Gasp! I’m posting something other than random links and recipes! What will y’all do!
I’ve been reading the book Empty Cauldrons by Terrence P. Ward. It’s about witchcraft and depression. It’s very interesting, and it has a lot of great tips to help people cope with depression. And I wanted to share a prayer and a spell that I wanted to make note of for myself. I hope they can help someone here.
Depression Prayer – Prayer to Do One Small Thing from Empty Cauldrons by Terrence P. Ward
What you’ll do:
Identify a task that is sometimes easy to do, but at the moment feels overwhelming.
Recite this prayer:
Shining ones, if you will it,
may I see past the fog
to do this small thing.
Begin the task right away.
If you continue to have difficulty, repeat the prayer as necessary as you work through the task.
Sometimes the task is too big at the moment. If you fall short, forgive yourself and schedule a time to try again. Ask for help if needed.
When you complete the task, make a record of it in a journal, or confide in a pet, or tell a trusted friend to ensure that you remember this victory.
When you recite the prayer to do one small thing, do the thing right then, or at least try to do the thing immediately. Recite it like a mantra as you work through the task. It’s okay if you fall short of doing the thing right now. When you’re ready, try again.
Ward, Terence P.. Empty Cauldrons: Navigating Depression Through Magic and Ritual (p. 193). Llewellyn Publications. Kindle Edition.
Binding Depression Spell from Empty Cauldrons by Terrence P. Ward
This spell uses a physical object to represent depression, which will doubtless remind readers of the depression totem. These objects have very different purposes: one is treated like a long-term house guest that you’re working with to find a new home, while the other is being tied up and shoved in a box.
If you are inclined to create a depression totem, do not also use this spell. If you are inclined to bind your depression, do not create a totem. The approach you take is a personal choice, but you cannot treat any person in both ways and expect it to go well.
What you’ll need:
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a piece of brown paper torn—not cut—from a bag or package paper, roughly square and several inches on a side.
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a writing implement.
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an object that reminds you of your experience of depression.
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a cardboard box—with lid or flaps intact—large enough to fit your symbolic object; if there’s a lot of extra room, fill it with crumpled paper or some other packing material.
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a ball or spool of black cord or thread.
What you’ll do:
Write the phrase “the depression” three times across the brown paper, each below the last like a grocery list.
Strike out the word “the” in each case, and write the word “my” above it.
Turn the paper ninety degrees.
Write the word “bound” three times across previous words; the result should look like a grid pattern, and it’s okay to stretch the letters out to make that work.
Fold the paper in half toward you, turn 90 degrees and fold again, and continue until the paper can no longer be folded in half; set aside.
Hold up the symbolic object and say, “I name this object a proxy for my depression, because __________,” filling in the reason(s) why you chose this object. Then say, “By my will and according to the free will of all, I shall bind my depression.”
Place the object in the cardboard box, packing it in if needed, and close the top—it should not rattle in a way that would make anyone curious about the contents.
Placing the folded brown paper atop the box, take up the black cord or thread. Beginning at the top, wrap the cord three times around the box, moving away from you over the top and toward you along the bottom. Turn the box to the left 90 degrees and wrap it thrice more.
Continue wrapping three times and turning to the left until the box is tightly tied shut, and then some; during this entire process you may recite the following: “I wrap this box in sets of three, and thus, depression, I bind thee.”
Tie the cord off at the top.
Store the entire mess on a shelf where you will see it regularly, as a reminder that depression is caged.
