šŸ•‘ Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE - Catch-Up!

Thanks, I appreciate that:)

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Thank you!

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OMG! That is absolutely amazing!!! What an amazing gift you have!!! Thank you so much for sharing your amazing talent. You should be so proud of your work!

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See! I knew you would have a beautiful aura! Thank you so much for sharing the video. I canā€™t wait to try and have a go. Iā€™ll let you know if I see anything exciting!

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Challenge Entry #2

With my family member learning Norse Mythology plus Celtic Paganism & Iā€™m learning about Celtic/Irish Paganism the Runes have come full circle in my life. I never had any kind of interest in them. Then June 2021 came about (we can probably add on 2020 & beginning of 2021 too) & my life, ā€œgot flipped, turned upside down.ā€ (Fresh Prince of Bel Air - Will Smith).

August came & went with the passing & crossing over of my mother. As I moved closer to my birthday, 3 more losses came my way that were also meaningful relationships to me.

Around October I started feeling a strong pull to the Morrigan. I believe she came to me assist with being able to navigate the significant losses & helping me process & release them.

As I learned more about the Morrigan & Celtic Paganism, my interest in the Runes was piqued. My family member is also learning about similar topics & has an amateur interest in the Norse Runes using the Elder Futhark.

Starting before the use of Elder Futhark Runes, the Celtic used Ogham Staves. They are similar to Runes, but eventually through migration & conversions & unions Norse & Celtic meshed & the Runes were used by both as the Staves decreased in popularity. (More on them in a future post)

I started a basic level of research & came across the Birth Date Rune & Birth Hour Rune. I made a post here: Birth Runes Whats Yours?

Since I received my Elder Futhark Black Tourmaline Runes, I want to try to maybe cast or pull 1 a day from their pouch. Learn that rune, start a journal, identify how the rune is shown to me throughout that day. As recommended in ā€˜The Beginnerā€™s Guide to Runesā€™ by: Josh Simonds.

I also got some worksheets related to the Runes & Beginnerā€™s spreads:

Etsy: Beginner Runes Worksheets & Spreads Printables.

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Thank you, Jess:)

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I only saw it around my hand, so the rest of me may still have polka dots! LOL. I hope you see something too!

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Hahaha.Thereā€™s nothing wrong with polka dots!

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Itā€™s time for a friendly reminder!

:exclamation: This challenge will close TOMORROW :exclamation:

If you would like to participate and havenā€™t done so already, please post about your challenge experience(s) by the deadline: Tomorrow: November 23rd, 7:00 AM CET (Central European Time Zone)

Blessed be! :clock2::sparkles:

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Whew- there were a lot of amazing entries shared! Great job everyone- I have to admit that I love how diverse the entries always are for the Catch-Up Challenges. Itā€™s so fun to see everyoneā€™s magick come to life in such creative ways! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:


Thanks again for your lovely celestial exploration entry and rune magick entries in the other threads, @Susurrus- you explored some fun topics and did a wonderful job :heart:

Thatā€™s such a wonderful idea for a blessing, @Kasandra- I love how it was inspired by the Yule Cat! :black_cat: And Natural History of Dragons and Dracopedia sound like perfect books for you- I hope you enjoy them! :books:

Thanks again for your beautiful entries exploring spirit work (both here with your pendulum work and in the separate thread with the mirror magick) and lovely moon magick over the weekend, @Jessica72- they were a delight to read! Thanks for sharing your experiences :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

A round of applause of the Spell-ing Bee entrant, @Garnet- this is a gorgeous healing spell! Beautifully written :heart:

Nicely done with your work around your past lives, @Velle- it sounds like you found some interesting things you can pursue further! Wishing you all the best with your exploration (and I feel you with the art perfection- but no! Donā€™t delete your whole DA account! :joy:)

Nicely done, @MeganB- and thank you for adding the review to Book Club as well! Congrats on finishing the book and Iā€™m glad you enjoyed it :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

Thanks again for your lovely addiction breaker charm, @phoenix_dawn- you did a beautiful job with it, and it looks like it has been really helpful to others too! :heart:

Beautiful work, @mary25- reading your entries I felt the gratitude and love in your words. Iā€™m so glad that you enjoyed the gratitude meditation too! Sending cards and donating to the food drive are all really meaningful actions that Iā€™m sure are greatly appreciated by your community :blush: And such lovely abundance work with your tree too! All around fantastic job here- thanks so much for sharing, Mary! :heart_decoration:

Very gracious and beautifully written, @Garnet- thank you for sharing the meal blessing! Itā€™s never too late to take a moment for appreciation, and I always say that it makes the food taste better! Great job :grinning:

That is a lovely winter solstice spell (I can practically smell the incense- what a combo! :heart_eyes:) that will be such a great blessing for Yule. Thanks so much for sharing, @Kasandra! :raised_hands:

That was a meditative experience to read your entry and see the beautiful pictures of the beach, @Rowan- thanks for taking both your magick and all of us (via the pics!) on such a nice adventure :beach_umbrella: :blush:

Ta-dah, look at that amazing jacket @christine13- you are one talented crafter to make such a beautiful piece of art (and a wearable one too)! That really is stunning, thank you for sharing! :sparkles:

If I remember right, you were a bit hesitant before about the aura challenge, @Amethyst- Iā€™m really proud of you for giving it a try! :clap: And not only did you attempt it, but it sounds like you have a natural talents and were able to see something- on your first go too, thatā€™s amazing! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: Great job and thanks for sharing!

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It depends if they clash with the blue or not! LOL!

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I was amazed! Thereā€™s even instruction on seeing other peopleā€™s aura but they warned to tell people youā€™re doing that before you start staring at them oddly. Which is a good warning I think! LOL!

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For my Books, Tomes, and Tales challenge, I started reading A Natural History of Dragons A Memoir By Lady Trent by Marie Brennan.

I hadnā€™t seen the A Memoir By Lady Trent when I saw the cover (the image was low resolution). :laughing:

It is told from the perspective of the fictional Lady Isabella Trent, a noblewoman who made great strides in the field of dragonology. The setting is an alternate universe where dragons are as real as horses or chickens. The names of the countries are different and I still donā€™t have them all memorized yet. I think Scirland (is this supposed to be an alternate version of Scotland based on my phoneā€™s spell check?) is where Lady Trent was born.

The first dragon readers are introduced to is the Sparkling, which is roughly the size of a dragon fly.

Lady Trent recounts her attempts over the years to perfectly preserve a Sparkling. She eventually succeeds with a solution that contains vinegar and nicknames her Sparkling Greenie.

She then tells how her fascination with dragons began. It all started with a simple question: why do birds have wishbones? Itā€™s not so we can make wishes on them, as her maid said. The answer is it strengthens the birdā€™s thoracic (thorax) skeleton and is the point where all the wing muscles attach.

I read the first chapter quickly and canā€™t wait to hear more about her findings.

Will we learn that dragons have wishbones?

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Hey all!

I decided to work with dragons this week. Iā€™ve read a lot about them and got some good advice from
@Kasandra about those beautiful creatures. Thanks again!

Iā€™m planning to invoke the fire element today and meditate on them :dragon:

Thanks a lot for this opportunity to work on past challenges. I wish you all a lovely Moonday :first_quarter_moon_with_face:

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While I was very excited to see this challenge, I will admit that I have a ā€œeyes bigger than stomachā€ case with it and wanted to do so much but couldnā€™t quite decide which to settle on.

In the end, I went with šŸ¾ Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE - Claws, Paws, Tails and Scales - #3 by Saulamay

While I have always loved animals, cats especially, I admire the intelligence and quirkiness of crows. I really hadnā€™t given them much thought in terms of spirituality. A year past a friend gave me a welcome back to Wicca care package and one of the items she gave me because she said it reminded her of me. It was a cute little chubby crow figurine. As soon as I saw it, it clicked in my head. This, This was my animal. I never fail to notice them in my life, whether they are flying through the sky or caching a prize. I see them each and every day. They bring a smile to my face.

I know I have a connection to them and over the past few months, Iā€™ve accepted the connection and now wear a silver pendant to keep them near to guide me.

Researching their significance and meanings, I find that they symbolize life, luck, magic, intelligence, and a higher perspective.


(The following article is from WorldBirds: Crow Symbolism and Meaning)

The crow is an intelligent creature that has a high power of observation and intuition that many other animals lack. They lend us the same characteristics by giving us the power of insight that is usually accurate. In short, the crowā€™s spiritual meaning is that of insight, which is hard to come by in any other animal.

Crow Totem Animal

People with a crow totem are well-known for their creative and handiwork nature. They donā€™t need to be artistic, but they can take bits and pieces of anything and transform it into something useful. In any complex or challenging situation, you can count on a crow animal totem person to come up with an unorthodox solution.

People with a crow totem are a weird breed. They have this unusual ability to display extreme personalities like tense and easygoing to frustrating and helpful. This ability enables them to shift from one personality trait to another as need be. Not many people have the empathy or insight developed so much as to not only understand and perceive the situation but also to modify oneself in accordance with it; this is exceptional.

People with a crow animal totem have a lot of personal integrity. They are not only insightful but also mindful of their actions and opinions. As a result, they embrace lifeā€™s mission and walk the talk. They shift from one life change to another with effortless ease. Like the crows, these people have an eye for spotting opportunities and swoop in as soon as they see one." - from Crow Symbolism & Meaning (+Totem, Spirit & Omens) - World Birds

(The following article is from Uniguide: Crow Spirit Animal)

If a crow crosses your path, it could be sign that you have the ability to handle yourself in any situation ā€“ even if you donā€™t always feel that way. Donā€™t let sudden upheavals in your life or other peopleā€™s dramaā€™s ruffle your feathers. The crow spirit animal helps you to adapt and to soar above the fray, find a safe place to perch, and watch it all unfold.

Be flexible and open to new situations.

Undoubtedly, one of the keys to crowsā€™ survival in environments that are challenging for other animals is that, like coyotes and raccoons, crows are omnivores. Crows will eat anything ā€“ from other birds to fruit, vegetables, seeds, nuts, mice, fish, frogs, carrion, and dog treats. (If you go to dog parks, undoubtedly youā€™ve seen crows hanging around looking for spare treats.)

This too shall pass.

If the crow was a Sufi poet, he would say to you, ā€œThis too shall pass.ā€ The crow reminds you that the one thing we can all be certain about is that things change. Resisting change is like living in a state of denial."

Crow Meaning: Transformation

(To read more, please visit the original source at Crow Symbolism & Meaning & the Crow Spirit Animal | UniGuide)

Moon Crow by Deep Coloured Water
Moon Crow by Tamara Philips, Deep Coloured Water.

(The following article is from Spirit Animal: Crow Spirit Animal)

Crow Totem and Power of Insight

Crows are known to build their nests in very tall trees. Doing so, they can get a better vision or perspective on the rest of their surroundings. By affinity with this trait, those who have the crow as a spirit animal or totem will enjoy a position from where they can see things from a higher perspective.

The crow is also watchful of intruders and predators. The sound it makes is characteristic of a loud, strident bird noise that can warn the other members of it clan over great distance. When you see your crow spirit animal, be on the watch.

The Crow Spirit Animal, a Guide about Fearlessness and Determination

Have you ever watched a group of crows ganging up together and chasing out birds much bigger than they are? This behavior makes the crow a useful animal totem to call when you need support in dealing with adversity. If the crow chose you as your power animal, you are encouraged to develop your personal willpower and speak your truth more loudly.

Crows always seem to be able to get away with what they are after, be it a piece of food left on the road or sneaking into other birdsā€™ nests to steal or eat their eggs. Echoing this trait, those with the crow as totem or spirit guide might watch for the tendency to trick or be a bit manipulative."

from https://www.spiritanimal.info/crow-spirit-animal/


I find that I am and have always been an uncanny judge of character and very intuitive in most situations. I can pick up on small details and glean information from what people say or how they say it. Crows are intelligent creatures that use their skills to read environments and other animals to make decisions about intent and outcomes. They have an uncanny nack of being clever, intuitive, and surprising.

The hardest things for me to accept in life are always the unknown and things I canā€™t change. I grew up in a household where ā€œThis too shall passā€ was the mantra that I never could take to heart. My anxiety would always get the best of me and the mantra never took hold. Researching this reminds me, that this IS the mantra for me, like it or not. That I NEED to believe in it and accept it as part of my life.

Crows, in addition to being curious and courageous when circumstances require them to be. Leaning on friends and family to rally and overcome obstacles that they encounter. I will take this to heart and go out of my comfort zone and ask for help when needed to defeat lifeā€™s unexpected challenges.

Iā€™m including pictures of my crow altar figurines and my necklace.


Thank you for the opportunity to revisit a challenge I wanted to work on!

Kat

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Iā€™ve been completely off my game with challenges the last couple of weeks, missed last weekā€™s completely. So Iā€™m going to go through the list and see what I can do this week to catch up on a coupleā€¦

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Ok so for my first catch up Iā€™m going with:

:open_book: Books, Tomes, and Tales - Book Lover

For this challenge Iā€™ve been continuing my learning on Persephone and now have three books in my collection:-

  • Pagan Portals: Persephone - Practicing the Art of Personal Power by Robin Corak
  • Persephoneā€™s Pathway - Wisdom, Magick & Growth by Jennifer Heather
  • Persephone Rising - Awakening the Heroine Within by Carol S. Pearson

In learning more about Persephone I didnā€™t want to limit myself to just one source hence several books as well as online resources Iā€™ve been using.

The first book is quite thin, but Iā€™ve also got other books in the Pagan Portals series and find them to be an easily accessible introduction to learning about Goddesses. There are a number of rituals in this book that I want to try but Iā€™ve a few materials I need to gather first.

Thereā€™s also a great section on journal questions that Iā€™m going to work my way through. I want though to be able to dedicate a decent amount of time to it when I have peace and quiet, this weekend whilst we had the kids with us was not the right time! But hubby is working away from home every day this week so Iā€™m hoping to fit it in later in the week.

The second book Iā€™ve only just started to dig into but the blurb on the back gives a flavour of what it covers:

Persephoneā€™s Pathway is one of balance and duality; embrace the dual goddess archtype of Underworld Queen and Spring Maiden in order to achieve harmony. This book shares the wisdom of Persephone, along with spells and rituals to help in your daily life. Shadow work exercises encourage you to work with the Underworld aspect of the Dark Goddess, whilst flower magick celebrates the joy and gentleness of the Spring Goddess. Blend the dark and light aspects together to experience how they shine a light on each other in the celebration of wholeness and authenticity.

I think the balance of light and dark, that weā€™re more than one thing, is possibly what draws me so much to Persephone and to want to learn more about her.

As with the Pagan Portals book, thereā€™s a retelling of the traditional story whereby Kore, as she was also known, felt coddled by her mother and chose to go with Hades to the Underworld, where she became Persephone, Queen of the Underworld.

Thereā€™s also an invocation which I intend to use within my work with Persephone:

Persephoneā€™s Invocation

Hear me Persephone, Maiden of light,
Be with me Persephone, Queen of the night.

Lend me your wisdom, your clear sight and justice,
Shroud me with sanctuary, this space encompass.

Help the seeds of my labour to take hold and grow,
Abundant blossoms above, sturdy roots below.

When the blooms are all spent and to death they sojourn,
Receive them sweetly in darkness before their return.

Blessed Persephone, Spring maiden of birth,
Thank you Persephone, fair Goddess of Earth.

PDF attached for those that would like a copy for their BOS:
Persephoneā€™s Invocation.pdf (161.8 KB)

The third book is a bit of a weighty tome and Iā€™ve not yet dug into it. It comes across a little like a self help book, how we can use the strategies from the Greek myths to find happiness in the modern world.

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For my second catch up challenge entry Iā€™ve gone with

:money_with_wings: The Thrifty Witch - Thrifty Witch

I will admit to having a bit of a frenzy with wanting ā€œall the thingsā€ and spending a fair bit acquiring new things for my altar and craft. But Iā€™ve also made quite a few things or bought them second-hand that I use regularly in my practice so hereā€™s a summary of some of those items:

My cloak bought on Ebay

My staff made from a stick found in the woods

One example of recycled food jars used for storing witchy things

A rose quartz Iā€™ve had since I was a child

Bird bones


One of many feathers Iā€™ve acquired on walks

My painting of Iris made with materials I already had

My homemade fairy door (the mouse is Miss Agatha)

Salem the cat

My besom made from a stick found in the woods, twine I had already and some birch branches purchased on Etsy

The beautiful stones my husband has owned for years that he gifted me for use in my outside altar

My homemade Samhain pumpkinā€¦

ā€¦and wreath

Anyway Iā€™m hoping that this is sufficient for this challenge. Going back through my photos has given me inspiration to make some more things, part of my current pledge to be more environmentally friendly overall.

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That looks like an awesome book @Kasandra! Right up your alley!

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For whatever reason I just had a thought of Sully the monster from the Monters Inc movie pop into my mind. He has a very lovely shade of blue fur with purple polka dots. Well you never know auras can be more than one colour canā€™t they?

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