The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum

I'm not sure what you mean by darker, but I find work with cthonic deities or those who understand what I'm dealing with can be very helpful when I'm in a bad place. So... I guess I'm pro-stray?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

Well, you could always contact a psychopomp figure, if that's something you find works for you. So perhaps, Manannan Mac Lir? (forgive me if my spelling is a bit terrible; it's late and I haven't typed his name in a while)



How do you feel about those paths when you're *not* experiencing negative emotions?

(I would also add that some practices mentioned aren't necessarily "dark," but at the moment that seems like a bit of a nitpick).

I would investigate that option but I'm concentrating on the Celtic / Gaelic path. I am still learning about the various Deities though so I may yet come across some who can aid me specifically in these times.

I should have been more specific but by a darker path I mean anything darker from Voodoo, to Satanism, Spirit Evocation, Ouija and anything dark Occult. There is no one thing in particular that I'm drawn to when I'm experiencing negative emotions so far.

First, I am sorry you deal with depression...it can be a dark place. Warm hugs and healing light.

Have you tried essential oils to help lift your mood? For a time in my life I had some very low days, I would put a little on, my go to is "peace and calming" or "valor" and a quiet prayer asking for strength to help me through the day. For channeling I often go to "pine" as having a Native American heritage, I asked my ancestors to help calm and center my being and soul, to help me find the will and strength to face the day.

Or, perhaps a crystal of your choice to hold in your hand and meditate first thing in the morning to help you center and ground yourself. Sometimes people find comfort holding it, letting their fingers rub the rough side and just breath with their eyes closed and try to be one with where they are.

Our god and goddess answer us, sometimes in subtle ways. Mother Earth sends me things to see, but I have to have my eyes open and my soul as well to receive what she shows me. It could be as small as a beautiful flower, or a black bear hurrying across the pasture, or even a beautiful clear cool day.

I don't have issues with depression in the sense you describe it, but I do have some ideas for when you don't have your usual items handy.

Jewelry:
A lot of people wear a piece that's personally meaningful to them. This doesn't need to be something that's visibly obviously Pagan, if you're concerned about other people seeing it. At different points, I've worn a piece of dichroic glass set as a pendant, a small sterling silver charm that isn't obviously religious in nature, a couple of specific necklaces, etc.

Alternately, some people find having a small object (a small string of prayer beads, a worry stone, something carved with a suitable symbol, bindrune, or other design helpful - you can leave it in your pocket and just remind yourself it's there, or  take it out in private if you need to remind yourself of your goals or focus.

Portable altar items:
If you're more than very rarely away from home or in other situations where you can't have a full set of altar tools, a portable altar or shrine can be a good alternative.

What's in it is probably going to depend on your own specific needs, but it can include small objects, jewelry, images or small carved items relevant to a particular deity. The little LED tealights you can get these days are a great option to having candles if you're in places (hotel, hospital, dorm) where a lit flame isn't an option.

When I was job hunting and travelling for interviews regularly, I got a small box that will close, with several suitable items in it, and when I set up in my hotel room, I'd put out a small piece of fabric, set up the items, maybe have a little bit of suitable perfume or essential oil, and I'd be able to have a visible reminder of my spiritual practices  

(I got a custom playing card case: they come in lots of designs from that maker, hold up really well, and it's big enough for me to have a quarter yard of fabric for a suitable color altar cloth, and three or four pendants or small items. Less cloth, and you could fit more, though I found the cloth helped with padding items so they didn't move around or possibly break.)

Stuff you have to do anyway:
One really good piece of practice if you have concerns about being able to do something is build little reminders into your life. The image you pick for wallpaper on your phone or computer - again, it doesn't have to be Obviously Pagan, just something that's meaningful to you.

If you are somewhere (school or work) that makes you change your password regularly, try picking one that reminds you of your spiritual goals or focus (this could be the first letter from a piece of suitable text, or it could be a word or phrase, with some number or letter substitutions as needed.)

Playlists of music that you find spiritually meaningful, or even a range of podcasts, audio books, ebooks, or whatever other forms of media work for you that are already ready to go when you need a little help. (Some people find having guided meditations handy for this, some people like playlists of music, some people like having something they know they can rely on to read.)

Little small things - I build spiritual things into how I have a bath or shower. I paint my toenails blue as a deity devotion (and it's by far my longest running consistent spiritual practice: I've been doing it since late 2002.) My toenails are always with me, it's not very obvious to other people (like fingernails might be) and it just works for me. (Some people do tattoos for similar reason, but those are obviously a lot more permanent.)

Does the impetus come from you or outside you?
Finally, I'd encourage you to focus on practices that are more about what you do than how other beings (especially deities) respond. Sometimes deities are right there when we want them - but a lot of times, that's not necessarily the case, and it's not because we've done anything wrong, or whatever. It's just how it is.

(Just like one of my friends might call or email, and I might not answer immediately: it's not that I don't like them. I might be busy, I might not hear the call or see the email for technical reasons, I might be helping someone else out right now, and then other stuff has to happen too...)

I recognise that this can be really hard for anyone dealing with depression or exhaustion or fatigue - but in general, it's usually a better direction to move toward if and when you can, since you get so much more flexibility and possible resilience out of it.

For me, a lot of my deity work is service to particular goals - I can do those things whether I get a lot of direct feedback from M'Lady or not. (And most of the time, I don't get tons - just a very faint specific feeling, most of the time if I get anything at all.) That's pretty common for most people, I think.

But I can still do the useful things that advance things she cares about, because they're good things to be doing in the world *anyway*, whether she's explicitly telling me "Yay that thing!" or not.

(And also, they're things that usually get me at least some degree of positive feedback over time - helping people find information is one of the things I do for M'Lady, and since it's both job and personal interest, I do a lot of it. Not everyone writes back or says thank you or anything, but I get enough 'hey, I did a useful thing' feedback to make it much easier to keep going.)

Volunteer or creative projects that are related to a deity's desires can sometimes be a good way to do this. If you've got limited energy or resources, you can still do a lot, depending on your interests.

For example, someone could create a focused blog or Tumblr about a deity's realm of interest, with information about relevant things, not even explicitly Pagan, but 'here's stuff about the ocean' for an ocean deity, or whatever is relevant. They could volunteer occasionally when they felt up to it with nature cleanup or other projects. Some people donate regularly to a food pantry in honour of deities concerned with food and access to food and harvests. Artwork or music or poetry are a thing. And so on.

That's a thing one can do something about even when funds don't otherwise allow, thanks to the ubiquitous (in online Celtic music spheres, anyway) Marc Gunn. Check here and here to start off with.

Sunflower