Yayā¦! Itās been a little while since doing a weekly challenge - I went out on vacation and now I am back.
I set my determination on doing three challenges:
First Catch-up Challenge: #Witchy Media: The Wide World of Witchery
There were so many awesome entries to read through on experiences, reference and sources, as well as favorites! @Cosmic_Curiosity Big fan of the series AHS - Coven! I am a bit of dork when it comes to movies and am partial to the King Arthur adventures especially the movie, āExcaliburā (1981) https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7ueg3c. The magical and mystical fantasy of the background and props, not to mention the characters of Merlin, King Arthur, Lancelot, and Morgana.
For more modern - love and magic conquers all - another favorite āPractical Magicā (1998)
Practical Magic (1998) Official Trailer - Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman Movie HD - YouTube. Need I say anything hereā¦
Being a newbie, as well as getting āin tuneā with podcasts, under the related discussions and topics, I found a topic of āGood witchy apps for beginnersā. I appreciate the post from @Amaris_Bane for the references on podcasts that I hadnāt really given thought to! Since I am into herbs, I mainly listen to the herbal and wellness podcasts. These resources are golden in my book - I am grateful!
Second Catch-up Challenge: #Technology & Modern Magick
Considering I grew up in a time where computers were not yet available for homeuse - remember those old, clunky, IBM or MACs? The huge brick-style cell phones? Yep, thatās my era. I didnāt own a cell phone until 33? 34? I went to the library or purchased books off shelves to get the information that I needed. Nowadays we have such an incredible, and detrimental, access to superhighways of information and each having to exercise personal perimeters of how to use it, apply it, as well as time spent utilizing it.
I would like to try some of the magickal spells for communication and digital sigils, reviewing several of the resources provided by members already utilizing on line platforms for their BoS - mine is chaos with papers, photos, and items stuck in books! So with that said, I will give my mind a rest and go right to the āGuided Meditationsā
In Spells8 - I frequently utilize the daily rituals with the candle meditations. I feel that these help me to focus, and queue my day with certain aspects and find that it helps in dealing with others or my duties while I am at work. Daily Devotional: Todayās Candle and Magical Correspondences ā Spells8
Along with the Dailyās, I frequently follow up on the links and find useful information or magickal courses to take within the Spells8 platform - this also prompts me to look for other resources for self-education, and enrichment in my journey here. Because I am into herbs - my favorite is the The Green Witch: Herbal Witchcraft Course ā Spells8. I am presently taking a self-guided course in Elemental Herbalism through an outside platform.
Thereās so much out thereā¦I say, and I am borrowing this phrase, āEasy does itā.
For my last and Third Catch-up Challenge: #Flower Power
Ahā¦the language of flowersā¦Fun fact: In the Victorian era, feelings were best spoken by delivering your fancy, or enemy, certain flowers that would convey what words could not I have many favorites for flowers and some I even eat or drink There are two in particular that I seem to favor which are Orchids - which I have several tattoos of them on my person, and two, I cannot believe I am saying thisā¦Lilies. My sibling dislikes them and consistently points out that they are funeral flowers and I need to find another home for them
So letās talk about that. There are several families of lilies - Liliaceae family that has 100ās of varietals, and the Amaryllidaceae family. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Lilies are one of the oldest cultivated plant species. Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians utilized certain portions of the Lily in medicinal ointments, as well as for food - and I thought they were just for ornamental purposes! The Ancients have legends written about lilies and one of the famous myths involved Hercules. Zeus stole Hercules from his mother and brought him to Hera to nurse while she lay sleeping, and when she awoke, she refused to feed Hercules. The milk spilled from her breasts fell to earth and created lilies. Another involves the Goddess, Venus, who became jealous of the beautiful flower, and cursed it to grow the spadix - which is the long spike inside the spathe.
I have Tiger Lilies in my yard, but I have a favorite, the Calla Lily. It is not entirely a ātrue lilyā in a sense. The name Calla stems from the Greek word, ācallaā, meaning beautiful and is most associated with the Goddess, Hera. To be a little forward here - the species is Zantedeschia aethiopica - named after an Italian Botanist. Medicinal, definitely not as these species are extremely toxicā¦however, in some South African cultures, the rhizome (root/bulb) has been used medicinally in dressings for wounds. With that said, lilies absorb airborne pollutants! Hummingbird and Butterflies love them
Correspondences:
Solar system : Moon
Zodiac signs: Gemini, Pisces, Scorpio, Virgo
Celebration: Ostara
Element: Water
Energy: Yin
Angel: Gabriel
Goddesses: Asherah, Astarte, Diana, Hera, Juno, Kuan Yin, Ostara, Venus
Most used to represent magnificent beauty, fertility/sexuality, fidelity - hence its uses in weddings; purity, faith, holiness - hence the association with Christians in the symbolism of the resurrection and rebirth, and use in funerals to embrace the idea of purification of a departed soul. White is associated with innocence; yellow - gratitude; pink - appreciation and admiration; purple - passion; and black to convey mystery and elegance. An author wrote that Calla lilies are slightly contradictory in their heritage as their meanings are first life and fertility, then symbolized by death.
While researching for the Calla lily - this delicate excerpt came up while the author gave its description of the Calla lily - I thought it was beautiful:
āArise and quench thy thirst, was her reply,
And as a shut lily, stricken by the wand
of dewy morningās vital alchemy,
I rose; and bending at her sweet command -ā
Percy Bysshe Shelley, The Triumph of Life
The whole version of the poem can be found here:
Whew!!