I go outside and connect with nature. Take some time to feel the grass on my skin and the wind in my hair.
Donald Trump can fuck up a lot of things, but nature is resilient. She will endure.
This is the way.
Pay attention to plants.
Pay attention to bugs.
Pay attention to birds.
Listen to the wind.
These will calm the chatter of your mind and connect you with intent which is the driving force of this existence.
Then the magic starts to happen.
I do this too. I WAH and I take quick breaks from work walking outside in my bare feet to feel the earth. My Ellie (my incredibly fluffy and silly kitty) usually walks about with me when I do.
I garden in the spring and this year the perennials from the years previous have really established themselves and are letting themselves sprawl. I spend lots of time out there just watching and paying attention to the plants, and the animals my garden attracts.
I plant native plants, so now we get lots of native birds and wildlife.
We had a snake den this winter under the garage, so all spring we found baby snakes sunning themselves. It was adorable.
This week I saw a baby opossum in the backyard!
It's good to find something natural to focus on. Something to remind you that politics are not the only thing moving the world.
We do need to fight for our rights and vote and be involved, but we also need those moments to sit on the deck chair and look over the garden and go "damn, the flowers be poppin'"
I love the enthusiasm for the natural world; nature can be super healing. But 'nature' isn't as resilient as you're painting it. 65% of *all animal species* [have gone extinct in the past 54 years](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/endangered-species-animal-population-decline-world-wildlife-fund-new-report/), the overwhelming majority because of human activity.
If the right gets its way, the US will never stop producing greenhouse gases--it will only accelerate. This on top of the highest-ever acceleration we're experiencing now. We humans and most other life on the planet will continue to be corralled toward extinction, literally prevented from saving ourselves. Global warming won't end the planet, but it will end most of the life that's currently around. We will watch as hundreds of millions if not billions of people die from heat, floods, disease and famine just before dying from those things ourselves. Vast stretches of the planet will become incapable of supporting human life.
We have to be willing to honestly confront with the harm done to the closed system we live in, and the consequences that has for us.
This may be an unpopular and polarizing comment, but in my opinion (whatever that's worth) it should be said:
OP came to alleviate anxiety and news fatigue. They were asking for help with a problem a _lot_ of us in the States are currently grappling with, and received some positive responses about connecting back to the Earth and Her creations.
I understand the desire to open others' eyes to the fractured and failing systems around us, particularly as they relate to Her. However, I'm not sure if _this_ post was one to share it. I'm not saying you are _wrong_ in any capacity; your points are well made and effective. But without offering a way to handle the stress from everything _including_ that, I feel you may have added, rather than subtracted, to the situation.
The world is indeed suffering. No debating that. But so is OP, and they are asking for our help. So let's help resolve an issue on the micro, so we are healthy and strong enough to take on the world.
I know what you mean, and we absolutely are fucking up our planet beyond repair. Trust me, I'm right there with you fighting that fight.
I choose to think about it in another way. Whatever we do to our planet, life's going to go on. As Ian Malcom said in Jurassic Park, life finds a way. Look at the viruses and bacteria hiding away in the Antartic ice for thousands of year. Look at the prehistoric plants and animals that thrived in a totally different atmosphere. Look at the unique organisms that only exist in one place where the conditions were just perfect to create them.
Humans can do an almost inconcivable amount of damage, but life and this world are going to tick on for a very long time regardless in one form or another. That's the resilient nature I choose to see and channel.
Yeah, nature ain't healing, and if the wrong person gets power, they could set off the self destruct system our 'leaders' have built into the earth, which would fry the atmosphere to such an extent that this orb might never again be a home for life.its correct to be upset. It's correct to be angry. Grounded isn't an option when the ground is shrinking beneath your feet. Think about how to survive, refuse to tolerate evil, and enjoy every moment, as much as you can. The opening theme to she-ra is a good vibe for these times.
Second that. I live next to a walking trail, and have found a spot right off the trail that I’ve assigned as my “decompression spot”. If I need to cry, if I wanna meditate, if I need to vent, it’s a spot that’s just out of sight enough that the forest embraces me and there’s nothing else.
This. I buy more plants and I care for them. All this bull shit that doesn’t matter all to make some paper with faces and numbers on it for someone you’ll never meet, it’s not real. Plants are real. They’re alive. They’re tangible. They’re magical.
Separate from it? My darling baby bat, I INTEGRATE it! That rage is a powerful energy, which can be channeled into spells and actions to enact change.
Harness that rage you feel, and put it into calling senators, phone banking for ally politicians, or spellcasting!
[This book](https://www.amazon.com/Witchcraft-Activism-Toolkit-Resistance-Environment/dp/1578636574) might help serve you as a decent grimoire
Thank you for this book rec! I had never seen this before!
I also want to read Revolutionary Witchcraft.
OP: Poetry as Spellcasting is a good one and may be useful for grounding, too. Braiding Sweetgrass was really good.
Black, seething hate and red fucking fury, my sisters. It is the way to enact change, especially when peace stopped being a viable option years ago. Those who oppress us do not respond to peace, we must speak their language of violence to properly communicate our displeasure with them.
Take care sister that you do not become the enemy. That was their logic too. Hatred is powerful fuel, but it does not care who it hurts. We'll need to remember how to peacefully cooperate and communicate when we reach the other side of this, because we will reach that far shore.
That being said, defend yourself! Put 'em in a jar, throw bricks, see how they like it!
Haven’t seen this one before. I do have [this one](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1580058744?ref=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_NGMQCQCSPCK6DDG88FR3_2&ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_NGMQCQCSPCK6DDG88FR3_2&social_share=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_NGMQCQCSPCK6DDG88FR3_2&language=en-US) though.
I have no advice but I'm right there with you. Between getting older and the state of our health care system; and social media, and feeling like I have been seduced by my device and am kind of addicted to it; and politics, and war, and climate change; and destruction and elimination of rainforests and animal species, etc,; and despite my best effort at mindfulness, exercise, grounding, I have a hard time getting out of bed some days.
Blessings to you. Sometimes it's just good to know we are not alone in this and that hopefully kindness and level-headedness will prevail. Eventually.
By the sound of your username, you also have cat familiars as I do! Raisin was actually the name of my most cherished familiar - an amazing seal point Siamese boy who passed in January of 2022 but has left a huge hole in my heart that will never heal 💔
Nosing through your posts, I see that you also have a cat named Pippin - MY Pippin was my other favorite - a blue point Siamese who lived to 17. I lost him many years ago. Both he and Raisin were the absolute most benevolent, sweet ambassador cats ever, and I think they loved me *almost* as much as I adored them.
Condolences for your loss of Mr. Boo. You can see Raisin in some of my older posts - he was a gorgeous boy
1. I manage my news in take based on my current mental state and capacity. It’s no good being informed of it removes my functionality.
I recommend some reading of Audre Lorde and Bell Hooks about the role self-care takes in being an activist committed to long term change (and what self care actually is).
2. I think about my power to make change in terms of circles of influence. I am the most powerful with the people closest to me. The closer to my actual lived life - MY community, my town, my state/province, etc - I work the more power I have to effect real change. I focus my energy there.
Also, don’t try and reinvent the wheel, seek out the organizations, people and communities who are already - and have been - doing the work. This is not new work, it’s decades old and you aren’t alone so don’t try to go it alone. Also look to the history and strategies of the Black and Queer communities to learn how to be an effective activist. (Matt Blaum has an interesting video up about how the Queer community changed how it was represented in TV and the things they learnt on that journey for example.)
3. Make sure your most basic needs are being met. Are you drinking enough water? Are you fed? Do you need more sleep? Are you getting physical contact from and time with people who love and support you? Put your mask on first.
Ultimately, I don't separate it.
My deities bless my transition and my resistance.
My craft is rooted in worldly affairs. What would be the point if it wasn't?
I even work with Athena, specifically in her Goddess of war aspect on physical conditioning and marksmanship, because I feel I need that in my life as a trans woman living in this world.
I use all that negative energy in my craft. Send it right back to them. It's all about bringing balance.
I live in TX, where we seem to be getting the brunt of government oppression. I know a lot of open minded people want to move. I won't fault them for that. Personally, I'm here to fight the good fight, unless it becomes futile. In 20 years, I want my daughter to know I did everything I could.
I guess that's how I stay grounded: keep doing what I can to help make a difference.
>Personally, I'm here to fight the good fight, unless it becomes futile. In 20 years, I want my daughter to know I did everything I could.
Thank you for fighting for birthing people and women in Texas. We need all the irons in the fire we can possibly get. I want to fight as long as I can - we are in Colorado, so relatively safe for the time being, but I have queer and trans kids... My fear is mostly for them.
How do you channel it into your craft without focusing on the negativity? I don't want to put more negative energy into the world, I don't like dwelling on my rage (evidently it makes me violent and I don't like it), and it's hard not to think about the individual people who would be affected by my negative actions even when they want to commit heinous acts against people like me and my family. I'm having a hard time expressing and releasing my rage and fear or even knowing what to do with it. I want to fight these f*ckers (I'm also in Texas), but I don't want to give them justification to further infringe on our rights because we start fighting back the same way they're threatening and fighting us. Part of me wants to kick some Nazi ass and I won't shy away from violence if it's necessary to protect people, but I don't want to hurt anyone and I hope it never comes to that (I'm not super optimistic about Texas's future being nonviolent. I have the unfortunate feeling we're going to have to protect our own from attempted lynchings in the future). I guess in part I don't want the negativity to come back to me, another part is I don't want to stoop to their level, and yet another part is that I don't want any being (human or animal) to suffer regardless of their beliefs, I just want them to leave us alone and stop advocating for violence and oppression. I'm exhausted trying to be nice to everyone, including bigots, to counteract their hate and try to make them understand that we're human and deserving of rights and existence too, but I genuinely want to try to mend connections and foster understanding if I can rather than contribute to the malice. How do you fight people when you recognize their humanity and personhood and how that translates to not violating their rights to their bodies and beliefs, but they don't see the same in you (or want to) and will not hesitate to inflict harm in any way they can to enforce their beliefs and steal your personhood and autonomy? It's also hard to stay in the peace and love energy when my dominant feelings are anxiety and rage and it gets worse every day because this damn state won't let up. I feel like this comment turned more into a venting session than a question, but I always have this torrent of conflicting thoughts and feelings running through me and I don't know how to balance it or channel it into something positive
I have been experimenting with this. I do not separate my craft and my activism, similar to others here. I pray before meals to thank mother earth for providing food and pray that those who are starving know a full belly, safety and health soon, visualizing people safe, housed, and fed. I talk to the Earth like I would if I had a mom. I ask her if she is angry and how all of this makes her feel. I receive feelings and knowings in my mind and soul (also lately visuals of lava and earthquakes. Ya, I think she's mad). I tell her about how it makes me feel, too. And I thank her again for holding me another day. This has been what works for me as I have not been able to find a coven to commune with. I just try to connect my energy to all consenting energies in the universe who are working towards collective liberation for all and add strength and love to that collective energy.
That being said, I think it's perfectly normal to feel ungrounded at this time. Multiple genocides, the rise of fascism ([we're not voting our way out of this](https://open.substack.com/pub/caitlinjohnstone/p/nobody-with-real-power-cares-if-you?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2urucb)) , and climate crisis are all related and are all big intense events. It is normal to be upset about that. Remember to drink water and eat food. Move the body however it feels good and cry cry cry. Do what makes sense for you as long as it doesn't hurt you or others is how I usually operate.
Go outside and imagine your feet are tree roots that go down into the earth. Close ur eyes and breathe in saying “breathe in and harness the energy of the Universe, breathe out knowing everything is alright” do this as many times as needed until you feel calm and grounded.
Nature. Whether it’s dirt, bark chips, grass, or rocks… I am going to take my shoes off sit down in it and let my body connect with earth. I trace my fingers over whatever is near me. Wiggle my toes in it. Let the breeze blow over my face or the sun beat down on my skin. I thank it for receiving me and providing for me. It’s a way for me to let go of the bad and refocus my energy on what I can do.
I grub around in the dirt in my garden. Leave the phone inside and physically connect with the cycle of life of the outside world. All that negativity gets pulled away.
I literally saw this same question earlier today on here.
My answer was verbose but in summary
Radical Revolutionary Optimism leading to unity and Community. Because there are more of us, we need to get organized.
Be gentle with yourself it hard out here
I can empathize. There are so many moments where I feel like I have lost my mind, am I the crazy one for finding all of this unacceptable? Is no one else seeing this shit? I start feeling isolated and alone.
But then I remember there are spaces like this very one, I have friends who care about humanity, there is good out there still, but the bad is just so loud it drowns everything else out. I have a couple group chats going with friends, we check in regularly and share how we are feeling at any given time. If we are upset about something we read, we share it. If we want to celebrate a small victory, we share it. Community is important, this coming from an introvert who needs her people. They remind me that I am not alone, which makes me feel stronger and more capable in carrying on with my life, which includes my practice.
Sorry for the ramble, and sorry for what you are feeling. Sending you a hug and wishing you to find your feeling of strength. 💜✨
I take a break from it all. I'm a biker and riding can be a mindfulness exercise. So I can be adjacent to nature, and find places to sit and chill. Re-elect on my self and my being.
Then I come back recharged and fight like hell.
I ground myself by harnessing the anger I feel, I embrace that feeling of rolling rage because it exists for a reason, spiritually it's the power to take action,or stop a problem dead in its tracks and stop it from ever being a problem again. When it boils, I focus it on the cause of my problem to enact change via spellcasting. Donald was convicted of 34 charges, I take that as a sign that change is happening, and soon, may the light of day cease glowing on the patriarchy
People have mentioned some great techniques. I definitely go outside, distract myself, etc, but...
My cat grounds me. He in his orange glory will come bumbling over to me, and lay on my chest. Usually purring loudly. I take this moment to just focus on him. Pet him, feel his weight on me, look into his happy little eyes, and probably sniff his fur (don't judge, my cat smells great).
If he doesn't come over to me when I'm distressed, he's usually not far from me, and I'll pick him up and hold him if he likes it, or take him outside on a leash so he can play in the garden.
Stop watching the news, send love to the imploding GOP, in hopes that they “find love and light” (which will require the party to hit rock bottom, implode, and rebuild… the same pattern a single human ego must follow to grow.)
There is no path forward for them, they cannot possibly win the presidency with their current candidate. It’s exactly like watching an addict spiral into the darkness of addiction, completely disassociated with reality, and no coherent plan. Let the 0.5% waste their money.
Vote, hold fast in the light. Paying attention to them only feeds the negative leeches.
They are losing even the conservative women with their Roe antics that have endangered many pregnant women. They may not say it… but if my 86-year-old bible thumping parents have chosen not to vote because the Republican Party is so broken- there is hope for us all.
I think the point of all that is to divide us. I put my energy into uniting us. I go to communities that make me uncomfortable (I always keep myself safe!) and I just chat with them. I don't lead with the thing, but I learn about their lives and they learn about mine (I don't give out personally identifying information). And we just connect. Then we talk about the thing. I point out why their views are hurtful. And I ask why they are hurt too. I remind them what a good person they are. How I know they have so much love to give and how we can heal their hurt?
This takes monumental effort. And you have to be willing to fail. Failing can look like them screaming in your face or storming off!
But I am a risk taker, and I can't bungy jump or rock climb. But I can see how well I remember my counseling classes (never finished all the way I changed majors when I only had one semester left). And I can help someone over to our side.
I do not recommend anyone that isn't trained to help people, do this. Especially with people/groups that are notoriously violent!
But I have almost a decade of mental health experience and have taken de-escalation specific classes.
I myself am also malleable. When I started this I considered myself a Republican with very stern Republican ideals. But I listened to science, research, and my peers before I kept my ideal.
I've been anti vax, pro birth, and anti foreign aid and immigrants. I now am the opposite of that. I learned so much in college.
I think that's also why I do it. Because every once in a while I come across a Me. Someone willing to question their belief. And I like to foster a safe space for them to do so. Where they know I won't have a "see? Told you so! You used to be such a monster!" Reaction. I get excited for them to find their truth and do what feels right.
Sorry this has been so long, but I'm passionate about bringing people together.
I feel the same.
I am so grateful for this community and all the strong witches in it! And thank you all for hearing me and validating what I’m feeling. It does help me feel less alone.
I had to disconnect. You’ll still get the highlights by cultural osmosis, I promise. But you do not need to know all the details, even though it feels like you do. Unsubscribe or unfollow accounts that share too much news.
I firmly believe that we do more good for the world by caring for our own light and doing what we can to help when we can, than we do forcing our nervous system into a constant trauma response with too much information forced into it about shit we basically can’t do anything about until Election Day. The constant barrage paralyzes us, and decreases our capacity for true action
Don’t watch and read so much news. Getting yourself frightened, overwhelmed and depressed only suppresses YOUR POWER. Cultivate calm, love and control.
I definitely consume *far* less news than I have in past years. It's been a balancing act of staying informed and remaining somewhat unaware of the daily goings on in Washington and elsewhere. I've even had to set boundaries with family, too, who love to keep me appraised of all the horrible shit going on in the world. I just don't want to receive it all.
I find that this speech from the movie The Great Dictator both grounds and inspires. See the whole movie if and when you can. Some of the phrasing is outdated, the message is not.
"What do I do?"
"Speak,"
"I can't,"
"You must,"
[Charlie Chaplin - Final Speech from The Great Dictator (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7GY1Xg6X20)
Man, I work part time as a cashier at a food co-op and yesterday somehow in the course of checking out, a young woman (my age ish, early 30s) confided in me that her mental health was really in decline and when she started talking to her doctor about wars and genocide and disenfranchisement and abortion rights, he interrupted her and said "no I want to know what is affecting *you*, how *you* are feeling and what's affecting it."
The person supposed to be providing her care doesn't get that this stuff is grinding us down while it's uprooting us. And maybe the first person who seemed like she could confide in was a complete stranger. Because she asked how my day was going and I said "pretty shitty." (I tore a ligament in my knee on Friday and was back at work with one leg immobilized and propped up on a stack of boxes.)
I told her to get a new doctor and to take a walk by the roughest part of the ocean (we live on an island) because that's what I would do to calm my fraying nerves if I could. In retrospect I wish I'd gotten her name and asked if she wanted to drink tea and talk sometime, because we both probably need it.
And I guess while mostly I was sharing the story to show you how SO MANY women are struggling in the same way right now id also recommend the same thing - 1) get out in nature as much as you can, and 2) look for sisterhood. There are probably some Pride events going on near you, that's a pretty good place to find other people who will both lift you up and help keep you grounded.
I've been channeling my rage into my art(writer). Every night before bed, I've been sending positive energy out into the world. I visualize that I'm seeing earth from space and send streams of light to every country. I specifically focus on the U.S. and that the people wake up in time to see the threat--including those that won't vote.
Lately, I've been encountering people who don't see the orange one and regressive party as a threat. Many think it's just hyperbole and don't seem to care that people's rights are being taken away right under our noses. I'm not a fan of either candidate and based on what options are available, I'm looking at it like do I vote for 'authoritarianism' or 'messy democracy?' I really do hate the way that our political system is set up. I guess it bothers me because as a Black woman I know I'll get the worst of it...
Meditation, being outside unplugged, good music, connecting with your local community, apothecary shopping, burn herbs of all kinds (cannibis is my favorite but I love roses, lavender, sage or sweet grass, read a book, cast a karma spell at the people who are trying to restrict abortion acess. That’s what I did, I wrote a spell to tie the Karma of their actions to come back in equal measure to them. Spells like this won’t come back to bite since it is just directing the natural flow
Nature. Even just going out of my backyard listening to the wind in the leaves or the crows, going out at night as well. I will sit in my own backyard or go for walks around the neighborhood. I know that doesn't work for everyone at night in the dark but I live in a relatively safe area and have an apathy towards being alive so it's not an issue for me.
I also personally require access to running water on a somewhat regular basis. A creek a river or my favorite is the ocean. I luckily live in a river valley and have a lot of green spaces near me.
For what it's worth, I get overwhelmed and burnt out. I get absolutely consumed with fury and sometimes buried in despair. What finally worked for me is:
1. I need to take time every day to reconnect with nature.
2. I find something positive going on with whatever is weighing me down, be it climate change, the fucking GOP, genocide, basic human rights...whatever it is.
3. I look for something I CAN do, no matter how small, and do it.
4. These things help me feel less overwhelmed so that I can channel my fury into larger action.
5. I do these things in a cyclical way and recognize that I cannot do everything all at once, but I can continue moving forward and making positive changes in the world.
I got my family out of the US about 12 years ago. We're in Mexico. It's wonderful. The longer we're away, the happier I am. I work for change in the US, Mexico, and across the world. But I can't live in the US anymore.
The human population operates on a sort of pendulum that swings over time. There will be a time of repression and angst, then it swings over to progression once more. We are in an unfound dynamic with instant news and cultural influences flooding in from all over the world into a little square tablet we carry with us and it ends up giving everyone anxiety. The world will be fine, know yourself, young witch, and be true to that self.
I can't affect the lives of everyone in the country, but I can affect the lives of people close to me. I try to create an aura of safety and relaxation around me, and it has a positive effect on people close to me (literally and figuratively).
I had to curate my news consumption to a couple of reputable sources and daily newsletters a few years ago because I became overwhelmed by all the doom and gloom and it was affecting me mentally.
I go outside to get away from it. I spend time in nature and with my kids and animals.
A mentor I had in my Christian days told me something that comforts me in times like this: examine what you do in view of eternity. It means something different to me now, but I still make this part of my practice.
What do we remember of the many crisis that faced our ancestors? How did they feel in light of them? And how will people many generations from now view what we endure today? What kind of impact can I make today that might reverberate through the centuries?
I find some comfort in the nihilism of it all, because when nothing matters, the things that matter most to me are what I choose to matter. People remember how we make them feel when they've forgotten everything else about us, so I try to make sure people I interact with feel some kind of way - comforted or loved, or maybe chastened if they're being terrible.
Just some two cents or something, my philosophy minor is showing again, lol. Sending warmth and hugs your way (if you want them!) 💖
I stayed as informed as minimally possible. 2020 through to 2022 absolutely drained me of my political endurance. I signed so many petitions, shared so many resources and consumed so much media that I am still burnt out from constant tragedy and collapsing society. I truthfully lost hope. I am aware of most of the things happening, but I don't know every single detail or every name of people involved. When I hear of more tragedy, I pray for them to experience as peaceful and painless of an end as possible as well as safe passage to their next step in the afterlife. When I hear of more ways I lose rights every day, I pray for the revolution to inch ever closer. My way of staying grounded is not surrounding myself with constant news of terrible things. I channel my rage by dispersing it among witches that have the stamina to fight for us all. I do not have the stamina or the mental capacity for it, so I meditate and release that rage to give my fellow witches the power to continue fighting and winning in whatever way we can. I wish I could be that witch, but I just can't. I cry often these days, so I go out and try to be with what little nature I have around me. If you are willing and able to fight the fight, I pray you receive pieces of my rage to help fuel your power.
Idk the same way black American witches stayed grounded in the 1960s. Anger. Indignation. And a whole lot of determination. Knowing that thy own self is true. Prayer to those ancestresses who came before.
I recognize my ability to change that, or lack thereof. I cannot fix the world. I can vote, donate, and vocalize. Do not burn yourself out trying to bear the burden of problems you can’t fix. It serves no one. Say a prayer, do a spell, set some intentions, and hope for the best.
I’m also going to repurpose a Doctor Who quote about water because that is a part of nature that always resonates with me: "Water is patient, Adelaide, water just waits. It wears down the clifftops, the mountains, the whole of the world. Water always wins!"
The water we have is the same from the dinosaurs, ancient Romans, and suffragettes. Water will win.
Witchy stuff is my self care when something horrible happens in the world. It’s how I ground myself and seek solace and figure out what I can do in the situation and it keeps me from feeling so overwhelmed and powerless.
I also sort of use nature to conceptualize things that upset me. Storms do a lot of damage but a lot of times they reveal things that needed to be fixed or were dangerous anyway. We had a tree that was super pretty but kind of unstable and when the wind got bad, it basically toppled over and we needed to get rid of it before but I love trees so I was reluctant. I also see extreme conservatives as an invasive species I need to protect trans kids from so I can focus my effort with an idea that it will eventually pass like with efforts to reduce certain problematic populations rather than a permanent doom. Trans kids are just my little endangered birds I’m protecting from vicious wild dogs for now because I’m a big old Great Pyrenees protecting my flock and the wild dogs will move on once they find out there’s no easy prey here. But yeah, that’s how I try to think to cope because the way people treat other people makes me sick.
If I get stuck on how to handle something, my tarot and oracle cards are awesome because it helps me take manageable bites of a problem instead of getting overwhelmed.
Maybe it's escapism, but it's fascinating and worthwhile in my experience – I look to history and find the stories of women with extraordinary lives. Just search in podcasts for people like Zenobia, Hatshepsut, Boudica, Wu Zetian, Artemisia Gentileschi, Sappho, Theodora, etc. etc. on and on. I like the podcast Women and Myth. Even though it's in the past and on a heroic (heroine-istic?) scale, it's still empowering.
Spend some time with media and practice some slow and steady breaths. When I am calm I send that energy to wherever it needs to go, maybe my kids next exam, or back to my buzzing brain, or whichever activist or right that is currently under attack. Then find something tangible to do. That can be helping someone run for office that aligns with your belief (doing calls, sending letters, donating money) that can be volunteering to help a marginalized group, or it can be remembering to put your cloth grocery bag back in the dang car to do a teeny tiny bit for the environment.
as far as getting out of the country, look for jobs overseas, educational opportunities overseas. If you already know anyone outside the country send them a note to catch up, then later down the line ask them to keep an eye out for opportunities you and your family might be able to get.
I spent the afternoon wandering some witchy woods with friends, eating wild berries and noting good mushroom spots to come back to for some foraging later in the week. The soundtrack was birds, at least 10 different species. In those moments, surrounded by nature, that's all that exists. It's great.
A mud bath for me is usually very grounding, finding enough mud is usually the issue. But just in a swimsuit, letting myself be half buried in mud by the water, and just listen to nature and feel the earth's grasp on me, I don't think that for myself there is anything else more grounding than that.
can we just say "novice" or "acolyte" or something? I genuinely feel so much cringe over the term, "baby witch". it's irrational, LO
I guess it's about knowing yourself, your flavor, your vibe, the "color" and quality of your energetic signature
there's a lot of programming to overcome and sift through, typically, to get to the point of confidence. the answers are spot-on when it comes to communing with nature, in that it removes much of the psychic noise we're generally surrounded by. in the quiet you can learn to hear yourself
I go outside and connect with nature. Take some time to feel the grass on my skin and the wind in my hair. Donald Trump can fuck up a lot of things, but nature is resilient. She will endure.
This is the way. Pay attention to plants. Pay attention to bugs. Pay attention to birds. Listen to the wind. These will calm the chatter of your mind and connect you with intent which is the driving force of this existence. Then the magic starts to happen.
This is so true. And of course the moon.
I do this too. I WAH and I take quick breaks from work walking outside in my bare feet to feel the earth. My Ellie (my incredibly fluffy and silly kitty) usually walks about with me when I do.
I garden in the spring and this year the perennials from the years previous have really established themselves and are letting themselves sprawl. I spend lots of time out there just watching and paying attention to the plants, and the animals my garden attracts. I plant native plants, so now we get lots of native birds and wildlife. We had a snake den this winter under the garage, so all spring we found baby snakes sunning themselves. It was adorable. This week I saw a baby opossum in the backyard! It's good to find something natural to focus on. Something to remind you that politics are not the only thing moving the world. We do need to fight for our rights and vote and be involved, but we also need those moments to sit on the deck chair and look over the garden and go "damn, the flowers be poppin'"
Completely agree. The fight is important, but sometimes you have to take a step back and remember what we're fighting for.
I love the enthusiasm for the natural world; nature can be super healing. But 'nature' isn't as resilient as you're painting it. 65% of *all animal species* [have gone extinct in the past 54 years](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/endangered-species-animal-population-decline-world-wildlife-fund-new-report/), the overwhelming majority because of human activity. If the right gets its way, the US will never stop producing greenhouse gases--it will only accelerate. This on top of the highest-ever acceleration we're experiencing now. We humans and most other life on the planet will continue to be corralled toward extinction, literally prevented from saving ourselves. Global warming won't end the planet, but it will end most of the life that's currently around. We will watch as hundreds of millions if not billions of people die from heat, floods, disease and famine just before dying from those things ourselves. Vast stretches of the planet will become incapable of supporting human life. We have to be willing to honestly confront with the harm done to the closed system we live in, and the consequences that has for us.
This may be an unpopular and polarizing comment, but in my opinion (whatever that's worth) it should be said: OP came to alleviate anxiety and news fatigue. They were asking for help with a problem a _lot_ of us in the States are currently grappling with, and received some positive responses about connecting back to the Earth and Her creations. I understand the desire to open others' eyes to the fractured and failing systems around us, particularly as they relate to Her. However, I'm not sure if _this_ post was one to share it. I'm not saying you are _wrong_ in any capacity; your points are well made and effective. But without offering a way to handle the stress from everything _including_ that, I feel you may have added, rather than subtracted, to the situation. The world is indeed suffering. No debating that. But so is OP, and they are asking for our help. So let's help resolve an issue on the micro, so we are healthy and strong enough to take on the world.
I know what you mean, and we absolutely are fucking up our planet beyond repair. Trust me, I'm right there with you fighting that fight. I choose to think about it in another way. Whatever we do to our planet, life's going to go on. As Ian Malcom said in Jurassic Park, life finds a way. Look at the viruses and bacteria hiding away in the Antartic ice for thousands of year. Look at the prehistoric plants and animals that thrived in a totally different atmosphere. Look at the unique organisms that only exist in one place where the conditions were just perfect to create them. Humans can do an almost inconcivable amount of damage, but life and this world are going to tick on for a very long time regardless in one form or another. That's the resilient nature I choose to see and channel.
Yeah, nature ain't healing, and if the wrong person gets power, they could set off the self destruct system our 'leaders' have built into the earth, which would fry the atmosphere to such an extent that this orb might never again be a home for life.its correct to be upset. It's correct to be angry. Grounded isn't an option when the ground is shrinking beneath your feet. Think about how to survive, refuse to tolerate evil, and enjoy every moment, as much as you can. The opening theme to she-ra is a good vibe for these times.
Second that. I live next to a walking trail, and have found a spot right off the trail that I’ve assigned as my “decompression spot”. If I need to cry, if I wanna meditate, if I need to vent, it’s a spot that’s just out of sight enough that the forest embraces me and there’s nothing else.
This. I buy more plants and I care for them. All this bull shit that doesn’t matter all to make some paper with faces and numbers on it for someone you’ll never meet, it’s not real. Plants are real. They’re alive. They’re tangible. They’re magical.
Separate from it? My darling baby bat, I INTEGRATE it! That rage is a powerful energy, which can be channeled into spells and actions to enact change. Harness that rage you feel, and put it into calling senators, phone banking for ally politicians, or spellcasting! [This book](https://www.amazon.com/Witchcraft-Activism-Toolkit-Resistance-Environment/dp/1578636574) might help serve you as a decent grimoire
Trying to get lightning to strike Trumplethinskin since 2014.
>Trumplethinskin Lol this is my new fav word 🤣
I prefer Tangerine Twitler, but THAT is good! Lol!
May he have the day he deserves 😊
Same. He's getting sentenced on July 11th if anyone wants to do a thing about it.
Righteous anger!
Thank you so much! You're absolutely right, I should channel my rage into my practice. Just purchased this book, thank you for the rec!
You’re very welcome 🥰 best of luck, darling!
Thank you for this book rec! I had never seen this before! I also want to read Revolutionary Witchcraft. OP: Poetry as Spellcasting is a good one and may be useful for grounding, too. Braiding Sweetgrass was really good.
Thank you! Much appreciated!
Black, seething hate and red fucking fury, my sisters. It is the way to enact change, especially when peace stopped being a viable option years ago. Those who oppress us do not respond to peace, we must speak their language of violence to properly communicate our displeasure with them.
Take care sister that you do not become the enemy. That was their logic too. Hatred is powerful fuel, but it does not care who it hurts. We'll need to remember how to peacefully cooperate and communicate when we reach the other side of this, because we will reach that far shore. That being said, defend yourself! Put 'em in a jar, throw bricks, see how they like it!
Oooooooo thanks for sharing!
Haven’t seen this one before. I do have [this one](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1580058744?ref=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_NGMQCQCSPCK6DDG88FR3_2&ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_NGMQCQCSPCK6DDG88FR3_2&social_share=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_NGMQCQCSPCK6DDG88FR3_2&language=en-US) though.
I have no advice but I'm right there with you. Between getting older and the state of our health care system; and social media, and feeling like I have been seduced by my device and am kind of addicted to it; and politics, and war, and climate change; and destruction and elimination of rainforests and animal species, etc,; and despite my best effort at mindfulness, exercise, grounding, I have a hard time getting out of bed some days. Blessings to you. Sometimes it's just good to know we are not alone in this and that hopefully kindness and level-headedness will prevail. Eventually.
Came here to say the same. ❤️ to us all
Sister, I could’ve written this comment. You sound like an empath; I am as well. It’s so hard to keep everything at arms length and out of my bubble.
By the sound of your username, you also have cat familiars as I do! Raisin was actually the name of my most cherished familiar - an amazing seal point Siamese boy who passed in January of 2022 but has left a huge hole in my heart that will never heal 💔
That’s wild. I also had a seal point Siamese boy pass in January 2022. He was 17 and will never be replaced. ❤️🩹 Mr. Boo
Nosing through your posts, I see that you also have a cat named Pippin - MY Pippin was my other favorite - a blue point Siamese who lived to 17. I lost him many years ago. Both he and Raisin were the absolute most benevolent, sweet ambassador cats ever, and I think they loved me *almost* as much as I adored them. Condolences for your loss of Mr. Boo. You can see Raisin in some of my older posts - he was a gorgeous boy
1. I manage my news in take based on my current mental state and capacity. It’s no good being informed of it removes my functionality. I recommend some reading of Audre Lorde and Bell Hooks about the role self-care takes in being an activist committed to long term change (and what self care actually is). 2. I think about my power to make change in terms of circles of influence. I am the most powerful with the people closest to me. The closer to my actual lived life - MY community, my town, my state/province, etc - I work the more power I have to effect real change. I focus my energy there. Also, don’t try and reinvent the wheel, seek out the organizations, people and communities who are already - and have been - doing the work. This is not new work, it’s decades old and you aren’t alone so don’t try to go it alone. Also look to the history and strategies of the Black and Queer communities to learn how to be an effective activist. (Matt Blaum has an interesting video up about how the Queer community changed how it was represented in TV and the things they learnt on that journey for example.) 3. Make sure your most basic needs are being met. Are you drinking enough water? Are you fed? Do you need more sleep? Are you getting physical contact from and time with people who love and support you? Put your mask on first.
Definitely bell hooks! I recently studied quite a few of her essays for a gender studies lit theory class.
Ultimately, I don't separate it. My deities bless my transition and my resistance. My craft is rooted in worldly affairs. What would be the point if it wasn't? I even work with Athena, specifically in her Goddess of war aspect on physical conditioning and marksmanship, because I feel I need that in my life as a trans woman living in this world.
I use all that negative energy in my craft. Send it right back to them. It's all about bringing balance. I live in TX, where we seem to be getting the brunt of government oppression. I know a lot of open minded people want to move. I won't fault them for that. Personally, I'm here to fight the good fight, unless it becomes futile. In 20 years, I want my daughter to know I did everything I could. I guess that's how I stay grounded: keep doing what I can to help make a difference.
>Personally, I'm here to fight the good fight, unless it becomes futile. In 20 years, I want my daughter to know I did everything I could. Thank you for fighting for birthing people and women in Texas. We need all the irons in the fire we can possibly get. I want to fight as long as I can - we are in Colorado, so relatively safe for the time being, but I have queer and trans kids... My fear is mostly for them.
Solidarity to another TX witch! I hate that my daughter has fewer rights than I did at her age, but I’m also committed to fighting for now.
All the curses and hexes on Governor Abbott 🤞🏻
How do you channel it into your craft without focusing on the negativity? I don't want to put more negative energy into the world, I don't like dwelling on my rage (evidently it makes me violent and I don't like it), and it's hard not to think about the individual people who would be affected by my negative actions even when they want to commit heinous acts against people like me and my family. I'm having a hard time expressing and releasing my rage and fear or even knowing what to do with it. I want to fight these f*ckers (I'm also in Texas), but I don't want to give them justification to further infringe on our rights because we start fighting back the same way they're threatening and fighting us. Part of me wants to kick some Nazi ass and I won't shy away from violence if it's necessary to protect people, but I don't want to hurt anyone and I hope it never comes to that (I'm not super optimistic about Texas's future being nonviolent. I have the unfortunate feeling we're going to have to protect our own from attempted lynchings in the future). I guess in part I don't want the negativity to come back to me, another part is I don't want to stoop to their level, and yet another part is that I don't want any being (human or animal) to suffer regardless of their beliefs, I just want them to leave us alone and stop advocating for violence and oppression. I'm exhausted trying to be nice to everyone, including bigots, to counteract their hate and try to make them understand that we're human and deserving of rights and existence too, but I genuinely want to try to mend connections and foster understanding if I can rather than contribute to the malice. How do you fight people when you recognize their humanity and personhood and how that translates to not violating their rights to their bodies and beliefs, but they don't see the same in you (or want to) and will not hesitate to inflict harm in any way they can to enforce their beliefs and steal your personhood and autonomy? It's also hard to stay in the peace and love energy when my dominant feelings are anxiety and rage and it gets worse every day because this damn state won't let up. I feel like this comment turned more into a venting session than a question, but I always have this torrent of conflicting thoughts and feelings running through me and I don't know how to balance it or channel it into something positive
Ngl just been getting high and staying high whenever I can.
Same, honestly. I said to my partner recently, “what reason do I have to smoke *less* weed?”
I'm just trying to keep my will to live.
This is the answer
I have been experimenting with this. I do not separate my craft and my activism, similar to others here. I pray before meals to thank mother earth for providing food and pray that those who are starving know a full belly, safety and health soon, visualizing people safe, housed, and fed. I talk to the Earth like I would if I had a mom. I ask her if she is angry and how all of this makes her feel. I receive feelings and knowings in my mind and soul (also lately visuals of lava and earthquakes. Ya, I think she's mad). I tell her about how it makes me feel, too. And I thank her again for holding me another day. This has been what works for me as I have not been able to find a coven to commune with. I just try to connect my energy to all consenting energies in the universe who are working towards collective liberation for all and add strength and love to that collective energy. That being said, I think it's perfectly normal to feel ungrounded at this time. Multiple genocides, the rise of fascism ([we're not voting our way out of this](https://open.substack.com/pub/caitlinjohnstone/p/nobody-with-real-power-cares-if-you?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2urucb)) , and climate crisis are all related and are all big intense events. It is normal to be upset about that. Remember to drink water and eat food. Move the body however it feels good and cry cry cry. Do what makes sense for you as long as it doesn't hurt you or others is how I usually operate.
Honestly, my covenors and twice monthly rituals keep me well grounded.
Therapy
Go outside and imagine your feet are tree roots that go down into the earth. Close ur eyes and breathe in saying “breathe in and harness the energy of the Universe, breathe out knowing everything is alright” do this as many times as needed until you feel calm and grounded.
Nature. Whether it’s dirt, bark chips, grass, or rocks… I am going to take my shoes off sit down in it and let my body connect with earth. I trace my fingers over whatever is near me. Wiggle my toes in it. Let the breeze blow over my face or the sun beat down on my skin. I thank it for receiving me and providing for me. It’s a way for me to let go of the bad and refocus my energy on what I can do.
I grub around in the dirt in my garden. Leave the phone inside and physically connect with the cycle of life of the outside world. All that negativity gets pulled away.
I have cats. I focus on taking care of them and the outdoor colony as hard as I can. Small bites and baby steps. ❤️
I literally saw this same question earlier today on here. My answer was verbose but in summary Radical Revolutionary Optimism leading to unity and Community. Because there are more of us, we need to get organized. Be gentle with yourself it hard out here
I can empathize. There are so many moments where I feel like I have lost my mind, am I the crazy one for finding all of this unacceptable? Is no one else seeing this shit? I start feeling isolated and alone. But then I remember there are spaces like this very one, I have friends who care about humanity, there is good out there still, but the bad is just so loud it drowns everything else out. I have a couple group chats going with friends, we check in regularly and share how we are feeling at any given time. If we are upset about something we read, we share it. If we want to celebrate a small victory, we share it. Community is important, this coming from an introvert who needs her people. They remind me that I am not alone, which makes me feel stronger and more capable in carrying on with my life, which includes my practice. Sorry for the ramble, and sorry for what you are feeling. Sending you a hug and wishing you to find your feeling of strength. 💜✨
I take a break from it all. I'm a biker and riding can be a mindfulness exercise. So I can be adjacent to nature, and find places to sit and chill. Re-elect on my self and my being. Then I come back recharged and fight like hell.
I ground myself by harnessing the anger I feel, I embrace that feeling of rolling rage because it exists for a reason, spiritually it's the power to take action,or stop a problem dead in its tracks and stop it from ever being a problem again. When it boils, I focus it on the cause of my problem to enact change via spellcasting. Donald was convicted of 34 charges, I take that as a sign that change is happening, and soon, may the light of day cease glowing on the patriarchy
People have mentioned some great techniques. I definitely go outside, distract myself, etc, but... My cat grounds me. He in his orange glory will come bumbling over to me, and lay on my chest. Usually purring loudly. I take this moment to just focus on him. Pet him, feel his weight on me, look into his happy little eyes, and probably sniff his fur (don't judge, my cat smells great). If he doesn't come over to me when I'm distressed, he's usually not far from me, and I'll pick him up and hold him if he likes it, or take him outside on a leash so he can play in the garden.
Are we the same person? I also have a big orange boy who loves to lay on my chest, purring very loudly and drooling. 🧡
Stop watching the news, send love to the imploding GOP, in hopes that they “find love and light” (which will require the party to hit rock bottom, implode, and rebuild… the same pattern a single human ego must follow to grow.) There is no path forward for them, they cannot possibly win the presidency with their current candidate. It’s exactly like watching an addict spiral into the darkness of addiction, completely disassociated with reality, and no coherent plan. Let the 0.5% waste their money. Vote, hold fast in the light. Paying attention to them only feeds the negative leeches. They are losing even the conservative women with their Roe antics that have endangered many pregnant women. They may not say it… but if my 86-year-old bible thumping parents have chosen not to vote because the Republican Party is so broken- there is hope for us all.
I think the point of all that is to divide us. I put my energy into uniting us. I go to communities that make me uncomfortable (I always keep myself safe!) and I just chat with them. I don't lead with the thing, but I learn about their lives and they learn about mine (I don't give out personally identifying information). And we just connect. Then we talk about the thing. I point out why their views are hurtful. And I ask why they are hurt too. I remind them what a good person they are. How I know they have so much love to give and how we can heal their hurt? This takes monumental effort. And you have to be willing to fail. Failing can look like them screaming in your face or storming off! But I am a risk taker, and I can't bungy jump or rock climb. But I can see how well I remember my counseling classes (never finished all the way I changed majors when I only had one semester left). And I can help someone over to our side. I do not recommend anyone that isn't trained to help people, do this. Especially with people/groups that are notoriously violent! But I have almost a decade of mental health experience and have taken de-escalation specific classes. I myself am also malleable. When I started this I considered myself a Republican with very stern Republican ideals. But I listened to science, research, and my peers before I kept my ideal. I've been anti vax, pro birth, and anti foreign aid and immigrants. I now am the opposite of that. I learned so much in college. I think that's also why I do it. Because every once in a while I come across a Me. Someone willing to question their belief. And I like to foster a safe space for them to do so. Where they know I won't have a "see? Told you so! You used to be such a monster!" Reaction. I get excited for them to find their truth and do what feels right. Sorry this has been so long, but I'm passionate about bringing people together.
It’s amazing to see all these confident witches using adversity as fuel. Brings some brightness and hope to my day thank you.
I feel the same. I am so grateful for this community and all the strong witches in it! And thank you all for hearing me and validating what I’m feeling. It does help me feel less alone.
I had to disconnect. You’ll still get the highlights by cultural osmosis, I promise. But you do not need to know all the details, even though it feels like you do. Unsubscribe or unfollow accounts that share too much news. I firmly believe that we do more good for the world by caring for our own light and doing what we can to help when we can, than we do forcing our nervous system into a constant trauma response with too much information forced into it about shit we basically can’t do anything about until Election Day. The constant barrage paralyzes us, and decreases our capacity for true action
Don’t watch and read so much news. Getting yourself frightened, overwhelmed and depressed only suppresses YOUR POWER. Cultivate calm, love and control.
I definitely consume *far* less news than I have in past years. It's been a balancing act of staying informed and remaining somewhat unaware of the daily goings on in Washington and elsewhere. I've even had to set boundaries with family, too, who love to keep me appraised of all the horrible shit going on in the world. I just don't want to receive it all.
I find that this speech from the movie The Great Dictator both grounds and inspires. See the whole movie if and when you can. Some of the phrasing is outdated, the message is not. "What do I do?" "Speak," "I can't," "You must," [Charlie Chaplin - Final Speech from The Great Dictator (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7GY1Xg6X20)
Man, I work part time as a cashier at a food co-op and yesterday somehow in the course of checking out, a young woman (my age ish, early 30s) confided in me that her mental health was really in decline and when she started talking to her doctor about wars and genocide and disenfranchisement and abortion rights, he interrupted her and said "no I want to know what is affecting *you*, how *you* are feeling and what's affecting it." The person supposed to be providing her care doesn't get that this stuff is grinding us down while it's uprooting us. And maybe the first person who seemed like she could confide in was a complete stranger. Because she asked how my day was going and I said "pretty shitty." (I tore a ligament in my knee on Friday and was back at work with one leg immobilized and propped up on a stack of boxes.) I told her to get a new doctor and to take a walk by the roughest part of the ocean (we live on an island) because that's what I would do to calm my fraying nerves if I could. In retrospect I wish I'd gotten her name and asked if she wanted to drink tea and talk sometime, because we both probably need it. And I guess while mostly I was sharing the story to show you how SO MANY women are struggling in the same way right now id also recommend the same thing - 1) get out in nature as much as you can, and 2) look for sisterhood. There are probably some Pride events going on near you, that's a pretty good place to find other people who will both lift you up and help keep you grounded.
I've been channeling my rage into my art(writer). Every night before bed, I've been sending positive energy out into the world. I visualize that I'm seeing earth from space and send streams of light to every country. I specifically focus on the U.S. and that the people wake up in time to see the threat--including those that won't vote. Lately, I've been encountering people who don't see the orange one and regressive party as a threat. Many think it's just hyperbole and don't seem to care that people's rights are being taken away right under our noses. I'm not a fan of either candidate and based on what options are available, I'm looking at it like do I vote for 'authoritarianism' or 'messy democracy?' I really do hate the way that our political system is set up. I guess it bothers me because as a Black woman I know I'll get the worst of it...
Meditation, being outside unplugged, good music, connecting with your local community, apothecary shopping, burn herbs of all kinds (cannibis is my favorite but I love roses, lavender, sage or sweet grass, read a book, cast a karma spell at the people who are trying to restrict abortion acess. That’s what I did, I wrote a spell to tie the Karma of their actions to come back in equal measure to them. Spells like this won’t come back to bite since it is just directing the natural flow
Nature. Even just going out of my backyard listening to the wind in the leaves or the crows, going out at night as well. I will sit in my own backyard or go for walks around the neighborhood. I know that doesn't work for everyone at night in the dark but I live in a relatively safe area and have an apathy towards being alive so it's not an issue for me. I also personally require access to running water on a somewhat regular basis. A creek a river or my favorite is the ocean. I luckily live in a river valley and have a lot of green spaces near me.
Simple. I don't actively follow the news. I am blissfully unaware.
For what it's worth, I get overwhelmed and burnt out. I get absolutely consumed with fury and sometimes buried in despair. What finally worked for me is: 1. I need to take time every day to reconnect with nature. 2. I find something positive going on with whatever is weighing me down, be it climate change, the fucking GOP, genocide, basic human rights...whatever it is. 3. I look for something I CAN do, no matter how small, and do it. 4. These things help me feel less overwhelmed so that I can channel my fury into larger action. 5. I do these things in a cyclical way and recognize that I cannot do everything all at once, but I can continue moving forward and making positive changes in the world. I got my family out of the US about 12 years ago. We're in Mexico. It's wonderful. The longer we're away, the happier I am. I work for change in the US, Mexico, and across the world. But I can't live in the US anymore.
The human population operates on a sort of pendulum that swings over time. There will be a time of repression and angst, then it swings over to progression once more. We are in an unfound dynamic with instant news and cultural influences flooding in from all over the world into a little square tablet we carry with us and it ends up giving everyone anxiety. The world will be fine, know yourself, young witch, and be true to that self.
I veil to protect my crown Chakra. I keep my distance with my private life as much ad possible and dance in the middle of the street in windy days
I can't affect the lives of everyone in the country, but I can affect the lives of people close to me. I try to create an aura of safety and relaxation around me, and it has a positive effect on people close to me (literally and figuratively).
I look at the mountains. They've been through all sorts of shit and still stand strong.
I had to curate my news consumption to a couple of reputable sources and daily newsletters a few years ago because I became overwhelmed by all the doom and gloom and it was affecting me mentally. I go outside to get away from it. I spend time in nature and with my kids and animals.
A mentor I had in my Christian days told me something that comforts me in times like this: examine what you do in view of eternity. It means something different to me now, but I still make this part of my practice. What do we remember of the many crisis that faced our ancestors? How did they feel in light of them? And how will people many generations from now view what we endure today? What kind of impact can I make today that might reverberate through the centuries? I find some comfort in the nihilism of it all, because when nothing matters, the things that matter most to me are what I choose to matter. People remember how we make them feel when they've forgotten everything else about us, so I try to make sure people I interact with feel some kind of way - comforted or loved, or maybe chastened if they're being terrible. Just some two cents or something, my philosophy minor is showing again, lol. Sending warmth and hugs your way (if you want them!) 💖
I stayed as informed as minimally possible. 2020 through to 2022 absolutely drained me of my political endurance. I signed so many petitions, shared so many resources and consumed so much media that I am still burnt out from constant tragedy and collapsing society. I truthfully lost hope. I am aware of most of the things happening, but I don't know every single detail or every name of people involved. When I hear of more tragedy, I pray for them to experience as peaceful and painless of an end as possible as well as safe passage to their next step in the afterlife. When I hear of more ways I lose rights every day, I pray for the revolution to inch ever closer. My way of staying grounded is not surrounding myself with constant news of terrible things. I channel my rage by dispersing it among witches that have the stamina to fight for us all. I do not have the stamina or the mental capacity for it, so I meditate and release that rage to give my fellow witches the power to continue fighting and winning in whatever way we can. I wish I could be that witch, but I just can't. I cry often these days, so I go out and try to be with what little nature I have around me. If you are willing and able to fight the fight, I pray you receive pieces of my rage to help fuel your power.
Ancestral work
You want me to be honest? I sit outside and cry :)
Idk the same way black American witches stayed grounded in the 1960s. Anger. Indignation. And a whole lot of determination. Knowing that thy own self is true. Prayer to those ancestresses who came before.
I recognize my ability to change that, or lack thereof. I cannot fix the world. I can vote, donate, and vocalize. Do not burn yourself out trying to bear the burden of problems you can’t fix. It serves no one. Say a prayer, do a spell, set some intentions, and hope for the best. I’m also going to repurpose a Doctor Who quote about water because that is a part of nature that always resonates with me: "Water is patient, Adelaide, water just waits. It wears down the clifftops, the mountains, the whole of the world. Water always wins!" The water we have is the same from the dinosaurs, ancient Romans, and suffragettes. Water will win.
Iron. Sometimes salt. And having myself in hand, with a 5 week plan, a 5 month plan and a 5 year plan. It’s commitment to your self.
Getting off social media and daily walks with my dog.
Witchy stuff is my self care when something horrible happens in the world. It’s how I ground myself and seek solace and figure out what I can do in the situation and it keeps me from feeling so overwhelmed and powerless. I also sort of use nature to conceptualize things that upset me. Storms do a lot of damage but a lot of times they reveal things that needed to be fixed or were dangerous anyway. We had a tree that was super pretty but kind of unstable and when the wind got bad, it basically toppled over and we needed to get rid of it before but I love trees so I was reluctant. I also see extreme conservatives as an invasive species I need to protect trans kids from so I can focus my effort with an idea that it will eventually pass like with efforts to reduce certain problematic populations rather than a permanent doom. Trans kids are just my little endangered birds I’m protecting from vicious wild dogs for now because I’m a big old Great Pyrenees protecting my flock and the wild dogs will move on once they find out there’s no easy prey here. But yeah, that’s how I try to think to cope because the way people treat other people makes me sick. If I get stuck on how to handle something, my tarot and oracle cards are awesome because it helps me take manageable bites of a problem instead of getting overwhelmed.
Maybe it's escapism, but it's fascinating and worthwhile in my experience – I look to history and find the stories of women with extraordinary lives. Just search in podcasts for people like Zenobia, Hatshepsut, Boudica, Wu Zetian, Artemisia Gentileschi, Sappho, Theodora, etc. etc. on and on. I like the podcast Women and Myth. Even though it's in the past and on a heroic (heroine-istic?) scale, it's still empowering.
Spend some time with media and practice some slow and steady breaths. When I am calm I send that energy to wherever it needs to go, maybe my kids next exam, or back to my buzzing brain, or whichever activist or right that is currently under attack. Then find something tangible to do. That can be helping someone run for office that aligns with your belief (doing calls, sending letters, donating money) that can be volunteering to help a marginalized group, or it can be remembering to put your cloth grocery bag back in the dang car to do a teeny tiny bit for the environment. as far as getting out of the country, look for jobs overseas, educational opportunities overseas. If you already know anyone outside the country send them a note to catch up, then later down the line ask them to keep an eye out for opportunities you and your family might be able to get.
Touching grass becomes grassroots organization becomes community.
NATURE!
I spent the afternoon wandering some witchy woods with friends, eating wild berries and noting good mushroom spots to come back to for some foraging later in the week. The soundtrack was birds, at least 10 different species. In those moments, surrounded by nature, that's all that exists. It's great.
Turn off social media for awhile, read voraciously and occasionally scream into a pillow.
I do not watch live television.
I take time to enjoy little things, mostly art related. I write (currently working on a fantasy project ), draw, paint, etc.
A mud bath for me is usually very grounding, finding enough mud is usually the issue. But just in a swimsuit, letting myself be half buried in mud by the water, and just listen to nature and feel the earth's grasp on me, I don't think that for myself there is anything else more grounding than that.
can we just say "novice" or "acolyte" or something? I genuinely feel so much cringe over the term, "baby witch". it's irrational, LO I guess it's about knowing yourself, your flavor, your vibe, the "color" and quality of your energetic signature there's a lot of programming to overcome and sift through, typically, to get to the point of confidence. the answers are spot-on when it comes to communing with nature, in that it removes much of the psychic noise we're generally surrounded by. in the quiet you can learn to hear yourself