
2013 has been an interesting year for the Degu Witch. Over the course of the last year I have written three novels, numerous articles, several poems and a play. I’ve taken on my first protégé in Witchcraft, been promoted at work, acquired seven tarantulas, taken part in a fashion parade, achieved acceptance into a respected witch community and survived a month in my most hated place - Milton Keynes (known to my fellow Twitterers as “The Keynster”).
Our family has both grown and diminished, 2013 saw the birth of my beautiful little niece Chloe, a very welcome addition to my cherished sister’s happy family. The cold winter winds brought a new kitten (Cleo) crying to our doorstep (and although she appears intent on slowly demolishing our entire house scratch by scratch, we haven’t the heart to let her go.) On a sadder note, I’ve lost two degus, one (Caramel) as recently as Christmas Day and our elderly cat Amy also crossed the rainbow bridge earlier this year.
The website has gone from strength to strength with “Ask a Witch a Question” receiving many questions and some very positive feedback. The accompanying Facebook page launched this year now has a community of nearly 3000 people and has been a great opportunity to network with witches all over the world. My public profile has grown steadily and the subsequent exposure has allowed me to hold out a hand of help to those seeking my advice or assistance.
My private working with the craft has deeply benefitted from working with my close friend Alice who has a wonderfully natural instinct for magic. In the last six months of the year we have run on a 100% spell success ratio and if ever there was a year for me to make my claim to the Magical Midas Touch, 2013 has been it. However the foundations of my craft run deeper than peripheral success and I’m ending this year with a real sense of peace and calm, a certainty that though bad times usually follow good, I’ve got ample spiritual resources to contend with whatever 2014 turns up.
So looking to 2014 and beyond I’ve got some very definite plans in place. The first thing is to stop procrastinating and get published. Time to put the old money where the mouth is and send off a manuscript or two. My long term goal is to be earning a living by writing within the next five years. I’m going with the romance novels although my long term plans do include several more plays and at least one non fiction book on the basics of following a craft path. I’m slowly finding my voice as a writer and I’m not sure how long I’ll stick with the romance genre, it was interesting to write something a little more philosophical recently. But one thing at a time – I’ve written half a million words in the last eighteen months and I want to see some of them in print. And any publisher sending a rejection slip to this witch had better watch out, that’s all I’m saying!
I won’t be taking part in the 2014 Pagan Blog Project (though I may drop in occasionally) and you will start to see a bit of a change in the website this year. I want to tackle some more contentious issues rather than solely focus on the teaching side of the craft. The blog posts I have enjoyed writing the most have been the “hot topics” and there will be more of those this year. “Ask a Witch a Question” will remain and I’ll continue to focus on advising, supporting and helping those new to Witchcraft. You’ll also see the Degu Witch getting into podcasting (tech team in place already) and tossing around a very long term (2016 and beyond) thought of getting into video communications. I’m also going to accept some of those invitations to guest write for magazines and periodicals and submit more of my articles to a wider audience than my own website.
I’m expecting to watch my protégé make a formal commitment to a craft path this year –(uninfluenced by me, I guide, I don’t dictate but I’ll be surprised if she doesn’t). The key areas where my own influence will be needed among friends and family are already making themselves known and I’m expecting two (separate) friends to have some pretty serious problems next year which will involve me offering significant help. My own craft focus this coming year involves tapping into the idea of the collective consciousness – I want to utilise group energy beyond my own to direct my spell work. I’m keen on harnessing the power of other beliefs to further my intended outcomes. This sounds a bit like I’m gunning for world domination but rest assured I’m planning to save that at least for 2015…
On the personal front I don’t foresee too many changes this year. Certainly I’ll double the tarantula collection (Orange Bitey Thing here I come!) I’d like to squeeze back into a size sixteen skirt and October will mark the celebration of ten years with my husband. It goes without saying of course that I’m expecting to write another couple of novels. It should also be noted that I’m kind of due for some turbulence in my own life having coasted on the crest of a wave for the last few years. Possibly in the summer months? A little precognition there perhaps, we’ll see…
Every year I step further away from what the world deems conventional success and this year was as usual no exception. But every year that passes also reinforces my belief that breaking away from the crowd is no bad thing. I spend my lunchbreaks writing romantic fiction, philosophical plays and letters to young witches, I spend my evenings immersed in incense, spellcraft and tarantulas. I exist in a bit of a bubble if I’m honest - a big Degu Witch Rose bubble with its own very distinct reality. But I’ve no fears at all about looking back from a ripe old age and wishing I’d done more. On the contrary, there simply aren’t enough hours in my day for all the things I am doing! Mind, I’m lucky to have the support. Ten years of the Degu Witch would be a big ask of any man. Though as my husband sagely pointed out only the other day, every deep thinker needs a partner who’ll remember to buy the milk…
Ultimately my path and my purpose are validated by my happiness. That’s all any of us have ever really got to go on. If you’re on the path to happiness – keep walking. If you’re on a different path – change direction and walk somewhere else. And if you find happiness? Hold on to it with everything you’ve got. That’s certainly what I intend to do.