Catch up weekā:smile:
Im so excited i just cant hide it
Yes im singing the song 
I recently had looked at what challenges i had done as i wanted to figure it out to gibe myself time which ones to do so when next catch up challenge came up id be readyā:grin:woop now its time to pull out my list i made of challenges not done 
i know im like a spaz getting over excited about the littlest thingsā:joy:bring on the catch up challenge came up 
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120 Weekly Witchy Challenge - catch up
Challenge entry Garnet
- 003. The Thrifty Witch
Once upon a time we were all baby witches and wanted all the bells and whistles. Until we found out how much $$$ it would cost us.
At this point, we put on our Harry Potter thinking cap 
and decided the best way to acquire what we needed, not necessarily what we wanted. So we start with the basics. You donāt have to break the bank to set up a simple altar. Anything is acceptable.
An altar cloth
A pretty napkin as an altar cloth or a pretty piece of fabric will protect your table from wax and can be easily replaced. When you can afford a better altar cloth, then get it.
Pentagram ā you can carve it in clay, or draw it with pen and paper to make it by twisting hay. I have a cobalt star that I found somewhere.
The elements.
You can get circular wooden coins at any hobby store. Paint them with the elemental symbol you wish to represent. If you find a smallish branch fallen from a tree, make wood slices as an elemental representation.
Candles?
You can buy expensive candles, or pick some up at the dollar store. I like birthday candles, they donāt burn as long and are economical. I have a tiny candelabra that holds birthday candles. Oh, and candles can be remelted and made into new candles.
Bowls, dishes, salt potā¦ or symbols
You might consider buying a little girlās tea set for salt, holy water, etc
Your altar is unique to you and nobody else should be telling you what is right or wrong about it. Those cheap little bottles at the dollar store work well for storing your potions, like Florida water, holy water, etc
Beads, stones, flowers. Symbols
You can use any symbols depicting your beliefs. What you can see becomes real and precious, but the mind, being a most wonderous organ receives messages from the eye and it (the brain) then translates it into the image it āthinksā you see. As for findings from the earth? Old beads, pretty pebbles, a flower or two.
Even sigils make great symbols for your altar.
I have to remind myself to keep it simple or Iād have an altar to rival the Pope LOL!
Just bear in mind that this is your most sacred workspace, devoted to Deity.
Other than that? Have fun!
Blessed be
Garnet
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@Garnet great entry & seems like you knew exactly what to do foe your first entry!
I know Iāve missedā¦ at least a fewā¦ 
usually Iām much better at the challenges, but had a few bumps along the way.
Iāll have to go through at least the last 10 of them to see which ones I missedā¦ I think there were at least 3ā¦ thereay be moreā¦ just call me Dory for right now 
Iām excited to explore some different ones though. I remember being sad I either missed the deadline or couldnāt get to them those weeks.
So, thinking cap is on while I go through & pick them for this week.
@TheTravelWitch_Bry increasing it to 3 is a great idea! Im sure the older through the newest members will have just as much fun & gai ed experience as those who have been able to keep up! Thank you 
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120 Weekly Witchy Challenge - Catch up
Challenge entry #2. Garnet
004 [Earth-Friendly] witchcraft Earth Witch
I decided to do something different.
Instead of what, where, when, who and why?
A few short lines would sufficeā¦
This is what we need to rememberā¦
Earth is our home, our provider, and our protector.
Without it, we would be thrown back to 2 atoms circling
each other forever, in an eternal loop without purpose.
Yes, the earth is responsible for our well-being,
But, we are responsible to do our part.
Plant your seed with love and water
Set it in late spring for your food to grow.
Bide you time, patience is the key,
Watch as your garden grows.
Then, late in summer or early fall,
Gather what the earth so freely offers
Harvest your garden and your will winter stores will grow
Watch the animals, theyāll know where to go.
Harvest your crops from corn to squash. Peas and carrots.
You reap what you sew and now you wonāt starve.
The earth provides for her children if we care for Her, with love.
Blessed Be
Garnet
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120 [Weekly Witchy Challenge - catch up
Challenge Entry - Garnet
006. Witch Weekly Witchy Challenge - Kitchen Witchery ā Kitchen Witch
#3. Challenge entry ā Garnet
I decided I would make southern short ribs in an instant pot
In 48 years, I havenāt poisoned Rich yet but you never knowā¦
Fingers crossedā¦
Ingredients
3 Tb. olive oil
ā¢ 1 yellow onion, diced
ā¢ 3 carrots, chopped
ā¢ 8 whole beef short ribs (I got a rack of ribs, cut in thirds)
ā¢ salt and pepper, to taste
ā¢ 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
ā¢ 1 C. dry red wine
ā¢ 2 1/2 C. of low-sodium beef broth
ā¢ (Beef bone broth, homemade is best)
ā¢ 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
ā¢ 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
ā¢ 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
instructions - oven
First turn the ribs over and slide a blunt knife under the membrane at one end of the rack, lift to loosen the membrane. Using paper town, hold onto the membrane, and peel it off the back of the ribs. With luck, it should come off in one piece.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
ā¢ In a large dutch oven or oven-safe pot with a lid, heat one tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and carrots and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Remove veggies to a plate.
ā¢ Season the ribs with salt and pepper and coat on all sides with flour. Add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the pot and turn the heat to high. Add ribs and brown on all sides, about 45 seconds per side. Remove to a plate.
ā¢ Add the wine to deglaze the pan. Scrape the bottom of the pan to release any browned bites of flavor. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes.
ā¢ Add beef broth, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in tomato paste. Taste broth and add additional seasonings, if needed.
ā¢ Add ribs, veggies, and (whole) sprigs of thyme and rosemary to the pot.
ā¢ Cover with the lid and place into the oven. Cook at 350 degrees for 2 hours, then reduce heat to 325 degrees and cook for an additional 30 to 45 minutes. Ribs should be very tender, nearly falling off the bone.
ā¢ Remove the pan from the oven and allow rest for 20 min., with the lid on, before serving. Skim off any fat that has risen to the top of the liquid, before serving.
ā¢ Serve ribs over mashed potatoes with a spoonful of sauce from the pot.
ā¢ Store leftover short ribs in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days depending on the freshness of your ingredients.
**Instant Pot: Turn the IP to the sautƩ setting. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pot. Once hot add onion and carrots and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Remove veggies to a plate. Season the ribs with salt and pepper and coat on all sides with flour. Add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the pot and turn the heat to high. Add ribs and brown on all sides, about 45 seconds per side. Remove to a plate. Add the wine to deglaze the pan. Scrape the bottom of the pan to release any browned bites of flavor. Cook for 2 minutes. Add beef broth, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in tomato paste. Taste broth and add additional seasonings, if needed. Add ribs, veggies, and (whole) sprigs of thyme and rosemary to the pot. Cook on Manual/High pressure for 45 minutes. Allow the pressure to release for 15 minutes before removing the lid.
Now, wasnāt that a nice recipe?
But guess what? I followed it completely ā NOT!
What I really did was: Bought the rack of ribs, striped the membrane, and cut them into thirds. Dumped 2 Tb. oil and a diced sweet onion into the instant pot to soften. Threw in ribs, 1 bottle of honey barbeque sauce(cheat much?), 1 C water, and 1/2 cup ketchup. Slow-cooked it for 3 hrs. Ta Da! Done.
And thank the Goddess, it was great.
And please, believe me, the fact that it turned out good was magick!
Blessed be
Garnet
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Challenge entry #1
So i have tried to get a better understanding of what each of my runes mean. I have a rune plate and runes to cast that a friend made me. I wrote out each rune meaning. And did research, which yall know i love, on each aswell.
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Challenge Entry #1
Weekly Witchy Challenge: Handwritten Magick. I tried my hand at automatic writing: this was my first attempt.
I began with thinking about a question i wanted to receive guidance about. I was more fuzzy on from whom I wished to receive guidance, whether it was from my higher self, a spirit guide or ancestor. Honestly, I was not sure on which door I should knock,I just knew I did not want to channel a dark entity.
But I havenāt let inexperience and uncertainty hold me back from trying new things before so I jumped in with both feet, or hands, not knowing what to expect.
I knew I was to close my eyes, focus on my breath and try not to think what my hand was doing, to surrender it to whatever force would guide it. I was calm and mildly curious.
I was surprised just how automatic this felt very early on. Whatever i tapped into, whether it was my own subconscious or what i could feel my hand writing like mad and my head fell on chest. It did feel trance-like or dream-like.
I scribbled 3 pages of notebook paper, stopping because the energy became quiite intenseā¦i was scribbling very fast and my heart rate increased. I havenāt had a seizure before but it occurred to me that i was approaching an altered state of some kind so i quit, since this is unknown territory for me.
I was able to discern some words i had no intention of writing ātomorrow,ā also āsonā and āfather.ā It is very dream-like and hard to pinpoint a meaning. I will set it aside and come back to it. Perhaps the meaning will come to me in dream.
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Challenge Entry #1
I totally missed this challenge, Iāve been busy with crafts for this time of year! Made cute Halloween skirts for my daughter and I, and now Iām working on a dragon wings shawl for her. I have more clothes and gifts to makeā¦ Iām always crafting lol!
Anyway I donāt have an official entry since this is closed but it did get me thinking. One thing Iāve done for quite a while now is being aware of the day names. I follow the Norse pantheon, so each day I focus on the God or Goddess and what teachings they have. For example Wednesday is Odinās day. I focus on learning, wisdom, and insight. Tuesday is Tyrās dayā¦ I try to keep promises on that day, if I have any that I havenāt fulfilled. Friday is Freyaās or Friggaās day. I focus on romance, the home and hearth, family, etc. Just some small examples. (I need to work more on it. I frequently just go through my days and donāt think much about them.)
I also always use a candle when I do prayers, spells, or rituals. Someday I hope to collect colored ones. For now I use white tea lights. I have a couple of crystals and herbs, and joining Spells8 has helped me be aware of things I can use to boost any workings I do.
Oh! I also frequently choose colors I wear to match the day and what I need. Cool colors for calming, warm for warmth or motivation. Black for protection. Pink for softness and love. I need to get back into that, I havenāt been as mindful about the colors I use.
My daughter and I also recently collected the 2023 Coloring Book of Shadows planners, so that we can both be more aware of the moon phases and astrological changes throughout the year. Being more in flow with things like that I think boosts everything we do. We as humans can get so out of flow with nature. I think the Universe responds in kind when we follow the flow the best that we can, and work in alignment in the things we do and say.
Anyway hereās the website with more information about the planners!
It is definitely my goal to work more with correspondences in EVERYTHING I do!
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Oh my goodness, 120 already?! 
Itās time to breakout my spreadsheet and figure out which challenges I missed 
A challenge limit increase, too?! Score!
You and me both!
This is a great entry for the Thrifty Witch challenge, Garnet! I love all of the suggestions youāve made here for more thrifty tool options. I think my favorite would have to be an altar cloth. I didnāt buy my altar cloth but I have made one (or twoā¦or three?) I prefer to make them myself because then they get a bit of my own energy added to them 
Psshhhh youāve been busy healing and recovering (yes, even weeks and weeks ago ā all healing is valid!) Iām excited to see which challenges you missed and what you decide to share lol
Youāve got a standing ovation from me, Garnet! 
Iām always a fan of your writing and poetry. I think this really captures the essence of what it means to be eco-friendly and taking care of our Earth 
haha sometimes the fact that we can throw things together and they still turn out good is the magick itself Thatās my preferred method of cooking!
That rune plate and rune set are so pretty! 
Is it resin? That purple is just amazing 
Iāve never done automatic writing ā itās interesting though! Have you tried it again since? And were you able to discern the meanings of the words you had written down?
Iām gonna need pictures and a pattern That sounds like a great project!
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Three challenges? Yay! That puts me one step closer to getting all the badges that were given out before I joined the forum.
Since Thanksgiving is only a week away, now would be the perfect time to delve into some Kitchen Witchery! 
Tonight is Hecateās Night, so I think some Moon Magick 
is in order!
I have been doing some research on Ryujin, Japanese dragon god of the sea, and Iād like to work with him for the first time for the Dealing in the Divine 
challenge.
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@Garnet, I love the creative ideas you came up with for this one!! I am definitely going to use the little girlsā tea set idea! Brilliant! 
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Hereās the pattern at Etsy, itās different than any Iāve used before but super detailed! I finished the wings in Caron Simply Soft yarn, dark blue and sky blue. Sheās worn it quite a bit already!
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@Phoenix_Fire Hahaha I love your excitement (and song )! It makes me really happy that you enjoy the challenges so much- Iāll look forward to hearing which one(s) you choose to jump into this week!
@Garnet Youāve got some brilliant ideas for thrifty witchery (along with the most important advice of all- having fun doesnāt cost any money! 
), a really heartwarming chant to the Earth (you always write so beautifully! 
), and an absolutely mouth watering recipe for ribs- gosh, when was the last time I had ribs? Itās been too long- thank you for sharing the recipe and cooking tips, Garnet- I like your version! Thank you so much for sharing your entries!
@Siofra_Strega Hooray! Iām glad you think so- it just felt right with so many challenges out there to do. Hopefully increasing the limit will help new folks get any badges that catch their eye 
@Mistress_Of_Herbs The lovely Siofra helped move this here- just saying that this lovely entry is noted and will be counted towards the Catch-Up Challenge! Thanks again for sharing your beautiful runes and rune plate- I hope they have been serving you well in your rune work! 
@mary25 This awesome entry that missed the deadline was rehomed here by the wonderful Siofra- just noting it and acknowledging that it will be counted toward this Catch-Up Challenge 
Thanks again for sharing it, Mary!
@Melora_Fae Thank you again for sharing this fun entry towards the Conditional Magick theme, Melissa! The lovely Siofra has rehomed it here- just making a note that it has been received and will be counted towards this Catch-Up Challenge Thanks again!
@Kasandra I think youāre pretty close to collecting all the badges, Kasandra- Iām cheering you on with the themes you take on this week! I hope you have fun with your magick- good luck and enjoy!
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Challenge Entry
Moon Magick
Last night was a difficult night, because I had a huge fight with some of my family members. I might vent a bit in A Sacred Space post later.
But for Hecateās night, I lit three black candles, left an offering of minced garlic on my altar, and asked the Lady of the Crossroads to bless all of the keys that I owned: car keys, jewelry box key, and key necklace.
Under the waning moon, I then did some shadow work. It was very difficult, but I learned that the accusations thrown at me were not true.
I was thinking of not doing any ritual for Hecateās Night, but she never fails to bring me peace whenever I need it.
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Iām bookmarking that ā itās gorgeous! Thank you
Iām glad you were able to do something even though you had a rough night with your family members 
your offering and ritual to Hekate were successful
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I donāt know how I missed this yesterday but I love catch ups!
And itās already #120?!?!? That is crazy to think about!
Now to figure out which ones I want to tackle. 
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Challenge Entry-Trying something new
Ok, full disclosure, I am terrible at meditation. I kid you not, friends and I have been kicked out of yoga class twice for breaking the mood. It wasnāt on purpose what we did to get kicked out, I swear.
Iām terrible at meditation, folks have tried to teach me, it just doesnāt stick, because I sit still, and my brain Will. Not. Shut. Off. Never have a problem any other time, but I sit still and try to meditate and one of a few things happen. My to do list is first of mind and will not put itself aside. Something happens that breaks my focus, the phone rings, a thought wanders by, etc.
Based on everything Iāve learned here that meditation helps with spell work, I figured ok, letās give this another shot. I tried the first mediation in the meditation course, and I made it at least a few minutes before the to do list wandered back in. Progress, I think.
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Thatās definitely progress! Congratulations!
One thing that I always remind myself of is that meditation isnāt about quieting the mind, necessarily. Itās more about acknowledging the thoughts that come into your mind, saying I see you, and then letting them go. 
It gets easier with time!
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Challenge Entry ā Inviting Abundance
I hadnāt realized that I missed this challenge, so what better way to celebrate Thursdays then give everyone a sneak peak at my prosperity altar! Itās simple yet effective and hasnāt steered me wrong yet.
Every Thursday, I take a candle and place it on my golden plate. Usually I use a green chime candle but Iām all out so I used a tealight today. I dress the candle, the sigil painting, and the coins with my homemade prosperity oil. Depending on how I feel that day I will also anoint the coins and money in the green pouch (that I made) and shake the pouch toward my chest.
I donāt have a specific chant or incantation I say. I simply focus on inviting in abundance and prosperity, staying open to opportunities that would benefit our financial stability, and keeping our home the way we enjoy it.
Today is no different! I spent a few minutes in mindfulness today at my prosperity altar, lit the candle, and it will burn until it goes out (or until I have to leave).
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