{"id":17067,"date":"2018-06-01T01:10:42","date_gmt":"2018-06-01T06:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=17989"},"modified":"2018-05-22T17:41:02","modified_gmt":"2018-05-22T22:41:02","slug":"seeing-the-signs-39","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2018\/06\/01\/seeing-the-signs-39\/","title":{"rendered":"Seeing the Signs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Depression and divination<\/b><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

(<\/span>Photo by Velizar Ivanov<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/span>)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Depression is a disease that affects millions of people, regardless of religion, ethnic background, genetic make-up or economic outlook. Many of us take antidepressants, trying to feel better and suffer dubious side-effects from these medications. Some of us become addicted to these meds. Others of us self-medicate with drugs and alcohol and may end up with addictions to these substances. Some of us console ourselves with \u201ccomfort\u201d foods, while others of us lose our appetites altogether and even when we are ravenously hungry, we can not eat. Some of us relieve our psychic pain by cutting ourselves. We lose pleasure in many of our favorite activities. Our days are long and boring. Depression robs us of all that once made us happy. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I personally suffer from bipolar mood disorder, which means along with depression, I also have episodes of mania. I am actually what\u2019s called a \u201crapid cycler\u201d \u2013 I can cycle in and out of manic and depressed moods within a single day. I can be depressed and manic at the very same time. But like a day is contained within a week and a week is contained within a month, my days of rapid cycling are contained within seasons of either manic moods or depressed moods. Generally, I am more manic in the early winter and later spring and depressed in the early spring and most of the summer. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Since being formally diagnosed in 1993, I have been on dozens of medications, most of which have been totally useless. I fully believe that most of the medications caused more problems than they solved and most of the problems that I had in the 1990\u2019s and early 2000\u2019s were a direct result of taking psych meds. I was out of my mind most of the time. I have been fairly stable since I reached my Crone years but I still have my moods. <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This recent depression was triggered way back in 2016 when our current president was elected and I think many of us went into a deep slump at that time. Certain health issues of mine came to fore, as well as housing problems, and I had to move from New England \u2013 which I love \u2013 back to Buffalo \u2013 which I do <\/i>love, but Buffalo is like loving an abusive man with addiction issues who\u2019s never going to change. I know that many cities are just like Buffalo but I don\u2019t have the emotional attachment to those other cities. And things really <\/i>are worse here than they were in 2016 \u2013 for poor people, that is. There\u2019s lots of shiny new buildings and expensive restaurants and microbreweries selling drinks that will give me a migraine after the first sip, they\u2019re so damn hoppy. But that\u2019s another subject. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

At this point, I have been depressed for well over a year \u2013 with seasonal episodes of mania, like the one I\u2019m in now \u2013 and it is affecting every facet of my life. If being depressed is defined as \u201closing interest in things that used to interest you\u201d, then I have got the sickness pretty bad. I love to cook and eat but I have lost interest in food altogether \u2013 I go for days, eating nothing other than Cheerios, fried eggs and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I simply do not care. I stopped writing my novel over a year ago \u2013 I even took the blog off WordPress \u2013 I keep saying that I\u2019m going to restart it \u2013 and honestly, I miss my characters \u2013 they were like friends of mine! But I don\u2019t write \u2013 I barely keep my diary. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

One of the things that depression has stolen from me is my desire to use my Tarot cards or throw the I-Ching or study the Lenormand or pull a few Runes or anything. <\/i>Like my attitude toward food, I simply do not care<\/i>. It\u2019s like \u2013 so what? One day is just another day. And with the madman in the White House, we may not have a tomorrow anyway. So what difference does anything make?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I was cleaning the other day \u2013 this is where being manic always works out \u2013 and I found my divination journal. The paucity of entries are pathetic. The last time I had done a reading was in February! And honestly, I didn\u2019t remember it. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I did a Tarot reading that day \u2013 a Celtic Cross \u2013 with my Rider-Waite cards \u2013 partly because I felt guilty that I hadn\u2019t done any readings in such a long time and partly because I thought that maybe I would see something new. Maybe it was my depression \u2013 but it just seemed to me that the cards were telling me that I was depressed \u2013 which I already knew! But maybe it\u2019s just I\u2019m too depressed to be reading my own cards. I don\u2019t know \u2013 which brings me back to the whole point of this essay \u2013 depressing and divination. What is a practitioner to do? <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a> I have to step out of myself to answer this question \u2013 as if I were being asked the question by another person. I would answer, go back to the basics. Pick one card a day and meditate on that card. Read all of your spiritual books and remind yourself of your path and why you are on this path. Go to the park and walk where it is green and quiet. Listen to the birds chirping. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I was told that there is no cure for bipolar disease and I do not think there is a cure for depression \u2013 there is only managing the symptoms. But I am going to do what I *told* myself to do \u2013 pick a card a day and meditate on that card. Read all of my spiritual books and remind myself of my path and why I am on this path. Go to one of the many parks in Buffalo \u2013 even if it means getting on the bus \u2013 and walk around the greenery that I have right here. Everything will change. The wheel will turn. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

About the Author:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Polly MacDavid<\/b>\u00a0lives in Buffalo, New York at the moment but that could easily change, since she is a gypsy at heart. Like a gypsy, she is attracted to the divinatory arts, as well as camp fires and dancing barefoot. She has three cats who all help her with her magic.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Her philosophy about religion and magic is that it must be thoroughly based in science and logic. She is Dianic Wiccan and she is solitary.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

She blogs at\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>silverapplequeen.wordpress.com<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>. She writes about general life, politics and poetry. She is writing a novel about sex, drugs and recovery.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Depression and divination (Photo by Velizar Ivanov on Unsplash) Depression is a disease that affects millions of people, regardless of religion, ethnic background, genetic make-up or economic outlook. Many of us take antidepressants, trying to feel better and suffer dubious side-effects from these medications. Some of us become addicted to these meds. Others of us self-medicate with drugs and alcohol and may end up with addictions to these substances. Some of us console ourselves with \u201ccomfort\u201d foods, while others of us lose our appetites altogether and even when we are ravenously hungry, we can not eat. Some of us relieve our psychic pain by cutting ourselves. We lose pleasure in many of our favorite activities. Our days are long and boring. Depression robs us of all that once made us happy. I personally suffer from bipolar mood disorder, which means along with depression, I also have episodes of mania. I am actually what\u2019s called a \u201crapid cycler\u201d \u2013 I can cycle in and out of manic and depressed moods within a single day. I can be depressed and manic at the very same time. But like a day is contained within a week and a week is contained within a month, my days of rapid cycling are contained within seasons of either manic moods or depressed moods. Generally, I am more manic in the early winter and later spring and depressed in the early spring and most of the summer. Since being formally diagnosed in 1993, I have been on dozens of medications, most of which have been totally useless. I fully believe that most of the medications caused more problems than they solved and most of the problems that I had in the 1990\u2019s and early 2000\u2019s were a direct result of taking psych meds. I was out of my mind most of the time. I have been fairly stable since I reached my Crone years but I still have my moods. This recent depression was triggered way back in 2016 when our current president was elected and I think many of us went into a deep slump at that time. Certain health issues of mine came to fore, as well as housing problems, and I had to move from New England \u2013 which I love \u2013 back to Buffalo \u2013 which I do love, but Buffalo is like loving an abusive man with addiction issues who\u2019s never going to change. I know that many cities are just like Buffalo but I don\u2019t have the emotional attachment to those other cities. And things really are worse here than they were in 2016 \u2013 for poor people, that is. There\u2019s lots of shiny new buildings and expensive restaurants and microbreweries selling drinks that will give me a migraine after the first sip, they\u2019re so damn hoppy. But that\u2019s another subject. At this point, I have been depressed for well over a year \u2013 with seasonal episodes of mania, like the one I\u2019m in now \u2013 and it is affecting every facet of my life. If being depressed is defined as \u201closing interest in things that used to interest you\u201d, then I have got the sickness pretty bad. I love to cook and eat but I have lost interest in food altogether \u2013 I go for days, eating nothing other than Cheerios, fried eggs and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I simply do not care. I stopped writing my novel over a year ago \u2013 I even took the blog off WordPress \u2013 I keep saying that I\u2019m going to restart it \u2013 and honestly, I miss my characters \u2013 they were like friends of mine! But I don\u2019t write \u2013 I barely keep my diary. One of the things that depression has stolen from me is my desire to use my Tarot cards or throw the I-Ching or study the Lenormand or pull a few Runes or anything. Like my attitude toward food, I simply do not care. It\u2019s like \u2013 so what? One day is just another day. And with the madman in the White House, we may not have a tomorrow anyway. So what difference does anything make? I was cleaning the other day \u2013 this is where being manic always works out \u2013 and I found my divination journal. The paucity of entries are pathetic. The last time I had done a reading was in February! And honestly, I didn\u2019t remember it. I did a Tarot reading that day \u2013 a Celtic Cross \u2013 with my Rider-Waite cards \u2013 partly because I felt guilty that I hadn\u2019t done any readings in such a long time and partly because I thought that maybe I would see something new. Maybe it was my depression \u2013 but it just seemed to me that the cards were telling me that I was depressed \u2013 which I already knew! But maybe it\u2019s just I\u2019m too depressed to be reading my own cards. I don\u2019t know \u2013 which brings me back to the whole point of this essay \u2013 depressing and divination. What is a practitioner to do? I have to step out of myself to answer this question \u2013 as if I were being asked the question by another person. I would answer, go back to the basics. Pick one card a day and meditate on that card. Read all of your spiritual books and remind yourself of your path and why you are on this path. Go to the park and walk where it is green and quiet. Listen to the birds chirping. I was told that there is no cure for bipolar disease and I do not think there is a cure for depression \u2013 there is only managing the symptoms. But I am going to do what I *told* myself to do \u2013 pick a card a day and meditate on that card. Read all of my spiritual books and remind myself of my path and why I am on this path. Go to one of the many parks in Buffalo \u2013 even if it means getting on the bus \u2013 and walk around the greenery that I have right here. Everything will change. The wheel will turn. *** About the Author: Polly MacDavid\u00a0lives in Buffalo, New York at the moment but that could easily change, since she is a gypsy at heart. Like a gypsy, she is attracted to the divinatory arts, as well as camp fires and dancing barefoot. She has three cats who all help her with her magic. Her philosophy about religion and magic is that it must be thoroughly based in science and logic. She is Dianic Wiccan and she is solitary. She blogs at\u00a0silverapplequeen.wordpress.com. She writes about general life, politics and poetry. She is writing a novel about sex, drugs and recovery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17067"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17067\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}