Covid-19 has been declared a world wide pandemic, when I first read about what was happening in local stores and the consumerism driven panic, I thought the news was just being dramatic and people being irrational.
As I walked around stores that were out of certain items, it got me thinking about old ways. People are having to look into making their own hand sanitizer for example, which if you look up most DIY recipes it is a holistic approach. I noticed along with many disinfecting supplies being sold out, so was the vinegar in some places. I saw people putting witch hazel in their carts and settling for napkins over conventional toilet paper. I know my first thought when I heard that stores couldn’t keep toilet paper of all things on the shelves, I was like well we have plenty of old t-shirts we can turn into rags, then just do tons of laundry…it’s kind of like the equivalent of cloth diapers. One of my favorite bulk herbal sites is completely sold out of elderberry. People are being forced to remember old ways and of course pinteresting their ways out of panic.
My husband and I know better than to not have a surplus of shelf stable food, but found ourselves without much. I know how to preserve food, I garden, over the years I have gotten too busy with other things and don’t do much of it. I have let food and herbs rot in the garden some years instead of putting in the time and work that I know I should.Every year my husband tells himself he is going to hunt and fill our freezer, but it hasn’t happened yet, he like myself has the knowledge but lacks the time. It is easy to let stuff like this fall to the bottom of an overwhelming to-do list when we live in a world of being able to go into the grocery store and get whatever we want, right away, doesn’t matter if it is in season or not. Events like what we are seeing here in the USA and many other countries find ourselves facing a perfect reminder of why we should be living in harmony with nature because our modern day luxuries are fragile. Aside from not being prepared on our own, rushing out to get prepared is likely to result in a poor diet of processed but shelf stable, high carb food. It is also having financial implications as we weren’t prepared to budget a few weeks of emergency food and non food supplies should we have to be quarantined.
Embracing the word witch was a way of declaring my love of the old ways, nature, and a more holistic lifestyle. I garden, compost, forage, and preserve food. I had a few chickens, legally I was playing a little loose with the regulations, but I lived somewhere the neighbors were okay with it and I took very good care of the chickens so that they were happy, healthy, and not smelly. We of course only had hens ,roosters can be pretty noisy. Anyways, this taught me and my children so many lessons about our food. We didn’t know that chickens didn’t lay eggs in the winter, through the summer I was giving eggs away instead of freezing them for winter! We didn’t know how much work went into caring for chickens, they have all sorts of instincts and naturally occurring phases like all their feathers falling off. I can’t count how many plant diseases I now know about after years of this or that going wrong in the garden. I still can’t live off of what I grow, but I get smarter each year.
I gave up my chickens, my composting, and most of my garden to move to a larger home with closer neighbors and less privacy because our previous home was far too small for my family of seven. My husband and I found ourselves being forced into a lot more work hours to make this transition. I find myself like many other people with children, living in a suburban area for the schools, have to work multiple jobs instead of living a lifestyle more in harmony with nature. This means I have the knowledge,but lack the commitment and what should be a way of life often feels like a hobby. I realize though, that the knowledge is still a gift. Many people in this modern world do not know these things, they do not know that vinegar is literally magic! Many people don’t know how easy it is to can and preserve food, I was fortunate to have someone teach me when I was young or I might be a part of that club.
I guess what I am learning this week and feel that I am not alone in, is that our society and way of life is fragile We need to get back to the old ways, embrace our magic,deviate from life as we know it, and most importantly we need to remember as one of my favorite mentors says. Look to the trees, nature, and make the time to utilize their gifts.
Imagine how connected, how magical, and how different life would look if we did these few things
- Slowed down
- Learned to be more resourceful and self sustaining
- Live in harmony with the natural cycles of our world
Have you ever found yourself living a life that goes against what you know you should be doing? It can be a frustrating realization, especially in times like these. Daily rituals, magical cleaning, and small steps towards what you desire is always a step forward. Remember to give yourself grace if you find yourself feeling similarly to how I do and just keep moving towards that dreamy witch life!
My last thought on this topic is more advice. I want you to look at this time as a learning opportunity, what lessons are hidden within. Take this time to learn, listen, and maybe make changes in your life.
