Hi everyone, I had a long entry so I posted it in A Sacred Space under:
https://forum.spells8.com/t/as-above-so-below-meaning-uses-connections/23587?u=siofra_strega
I hope everyone is having a great start to their weekend. Itās a bit overcast, there may be some rain in the future. However, I feel that the last few days with pop-up showers or just rain has been a cleansing rain for my area & myself. A lot has happened & a lot of things resolved or realized. 
@martje
Talk about Alice in Wonderland adventures. My secret place is like a Greek Temple also, holding all knowledge, like the great library of Alexandria.
Are we soul sister or what
Bless you and much love
Garnet
Words are magic.
Seriously, think about it. You learn to recognize these little shapes and they make words that form symbols in your head and you know what others are writing about.
Words can hurt. Everyoneās heard that sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me. And just about everyone knows thatās horse hockey! Someone you care about calling you a name hurts just as much as a slap to the face. As the great philosopher Dr. Phil says, it takes a thousand atta boyās to heal one youāre an idiot.
Words can heal. Iām sorry I hurt you. I care about you. Iām sending you love and light. All can put a smile on your face during tough times.
Words can take you to magical places. Read a Star Trek book and youāre on the bridge of the Enterprise. Read a Dragonrider book and youāre on your own Gold dragon, soaring over the skies of Pern.
Words teach, words comfort. Words connect us. There are certain words that give you an immediate reaction when you hear them. For good and for ill.
As witches our words hold power. Have you ever chanted and it feels like there is a resonance in your throat? Thatās the magic coming out of you.
Iām going to wrap up this babble now, but I hope that Iāve found the right words to show just how special words themselves could be because they connect us in a world wide web and friendships that are magic.
@Amethyst beautifully said 
The bonds that are most important to me are home and hearth, helping others to feel better, and focusing on my mental health.
I am an empath and it is an energy-draining process for me. I try to say this affirmation for the energies I am feeling. May this person be happy, may this person be blessed, and may this person be safe.
My relationship with my husband is important to me. This community helps me understand things in my growth as a witch and not to feel so alone even though I prefer to be an eclectic solitary witch. I do feel connected with bast because she gives me protection and strength when I need it. Also, I love cats and sunflowers so does she. bast helped me banish a bad spell or hex that was put on me by someone I do not know.
Healing and self-love are important to me, as well as, healing others and the earth and animals, they are a key part of my practice.
I have to give creds to my cousin Tammy who first introduces me to the world of magick and my grandmother who was a witch and with my aunties formed a coven, this has been passed down to me. Also, my son is pagan and is not afraid to let you know about a god or goddess. I can not leave out spells 8 because you have helped me to become stronger in the practice. I am proud of myself because I have practiced daily magic since I became a part of the spells8 community.
Thank you!
Oh, amen sister 
@Amethyst as always, your words are as beautifully said as you are my friend. I always enjoy reading your writings whether they are just an introduction, general conversation, something youāve done for a challenge or on your own, or something small & thoughtful that you say in any kind of message! Beautifully done one of my favorite Word Witches. 
@crystal35 welcome to the forum & thank you for your entry. Home, hearth, familyā¦ those are my most important, even though right now I am working on straightening myself out 
I am also an Empath, & certain people, events, etcā¦ can be very draining for me or exhausting. My most recent adventure with exhaustion had to do with family from out of state āvisitingā for the first time in about 30 yearsā¦ so the last couple of days I have to fight exhaustion. I get it.
You are not alone in any part of this sentence. Most or a lot of us are eclectic solitary practitioners that use the site/forum to connect with others with knowledge, ideas, research, or any assistance we can offer to another person starting or continuing on their path. Iām happy that you are here & I hope you continue to learn & grow.
Iām sitting this challenge out, but I have really enjoyed reading everyoneās thoughts and challenge entryās on this and something came up yesterday and I thought about the challenge. I went to visit my daughter who lives about an hour away from me in a town called Huntsville, Texas. My daughter always works weekendās so we go and see her at her job and visit with her there. A few weeks ago I was reading something about the most haunted places in Texas (I have been to a few), and I saw that one of the most haunted roads in Texas is in Huntsville. How could I have not known that being the ghost hunter that I am? Lol! Anyway, my daughter in law met up with us at my daughterās job and I was telling them about it. They already knew the story and they had been out there. The road is called Bowden Road, (aka demon road). My husband isnāt into the supernatural stuff, but heās a good sport and always letās me do my exploring. So, my husband, Renea, and I went to Demon Road. It was a country road out in the middle of no where, and there is a haunted cemetery on the road called Marthaās Cemetery. Legend has it that sometimes the spirits will follow you home. It was the middle of the day and when we drove up to the cemetery the drive through gate was locked, so my husband said itās locked and we canāt go in. It was a short gate, so I was just going to crawl over it and then we saw the walk through gate was open. It was a beautiful peaceful cemetery and there was nothing about it that seemed cursed. Someone had mowed it recently and there was grass covering some of the grave markers and I was going around brushing the grass off the markers. To me it seemed disrespectful to cover grave markers with blown grass. There were even graves in the woods that we couldnāt get to because it was so grown up with vines. There was one grave that was above ground with a cement vault. There was a big broken off piece in the corner of it and you could see the coffin inside. When I walked up to it I noticed candle drippings on the top of it. That gave me a bad feeling. Someone was doing a ritual with this grave and to me, that was disrespectful also. So, when we were leaving my husband said something like I hope no one goes home with us and my daughter in law and I said that as long as you are respectful you have nothing to worry about. Thatās when the challenge entered my mind. āAs Above, So Belowā. Itās all about karma and depending on what you do, karma can be a real bitch.
Thanks!
Aww, thank you hon! That means a lot to me!
As above, so below. Everything is connected and everything we do, in the air, on land, or in the water has an affect, some big, some small. In short, our actions have consequences.
When I was young, my mother used to say that I asked more questions that the average child. My family would say that Iām a naturally curious and inquisitive person. I loved (and still love) to read. Even if I didnāt (and donāt) understand (or retain) everything. 
Knowledge is power. Ignorance can hurt yourself, others, and the world. Look at the misinformation that is spread online about climate change, vaccines, paganism and witchcraft.
Why do I have a love for dragons? Well, dragons are cool, but so are fairies and unicorns. I feel itās because dragons are very wise, very intelligent beings. They are the keepers of treasures of the universeāthat is, the mysteries that are just waiting to be unraveled and unlocked.
As an end note, I must give credit to Veaug for helping me to learn why I am drawn to dragons.
My sisyer in law lent me this book saying it was on positive thinking and bringing good stuff to you. Or something like that. I discovered after i got home that it was all about the law of attraction n got excited especially when i saw this in the front of the book. .
The book is valled the secret. I thought it was so cool that she lent it to me esp as this week was all about that phrase " as above so below" that was in tbe front cover. I also bought the As above book of shadows tarot deck on phone so can utilise the full deck more. Its all exciting because it was stuff tgat came on its own leadibg up to or during the challenge abf i hadnt even asked for tge book. I didnt evwn kbiw the book yet alone that my sister in law had it n she lent me that book and another i think sequel to the book. Its like some higher power ( deity or spirit guides) having a hand in things and i feel like im being watched over. Ive been so overwhelmed by study n work n work n study and extra training and extra work, id felt my practice definatly in a waning stage as it were. But im starting to try get it back and divination and meditation on cards or readings is something on my mind. I wish i had the physical copy of tge tarot deck n other oracle decks but foe now digital is cool like the as above one. I also discovered a place that sells the tarot of opposites. Ideas on different things come to mind as i reclaim my practice. And i loved the short clip i saw on the secret that watched to see what tge book was about. Thats how i found out it was about the law of attraction. Funnily enough if my SIL had said that was what it was about i would of understood but my family doesnt know how much im into stuff or that a witch. Just that i like natures and candles and crystals etc so even if my SIL knew the term i think thsts why she didnt explain the book using yhe law of attraction term. But regardless it looks like a great book n again the fact that she ( without me even mentioning anything related, just out of the blue) a book thst had the phrase this challenge is on in it. I just feel someone watching over me n helping to guide me on my path. Im just so grateful. N im finding myself connecting to the energy. Building energy in my hands feeling that when reacjing for crystals and even using the decks on my phone. Id felt id lost that for a while but its like that connection has been reestablished and its helping me to reconnect to my practice as well. Very coolš
@kasandraā¦ I have always loved reading. I can remember spending the summer on Cape Cod & sitting in my room with the windows open reading all day, especially if it was overcast or raining. & Iām the same way now, I donāt always retain what I read, but I do retain pieces & I try to recall what it was I was reading when I saw it so I can understand the context sometimes.
I was watching a newer NCIS spin-off or maybe it was a rerun of the new Hawaii 5-0 (that is so funny 
to me to watch)ā¦ part of it had to do with āwitchcraftā & āsacrificesā & āoccult practicesā with the pentagram 
ā¦ the āshopā they were in was a Wiccan shopā¦ but her tattoos & the objects & depiction made it seem like a dark art. Whatās even more interesting is the symbol the āinvestigatorsā showed her she said was from a different kind of magic that I had never heard of but referenced satanism & black/baneful magic based on the pentagram & something about a goatās headā¦ I wasnāt really sure because the image was supposed to be an āimprint from the sceneā & not a full image. But the depiction of Wicca & her Wicca shopā¦ I turned to my husband & was likeā¦ No, thatās not how Wicca or solitary practitioners believe or operate. They are making it be something that it isnāt.
Which makes me wonder what my Aunt from KY that I havenāt seen in 25+ years, thought of the pentacle with 5 little cauldrons hanging from it by my firepit? 
@Phoenix_Fire that is an awesome find! I hope you find more interesting information in there about the subject to share! Thank you so much for sharing!
Hello @crystal35 Welcome home 
Iām Marsha, Iām also an eclectic solitary witch, living in Colorado. Iām so glad you have joined us for the Weekly Witch Challenge - As Above, So Below
Iām looking forward to getting to know you better!
With Love and Magick 
āThe Other Marshaā
@Ostara I grew up an hour from Huntsville and never knew there was a haunted road there!! Iām in Houston now so itās still only a little over an hour from me. Iāll have to make a trip up that way to check it out!
And I agree with both you and your daughter-in-law, as long as you are respectful to the spirits, they will be respectful back.
Iāve mulled over this weekās challenge all week, trying to understand what the phrase āAs above, so belowā means to me. Today, as I was going about my morning routine, it dawned on me.
To me it means we are all part of the same energy, the same planet, the same universe. It reminds me of the āgolden ruleā we were taught in elementary school:
Treat others as one wants to be treated.
I apply this to everyone and everything in my life.
Every morning, when I wake I say a quick prayer to the gods asking them to keep my eyes open throughout the day, so I wonāt miss beauty, joy, or wonder. I then let my animals out to do their business. While they are roaming around, I say hello to the trees, birds, and sun. I then fill my bird feeders and clean and refill my bird bath with fresh water. I let my dogs inside and then go check my plants, talking to them while Iām working. I then come inside, feed my dogs, cats, and lizard. I then light the candles on my ancestorsā altar and then on Hadesās, Persephoneās, and Seleneās altars. I say a quick prayer to each as I do, asking them to watch over me through the day and guide me to make the best choices that align with my Highest Good. I then start breakfast, making sure to thank the plants and animals that gave their lives so that I may eat (do this at every meal).
In the evenings, I make the effort to socialize with my friends at least a few nights during the week (Iām an introvert and would prefer to sit on my couch with a book, lol). At bedtime, I thank my ancestors and deities for watching over me. I then say a prayer stating that if I offended various groups, I apologize and will try to do better tomorrow with their guidance. I then ask Selene to watch over my family and friends throughout the night to keep us safe.
The next morning, wake and repeat.
By respecting everything in my space, I feel a connection to the universe and the other entities that inhabit it.
Thatās a lovely entry, @Amaris_Bane
You are a beautiful soul with a loving heart!
With much Loveā¦ always!
Seems to me @Ostara you could count your experience as your entry! Itās a great example of karma and āAs Above, So Belowā. I really enjoyed reading that and felt myself with you and your family on your adventure! Thank you for sharing 
