The Perils of a Magickal Hangover

Something came up in a class last night. A couple of folks mentioned feeling crappy after practising casting circles. When you’re new to energy work, casting circles, or doing any magickal practice, there is a potential for a magickal hangover, ritual rebound, or energy blowback. You don’t have to be a new practitioner for this to happen, either. And there are some real perils of a magickal hangover.
Magickal hangovers can bring on the same symptoms as an alcohol hangover. Here are some ways a magickal hangover can manifest:

• Physical exhaustion
• Headaches
• Mood swings or being quick to anger or sadness
• Flare-ups of physical issues you already had
• Dizziness
• Being nauseous

The good news is that you can take some steps to avoid getting one.
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Sweet, Sweet Energy

Ideally, you aren't using your body's energy when doing rituals, spells, or magickal practices. One of the reasons we ground before stepping into a ritual is to connect us to the power/energy of the earth and sky, where there are unlimited stores of energy. During magickal practice (ritual, spells, etc.), we should pull these energetic forces through our bodies and use them to feed the work that we are doing.
Although grounding is a foundational practice in Witchcraft and Paganism, it is by no means easy. It takes time to develop the skill of grounding and centering yourself. If you notice you are prone to ritual rebound or magickal hangovers, strengthening your grounding practice will be key.
A good test is to ask yourself in ritual: where is this energy coming from? If you aren’t sure, it’s probably your energy you’re using. Ground, ground again!

Physical Care

A lot of what you might do to avoid a booze hangover is the same as what you can do to prevent ritual rebound.

• Have you eaten? Unless the ritual calls for fasting, ensure you have enough to eat. However, avoid being uncomfortably full.
• Did you drink enough water? Hydration is the key to life, my friends. Drinking water before, during, and after the ritual will go a long way.
• Do you need a shower? Taking a ritual bath or shower before the ritual can help you shift your energy (and mindset) into a more focused place. Taking a shower after the ritual can help you release any pent-up excess energy.

It’s Not Always Depletion

Magickal hangovers aren’t always a response to being depleted. They can also indicate that you took on too much energy and didn’t fully release it. If you raised a lot of energy, got really wound up, and felt ecstatic power flowing through you, coming down from that place is essential.
Do something to spend that energy. Running around the block might sound like a good way to exhaust the energy, but it could have the opposite effect of building up more. Releasing energy looks more like a slow landing. Drink a cup of tea, shower, place your hands on the earth and visualise (feel) sending excess energy back to the land as a gift of gratitude. Ground yourself again, or cleanse. Check in with friends and coven mates to see if someone feels depleted. You can always give them the gift of your excess by hugging or holding hands.
Give yourself time to unwind after a ritual or working to allow the energy to evaporate naturally.

Know Thyself

​I know, I know, it seems like I can’t go a day without talking about this. The most essential part of any magickal practice comes from knowing thyself. Do you typically walk through life a little depleted or amped up? What are your natural energy proclivities? How do you replenish from physical exhaustion? How do you replenish from emotional or mental fatigue? Knowing how to recover from non-magickal exhaustion will give you clues on how to best recover from a magickal hangover.
Ultimately, it’s all about good spiritual hygiene. The more you know how to take care of yourself, the better. And don’t feel bad if you get hit with some energy blowback. It happens to all of us sometimes.

Now go drink some water and do witchy things!

Phoenix LeFae
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Originally published at Patheos Pagan