Sowing the Seeds-Using Vision Boards

**This blog is also linked to Kallan Kennedy's The Secret Life of the American Witch. Please go check out this amazing blog and all the fabulous chefs who contribute!!

“If you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.” –Steve Jobs

At the time of the Vernal Equinox, we welcome the return of the light and warmth of Spring (I sure know *I* do!). We are ecstatic in the coming period of great fertility and growth that is before us! So, what are YOU going to grow this season? This is a time of planting seeds in our lives and we now focus on what we want to grow which will nourish our spirits. There is a simple tool that you can use that will create the energy and inspiration to assist you in reaching whatever goal you choose to set: a Vision Board.

Vision boards are a collection of words and images related to a central theme. In this case, in thinking of what you want to manifest in your life this season, the theme is all about YOU! Vision Boards can be very simple or elaborate and it all depends on what it is you want and how you choose to put it together. There are a number of online resources that can help you create a digital Vision Board and places like Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, blah, blah, blah where you can display them. If you choose to actually make a physical Vision Board, you can do so with things you find around you in your very own home. They can be displayed in any room at home, at work, and even in the car. You can make a Vision Board on a single piece of paper, by utilizing a poster board or bulletin board, grabbing an artist’s canvas of any size, cardboard, wood, plastic or even use your refrigerator! Yes, I did say, refrigerator! I shall explain…

When many of us were kids, we would bring home a picture we drew or some test we took and our mom promptly displayed it where? Yep, that’s right….the refrigerator! That fridge door represented one of the earliest versions of a Vision Board. How? Because with that picture, that grade, that photo or whatever was prominently displayed gave us a sense of confidence and pride which we wanted to recreate. It was important to our parents and to us and we worked for the reward of having our efforts displayed on that fridge door. Seeing it before us every day was a reminder that sooner or later, we needed to continue our efforts to get what we wanted. It motivated us in a way few other things could. So now, we as adults can understand how the simple concept of visual cues can help us to direct energy which is the very essence of spellwork. It is following the Law of Attraction…that which we create and can visualize can be manifested and drawn into our lives.  Are you ready to get started? Let’s begin…

For our purpose, let us meditate on what it is we want to manifest for ourselves this season. You can create Vision Boards for any time period you want-a week, month, year, several years or even a lifetime. Sit and think on something you want to have happen. Take your time about this…do a little divination…get some Divine guidance. This is a sacred and spiritual ritual which isn’t to be taken lightly. Do you want to lose weight and be healthy? Maybe you want to be more devoted to spiritual practice? Do you want to change jobs, careers, find a better relationship, improve the relationship you have, have a family, buy a house, car, go on a dream vacation, etc? The Vision Board is part of what channels and moves the energies toward making your dreams a reality. It is a magickal tool that helps keep you motivated in the course of the coming days if your energies and attitude start to wane and wither.

I’ve made a couple of examples of my own Vision Boards. My husband and I have decided that since neither of us can handle many more winters with any kind of grace, we want to live in a warmer climate and close to a beach. We took into consideration several factors, but it looks like we’ve decided to move to California (though the possibility of a move south on the east coast may lead to yet another Vision Board to that purpose, but I digress…) As you see below I’ve made some simple digital collages, courtesy of Picmonkey, with images I’ve collected around the web. These images are meant to represent what we want in our future home.

Vision Boards are designed for a specific purpose-to move you beyond fear and doubt and keep you focused on your goal. It is no different than gathering items together to cast a spell, create an herbal remedy, dress a ritual candle, create a poppet or any number of magickal acts. A Vision Board is a tool that puts before you a visual path to manifest and direct your magickal energies towards what you want. Of course, it is why I said you need to sit and think for a while on what you really want. Be careful what you wish for… Also remember that this Vision Board is for YOU. If you choose to display it in an open area, be prepared for others to ask questions. I usually kept mine by my altar or in my cubicle at work in a small area on my desk. Wherever you need to display it to make it work for you, be sure it is in a place you feel comfortable and safe. This is not about getting support from others for your goals, it is about manifesting and motivating yourself…

How to begin? Let me give you a few ideas. Magazines and newspapers are wonderful resources for the photos and words we would like to put before us. Glue, tape, scissors, thumbtacks, paper, cardboard, etc. are the usual working tools for a handmade Vision Board. Do you want a new car? Find a picture of a car you want and put it on the fridge. If you’d rather, get a piece of paper and glue pictures of some new cars you want and put them there together. Have a little bulletin board? Tack up some of the words and pictures related to your goals. One year, I had a frame on my desk I got from the dollar store with a picture I printed from the computer of Kwan Yin sitting at rest. There was a small quote I attached that spoke of finding peace by being comfortable within one’s self. What I wanted to manifest was a calm that was never fostered at my old job. Every time I looked at that little dollar store created Vision Board, I felt at peace. It really can be that simple. Whatever you choose to manifest through your Vision Board, may it bring you much happiness.