I've blogged previously about negotiating with entities when it comes to working magic or building a relationship. I have felt overwhelmed at times by all of the many relationships I wish to cultivate on other planes and with deities and entities. It can all just be too much at times, so I have to make choices. I'm a Libra. Me and choice are not the best of friends. When we really start working The Great Work, we shine more brightly and attract these things to us. It makes the work easier and more difficult all at the same time: Easier because once communication begins, you're on a roll and it's easier to contact those you wish to seek out; More difficult because there are others you didn't envision contacting or working with, yet there they are wanting your attention.
This happens on the mundane level too. We call it being overbooked, or being stretched too thin. I have been overbooking myself lately. I've been picking up the slack of others who have backed out of commitments at the last minute, and I have, in many respects taken on too much. Some of it is what I want. Some of it I'd like to be able to do. Some of it is not what I want, but what others want. I'm the helpful type. I will go out of my way for others I have made a commitment to work with or help out. And now I am stretched too thin. I had already decided to take this second half of autumn to really sort things out, but now that I am faced with the practical aspects I've found it more difficult than I thought it would be- not with deciding what I truly want, but with how to remove the things I don't want while not feeling guilty over saying no.
Pendulums can swing, cards can flip, but I need to do the practical work of paring down my commitments because I don't do anything half-assed. The trick is to decline politely yet firmly and not let myself be guilted into doing things I don't want to do.
Here's a wonderful method of marrying the practical and the magical; It really makes you think about what you want and how you want it, then adds in substances to bolster your efforts on the magical level by using physical items.
Draw a Venn Diagram. Use thee circles.
While the above is adorable, you need to rename them:
Circle A: Things I have to do
Circle B: Things others want me to do
Circle C: Things I want to do
Write in commitments you've made on both the mundane and magical levels as well as offers, petitions for your help and ideas. If you're feeling adventurous or just crafty, Dab Circle A with frankincense Dab B with Myrrh. Dab C with Bergamot oil. You can go all out and use different ink colors for each circle. Dragon's Blood ink for the actual circles? However fancy you'd like to get!
Smoke the page in clove incense while visualizing your personal goals and having time for what you want to do and what you have to do and removing the things others want you to do which are not congruent with your goals.
Cut the circle of what others want you to do which doesnt fall into the center all-inclusive overlap. Let it fall into a cauldron and burn it. If possible it should be dropped into the cauldron with the scissors so you don't touch it again once it's cut away. Burn it.
While holding only the overlap section, cut away the things you have to do that you don't want to do. repeat the no-touchy-burn-in-cauldron step.
You are now left with the overlap of things you want to do in all regards plus the section of that which you want to do. Be VERY careful how you word things: If you put something like: "Change the cat litter" in the circle of what you don't want to do, you might find yourself without a cat. This is something you want to keep positive. I don't mean fluffy-bunny positive, I mean something that comes to you, as opposed to taken away from you.
As I've mentioned before it's horrible magic to say "may you never hunger" to someone in ritual space. Why? The brain doesn't pick up on the "never" just on the "you_hunger" part. So keep it positive: "Be thou fulfilled" is a MUCH better choice. I digress!
Put the overlap section on your altar until the next morning, then wear it in your shoe for 9 days. On the 9th night, when your shoes are off for the day burn the overlap.
Happy trimming!
