B is for Balance

Most of us have busy lives. We rush around, dividing our day between working our day job, taking care of the household chores, spending time with our loved ones, and developing our spiritual path. That’s a lot on our plate. It’s no wonder that many people are on medication for depression or for anxiety. It’s also no wonder that of those four things, developing our spiritual path is the item that is most likely left out.

Spirituality is easily pushed off for another day. We need to work in order to pay our bills and keep a roof over our head, and household chores waits for no one- someone has to do the grocery shopping, laundry, and cleaning. With all of this, we need to also make time to spend with our loved ones, both here and far away. Some of us need to exercise or go to the gym. And we only have 24 hours in a day. Many Pagans that I know feel bad about not making time for their spirituality… but we only have 24 hours in a day.

Many tend to have these grandiose ideas of what we want our spiritual practice to be. I want to meditate every day, do more tarot readings, read a new witchy book each week. I want to do devotionals for my patron goddess, and circle at the full and new moons! I want to read every blog involved in the Pagan Blog Project! And leave comments! Again, we only have 24 hours in a day, and we also need to figure in downtime. We tend to try to put these large scale ideas into action, but then just end up feeling worse, when we can’t find time to meditate every night, or we lose track of when the new moon occurs. This doesn’t make us ‘bad witches,’ it makes us human.

So, what do we do, in order to add spirituality into the already precarious balance of a regular, busy life? Here are two options:

Option 1) Create a routine. Make a schedule, and stick to it. Come home from work, make dinner for one and a half hours, then go to the gym, then shower, then meditate, and THEN do whatever you want. Schedule your time. Create a colorful calendar, and put it where you can see it. If you want to schedule, but need a little bit of flexibility, use post its to block off your time. Then you can move your schedule around, but still keep all of your blocks of time.


Option 2) Get realistic. Instead of these big ideas, begin small amounts of spiritual work, and integrate it into the day. When I come home from work, I usually will check my facebook, and do healing work and light candles for those who need it that evening. This doesn’t take much time at all, and the candles can burn while I’m doing something else. You can meditate in the shower, or right before you go to sleep. Instead of an intricate devotional ritual you pressure yourself to do every day, create a short one. Write a prayer to recite, or light a candle.


Spirituality is important to my life, and I try to integrate these little things into my life. I’d love to be a full-time witch, hosting intricate sabbat dinners, and parties. But I have to work, and it can be difficult and easy to get spiritually disconnected. By incorporating small workings here and there, it allows me to find the balance I need.