How discovering Tumblr spirituality changed my life
I don't come from a particularly religious family. My parents always wanted us to figure out what we believed by ourselves. And for most of my life, I was okay with not believing in anything. I used to identify as an atheist but I no longer think this was an accurate label because I was open to believing in something, I just didn't know what to believe in.
When I was around fourteen, I started using Tumblr. During this time, I was introduced to many things both good and bad. One of the good things I came across is what is now known as 'Tumblr Witchcraft'.
There was spell jars, running in the rain, dancing to Fleetwood Mac and so much more. It was a magical time for a curious soul like me.
Once I had my first taste of witchcraft, I was hooked. I loved the idea of working with the phases of the moon and using nature in my practice. Around this time, I was also a huge Vampire Diaries fan so it fit into the aesthetic of my life at the time pretty nicely.
Around this time, I was also a very negative and angry individual. I mean, most of it could probably be put down teenage angst mixed with abandonment issues mixed with attention seeking.
I was in the 'broom closet', a term that refers to practitioners who hadn't gone public about their craft. At first, it was like a hobby. I would craft pentacles out of sticks, put my moon water out on the full moon and write in my Book of Shadows.
As time ticked on, I got more and more into this lifestyle but it started changed a little.
In 2016, I discovered mindfulness, meditation and gratitude. By the time I have come across these practices, some of the anger and angst that was stuck with me when I started practising had gone away. Despite this, I was still a very negative person.
I was either working for £4.44 in Primark on the weekends or swamped with college work. At the tender age of seventeen, I was convinced that I would never be happy in life. So, I decided to start working on my outlook on life.
I was watching loads of creators who promoted positive living by doing things like meditation, mindful living and showing gratitude. Even with a healthy dose of skepticism, I started incorporating these things into my life.
Although these things aren't inherently spiritual, they helped me through my spiritual journey. I also started journalling and getting to the root of my issues.
I found that one thing that was keeping me in a negative state of mind was trying to control everything. I took on the burden of trying to control each and every part of my life and this made me miserable. Then I discovered a belief in the Universe.
I kept seeing people say 'trust in the universe' and I didn't really get it at first. So, I read into it and the Universe seemed like something I could get into.
That night, I did a releasing ceremony in the shower (woo-woo, I know), where I let go of all my control, all of my negative ideas and anything that was holding me back from happiness in life.
I woke up the next morning feeling lighter. Almost like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Even after just a few months of meditating when I could and journalling when I felt like it had made such a difference.
Over time, I started to develop a more positive mindset. My outlook on life changed because I was actively seeking more positivity. One of the twelve laws of the Universe is the Law of Attraction - this law states that whatever we put out into the universe.
When you put out positive energy, you get positive energy back. Well, most the time anyway.
Having these little beliefs that became so sacred to me overtime really helped me develop a better mindset and become a happier person overall.
My journey into spirituality has changed my life in so many ways. It's given me confidence, peace, happiness and so much more.