...Until I got stuck in that situation myself. When my boyfriend and I picked up and moved to a city we were not at all familiar with, we decided to go the "roommate route." We rented a bedroom in someone else's home for a fairly small monthly payment. We made a pact that since we were saving so much money, we'd stay as long as we could reasonably stand to. We put most of our stuff in storage and kept with us the things we absolutely needed.
Of course, that meant narrowing down the large collection of "stuff" I use in my practices. Several boxes of candles and incense, dried herbs, books, notes, crystals, and many other items were put away. I kept with me the things I absolutely needed: Book of Shadows, a few reference books I use frequently, my jug of moon water, a select few crystals, all of my divination supplies, and several boxes of items I sell in my shop.
Not only is it tough to live without immediate access to all of your tools, but it's also tough to practice in such a small space. Meditation is nearly impossible when you share a tiny room with one other person and two fickle parakeets who squawk constantly. I could use another room in the house, but that makes me subject to interruption by a small child and a rather energetic dog. It's a sure way to quickly turn meditation time into playtime! The same goes for rituals or spells. I cannot burn anything in my room for fear of harming my beloved little birds. Chanting is off-limits for fear of scaring my roommates. Not to mention the fact that there is just no space to work with. We have about 4 square feet of open floor space available to us. The only elevated "table space" we have is our bed. Not a good environment for a spell, or crafting of any kind. Especially if it needs to be left untouched for a period of time.
And I must not forget the fact that I cannot set up the kind of shields around this home that make me feel comfortable enough to do any kind of substantial magic here.
So this leaves me the option of leaving the house to do my spellwork. Where do I go? The park? Maybe go seek out a secluded spot near the creek?
I'm not writing this to complain (okay, maybe I am). I just wanted to say, I get it now. Before this, I tried my best to sympathize with those who were stuck trying to build a practice in a home that was not their own. I always thought, "if you really want to practice, you have to just find a way to get it done."
I didn't fully understand, though. It's much easier said than done. I'm happy it's only temporary, and we'll be getting our own place very soon. I will never again take for granted my privacy and freedom to practice in my own space.
Of course, that meant narrowing down the large collection of "stuff" I use in my practices. Several boxes of candles and incense, dried herbs, books, notes, crystals, and many other items were put away. I kept with me the things I absolutely needed: Book of Shadows, a few reference books I use frequently, my jug of moon water, a select few crystals, all of my divination supplies, and several boxes of items I sell in my shop.
Not only is it tough to live without immediate access to all of your tools, but it's also tough to practice in such a small space. Meditation is nearly impossible when you share a tiny room with one other person and two fickle parakeets who squawk constantly. I could use another room in the house, but that makes me subject to interruption by a small child and a rather energetic dog. It's a sure way to quickly turn meditation time into playtime! The same goes for rituals or spells. I cannot burn anything in my room for fear of harming my beloved little birds. Chanting is off-limits for fear of scaring my roommates. Not to mention the fact that there is just no space to work with. We have about 4 square feet of open floor space available to us. The only elevated "table space" we have is our bed. Not a good environment for a spell, or crafting of any kind. Especially if it needs to be left untouched for a period of time.
And I must not forget the fact that I cannot set up the kind of shields around this home that make me feel comfortable enough to do any kind of substantial magic here.
So this leaves me the option of leaving the house to do my spellwork. Where do I go? The park? Maybe go seek out a secluded spot near the creek?
I'm not writing this to complain (okay, maybe I am). I just wanted to say, I get it now. Before this, I tried my best to sympathize with those who were stuck trying to build a practice in a home that was not their own. I always thought, "if you really want to practice, you have to just find a way to get it done."
I didn't fully understand, though. It's much easier said than done. I'm happy it's only temporary, and we'll be getting our own place very soon. I will never again take for granted my privacy and freedom to practice in my own space.