It's all in the Details. Or lack of them.

Details.  Details can make or break a lot of things.  In art, you need to have just the right amount of detail so that you can tell what the image is supposed to be, but not so many that it overwhelms or makes it seem fake.  It's like with robotics.  You can see a robot that looks marginally human, has a face, has eyes, has a nose and mouth.  All the right details to make you think, "Oh, that looks almost human!".  Then there are the ones that try to go too far into the realm of believable humanity, and when you look at it you just feel wrong, because yeah, it looks human but you can't quite figure out what's missing. 

I've only just begun to throw my slavery to detail, and it will be a long while yet.  I always think I could add just one more thing, but I'm not able to stop myself from adding so many details that one forgets to look at the big picture.  As I was thinking about this, I realized a lot of us do this in our craft as well.

How many of us add just one more thing to a ritual?  One more herb in this spell, one extra candle in a different color, maybe just switch this altar cloth for that one.  We need to curtail the extra details in our spiritual lives as well.  We all know that true magick comes from within.  As we gain years of wisdom in our craft, we discover more and more things like this.  When we first start practicing, most of us are slaves to what we are told:  We have to use a wand for this, a chalice for this, a special dagger for this, you NEED to have a, b, and c before you are REALLY a witch. 

Over the years you realize that in a bind, you can use your finger as a wand or dagger, a normal drinking glass as a chalice if need be.  We all need to remember that the power that we as spiritual beings have flows through us, not through our tools or which herb or incense we choose for our rituals.  It's great to have these things, because yes, they can help.  They help us get in the correct mindset, they help our magickal workings in their own way.  We still need to stop worrying that our rituals are perfect or will be pleasing enough if we don't have the exact shade of candle we want or the perfect chalice.  We can also take this lesson into other areas in our lives, in trying to be the perfect friend, parent, child or spouse.  When we just let ourselves flow through as we should, I think we'll all find our lives go a bit more smoothly.

Hope everyone has a great Imbolc tomorrow!

Goddess Bless,

Stacy