There is nothing wrong with you.

What if choosing solitude, withdrawing, forgoing the societal masks and costumes, just doing less of everything in general, meant nothing is wrong with you and everything was right?

What if we tell ourselves “something is wrong” and these conditions match the symptoms of x, y, z because we've been conditioned to believe that?

"needing rest is weak or lazy"

"It's all in your head"

"you're too sensitive"

a woman who lives alone in the woods is a witch.

a woman with too many cats is crazy

If you are too quiet, your weird.

You see where I'm going with this.

Should you dare not keep up with appearances, they might burn you at the stake. 

These are the messages we’ve been fed, warnings to keep us in line with the fast-paced, capitalistic world. They get in our head and it's hard to remove them, even when we know they're wrong.

I find myself questioning myself and my behaviors a lot. I step outside myself into a third party point of view, analyzing how my actions or lack thereof may be misunderstood or judged. It took me a long time to realize it for what it is: a witch wound. A fear of being persecuted for being unconventional, withdrawn, emotional, and rebellious. It has led me to stay longer than I want to in situations that are not serving me, to say things I don't really mean, to agree to things I don't want to do, to not speak on my thoughts, and to feel I don't quite belong in any social circle.

As I get older and just plain tired of that shit, I've been able to let a lot of that go. It's taken a lot of work... and yet, much of it is still there.

For those of us who cherish solitude, whether as introverts, witches, or seekers of a life in harmony with nature, society often tells us that our need for quiet and simplicity is a flaw.

But what if this craving for stillness is our greatest strength?

The urge to rest, retreat, and align with the natural rhythms of the earth isn’t a symptom of something wrong, but a call to return to our true nature. To a place where the masculine and the feminine are in balance.

When we peel away the layers that we have built around ourselves, it can feel like you’re sense of self is deteriorating. It is a loss, and we should recognize it as one.

It's loss of armor– a shield that once helped us feel safe, and now feels extremely heavy.

This shedding is not weakness, but a powerful recognition of what's no longer needed.

Just as a snake sheds its skin to make way for new growth.

You are not afflicted; you just need to remove whatever is stopping you from standing in your truth.

You surrender. Or you hold on tightly to that which is inevitably leaving.

You surrender. Or you follow the crowd and betray the beat of your heart.

What if the way you felt at any given moment didn't have to be a symptom that required a remedy and you could just let it be? 

What if you could give your whole self space to exist.

And so it is.