L is for Let It Go

"Let it go man, shop class was a long time ago! It's over!"
- Mike, MST3K (Why Study Industrial Arts)

I don't hold grudges, generally speaking. I have a wicked temper, but it's the sort where I get extremely angry, but can be melted by a heartfelt apology. I'm the sort of person who will give others a second chance. And a third. Mmmmmaybe a fourth.

MARTY PUT DOWN THAT SPORTS ALMANAC!

What I do hold onto, however, is every single stupid fucking thing I wish I'd done differently. I sometimes find myself remembering events from grade school with genuine embarrassment and regret. If Doc Brown stepped out of a fucking Delorean in those moments and was like, "hop in!" I probably really would ask him to take me back to 1992 so I could tell little!me "YOUR JEGGINGS ARE ON BACKWARDS, GIRL! DON'T GO TO SCHOOL LIKE THAT!"

I think everyone has certain things they have a difficult time getting out of their minds.  Normally, it's just a minor annoyance (barring some kind of serious neurosis anyway) and it won't do anything except waste your time.

Unless you can't let go of things when you do magic.

One of the first things that was impressed upon me as a young witch was the need to put spells right the hell out of your mind as soon as you were done casting them. The reason for this can best be summed up using art as an example: every artist knows that when you're working on a piece there comes a point where if you keep fiddling with it, you'll fuck it up. For whatever reason, this seems to apply to certain types of magic too.

Sigils are perhaps the best example of 'set it and forget it' magic. The sigil is constructed, charged, fired... and that's it. It is recommended by pretty much every article or book on chaos magic written to date that as soon as you are done firing that thing you should distract your brain with something else. The same basic idea applies to pretty much any kind of spell that's not designed to be worked over a longer period of time.

Spells that are a longer working - like candle magic that can't be done in one evening - obviously can't quite be put out of mind in the same manner. Still, they seem to work best if while the candle is being worked you pray over it or charge it... and then forget about it when you're not consciously doing anything with it.

Regardless of the type of spell, it is important to let go of the outcome of the spell once it's done. Essentially once you cast that spell you've lobbed a ball across the grand tennis court of the universe... and you have to wait for it to hit it back. Obsessing over it just seems to function like yelling obscenties at the other tennis player.

The other thing every magician has to learn about letting go is very, very simple: sometimes you have to give up. There are times when you're hellbent on getting a particular result, and you work towards that goal with spell after spell after spell... this can be an endless cycle. And that, like wanting to steal the Delorean to spare your eleven-year-old self some teasing, is a waste.

When you are doing magic, a time limit can be an invaluable thing. Before you even begin your working, set a firm date. This tactic is something I've heard repeated on the Lucky Mojo Hoodoo Rootwork Hour, and it's damn solid advice. When you're in the grip of some obsessive desire, you're often not approaching things in a sane manner. People can and have wasted YEARS on a goal that clearly just wasn't about to be obtained. Don't be that guy.

You have to learn when to let go.


This was another post for the Pagan Blog Project.