Melanie Marquis
Sometimes I find myself beset with feelings of gloom and doom even when nothing in particular is the matter—at least, nothing that I’m able or willing to easily identify as a direct cause! This is something that happens to all of us. While it’s important to acknowledge our emotions and give our feelings space, it’s equally important to remember that each of us is the keeper of this space that lies within our heart and mind. Unpleasant feelings that linger for longer than we want them to are like intruders on our private property, and we have every right to serve an eviction notice to these no-longer-welcomed, emotionally charged energies. Your inner world of body, mind, and spirit is your own personal and private domain, akin to a sacred space or a magick circle.
There are ways to reclaim your inner space, and the most important key to success in achieving this is the desire to do so and the understanding that you do indeed deserve to do so. This article offers some methods to try and some ideas to ponder to help get you started in reclaiming your space both in the short term and for the long term. Don’t be afraid or ashamed to also seek professional counseling, therapy, medication, or whatever else might be needed to help you reclaim your inner space.
You Are the Circle, the Cauldron, and the Cup
A useful analogy is to consider your inner world as your own sacred space of sorts. You might think of it as the magick circle cast within a room or an outdoor space before a magickal ritual begins, a space that is made by pushing out from the area anything unwanted—such as doubts, fear, and negativity—and inviting in only what is wanted and welcome—sustaining forces, nurturing forces, and forces that have your own best interest at heart.
Just as you can command and direct energies within an external magick circle, you have within you the power and the inherent right to guide and command the energies within your own internal sacred space. You might also connect with the analogy of seeing your soul as akin to the magick cup: the witch’s symbol of the Goddess and her cauldron, the cosmic womb from which everything emerges and to which all will return in a never-ending cycle of life and rebirth. The place where feelings reside within us is like a “holy grail” or cup that can forever be refilled with whatever it is we choose to pour into it. However you look at it, your inner world—your inner being—is your own space. Your body occupies a certain amount of space, and so too does your soul. Give yourself the space and room you need to let your spirit shine at maximum illumination!
Reclaim Your Space in the Short Term
This method can be used to help you shake off unpleasant feelings and shift your emotions in a more positive direction in the present moment. The effects will be temporary, but it’s a quick way to jump-start yourself into a better mood or shield yourself from the emotional barbs that others may be slinging at you currently.
Direct your awareness and focus inward, and observe what emotions and thoughts you find there. Just as you would scan a ritual space for unwanted energies when casting a magick circle, take a keen look at the energies and emotions that are currently taking up space within you. Is there anything in your inner space that you would rather not allow to remain there? Take a deep breath and remember your ability to love. Think of something you love until you are able to feel that emotion of loving within your heart. Then, in a series of long and deep breaths, exhale as you imagine that this loving energy is expanding from your heart center to fill your being, driving out and away from your inner space any unpleasant emotions or unwanted energies that you wish to be rid of in the current moment.
After you have driven out as much negative energy as possible, spread your arms out wide, with your open palms facing forward or skyward. Think of the energies and emotions that you would like to be filled with right now, and invite these energies to enter into you. Place your hands over your heart as you take back into yourself the loving power you utilized to drive out the unwanted energies and reclaim your inner space.
Reclaim Your Space for the Long Term
This space within our heart and mind gets bombarded with stress, negative beliefs, painful experiences, and other unpleasant emotions throughout our lives … It is up to us to reclaim ownership of this space within us so that we can free ourselves from limiting influences and past traumas and manifest in our lives that which we truly seek.
While temporarily banishing an unwanted feeling of gloom from your inner space in the present moment is one thing, reclaiming your inner space for the long term can be a much more difficult and arduous project. We are all works in progress, and processing through long-held trauma and deep-seated feelings of hurt isn’t something that can be done instantly through a quickly cast charm or magick spell. This space within our heart and mind gets bombarded with stress, negative beliefs, painful experiences, and other unpleasant emotions throughout our lives, and over time we may realize that these feelings have taken up permanent residence within us. It is up to us to reclaim ownership of this space within us so that we can free ourselves from limiting influences and past traumas and manifest in our lives that which we truly seek.
When we endure painful experiences that cause our soul to experience suffering, we tend to make that part of ourselves smaller and smaller, attempting to hide it away in order to best protect it. While doing so may have served us well in the moment, enabling us to disconnect enough to be able to survive whatever pains we were enduring, we can really get cheated in the long run if we don’t remember to liberate these aspects of our soul that we have closed in or shut off.
Remember, this space within you is your own space! It is your space to reclaim and to refill with whatever you choose. Thinking of things in these terms can help you to realize on both a conscious and a subconscious level that you really do deserve to feel good, to feel happy, to be nourished and nurtured. The pains you have endured were an abomination. No one, including you, deserves hardships and traumas. You deserve to reclaim your space and to let your soul expand your spirit well beyond the space you currently occupy. This desire to reclaim your inner space, your inner peace—to rid yourself of any lingering effects and restrictions caused by past pains—is the fuel that makes deep healing possible. These painful energies are powerful, and it takes a feeling of righteousness and a desire for justice, the certainty that you are on the right side of things, to conquer and banish these energies for good.
With your heart and your mind on board, the ritual that follows can give you the extra support and transformative power you need to go through the process of reclaiming your inner space for the long term.
Get a piece of paper and a pen, and take an inventory of what you find to be deeply rooted in your inner space. Are there any self-doubting beliefs or self-sabotaging energies that stem from past or current unpleasant or traumatic experiences? Do you truly welcome all the feelings and energies you find within yourself to be there in your sacred space? If you find anything within yourself that you would not want to allow in your home, your magick circle, or your ritual space, write these things down on your piece of paper. When you are finished, read through all you have written. Know that it is your choice what to let go of and what to allow to remain.
If you are ready to begin the process of letting go of the things you have written on your list, shred the paper into tiny pieces and burn the scraps as you think about the ways in which you would like to transform. Repeat this ritual monthly for several months or for as long as it takes. You may wish to time it to coincide with the dark or waning moon. After a while, you will find that you have emerged in a place of healing and inner peace that invites you to make significant and lasting positive changes in your life and in your mindset.
Actualizing the Potential of Your Inner Space
You are a vessel of spirit, a cauldron of soul, a mixing pot of emotion, and with the right ingredients, you can cook up some really good stuff! Just like the witch’s magick circle, the sacred space within you is a place for creation, a place where seeds may be planted that will grow into the fruits of love and abundance. If you find that your inner space has been taken over by negative feelings and self-harming beliefs, it’s up to you to do whatever it takes to root out these “invasive species” so that the seeds you choose to plant in your life will have the space and nourishment needed to thrive and grow to fruition.
Melanie Marquis is the creator of the Modern Spellcaster’s Tarot (illustrated by Scott Murphy) and the author of several books, including A Witch’s World of Magick; The Witch’s Bag of Tricks; Carl Llewellyn Weschcke: Pioneer and Publisher of Body, Mind & Spirit; Witchy Mama (with Emily A. Francis); Beltane; Lughnasadh; and Llewellyn’s Little Book of Moon Spells. The founder of United Witches Global Coven and a local coordinator for the Pagan Pride Project, Melanie loves sharing magick with others and has presented workshops and rituals to audiences across the US. She lives in Denver, Colorado.
Illustrator: Tim Foley