Greetings, Friends! (:
I thought for a while about the topic for my next entry and felt like it was appropriate, with Valentine’s Day being tomorrow, to compose an entry about self-love and self-care. We can all be better for ourselves and after all, love begins with establishing a sense of self.
Whether you are ‘celebrating’ Valentine’s Day as a single person or as a taken lover, the tips within this entry will help anyone and everyone who wishes to open themselves up to healing.
- Plus, this healing is ongoing and is not limited to a day where people buy stuff for each other to proclaim their affections towards each other.
If you would have asked me 10 to 15 years ago if I loved myself, I would have straight up said, “no.” From when I was in the 5th grade, in elementary school, I battled an aggressive eating disorder along with body dysmorphia and that lasted well into my late twenties. It took many years of working on myself to re-calibrate my mind and learn to appreciate me for who and what I am. At 37 years old, I cannot say that I have cracked the code on how to love thy self, but I have learned incredible lessons along the journey of coming home to myself.
As the seasons change and as we age, growing wiser with each passing year, we become more in tune with ourselves. We being developing a taste for what our soul hungers for and do what we must to have more of what we crave in our lives. The bottom line is that we all deserve to find happiness. If you are a magickal practitioner, it’s normal to get swept away by life and get carried away from our practices and rituals. They help cement a solid foundation for us and create that stability. When we come back to ourselves, man, does it feel wonderful to come back home.
- And on a personal note: this is where I am in my healing journey.
- I am finding an appreciation to do actions from my heart and the result is profound joy.
Here are some of my tips and rituals to help benefit those who have an open heart and wish to heal:
1.) Put on a happy face:
Fran Drescher, one of my all-time idols, once said in an episode of “The Nanny” that “When you look good, you feel good.” She was definitely onto something quite awe inspiring!
- For me, part of my beauty ritual is to put on my rose water toner and massage my face with a Rose Quartz roller.
- Then, I will put on some moisturizer, some make-up, spritz on my favorite perfume (Givenchy’s L’Interdit or Amarige for those curious) and put a few pieces of jewelry from my ‘Tiffany & Company’ collection.
- I am dolling myself up for me, despite working from home each day.
- Then, I will put on some moisturizer, some make-up, spritz on my favorite perfume (Givenchy’s L’Interdit or Amarige for those curious) and put a few pieces of jewelry from my ‘Tiffany & Company’ collection.
- I also will take a moment, in the mirror to look at myself and will smile to myself.
- Back in the day, THIS task was difficult for me to do.
- When you are learning how to love yourself, it’s daunting to look at yourself in the mirror and smile at yourself. It takes time, practice, patience and an open heart.
- Back in the day, THIS task was difficult for me to do.
- To add an element of witchcraft into this practice, all of my makeup and my RQ roller are cleansed and charged under the moon.
- Certain intentions have been set for each beauty item that I will use as well.
- It adds power and intention!
- Certain intentions have been set for each beauty item that I will use as well.
- My favorite beauty item is my lipstick and lately, I have been playing with different hues. I am known for wearing a bold red lip and have adopted a soft pink/coral into my makeup bag. I wear lipstick all day long and have gotten to a point where, “A girl can’t (fill in the blank) that sort of thing without her lipstick.”
- A wee nod to my favorite actress, Audrey Hepburn who played Holly Golightly in “Breakfast At Tiffany’s.“
Being able to get myself ready for the day helps me feel better and more productive. I feel like I can conquer anything that is thrown in my lap throughout the day. It gives me confidence!
2.) Drink out of a fancy glass when you eat, just because you can:
My grandmother has a closet full of Waterford crystal and I was lucky to inherit some pieces from her collection. I adore using a champagne flute and a goblet when I prepare a meal for myself.
- Why wait for a special occasion to drink out of a beautiful glass?
- I never understood why these beautiful glasses will sit, upon a shelf, in a cabinet, collecting dust and not be used… ever. They deserve to be used and appreciated!
- Celebrate each moment within your life, even the smallest of moments– they count too!
- I never understood why these beautiful glasses will sit, upon a shelf, in a cabinet, collecting dust and not be used… ever. They deserve to be used and appreciated!
It has become a ritual to break out my special glass and use it whenever I cook a meal for myself: whether it’s breakfast or dinner, it allows me to appreciate the cooking that I have done and savor it.
Here’s my wee blessing for you, my Dear Friend: I toast to you! May you always appreciate and value yourself! Celebrate you on this day. May your goblet be hydrating and full and as you drink from it, may it replenish your spirit! Slàinte Mhath!
3.) Create a ‘feel good’ playlist!:
Music is the ultimate connector of souls and the healer of wounds.
Within my studio and in my home, music is a constant force within it. Whether it’s Billy Joel, Enya or Mozart, having music dance around my living space is beautiful. I even created a playlist for when I am putting on my ‘happy face’ in the morning. It makes all the difference in the world.
Get creative and make a playlist! You can make one for just about anything. For myself, I have playlists that are dedicated to: meditations, Avalon-inspired music, rituals, songs that get in touch with my inner-witch, music for when I am composing my book- the list goes on!
Creating a playlist will help motivate you to do what you wish or need to get done.
4.) Adopt a self-care practice:
This year, one of my goals was to learn how to tend to my nails– both hands and feet. Each week, I tend to them and can say that it’s been a fun experience to learn how to care of them. I now have a new appreciation for my hands.
Other self-care practices that you could incorporate would be journaling, meditating, exercising, Reiki treatments, taking baths, cooking healthier meals, get a weekly or monthly massage, craft a magickal simmer pot (I love these!), take a yoga class.
The sky is the limit! Be bold and adventure into different ways that you can care for yourself. Remember, you are worthy and deserving of this! Caring for yourself and making that time is important. You need it.
5.) Candle Magick:
Pink is the color of love– love of self and love of another.
In my studio, I like to burn a dressed pink candle to remind myself that I am worth that love and its energies that I am manifesting. Sometimes, we forget that and this is a great way to remind yourself that you are deserving of the love that you wish for.
6.) Daily mantras and affirmations:
I started adopting this into my practice several years ago and I found this to be quite profound. For this ritual, you’d stand in front of your mirror and speak to yourself, from the heart.
Some mantras and affirmations that you can use… and you can create your own as well:
- I am healing myself.
- I am beautiful and worthy of love.
- I am a radiant being.
- I love myself.
- I am worthy of success and greatness.
- I deserve to be happy.
- The life that I dream of is within my reach.
7.) Buy yourself flowers:
If Miley Cyrus taught us anything last year with her Grammy winning hit song “Flowers” it was that we can buy our own darn flowers and love ourselves, unapologetically.
Why wait for someone else to buy them? Personally, I think it’s rot. I find it lovely and empowering to buy them for myself (especially if I am going to be working with them, magickally).
If you have a lovely vase to put them in to admire, even better! AND when you are finished admiring your roses, if you are a fan of roses, that is, you can make Rose Water, my favorite magickal water!
8.) Take yourself out for a date:
It could be a cup of coffee, which happens to be my favorite date, especially when I have a book or a tarot deck in hand. You can even take yourself out to the beach or park. Spend the day being outside with yourself, enjoying your life.
9.) The Healing Energies of Crystals:
In my previous entry, I covered some of the magickal properties and uses of this powerful crystal. Rose Quartz is a powerhouse crystal and it can help someone who is struggling with low self-esteem.
Here’s that entry for those who are curious:
When working with crystals, just make sure that you cleanse and charge them regularly, especially if you are going to be wearing them daily as jewelry or carrying them on you.
10.) Burn shit up:
My cauldron is my sacred tool. When I need to release energies and tension, I light it on fire and create a ritual out of it.
11.) Craft a sacred bath:
As a Water Witch, I gather strength and find solace within the healing element of the water. I enjoy infusing my bath water with fresh rose petals, sprigs of rosemary and other herbal/floral additions that I fancy. Before stepping into the water, I will give the water Reiki to infuse the water with healing energies and with each ingredient, I will continue to infuse Reiki energy into the tub.
On days when I am feeling quite drained, I will do this. When I step out of the tub, I am refreshed and invigorated.
To the Anti-Valentine’s Day Souls:
Now, if you are someone who is against Valentine’s Day as a whole entity, I am right there right you. We all have our reasons for disliking the day and yes, it brings up traumas for different people.
In fact, I will share with you a personal story that not too many people know about me and my family:
Valentine’s Day has been somewhat of a cursed day within my family. My grandfather passed away on Valentine’s Day and growing up, children in elementary/grade school were quite cruel to me on this horrid ‘holiday’. I was avoided at all costs by the majority of my classmates and rumors about how ‘if Freya had a Valentine, you’d die just like her grandfather’ circulated throughout the school and the hallways. Goddess forbid if I had a crush and attempted to give him a Valentine… I was ridiculed in front of the entire class– and that happened, twice! I avoided the day throughout my entire life (including my adult life) but this year, I plan on celebrating the day a wee bit differently.
In my life, I have two people who I love more than anything in the world: my child and my grandmother. We have adventures each day and show our love for each other all day long. Our love is not limited to one day of the year, it is ongoing! On Valentine’s Day, we plan on having a wee party. I am going to make a strawberry cake, some heart cookies and we’ll have some ice cream floats. Maybe I will make a heart shaped pizza too!
I want to teach my child that we show our affections and appreciations constantly towards the ones that we love, not just a day marketed to people to buy a bunch of flowers and candy.
- Since my child is the next generation, and I do not want my trauma of a stupid, silly holiday passing onto them, it’s important for me to be better and to teach my child about what the day represents.
- We will also talk a wee bit about my grandfather, their great-grandfather.
- I have some pictures that I have pulled out that I will show them.
- Later on, we will light a candle for my grandfather.
Self-love practices are ongoing and we will cultivate different modalities of healing as we go through life. Sure, it’s normal to get discouraged, at times, but never forget that you are worthy of this time. Like with many things in life, this is a practice and you’ll get the hang of it. I believe in you ❤
Sending you much love!
FB.
The Bishop Witch™ 