you must find a process that works for you. Often our Angels are happy to appear for us - all we have to do is ask. One of the easier ways to begin is by asking him to come to you in dreams. Once the two of you get that going, you can figure out where to go from there.

*****

Susyn:

Yes, I believe angels, spirit guides, and even whatever primary spiritual source we depend on (whether we call it God, the Universe or our Higher Power) all share a sense of empathy and understanding for human emotions.

It seems to make no difference whether they have spent time on the earth plane or not. It's my understanding that we are limited to one guardian angel, but are blessed with many other angels, spirit guides and benevolent entities who protect, guide and encourage us at various times in our lives.

At times we experience a connection with an angel or spirit guide who is actually a loved one who has crossed over from the earth plane as well. This may be why it appears that there are specific timeframes dictating how long they can be with us, what their purpose is, and when and if we are blessed to be able to see them, even if just for a moment.

Because there is no limit to how many angels or spiritual guides we may have, there are no doubt some who come and go depending on our needs. Your memory of this amazing angel can serve as a concrete reminder that you always have special protectors looking over your shoulder.

I believe that the feelings we experience are more than just simple human emotions: these emotions are the energetic bonds that connect us spiritually together, making the earth and spirit plane one. When we allow our emotions to flow openly and properly, whether they are pleasant or painful, that's when we experience the most profound connection to God, our own true selves, and the world around us.

When you consider the overwhelming power of love, for example, you know from experience that it can transform you and shake you to your core. Many describe it as the most incredible experience of their lives. To me, that kind of emotion is just a sampling of what we can feel on the spiritual plane, which means our guardian angels and spirit guides may experience emotions even more profoundly than we do!

Life seems to contain many good-byes from our loved ones both here in the physical and in Spirit. However, once some leave us, new ones come into our lives, so when some angels and spirit guides move on, we get new ones. This is much like getting a different teacher each year as we advance in our education.

What a gift to have this profound memory of this special guardian angel who still visits from time to time, like a favorite relative who just likes to check in with you. I have no doubt you'll see him again soon, when the time is right for you.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.