Thank you Sivonnnah.
I didnāt know how beneficial it was either. Maybe I did on a subconscious level because I have wind chimes everywhere outside.
Thank you Sivonnnah.
I didnāt know how beneficial it was either. Maybe I did on a subconscious level because I have wind chimes everywhere outside.
CHALLENGE ENTRY #2 Magickal Names
I never really thought about a witch name before I came here. Well, I wasnāt really a witch until I came here. I didnāt even have to think about itā¦Sivonnahā¦just felt right.
How did I pick the name Sivonnah? When I was pregnant with my younger son, I was convinced he was a girl. I found the name Sivannah in a baby name book, but I pronounced it with a soft O vs A. With the A its pronounced like Savanah, Georgia. But, I liked my pronunciation. Needless to say, I didnāt name my son Sivannah
My husband and I used to play D&D and my characters name was Sivannah. So when I came here, I knew what my name would be. I changed the spelling from the a to an o because thatās how I pronounce the name. I never really thought about a witch name. I knew Sivonnah was right
@georgia you are too sweet
@Ostara I wonder if thereās a āperfectā song for each of us that puts all those aspects in balance I know specific notes can do that, but could we create a song?
Iām not that talented. Lol!
CHALLENGE ENTRY #3 Handcrafting
At least some of you know Iām a crafter! I love painting, although Iām not much of a freehand painter, Iād say I have a gift. My husband says I ābring lifeā to what I paint. Art, in general, has always been magickal to me. My mom loved to paint and create things. My dad did a lot of leather crafting when I was younger. He carved The Last Supper into a piece of leather. He was so meticulous and detailed in his craft, it was reflected in this piece as he even carved their toenails and fingernails!
Currently my dad and brother make cigar box guitars of very fine quality. They get orders from around the country. My brother is quite crafty with creating art using technology. My dad also makes bottles stoppers, bowls and candle holders out of wood on the lathe. My husband is pretty crafty as well. We work in tandem to create. He cuts items out of wood and I paint them. He developed his own technique for cutting. As you can see crafting has been part of my life for a long time.
Enough bragging ā¦
Why did I find art magickal? I couldnāt understand how people could create such beautiful things from their imagination. I found it in paintings, architecture, sculptures, etcā¦ Also, painting and crafting has always brought me joy, as well as serenity and calmness. Very therapeutic!
How do I incorporate magick in my art today? I use correspondences and mindfulness. I use correspondences in regards to the season, colors, incense, flowers, etcā¦
I practice mindfulness by appreciating where the wood came from. Itās smell, itās feel, how it looks. I appreciate the colors and how they were made and the people that made them. I frequently use flowers and animals so I visualize those to select colors and paint technique. I think about the feelings these things evoke.
So hereās some of my magickal handcrafted art!
Challenge Entry #2 - Reading Auras
Reading auras has never been in my practice nor a skill that I have had. But I thought Iād try it out for this challenge.
I wasnāt sure where to start to learn how to see auras but after an online search I picked this video to start
I started the first exercise last night but felt I was too tired to really concentrate so I tried again this morning. Holy heck!!! I was able to see a blue aura around my hand. I was blown away!
Blue
Those with blue auras are emotionally sensitive and are self-expressive. They may be shy in letting their innermost feelings be known, which means you should listen when they do speak. Source
If You Have A Blue Aura, Youāve Probably Been Called An Empath Once Or Twice
Because of how empathetic you are, youāre highly susceptible to accidentally taking on other peopleās energies, especially out in public and in large crowds. āBlueās natural state is to be calm, serene, and in its essence,ā explains Hill. āBut if they go out into the world and theyāre not spiritually protected, they will be bombarded with [other aura colors].ā
source
Boy is this spot on.
Iām still practicing on the second exercise with trees. Itās a work in progress!
Youāve done a beautiful job! I wish I had talent. Lol!
Iām going to try this out. Thanks for sharing!
Challenge Entry #3 - History of Magick
I have to admit this one is harder for me to do than the other entries. While I love to research and compile information in my pursuit of knowledge, itās been yeeeeeeeears since Iāve routinely written a research paper. That skill has left the building
I chose to informally write about Robert Graves and his impact on Magick.
Robert Graves (1895ā1985), a prominent British poet, novelist, and scholar, played a noteworthy role in influencing modern witchcraft. Born on July 24, 1895, in Wimbledon, London, Graves came from a literary and artistic family background.
Published in 1948 āThe White Goddessā explored Gravesās theories on mythology, goddess worship, and the poetic inspiration drawn from the feminine divine. Despite its controversial nature and lack of historical grounding, Gravesās poetic and symbolic reinterpretations, particularly the Celtic Tree Calendar, gained traction within some magickal circles.
Celtic Tree Calendar: Graves popularized a version of the Celtic Tree Calendar in āThe White Goddess,ā associating each lunar month with a specific tree, Ogham symbol, and poetic meaning. While his interpretation is more imaginative than historically based it has been influential.
Triple Goddess Concept: Although not originating from Graves, he contributed to the popularization of the Triple Goddess concept ā maiden, mother, and crone ā which has become a significant archetype in Wiccan and magickal traditions.
While I have personally struggled with trying to reconcile that there are recent additions to the much older historical practice of magick, I am becoming more comfortable acknowledging and accepting Robert Gravesās lyrical reinterpretations and esoteric insights into my practice.
CHALLENGE ENTRY
finding your magickal name
https://animagia.gr/2022/08/11/Ī¼Ī¬Ī³Ī¹ĻĻĪµĻ-ĻĪ·Ļ-ĻĪ¼ĻĻĪ½Ī·Ļ-Ī»ĪÆĪ³Ī±-Ī»ĻĪ³Ī¹Ī±-Ī³Ī¹Ī±-ĻĪ·/
I got my magical name from the Witches of Smyrna, an excellent Greek series
From the fortune-teller Maria who, when she acquired the gift of fortune-telling from the great Mystria of the Attartis series, named her Airram
is the reading of the name Maria backwards from the end to the beginning
Challenge entry #1 ā Dream Magick
Iāve done the Eurynomous ritual described by Tracy here:
https://forum.spells8.com/t/dead-and-breakfast-virtual-witch-bar-cafe-alcohol/47058
And so, I would like to take this moment to talk about my dreams a little. The magick itself is contained in the above post.
As for my experiencesā¦
I did this one with my partner. We have a little shelf where Iāve put some auspicious items and we are collecting ancestral items there as well. In front of it, I had placed a long cushion meant for making benches more comfortable to sit on and that is where we sat for this.
Following this ritual, my dreams have beenā¦ Itās hard to me to talk about them because I feel that the small details are important, but they donāt really mean anything unless I give a book load of backstory.
But I can that that it feels as though Iām going through a journey of what has been and what could have been. Iāve seen these lives in different contexts, with similar people or even the same people. I can feel the build-up before making decisions that have a great impact on myself or those around me, and I can feel the weight of those choices as I enact them.
Whether these experiences are merely dreams or glimpses into past/future lives, I canāt say. But they resonate deeply. As though my soul is going on a journey through another life and coming back with lessons learnt.
And so, I shall continue to dream. Dream the dreams of infinite potential trapped in an insignificant glass vessel, bounding through the universe with but a glimpse of the totality that exists beyond.
Challenge entry #2 ā Witch Brews & Potions
I would like to share two combinations that I have been using over the past year. Both of these are for working with the crown and third-eye chakras. These blends are designed for spiritual connectivity and nurturing a deeper connection with the higher self.
The first is a topical oil that is designed to help with hair growth and tapping into psychic abilities. The idea is that hair acts like a bunch of tiny antennas, picking up and sending out subtle energy. This oil combines various plant-based ingredients and oils to connect hair and mind with a kind of light energy.
This energy is special because it can move through anything, carrying energy, info, and even consciousness between different places. This is believed to be a key factor in how telepathy works.
Massage this oil into your hair roots weekly, focusing on the scalp, to stimulate the crown chakra and enhance hair health.
This blend serves as a luxurious bath or massage ointment, incorporating dried herbs and flowers, each selected for their spiritual and therapeutic properties.
Here, you can substitute dried ingredients with their oil equivalents where possible for a more concentrated blend. (I do, where I can.)
It is ideal as a massage oil or added directly to bathwater for a spiritually enriching experience.
Infusion Method: Combine ingredients and allow them to infuse for several weeks. This method is particularly effective for the hair oil blend.
Heating Method: Gently boil the ingredients for a few hours, then strain the mixture into a jar. This faster method is suitable for both blends.
Either way you go, keep your homemade blends in a cool, dark place to preserve their potency.
Safety Reminder: Always conduct a patch test before using new skin products, particularly when using potent ingredients like European mandrake root. These blends are for external use only.
I decided to put the fairy garden in my herb garden for now. Fairyās love Thyme and Rosemary and (thank the gods and tarps) mine are doing good through this winter. There are these crazy looking mushrooms growing from all the rain last week. They look kind of alien. I have been trying all day to get a decent pic, but the sun is in the wrong place. So here is one of the not so decent pics. This is the temporary winter home.
I just realized there is a kitty sleeping in the background. I didnāt see it when I took the pic. Lol!
Challenge Entry: Deities & Deity worship; #1
I have been working with Persephone Goddess of Spring and Goddess of the Underworld! We have done meditation and our favorite way to communicate is tarot! I have also made some Persephone oil to anoint a candle when I talk with her. She is helping me find my voice and to stand up for myself instead of backing down and just doing what others ask of me to keep the peace! Her presence to me feels comforting and safe but also like itās time to get my message through that hard head of yours . My first meditation with her I got very emotional and cried but I felt so much better afterwards. She definitely holds a special place in my heart!
Challenge Entry: #2 Finding your Witchy Talent;
So for this one I make my own intention candles, wax melts and bath salts! I have been making candles for a year and had my own small business but had to shut it down for a little while because of life! I just made my own ritual candle for Persephone, my most popular among my customers is the Positive Energy candle, and I have had positive feed back that the candle helps rid the negative ugh feelings out of their homes! I do enjoy using the craft to help others!
Challenge Entry: #3 Peering into Past Lives
I did the three links on past lives that were listed and hereās the results.
Challenge entry #3 ā Lunisolar Calendar and Chinese New Year
This was a bit long, so I posted it over here:
I wasnāt sure which direction to take this challenge. I donāt work with the fae or fairies at all - I keep a respectful distance Anyway, I grabbed one of my books that I havenāt read yet on Fairies and wanted to share some information with you! This book is Fairies: A Guide to the Celtic Fair Folk by Morgan Daimler.
This passage reminds me of the conversation we were having about familiars where @john1 mentioned that someone could have a fairy as a familiar! If you have this book, this passage is on page 161.
The familiar spirit, often simply called the familiar, is one of the most well known companions of the classical witch. When most people think of the traditional witchās familiar they automatically imagine a demonic one; However, there is a long history of fairies taking the role of the familiar spirit with some witches in Europe, just as some witches met not with the Devil, but with the Queen of Elfland. In these cases the fairies seem to have been less like servitors, as some classic familiars may appear, and more like advisers who aid the witch by giving them knowledge and acting as a go-between for them with the world of Fairy.
ā¦
In Eastern Europe there was a concept of witches or healing women having either good or evil spirits who aided them. In some views what differentiated the familiar as either a fairy or a demon, as either a āgoodā spirit or an āevilā one, was the actions of the human being and the use they put the knowledge they gained from the spirit. This reflects a deep-seated conflation of Elves, fairies, and demons that existed, particularly in England, and shows a striking similarity in the supernatural afflictions caused by and magical cures used against both groups. This gives us not only a blurry line between fairies and demons as familiars, but also shows us that there was truly no hard and fast line nor rigid definition separating the two types of spirits in common understanding.
This section is super long and has a lot more information in it than I can quote here, but itās very interesting to me how fairies have been associated with witches and familiars ā I learned something new because I had never heard of this before!
Iāve always found spirit flight and hedge riding very difficult. Itās one of those skills that requires quiet and concentration, both things that are lacking in my house Iāve done it a few times, but itās never been easy. I find dream walking easier, though Iām not sure if that counts as hedge ridingā¦ who knows! Anway, I wanted to give you a recommendation for hedge magick and spirit flight if youāre looking to learn different techniques. Itās titled A Broom at Midnight: 13 Gates of Witchcraft by Spirit Flight by Roger J. Horne!
Each chapter, each gate, is a different technique for spirit flight that the author shares. Itās got a lot of information for anyone looking to venture into spirit flight and crossing the hedge! I thought I had done a book review on it but I must not have. If I find it, Iāll link it here, too.
What I believe about familiars is theyāre just the spirit even if youāre familiars physical vessel passes away youāre familiar spirit will stay with you until there next vessel to go inside of
A very simple yet effective method of magic and spellwriting involves a pen and a piece of paper - thatās all you need! Take your paper and write down what you want. Really think about it - get detailed and put your energy into the writing. Then, carry this paper around with you somewhere it wonāt get lost. A wallet works really well - bonus points if your manifestation involves money it reminds me of writing lines when we would get in trouble at school. If you write it enough times, you start to believe it. When you start to believe it, the doors of possibility open to you. When that happens, anything is possible!