Communication with Others, One's Self, and the Spirit Realm
You’re in the right place if you want to…
learn about communicating with others, with self, and with spirit
understand how thyme can be used medicinally and magically
become more in tune with how the tarot can show up in you every day life
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To start off the show, we look at our Tarot Card for the week and we look for moments that relate to this card in our daily lives.
For this week, we chose the Four of Swords. The theme of this card is resting the mind.
This card really is about doing the thing that is going to give your mind the rest it needs. That could be through prayer or meditation. It could be by sleeping until you wake up naturally without an alarm. It could be about reading a book until you’re lost in it without pulling yourself to check your phone or talk to a non-fictional person. It could be about sitting quietly and observing nature.
It could also be about apologizing to someone and making amends for a wrong you’ve done to them. Alternatively, it could be about forgiving someone and not letting that take up space in your mind anymore regardless of if they’ve asked for your forgiveness. Those are also ways to ease your mind.
You can hear Erica’s and Maggie’s stories related to the Four of Swords by listening to the episode.
Communicating with Others
Listening vs Hearing
Actively listening to someone is realizing it’s not about you - it’s a two way street. When we truly listen to someone we are not just waiting for our turn to interject into the conversation. We’re not in our head thinking about the next thing to say or next retort to offer. Actively listening is being present with the person who is speaking and taking in all they have to say.
The Art of Apologizing
Recently the word “sorry” has become a “4-letter word” for me. Sorry has become a way to end the argument and move on. It signals “I’m done with this conversation, so sorry.” It’s lost meaning and feels contrite and patronizing. Apologizing is an active process that takes time and effort. There are 5 steps to apologizing:
Expressing Regret
“I am sorry for……”Accepting Responsibility
“I was wrong to ……..”Making Restitution
“What can I do to help you start trusting me again?”Genuinely Promising Change
“I am committed to doing everything I can to never do this again.”Requesting Forgiveness
“Will you please forgive me?”
And remember that even after doing all of these things the person doesn’t have to forgive you. I recently heard a story where a young man said something mean to a young woman and then later said “sorry.” The young woman then took a plastic cup and smashed it and said “sorry” to the cup and then to the young man said, “See the sorry didn’t fix it. The cup is still broken.”
It takes a lot to smooth out the wrinkles and patch the holes. It takes time and action and it may never be okay, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.
Empathy vs sympathy
Brene Brown made an excellent video on empathy. It basically boils down to 7 differences:
Sympathy is giving unsolicited advice. Empathy is actively listening.
Sympathy is knowing how someone feels. Empathy is feeling how someone feels.
Sympathy often comes with judgement. Empathy has no judgement.
Sympathy is understanding from your own perspective in experiencing this event or ones like it. Empathy is being in that person’s place and understand WHY they are experiencing these feelings
Sympathy says “poor you”. Empathy says “I can understand how it feels. It must be really hard”.
Sympathy looks at surface level meaning of statements. Empathy is aware of deeper level and unsaid cues.
Sympathy suppresses emotions. Empathy acknowledged emotions and allows them to exist.
So when someone says “I don’t need your sympathy.” They probably are really saying “I need your empathy.” So get down in that trench with them and process the emotions and problem together.
Communicating with Self
We talked a bit about negative self talk on the episode of perfectionism. So this time let’s focus more on communicating with yourself to reveal your emotions, your thought process, and your motivations. In other words, getting to know yourself on a deeper level.
This can be done in three ways: thought monitoring, speaking out loud, and writing.
Thought Monitoring
Thought monitoring is just what it sounds like, being aware of your thoughts, including dreams and daydreams. We think pretty much all the time so it’s hard to be aware of every thought you have. The most important time to tune into your thoughts is when you’re feeling strong emotions: whether they are pleasant emotions or painful.
Yes, emotions are a signal to you and they can be very revealing. In the past, I have been very disconnected from my emotions, and over the last year—since basically the beginning of 2020 and the pandemic—I have been very intentional about learning how to name these emotions and how they feel in my body. It started with the emotions like overwhelmed, anger, sadness. It was much easier for me to notice these because they impacted me in a negative way. I learned to manage and release those emotions instead of suppressing them.
But lately I’ve been able to also notice the joyful, loving, and excited moments while I was in them too. Not just after the fact.
Speaking Out Loud
Speaking out loud is when you say something you are noticing out loud or give yourself instructions. It’s a little more intentional than thoughts because it’s usually less frequent. Most of us don’t go around talking nonstop.
I find that I talk most when I’m doing something important that is either challenging or boring. And usually it’s a song.
Writing Things Down
This type of communication is even more intentional than speaking out loud or thinking because it’s an added step to gather a paper and pencil to write something down. Writing involves making notes for yourself, shopping lists, schedules, and keeping a private journal or diary.
Communicating with Spirit
Who lives in the spirit realm - elements, the planets, the zodiac signs, archetypal energy, plant and animal spirits, spirit guides, angels, ancestors, deities, abstract concepts, god, the universe, your favorite self.
Many people don't know this but you can actually ask for a sign. You don’t have to wait for them to appear to you. The key (as with most things in magic) is to be specific.
You can preface your request with almost anything you want confirmation on: "If you're there then give me a sign,” or, "If this is the right decision, give me a sign,” or even, "If I've gotten the message right, please confirm with a sign.” Then, you simply keep your eyes peeled for the next few days.
Ask for a number: “If I'm getting this right, show me the number 7,” then keep your eyes open for the sign to appear anywhere: on your phone, on car number plates, on receipts, etc.
Ask to see a specific image: “If I’m on the right track, show me a butterfly,” then be aware of any examples of the image your requested: living butterflies, on the computer while browsing websites, logos, etc.
Ask for a dream visitation: “If this is all real, visit me in my dreams,” then wait to see what happens in your dreams. This works best if you're already in the habit of observing your dreams and remembering them.
You can get creative here. Ask for anything that you think would help you understand the message and confirm your understanding of what to do next. You can ask to hear a certain song, ask for confirmation in a book. Make sure the sign you ask for is something recognizable as a sign. If you already see something frequently, it will be hard to distinguish that as a distinct sign or part of your mundane life. Like I wouldn’t ask to see a black cat because I have two around me all the time.
You can ask for guidance and signs through the use of:
Worship
Prayer
Offerings
Shrines
This post is brought to you by THyme
MEDICINAL - The important constituent of thyme is it’s essential and volatile oils. Their antispasmodic and expectorant actions make them extremely helpful in coughs; antiseptic; antibacterial and anti fungal; bathe infected wounds, to clean them, and promote healing; aromatherapy-boost the mind, spirit, and body; treat exhaustion, headaches, and depression as well as upper respiratory complaints, skin and scalp irritations and to prevent warts; used in commercial toothpastes, mouthwashes and in liniments and creams for gout, arthritis and rheumatism; culinary uses as well
MAGICAL - Passive; Venus, Mars; Water, Earth; Aries, Libra; Health, healing, sleep, psychic powers, love, purification, courage; Attracts loyalty, affection, and the good opinion of others. Wear a sprig of thyme in the hair make yourself irresistible. Thyme is also carried and smelled to give courage and energy; Wear a sprig to ward off unbearable grief or provide strength and courage when needed; Burn or hang in the home for banishing, purification, and to attract good health for all occupants; Thyme is also a purificatory herb; attract good health; used in healing spells; Use in cleansing baths prior to working candle magic; Use in dream pillows to ward off nightmares and ensure restful sleep; Worn, thyme aids in developing psychic powers; If you wear it you will be able to see fairies; Add a thyme infusion to the bath regularly to ensure a constant flow of money; Place in a jar and keep in the home or at work for good luck.
Service Magic
Libra is all about equality and equity and by extension social justice. For the Libra season each week Maggie and Erica will recommend a cause that you can help to support. You can support the charity we’ve selected, choose your own, or find something else to do in support if you cannot support financially (or nothing at all if you don’t feel called at this time, that’s okay too).
This week we hope you will join us in advocating with United we Dream for a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients.
DACA recipients & allies should use this time to remind the Biden administration that DACA is not enough! Democrats must deliver citizenship for millions this year!
https://comment.homeishere.us/
The Biden administration has proposed a rule to protect the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program from future legal challenges. While this rule would help to lessen uncertainty for thousands of aspiring Americans, it needs to lay out a pathway to citizenship or risks the loss of work permits for hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients.
Submit a public comment: In your own words, let lawmakers know why you support a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients and aspiring Americans using the Home Is Here comment form.
Donate Here
Send us a voicemail
We play one listener voicemail on each episode of Talk Witchcraft, with a few exceptions. To send us a voicemail, record a voice memo on your phone and email it to welisten [at] talkwitchcraft [dot] com. Please keep in mind that we only choose voicemails that are two minutes in length or shorter (even if they’re great!).
What we’re looking for in a voicemail
Share from your personal experiences (especially experiences that we could never have) and use that to illuminate the zodiac season or theme in new ways.
Ask questions of Erica and Maggie, so we have an opportunity to respond meaningfully to your voicemail during the podcast.
Use one of these prompts: Is there something happening with you and your life that aligns with the current zodiac season or a Tarot card? How do your experiences show us something new about the magic, something that we haven’t talked about so far?
Send a voicemail even if you’re behind on the podcast. If your voicemail is about a previous episode, zodiac season, or tarot card; that doesn’t mean we won’t choose it!
Tips for recording a great voicemail
Make sure you’re somewhere quiet.
Plan what you’re going to say ahead of time, because two minutes goes quickly.
Opt for talking freely based on a bullet pointed list rather than reading word-for word from a script.
Let us know if you’d prefer to remain anonymous.
Wait, don’t go yet!
Thanks for hanging out with me today. If you’ve enjoyed this post of Talk Witchcraft, I invite you to check out mumblesacademy.com.
Mumbles Academy is the place to be for intuitive souls at any stage on their WitchPath. Whether you are a Wildling at the very beginning of witchcraft journey and looking for a safe learning environment, a Creator who is already committed to their practice and wants to develop their witchcraft skills even more, or a Sage who full of wisdom already and is ready to share that with others, Mumbles Academy was designed for you.
With monthly masterclasses and live Q&As, an extensive archive of courses and training, and a supportive community to help you along the way with encouragement and advice, Mumbles Academy is the perfect place for you to be as you as you continue on your WitchPath.
Now it’s your turn!
Share how you came out of the brook closet. Or if you’re not out yet, tell us why.