transcendentthrone:

cunningcelt:

calloftheelves:

Hello, I’m a beginner witch who needs help. A neighbor of mine is sick and I’m afraid he will not make it. I know he won’t be able to recover from his disease but it would be amazing if I could do a spell to make him live a little longer. I don’t know if this is possible with magic but I just want to help him and I don’t know what to do…

Even if it were possible to prolong his life with magic, the greater question is should you? Consider your neighbour’s life with this disease; is he in pain? Is he suffering? What is his quality of life? Who would this magic be helping: him, or you? Death is never easy for those of us left behind, but at the moment it isn’t about us. One of the more important lessons you will come to learn as a witch is when *not* to do magic, however desperate or tempted you may be.

A more profound and noble witchly duty, in my experience, is to be with him in his dying days. As witches, we often straddle the boundaries, boundaries between the spiritual and the physical, between light and dark, between life and death. By far most of the time we straddle these boundaries in a metaphorical way, but being with someone at the start of their life or at its end is a physical manifestation of those boundaries. Offering your friendship and strength during someone’s final days can, if you’re up to it, be a very profound experience. Terribly difficult, yes, and it can affect you in some unforeseen ways, but incredibly profound.

In the end, though, there is no magic needed here other than the magic of humanity. Be a comfort to him, be a source of strength for his family.

maybe pray so that his passing is peaceful and painless?

That would be my suggestion as well, Arc. Maybe an open prayer that encompasses your neighbor’s faith instead of just your own, if the two differ that is.

I had an unfortunate experience with this subject when my mother was sick. I knew that doing magic to prolong her life was purely my selfish desire and would do nothing for the woman who could no longer walk or think clearly. Sometimes you just have to be brave and be there with them in those terribly difficult moments and accept that there truly isn’t anything you can do.

Death doesn’t wait just because we desire it to. That’s not how things work unfortunately. I do wish your neighbor peace and a gentle passing OP. 💜