Spirit One Webzine

After watching 2 episodes of the new series “Once upon a time” I started remebering the old nursery rhymes I used to read to my children when they were young.

Rumplestiltskin a tiny little man who who spinned straw into gold for the miller’s daughter, but for a price. First time he spun the straw into gold she gave him her necklace, the second time it was for her ring and the third time she had nothing to give him. Ruplestitskin had her promise to give him her first child if she became Queen. The tale continues…..the King was young and handsome and saw the miller’s daughter leaving the castle and fell in love with her. They soon married and she bacame pregnant – things plunged. Ruplestiltskin returned to collect on the promise of getting her first born child. The Queen cried so hard that Ruplestiltskin had pity and gave her 3 days to find out his name and if she did she could keep her child. The Queen was determined to change her luck she sent out messengers all over the land to find different names. One messenger returned with a rhyme he herd a strange little man singing:
“Tonight I brew, tomorrow I bake,
And then the child away I’ll take
For little knows the Royal Dame
That Rumplestiltskin is my name.
(Rumpelstiltskin; Shirley Temple’s Storybook – Random House 1958)

The Queen was so delighted and immediately summoned Rumplestiltskin to let him know she knew his name. “A witch has told you that – a witch has told you that!” shieked the little man as he fled into the woods in a rage and was never seen again.

Beauty and the Beast is another fairy tale that taught us that beauty is only skin deep and what is in you heart is most important. As Beauty got to know the Beast he appeared less ugly in her eyes. As the story goes the Prince had a spell put on him by the magician because he ws proud, thoughless, vain and selfsh. He was to remain that way until a beautiful girl consented to marry him of her own free will.

The Prince did not give up, he was determined to change his luck and break the spell. He succeeded and Beauty and the Prince got married and lived happily ever after.

These fairy tales always had an evil villian that made life almost unbearable and the determination of the recipient to figure out a way to beat the odds. Isn’t that what real life is all about? Well, maybe not the evil villian casting spells but the concept is there just the same. Life is filled with all kinds of plunges and how we choose to handle these obsticles is the key to survival.

As Witches we have many tools that can help us on this journey we call life however when things get really tough we forget to use them. One of my most beloved tools is grounding and centering. It’s an easy tool to use, you can take it any where, and using this tool can show results almost immediately.

In times of stress or anxiety, grounding is a way to release excess energy from yourself by allowing you to calm down and think things through. At times when you need energy, grounding enables you to draw it up from the Earth, offering a wellspring of power that can flow through you without exhausting your own resources.

Another tool that we as Witches have at our finger tips to help detangle lives hard knocks is to meditate. Just like grounding and centering, it’s simple and inexpensive, and it doesn’t require any special equipment. And you can practice meditation wherever you are. Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance. When you meditate, you clear away the information overload that builds up every day and contributes to your stress. The emotional benefits of meditation include: gaining a new perspective on stressful situation, building skills to manage your stress, increasing self-awareness, focusing on the present and reducing negative emotions.

By clearing away the informational overload it give you the ability to think clearly allowing you to formulate a plan that will help you get through the tough times. It is all about survival, and knowing there is always new beginnings.

This whole notions of “Once Upon A Time” gave me the inspiration to create this poem.

Fairy Tales
By Terry Moore / Etain.Butterfly ©

Jack and the bean stalk, Cracker Jack box,
Life isn’t a fairy tale; it does have some hard knocks.

Mary had a little lamb and little Bo Peep,
Sometimes things plunge and sometimes things peek.

There is Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty and lots of happy endings,
So keep in mind when life gets tough there is always new beginnings.

Like hay diddle – diddle, the cat and the fiddle and the cow jumped over the moon,
Remember to keep a smile on your face, for your luck will change real soon.

For all things we cannot control, just remember those old rhymes,
Never give up, make your own good luck and create your own good times.

My Witchy philosophy is to use all the tools that are available to me to help me create a life that sustains my mind, body, and spirit for the” happy ever after” in this life time. For real, life is not a bowl of cherries and I have experienced some really hard knocks. The key is that I did not give up and I got back up really determined to create my own good luck. I did not relay on someone else to fix the bumps in my road of life – I used the tools I needed to resurface my own road.

Once I figured out I have the ability to act on instead react to those obstacles that everyday life throws my way I learned it is easy to make my own good luck. I am a Witch and I am thankful for all the tools available for me use to help resurface my own road as I continue on my journey of life. I am truly blessed and living the “happy ever after” in this lifetime. Blessed Be.