👻 Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE - Ghosts & Spirits

[BryWisteria]

Please be aware that this discussion contains mention of potentially triggering content: death

Merry meet!

Thank you once again to all those who joined in for last week’s Weekly Witchy Challenge - Magickal Correspondences

After perusing magickal associations last week, it’s time to pull back the curtain and look beyond- we’re delving behind the veil this week, in a seasonal Halloween-themed challenge

The theme for this week’s challenge was suggested by the spooktastic @Kasandra and is…

Ghosts & Spirits

Do you believe in ghosts?
What role does spirit and/or ancestor work play in your practice?

Despite the many differences between those who walk this earth, creatures of all shapes and sizes share one undeniable and inescapable thing in common- death. Thinking about death can invoke many types of feelings, all of which are valid- from sadness to anger, from hope to fear and many more.

Death and what comes next are topics that can be very personal and emotional, so please approach this theme with respect for both your own personal beliefs as well as with respect for the beliefs and experiences of your fellow Coven members

From ghosts to spirits, deities of the afterlife, ancestor work and much more- we are unlocking the door and peering beyond for this seasonal exploration of spirits!

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

This week’s challenge is all about ghosts and spirits - how you choose to take on this theme is up to you!

So are you ready? Because it’s…

CHALLENGE TIME!

From Spells8: Hades, Greek God of Death and the Underworld

---

STEP 1 : Those Beyond The Veil

This challenge is all about spirit work - but as always, how you choose to take on this theme is up to you!

Still not sure where to begin? To help you get started, here are a few ways in which a witch might approach this challenge.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ghostly Encounters and Spirit Experiences

From ghost stories to paranormal encounters- feel free to share your experiences, spooky tales, and personal beliefs around ghosts and spirits of the dead for your challenge this week.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Spirit Work

Is spirit work a key part of your practice? From dumb suppers to reaching out in hopes of contact, consider doing some spirit work for your entry this week.

How to Talk to Spirits: Mediumship and Psychic Connection

Using a Pendulum for Divination Work

Related resources and discussions:

• Working with Spirits
• Ghost Water Instead of Moon Water
• Haunted spaces, bad spirits and negative energies
• Seances/Ouija Board?
• Ouija/Spirit Board- Who Uses Them?
• Contacting the Dead
• Automatic Writing Seance
• More in the spirit-work tag

→ For additional inspiration, consider exploring the spooky entries shared in the previous Veil Between the Worlds Challenge

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Honoring Lost Loved Ones

Whether they are recently departed or left long ago, those who have a place in our hearts are always with us. Consider working a spell, making an offering, or finding another special way to honor the memory of a loved one beyond the veil.

Prayer for the Departed

Farwell Ritual: Spell for a Loved One Who Passed Away

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Spirits of the Ancestors

Although the term “ancestors” most commonly refers to departed members of your family tree, the term can refer to any who came before you and share a bond. This includes past teachers, witches, historical figures, etc who have had a powerful impact on your life. In some situations, it may also refer to your previous lives.

Consider honoring, acknowledging, and/or working with your own ancestor spirits as your entry this week.

Meditation for Connecting with Ancestors and Passed Loved Ones

Honoring Your Ancestors: Create a Candle for Ancestor Worship

What to Put on an Ancestor Altar? Ideas and Pictures

→ For additional inspiration, consider visiting the honorable entries shared by Coven members in the previous Ancestor Work Challenge and Peering Into Past Lives Challenge

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hedge Magick

Hedge magick is an area of the Craft that involves crossing borders and entering other worlds, realms, and planes. Some hedge witches use their talents to work with the Underworld, world of the dead, afterlives, or other spirit realms (according to their practice). Consider exploring or trying your hand at otherworldly hedge magick for your entry this week.

Hedge Witchcraft: What is a Hedge Witch?

Guided Meditation to Go Beyond the Veil

→ For more about hedge witchery, check out the otherworldly entries shared by Coven members in the previous Hedge Magick: Into Other Realms Challenge

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

… And More!

The suggestions above are just a few ideas to help kickstart your creativity- if you feel called to explore ghosts and spirits in another way, please feel free to do so!

As always, all witches are encouraged to embrace their own unique practice with how they explore the challenge theme

From Spells8: Bone Magick: How to Use Bones in Witchcraft

---

---

STEP 2 : Share Your Experience

Click here for a note about challenge inclusivity

Everyone is welcome to join the challenge by practicing magick in line with the current theme. For lurkers and those who don’t feel comfortable sharing, it is absolutely okay to follow along with the challenge but keep your entry personal. Feel free to join in spirit and do what feels most comfortable for you!

That being said, please know that if you would like to receive a prize and a public shout-out, it is required that you share your experience.

Getting Your Credit

In order for your entry to be counted, all you have to do is write/share about your experience and label it as your challenge entry. There is a lot of chatting here (which is awesome- chatting and discussion are very welcome!) so please clearly write that it is your entry so I know to count it!

Where Should I Share My Entry?

Click here to learn where to share your challenge entry

You are welcome to post it right here- just click “reply” to this post and write your experience in the text box that pops up!

Alternatively, you could create a new post in the forum (this is good for when you have a lot to share and/or would like to discuss aspects of your entry not related to the current theme)

Note : If you do choose to create a new thread, please add the “challenge-entry” tag and/or add a hyperlink back to this post so that it can be easily found- thank you!

---

Deadline

This challenge will close in 6 DAYS

To join in, please share your experience by:

Tuesday, October 31 at 7:00 AM EDT (Eastern US Time)
2023-10-31T11:00:00Z

(Note that the time zone is ET- if you don’t see your time displayed above, you can use this time zone calculator to check for your time zone!)

---

Prizes

For their efforts, all participants will receive a special shout-out and a small prize!

Acknowledgments will be given in a Props and Presents Post that will appear in the forums on Tuesday.

After the challenge closes, you are still very welcome to post but please be aware that no additional prizes will be given. This discussion will remain open for about a week after the challenge finishes.

From Spells8: Ancestor Altars

A warm reminder that the challenges are designed to be very open- everyone is encouraged to participate in a way that honors and reflects their unique practice

If you have any doubts about if something is acceptable to post or say, please double-check with the Forum FAQ and/or reach out to your friendly Moderator Team.

And for those new to challenges- welcome! Know that the goal of these activities is to help you further diversify and strengthen your abilities and to bring together the Spells8 forum family to inspire and support one another in creative ways

Art by RacheMo: Ghost Witch

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Look beyond what the eye can see
Through the veil where time is free
To find those to whom you’re bound-
For through your magick they can be found.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Blessed Be!

[AIRAM]

I want to share with you my sisters an experience that happened a while back…
Today, Monday, for the first time I thought of meditating and praying to Hecate
I prepared a candle, re-carved the Rune of Abundance and Joy, smeared it with peppermint and lit it outside in the moonlight
I had written my wishes on a piece of paper and burned it in my cauldron at the same time
A thought crossed my mind as I began the hymn to Hecate
I asked for a move if he could hear me as I played my tarot at the same time
Three times I heard a little bell ring beside me!
I wanted to share it with you…
Hi Hecate!
this experience came and became one with the new invitation, it is so beautiful when entities that are higher than humans communicate with us

[Artemisia]

(Edited to add photos and to change this to my challenge entry part 1 - Ghosts & Spirits)

Ooooo this isn’t an area I do much work at all in so it will be interesting to stretch my boundaries. interestingly enough, I’ve just spent the last hour semi-feverishly sculpting a figure of Hekate from polymer clay. I don’t know what prompted it but I knew the need to create wouldn’t go away until I gathered my tools and went to work. I suppose it’s the change of seasons and the approaching holiday that inspired me as well as my fellow coven members with their thought-provoking and knowledge-expanding discussions of late. Much love to you all (I’ll edit this once Hekate comes out of the oven )

My Entry
Hecate’s rich and complex connection to Samhain is rooted deeply in the mysteries that unfold during this significant sabbat. As Samhain marks the time when the veil between the physical and spirit worlds is believed to be at its thinnest, Hecate’s role as a guide and guardian for souls and spirits becomes even more pronounced. She’s often sought after during this period for her unmatched ability to navigate between these realms, making her an invaluable figure for those wanting to connect more deeply with the spirit world.

Samhain also offers a space for honoring and connecting with one’s ancestors. Given Hecate’s ties to the spirit world and the afterlife, she emerges as an ideal deity to work with during ancestral rituals. Many practitioners seek her guidance and protection when reaching out to their departed loved ones, and Hecate seldom disappoints. She acts as a conduit, ensuring a clear and safe connection between both worlds.

The idea to create my own Hekate figurine came out of nowhere. I already had key charms that were waiting for a purpose. Tying this back to last week’s Challenge: Correspondences

Colors:

1. Black: Symbolic of the night, the unknown, and the mysteries Hecate governs.
2. Silver: Representing the moon and her lunar aspects.

Crystals and Gemstones:

1. Moonstone: Linked to the lunar aspects of Hecate and her connection to the cycles of life, death, and rebirth.

Symbols:

1. Torch: Symbolic of Hecate’s role as a guide through the darkness and the mysteries of the spirit world.
2. Key: Signifying her role as a guardian of the liminal space and the ability to unlock mysteries and hidden knowledge.

I chose to make her dress black at the bottom with her body primarily being silver. I embedded moonstone briolettes along the hem of her skirt. In one hand she holds a key and in the other, she holds a torch (which I improvised and used copper wire with a red faceted stone that shines like fire in the light). On her back, I free hand inscribed Hekate’s Wheel. She’s glazed with an iridescent green paint. I tried to mix the silver and the black in the dress to give it a liminal feel. Sort of dreamy. Transitioning.

(Before the glaze)

(after the glaze)

(on my altar)
I’m a wee bit too shy to show the back. I feel it’s a bit wobbly and sloppy

Funny how things come together and you don’t know why you’re doing it at the time, but then it becomes clear…

[tracyS]

@Artemisia I love her, the simplicity in the way you made her, adds to her power. I can feel this beautiful peacelike energy coming off when I look at the photos. It’s wonderful
@AIRAM I do love this experience, and it is, really beautiful when we get that connection.

CHALLENGE ENTRY

I don’t know what to do with this entry, part of me wants to reconnect with Eurynomous as he is the death demon for Samhain (I know he’d love to be involved), and share that, but also I’ve had so many weird and wonderful experiences with spirit. So I’m just going to let spirit take me wherever it wants to go, and just type.

My mum has a ghost that sits on her stairs, my Aunty came and stayed with my mum, from Australia. She’s a psychic, and stayed for 3 months. She saw it, in mum’s house, each night, just sitting there. It’s been there for years. My mum said to my Aunty, “don’t talk to it, don’t encourage it to be more active” the ghost never moves off the stairs and as my mum didn’t want to talk to it, we’ll never know why🤣

My grandmother (mum’s mum), comes to my mum regularly, my mum doesn’t see her, but she just drops in to make sure she’s ok. When she died when my mum was young, my mum saw her sitting on the wall in the garden, and for awhile she would be there, until my mum settled from her initial grief.

I’ve had strange Spirit happenings too since I was a child, some good, some creepy. I have a black shadow dog, that appears in the corner of your eye. Just there, in the shadows, not all the time, but every now and then. I don’t know why, but he comes, he goes. Doesn’t matter where I live either, he follows.

The oddest experience, was probably when I was 16/17 and in college. I was looking through my mum’s bookshelf and found Anton Lavey’s Satanic Bible. I read it, but a strange darkness came over the house whilst the book was there, like the previous owner had a few issues . I couldn’t bring myself to throw it, and didn’t think of burning it, so I was talking about it in the common room at college, and a friend said he’d like it. I told him, that the book came with a strange energy attached to it, but he still wanted it, so I passed it on. I asked him later if he was ok, and he was fine with the book. , maybe that spirit didn’t like me, I’ll never know. I asked weeks later why my mum had such a book, and she said, she never had it. The house was empty when we moved in, and she wouldn’t buy a book like that. Yet there it was, one day it wasn’t on the bookshelf, next day it was.

Looking back over my life with Loki, I’ve probably experienced most types of his constantly changing energy.

The scariest, and I think first time I really felt this guardian angel (as I then knew him), was when, I think I was 10, and we were at a friend of my parents house, some party. I was sat on the sofa, and I felt this really strong, threatening energy that was very insistent I leave, now! It made me feel physically sick, and I remember getting my mum to leave the house. I’ll never know why, but obviously something was off, for him to want me out of that place. I remember his image, and to this day it still fills me with dread. He protected me from something very bad that day.

I mentioned I think in The Demonolatry club that a psychic taught me how to let spirit use you as a pendulum. It’s a really strange feeling but quite wonderful. Once you’ve made the connection with spirit (or mostly in my case it’s Loki). You ask them to push you, forwards for yes, sideways for no. You can stand or sit cross legged. You can feel their energy fill your body, and the push feels very out of your control, but it’s a great way to communicate. I would only recommend this with a spirit you know well, and perhaps an added layer of protection so nothing else gets through.

My scariest spirit is my night demon. His name is Alu. I have to be really stressed, afraid and on the verge of meltdown for him to show up. He comes at night, and it feels like a heavy weight is on my chest. I can’t breathe and I start to panic. I won’t open my eyes and hold my duvet real tight (like yeah, duvets are excellent weapons against demons right ). And I wait. He doesn’t stay long, then goes and I sleep, really well. It’s only recently through communicating with him, through thinking on him, that he actually comes to take away my stress and fear, and restore a peaceful night’s sleep. I no longer fear him, but his presence is still, well, intense.

I’m looking forward to Samhain, and will leave a little offering outside for any passing spirits that have noone alive to remember them.

Happy Samhain everyone

[Nixi]

Hmmm… I can’t decide if this one is super easy or super hard

[starborn]

@Nixi

I can’t decide if this one is super easy or super hard

Same. I might ask my partner what they would want to do and get ideas from there.

[korvo]

Challenge Entry - Ghosts & Spirits

I want to share two experiences that happened to me. They are personal, I hope that’s okay, and they do talk about death so be forewarned.

#1: Years ago, I was in a large seven day meditation retreat. Everyone was chanting from dawn to dusk. We weren’t allowed to speak except at night after ceremony or in the morning before ceremony, where we slept in a communal room with a communal kitchen. Several days in, I was physically exhausted, but the energy raised by the chanting was something I have never experienced before. I retired for the evening and fell asleep quickly. In the middle of the night, I suddenly woke frozen in place pressed to the bed by a young couple with bloodied faces. I felt a chill (but no fear) and understood them to ask me where they needed to go. I don’t think real words were exchanged, but I “told” them they were confused and needed to go the wherever the next place they were supposed to be was. It was a strange response to a strange question. The next morning I woke up, and remembered vividly what had taken place. I asked some others about it in the morning. There had been something on the news the previous night about a young couple killed on the road nearby in an automobile accident. The people I spoke with quite calmly told me they had died, were confused and had been attracted to the energy we had raised. They went on to say they recognized me at this place because I was the only native English speaker in the group, and were drawn to me to ask what to do. They reassured me my response was appropriate. It was quite a powerful experience that gives me goosebumps recounting it now, years later.

#2. My father passed after a week long ordeal in hospital. His name was Joseph. Many of my extended family were gathered in my home at the time to share in my grieving. At the time I was in a relationship with someone who collected nativity scenes. There was a nativity scene in a hutch in the living room. My family members and I were huddled about in the center of the room sharing stories of my father. For some reason I looked at the hutch and was fixated on the Joseph in the nativity. I turned back and continued talking about my father with my family. When I glance back over at the hutch a few moments later, that ceramic Joseph had moved, and was pressed up against the glass on the hutch facing me and my hair stood on end.

Now, these happened a long time ago, and I tried to bury both those events long ago. I tried to skeptically think them away, but they kept resurfacing all the same giving me strong emotional reactions each time. Now, of course, I do believe in ghosts, spirits, transformation and change, and more, but this was part of my formative, learning experience.

And much later in life, when several family members in Taiwan passed, I learned as part of the funeral preparation, the custom is to lay the body “in state” in the home, cover all the screens (TVs, mirrors, etc), open all the windows, turn on all the lights, and stand vigil in shifts over a shrine until the most auspicious time for the funeral happens according to the lunar calendar and careful divination. This can be up to 49 days after death (the body is in a refrigerated “coffin” with a glass panel so friends and family can drop by to pay respects). I learned at this time the human spirt is confused at the moment of death, and the family lights up the house to allow the spirit to roam and find its way back.

Just sharing with you all. I’m hoping (as I mentioned elsewhere) to do a “dumb supper” this Samhain for family passed and invite them back to know they are not forgotten and still a big part of my life experience, and loved.

[stavroula]

@starborn

@Nixi

I can’t decide if this one is super easy or super hard

Same. I might ask my partner what they would want to do and get ideas from there.

Same as well. I mostly treated Samhain as a harvest festival than spirits and ghosts

[dogsnwolfs]

ah, now you’re right up my alley! love this challenge. i’m a paranormal investigator and have been for 20 years now. I’ve seen, heard, smelled, felt beings no one else could for a very long time now. Every time i investigate, i invoke the help of my spirit guides, my ancestors, and my angels to help me learn what i can from the location i’m at and to protect me from negativity in all forms. My ancestors (and i include friends who have passed in this description, because they were like family to me) have helped me on investigations more times than i can count, coming through the spirit board or an evp or disembodied voice. my signature form of communication with the other side is through audio work. i’ve used spirit boards, dark mirrors, dowsing rods, all with varying degrees of success, but when i just sit down and have a conversation with spirit, it seems to work best for me. i capture some really great evp (electronic voice phenomenon … which is technical speak for voices on an audio recorder that were not heard in real time while you were there). i’ve now started working (with pretty great success) with spirit via a technique called the Estes Method. Basically, it’s sensory deprivation … it takes two people - an operator and a receiver. The operator is the person who asks questions and monitors that the receiver is okay and is not under attack. The receiver wears a blindfold and a pair of noise reducing headphones which covers the entire ear (not buds, we don’t want any chance for contamination with any noise getting through) which are attached to a “spirit box” (usually an SB7 - the version). a spirit box is a device which scans radio frequencies at a high rate of speed and it’s believed that spirit can communicate with us through that “white noise”. So, for the Estes Method, the receiver cannot see anything and cannot hear anything except what’s coming through the spirit box. As the operator asks questions (that the receiver cannot hear), the theory is that we can get unbiased and uncompromised answers from spirit without prejudice from the receiver. The receiver’s only job is to repeat what they hear from the spirit box as soon as they hear it (and it helps if they can repeat it in the same way they hear it … a man’s voice would be deeper, or a child’s voice, or a shout, or in a singsong manner). Doesn’t seem like it would work, does it? However, it does. Amazingly so. We’ve performed this experiment with a single operator and receiver, which we call “vanilla” … with a single operator and two receivers (each having their own spirit box and headphones), which we call the double blind, and with two operators and three receivers, which we call the triple double. Our favorite way to use this method is doubles. Our receivers end up having conversations with each other that they’re not aware they’re having. We also use this method remotely. I could go on and on about this method and how much information and experience it’s given me with people from the other side.

i also like to use the Estes Method and psychometry at the same time. if you’re not aware of what that is, psychometry is the act of holding an object in your hands and obtaining “information” from that object. I’ve had pretty good success with that as well. So much so, in fact that I’ve actually been “jumped” or channeled people who have passed. The first time i tried using psychometry and the Estes method in tandem, i was “jumped” by a murderer AND his victim. It scared the shit out of me, but i couldn’t pull myself out of the trance … and i say trance, because that white noise in the background really can put you into a deep state of meditation, where you’re much more vulnerable to attacks. One of my teammates had to pull me out of the experience. And this is only one of the reasons that we don’t investigate solo. It can be physically dangerous, psychically dangerous, and emotionally dangerous. Buddy up, just like in swimming.

So, do i believe in ghoulies and ghosties and long legged beasties and things that go bump in the night? You betcha, I do … and everything in between.

If you got this far (man, am i ever long winded on a keyboard), thanks so much for reading. i could talk about the paranormal all day long …

peace, love, and the paranormal,
Lisa

[dogsnwolfs]

oh my gosh. I’ve attended a dumb supper and it was the coolest, most reverential thing i’ve ever done to pay tribute to my loved ones who have passed. i would go so far as to state that everyone should attend one at least once. such a cool concept. would love to get your take on your experience after you’ve attended!

[starborn]

@tracyS

like yeah, duvets are excellent weapons against demons right

Hey! I’ll have you know that I spent my whole childhood with soft toy walls and duvet shields and… Oh, they didn’t actually protect me from anything. Damnit.

@dogsnwolfs

i could talk about the paranormal all day long …

I’m so curious to know more.

Do you have any specific stories you’re willing to share?

---

I think I have an idea for mine but I don’t know how to go about it yet. It’s something between simply respecting an ancestor and investigating their death… I’m not sure yet. Maybe I’ll sleep on it.

[dogsnwolfs]

sure … so the first time i ever used psychometry and the Estes Method, we were in the basement of a venue called the Monroe House. It’s located in Hartford City, Indiana. And, this house is off the charts haunted. I used to lead investigations there 5-6 times a year … I’ve been there over 30 times. The spirits associated with the house KNOW me. Some of them don’t like me, but they know me. As soon as i walk into the house, i hear bootsteps upstairs walking the hallway and movement in the kitchen as if someone is preparing a meal for my arrival. i always say hello and goodbye and thank you to the house.

anyway, this time when we were doing this experiment, there were two operators (or people asking the questions) and three of us as receivers (or under the hood with headphones on). a little back story … there have been human remains found in the basement crawlspace of this location at one point and the police were called in. they determined that the bones were too old to be considered for an active crime so the owner reinterred the bones where they were found. it was the most respectful thing he felt he could do. it’s purported that this home sits on a former graveyard and every time he digs in the backyard (for instance, in putting up a fence), he finds human remains of some sort. anyway, i asked the owner if there was anything else that had been found in the crawlspace and he stated yes and handed me a package. this “package” was a heavy duty garbage bag that was cut down to hold another clear plastic bag, which in turn contained a pair of what can only be described as looking like those boxer briefs that are really popular right now. however, this artifact was from the late 70’s, early 80’s. the “package” was exactly as the owner had found it. it was all folded and contained with precision and care. it wasn’t a trophy … but it was revered. as i opened the package and removed the item … the shorts … i held them up gingerly between two fingers on each hand, asking if anyone else wanted to hold them while we did our experiment. everyone else declined. the shorts had a stain in the front (which honestly looked like dried semen) and a stain in the back (which, yeah, looked like a poop stain) … these were definitely men’s shorts … and soiled, thus the reason no one else wanted to touch them. granted, the stains were 40+ years old, but still … yuck! I asked the owner why the police didn’t have these as evidence (the package was found very near the remains) and he stated that they had looked at the package and stated they didn’t want it … boggles my mind.

so, i decided that i would hold onto the shorts while we ran our session. down the stairs we went and put on our blindfolds and headphones. i gripped those shorts in both hands and hunched over in my chair, almost bent in half with my arms resting on my legs. almost immediately there was conversation amongst the three of us “receivers” … then, i was crying and not knowing why. one of the operators pulled my headphones and asked if i needed to stop. i told him no, that i needed to find out why i was crying. so he let me go …

as soon as the headphones dropped back over my ears, i saw in my mind’s eye a girl in the back of a white ford econoline van with brown shag carpet EVERYWHERE, sitting on her rear, crying, in terror, and scuttling backward as fast as she could. she kept saying, no no no no no … she knew she was going to die, but she also knew that other more horrific things were going to happen to her first. i felt her terror and i could not help her. and those shorts in my hand felt as if they were encased in some sort of slime and it was repulsive to me. and yet i held them still.

Then, as if a switch was flipped in my head, all the sudden, those shorts felt good … i mean REALLY good … and i was happy and all i could think was, “oh yeah … i’m gonna wear these shorts every time i do this … 'cause they’re such good luck” … my killin’ shorts. and then my attention was drawn to the “bitches” who were spouting off in the basement (because trust me, i became this deranged killer … he was residing inside me and i had no way to get him out that i was aware of) and i started shouting at them to shut up or there’d be trouble … apparently, i threatened everyone in the room and one of the operators (all this is on audio, as it was all being recorded) stated that my voice had changed, my face had changed … i wasn’t me anymore … at that point, they brought me out of the “trance” i was in and i rushed upstairs in tears. Everyone came up after me and i told them (reluctantly, as this had never happened to me before and i didn’t think they’d believe me … hell, i didn’t know if I believed me … it was all so far fetched, wasn’t it?) what i had seen in my head and what i had felt … one of the investigators was writing a book about this location and i thought he might make me out to look like some sort of lunatic. but he treated the episode with grace and compassion. he was genuinely worried for me.

I asked my psychic friends what might have happened and they stated that i was channeled by two spirits, which was not at all common, but certainly a gift. i don’t know about it being a gift, as of yet, because that experience scared the shit out of me.

for a long time, i wouldn’t go back into the basement at that location. i finally, a couple years later, went back down there with another psychic friend of mine and two other people. we were just standing in a large, loose circle in the basement (my back was to the crawlspace … yes, the body is still in there), and my head dropped forward, chin to chest. all the sudden, i couldn’t control my body anymore. i could hear them, but i couldn’t answer. one of the guys said, “i can’t see her anymore … it’s just black”. now, we were only about 2-3 feet apart in floorspace. he should have been able to see me fine. the psychic later told me that she saw something different than her friend did … she saw a dark mass rise up behind me and reach over me to envelop me, as if hugging me from behind. she came over immediately to remove the attachment and as my head came up, she said my eyes were solid black … i still get chills even writing this …

the moral of this story is regardless of where you are and who you’re working with, protection, protection, protection. and, sisters and brothers, that includes in witchcraft as well … even though our intentions are pure and we’re calling forth who we think we’re calling forth, it’s no guarantee that this is the being who is answering our call … always protect yourself from lower energy beings.

happy halloween!

[starborn]

@dogsnwolfs

they had looked at the package and stated they didn’t want it

Well, that’s the weirdest thing I’ve read so far in this story. And it has ghosts!

@dogsnwolfs

she saw a dark mass rise up behind me and reach over me to envelop me

Aaaaaaa!

@dogsnwolfs

as my head came up, she said my eyes were solid black

AAAAAAAAAA!

What an intense experience, to say the least…

(The poor girl…)

What kind of protection helps the most with something as dark as that?

Edit: Aww… Both my cats have come for hugs, as if to say they will protect me.

[dogsnwolfs]

i call on my spirit guides, my ancestors, my angels to protect me … for this location, i also call upon Archangel Michael. I always have crystals in my pockets which have been charged, and i’ve learned to take more breaks to step outside the location and reconnect and regroup. also, when i feel someone (or thing) trying to come into me (almost always from the back of my neck where that chakra hits), i take my dominant hand and make a cutting or chopping motion to “cut” the energy from me, all the while shouting, You do NOT have permission … back off of me!" When i leave a haunted location, i also do a “closing” spell to keep spirit where they are and not allow them to follow me home. so far, it’s worked …

[meredith]

My challenge entry! This is a topic that I want to learn more about and incorporate more into my practice. Over the summer I was working with Persephone which started me thinking about spirits, the underworld, etc. and all that it meant for me.
I’m not sure about “ghosts” per se - I allow for the fact that I simply don’t know enough and I know there are times when I feel the presence of someone who has passed on. Usually it is my friend Tony, who passed in 2019. I often feel him with me and can almost hear his voice commenting on whatever is happening. I feel him sometimes when I am upset or making a big decision.
As it is late October I have been thinking about these things more and more and wanting to learn and experience more as the veil thins during this time. But I am still so new I am really just excited to see others’ responses and learn from them! Blessed be and love to all of you!

[Wysteria_Norn]

Your experience with your night demon, Alu, struck a cord. I’ve often thought that maybe, just maybe, the intense feelings that certain energies invoke in us makes us interpret the energy itself as evil or bad. However, if we were to remain calm and confident, accepting the energies (confident we can control any impulses it may invoke) may reveal it to be harmless and possibly, like with you, protective.
Maybe the point is simply to remain, like you did, confident in yourself.
Thanks for sharing these experiences.

[kirsty4]

Challenge entry

Years ago when I was young I went on an outing with my mum to a castle called Brodick castle. As soon as I walked in I felt I was being watched and felt a sadness. As we continued the tour we walked into a room and for some reason my hair stood up and I felt like it was being pulled back and I shouted on my mum and she turned round and saw my hair looked like someone had grabbed it and was holding it in mid air. Then the tour guide said that there was a young boy who died and likes to pull on clothes and hair to get peoples attention. As we continued and ended up in the kitchen I was standing near a wall and what sounded like screams and I felt as if I was being suffocated when I asked the tour guide what was behind this wall he replied “ maids were trapped as they had the plague and had to be buried alive to stop the plague going round the rest of the castle” it was at this point I felt the urge to leave and because I was young I was scared never understood the reason why.

Then years later I went to college and I meant a girl she never told me anything about her dad but one day I was feeling weird and then I starting telling her things only her dad told her and I ended up telling her he was proud of her and to never give up on her dreams as he will be watching and protecting her. She was shocked and said how on earth but of course I didn’t remember what I said at the time was the next day she told me what happened. Turned out that day was his anniversary of his death.

Turns out I have been told I can sense ghosts and they sometimes give me feelings and things to say. It’s not something that happens often but I do believe I maybe a channeller.

Even now I can sense them it’s more of a feeling and in most recent times I was with my husband and again i ended up telling him his gran is here and told him that she is watching us and protecting us.

Last one was when I was in labour and I delivered my daughter in the house. I was in the bath and felt I was about to pass out. As the water rose I heard “honey wake up” so I did and the water was almost up covering my face if it hadn’t been for that voice I have no idea what would have happened. I delivered my daughter in the house before the paramedics arrived. She was safe and sound.

I am also new to this and my deity is Hecate I will need to do a spell soon for my mother in law and she will soon be crossing over and I am hoping she will be at peace. I am not sure if Hecate is the best to help with guidance but I will read more and hoping some of you magical witches will offer some advice.

[brandi6]

oOooo I do love this topic I am a hedge witch this was my calling thanks to my fellow ladies. This all comes naturally and I have journals full of automatic writing I would be writing down my to do lists taking notes about my day and to wake up the next morning with full length convos with someone on writing two days ago I was given my witch name on my grocery list. Bless be to all
Thank you @MeganB

[Sivonnah]

@Artemisia
Sooo beautiful! I love your entry and you are talented

[Bumblebee]

Challenge Entry

I don’t do a lot of work in this area but I did experience something when I was young that I still can’t explain.

I can’t remember how old I was but I know I was in elementary school at the time. I was on my bed, wide awake, during the middle of the day. I saw a large, shadowy figure in the hallway pass by my door. To this day, I still remember it as vividly as if it happened yesterday and I’m now in my 40s. It was tall and humanoid in shape. It looked like someone wearing a big, hooded black cloak but I didn’t see any kind of face or hands or feet. It was absolutely silent and sort of floated past a few inches from the ground. It was somewhat translucent and glowed around the edges with a faint blue aura. It didn’t feel scary even though I feel like it looked unsettling when I think back on it.

Ordinarily, I would chalk all of this experience up to my imagination as a child but here’s the part I can’t explain. Because it was such a strange experience, I thought about it a lot during my childhood and was always trying to assign meaning to it or try to figure out what it was. Years later, I tried drawing a picture of it in as much detail as possible just to sort of continue processing it. My mother found the picture on my desk and FREAKED OUT. She was raising her voice in an accusatory tone that was really confusing to me and asking things like, “What is this? Did you draw this? How did you know this?” I confided in her that it was something I remembered seeing as a younger kid and she started crying because something identical to my drawing had come to her as a child too.

I still have no idea if this was all just a coincidence or if something truly paranormal occurred. Another weird part of this incident is that the thing I saw seemed to be moving in the direction of my uncle’s room. He lived with us while I was growing up and helped raise me. He died a few years after this occurred but I always felt like these things were somehow connected even though so much time had passed. He died of a long-term disease. We don’t know when he got infected so a part of me has always wondered if what I saw was some kind of warning that he had gotten sick.