I don’t want to come off like some Debbie downer, but I’m super struggling in my path. Is it me? Or is it just been super weird ever since COVID? I feel like that whole experience muddled my path. I feel distant from my abilities… I feel like I don’t even know the moon… I feel like I don’t even know my own magick. Does anyone else feel this? Or have you before? It’s almost like I have forgotten who I am… what I’m about…what I believe in…
I look at my crystals and I’m just ….”blah”
I draw a card and I’m just …“blah”
I look at the moon and I’m like…… “blah”
I don’t even know if this makes sense…
(Also— I couldn’t pick the right category for this post— I didn’t have any other option besides “announcements and recipes )
While I can’t say that everyone goes through them across the board, with the many similar posts shared in the forum to attest, I can confidently say you are not alone- is really common for a witch to have ups and downs on their path. I think of it like the phases of the moon- in order for the full moon to shine brilliantly at full strength , it needs a time of rest and rejuvenation as the new moon . Some rest periods are very mild, while others feel more like The Hermit and require a higher level of inner contemplation.
In any cycle, I see it as natural to need “down time” where we reflect and reassess.
There have been some great suggestions and lots of positive encouragement shared for those going through very similar periods in their Craft- I’ll link a few in hopes that these shared experiences might help you feel more at ease. Here are a few you might take a peek at:
Burnout, disconnection, feeling lost- these are all really tough and heavy emotions to deal with. But as I hope you can see- you’re not alone in experiencing them, and you’re also not along in dealing with them- your coven is here to help and offer support and love and encouragement
Sending lots of positive energy your way, Ember! I hope the clouds parts and you are able to shine brightly on your magickal path once again, even if it’s in a new or different direction than what you were working on before
No worries at all, I’ve got it moved to Witchy Wisdom! Strange though- would you mind checking now to see if you can see the other categories? Perhaps a site update caught you while posting. Please let me know if you still can’t see the other categories and I’ll take a closer look!
I felt this way too for a while. Going for hikes in the woods and being closer to nature helped me. Sitting under a willow tree also gave me a recharge and when sitting there I noticed a branch on the ground .I thanked the tree and went home and made a wand. The world is intense right now and I feel like it can really make you feel clogged. Try working on your senses like what you smell or taste. I would listen to some magical music lay in the grass under the moon light and just take it in. Buy yourself something really witchy like a cool ring. Navajo say that smelling juniper can set you back into the right course but either way ask the universe for help and just flow. Hope this helped.
@Ember_Lee - YES, I have gone through this a couple of times and it does feel very disenchanting to experience. Many of us here have as Bry has noted above. It’s not uncommon to experience a big life event or world event (pandemic) and end up where you seem to be - even much smaller impact things we don’t realize affect our ability to SEE and experience who we really are.
How to get back to yourself? What drew you to your practice - what gets you going in the magickal world - learning, reading, experiencing, community? Making something? Teaching? Like we are often called to do when a romantic relationship looses it’s spark, go back to the beginning and find common ground and what you fell in love with and what you like best about your practice. Don’t use a shot gun and splatter your thoughts everywhere - use a rifle and be very specific about spending your time and energy where you love things right now!
I think everyone goes through burnout at some point in time. It sucks but there’s no way out but getting through it. Take time for some self care. Read some witchy fantasy books. Go for a walk. Get inspired again and you’ll feel better!
@Ember_Lee
Our beloved members have given such great answers but I wanted to focus on the mental stress we went through.
Sweet Girl, it is normal to feel ‘displaced’ after a period of quarantine. When this period ends some of the issues you may face are: post-traumatic stress symptoms, confusion, and anger. Stressors included longer quarantine duration, infection fears, frustration, boredom, inadequate supplies, inadequate information, financial loss, and stigma.
I’m still feeling a little ‘outside myself’ although the recent hurricane was not my friend.
Talk to someone, find a group that’s dealing with PTSD.
Shake it off, do something physical, walk, take a drive, watch a good movie.
Ember, you are not alone.
Echoing what others have said. Remember even the Moon goes through phases!
Craft aside, life in general has felt pretty super weird these past few years so it is no surprise to me that you might feel less connected. Like exercise, sometimes it helps to start small and just do a little daily. It could be just journalling about how you feel about your disconnection. It could be anything really. Stir your coffee 3 (or 13, or whatever number you like) and think “I’m a witch.” Sometimes I get busy with other things, but later feel a pull to practice the Craft. Just as I sometimes select an herb or crystal based on feel, sometimes I feel a need to practice. Even reading can be practice - it doesn’t always have to be a ritual or spell.
@Ember_Lee without repeating everyone else, I will say that I have gone through it a few times since the pandemic but also with life changes & the everyday. As schedules change or have to be adjusted… I sometimes feel like I’m just going through the motions doing the same things that you mentioned with cards, crystals, what have you…
Spending time outside is what helped me & then I got involved in the outside & the inside of my house. So kind of starting over in a sense. I’m actually going through a schedule/flow rearrangement right now. It’s the same though, I started with getting outside, even if I just walk around my front yard or out to the backyard or the back porch. I recently just started journaling again… one day it literally said, “I don’t know what to write about. There’s so many things, I just don’t know where to start.”
It will come back, sometimes you just have to rest & start over to see what feels right after everything that has gone on with the world & with your own personal life.
As @anon87969570 said, we are always going to be here for you! @BryWisteria shared some great links & everyone has given some great ideas & encouragement.
Whenever I feel lost I take that as me needing to step back, for whatever reason. I start taking more walks in nature and doing things I love. It comes back in time.
(Edit: by walks in nature, I mean around our neighborhood. I’ve always done this wherever I live. I look for the flowers, grass, trees, clouds, birds, no matter how paved and crowded the city is.)
First of all, you’re definitely not alone. There are many people who get burnt out on their path, who take breaks, and who feel disconnected. There’s nothing wrong with it and it’s perfectly normal!
I can’t speak for everyone else but I’m of the opinion that stagnating in your path is a good thing because it gives you space to breathe, relax, and grow. It gives you room to branch out and explore new things or go back to the basics, the things that brought you to your path in the first place.
Yes to this entire statement! I have to give myself a few days to just unplug and disconnect from the constant connection that I have online. We have access to all the news, all the bad things happening, all the tragedy, and our attention spans have gotten shorter due to the constant bombardment by media and videos (in theory…I don’t have a link to a source to back this up right now).
Hello, @Ember_Lee, you have made a very interesting post!
I think everybody feels a burnout in their path in some point., and it’s not bad at all, nothing to feel bad about it!
I had my own several weeks ago, when I felt disconnected from my magic and guilty about feeling like this, and then I found this coven. They made me feel not alone and my interest came back!
Maybe you should take some time for you, give yourself time to heal and find your path again. We’ll be here for you, and you’re not walking alone
)
, it needs a time of rest and rejuvenation as the new moon 
. Some rest periods are very mild, while others feel more like 
It’s nice to see you here again!