Merry meet!
Thank you once again to all those who joined in for last week’s Weekly Witchy Challenge - Egyptian Magick 
Our exploration through several popular pagan paths and traditions continues this week as we leave the Egyptian area of influence - but, geographically speaking, we’re not traveling too far away! This week, we’re venturing to an area of the Craft whose roots stem from the Mediterranean and beyond.
The theme for this week’s challenge is…
Exploring Traditions: Greek & Roman Practices 
This is the third stop on our spiritual tour of Pagan Paths & Traditions - a series of challenges that hopes to shine a spotlight on some of the widely-practiced magickal traditions we often hear about in the witchy world.
While the cultures of ancient Rome, the Roman Empire, and ancient Greece each have their own unique traits, the close geography and intertwined pantheons weave these paths close together. For the sake of this challenge, “Greek" and “Roman” are being used as wide-reaching terms to reference the traditions, practices, and folklore stemming from ancient Rome, ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, and the surrounding area. While spiritual and magickal traditions from these ancient cultures are based primarily in this geographic location, they were carried alongside migrating people over the course of history and have since expanded to other parts of the world.
A note that you do not have to identify as a practitioner or follower of this tradition/area of magick to partake in this educational challenge. Additionally, you do not need to have cultural or ancestral ties in order to study this area of the practice. However, it is important to note that both Roman and Greek magickal traditions are tied to modern-day cultures that still exist, and whom deserve respect and mindfulness (for more on the topic of magick and culture, visit the Can we talk about “Cultural Appropriation”? and Spiritual Practices and Cultural Appropriation discussions)
The power of both Greek and Roman folklore, history, and traditions echo around the world and hold great value for everyone to learn from and find inspiration in - so let’s jump in!
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This week’s challenge is all about exploring Greek & Roman magick and traditions - but as always, how you do so is up to you!
So are you ready? Because it’s…
CHALLENGE TIME!
Picture by @starborn, shared in For the Love of the Moon: Selene Night Ritual
STEP 1 : Exploring Greek & Roman Traditions, Pantheon & Magick
This challenge is all about the magick and traditions stemming from ancient Rome, ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire - but 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…
Please make sure you are logged into your Spells8 Account so you can view all of the resources shared!
Are you new to the magick and traditions from this geographic area of the ancient world? Whether it’s Greek/Roman deities, folklore, old sayings, traditional spells, history, or more - consider learning more about spiritual/religious practices from this area of study! You are welcome to share what you learned as your entry this week.
Related resources:
- Greek and Roman Deities Masterpost
- Orphic Hymns with translation into modern Greek
- 11 Goddesses of the Forest, Wild Animals and Nature – Spells8
- Secret symbols of the Olympian Gods
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The Roman Pantheon
Venus, Goddess of Love: Symbols, Myths, Offerings
Aradia: Symbols of the Enigmatic Goddess of Witches
Additional discussions and resources:
- How can I worship and work with Fortuna?
- Orphic hymn to Saturn
- 🎵 Song to Diana, Goddess of the Hunt & the Moon
- Poem or Prayer to Ceres (Greek: Demeter)
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The Greek Pantheon
Hecate: Goddess Symbols, Myths, and Correspondences
Hades: Greek God of the Dead and King of the Underworld
Additional discussions and resources:
- How Do I Begin Working With Hera?
- Zeus 🌩 King of the Olympians
- Books about Gaia
- Hecate Is Going To Eat Your Face
- Persephone 🥀 Goddess Queen of the Underworld
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Greek and Roman Inspired Spellwork 
Selene’s Moon Chant for Encouragement
Related discussions and resources:
- Witchy Challenge Entry - Ritual & Chant for Goddess Artemis
- Owls and Athena
- Ares Warrior Chant
- Orphic Hymn of Home
- Artemis Oil
- Triangle Block and Apollo Block-Palmistry
- The Pentagram of Venus
- Ritual of Equilibrium: Honoring Persephone and Hades
- Herbs & Plants of Hekate
For your entry this week, consider exploring any ties you have to Greek and/or Roman traditions or culture. This may be your blood ancestry, adoptive ancestry, past travel experiences, memories from past lives, your work with a deity, etc.
There are no “right” or “wrong” answers here - this is simply an invitation for you to learn more about yourself and any influences that may or may not influence your spiritual practice
Related discussions and resources:
- Ancestry and Modern Collide: My Magickal Roots
- Does your ancestry affect your Craft?
- Your Magickal Roots - Weekly Witchy Challenge
- 🔍 Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE - Peering into Past Lives
- 🧑‍🏫 Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE - Teachers of Magick
The suggestions above are just a few ideas to help kickstart your creativity- if you feel called to explore Greek/Roman magick and traditions in another way, you are welcome to do so!
As always, all witches are encouraged to embrace their own unique practice with how they explore the challenge theme 
From Spells8: Worshipping Gaia: The Mother Earth Goddess
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, June 4 at 7:00 AM EDT (Eastern US Time)
2024-06-04T11:00:00Z
(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.
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 
I think 
I know it is hard not to when this shadow feeling is lurking around us, but we have to push through. I have been in that situation many times and I still go through a lot of 
I hope you get better 
)
I think Aphrodite is a great choice 
. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. I usually I just cry and feel sad. Thankfully I have a 13 year old who likes hugs and tells me he loves me every few days so that perks me up. I figure at least if there is 1 person who loves me, I’m alright.
Although, I’m starting to prepare tonight, because I imagine it will take a while to write everything I want to do out…