Ask a Bog Witch.. inquiry #1
Read with whimsy. The guidance and storytelling here are simply for weighing against your own instincts. Please consult your personal trusted health professional team if you are curious about any herbal, aromatherapy or lifestyle changes. And, as always, you know what is best for you. Listen to your gut instincts.
Will we ever feel "safe" again?
This is a BIG question. Not just for the individual but the collective. While I completely understand the ‘why’ of this question. I also want to be very clear about the answer before I launch into both the explanation and the tarot/oracle message. Let me reach from the ether to hold your troubled hand when I say this. And this is the most important part of this bog witch message: “Safety” is not something that can be bestowed or given to you from an outside source. Safety is an inside job. No external entity, person, party, group or institution can shift such a profound, grounded sense of self. (Un)fortunately, feeling secure and solid can only come from you.
Let’s start where I love to start with all things like this.. etymology. Words have power and evoking a word .. well, that calls back the origin of a word. Let’s roll back the clock to 1300c. Old French. Sauf meant “unscathed, unhurt, free from danger, secure” or from a spiritual sense it meant “protected, watched-over”. Which is comical to me since being a human is technically never living up to that original definition. Being a human is messy. And you will definitely be ‘scathed’ in this experience. However, the word does seem to place the responsibility of safety on the external.. doesn’t it? But feeling safe is very different from isolated from danger. If you wish to participate in being human.. in order to feel safe and shielded, well, your inner boundary and protection must be well centered.
Let’s say I put you in a concrete box. No one can get in. No person can invade your space. No external weapon can reach in to you. Now, I would guess that the first few days you would feel pretty damn safe. But, I will also bet that after those few days you might start ruminating about what might be out there. Who is trying to get in? What did I try to protect you from? Are they planning a way in? Suddenly that sense of safety starts to transform itself back into fear. This is the brilliant way we are currently being manipulated. Isolating us from real, human experience. Convincing us that there are millions of ways we can be conquered, overrun and divided. That it’s all out of our hands. This is in NO WAY discounting the absolute shit show we are currently being subjected to. There are groups, entities and institutions that are trying to push, shove and plant themselves in our neighborhoods, government and psyches. But, there are also insanely powerful glimmers of hope.. IF we come together to override these numbskulls. Pushing through fear. To bring real change through remembering that our safety belongs to us and us alone. While external forces might try to exert their ‘power’ over you.. if you have a strong sense of self. That is safety. Let’s ask the cards for some guidance…
Let’s start with the question: What is hindering our sense of safety? We received the 5 of Pentacles. Oof, this card always evokes ‘outsider’ energy to me. The feeling you/we have of feeling unsafe, ungrounded and uncared for .. well, babe, that’s the isolation talking. We feel like we are the only ones going through it. See how both of these individuals are not looking at each other? They can’t even see they aren’t alone outside this place. Sure, we see it online. We can talk in platitudes. But the profound sadness and frankly purely bereft feeling is because we aren’t knocking on the door. These people are in dire straits. They feel alone. But are outside a place of worship. Where warmth, safety and care lives. They simply need to ask. When this card arrives .. this is a reminder that we are not alone. And we have access to care and nourishment, if we ask for help. There we will see we are not alone. We are all struggling. Only a wall separates us from rest.
So, in what ways have you continued to isolate yourself, thinking this would bring safety. Has your relationship to prayer/spellwork/meditation changed in the last few years? What if you believed that safety and security was simply an ask away? What active, community focused things do you feel comfortable participating in.. to bolster your power and strength.
The next card is almost too on the nosy. I asked, “what can help us feel more safe?” The 3 of Cups could not be more clear. Find your people. Celebrate the world in whatever way we can. Little, teeny tiny wins count. These characters succeed by realizing they each bring their unique power to the party. They need not all have the same skills.. each plays their own part and rejoices in the things they don’t have to carry. Part of “safety” in our current society is realizing that we don’t have to do it all. If we each feel confident, sure and solid in our skills and the energy we possess; we need not carry everything. Our grounded awareness of what we value and carry with us - IS safety. My accumulated herbal knowledge over 25+ years cannot be stripped from you. Could you take my rights.. my freedom.. sure, you can certainly try. But you cannot take what I know. You cannot take my confidence in my intuition. And that’s what I bring to the table.
What do you know about yourself that cannot be taken from you? Why does that not feel like enough? Do you have people around you that encourage your contributions? In the same way the 5 of Pentacles asks about isolation.. this card also asks.. have you pulled back from others? Do you need to find a new group that aligns more with your goals? What if we just allowed ourselves to be one small part of the whole?
Finally, I asked what the outcome could be if we followed this advice. The Wheel of Fortune is not messing around. We can shift all of this. Will it take time? Yes. Will we need to look at and address a lot of absolute garbage we have built our lives around/allowed to happen? Fuck yes. Will this be an arduous task? Also, yes. But, spinning the wheel and shifting the course of things is usually incredibly clunky work. It’s never smooth or easy. As a matter of fact, it is always a shit show. Think about a construction project. You have the vision. You have the tools. You have the materials. But, you have to tear down first. You have to live in a demolition zone. There will be unknowns you have to pivot to address during the project. But, if you keep clear on your vision.. and keep working toward that end goal.. it does arrive. That’s is safety to me. Not the messy in-between. But the belief in the goal and belief that I can accomplish it. No matter what. I trust me. I trust the people I put around me to help me achieve it. I trust the materials and the tools. And, ultimately, isn’t that what safety is? Trust? And trust in self is the only trust you truly need.
Do you trust that you can weather any storm that comes your way? Where in the messy part of the process do you start to lose your sense of security? How do you respond to change.. even good change? Do your alarm bells start going off? What would it feel like to simply believe in your mind and intuition? What if YOU are ultimately the grounding rod in your own life and you simply allow and move with change that happens around you?
Lastly, I pulled one oracle as the umbrella message from Spirit.. she sent us Inner Peace. She wants to remind us that we are, ultimately, protected and held no matter what happens. Safety is yours to hold and manage. However, it is always nice to get a little oracle reminder that we (both as individuals and collectively) are being guided. And believe me.. it doesn’t always feel like it and I have had more than my fair share of, “what the fuck are you DOING” moments the last few years. When my beliefs have been shaken. But, I believe in the trees. I trust the flowers. I have confidence in the soil. And that helps me feel grounded and safe. I believe in me. Even when shit isn’t going my way. Even when I look out into the world and see horrible shit that right now feels unconquerable. At the heart of it. I feel safe because I believe in me. I believe in the people I surround myself with. I believe in the power of change because that is the only constant and I can pivot with what comes next.
So, will we ever feel safe again? You can feel safe today. Try to stop seeking someone or something else to create safety.. YOU are the safety. You can use your voice, your action, your silence, your finances, your body, etc to create change if you have capacity to do so. You can create solace, create nourishment, create whimsy, create warmth, create activism, etc to build community if you wish. You can build sisterhood, build art, build new constructs, build anything your hands, mind and heart have time to erect. YOU are the solid, aware, brilliant and dedicated safety you are seeking. Now go out and share it!
If you need a few tools along the way.. here are some of my holistic faves:
From an aromatherapy standpoint, lean into roots and grounded scents. Patchouli (which people love or hate, I know), is very grounding. Getting you back in your body. Vetiver is a personal favorite. Sweeter than patchouli and blends beautifully with anything. Valerian is a good essential oil when your head is spinning and you need sleep. Clary sage is not a root, but always seems to snap my mind back to the ‘now’. Always use a carrier oil with essential oils.. do NOT take internally and use less than you think you need. They are potent and powerful.
Want to bring in some herbs? Milky oat extract is an amazing daily supplement for mood. Calming, stress reducing and nourishing. No contraindications either! I adore Motherwort extract for in the moment stress relief. A few drops under the tongue and when life feels overwhelming; it’s like getting a cosmic hug from mom. You can’t use motherwort when pregnant or trying to become pregnant! If your stress seems to affect your digestive system, try some lemon balm. It is delicious and soothes mind and body. Use caution if you take thyroid meds though.
Prefer flower/gemstone essences? Try Emerald. This heart opener really helps you open up to trusting yourself and Spirit. Exploring your personal gifts and creating that internal safety. If safety to you means speaking out but you struggle with that.. try Mullein essence. Stand tall and share with us what you know to be true. Wild Strawberry helps you know that your authenticity and inner authority is all you need to move fearlessly in the world. Expand! There are no contraindications with essences.
Stay feral. Don’t fear the bog.
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