A student asked me for some kind of daily, positive personal practices, personal on up. There are so many things you could say, so many things one should / could do - just look at all the approaches humanity has taken over the millennia! There are the obvious ones, like offerings and sacrifices, incense, prayer, hymns, festivals, and so on and so on. There are a few culture-specific ones, like pulling thorn-studded strings through your tongue in Mesoamerica (a kind of sacrifice), or some of the more ascetic practices in India (like holding one arm up for your whole life). Lots to consider. 

That's too much though. It's hard to practice them all when you're starting out, overwhelming even. The books say do this and that, the other blogs enthuse about the 67 rituals they did just last week, you feel obligated to do all the things every day, and it's making you broke and stressed and not so interested in any kind of daily practice. It's enough to give you a complex.

So I'm going to suggest just a few small things that are easy to inject into our busy lives to make all that spiritual work WAY less daunting. As you become closer to your spirits, you'll figure out what else you need to do. If not, They'll make it abundantly clear what they expect! 

1) Gratitude
Morning and evening prayers take many forms, and have a rich history in every religion. Catholic monks and their Hours, Muslim prayers towards Mecca, and even the Greeks singing hymns to the Olympians. Doing something grand and eloquent is awesome, of course, but you know what's more important? Actually doing it. And all that takes is a simple heart felt "Thank you" to... whomever... as you swing your feet out of bed and onto the ground.

2) Centering
And while you're at it, let those feet touching ground be a moment to center and ground. Just breathe deep, remember your Self and your own power, and prepare for the day. If you say "Thank you" as above, follow it up with some statement of identity to being yourself fully into connection with who you are. Something simple, like "I am whole", is more than enough.

3) Shower
This is tongue in cheek, of course, because I assume you're a generally clean and hygenic person like everyone else. The idea here is to high-jack that time and make a point of cleansing. It doesn't need to be complicated. get your lavender-scented shampoo and literally wash away whatever is hanging around and shouldn't. Or use the sandalwood soap you like. Scent is powerful, so pick one that says "clean" to you, and recognize the power it has. I'm partial to Irish Spring myself.

4) That Mouth
The rest are mostly obvious, I think, because they're recommended by every tradition I can think of, in one way or another. This one is a bit different and less common. So, when yuo go to brush your teeth, use that as a moment to focus on what you need for the day. I usually think "may I speak truth" when brushing my teeth. Starting with what you say is important, because words are magic (there's a reason it called enchanting). This might also be a good time to address those other senses (or in the shower): wash your hands ("may I act with truth"), and your eyes ("may I see truth"), and so on.

5) Make Breakfast
Not just your own, of course, but for the Spirits (non-bodied) and People (that have bodes) and Ancestors (that once had bodies) around you. A lot of people freak out about this stuff, and agonize over just the right drink, or that dish specifically. That works for bigger observances, but as a daily offering, it doesn't need to be so big. And it's better if you do it daily, in a way I cannot emphasize enough. All you need to do - set out a glass of fresh water. Do that, daily. Just that - super simple. Maybe say another "thank you" or "for you" or whatever speaks to you aesthetically. Don't skip it. 

There you go. 5 things you're already doing, turned into spiritual practices that will improve your spirit relationships, your magic, and even your own self, simply and without a lot of hand waving and chantiong and magicking. Now, if you have the time and inclination, any of these can be made more complex, with candles and oils and sprays and poetry and so on. And that's nice - but don't forget the simple power of a word like "Thanks" or taking a moment to just breathe deep.

​There's not really a good reason to go into all the things that everyone, their dog, every one of their cousins, and multiple governmental agencies are telling you to do right now for safety, health, and so on. There is, however, a dearth of people giving suggestions from a spiritual or magical point of view about what to do with all this time many people have come up against. Plenty of jokes about switching from  day pajamas to night pajamas, not so much on how to best utilize the time you (may) have available to you. There are obvious things to do (exercise, work from home, cleaning, games with the family, etc.), but here are some suggestions from the spiritual / magical direction. Figure out what works for you, and make a little progress if you can.
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• Work on your spiritual practice. Whether that's prayer, daily offerings, meditation, dawn rituals to cleanse your energy body - whatever it is, now's a great time to amp up your effort. During the normal work week, it's hard to keep up with a practice. There are deadlines (leave house by 7 or you'll be late), obligations (get kids to school), and distractions (best friend is having a breakdown and needs some support), but those are likely to be less relevant or prevalent while the World shuts everything down to flatten the spread.

 

• Work on your magical practice. This oculd be meditation and energy work again. Or perhaps now is the perfect time to start a serious commitment to a cycle of workings. Maybe you need to clean up your herb cupboard and label all those jars and baggies. Perhaps some serious work to establish connections with the wights / angels / demons / elementals / spirits / ancestors / goddesses / gods  you've been meaning to work with. Look at what you've been meaning to do or need to do to take your magical work to the next level, and make it happen while you've got all this time.

 

• Do some monastic work. If you're inspired by monastic orders and intense devotions, make a time-limited vow and make daily observations. The simplest version is of course to recite prayers / litanies / poems  daily, perhaps at dawn, noon, and sunset. Make a study of the monastic traditions tht appeal to you, and decide how you can modify them to refelct your own values and path.

 

• Volunteer. Cook meals for the elderly, or join up with www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/ to do what you can to help others. Do or donate some shopping for neighbors and the single parents who are struggling. Donate to local fund raisers. Foster pets (as a cat foster parent for Colorado Feline Foster Rescue, I know that there's been a huge effect on the daiy operations) or donate. I know a lot of people are really worried about their families and how they'll get through this crisis if they've been laid off or otherwise had income compromised, so if you can identify affected families, do what you can. For most pagan-types, this enforces and supports many of the values we hold, and your effort can be offered in the name of your wights.

 

• Do some magic. Create a servitor to hunt down and dstroy the virus. Or one that will influence governtment agencies to help. Or find resources for those that are lacking. Join up with one of the global / national efforts to push energy towards a goal aligned with your own path and values. Create one of those national efforts. Make some shamanic hourneys to reason with / fight against the spirits of the Coronavirus. Invoke Asclepius, Apollo, Chiron, and Hygieia / Osanyin, Babalu Aye, and Erinle / Ixtlilton / Airmid and Dian Cecht / Wu Tao and Li Tieguai / Sekhmet and Aset / the Ashvins / Paranshabari, Mariamman, and Shitala / Ixchel / Anahita and Ningishzida / Eir /  whoever you feel can fight this disease and protect the susceptible.

 

• Ask for help from your Spirits. I don't mean do some magic with "your spirits" as listed above - your Spirits are not ATMs. I mean go to the spirits you work with, the wights and deities, whoever they are, and see what wisdom and help they can provide. Hekate may have a spell, Brigid might offer to burn the virus away, your buddy Wolf might have some insights into how the virus can be countered, and Tyr might have something to say about fairness and not hoarding the toilet papers. Whoever you already work with regularly, they might have something to say or guide you. Just like any other friend of family member, they will have something to say about this, even if it's not their specialty. It's not like you pastry-baking mother or your hot-rod cousin don't know about anything else, after all, and the same applies to the Wights of the World.

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• Work on your Book of Shadows / Grimoire. Figure out a new entry. What isn't covered. Create some new spells, or list some correspondences. Add the things you've been meaning to. Make some sketches or drawing or art in the book, or separately to be glued in. Write some poetry, hymns, or invocations. Document some of the above work you've done. Decide if you are willing to share some of these items, and if so, what to share. Then post those items from your book to social media.