Confessions of a earth-based occultist – 10 years later

My loves, even with all the potions and tinctures, the Urban Witch does not grow any younger. Those of you who have been reading my words for many years might even still remember my old online presence, Ard de vivre.

Over ten years ago, I already wrote an article there titled Confessions of a earth-based Occultist – a small snapshot of my thoughts and experiences around occultism and nature spirituality. Even back then, I had been walking this path for about ten years already, so my beliefs and practices had long been woven into my everyday life.

Since then, a lot has happened. Over the past ten years, I have evolved, discovered new facets of my spirituality, and grown more mature – both in how I relate to myself and to the world around me. My spiritual path still accompanies me through daily life, offering me a sense of connection, guidance, and a kind of inner navigation system.

What has become especially clear to me over all these years is this: black-and-white thinking will probably never truly resonate with me. I love discovering things for myself, exploring different perspectives, and not dividing everything into absolute “good” or “evil.” The term occultism (from the Latin occultus = hidden, concealed, secret) is a beautiful example of this. It is often associated with darkness, mystery, or even something evil. For me, however, it is not a label or a rigid judgment, but an invitation to explore worlds, perspectives, and inner states that might otherwise remain hidden.

At the same time, I notice how the world around us is often trapped in “either–or” thinking. Over the past few years, this seems to have intensified even more. Politically, religiously, socially – the atmosphere feels explosive everywhere. That is not my way. And yet, I sometimes catch myself slipping into a defensive mode, even though I am not entirely sure what there is to defend in the first place. My path helps me pause, reflect, and ask myself: What is truly my truth? Where can I simply observe without immediately having to take a position?

This is also one of the reasons why I have made it a personal intention this year to look more closely at my occult – meaning hidden – sides. They are not secret to me, but there is still so much that resonates beneath the surface, not yet fully conscious or clear. And it is precisely this observing, questioning, and discovering that makes my path feel alive, deep, and steady – reminding me again and again how much magic lives in everyday life, if only we pay attention.

And that, too, is the beauty of growing within a spiritual path. What once felt like a small adventure has become a conscious relationship with nuance, an everyday experience of magic, intuition, and reflection. A walk through the city, a cup of tea, or a small morning ritual can hold just as much depth as a long evening in a bookshop filled with esoteric treasures.

And this is where the true beauty lies: being authentic does not mean choosing between rationality and intuition – or, let’s call it, magic. It means embracing both, allowing ourselves to be guided by intuition while still standing firmly in the modern world. This balance, this interplay of light and shadow, structure and chaos, the visible and the hidden, and all the nuances in between, is what shapes us – and what makes my own path feel so alive.

And you? How do you live your own blend of everyday life, intuition, and magic? I invite you to reflect on it – perhaps during a walk, over a cup of tea, or in your own small daily ritual.