Arin Murphy-Hiscock > Quotes

“This is an organic religion. A religion of the people from heart to heart; a faith that finds the presence of the Divine within life, and nature, and ourselves. We don't have teachers and books because we are our own teachers, and our book is the sacred book of the Earth. We believe that we can connect with the God and Goddess and hear their voices, receive their inspiration directly and take responsibility for our own actions, without the intermediary of a pope or rabbi. We have a loose set of beliefs and morals and a ritual structure that is common to all Wiccans, but there is room for creativity and deep mystical experiences. This is a faith with roots as old as the earth. --Meri Fowler”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, Out of the Broom Closet: 50 True Stories of Witches Who Found and Embraced the Craft

“Sometimes we forget to, or feel guilty when, we take time to nourish our own souls. It is not selfish to spiritually fill ourselves because we need that time to find the delicate balance in our lives. Only then can we truly be of service to others. --Debra Siegrist”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, Out of the Broom Closet: 50 True Stories of Witches Who Found and Embraced the Craft

“Wicca offered real, not pretended, means for the individual to express the art, beauty, and reality of ritual, including magic, in the here and now. --Paul Turnbull”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, Out of the Broom Closet: 50 True Stories of Witches Who Found and Embraced the Craft

“It is important to recognize each moment as “magical” and full of potential. Everything is magical, in the sense that it is wondrous and unique—every breath, every step, every stir of your soup. Every act is an act of magic. The magic is life itself.”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, The Green Witch: Your Complete Guide to the Natural Magic of Herbs, Flowers, Essential Oils, and More

“Don’t procrastinate. Don’t let all the work fall on the shoulders of “Future You.” That’s an abuse of your own energy and disrespect of your future self.”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, The Witch's Book of Self-Care: Magical Ways to Pamper, Soothe, and Care for Your Body and Spirit

“Magic is not illusion, nor is it the artificial manipulation of unnatural forces. In fact, magic is perfectly natural: it is the use of natural energy with conscious intent and awareness to help attain a better understanding of the world around you and to harmonize yourself with the world’s energies.”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, The Green Witch: Your Complete Guide to the Natural Magic of Herbs, Flowers, Essential Oils, and More

“We all have different beliefs, ways of worshipping, and ideas about religion. I believe it is a very personal subject, and so everyone should respect each other's beliefs. I simply live my life, and if someone is uncomfortable with who I am or what I believe in, then I have found that I am better off not having them in my life. --Kristen Adams”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, Out of the Broom Closet: 50 True Stories of Witches Who Found and Embraced the Craft

“People know me by the way I live my life, not by the labels I wear, and that means we can hold all sorts of conversations and learn from each other in a way that would not happen if there were the walls of ignorant prejudice between us. --Oisce”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock

“Throughout the years, I have found people are confused about my love for both Christianity and Paganism. I tell them what was revealed to me while I lay sleeping in the hospital. The All, whether perceived as a God, or a Goddess, or as one being, or even as an energy field, cares only about one thing: Love. Absolute and unconditional love. --High Priestess Enoch”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, Out of the Broom Closet: 50 True Stories of Witches Who Found and Embraced the Craft

“Self-care means considering yourself a worthwhile person and presenting yourself as valuable, capable, and deserving. In other words, self-care seeks to redress an imbalance that develops when you don’t take proper care of yourself, whether by inattention or by choice.”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, The Witch's Book of Self-Care: Magical Ways to Pamper, Soothe, and Care for Your Body and Spirit

“Great Universe,

Thank you for my many blessings.

I thank you for the food I eat,

The roof over my head,

The comforts I enjoy,

The family that supports me,

The friends who love me,

And the health I enjoy.

May I always be grateful for these blessings and all others.”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, The Witch's Book of Self-Care: Magical Ways to Pamper, Soothe, and Care for Your Body and Spirit

“While it can be therapeutic to put something off, procrastination or ignoring a problem isn’t self-care; in fact, it’s the opposite. Ignoring a problem just makes it more of a problem. Self-care involves scheduling things so that they don’t reach problem status and includes being kind to your future self by not leaving her a mess to handle.”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, The Witch's Book of Self-Care: Magical Ways to Pamper, Soothe, and Care for Your Body and Spirit

“I have learned a great deal from other Witches, Wiccans, Odinists, Voodoo and Hoodou practitioners, Druids and many others who consider themselves Pagan. The one common thread is that every single person has been nonjudgmental. Isn't this what it's all about, acceptance? Are we not here to design our own spiritual path? --Icinia”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, Out of the Broom Closet: 50 True Stories of Witches Who Found and Embraced the Craft

“1. Spring equinox to summer solstice: the growing tide 2. Summer solstice to autumn equinox: the reaping tide 2. Autumn equinox to winter solstice: the resting tide 3. Winter solstice to spring equinox: the cleansing tide”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, The Green Witch: Your Complete Guide to the Natural Magic of Herbs, Flowers, Essential Oils, and More

“Loving others is an example of honoring and respecting nature and all nature’s creatures: it is an act of honoring their very existence and their place within nature’s energy.”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, The Green Witch: Your Complete Guide to the Natural Magic of Herbs, Flowers, Essential Oils, and More

“Pausing to take a good look at yourself can be intimidating. What if you aren’t the great person you think you are?

Sometimes self-care is hard because it means facing things you’d rather pretend aren’t there. Self-examination is uncomfortable. It requires a level of honesty that you may not feel prepared to handle. You may fear admitting that you have been the one sabotaging yourself, knowingly or unknowingly, or you may be terrified of acknowledging that you need to crack down on your self-discipline in order to be your best self. Self-care means recognizing that you’re weak in some areas. It means you have more agency and control over your life than you may be comfortable accepting.”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, The Witch's Book of Self-Care: Magical Ways to Pamper, Soothe, and Care for Your Body and Spirit

“Here the word ritual doesn’t mean something full-blown and complicated; instead, it means an intuitive ceremony or something set apart from everyday action by mindfulness and conscious intent. Also, the word magic means the conscious and directed attempt to effect change by combining and directing energy toward a positive goal.”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, The House Witch: Your Complete Guide to Creating a Magical Space with Rituals and Spells for Hearth and Home

“I believe in religion, I believe in religious expression, and I believe that all gods are one God. I do not lie when I pray in the words of another religion, because I believe. --Oisce”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, Out of the Broom Closet: 50 True Stories of Witches Who Found and Embraced the Craft

“I had to learn that I knew nothing. I also had to learn that it was okay to think for myself and that my happiness, my true salvation, was not dependent on the approval of others. --Gregory Michael Brewer”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, Out of the Broom Closet: 50 True Stories of Witches Who Found and Embraced the Craft

“Don’t multitask by combining your treats, unless you specifically design one as something stacked (a fancy coffee while reading a good book, for example). If you overload your treat time, you’ll lose out on the full experience of enjoying each aspect, and the self-care might become perfunctory.”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, The Witch's Book of Self-Care: Magical Ways to Pamper, Soothe, and Care for Your Body and Spirit

“Hearthcraft functions on a very basic truth: Living your life is a spiritual act.”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, The House Witch: Your Complete Guide to Creating a Magical Space with Rituals and Spells for Hearth and Home

“The fear of failure can paralyze you. The reluctance to make decisions or take steps can often be traced back to the fear of failing in some way. To succeed, however, you have to accept the risk of failure, as well as the risk of success. Sometimes that, too, can be a scary prospect.”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, The Witch's Book of Self-Care: Magical Ways to Pamper, Soothe, and Care for Your Body and Spirit

“We don't get to choose our blood families, but we do get to decide how to talk to them, how much to tell them, and how open to be with them about the core of who we are. --Erynn Rowan Laurie”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, Out of the Broom Closet: 50 True Stories of Witches Who Found and Embraced the Craft

“magic is about listening to what’s inside you and the messages the Divine and nature have for you.”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, The Witch's Book of Self-Care: Magical Ways to Pamper, Soothe, and Care for Your Body and Spirit

“Hearthcraft is a spiritual path rooted in the belief that the home is a place of beauty, power, and protection, a place where people are nurtured and nourished on a spiritual basis as well as a physical and emotional basis.”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, The House Witch: Your Complete Guide to Creating a Magical Space with Rituals and Spells for Hearth and Home

“Unplugging helps you refocus on yourself instead of being pulled in a zillion different directions. Those directions may all be important, but you are just as important. Unplugging allows you to focus on being in the moment, here and now. It helps you step away from the emotional roller coaster that you ride reacting to a friend’s story, a news article, or outrage over worldwide events. Unplugging gives you the chance to remember who you are at your core.”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, The Witch's Book of Self-Care: Magical Ways to Pamper, Soothe, and Care for Your Body and Spirit

“Todo es mágico porque todo es maravilloso y único: cada respiración, cada paso, cada vuelta a la sopa. Cada acto es un acto de magia. La magia es la vida misma.”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, La bruja verde: Guía completa de magia natural con hierbas, flores, aceites esenciales y más

“Part of self-care is allowing yourself the permission to have those moments and to enjoy them. You are encouraged to pause and acknowledge the moment, whether it is good or bad. That moment of acknowledgment reinforces the idea that you are worth the time. It also validates your feelings, which can reduce overall stress.”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, The Witch's Book of Self-Care: Magical Ways to Pamper, Soothe, and Care for Your Body and Spirit

“to retrain your inner voice to be nurturing. Sometimes thinking of yourself as a child can help. “Did that hurt?” you can ask yourself. “It looks like it did. It’s okay. It hurts, but it will be over soon. Hey, look at that pretty butterfly. I wonder where it’s going right now?” Just as you’d affirm a child’s emotion and then help redirect their attention from the subject that’s upsetting them, you can redirect your own focus too.”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, The Witch's Book of Self-Care: Magical Ways to Pamper, Soothe, and Care for Your Body and Spirit

“Hygge suggests that the living of your life can be an art form, which is an excellent way to look at self-care. It’s not about flashiness; it’s about comfort and expression. It’s about creating a special moment, not special in the out-of-the-ordinary sense, but in the recognition that if you pause and allow yourself to acknowledge and connect with that moment, however small, you will realize that every moment can be special just because it’s yours and you’ve recognized it as such.”
― Arin Murphy-Hiscock, The Witch's Book of Self-Care: Magical Ways to Pamper, Soothe, and Care for Your Body and Spirit