Witch heal thyselfAs I recover from a respiratory infection, I am reminded of one of the first things I heard from my first teacher in the craft. She looked at me and said, Witch, Heal thyself. One of the first lessons was, as a witch, I have the responsibility to be a healer of myself first.

No, she wasn’t telling me to go to school and learn a medical degree or even a psychology degree and she wasn’t even telling me to practice without a license. What she meant is that we as witches are responsible to take whatever action necessary to heal. At first when I was sick, I tried herbs and home remedies because after all it was just a virus and I only needed relief. It didn’t take long when I realized I had better seek professional advice. My virus had turned into a bacterial infection. OK, so, herbs didn’t work, spells didn’t work, prayer didn’t work.

Then, as I popped an antibiotic into my mouth, I remembered the old Christian story about the old man who was trapped in a flood. He prayed to God to save him. People came to help him, but he turned it all down with the reply that he was waiting for God to save him. He was soon overtaken by the flood. He spoke to God and asked why he didn’t come to save him. God replied that he did. He sent several conventional means to save him from the flood and the man didn’t accept it. What does this have to do with witchcraft, you ask? Well, it goes to what this post is about. Opportunities come to us in the most ordinary ways.

So What did my teacher mean when she said Witch, heal thyself? Healing comes from within. Sometimes, our feelings and emotions create disease or make us susceptible to disease. Sometimes it is just Science that happens. It is important to know when to look within, when to use spells, prayers, and herbs and when to ask for help. Sometimes, taking medications or other holistic means of healing are necessary. Just because we can not always do it on our own does not make us weak or any less of a Witch. If we have done a healing spell, the outcome may be that the means have now been made available, we just have to accept them.

Sometimes, being responsible for healing ourselves is indeed working with a counselor or medical professional along with our magick and prayers. Witches do indeed go through a transformation with effort and it is true that it is an internal one. However, we are not superheroes who are impervious to illness and disease or that we don’t have emotional disturbances or needs. We are not perfect. Even Superman had issues with kryptonite.

My lesson for the last 2 weeks? know when to reach out and ask for help, know when to accept help, and know that EVERYONE needs help in some way, at some time in their life.  Success is doing the right thing, the right way, at the right time. Sometimes the right thing may be asking the right person, the right thing at the right time. Depression isn’t a joke, mental illness shouldn’t be ignored and medical conditions shouldn’t be dismissed. Listen to your body and your intuition. Seek out the best answer, conventional means may be the right thing and now may be the right time and seeking a professional may be the right way.

Witch Heal Thyself.

Summer Song

 

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