I used a random number selector to pick out of the 99 challenges I have open and the first one was rock magic. Which is fitting as I sit here and play with my flower agate stone!
Flower agate is known for its healing properties, specifically associated with growth and transformation. I often use it to inspire change and encourage my self-growth. Here are some reasons to work with Flower Agate:
Personal Growth: If you are in a phase where youâre seeking to grow and transform, whether itâs emotionally, spiritually, or mentally, flower agate can help support and nurture those changes.
New Beginnings: If youâre starting something new or embarking on a fresh journey, flower agate can provide the grounding and motivation needed to move forward confidently.
Emotional Healing: If youâre feeling emotional turbulence or need to heal from past wounds, flower agateâs gentle energy can offer comfort and support in processing these feelings.
Creativity and Inspiration: Flower agate is also linked to creativity so if you are feeling a creative spark or need some inspiration for your projects have this stone hang out with you in your creative area. Mine lives on my desk with me.
Manifestation: It can help focus on manifesting your dreams and desires by aligning your intentions with your actions.
Connecting with Nature: Its floral patterns may draw you to reconnect with nature, grounding your energy and helping you find balance.
Today, mine is serving dual purpose. First, we are in the market for a new car and are going to look this afternoon. I am manifesting my desired car (a Cadillac XT6) in a color I want (not black or white b/c I hate washing my car, lol), and at a price point we can afford. Keeping my flower agate with me the last few days has helped us identify a couple options and we are checking one of them out this afternoon.
Second, I have been working on expanding my store offerings and blog topics so itâs been helping me with my creative spark.
For this challenge, I attempted to speak an Irish prayer to welcome Brighid into the home during a home blessing. Please note that I do not speak Gaeilge fluently nor is my accent or pronunciation probably correct This invocation comes from The Irish Pagan Book of Rites by John Michael McLoughlin
Irish Invocation
A BhrĂd
A NĂ-Dhagda
A Tine Tinfidh
Leath orainn do bhrat,
TĂș lasair an-mhĂłr na heagna sa dorchadas.
BĂ linn sa teach seo.
English Translation
Oh, Brighid
Oh, Daughter of The Dagda
Oh, Flame of Inspiration
Spread your mantle over us,
You, great fire of wisdom in the darkness.
Be with us in this house.
The first part of the translation into English was done by me because it wasnât translated in the book. The only part Iâm uncertain about is the last part â A Tine Tinfidh as being âOh, Flame of Inspirationâ. ChatGPT and Google Translate both said different things, so I went to my trusty Irish Language dictionary. This says that Tinfidh is most likely a grammatical version of the word tinfeadh which means, among other things, inspiration. Using what I know about Brighid and her stories, âOh, Flame of Inspirationâ makes sense to me but this could be entirely wrong
As a scientist with a Masterâs degree in Biochemistry, I wanted to share my thoughts on the fascinating intersection between science and witchcraft. As a practitioner, I firmly believe that magic(k) is real. While our current scientific understanding canât fully explain what magic(k) is or how it works, we see glimpses of this interplay in various aspects of our world.
Take, for instance, weather patterns. In many cultures, weather phenomena are personified by deities. Ancient civilizations might have invoked the gods of thunder, rain, and wind to explain and influence weather events. Today, while we understand meteorological patterns better, the reverence for these natural forces remains, showing a blend of scientific knowledge and mystical appreciation.
Another compelling example is the influence of natural elements like copper and hematite on our bodies. Science has shown that copper has anti-inflammatory properties and can improve circulation. Hematite is known to have grounding properties, helping to stabilize our emotions and energy. These elements have been used in magical practices for centuries, and now we see scientific backing for their effects.
Modern medicine continues to uncover the importance of minerals and natural compounds in our health. For instance, essential oils, long used in witchcraft for their magical properties, are now recognized for their therapeutic benefits in aromatherapy.
As we advance in our scientific understanding, I believe weâll continue to uncover more about the natural world that aligns with ancient magic(k)al practices. Magic(k) and science arenât at odds but rather two sides of the same coin, each offering unique insights into the mysteries of our universe.
While I have two altars in my home, Iâm going to focus on my ancestor altar for this post as Iâll be using my other one in another challenge entry related to offerings.
Living in an RV means I am small on space so my ancestor altar is a small shelf and a wall of pictures.
Bottom row, right: my husbandâs grandmother, Catherine Abshire (his momâs mom; he picked the photo)
I keep a glass of fresh water on their altar. I also have a couple trinket boxes that I will keep various items in. Currently they are empty as I just cleaned my altar and have not decided what I want to place back in them.
I also currently donât have a candle because (1) my cat has decided he likes to sit on top of the xbox that is right below the shelf and he likes fire (weirdo) and (2) my ancestors can never agree on what kind of candle they want (shouldnât be too surprised as Iâm combining Irish Catholics and Southern Baptists, ). I think Iâm going to get a flameless candle so I donât have to worry about Bender lighting our RV on fire.
For this challenge, I decided to embark on the journey of servitor creation. I havenât started the process yet because I want to create a ritual around it. I know what I want the servitor to do and I know where I want it to live, but this is a longer process that needs more than a week. So, for the entry, Iâm sharing the questions I wrote down to help me create the servitor. These questions come from the video âHow To Create & Maintain A Servitorâ by Ivy the Occultist on YouTube.
Creating a Servitor
What is its purpose?
What abilities does it have?
What does it look like?
What is its name?
Create an activation code to summon the servitor - a sigil, phrase, motion, etc.
How will it stay alive?
Where will it live?
How long will the servitor live?
What is the servitorâs fatal flaw? (for reference this is how the servitor is decommissioned)
Activating a Servitor
Create a sigil for the servitor, usually from its name, in a method of your choosing.
Activate the sigil in your preferred method.
Maintain a Servitor
Be patient and donât obsess over results.
Feed the servitor as necessary in the method you have chosen.
It may be beneficial to create a relationship with your servitor, especially as its an energetic being you have created.
If necessary, decommission the servitor when its job is done or if something goes wrong.
First catch up challenge entry: natural-health-healing I recently got diagnosed with PTSD and this challenge definitely spoke to me. I fell out of the habit of doing meditation even though it helps me stay present and overall increases my well-being. This is a great excuse to pick back up again!
I did an Emotional healing meditation episode on Spotify. Before I got started, I lit a black candle and an incense cone and held some of my favorite healing crystals. It was a great return to meditation!
I hope to Catch up on more challenges, so Iâll just reply to my own message here with my entries.
Ohh, I may be stealing this idea! I have a large garden gnome that I bought with the intention of anchoring a protection shield. Thanks for sharing the questions you are using and the link.
I wanted to share a couple of short prayers that I use when lighting candles and making offerings to Lugh and TĂœr. They have agreed that I can share these with you as they have brought me a lot of peace and connection, and I hope they resonate with you as well.
For Lugh: âGreat Lugh, master of many arts, I light this candle in your honor. May its flame shine bright as your wisdom and guidance. Accept my offering and bless my endeavors.â
For TĂœr: âMighty TĂœr, god of justice and courage, I light this candle for you. May its light remind me of your strength and fairness. Accept my offering and guide me on the path of righteousness.â
Feel free to use and adapt these prayers in your own practice. Blessings to all!
I wanted to share a bit about my besom and how I incorporate it into my magical practice. Besoms are powerful tools in witchcraft, often used for cleansing and protection.
I have a special broom that I keep upside down (bristles up) right next to my door. Itâs made from cinnamon twigs, is 36" long, and tied with twine. Iâve also added dried eucalyptus, cinnamon sticks, and fake holly berries to it.
Why I keep it this way:
Protection: Keeping the broom upside down near the door is believed to ward off negative energies and unwanted spirits, preventing them from entering the home.
Cinnamon Twigs: Cinnamon is known for its protective and prosperity-attracting properties. Itâs perfect for creating a welcoming and safe environment.
Dried Eucalyptus: Eucalyptus is great for purification and healing. It adds an extra layer of cleansing energy.
Cinnamon Sticks: Adding cinnamon sticks enhances the protective qualities and brings warmth and positivity.
Fake Holly Berries: Holly is associated with protection and good fortune. Even though they are fake, they still symbolize these powerful attributes.
This besom not only serves a practical purpose but also adds a beautiful and meaningful touch to my home. I feel a strong sense of protection and positivity every time I see it by my door.
That is all for me for now - I need to actually get some work done before we go car shopping this afternoon.
Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE - Catch Up entry #5: Fairies & Fae â Friend of Fairies LINK (Long entry): Enchant your summer with fairy magick Intl. Fairy Day is June 24! Thanks, Bry, for the challenge and the badge!
Challenge Entry #5 - Of Candles and Flame - Witch of the Flame
For this entry, I chose to dress and anoint a candle. I had a white mini pillar picked out for this and was trying to figure out what herbs to use when I realized I had a candle-anointing mix already!
While I donât know the ingredient list for this mix as itâs not on the label, I felt the intent was perfect for what I planned to use the candle for. I first applied the mugwort oil and then rolled/dropped the herbs on it and surprise!
There were juniper berries in the mix! I decided to go all in and add extra ones on top for fun.
Iâve still got more of the mix and another prepackaged blend that I found to use later! I generally donât dress and anoint my candles as Iâm often time-pressed and use small birthday, chime or shortened candles. I have cats as well so fire and cats donât go well. But this was fun!
Challenge Entry #6 - Dealing in the Divine - Deific Witch
Iâve been thinking more about trying to work with Hemera or at least reaching out to her after my challenge entry about her. The time had come!
I gathered up a few offerings for her - water: to represent purity and the newness of each day, Honey: to represent the sweetness of daylight, Frankincense, a Citrine crystal and a Daylily in bloom (how perfect!)
I rarely get to use my Frankincense resin and the charcoal discs smoke a bit too much to use inside but this was perfect!!!
I grounded myself and meditated for a few minutes before I addressed Hemera and presented my offerings
Hemera, goddess of the shining day,
I honor your light and presence.
With these offerings, I celebrate the day
And the life-giving energy you bring.
May your light guide me and illuminate my path.
As fate would have it, my last challenge led me to this one. I was covered in charcoal and needed to condition my hair today anyway so I opted to take a bath with the perfect ritual bath salts.
I found a wonderful self-care meditation to listen to while I soaked in the bath and my hair enjoyed some extra love. I focused my energies on installing beauty and self-compassion within myself.
I know people have dice jails for bad dice to have time-outs until they can behave. I donât think this is much different just maybe more on the positive reinforcement side of training sigh I am a little jealous, I haven;t played DnD in a long time!
Multilingual Magick
This invocation comes from The Irish Pagan Book of Rites by John Michael McLoughlin
Fairies & Fae 
Circles in Magick 
Of Candles and Flame - Witch of the Flame
Dealing in the Divine - Deific Witch
Of the Element Fire - Fire Elemental
Salty Spellwork â Imperium salis
Beauty Magick â Pulchra magicae
Then I looked at my wrist 
I rarely if ever take them off. Love my jewelry but I tend to lose things if Iâm not wearing them 
sigh I am a little jealous, I haven;t played DnD in a long time!