I actually only have one challenge I can do for this catch upā Creative Crafting āand then Iāll have all the badges! Wow, what an accomplishment!
Just need to decide what to do. Maybe Iāll do some drawing or some coloring.
I actually only have one challenge I can do for this catch upā Creative Crafting āand then Iāll have all the badges! Wow, what an accomplishment!
Just need to decide what to do. Maybe Iāll do some drawing or some coloring.
40 Weekly Witch Challenge ā Catch up
Challenge entry. Garnet
040. All about altars. - reverent witch
It is my belief, that prehistorically, the āaltarā came to be as a place to worship. I assume that they would find a special place to make their āaltarsā. A lovely glen or a special tree, where they would commune with their gods.
In ancient times temples became a building or shelters.
I want to bring attention to some historical temples. To name them all would be a long writing, so Iāll go by country and just the oldest known.
Each of these temples contained an āAltarā.
This was a very short list of ancient temples.
My thanks to: Temple - World History Encyclopedia
So, Temples arenāt new, nor are places of worship to include Altars.
But, what is an altar?
A structure or flat surface where prayers, sacrifices, or some religious purpose.
They can be as elaborate as The Ghent Altarpiece, (Almost burned by Calvinists, it has been censored & stolen by Napoleon and Hitler, and in 1931, 1 part of the 12 was stolen and never recovered.) As simple as a pentagram, a colored candle, incense & cup. Or a mini travel Altar It is your choice. It is essentially your place of worship.
My current temple is a little fussy but so am I. It contains a mini chalice, and
Aladdin-type lamp (causeā itās cute). A mini Candleabra which holds birthday
candles. A statue of Gaia and a Cobalt bell & Star. This is devoted to Goddess.
Lots of small spheresā¦
My 2nd altar is dedicated to Bast. I have a lovely statue of the Bastet with
wings on Her, Candles. A sphere stands with some pretty spheres on it. Itās a
work in progress.
Thanks, Garnet
140 Catch Up = this is # 11 - Books, Tomes, and Tales ](š Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE- Books, Tomes, and Tales)
Challenge entry ā Garnet
Books are so easily gotten on the internet. You can download both
free and purchased books. There are books and subjects that I shy away from.
Gerald Gardner.
After listening to several interviews on youtube I wasnāt too impressed by him or his detractors. Was Mr. Gardner excentric? Absolutely. He was also a person who exhibited behavior, that at the time was considered vulgar and done for impact value. He seemed rather obsessed with nudity. His hair was wild, standing on end. Just an odd individual. He seemed to enjoy looking sinister.
History of Modern Witchcraft | An Aussie Wytch's Book of Correspondencesmodern-witchcraft/
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley was known by many names, 'the wickedest man in
the world, ā King of the Occultā, and āMaster Of Darkness.ā He was described as a man who was actually banned from Mussoliniās Italy for acts of extreme depravity, and who also rubbed elbows with the most respected writers of the 20th century while penning textbooks on tantric sex magic.
Sylvia Browne
The late Sylvia Browne claimed to be a medium with psychic abilities. Iāve read and or listened to many of her books and as with any prophecies, you take them with a grain of salt. Although she did foresee the Corona Virus in 2020. She was also the one who convinced me that if there was a God, How could there not be a Goddess? She was funny, you should watch one of her videos on youtube.
Deborah Blake
The Goddess Is in the Details, is a good book. Agreed with almost all
of the book. Would recommend it.
Blessed be
Garnet
140 - Catch up - 3rd entry ā
013 Foretelling the Future - Seer Apprentice
CHALLENGE ENTRY - GARNET
There are so many types of divination that I cannot name them
all.
Alphabetically?
Alectryomancy ā divination through the study of birds, reptiles and insects.
Arachnomancy ā Using spiders to foretell omens
Aeromancy ā weather observation for divination.
Apantomancy ā Chance encounters with animals. i.e. a black cat crossing your path.
Anthropomancy ā the study of entrails
Cromniomancy - Fortune-telling with Onions
Belomancy ā Divination with arrows. This one was new to me.
Throw 2 arrows into the air and make note of how they fell. The
position of the arrows would indicate a yes/no answer. Crossed
arrows meant no. They also used axes and swords. Not too different
from throwing a coin into the air and calling heads for yes and
tails for no.
Maculomancy ā How about the divination of birthmarks? The study of
birthmarks and moles eventually spread into Europe. The
Gypsies were noted to use birthmarks along with their color, size, and placement.
I got it from an Encyclopedia Britannica dated 1960:
These were the most unusual and interesting ancient divination
practices. Today it would more likely be the use of Tarot, Scrying,
Smoke, pendulums Dousing, etc. would be used in divination. Sorry
Siofra, I forgot Runes!
I found this subject fascinating and informative.
Blessed be
Garnet
decisions decisions and only 125 challenges to pick from lol
3 challenges to come
Ooooo Iām so excited got two already picked out
echnologic & Modern Magick ā Technomancer
challenge entry
I use tech more than I thought I did for my witch craft
I canāt think of anything else right now.
Thanks!
Now I have to decide what other challenges to work on this week! Exciting!
First
Weekly Witchy Challenge ~ Catch-up!
I do enjoy my gardens. I recently transformed a pile of old firewood into a future garden. By adding a few tons of compost over the old wood and then mulching it, the old wood over time will add fertility and cut
down on the need to irrigate the bed. The flowers will add beauty and the herbs will make medicine and increase interest in otherwise bland cooking. To our Great Mother owe everything. This challenge hopefully shows that commitment.
The new garden
Today I planted 3 large colocasia bulbs grow into beautiful 5 foot elephant ears.
I look forward to them.
Planted Rosemary by the path so it passes on its beautiful scent as I walk to my back door. Opens the mind as well as being anti-microbial and anti- inflammatory
Oregano- besides being delicious it can be a wonderful ant-biotic
Basil, Sweet- Anti bacterial and a culinary delight
Basil, Tulsi or Holy for its spiritual component
Many other herbs and āweedsā abound in other gardens. Horseradish, rhubarb, sage, mints, sweet annie, etc.
The pantry is near overflowing with dried herbs and tinctures
All that I do in my gardens is with the Great Mother in mind. Making my own compost, keeping the ground covered in mulch. adding to fertility, supporting pollinators, not using poisons and appreciating the beauty and diversity that abounds.
Stay tuned for Challenge #2
Second
Seems my phone doesnāt want to download pics today, so Iāll just tell a story and hope it passes the challenge
I used to meditate A LOT a few years ago, but it seemed that Ritual was over taking Practice. Other things were happening also so I stopped for a long time. But while I was meditating I learned a great deal. The akashic library is open to all that work to seek it and it holds more knowledge than I could ever learn. Meditation was my favorite place to be.
While doing past life regression I travelled back to a few lives. One of the more interesting:
As I flew over a pristine area with ancient trees and fields, I looked down and saw people running.
Realizing I was not human, as I was flying, I saw terror in the peoples eyes, it became obvious they were prey. It scared me to see the others. If these were dragonsā¦they were truly awful to behold. From another dimension, Not demonic just not of the same form as 3 dimensional beings.
I donāt see Dragons the way most people do. It is said by some that reptilians had some sway in human evolution and others had played with our genetics and sentience. It is believed by some that humans were food until that happened.
I was born a Black Water Dragon on the transition of the years 1952-53 in January. A wood person with a water personality according to Chinese and Feng Shui. Dragons always intrigued me, both as a child and whatever I am now. lol When my phone starts acting right I will add some pics of my dragon collection. Until then
and stay tuned for episode 3
Love and Light
@CelestiaMoon By the power of love, friendship, and the divine- yeet that virus right out of your body! Being sick can drain a lot of our energy and focus, but it sounds like you powered through and were able to gather what you needed to work the magick- itās a really beautiful experience, Celestia, and Iām so happy that it helped you to heal!
@Amethyst In some ways, I suppose sorting through what badges you have/donāt have could be considered part of the challenge!
@lisa67 The elemental challenges are a great series to jump into- and it sounds like you already have some ideas in mind! Silverbear has some amazing recipes- if you decide to give them a try this week, I hope you have fun!
@Medea Youāve got this, Medea! Iām excited to hear about your spellwork this week. Good luck and have fun!
@Artemisia Thatās what Iām saying! Seems wild that weāre already at challenge #140- where does the time go? Iām excited to see what challenges you pick out this week- good luck and blessed spellwork, Artemisia!
@MeganB Oh! That is such a creative use of sigils- may it continue to work well and draw all those with an interest in magick to your lovely channel Also, I saw your entry for the Veil Between the Worlds in the separate discussion- once again, great work on your entries, Megan- they are always a delight to read!
@stavroula It has arrived! Hahaha I canāt wait to see which challenges you jump into this week, Stavroula- good luck and have fun!
@Kasandra The final challenge- you are amazing, Kasandra! That is a very impressive feat to have done them all. Congrats in advance to you!
@Garnet I love your enthusiasm for the challenges, Garnet- you always manage to make such great entries and so fast too! And you know I appreciate your wisdom and research on different cultures and places around the world Thank you for sharing about altars and your altars in partciular- they sound lovely! Youāve got some lovely magickal book recommendations and research on divination as well- thank you so much for sharing them! Every time I hear about new forms of divination itās fascinating- there really are so many out there!
@Shadeweaver Decisions, decisions indeed! Youāre already off to a wonderful start- Green & Herbal Magick and Dragon Magick are both great topics to jump into! I can tell that you put heart and soul into your garden- it sounds like youāve designed a really thoughtful space with plants that are going to be a boon for your practice I always love to hear about past life experiences and I have to admit that the thought of being a dragon in another time and world is an exciting one (although the fear and terror not so much) Thank you for sharing about your lovely garden work and draconic experiences- they were very interesting to read!
@brandy20 Hooray! Wishing you all the best with your magick this week, Brandy- good luck and have fun!
@Phoenix_Rose It looks like youāve found many creative ways to weave technology into your magickal practice, Phoenix Rose! Thank you for sharing about your techno magick methods- nice work!
Iāll be back to reply to the amazing entries already!
I do know that I have Magick Inks & Oils to do & Interdisciplinary Magick & I believe the Fortune Tellers Gameā¦ busy, busy, busy
I have to pop out right now, but Iāll be baxk in a bit to chexk out otherās entries & see what I can come up with
Too right! Iām hoping I left a hint in my bookmarks. LOL!
CHALLENGE ENTRY
This week, I have decided to undertake the STAR MAGICK CHALLENGE. I have gone down a slightly different route, missing out the Astrology route as I earned that badge in a different challenge and wanted to try something else.
Some of you know that I work with Egyptian deities, mainly the Abydos Triad of Osiris, Isis and Horus. from previous reading, I had heard that Isis was linked to Sirius, the brightest star in the sky and I wanted to find out about its significance. I carried out my research and wanted to share my findings with you.
The star we call Sirius was known to the Egyptians. in fact, it had a really important role within their calendar. Known as Sopdet, the emergence of this star in the pre dawn sky marked two things: the beginning of the New Year and the beginning of the annual Nile Flooding. Therefore, the star was known as The Opener of the Year and The Fair Star of Water to the Egyptians. Interestingly, although the Egyptian New Year began in August/September, Sirius can help bring in the traditional western new year too as it reaches its highest point in the night sky at around midnight on December 31st each year.
Two days before the appearance of Sopbet is also considered to be the birth date of Isis. The star is visible for most of the year but disappears for around 70days of the year. Using an online calculator, I discovered that Sirius will disappear in the sky where I live on April 21st and will return on September 5th. This period of waiting is a good time for building relationships with and honouring your mother or a mother figure as it represents the time when Isis was in the womb of her mother, Nuut. This is not something I have yet done as my spiritual journey only steered towards ancient Egypt after this time last year. It is definitely something I will undertake this year though.
The constellation to the right of the star was known to the Egyptians as Sah. We call it Orion but it had significance to the Egyptians as it represented Osiris. Orion rises before Sopdet so it became representative of Osirisā floating in the Nile while Isis (Sopdet) appears later, chasing the constellation as she looks for her husbands body. it is also interesting to note that when Sah (Orion) appears on the horizon, it is lying sideward. It becomes more upright as it rises and after the appearance of Sopbet. It is almost representative of Isis pushing Osiris upright as she resurrects him after his murder at the hands of Set. I used my star app today to show how this pans out in my local area Osiris will be upright with Isis following after 8pm local time.
I also previously took this photograph which shows the star and constellation together from my back garden.
While Sopdet is visible, it may be the perfect time for me to Simply go outside and send a prayer or offering to Isis as she shines back at you or simply just enjoy her presence.
Finally, I discovered the idea of wing joined with your own star using a guided meditation which envokes Isis. I havenāt tried this yet but intend to at some point during the week, this links to this idea and the meditation are below.
I have found it fascinating reading all about this and it gives me yet something else to add to my practice, as now when am working with my deity, I can see her soul shining brightly above me (if the Scottish weather behaves!)
Blessed be
Alan
Sources
Isis and Sirius Rising
Itās Time to Get Sirius about Isis
Joining with Your Star
Star Joining Ritual
Bry!!! So funny, that made me snort-laugh!
All yeetād out now, made that little virus taste the rainbow!
@Susurrus Ohhhh all exciting choices!
@Amethyst Bookmarks to the rescue!
@Cosmic_Curiosity Itās always amazing to see the importance of astrology and the stars in peopleās lives in ancient times- and even more neat to see the ways the cosmos continues to affect our lives and calendars today! Thatās an awesome constellation app- I really like the pictures it has for each of the constellations Wishing you all the best with any prayers or meditations you choose to do (and may the Scottish weather be kind to you!)- thank you for this lovely entry!
@Artemisia Hahaha if it made you laugh, thatās a win in my book! Always happy to share chuckle
@CelestiaMoon Ha! Itās my turn to snort-laugh- omg Celestia
Symbols & Sigils
Number 1 CHALLENGE ENTRY
Angels and elements
Number2 CHALLENGE ENTRY
Magic with what we have at home
I bought Plants to have them whenever I need them very small plants that I put in bigger pots Now I have my own herbs
Tools of the Witch Trade Number3 CHALLENGE ENTRY
My tools in my Craft
chalice for offering
Weekly Challenge Catch Up
All about Altars
I have been meaning to make a travel altar for a while and I finally got it done.
I donāt know if this is a Noooooo or a Yes Yes Yes.
I always look forward to catch up weeks. For one itās a quick way to hopefully spark my memory and itās really fun.
Buuuutā¦
Iāve been so blah that I forgot about challenges and only just came back on. And Iāve gone from not having my 7 month old granddaughter since February to now having her all day.
Ugh