When you just have to keep going

5 July 2026

"the step from Charm to Prayer is a short and easy one." - Eleanor Hull, quoted in Charms, Charmers and Charming in Ireland

July can be deceptively hard, because the light is strong and the days are long, so from the outside it can look like everything should be easier by now. This is often the point where the fatigue shows up instead, when the novelty has worn off and the work still isn't finished and you're left still showing up anyway.

Endurance was never glamorous in Irish tradition, and it wasn't celebrated as heroics so much as respected as plain necessity. It was the ability to keep going and hold steady over time, to carry on with what needed doing even when nobody was applauding, and that kind of steady strength counted for far more than a sudden burst of effort.

This is the month where endurance becomes visible, not like a dramatic push but as the quiet decision to stay with something.

This simple Irish spell is for strengthening that staying power.

You'll need a short length of cord, string, wool or yarn, natural fibre if you have it, though whatever you already own is enough.

Hold the cord in your hands and take a moment to think about what you're continuing with right now, not everything at once, just the one specific thing that's asking you to endure.

Tie a single knot in the cord and say:

I bind myself to steady effort.

I endure without hardening.

I continue without breaking.

Beir Bua. (Pron. bare BOO-ah)

If you'd like to take the extra step from charm to prayer, ask for help from the deity you work with, though it's best not to come looking for relationship with a new god or goddess by asking for something.

The first line could be changed to something as simple as: I bind myself to steady effort, with the help of [deity name].

Carry the knotted cord with you for the rest of the day, in a pocket or a bag, somewhere unobtrusive, and you don't need to keep it any longer than that unless you want to. This isn't about permanent binding, it's about reinforcing your capacity to stay present.

When you're done with it, just bury it in the soil, or put it in the bin if that's easier, you don't gotta overthink this part I promise

If you want more grounded practice like this, and the thinking that keeps it honest and rooted, you'll find it on the Living Irish Witchcraft Podcast.

Slán go fóill

Lora

PS

If this feels almost too simple, that's a good sign, because endurance work usually is, and the power isn't in the intensity. Irish witchcraft works by consistency and repetition.