Bringing olden ways to modern days,
For Wiccans,
Witches,
Pagans,
And all who honor a nature-based path.
This is Desert Magic with Crow Moon.
Merry Meet,
And welcome to another episode of Desert Magic,
Coming to you from the beautiful and magical desert of Southern Arizona.
My name is Crow Moon,
And I'm your host.
The Dog Days of Summer are fast approaching.
This is a period of time between early July and early August,
In which,
For many,
The heat of summer seems to have us in its grip.
The modern term,
Dog Days,
Became known as such partially because the ancients began to observe that Sirius rose with the sun at this time.
What it means for most of us is that it's just dreadfully hot,
And accompanying that heat is often a lack of rain in some areas,
As well as general feelings of discomfort and unrest.
The unrest seems to spill over into the magical community as well.
I've heard many Wiccans and witches say that they simply do not feel as magical in the summer as they do other times of the year,
Especially autumn.
There are many reasons why some might feel this way.
Most of us who practice the craft are spiritually oriented all year long,
But unless it's October,
The rest of the world isn't necessarily joining us in this mindset.
I wouldn't say that this is the root cause of feeling this way,
But it can certainly be a contributor.
One factor could be that we are generally extremely busy,
And in many cases busy with things that are external to the home and home life.
We have outdoor activities,
Gatherings of family and friends,
Sporting events,
Concerts,
Vacations,
And the list goes on.
We are going at a much faster pace than we do at the dark half of the year.
Many summertime activities are good for us,
And there are many which I,
Too,
Enjoy.
Practicing the craft doesn't necessarily become less important to us when the temperatures rise,
But our primary focus can tend to be elsewhere,
And perhaps this is one of the main reasons why we might feel less magical.
I think it's worth noting the distinction between Wicca and witchcraft,
And this is that Wicca is a religion,
Whereas witchcraft is a magical practice.
Not all Wiccans practice witchcraft,
Although I would say that the majority of us do.
Still,
Practicing magic is not a prerequisite to being Wiccan.
This is similar to the way in which Hinduism is a religion and yoga is a practice.
Basing this on my own experience,
I would feel safe in saying that those of us who are Wiccan and also practice witchcraft don't cast spells every day.
I certainly don't,
At least not in an overt sense.
I cast spells when I feel that they are needed in order to accomplish something,
Not because I'm bored.
That said,
I practice Wicca,
My religion,
Every day.
With newcomers especially,
This could well be a major source from which the perceived summer disconnect arises.
We're always being reminded of the saying that practice makes perfect.
Athletes train every day.
Some concert pianists live in conservatories.
Anything that is competitive in nature does indeed require regular,
If not daily,
Practice.
But the pursuit of excellence does not define who we are.
An athlete who is taking time off from training to recover from an injury is still an athlete,
Even if that individual is laid up for a while.
When I'm not actively composing,
I'm still very much a musician at those times.
I think it is important for newcomers to Wicca to understand that this is not a competition.
You aren't even competing with yourself.
There are going to be times when you might not feel as aligned with magic,
But that does not mean that you are any less magical.
It could well mean only that you need to do or think about something else for a while.
Not doing so puts us at risk for being ineffective with what we do.
Wicca brings us many levels of peace and joy that we never knew were attainable.
That said,
It is the road less traveled in the modern world.
In the summer months,
For example,
We have three Sabbaths that we celebrate,
And aside from the summer solstice getting a quick mention during a weather forecast,
We are recognizing them and celebrating alone.
Our Thanksgiving is in September.
Our New Year is in October.
So the fact that no one else seems to be sharing our enthusiasm for such celebrations in the summer months,
When paired with seemingly relentless heat,
Can cause a bit of lackluster for us.
But it doesn't mean that the joy isn't there.
It doesn't mean that there is no magic,
And it certainly does not mean that anything is wrong with us.
Summers can bring us intense heat,
And in some areas drought.
These are equal in might to winter adversaries such as snow and sleet.
Yet we seem to be more tolerant of such challenges in summer,
Because everything,
More or less,
Appears to be going well.
We somehow feel as though there's less of a need to prepare for or react to something.
During the colder months,
We find ourselves indoors much more often,
And therefore our minds could be shifted more towards at least thinking magically because of this.
But,
Being nature-based spiritualists,
The opportunity to be outdoors usually presents us with more opportunities to observe the magic in nature.
Be it relentless heat or snowdrifts,
Nature's might is never diminished.
Likewise,
Joy and magic are present in all seasons.
If you garden,
You need look no further than the first flowering plant of the season.
We are participating in the practice of magic each time we observe this magic,
When we practice mindfulness and awareness while in nature.
Just as one season is not more magical than the others,
Likewise,
One season is not less magical than the others.
As we enter into the dog days of summer,
Keep the notion of the dog itself in mind.
One of the most cliché names for a dog is Fido,
Which is a derivative of the Latin word meaning faithful.
Faithful is exactly what the wheel of the year is.
Until next time,
The crow flies from me to thee.
To send the message,
Blessed be.
