January : Air Magic | Rest : 'National Poverty In America' Awareness Month

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thank you for being here, your presence is appreciated... You ARE The Magic!

January | "when your stomach sticks to your backbone"

ore C

We find ourselves fully folded into the crispy depths of winter as the first windy days of January hold space at the threshold of this brand New Year. This is a time to celebrate the transition toward new beginnings (like contemplating seeds of passion to plant this coming Spring); a time for gently reinvigorating our efforts to cleanse and protect that which we already have.

How do you mourn the months of Past, and welcome in those coming?

It's a time for allowing the blustery winds to clear away what is no longer serving, so that we may fully embrace and have space for all that we are consciously calling into this coming year.

What exactly are you calling in, and on, for 2025?

This month, named after the Roman god Janus, is the portal of both beginnings and departures.

It's the threshold we must all cross in order to move from where we currently are in time, space, and life, and into where we consciously and unconsciously want to go, making it a suitable month to assess the baggage we carry so we can integrate their heavy lessons and release that which no longer supports this phase of our growth and journey.

What are you willing to bless with your departure to make space for all that you are calling in?

The January 2025 full moon falls on Monday the 13th, and is also known as the Cold Moon, Ice Moon, Wolf Moon, as well as several other names, according to Celtic and various indigenous traditions.

An image of a wolf howling up at a big and full light yellow moon. The world is standing on a rock surrounded by snow, two bare trees, and stars in the night sky. The color scheme is mostly black with light yellow and light orange highlights. — Monday the 13th is the January 2025 Full Moon

For example, some Tulalip tribes who are indigenous to the lands that IntoTheBroomCloset operates from, refer to this moon as "the time when your stomach sticks to your backbone," which paints the scene of fresh food scarcity experienced during this seasonal period.

What's something currently fallowed, considered out-of-season, or scarce that you miss the most? How will you celebrate it when it's alive, vibrant, and bountiful again? How can you celebrate now?

In addition to signifying the beginning of the Solar New Year, January is also when we (sometimes) witness the Lunar New Year, a changing-date holiday also known as the Chinese New Year... this year is one of the Snake! January's lunar refresh takes place on the New (or Dark) Moon, Wednesday, January 29th, 2025.

Do you incorporate the Sun and Moon into your regular practice? Have you noticed any elemental parallels between those celestial bodies and the cyclical phases of your own?

Air Magic | breath, thought, voice

The element of Air is one of the four classic physical elements, and manifests for us in several ways.

As human beings (not human doings!), the magical tools we are gifted for expressing this element include our breath, our thought, and our voice, all of which combine to create the concept and experience of communication.

When you observe these tools at work in your own life's practice, are they working in unison with cohesion? Or do you think they work erratically and on entirely their own volition?|

A person with blond hair pulled back into a ponytail is sitting cross-legged on the floor with their hands resting on their knees and their thumbs touching their index and middle fingers in the classic meditation pose. There are stacks of books and plants surrounding the woman, and the background is a collage of circles and archways. The color scheme is mostly dark purple and cream, with highlights of yellow and orange. — Do you use Air Magic in your practice?

Air Magic can be as simple as using the tools of our breath, thought and voice to move our internal and external energies, transform our immediate realities, and transcend toxic patterns of past days.

You ARE The Magic, and you CAN change the world (locally is a lovely place to start!)

How do you currently, and will you moving forward, put your Air Magic In Action that'll help shape your path and craft a greater world?

Communication for the sake of connection is vital for communities to thrive, and Air is a clear, powerful, energetic concept with versatile applications for acting in this purpose.

When we think of Air, a hurricane of images may come to our mind's eye, maybe full of clouds or storms, a windy day or breezy beach, a murder of blackbirds, or fallen feathers on the ground.

Others may recall the dancing smoke of an incense cone, a clear quartz or fluorite stone reinforcing clarity, the flavor of fresh mint tea, or the scent of a lavender lotion before going off to dream.

All of these things, and more, embody the energetic spirit of Air, and they all offer their own vibration of spiritual medicinal magic; which ones, or others, most resonate with you at this time?

A witch sitting at a desk positioner in a curved window, writing in a blank book. The window shows a bright winter sun and a barren tree, and there are bookshelves and coffee mugs surrounding the witch. — What are your morning habits, routines, or rituals?

Dawn is the time of day, and East the direction, most associated with Air and we see these reflected in the month of January, it being the first of the solar calendar months and the "dawn" of the Solar, or Gregorian, New Year (sunrise occurs on the eastern horizon.)

Yellow, white, and light blue are the colors correlating with the Air element, how can you incorporate these colors into daily practices to help enhance your mental space and claircognizance?

Rest | Restful Healing

Restful Healing is the concept of implementing intentional rest and recouperation time as part of a complete mind-body-spirit restoration process; this meaning both external and internal states of rest, not simply laying in bed, scrolling your phone, and stressing about a million problems a moment.

This practice offers the body an ideal environment to enter the "rest and digest" state which is needed for regeneration and healing to take place, and which can ultimately help strengthen a Practitioner's mind-body connection (and you are a practitioner of life.)

What's your initial response to the term Restful Healing? Do you feel bodily sensations, or resistance?

A witch is looking at a book while the bathtub fills with water. There are candles on the floor and wall surrounding the tub, and the tub is positioned in front of a curved window that depicts nighttime. The color scheme uses mostly dark purple and yellow, with a little bit of oranage and dark blue. — Sleep Hygiene: the habits surrounding your sleeping time. What're yours like?

1) Prioritizing quality sleep

2) Committing to a daily period of quiet or a meditation practice

3) Setting and maintaining basic boundaries with self and others

4) Spending time in natural settings,

5) Self-care like basic hygiene, eating, staying hydrated, and gentle, s l o w, intentional movements

...these are all simple ways to incorporate the concept of Restful Healing into your daily routines.

So, what are your sleep hygiene habits?

When did you last give yourself moments of silence?

When do you practice taking deep breaths? When should you breathe more?

Have you held yourself and others accountable to the expectations of your boundaries?

When was the last time you disconnected from tech and spent time in Nature?

Have you eaten food and drank water yet today? How do you feel right now?

Have you moved your body gently today (like taking a slow walk outside)? How do you feel?

Who is a musical artist that helps you feel like your fully in flow? Go listen to them when you're able.

National Poverty In America Awareness Month | we are in this together

As we reflect on the past year and plan our mundane and magical workings for the one ahead, it's crucial to acknowledge that this month holds other, heavier, significance for those of us living in the United States; January is widely recognized as National Poverty in America Awareness Month.

Although singular origins of this annual designation prove challenging to find, and an official government proclamation doesn't seem to exist, this time of year is when many Americans begin to receive their tax documents, which can be a naturally stark reminder of the economic inequality swirling throughout our society.

Have you began receiving your tax documents for filing? Tax day is annually on April 15th.

A blonde witch studies the mundane numbers of her annual taxes on a computer screen while sitting at a desk surrounded by papers. There are crystals and cups of pens on the wall surrounding the monitor. The color scheme uses mostly black, gold yellow, and white. — What are your annual tax-time plans?

The federal government defines poverty through specific income thresholds; for example in 2023, a family of four living on less than $30,000 annually was considered to be living in poverty.

However, these guidelines, like any rigid framework, fail to capture the full spectrum of economic struggle, and inadvertently mitigates the fact that poverty affects every dimension of a person's life, and is even more exacerbated in the lives of children!

Currently, about 12% of Americans – roughly 40 million people – live below the poverty line.

That's more people than the entire population of Canada, all struggling to meet basic needs. Even more sobering, is that nearly one in six American children lives in poverty. And these aren't just statistics; they're real people whose life force is being drained by a constant material struggle.

Do you know someone who has struggled or currently struggles with having their basic needs met?

As you probably know, this struggle is not due to "laziness" or a simple lack of desire to work or even to "work hard" - nearly 41% of poverty-level Americans are employed, and often work multiple jobs.

Three people put their Magic In Action by helping with tasks at a free food pantry. They are surrounded by shelves, boxes, canned goods and other pantry staples. The color scheme is mostly orange, yellow, white, and black. — For the rest of 2025, how do you want to show up and support your community?

And no, it's also not always about "poor choices" – medical emergencies, job losses, and other blustery change can rapidly deplete even the most substantial of savings (and also no, most people in poverty aren't getting extensive government benefits – programs have strict requirements!)

So, how can you contribute positively and put your Magic In Action for your local community?

Is there a particular aspect of poverty (like education, food security, affordable housing/ childcare, mental/ healthcare services, etc.) that you possess passion or a set of skills for that could help to empower others?

Who can you contact directly, in the most mundane of ways, for visible change in this current reality? (Who are your local, state, and federal representatives and officials? How do you contact them?)

Where can you infuse your intention to address poverty, of any form, into your magical workings, spells, or rituals? Where can you begin small, and sustainably?

Gratitude is great cornerstone.

What's your connection to the concept of Poverty, the forced lifestyles, and impossible decisions it brings to the people who are existing in the depths of it?