~Spiritual Burnout~

[Guest guest]

Thank You & Many Blessings Mama Serene Lightweaver Whispr ™ Spiritual Burnoutby Cerridwen Iris Shea Burnout

is a condition of physical and emotional exhaustion as a result of

repeated and long-term exposure to high levels of stress. It happens

when one overzealously engages in an activity to an extent where, on

physical, psychological, and emotional levels, one can no longer

adequately function. It is a result of imbalance. A person who is

"burned out" has used up all resources and often suffers from

depression, anxiety, short temper, lethargy, mood swings, loss or

increase of appetite, loss of interest in sex, and inability to

interact well with others.Add the spiritual factor to burnout,

and there's really big trouble. The spiritual level encompasses one's

personal connection to the divine, and one's way to make sense of how

each individual's web of life interweaves with the lives all around us.

Spiritual burnout magnifies all the symptoms of burnout. The loss of

connection to the divine spirit can send a person into a destructive

spiral. It is especially forceful if the burnout was caused by an

overload of spiritual activity.Spiritual burnout can cause

feelings that divinity is not listening, not appreciating all the work

being done, and ultimately, can cause anger and/or depression. Why

honor a divine spirit that doesn't give a damn? Does that mean divinity

doesn't exist?When people are devoted to a cuase, activity, or

belief, they tend to throw themselves into it to the exclusion of

everything else. When the devotion isn't returned in the same fashion,

then resentment, anger, and depression often result. Sometimes, the

person burning out will intensify his or her efforts, and this becomes

a destructive spiral. What can we do?Everyone needs a break

once in a while. Academics have sabbaticals, a practice I wish would be

common throughout all professions. Taking a "time out" occasionally is

important. It allows one to reassess goals, desires, and affirmations.

It also allows time to reflect on the past, to find where the patterns

are, how those patterns fit together, and which ones need to change.Books

on magical study emphasize the need to work every day. This is a fact.

In order to truly live a magical life, one must work each day to

integrate spiritual beliefs into daily living. However, that does not

mean that one can never, ever, take a break, or that taking a break

will force one to start over again at Wiccan Square One.The

most common types of spiritual burnout that I have witnessed among

magical people are as follows: the overzealous student, the overworked

high priest or priestess, and the person who has tragedy occur and

feels unsupported.The StudentWhen you start down a new

path, you want everything, now. You want to have a complete set of

beautiful, charged, fully-operational tools, now. You want to be adept

at a hundred spells with a hundred percent success rate, now. The truth

of the matter is that it takes time. If you do not master the basics,

you cannot master the higher levels of skill. There is no substitute

for hard work, study, and experience. There is also no substitute for

mistakes. Threw a spell and it bounced back? Why? Couldn't be bothered

to learn how to cast a spell porperly? Well, what did you expect?When

you make a mistake, take the time to trace back the ritual. Break down

the elements and see what didn't work. It could be carelessness, it

could be unfocused intent, it could be you were misleading yourself.

Re-work the spell over and over until you get it right, but don't feel

you have to do it all in one day. Spread it out over a period of weeks

or months. It's like coming up with a new recipe in cooking. You've got

to test it.Read as much as you can, talk to people, and correspond with people. Take a class. Maybe you need a new teacher.Keep

your studies balanced with your mundane life. Remember, eventually you

won't be leading two separate lives. They will be integrated. Enjoy

time with non-magical friends and family. We live in a magnificent,

diverse world. Take advantage of it.The High Preist/PriestessIf

you're leading a group, it's terribly easy to fall into martyr syndrom.

I've done it myself a few times. I've watched several high preistesses

around me do it, and crash and burn. Yes, teaching is an enormous

responsibility. These people have put thier trust in you, but they are

also still responsible for themselves.The best way of working

that I've found is to allow students, coveners, etc. to participate in

all aspects of the ritual. Let them help plan. Let them take on

specific tasks such as calling the directions, consecrating the

elements, and walking the elements around the circle. Teach them and

let them do. Have the feast after the ritual be a potluck. If you're

having an open circle, tell everyone who's invited waht to bring. Most

people are honored by an invitation to ritual and they are delighted to

bring a covered dish. It makes them part of things.The most

important thing is: if you are feeling overworked and

under-appreciated, communicate. Don't accuse your students or coveners

of being ungrateful. Simply state what you are feeling, without

judgement toward them, and ask for help. I think you'll be surprised at

how quickly they will rally around you. If certain members continue

irresponsible behavior, consider asking them to leave. There is nothing

wrong with following different paths.A Person Dealing With TragedyTerrible

things happen to good people. It doesn't mean that you've done

something to deserve it, or you're being paid back for something you've

done in a past life, or that God hates you. I don't have a pat answer

for every situation, and I know that saying "there's a reason for

everything in the web of the universe" is no comfort.The most

important thing to remember is that you are not alone, be it on the

spiritual plane or the physical . There are counselors, clinics,

support groups, the Interent - whatever you're going through, if you

reach out, you will be able to find someone to help.Find places

that make you feel calm and comforted. If you can't create a section of

your home that is a sanctuary, find someplace close by where you can

retreat. Depending on what sort of sanctuary I need, I have several

different places in New York where I go: a favorite coffee shop, a

corner of a book store, the Cathedral of St. the Divine (yes, a

church), and Central Park. These are places I can get my bearings, hear

divinity speak, and feel safe while trying to make sense of the world.

Once you get grounded and centered and start to get things in

perspective, you can consider active options to change what you need to

change.EgoIn every instance, stop and take a long, hard

look at yourself and how you are behaving in the world. Where is your

ego involved in an unhealthy way? What are you trying to prove and to

whom by trying to be the ultimate magical person? Why do you think the

entire universe needs to be concnerned with you right now?There

is an enormous difference between healthy self-esteem and ego. Ego

often hides under a martyr syndrome or goodness syndrome. Ego also

hides within insecurity, Separate out where your ego is causing you

more pain and more burnout. It might be painful, but, in the long run,

it will serve you well. Take a look at what motivates your actions and

what responses you need to change.Taking a Time OutThere

are times when you simply need to take a time out from everything, no

mattter what. You may feel that you want to rethink how you relate to

divinity, or you may want to commune with divinity once a week instead

of on a daily basis. There is nothing wrong with that, as long as it is

done in an honorable fashion.Time outs can be ritually begun

and ritually ended. First of all, figure out what you want your time

out period to be. If you belong to a working group, ask for a leave of

absence or ask to be cut out completely from the group if you're fairly

sure you won't come back. Don't just stop attending events and abdicate

or ignore your responsibilities. Especially once you've been intitated,

this is a breaking of your oath, and there are consequences. You need

to leave in an atmosphere of love and trust.If you are part of

a group, participate in a leaving ritual. Whether you are on your own

(solitary) or working with a group, do your own ritual, even if it's

just lighting a candle and explaining to divinity that you need to take

a break.While you're on your break, do things you enjoy. Do

things that you've denied yourself, as long as they don't hurt you or

anyone else. Most of all, listen. Divinity has unusual ways of

communicating, and you may receive the answer you seek when you work to

enhance your rest and appreciate everything around you. It doesn't to

be burning bush to have a message.