Merry Meet Monday - Witchy News of the Week (May 18 - 24) 🌓

Activities
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Welcome to your weekly update about what’s happening in the forum and the witchy world at large :newspaper_roll:

Here’s the news for this week :eyes:

Please remember that you must be logged into your Spells8 account in order to view content located in A Sacred Space and the Energy Exchange.

Don’t have an account yet? No worries! You can join Spells8 here :sparkles:

Upcoming Events :spiral_calendar:

Mark your calendars so you don’t miss out on these upcoming events and occasions!

S4 Group Tea Ritual
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[ [ Group Ritual :candle: ] ]

→ Thursday, May 21 *

*Your ritual mod will be on the road later this week, but can’t resist sharing something for International Tea Day! A ritual will be available for anyone who wishes to participate.

You’re invited to a group ritual meditation- this activity and discussion is open to all active coven members :tea: The ritual has step-by-step instructions that you can join in on your own schedule at any time during the duration of the ritual.

Group rituals are held on Thursday in A Sacred Space and remain open through the weekend. Feel free to check out the most recent group ritual to get an idea about what to expect.

UPDATE: This week’s group ritual can be found here: (Group Ritual - May 21) :teapot: Tea & Tarot Ritual

Fun Friday

[ [ Fun Friday :tada: ] ]

→ Friday, May 22

The end of the week means it’s time for some fun! Come join @Feathertip on a weekly exploration through thought-provoking questions - all in the name of a good time with your coven mates.

New questions are shared in the Fun Friday discussion every weekend.

First-Quarter-Moon-Spells

[ [ Moon Phase: First Quarter Moon :first_quarter_moon: ] ]

→ Saturday, May 23

This week we will be blessed by the light of a first quarter moon. The exact time you will see this moon phase depends on your location :telescope:

The Spells8 Moon Magick Guide to First Quarter Moon Magick notes that this moon phase is an excellent time to take action towards making your dreams become reality and bringing about positive growth. It is a great time for forward movement and healing :hugs:

Ready for More Moon Magick? You can find complementary spells and rituals for tonight’s moon on the Spells8 Lunar Spell Page :astrology_moon:

Other Events - MMM

[ [ Additional Events of Interest :mag: ] ]

Other interesting events this week include:

Stay on top of witchy news with the NEW 2026 Pagan Holiday Calendar. You can also add the Spells8 Forum Events Calendar to your digital calendar :spiral_calendar:

Ongoing Activities :raised_hands:

These activities are ongoing and are open to enjoy whenever you’d like - feel free to participate any time before their deadlines!

catch up witch challenge

[ [ Witch Challenge :trophy: ] ]

Join your coven and explore an area of magick! These challenges encourage magickal learning - everyone is warmly encouraged to participate in a way that reflects their unique magickal practice. All entrants receive a small prize.

Are you ready? Join the current challenge here:

This challenge will remain open until: Tuesday, May 26 at 7:00 AM ET (Eastern US Time)

Tarot Challenge

[ [ Tarot Journey :flower_playing_cards: ] ]

Improve your tarot reading skills here! This month-long exploration of the cards is hosted by @katharina. Check back each day for a new daily prompt to work on and explore a weekly creative prompt to help you connect with your deck.

Visit the Tarot space:

Lenormand Challenge

[ [ Lenormand Challenge :joker: ] ]

Have you used Lenormand cards before? Branch out and explore a fascinating method of divination! This month-long exploration of the cards is hosted by @dan3. Check back each day for a new daily prompt to work on with your deck.

Visit the Lenormand Challenge here:

Oracle Challenge

[ [ Oracle Work :joker: ] ]

Level up your oracle abilities through hands-on experience with The Court of Light and Shadow Deck and exercises designed by @Eira_of_the_Living_Hearth. Explore monthly themes and daily prompts to help deepen your practice with your cards.

Visit the Oracle discussion here:

self care collective

[ [ Self-Care Collective :heart: ] ]

Self-care is important, but it can be hard to do on your own - for accountability and companionship, come join this Self-Care Collective hosted by @Artemisia. Everyone is welcome to share their self-care updates and check-in with fellow coven members.

Visit the Self-Care Collective here:

Practical Magic Book Club by TracyS

[ [ Book Club - Practical Magic :open_book: ] ]

Calling all readers and magickal book enthusiasts! To celebrate the upcoming release of Practical Magic 2, @tracyS is leading a reading group. Come stop by to chat about the books and movies.

EEC May

[ [ Energy Exchange Circle :hugs: ] ]

The Energy Exchange Circle is hosted in the Energy Exchange and is the place to connect and share love with fellow Coven members going through hard times. To do a good deed and show that you care, consider leaving a note of support in the current thread:

birthday coven

[ [ Coven Member Birthdays :birthday: ] ]

Let’s celebrate! Here is a space to honor coven members on their birthdays. If you wish to appear in this list, please set your birthday on your profile.

Come wish your fellow coven members well on their special days:

Daily Single Draws - for MMM

[ [ Coven Daily Draw :tarot_card: ] ]

Want to draw a card for the coven? This shared space is for daily shared readings. Feel free to draw a card (or rune, ogham, pendulum, tea reading, etc - all forms of divination are welcome) for the collective, or stop by to read the messages for the day.

Study Buddies

[ [ Magickal Study Buddies :books: ] ]

Ready to bring your studies to the next level? Work together with a buddy! Magickal study buddies are fellow practitioners who are studying the same areas of the Craft as you. Connect with others to boost motivation, gain inspiration, stay accountable, and (hopefully!) make new friends with similar magickal interests :mage:

The Magickal Study Buddies discussion will remain open indefinitely for connecting with fellow magickal learners. Happy studies! :woman_mage:

Spell A Day - Crystal Galaxy

[ [ A Spell A Day :sparkles: ] ]

Want to add some magick to your day, but not sure what to cast? The Spell-A-Day has you covered!

Over the years, a vast archive of magickal spells, resources, information and more has been collected from around Spells8. Every day, one spell that taps into the energy of the day is brought out of the library and put on display for all to see and enjoy.

There is a new spell post every day, so stop by A Sacred Space > Spell-A-Day whenever you visit the forum to see the recommended daily spell!

New Members :wave:

Merry meet to the new members who have joined the Spells8 Forum over the past week!

:infinite_roots: Welcome to the Forum and the Infinite Roots Coven! :infinite_roots:

@jen6 - @kelle - @alexander - @layne - @tiffany2 - @lee5 - @luciana - @grace4 - @jennifer26 - @tracy5 - @stephanie4 - @MeryWynd - @desi

If you haven’t done so already, please get started by creating a new topic in the Introductions category. Feel free to share a bit about who you are and your journey into practicing magick, or simply say a quick hello - we’d love to meet you! :wave: :heart:

Wishing you a very warm welcome to the forum! :hugs:

Special Shout-Outs :loudspeaker:

Forum Super Stars

Each week, those who share the most posts and give the most hearts receive a shout-out and thank you for their contributions.

Shout-outs from this past week go to:

  • @Feathertip for sharing the most posts :writing_hand: (on a two week shout-out streak!)

  • @Moonbeam for giving out the most hearts :heart:

Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and love with the coven, it is greatly appreciated :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

Click here to learn more about Activity Shout-Out Rewards

Anyone who earns a shout-out for three weeks in a row is awarded the special MMM badge (and will not be counted in Activity shout-outs again for a two-month rest period, so that others will have a chance to earn the badge too!) . Those who have won the MMM badge 5 times will no longer be counted, as they have earned their place in the legendary Forum Hall of Fame :trophy:

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And Thank YOU!

We’d also like to say a very big thank you to all members of Spells8 :infinite_roots:

Your contributions and presence here help to make this a welcoming and supportive place for solitary witches all around the world. Thanks for being a part- Spells8 can’t exist without you! :hugs::sparkling_heart:

first quarter moon
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One month to the solstice! How is the weather and season where you are? :sun_behind_cloud:

Whether it’s magickal or mundane, feel free to share your plans for the week, chat about upcoming spellwork, or give a shout-out to your fellow coven members in the comments below.

Blessed be :first_quarter_moon: :sparkles:

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Welcome to all our new members! :heart: We’re so glad you decided to join us here.

Congrats on the shout-out, @Moonbeam! Thanks for sharing your love and wisdom with us. :folded_hands:

Not a lot on tap for me this week. I am so happy to be caught up with my garden. :two_hearts: Now, of course, we’re in the middle of a mini-heatwave and my little ones are wilting a bit. :sun: But this is Michigan and it will all be over after tomorrow and we’re back to normal cooler temps. I do love it up here, despite my occasional grousing!

Now it’s up to the landscaper for the front garden, and I’m waiting to see those plans.

I will be resting my back after overdoing it on the gardening over the weekend. :wink: It just couldn’t be helped. Some cooking on tap, usual store runs, and not much else. Yay!

Wishing everyone a wonderful week! :blush:

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Welcome everyone!

Great job! Keep witching!

I found out I am a classic example of the Calhoun Effect. Spent part of last night trying to figure out what I “do” with my life, in case the insurance agent asks. At the moment, I am cleaning out my digital footprint removing doubles, reducing negativity, getting rid of what I won’t use- all so I can start anew with my writing. It’s a big job after 50 years of collecting information. None of this is apparent by looking at the stuff strewn around my apartment, as though writing and research are a secret. At least it’s part of the witch’s pyramid!

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Welcome to all our new members. We are glad to have you here with us. Please take a moment to drop in and introduce yourselves so we can get to know you.

Congratulations on the shoutouts you wonderful witches! Thank you for sharing your light and wisdom in the coven.

Definitely take care of your back. I hope it feels better soon.

I have learned (through trial and error) to attack my garden one square foot, or a ten minute session, at a time. The days of toiling in the Texas heat all afternoon are long gone.

I’m looking forward to seeing those plans too!

Nothing on my calendar for the week ahead, so I will be taking time for self care, keeping up with my daily exercise and getting a hair cut.

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@BryWisteria - Thanks again for a wonderful start to the week!

Congrats to all the new people and to @Feathertip and @Moonbeam for giving knowledge, support and enjoyment to all!

Last night will now be remembered as “The Night of the Flying Furniture” around here. A couple of tornadoes and erratic winds and sheets of rain were all over our area. The erratic winds went from calm to 70 and back again several times. The result was lawn furniture managed to go for a walkabout everywhere. Some houses damaged by falling trees. Our place has lots of debris but no significant damage. We have a couple of trees that will have to be felled but that will have to wait a while because other places need help now. No injuries reported but it is early.

Just finished my coffee and feeling OK. Nothing to do right now but sit it out. Power is fine so I’m watching all the local news and aware of being lucky.

Found a nice meditation using a candle. Of all things, it was in an Urban Fantasy book. I read it and immediately connected. Will try to simplify it and will post it later.

I hope everyone’s week goes well - with a touch of luck that ours started with.

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You are very wise! I was aiming to do a single section but got caught up in the moment.

Holy crap - that sounds terrifying! I’m glad you all made it through with nothing worse than traveling lawn chairs and debris in the yard.

We’re definitely still in Spring and that means some crazy weather patterns.

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As you said, typical for Spring. We’re getting another round tonight but hopefully milder.

Tornadoes on the ground in the storm coming - about an hour away. No real damage yet.

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Congratulations @Feathertip and @Moonbeam! Thank you so much for all you do for the coven!

And hi new people! :waving_hand:

I hope they have some good plans for you. I know you were concerned. Hope your back does better!

I have no idea what you’re actually doing. LOL! I’m sure that made sense, I think I’m just missing it.

Sounds like a great week! I hope your haircut goes well!

Thank goodness! Stay safe! I know it’s Tornado Season!

Yay! I am very interested! Let us know what book, too! I like Urban Fantasy.

Nothing big with me going on this week! I’m already working on my recipe list for next week, what with Memorial Day, Father’s Day, Pride Month, and a few hundred more holidays in June. At least that’s what it feels like! LOL!

I’ve also got another self-appointed project going on, where I’m filling in my Pop Culture pantheon. Like, Betty White is the Crone, Joyce Summers is the Mother, and Princess Leia (Original Trilogy) is the Maiden. I think Hagrid is going to be my God of the Woods and animals. Lucifer Morningstar, DC Comics version, is my God of Free Will and Intelligence. Tony Stark is Inspiration and Technology. I’m still thinking of others, but I kinda freaked myself out.

Well, it’s just that every pantheon needs a good Trickster. So I figured I had a choice between MCU Loki, Q from Star Trek, and Bugs Bunny. Seriously, Bugs is a total Trickster character. Even did the drag thing a time or two.

And then I had the thought, of the three of them, Tony Stark, and Lucifer getting together.

I think there was a minor earthquake somewhere. There had to have been!

Anyhow, that’s what I’m doing this week. Hope everyone has a good one!

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Out of everything you wrote up there about your Pop Culture pantheon, I didn’t know many of them. I will applaud Betty White for Crone (applaud her for anything, really), and Q from Star Trek is the ultimate trickster - but who can argue with Bugs Bunny?!?

Anyway - I love how your mind works! :sweat_smile:

She’s been out here twice, and we’ve talked a bunch - just hasn’t circled back to me yet. Our weather has been cold and I’m guessing she’s gotten behind. I know I did! So, I’m a little anxious but in a good way.

My back is better this evening! :partying_face:

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:tada: Congratulations on this week’s shoutouts :tada: and thank you @Feathertip for sharing so much of your wisdom :owl: and @Moonbeam for sharing so much of your love :heart: with the group!

Another crazy busy weekend of pacing a group run, doing 4 hours of long overdue yardwork Saturday, then traveling to a new-to-me trail to bird with a group, then back home for more yardwork. Today was morning cat care, washing a long overdue and seriosly dirty car then filling a yard waste bin complely with cutting from yard work. I have another birding trip tomorrow morning and plan to take the afternoon easy and maybe sneak in a nap :laughing:

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Love it! Very Creative!

An Interesting Candle Meditation approach

Here is the meditation from the book series that I mentioned. It is long but it also includes enough from the actual book to keep it in context. I would expect it to be used by trimming it for one’s own needs. For those who do mind castles, it shows someone getting to her own mind manifestation - from which she could continue on.

Instead of just watching a candle, it describes why the candle is important and includes it in the meditation. I would imagine just understanding the intent would work fine (no need to memorize the many lines). In this case, the person meditating turned the candle into a fire pit and surrounding her was her mind castle. The meditation is incomplete - where it stops a user would continue on with their personal goal for the meditation.

In the book, there was a lot more going on - the person leading the meditation had an ulterior motive… but that was part of the story arc and not as important.

Longish Candle meditation - credits at end

“I want you to watch the flame of the white candle. Breathe in its scent. Relax.” She drew out the word “relax.” The scent of conifers rose on the air, surprising somehow. I’d expected vanilla or some froufrou scent. I stared at the flame, bright in the dusky light.

“Close your eyes and think about the candle flame, vivid, alive in a dark room.” Her voice dropped in volume, deeper in tone, like a hypnotist, going for the deep, unconscious mind. I held the image of the flame in my mind and closed my eyes. “The flame is white and yellow, warm and steady. The flame lights the darkness, throwing back the night. Can you see it?” I nodded. Her words slowed, softened as she spoke, “Good.

The wick. It’s visible through the flame, rising up through the body of the candle from its base. It’s like your spine, rising from the center of you, strong and vital and filled with potential. Your mind and spirit are nestled at the tip of the candle, bright with power and energy. You are the candle. You are the wick. You are the flame.” I nodded and relaxed my shoulders, letting each vertebra settle and loosen, slipping easily into the relaxation and meditation technique.

“The candle has no purpose without the flame. The flame has no home, no power, without the candle. Yet, the flame consumes that which gives it life,” she said, her voice falling lower, “in a cycle of fuel and energy, of matter and mass.” Her words filled the softness of the night, slow. Mellifluous. “Watch as the candle is burned by the flame. As the wick is consumed, it gives us light. It gives us warmth. It is a symbol of life and eternity. Yet, even the wick of life burns low, quivers, and dies.” Evangelina was talking about the circle of life, the birth and death of all things, and the rebirth of some new thing from the ashes of the old. “Dust to dust, ashes to ashes,” she said. I let my breath go slowly out, sighing, accepting what cannot be truly understood.

“Yet, for now, the soul of the candle burns, bright and steady, lighting your darkness.” “Yessss,” I whispered, understanding. This wasn’t Cherokee meditation. This was the magic of the white man. But as always, there were similarities, connections, parallels. I watched the candle flame, pure and perfect. “You are now in a tranquil place, calm, dark, and peaceful. It is the refuge where your soul resides. The home of your spirit. You are protected here in this place of darkness and light and peace. Safer than any place you have ever been. You are warm and sheltered. This is your soul place. Your secret haven.” I nodded, smiling fully. I knew this place. “Open your eyes,” she said, softly. “Look around you. The candle burning in this sanctuary is your soul, your life. There is no one here but you. You are alone and secure.” “Yes,” I nodded. “Alone. Safe.” I breathed in and let my breath flow from my lungs in a long steady exhalation, feeling all the tension fade away. Drums started beating, quietly, peacefully, a four beat rhythm, hard-soft-soft-soft, hard-soft-soft-soft.

In the dark, in the fluttering shadows, misty fingers and ghostly hands slid against deer skin drums, tightly stretched. Herbs burned on a fire. Wood smoke crackled, dry and aromatic. I knew this place. I focused on the candle flame, but it was wrong. The wrong shape, the wrong size. Wrong. “Not a candle,” I murmured. My soul would never be a candle. “Fire. In a pit. Coals . . .” I saw them, glowing and hot, fed by forest deadwood, the heat in the embers moving as if alive. No, I would never be a candle, but I could be a fire, potent with possibility and restrained violence. I licked my lips. They were dry from the heat of the coals, yet, around me, a cool, wet wind moved through the darkness, breathing up from the deeps of the heart of the world. I burned and shivered, balanced between the flame’s light and warmth, and the dark, chill night.

“Turn your eyes,” a voice murmured in the darkness. “Search out the far corners of the place where you are. What do you see in the light of your soul?” I turned slowly. Seeing the place of my soul. “The heart of the world,” I said. “Describe it to me.” “It is the heart of the world.” What more was there to say?

Hunter, Faith. Mercy Blade: A Jane Yellowrock Novel (pp. 218-225). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

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Yay! :tada:

Wow. You’re always busy! Have a cup of relaxing tea tonight! That’ll help you wind down.

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It sounds like a busy but fun weekend and bird trip planned for tomorrow! Glad you got caught up on the yard work and washing the car - it’s all gotten behind for lots of us with the longish winter weather and spring thaws making a mess of everything.

Hope you get that nap worked in. :wink:

@dan3 That meditation does sound lovely! This is where an audio book would come in handy. :wink:

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Hi everyone, I am sorry for my late reply. Thank you to all of you for your kind words.

Merry Meet! to all our new members and welcome to the Infinite Roots Coven

@Feathertip congratulations on your 2 week shout-out, I along with others are thankful for your contribution and wisdom.

My week has started busy my Husband left at 3.00 on a business trip so I was washing and getting things ready for him on Monday night. He returns early hours next Monday I had a dentist appointment this afternoon. Luckily II am off as well now to look after my animals. The weather is thankfully going to get better from Thursday and so I will get my washing out and cast the 5 elements and I am planning on re-staining some fence panels and tidying up as we are having heavy rain, hailstones at the moment. I am also working on my challenge entries and get in some self-care, tea ritual on Thursday and my best friend is calling around on Sunday, have a catch up on phone with my Brother as it his Birthday on 25th. Reading what I have just posted oh my goodness I am busy. If I cannot achieve it all then there are other weeks to get the fences done.

Wishing you all a blessed week :waxing_crescent_moon::green_heart:

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I’m glad you’re safe! Batten down the hatches!

For example if I have two copies of the same spell, they may be named differently, but are essentially the same spell, I only need one copy. Movies I’m watching may have heavy emotions tied to them which I don’t necessarily want to experience again- Dad with Jack Lemon and Ted Danson was a good movie, but the heavy emotions were of a man who had never known happiness and was using schizophrenia to lighten up his last days on earth. Been there, done that, moving on. Icehouse put out an album I really enjoyed, but the song Mr Big was a shaming romp which didn’t make me feel good when I listened to the rest of the album, so why keep that song? I really don’t think I’ll use seven different copies of a movie poster- different sizes, black and white, mirror images, autographed, or artistically colored with a green filter, and icons or cursors of the same image which I’d originally used for themes on my older computers. Old pictures and animations are no longer working, so why keep them? Partial songs were used as notifications on old computers; but if I have the full song, it’s good enough. That type thing. There is enough to go through to fill a 4 terabyte external hard drive, so it will take me a while to finish.

After Bingo, today, I found out I wasn’t the only one with mess from a previous tenant to clean up in this complex. That made me feel less like I was singled out for the work… and more embarrassed of my home, especially since no matter how much I clean, the smell doesn’t go away for good. Then again, it may be in the process of being replaced regularly by non residents in our hallways and on the sidewalks each night.

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Congratulations my lovelies woohoo :tada: :tada:

I’m looking forward to seeing the pictures when it’s all done, hope your back heals. :green_heart:

Same, I’m literally doing this right now. :partying_face:

Sounds good :grin:

So glad you’re okay lovely :people_hugging:

Oh this is great, I’m going to do this, a good fun thing to do - trickster :thinking: bugs bunny :thinking:, there’s that roadrunner too - beep beep

Sounds busy but wonderful :green_heart:

You are busy but have a lovely week :partying_face:

My weeks filled with work, alot of petition signing and stuff like my inbox is too much right now, and a digital detox like Georgia, but hope to be more engaged here Loki willing, beasty is on a mission right now :laughing:

Have a great week witches, stay fabulous.

Skal :clinking_beer_mugs: :green_heart:

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Yes, you are busy! LOL! Good luck at the dentist!

Wow. Yeah, that would take a while to sort through! Good luck! And while I hate you’re having cleanliness problems, I’m glad it’s not just you, I was worried or a moment.

Good choice! Hermes was the Trickster of the Greek gods, as well as the Messenger. I kinda think Zeus didn’t want all that energy up in Olympus and kept sending him out. LOL!

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@tracyS you sound really busy too., I am just doing one thing at a time. Hoping you manage to clear your inbox. You tend it get more if you buy something. Once I have my item I unsubscribe to try to control the amount I receive.

@Amethyst I am glad to say that my Dentist appointment was fine thank you for your response :waxing_crescent_moon::green_heart:

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Glad everything went okay, dear heart! You’re welcome!

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