I consider myself a wounded healer. It’s a term that’s both a noun and a verb: I’m also the wounded healing. To be specific, I’m the wounded still struggling to heal herself, and this is humbling at best and disheartening at worst.
The truth is, I still go through long periods when I’m depressed and feel like my connection to the Universe has been unplugged. It feels like the tools I use to heal myself have been pulled from my grasp. I’m left gasping for air.
I find the best place to go to get my heart and soul back online is my witchy altar—home to crystals, gemstones, a candle and even a wand or two. My altar serves as a touchstone when I’m feeling lost. It’s a compass that helps point me in the right direction.
The 9 small rituals
Doing any kind of magic requires clarity of mind and purpose. If I’m so depressed that even getting out of bed is proving to be a challenge, it’s very difficult, and even ill-advised, to do something as elaborate as a spell. Instead, I need to do simple rituals to help me reboot and start fresh.
These are the nine rituals I do when I have a limited amount of energy and motivation to work with:
Dusting my altar
I know it sounds silly, but I find cleaning, in general, can be very therapeutic. Cleaning a sacred space like my altar is therapeutic on a deeper level. I like to think of it as clearing the cobwebs from my mind. It’s also a sign of respect for the Goddess when I attend to my altar and treat it as precious.
Lighting a candle and gazing into the flame for two minutes
This ritual is far more effective at creating a sense of serenity and calm than it should be for how simple it is. There’s something mesmerizing about watching a flame. Focusing my gaze on it for a short time feels like honing the spark inside me, willing it to grow in brightness and intensity.
Sitting in front of my altar, eyes closed, and meditating
I have a meditation cushion that I use when meditating at my altar. I put my Yoga mat under it to protect my ankles and sit on the cushion cross-legged. There’s a palpable difference in how it feels to meditate in front of an altar as opposed to at a desk or on a sofa. It’s a greater sense of communing with my Higher Self.
Doing Yoga near my altar
I find it hard to motivate myself to do Yoga for Yoga’s sake when I’m not well. If I treat it as meditation in motion, it sometimes makes it easier to do. I can make a deal with myself: “You don’t have to sit and meditate if you do some Yoga instead.” Moving my body is one of the best things I can do for myself when I’m low, and doing it at my altar gives it a warmer feeling.
Placing something new on my altar
By “something” I mean a new crystal or gemstone, but it could be anything of personal significance. I recently got myself a beautiful crystal quartz for the centre of my altar and four black onyx gemstones to hold down the four corners. In my mind, this has created a protected field in which my altar rests.
“Recharging” the crystals and gemstones on my altar
There are various ways to clear negative energy from crystals and gemstones—from leaving them in moonlight, to burying them in the ground, to giving them a salt bath to waving them through smoke.
I like to keep things simple and just hold them in my hand one at a time, “sensing” the energy they’re giving off. Then I use my mind’s eye to infuse them with a white light shining down from above, until I feel a neutral or positive energy replace the negative, heavy or chaotic energy each one had before. The secret is that this process of transmutation affects the energy of the person holding the gemstone, too.
Clearing negative energy from the objects on my altar
If I have a bit more energy to work with, I’ll go on to methodically hold, “sense” and infuse with white light each item on my altar. Some items take longer than others to “clear,” so this takes some patience. It’s a bit of a task, but the vibration of the entire altar really goes up a notch by the end of this ritual.
Doing a Tarot reading and placing one card on my altar
I’m a big fan of Tarot cards—for me, they’re an invaluable tool for connecting with my intuition. By choosing one card from a spread that really resonates with me and placing it somewhere on my altar, it seems to amplify any positive meaning or wisdom attached to the card.
Writing an intention on paper and leaving it where I can see it
This is a bit more challenging than the other rituals—it takes more energy and focus. Doing a few of the easier rituals first helps me clear the headspace I need to be able to come up with an intention I can hang my hat on for the coming days or weeks.
I usually find that meditating for 15 minutes is an effective method for stumbling upon the intention that the Universe wants for me. The dual benefit of leaving it on my altar is that it remains easily visible on a daily basis, and it’s infused with the positive energy of the little sacred space I make—and remake—for myself.
Shining brighter and walking lighter
Everything is harder when I’m depressed. Everything takes twice the energy and means half as much. At least, it feels like nothing means much anymore. I find, though, that if I take a few small steps in the direction of reclaiming my magical self, meaningfulness returns to me naturally.
If I take a few small steps in the direction of reclaiming my magical self, meaningfulness returns to me naturally.
It’s a question of energy, always; energy that attracts, and energy that repels. The lack of energy is the primary symptom of depression I struggle with. The expansion of energy I can foster in the role I’ve chosen has also chosen me: the wounded healer.
Healing is a lifelong task, and there are times when taking bold action is required. There are other times when the best thing I can do is acknowledge that I’ve strayed off course and take small steps to realign with my inner sense of direction.
Any small changes I make to or by my altar are expressions of where I am and where I’m trying to go, which is ultimately closer to myself. As my body, mind and soul become infused with more positive energy, that same energy is directed back to my altar, where it lingers for the next time I need a boost.
If you mind your altar, you can alter your mind.
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image 1 Robert Strasser from Pixabay 2 image by JOAN A BROWN from Pixabay 3 image by congerdesign from Pixabay 4 image by ksyfffka07 from Pixabay
