Thank you both so much.
I admit Iām not much of a sculptor as Iāve only ever made 3 figures ever and did so by pretty much just by shaping them by hand. They are simple mostly because I worry Iāll get frustrated or ruin things if I try to make detailed hands or faces. 
Now that I have a style developed, I might continue to make more to honor some of the other goddesses I work with. 
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by not giving detailed faces, I feel it forces the onlooker to give the features they see in the figure. 
I Love them and see the Love you put into these 
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As Queen of the Crossroads, the light bringer and path opener, and one who patrols the line between the spirit realm and ours, she could be perfect to help.
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Had thought so, I will do a spell and ask her to protect her when it comes as I have a feeling it wonāt be too long, the cancer has taken her and she is now to go into a hospice. She is a special lady and I feel if she wonāt be here much longer I want her to be in a place away from pain and suffering. I just hope her passing is a peaceful one. Not ready to say goodbye but the feeling I have I know I have no option. 
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Iām sorry to hear itās come to that. 
If itās any comfort, I watched my great grandmother pass from cancer and my partner watched an ex in-law, and their passings were peaceful. They seemed to be finally free and at peace.
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To me death is not the end just another plain where our mortal body can no longer exist but we are free. 
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Thatās a really good point! Since Iāve never seen either of them clearly it felt presumptuous giving them distinct features.
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My whole life seems to revolve around spirits and it can be pretty scary at times. My mother loved Ouija boards so we used them a ton growing up. We had two separate spirits we spoke to that āprotected us.ā Unfortunately, they didnāt always do the best. I was abused from the age of 2-12. Every time I was to be abused, a man would show up in my bedroom. He was dressed in Victorian attire, with a cane and long coat. I always felt he was there to warn me but he never stopped anything that happened. He was with me until I was 16. Even today, I seem to have something with me. I have been choked, strangled with a comforter, hear noises and voices. I have just accepted that it is part of my life. I have done a great deal of paranormal investigation as well, seeing history replay as well as hearing the voices of the dead speak to me.
Some part of me wants to know more but the rest of me is afraid. I believe I went into witchcraft to understand the things unknown to me but also to take back some control of my life. Working spells and speaking with deities gives me the strength to protect myself and those I love. I can turn what scares me into a chance to take back my power stolen from me as a child. Itās hard sometimes because I am a strong empath and intuitive so itās often overwhelming but each day, I fight back more against my trauma and become a stronger witch.
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I have goosebumps 
my spine is tinglingā:face_with_spiral_eyes: and my hair is standing on end! 
I love 
everyoneās stories and entries! 
Mine isnāt spooky or creepyā¦
CHALLENGE ENTRY
I havenāt really experienced anything paranormal so to speak. Some of you heard my story about playing with a ouija board at a church sleepover in the churchā¦i did not participate. I was too scared
As far as spirits, spirit guides, and ancestors go, I have had contact with my Grammy and my Mom. They usually come to me in my dreams. I dream about my Grandma and Pop Pop too, but itās not the same.
When my Grammy died, I was about 18 or so. She was a wonderful person and just had a way about her that you couldnāt help but love her. After her funeral, whether it was days or weeks after, I donāt know, but she came to me in a dream. (I was not a witch, didnāt practice any sort of spirituality so I didnāt expect anything like this to happen).
I met her somewhere just "outside " of heaven where you could see recently deceased loved ones. I sat next to her. It was a lovely day. We sat on a park bench. I asked her how she was, if she was in pain. (She died of natural causes and didnāt have any serious ailments so Iām not sure why I asked if she was in pain). She said no. There may have been a few other words spoken, but i donāt remember. The last thing i asked her was "are you happy? She said āyes, very happyā i still get tears in my eyes when i talk about it.
My momās family always believed that our loved ones are with us. I also think my mom had some abilities, but she didnāt really talk about it. Sorry, I had too much coffee and Iām a bit scattered 
It took over 3 years for me and my mom to connect. I talk to her all the time. I know sheās there, but I hadnāt heard her like I thought I would have. I have dreams about her a lot too, but this one was different. I started purposefully reaching out to her in meditations and asking for her guidance and to talk to me and she finally did. Maybe Iām more open now. We were at a family gathering. My mom was the youngest of 9 kids. 2 boys and 7 girls. My mom was always really close to her sisters. They tell me sheās with them whenever theyāre all together. So in my dream, we were all together. My mom, aunts, cousins, our kiddos, like we used to. I walk in and see my mom playing cards with her sisters. I run over to her screaming FINALLY! We just hugged and hugged. We were so happy. I can still feel it. It doesnāt seem like much, but I can āfeelā the dream more than the conversation.
Those 2 experiences are so special to me. 
Hereās my plans the next few days and some direction towards a plan for Samhain!
The next couple days are going to be busy. My local metaphysical shop is having Hocus Pocus trivia night (with cocktails) so thats something fun.
Saturday they have a full moon mingle. Sunday theyāre having a silent spirit box dinner and Sunday a seance!
On Halloween Iām doing a past lives regression. Busy busy but fun, fun, fun!
Iām also getting my ancestor altar ready for Samhain to do a little ritual.
Thanks for putting up with my wandering brain 
lolā¦
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Iāve had good and bad encounters with ghosts and entities of the like. The first that I remember was when a friend and I were using a Ouija board. We were amazed that we had actually connected with someone, a small boy who, but after opening that door more often it became evident that it was the person who killed the boy instead. We got the creeps and tried to close the door, but they didnāt like that and spun the planchette off the board into the wall! We were kids and didnāt fully know how to exorcise an entity and thought that a few prayers and candles was all it took. For months afterward there was a dark āPrescenceā in the house that others could feel as well. With research and help from others we were able to cleanse the house.
A few years later, my brother was dating a supposed witch who brought another board into the house, but she had no clue what she was doing and got spooked. They tossed the board in the trash and thought nothing of it. Odd things kept happening in the house after that, like things would fall but hover in the air for a minute before hitting the floor. The creepy feeling of something following you, and doors opening or closing by themselves. I was unaware of these things until many years later, having moved out of the house by then, but others told me and I had to share my Ouija story.
A full and proper cleansing was done by many white witches and there hasnāt been an incident since.
Iāve also been visited by family members who had recently passed, and that was a very calming yet emotional experience. My sister was taken by cancer and it was so hard to watch her suffering in the end, but she came to see me a few months after passing and said she was healed and happy and not to worry.
A brother-in-law passed suddenly and there was much speculation as to why, because he was pretty healthy and still fairly young. He visited me a few months afterward and said nothing, but put a hand on his heart when I asked how he died. Soon after, when we were cleaning out his things, we found an unopened letter from a doctors office saying that he needs to get his heart checked out. That was the hardest death to deal with.
I absolutely believe in ghosts and spiritual entities after the experiences Iāve had, and take great care and respect when reaching out to the universe for answers and guidance. At this time of year when the veil is thin, I have had visits or just a feeling from a loved one that had passed, and I put up an alter in remembrance every year.
Also, I will not EVER allow a Ouija board in my home or be anywhere near one being used!!! Iāve shared that creepy story with my kids and their friends over the years when they want to āplayā with one.
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I got the chills reading this. But the good kind. What a beautiful experience.
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Challenge Entry
Moundsville State Penitentiaryā¦ if you live in the US, you have likely heard of it. This gothic style prison has a reputation for being one of the most violent correctional facilities and one of the most haunted places in America (and the world).
While opened from 1876-1995, 998 prisoners died, 36 were homicides and 103 were executions.
Inmates escaped or attempted to escape on many occasions. Ronald T Williams and 15 other prisoners broke out in 1979. Williams was at large for almost 2 years before he was arrested again and is still in state custody to this day.
1986 was the beginning of the end for the facilityās operation. The New Yearās Day riot, which lasted for two days, resulted in the deaths of three inmates. Before then, security had gotten lax. Most of the locks had been picked and inmates freely roamed the halls. Poor plumbing and insect infestation and overcrowding led to the rapid spread of disease. Despite expansion, the facility was overcrowded, housing 2,000 inmates. 3 prisoners were often forced to share a 5 x 7 cell, and the Supreme Court declared that as cruel and unusual punishment, which all but sealed its fate. Inmates were moved to other facilities across WV and in 1995, the doors were finally closed.
I visited the penitentiary for the first time in October 2019. This was before I started practicing, but I could feel that something was terribly off from the start. Visitors have reported feeling cold spots, and hearing whispers and arguments in the air. None of that happened to me, but it felt likeā¦the place was sucking all the energy from me. By the time I left, I felt drained and cold (even though at the time, the weather was mild). It took days for me to recover from that.
My advice for visiting the penitentiary isā¦PROTECT YOURSELF. That place is a major source of negative energy! Cleanse and charge a crystal, amulet or talisman and carry it with you. Spray your clothes with sage smudge spray. Carry sage or rosemary in a pouch. And when you get home, cleanse, cleanse, cleanse!
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Challenge Entry
When I was youngā¦ I was very afraid of ghosts. The family I lived with used to taunt me with their presence. They would tell me that ghosts were in the house and make fun of me when I showed fear. Youād think I was talking about children, but these were adults making fun of me. 
Anywayā¦ Because of that, I did my best to block out the ability to sense the presence of anything immaterial. But that doesnāt mean inexplicable things didnāt happen. Iām going to keep the creepy stuff to myself for now, but I have some examples.
One day, I was trying to feed one of my teddy bears actual food. I was holding a small piece of my sandwich in my hand. I put it to the bearās mouth, which was a small little piece of plastic to represent a mouth. Then, the piece of bread just disappeared. I thought I dropped it, or it got stuck to the mouth, but I could never find it.
At school, I hated being anywhere near the hall. It was easier when the whole school was there with me. But one time, I was there by myself. I had to get up on the stage to leave something near the microphone. There was this weird smell the closer I got to the back of the stage, kind of earthly but a bit sweet, although a bad kind of sweet. Then I heard a ring/schwing/swoosh kind of sound and went from walking to the back of the stage, so on the floor, unable to see anything, and too weak to get up. A teacher must have rushed in or something because the next thing I know, Iām being interrogated by the principal. I thought she was trying to figure out if Iād done something wrong, but in hindsight, she was wondering if bad things were happening to me at home. Iāve been told, constantly, that this happened because I was underweight and thereās nothing strange to it. So, I guess I believed that for a long time. Maybe I still do? I donāt know.
There was another incident in the same hall, where I told my class there was a ghost present and ended up at the principal again for making students cry. I didnāt know theyād cryā¦ I just wanted them to see what I saw.
Another time, I was at my great-grandmotherās house. I heard someone call out my name. But this was my full name, with a full accent. When I went to my great-grandmother, she claimed to have not called out nor heard anyone call out. She had been in the backyard at the time and my great-grandfather was not home.
Actually, I think Iāve shared that last one beforeā¦ I kind of want to stop thinking about the veil, so Iāll stop here.
In conclusion, Iām not sure if I think ghosts are actual spirits. To me, I think theyāre energy left behind by spirits. They seem to mirror extremes of behaviour because thatās energy thatās strong enough to get stuck between the dimensions. And time being non-linear, we might even be glimpsing moments past or future when we see shapes or people that we believe are ghosts, especially when theyāre doing mundane things that they would do. But thatās just my belief and, like all beliefs, might change one day. Maybe one day when I take more of an interest in the topic, but for now, my plate is overflowing enough as it is. 
Also, after reading some of these other entries, I still am not touching a ouija board. 
But spirits or not, the world is strange. I think things are less clear-cut than many believe. As for specifics, wellā¦ Who can say?
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Challenge Entry
I think it was the morning after my father died. I was 3. My bedroom was in the attic. Mom called me from the door at the bottom of the stairs and asked me to come down by myself. As I stood at the top of the stairs, the window behind me facing west, so the sun wasnāt shining in on the stairwell. I could see a cloud of what I thought were bugs between my mother and me. It looked like the sun shining on dust motes. I was afraid. Mom insisted I come down because she could see nothing. I held my breath and dashed down into her arms. I brushed myself off and asked if I had any on me. By that evening, someone had helped her move my bedroom down next to her room.
Iām sure my father has stayed close to me all this time.
Mom didnāt go visit Dadās grave very often. I was allowed to bring home the flag from his grave on the rare times we did go.
When I was last up in Indiana, I asked my aunt to take me to the gravesite. While there, I admitted I didnāt know what love was, and I never got married, so I would be the last of his genetic bloodline. The ground seemed to rumble as though he were turning over in his grave. I asked Dad to help me learn what love was.
Mom had what she called a tray hung over the attic stairs. It is a picture of the ship Dad served on in Korea- the SSBearss. I still have that hanging over my bed as one of the few things I have left of my father. I also have his pocket knife, which I use for any woodworking I may choose to do.
Since Dad died when I was so young, I sort of adopted Death as my father. Iāve seen him several times- even danced with him in a dream recently.
I was visiting Indiana a month before my uncle died. When I returned about a year later to help Mom get ready to cross (she didnāt), I was told by family members who had health issues that I am an Angel of Death. After all, how many people can see when someoneās cancer is back before doctors find it? Come to find out, the proposed death was in Dadās family, not Momās.
Umā¦ Maybe Iād better describe the cancer sightings a bit better. My cousin and I were having a nice talk in the kitchen of my auntās house before my uncle died. He said doctors had done everything they knew to do. For the time being, he had been in remission about a year. In a quiet moment, he leaned back against the sink, both arms holding onto the counter at his sides. A second image clearly stood forward of the real body, its head in one hand, the other arm folded across its chest in exhaustion.
āWhat would happen if it came back?ā I asked, looking at the doppelganger instead of my cousin.
Anger flared and the doppel looked up at me in surprise before disappearing.
āDonāt say something like that!ā my cousin yelled.
āIām just wondering if thereās anything else they could try.ā I appeased.
Two months later, the doctor was apologizing profusely to my cousin. They got it under control again.
Just before I moved back to New Mexico from Momās death watch, we were talking again, this time about memories. In a lull, the doppel came rushing toward me in a panic.
āWhenās your next appointment? You might want to have the doctor check you out again.ā I suggested diplomatically.
He growled, but made the call. Sure enough, he gathered the family hours before I had to leave to tell them all it was back. He gave me a dirty look. I havenāt heard anything since, but my family isnāt good at spreading news, anyway.
When I was starting my career as a home health caregiver, Grandma decided I was old enough to learn my family history- matrilinearly. Mom drove us out to the middle of nowhere to show me a gravesite of my great-great-grandma, Sarah. Sarah had been a midwife. As I parted the tall grasses to read her stone, I introduced myself as kin and told her I was doing home health care, too. Any assistance or guidance she could offer would be appreciated. It seems she took me at my word: whenever my charge was having a mini stroke, Iād feel a tap on my shoulder or back.
Iād already begun learning Wicca by then (1992). It was a thrill for me to hear a story of great grandma Mary (nee Boeuf). Her husband had been out late and raced home in a storm. Instead of drying off the horse, Great Grandpa put a blanket over it and went in to bed. The next day, the horse was sick. Mary pulled the sickness from the horse and put it into a rose bush outside the barn. The rose bush died, the horse got well, and Great Grandpa was told that doing such a thing shortened her life. But I digress.
When I heard about the accidental death of a favorite actor, I prayed intensely for him. All of a sudden, I felt a great peace. Heād be fine.
I have only once tried to contact someone from the other side. This individual was complaining in life about the unscrupulous practices of people hired to write biographies. I wanted to learn to write an autobiography, so I asked him to guide me toward a better quality in my work. I could sense his attention turn toward me, saw a map of the states flow by beneath him, and he was kind enough to stay with me on a fairly regular basis for a couple of years before he told me he was interested in going back to school to learn chemistry. He has been kind enough to visit once in a while before Halloween. I was thrilled to sense a faded greeting about a week ago after several years of silence.
Hmm. Thereās so much to say! Iām getting lost in the twists and turns of my own mind.
Somewhere in there, I was made aware of what I consider my deepest belief system. Part of that system affirms that those who have gone before become the stars in the sky, beings of light who can retain contact with their loved ones through the belief system. I never thought of my genetic father as one of those starsā¦ until this month. He was just here- maybe too busy watching over me to focus on bringing life to a planet of his own. The second I realized it, I thanked him and released him to his own workā¦ only to hear him suggest I was his work. Blush
Love you Dad! Thank you for being here for me.
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Weekly Challenge Entry
In August of 2020 hubby and I went to San Antonio. We stayed at the Menger Hotel. This hotel is one of the most haunted hotels in Texas so I went there ghost hunting. This hotel was built on the battle grounds of the Alamo in 1858 and during the American Civil War it housed Confederate solders. One of the most famous ghosts is that of Sallie White. She was a maid at the hotel. Her husband was an alcoholic and one day he shot her. She made her way to the hotel and they took her to a third floor room and she passed away. There is a ledger in the lobby showing that they paid for her funeral.
We stayed in the historic part of the hotel and when you walked across the floor the wood underneath would creak. You had to step up to the bathroom, because when it was built there was no indoor plumbing. We dropped off our bags in the room and went exploring the hotel. I was walking through all of the historic parts using my cell phone camera. We were getting hungry, so we walked to the River Walk to eat. When we got back to our room, I turned on my cell phone to see if I had captured anything on video. My phone said video not supported so I had no video at all, so I decided to try again the next day.
That night I was awakened by a man standing over me. His face was so close to me that I could feel his whiskers and his breath smelled like whiskey. He whispered in my ear, āYou want to see ghosts, here we areā. At the end of my bed stood Sallie and two little girls. The little girls were smiling like they were glad I could see them. Behind Sallie and the girls there were hundreds of people. I tried to scream, but I couldnāt breathe. I went to hit my husband to wake him up and I couldnāt move. I thought I was going to die. The grip on me was released and I sat up in the bed and the ghosts were gone. I was terrified and did not sleep for the rest of the night and the next day, I didnāt look for anymore ghosts that weekend!
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devin6ā¦ People donāt understand they think they do but they donātā¦
Being intuitive is my strong suit this might sound off the hook but I swear reading this I felt like I was right there with you youāre stronger than what you know itās unfortunate that we have to use our strength for a survival mode girl it sounds like you have had your share! Or if you canāt take anymore that day, and you snap, next thing you know youāre going under a psych evaluation by the time they were done with me, they were on the couch scratching their head!
Being here at Spells 8 has been such a wonderful place to be with such understanding and this is my family here if thereās anything you need just ask somebody will help you.
Blessed Be
Medea
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This challenge is amazing everyone is REALLY bringing it! Reading all these stories and insights have been amazing I thank you all for sharing your stories with all of us, I know that we are all intrigued and greatly appreciative! Keep them coming fam 
š©¶ I literally have chills reading these
----Hazel RAE š©¶:cyclone:
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Do you ever stop living in survival mode? I donāt think I would know what to do in a normal life. Survival mode is my norm and itās not a nice place to be. Youāre right, people canāt understand and that makes for lonely times. I tend to focus on fixing and caring for everyone else so I donāt have to think about it . Thank you for the comment and the welcome
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So I will definitely come back and read everyoneās stories later after work. Iām compelled to share something I had experienced. So I was in Nappanee ,IN. I ended up stranded and all of my belongings were stolen. It was cold I didnāt even have a coat. Long story. Anyways I ended up at a room at a small hotel. The owners were not kind people. I was in this room alone laying on the bed trying to go to sleep. All of a sudden what sounded and looked like flash bangs which I believed to be outside the room were going off. Again I was alone and terrified. I pulled the blanket over me and was looking out and could see what looked like a tactical team sneaking through the room in between the flashes of light as to not be detected. I was so scared I whipped a remote and a few items across the room and hid my face. I was so scared I left at 3 or 4 am. Freezing cold, no coat, and no car. So I found my way back home. My life is different from them that was quite some time ago. Since then I felt something followed me and anytime my life started to go the wrong way due to me. This thing would show itself. Iād be in bed it would slowly and I mean slowly pull the blankets off of me. As Iām watching and horrified. Iād yell at it and say your not welcome here and the such. It would crawl across the floor like a shadow creepy and crawling. It would peek out from behind chairs. It would make the closet door slightly open and slink back to closed. Then just open enough as to peek out. I thought it was some kind of bad spirit or demon who followed me until time had gone by and the thought came to me (some time ago) What if itās trying to make me stop doing things I shouldnāt do. What if itās scaring me so bad to make me change my ways. I took it as a bad thing but then that thought still lingers that maybe it was watching over me in a weird way. Ialmost wondered if it was an alien. I havenāt seen it in some time. Itās still scary lol. I also have seen U.F.O.S.
P.s. I have one more story. The other story Iāll post when I get home. I canāt wait to read yours later. 
Bye for nowā:gift:
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Challenge Entry Part 2 - Ghosts & Spirits
To be honest, one of my biggest fuels for nightmares and frequent themes for stress dreams are ghosts or poltergeists so exploring the other side freely is way out of my comfort zone at the moment.
Instead, I did want to take advantage of the Hunterās & Blood moon and I did a Crossroads Meditation to explore my relatively new relationship with Hekate.
The broad strokes of the Meditation are: Grounding and Centering, and then leaving a path open. I visualized the crossroads, invoked, connected with, and asked Hekate for guidance. Then listened and meditated before choosing a path. I thanked her for her time and guidance and closed the path.
(AI Art Creation)
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