What were/are your greatest struggles as a witch?

[Amethyst]

What do you all have problems with as witches?  I haven't been practicing that long but I have definitely run into a few troubles..

 

As one that practices green and kitchen magic, I have trouble with growing my own garden because I have a nomadic lifestyle.  Because of that, I end up walking more around the neighborhood and admire other people's plants (and take their seeds and fruits if the neighbors are okay with it lol).  Sometimes I hike, too, or volunteer at farms for experience and they'll give me some of their harvest or I'll find something in the wild.  I'm not really that active though, so I prefer a stay-at-home garden :P  

 

I also have trouble finding any kind of stores in my area that will sell crystals, herbs, books, and candles.  I mean, I can find some herbs and incense at Walmart, but it's not a lot...and certainly not everything i need

 

Another thing is just finding other witches, especially in my area to meet up face to face.  It wasn't until recently that I started finding communities, like this one, online.  Seems like there's just not a lot of us lol

 

So what problems do you all have, and how do you work around it, if you do?

Edited February 13, 2018 by Amethyst

[CherryDNA]

I don't have my own garden because I travel a lot. I don't like it, but I accept it.

I don't really know any witches. I do know some shamans and people who read tarot, but my intuition always warns me when I see them. Their energy to me comes off as malicious and hateful, which bothers me so I keep my distance. I don't really need anyone to practise with, but it would be nice to know someone who shares your point of view. My friends would probably think I'm stupid and crazy if they knew I believe in magic. My family would probably pray for my soul and think I'm going to hell.

It's rare for me to find people with open mind. I can't comprehend why people always have this need to pick sides. Of course we believe something, but why do we need to make others believe the same? It baffles me. If green is my favourite color it doesn't make your favourite color any less important. If I don't like to listen pop music does it have to mean I hate it? I guess people who think this way need validation because their self-worth is so low. It pains me to see that. This is a reason why I practise in secret. Because I'm tired of defending my views instead of talking about them.

Edited February 10, 2018 by Cherry

[Zombee]

I've been at this a while. With effort I'd learned to meditate & work it into my day with ease & enjoy it, but it wasn't always so. And then, I've been a weekend gardener for years and loved it, but now I'm retired and age crept up. It's as if what was once hard to do has now became easy, and what was enjoyably easy is now nigh impossible. Grrr! trade offs.

 

Spontaneous Psychic Phenomenon has bushwhacked me from time to time, throughout my life. These are things you just can't explain to casual acquaintances. There is no "off" switch. Even good friends get POd if inconvenienced (like if I insist we have to leave Now!) or when I don't look sufficiently interested in the moment. Shrug. Blink. "What?"

 

I see/hear dead people. What fun. Some of the spirit's snarky commentaries are hilarious. I've snorted into my coffee more than once. "Oops. Spilled it. Sooo sorry."

 

I actually prefer solitude. Crowds are deal breakers. Once, and only once, have I been to a shopping mall on black Friday. It was like being staked to an anthill.

 

But the all time pain in the patoote is (edit) dealing with modern electronic gadgets. If they don't poison us with EMG radiation then they steal our data and someone sells it to entice us to buy more EMG poison devices.

 

Actually getting to practice WC is an unparalleled relief! In summer, barefoot in the grass, beneath a rising moon! Letting the inner senses be free. Or delighting in the snowy silence of mid-winter sunset &'hearing the Earth sing. What could be sweeter? I'll put up with a lot to keep on keeping on doing the witch-thing.

 

When I can't find the supplies I originally want, I improvise and substitute. ... But I feel your crystal longing too. I've hunted out rock shops from the boonies to the malls. There's a lapidary rock & gem club in the county and they host an annual show, and have vendor booths from out of state. We have 1 new age shop in town hanging on by a toe. I found large chunks of raw, rose quartz at Pets R Us or whatever the pet food warehouse is called, in the fish tank isle. I did a little happy dance. and I've found some interesting quartz at road construction sites, and always look when strolling graveled paths. And oddity though it is, tourist traps sell stones.

Edited April 4, 2018 by Zombee

[citoyenne]

My biggest struggle as a witch is the same struggle I have in life. Direction.

There are too many things that interest, that pull. Too many paths to follow. I try to do everything and end up doing nothing; to choose a direction is to forgo others - I don't want to miss out on the possibilities I see everywhere. So I become an intellectual hoarder, I collect skills and tidbits of information.

 

Which leads into my next struggle: no time. I have too much on my plate and don't practice as much as I would like. I fit a bit in a daily but nothing big or even moderately sized workings. Too much work that ends up coming home, too much teaching on the side, not enough energy left to even clean house let alone do anything of consequence.

I've taken to doing a lot of workings while travelling each night. It's really the only time I have to myself but it's a lot less concrete than wakeful workings, the fuzziness around the edges hopefully does not impede too much.

[Tricycle]

Citoyenne, that's my main issue, too. And there are so many witches on youtube who talk about their time management systems with planners and journals and such. But still the same amount of hours in the day! Maybe we both need to get a good time management system just for our witchy stuff, haha!

[witchinplainsight]

Yep Citoyenne and Tricycle, time is a factor here too :( I work, I'm a mum, I have creative projects on the side. This winter I've been doing a lot of clearing out and just trying to get ready for spring and summer because I like working outside when I can.

[Holdasown]

Time, I can be really scattered in interest and not focus on something enough. I have no privacy at all so I have to wait till night or early morning and with two jobs right now I can't find the energy. 

[Ncosta01]

For me it’s a mix of all of the above. Definitely time but the most disturbing bit for me are crowds. So Zombee, I feel your pain. I sense energy so easily that going for a routine grocery shopping can turn into a big panic attack or something. I too prefer the “safety” of my home. Also what some of you said regarding friends. My boyfriend keeps on telling me “you’re a Witch” (he says it in a nice way) and I tell him “no way, there’s no such thing as Witches” (but he knows better lol), but the point is, there are open minded people like him, but mostly people are very narrow minded. People tend to thing they know better and so it becomes complicated for me to have friends because I am very humble and don’t really like to speak of what I know to be real as nobody would get it and they would probably mock me. So I tend to take the social out of life, it makes it much easier but it’s still a pain sometimes as you wonder “will I ever have a friend/ friends that get me and with whom I can be myself?”

[Moly]

So busy with work and family and can't seem to find time to practice and study how I want to... will probably move away from society when I'm older and have the means, and just be an old hermit witch.

[Holdasown]

Time, I can be really scattered in interest and not focus on something enough. I have no privacy at all so I have to wait till night or early morning and with two jobs right now I can't find the energy. 

 

Recently we had a flood. All the crap in basement we didn't want we left there to get water logged knowing the city would do a trash collection. We also couldn't move the furnace. I made a sort of deal with Holda. Don't kill the furnace and I would stay off online games and limit my online time. She didn't so I have really limited my time online and not been on games. What time I have been on I am posting in my blog and getting my etsy shop out there. All that time I though I didnt' have I seem to now and I have been getting a sewing machine ready for poppets and mojo bags. It's been great. 

[BeanSiFiain]

Recently we had a flood. All the crap in basement we didn't want we left there to get water logged knowing the city would do a trash collection. We also couldn't move the furnace. I made a sort of deal with Holda. Don't kill the furnace and I would stay off online games and limit my online time. She didn't so I have really limited my time online and not been on games. What time I have been on I am posting in my blog and getting my etsy shop out there. All that time I though I didnt' have I seem to now and I have been getting a sewing machine ready for poppets and mojo bags. It's been great. 

 

wow. enlighten me. :b

​I knew it was the video games!! my husband and I will help each other convince ourselves that we DESERVE our video game time, that we have EARNED that leisure activity after our tireless work. which for him is totally work. but for me its mostly housework, homeschooling, disciplining, and...... scrolling the internet for whatever I'm currently studying (i.e. books, articles, other interested folk)

​its gonna be hella hard to cut Skyrim and war band out but... I guess its really for the best. 

 

 

​I understand the path dilemma too. 

 

My biggest struggle as a witch is the same struggle I have in life. Direction.

There are too many things that interest, that pull. Too many paths to follow. I try to do everything and end up doing nothing; to choose a direction is to forgo others - I don't want to miss out on the possibilities I see everywhere. So I become an intellectual hoarder, I collect skills and tidbits of information.

 

 

​I dont think that I have quite the same "pick-a-side" problem, but I can definitely relate. I sometimes consider practicing in the predetermined direction of serving a certain deity, but quickly scratch that away because its a commitment bigger than child rearing (in my most humble opinion). personally, I stick with nature based practices since I am studying the gods and practices of the ancient Celts (mostly of Ireland but seriously I'm American, I come from more than one ancestral home, and even if I came from only Irish folk, the beliefs just on the island were varried). Personally I suggest finding some manner of communicating with your ancestors or someone. a safe someone. some kind of "meditation" practice to help you hone in on your path. we can't keep turning around to assess the fork again. we have to keep walking, there will be other forks.

Edited March 10, 2018 by BeanSiFiain

[Neville]

My biggest struggle as a witch is the same struggle I have in life. Direction.

There are too many things that interest, that pull. Too many paths to follow. I try to do everything and end up doing nothing; to choose a direction is to forgo others - I don't want to miss out on the possibilities I see everywhere. So I become an intellectual hoarder, I collect skills and tidbits of information.

 

Which leads into my next struggle: no time. I have too much on my plate and don't practice as much as I would like. I fit a bit in a daily but nothing big or even moderately sized workings. Too much work that ends up coming home, too much teaching on the side, not enough energy left to even clean house let alone do anything of consequence.

I've taken to doing a lot of workings while travelling each night. It's really the only time I have to myself but it's a lot less concrete than wakeful workings, the fuzziness around the edges hopefully does not impede too much.

I am there with you on all points. Sometimes I feel like a kid in a candystore not sure what to pick (aka which path to choose) So many interesting things to read and even more to try!

I do feel like I am flowing though and really really am happy how things come on my path and I take it from there.

 

Maybe I should check out those time management witches lol

[Phagos]

My greatest struggle is unfortunately not being able to be myself. To be able to practice how, what & when I like. If I lived by myself or my wife supported my beliefs it would be a different story. I do like the secrecy that comes with this path but sometimes wish we could just practice out in the open without judgement. I'm sure some of you can or simply don't care what others think but sadly I am not one of those people. So my practice is limited to the rare occasions I get solitude but even then, only when all other jobs/chores are done before I allow any me time. And those jobs seem to be never ending of late.

 

So in short, Judgement and Time lol 

 

Blimey, that was a depressing post!  :blink: