My Neighbor Thinks I’m a Devil Worshiper

Okay, so she’s only partly wrong. I don’t really worship anything. I don’t believe in a little man under the ground that whispers in our ear, egging us on to do dastardly deeds and saying, “Come on down, the water’s warm…” (I guess he’d be saying fire…) But I do appreciate the modern interpretation of the Devil. (Free will, rebellion against dogma, and enlightenment.)

I am a card-carrying member of TST, The Satanic Temple, whose first tenet reads, “One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason.” I’m really trying hard to embody this with my neighbor, and you know, I think I am.

There is too much history to explain here in this humble newsletter, but suffice it to say, the poor woman who lives next to us is not mentally stable. Things have been going on for a while now that we’ve mostly been able to ignore. But the other day, on our neighborhood website, she posted a photo of an ornament I had hanging innocently in my tree. It was a gift from another neighbor, a ball crafted of sticks with alpaca fur inside to help the birds build their nests. The next photos she posted were of said ball, cut to pieces with the fur pulled out. Apparently, I’ve snuck over and took her dog’s fur out of her garbage in order to make this object that curses her pet. I took some deep breaths and tried to figure out how to deal with this.

Then I saw her cutting giant branches off our tree. (Nobody touches my favorite tree.) This began a day of cursing (not on my part, I swear!), her throwing the branches on my front stoop, and a couple of visits from the police, who suggested a restraining order. Needless to say, it was a stressful day. I was angry and frustrated, feeling trapped by her craziness.

I’m not gonna lie—my first witchy reaction was to do exactly what she expects that I’m doing—cast an ugly spell on her. (Not her dog, my goodness, no.) But then I remembered the Threefold Law and decided instead to focus on banishing the negative energy surrounding her and, therefore, affecting me.

It’s interesting that I woke up this morning feeling fresh and determined. I set to work on a deep clean I kept putting off…you know, taking a wet rag under the radiators (shiver, cobwebs!) and wiping down the molding and my front door. I Palo Santo’d the house, and the edge of the yard that faces this neighbor. I watered my poor, assaulted tree and took a pink carnation out of the bouquet my kids gave me, weaving it into the fence between us.

And then, I was reminded of the Black Moon by Oli Andrei Olar. This is the period of time before the new moon, which will begin tomorrow, May 16th. It is a time to reflect, banish and release, rest, and cleanse. This reflects (heh) the energy of the Waning Crescent moon, but in a more intense way, and more internally. What good timing!

Here are some things you can do with the Dark Moon energy:

• Although resting is advised, if cleaning feels good, do it! Do your entire house or pick one thing or area that needs your attention.

• Meditate. Find some time to quiet your mind, even if it’s only for five minutes.

• Focus on release. Is there a thought, a belief, an emotion, or a harmful connection you’ve been hanging on to that needs to go? If something doesn’t make you feel good or at least move you forward in some good way, it’s not worth the energy you put into it.

• Write about it! Grab your trusty journal or notebook and write about whatever it is you’d like to release. Let yourself free-write without judging or overthinking. Think of small steps you can take to face whatever it is, and how you can work to banish it.

• Light a candle and sit in the dark. Picture yourself connecting with the moon somehow, however that looks to you. Be grateful for all that you have, and all that will come your way. If you get any cool ‘messages’ or visions, write them down!

Pick one, or do them all! And soon will begin the New Moon, a time to gather your intentional thoughts and plans. (If you missed it this time around, no problem! Come back to the list when you can!)

I feel grateful to wake up in a beautiful house with a supportive family and neighbors who keep checking in on me. That poor woman does not have that.

I do feel for her, but my‘beliefs’ are about being realistic. Positive thinking and forgiving others who don’t accept responsibility for the harm they cause are not real-life practices, and they only perpetuate the madness. Mental illness is no joke, and I realize she may not have a lot of know-how or capacity to take responsibility. I also don’t want to be the recipient of her outbursts, which could become dangerous. Both can be true. That carnation I left is for me, something pretty in the ugliness, and I truly hope she receives the benefit of its power as well.

Now, if you will excuse me, I’m going to go back to my cleaning. I’m going to dust off and de-clutter my altar that holds a pentagram, a statue of Baphomet, a horned pyrite skull, and a statue of beautiful Persephone. As above, so below.

Let me know what you end up doing for the Black Moon—and your plans for the New one!