Mind Witchery

Living in integrity with our values is uncomfortable.

Of course it is.

People who don’t share your values will judge you.

The dominating culture will punish you.

Righteous discomfort honors that. It says, Listen.

You are going to be uncomfortable either way. 

So if you’re going to experience discomfort, 

which discomfort do you choose?

The discomfort that comes with staying small

going along, and taking what you’re given?

Or the discomfort that stretches you and

expands you into being who you really want to be? 

Mentioned:

Poem 133: The Summer Day, by Mary Oliver

Make Magic:

Righteous discomfort works because we,

all of us, exist at choice. Always.

You can A L W A Y S choose to

reject the discomfort of conforming and giving in

and embrace the righteous discomfort of

being your whole, authentic, magical self.
Transcript: A Spell for Righteous Discomfort

If I know you, dear listener, 

you are interested in making the most

of your one wild and precious life.

I truly believe that paying attention to values 

(our own values, the values of our dominating culture,

and all the ways in which those values conflict)

is so valuable when we’re trying to understand

why we make choices that don’t feel right.
Mentioned:

The fantastic, insightful book Values in Therapy, by Jenna LeJeune and Jason B. Luoma.

Make Magic:

If you feel that you’re falling short of a standard,

or that you’re doing shit you do not want to do

in order to meet a standard, the problem is not you.

The problem is a mismatch between the values you cherish

and the values you’ve been conditioned to prioritize.

Look at your life, and ask yourself:

“What values am I living as I move through the world, and are they truly my own?”

Transcript: A Spell for Living Your Values

Every full moon is an opportunity for illumination and reflection,

but the Full Moon in Sagittarius is extra special.

It asks us to look back on a cycle of

change and growth that began in late 2020.

We’ve leveled up through a tumultuous, challenging time,

and the Full Moon wants to show us fully just how far we've come.

Make Magic:

You’ll find the questions for every 2022 full (and new) moon in the book 

New and Full Moon Rituals for Entrepreneurs and Changemakers,

co-authored with my friend and fellow witch Leslie Tagorda,

host of The Savvy Luminary podcast.

Transcript: Full Moon and Full Circle in Sagittarius

As someone bringing goodness into the world, 

it’s vital to seek opportunities for improvement.

But when you live in a dominant culture that’s

obsessed with productivity and

with doing instead of being,

it’s easy to find yourself twisted up

over every minor detail that wasn’t Exactly Right.

This spell will help you remember to celebrate yourself

and the amazing things you bring to all of us!

Mentioned:

My friend and fellow coach Anna Hazenberg.

Self-kindness expert Dr. Kristin Neff.

Make Magic:

One of my favorite ways to practice

giving myself the credit I deserve is to

write a list of appreciations of what’s working.

Maybe it’s things I’m doing, meaning I’m making,

or co-creations I’m helping to reveal.

Taking the time to focus on what’s going right,

where I’m doing well, gives me the chance to

enjoy my wins and give myself some love.

Transcript: A Spell for Boosting Enoughness

I have such a TREAT for you this week, my love. I’m so excited to introduce you to an evolutionary being who’s trying to make the world a better place for all of us in our sweet human bodies. Shanique Allen is a nutritional strategist and mindset coach. She helps people figure out how to filter out the noise of diet culture and nourish themselves in ways that suit their real lives. We talk about how to start freeing ourselves from the structures that keep us uncomfortable with our bodies, stressed about food, and chasing image goals that have nothing to do with health.

Mentioned:

Learn more about Shanique Allen and her work on her website at shaniqueallen.com

and follow her on Instagram @shaniqueallen_.

Health At Every Size® (HAES®) principles and framework.

10 Principles of Intuitive Eating.

Make Magic:

The best thing you can do is to be kind to yourself. We’re all swimming in this pervasive, toxic culture. As we start to understand its influence on us, it’s natural to feel shame when we - inevitably - discover parts of that culture we’ve been perpetuating. Please, please, please treat yourself with compassion, and don’t beat yourself up. 

Transcript: Conjuring Freedom from Diet Culture Feat. Shanique Allen

You know that One Thing, that desire or dream or goal

that simmers in your heart and your belly?

Devoting time and energy to that thing can feel

irresponsible, or even selfish. 

But I’m here to tell you that we NEED you to Go For It!

Here’s a spell to help you understand why.

Mentioned:

Revolutionary dancer, choreographer, and badass Martha Graham on the Life-Force of Creativity and the Divine Dissatisfaction of Being an Artist.

OG life coach and straight shooter Barbara Sher on doing what you love.

Make Magic:

We all exist at choice. When we’re thinking about

pursuing our dreams, the choice is

what type of discomfort do you want to feel?

Do you want the frustration of

seeing the imperfections in the things you create?

Or the melancholy of having

never brought the into being at all?

Transcript: A Spell to Help You Go For It

Eclipses are powerful moments in the lunar cycle,

and they encourage us to change the game.

This eclipse in Scorpio is an opportunity

for reevaluation and recalibration.

It’s time to pause, to tune in to body and mind,

and to release all the things that don’t serve you anymore.

Mentioned:

My insightful astrology teacher, Austin Coppock.

Make Magic:

You’ll find the questions for every 2022 full (and new) moon in the book 

New and Full Moon Rituals for Entrepreneurs and Changemakers,

co-authored with my friend and fellow witch Leslie Tagorda,

host of The Savvy Luminary podcast.
Transcript: Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio

Our dominant culture fetishizes individual achievement.

It demands that we reject co-creation and collective effort.

It insists that solitary hard work is the only path to success,

and the clearest sign of our value as human beings.

This week, we’re exploring Where this lie comes from,

Why it’s utter bullshit, and How you can opt out of its toxicity.
Mentioned:

Brigid Schulte’s book Overwhelmed: Work, Love, And Play When No One Has The Time

Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign speech (the “you didn’t build that” portion is at 52:59). https://www.c-span.org/video/?307056-2/president-obama-campaign-rally-roanoke#

Make Magic:

The next time you’re thinking about getting help,

taking ease, or investing in your own growth,

don’t wait until you’ve “earned it.”

Embrace the idea of seeking the support

that empowers and amplifies the life

you are already living.
Transcript: A Spell for Receiving Support

This week’s spell was prompted by a listener.

She, like me (and maybe you?) struggles with how

to be generous with herself when

her perfectionist tendencies are urging her to 

Do More, Better, Faster, Now.

How do we honor our very high standards in a way

that doesn’t become self-punishing?

Mentioned:
If you haven’t already, click on over to nataliekmiller.com and sign up for my Sunday Letter! It’s full of magic just for you.

While you’re there, visit nataliekmiller.com/contact and let me know what spells would add sparkle to your life.

Make Magic:
Your inner perfectionist is a part of you,

and she deserves love and engagement.

If you send her on the right missions and

gently orient her away from worrying about

other people’s standards, you can work with her

in an incredibly constructive way. 

Transcript: A Perfectionist's Spell for Excellence

One of the hardest things we can learn to do

is give ourselves the space, grace, and accommodation

we routinely offer to the people we love.

This episode is all about practicing that,

and recording it was part of my own journey.

Won’t you join me?

Make Magic:

What do you want to put into the world?

What do you want to give your people?

What do want to love about the way you show up?

See what happens if you offer that very thing to you, first.
Transcript: A Spell for Giving With Integrity