The Magick of Tears

Tears are a physiological response to physical or emotional distress.  But that is not all that they are.  Tears are also Magick.  They can be an expression of any strong emotion or any strong connection. 

I weep during ritual, often.  It has become almost a joke among those in my coven and some in my community.  Sometimes those who don’t know me well are concerned when they see me weep.  My High Priest used to be very uncomfortable with my apparently emotional state even before ritual had begun.  I am pleased to say he got over it…at least mostly.

I refuse to be ashamed of my tears; I also refuse to fight them.  I live my life in a generally controlled state.  In my mundane life I rarely ever cry (except alone in the dark on the long nights).  For me to weep with someone takes great trust.  I believe that most people are not comfortable with the tears of others, or with their own for that matter.  Many will try to “comfort” but for me such a reaction is a signal that I “should not” feel as I do.  I do not need someone to comfort me in that moment; I need them to allow me the space to express what I feel.

Tears in ritual are a different matter.  They are a signal that my heart is open, that I am open.  They are the result of the magick flowing in me and through me.  They are evidence that I am connected to the others in the ritual and that my magick is working.  If I am disconnected from the energy, I cannot cry.  If I am observing rather than engaging, I cannot cry.  I do not weep every time that I am engaged in magick but, I am capable of it and I do not attempt to control it.  For me that is a part of the magick of ritual.  For me that is a requirement of engaging, that I do not attempt to close myself off from it.

Lately I have become aware of another kind of connection, and because it is the nature of my connection to others it manifests as an emotional experience.  I do not “see” the fae, and I only “hear “when communication is in the form of language, but I have noticed communication from some of my “unseen” loved ones on a more regular basis and I have begun to recognize the difference between my own emotional reactions and communication from those connections manifesting as emotional experiences.  Sometimes that results in tears.  I do not know why.  I do not know if they experience emotions or if my weeping for them helps them in some way or if it is simply the easiest way for them to make me aware of their presence in my life.  It matters not.  I am grateful for the gift of connection.

I am grateful for tears in ritual and for a community that teaches me to trust and for loved ones who, regardless of their own discomfort, allow me the space to weep in ritual, while making love, or in simply sharing our mundane lives.  I give thanks for the Magick of Tears.