The Fight to be the Perfect Witch

You are never going to be the perfect Witch, or anything else really. Stop comparing yourself to others. You, or they, can never be perfect. It is a losing battle which leaves people discouraged, burnt out and stressed.

Be the best Witch (or anything else you want to be or do) you can. I know that’s old and worn out advice. But, think of it as time tested instead.

People put pressure on themselves to be some ideal Witch (or whatever/ anything else). Its killer.

First, as soon as you start learning and understanding one thing you begin to see so much more you can learn and understand. It is never ending. So you, being just one human being, you can’t ever learn or understand it all. That’s a good thing. It means you never need to get dull or stagnate. Keep learning and evolving.

You’re never going to be the perfect Witch, and the other people you think or believe are perfect – are not either! Ask them, if they can be humble enough to be honest. No one is the perfect Witch. Not the people writing the books, not the ones running workshops and classes, not the people selling the herbs and tools and everything else online. None of them are perfect or all knowing.

So give yourself a break! You can’t be a perfect Witch but you can be a happy Witch. Work on that.

Make Your Own Mobile Travel Witch Altar

With some planning, creativity and ingenuity, you can make an altar to take with you, carry it in your pocket, backpack, luggage, carry on bag, or purse. The size will depend on the container you can find to hold everything in. From there just keep thinking small.

I would like a special container, a small metal box I think. I could see the metal box as my element for Fire. So that serves a double duty without adding a thing inside the box.

What do you really need for your altar?

Make a list and whittle it down. Literally and figuratively. Decide what you need and what you can do without, for a day or two, or when you’re not at home. What can you scale down, bring less of, or find a smaller alternative?

For me, I would always have to bring at least one small rock, pebble. The Earth element is easy that way.

A sealed container can hold a little water. Another can hold air, nothing but air. If your water leaks, test it before packing it up, you could keep a second empty container to fill with a little water later. Air and water are not hard to find, even on the road.

Wrap everything in a soft cloth, which can double as an altar cloth, to keep it from jiggling, making noise, or breaking when they are in your pocket.

Get a little creative for other tools you want to have in your little box. Add a leftover (or new) birthday cake candle, or four. Use a penny as a weight, melt a dab of wax from your candle to stick it to the penny so they are less likely to tip over. You may already have a small pentacle, a necklace, for instance. Substitute for tools you can’t fit in the box. Get more than one use out of fast food containers, for example.

Pick up things along your journey: seashells, flowers, a stone, a button, a pack of matches, a postcard or other souvenir. These can be great additions to a mobile altar. They can be temporary and are no problem to recycle.

Don’t forget some salt, or whatever you choose, when you close circles, and end rituals.

Go through and use your mobile kit once at home so you don’t realize you missed something once you are using it somewhere else.

I found kits online, but as you can see from these, it really isn’t a stretch to make your own. Something personal will have much more personality and meaning for you. Buying one made by someone else just isn’t as much fun. Think of it as a challenge, see how miniature you can go.

A Pocket Travel Altar – from Etsy shop – The Whimsical Pixie11

Another, called a Witch Kit Box – Etsy shop – The Ridgeville Witch

What to Write About in Your Book of Shadows

This is not a full and complete list. For one thing, your Book of Shadows should be individual to you. For another thing, these are just ideas, like a writing prompt.

  • Magic rules and principles.
  • Your goals and what you wish to achieve.
  • Dreams and other forms of divination you try.
  • Drawings, doodles – any kind of illustration.
  • Poetry or a few words and phrases that came to mind.
  • Rituals and ceremonies you try yourself or attend with others.
  • Spells, prayers or incantations.
  • Anything you feel inspired by and clip out of a magazine or bring home to paste into your Book.
  • Herbal facts, lore and your own experiences with herbs and other plants.
  • Research you have done and are still working on.
  • New ideas and fresh thoughts.
  • Notes about any classes or courses you take.
  • Your fears and concerns, anything you aren’t sure about or second guessing.
  • Closing thoughts as you finish writing each time.
  • Draw a diagram of your altar and draw another when you add more or change positions of the objects on it.
  • Make note of any tools you are given or buy for yourself
  • Write about recipes you’ve made.
  • Music and dances.