🌑 Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE- Magick in the Dark

That sounds like a great plan, @Susurrus! Good luck with the kitchen and your shadow work :grin:

Welcome back, @Limeberry! That sounds like a lovely plan- treat yourself, girl! Working with roses is a delight and I can’t wait to see how the spell and bath work out for you :bathtub::rose:

So exciting, and such a great plan- Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday @Janelle! :cake::partying_face: It’s your special day so be sure to treat yourself! Sending big hugs and lots of love :heart:

You chose a lovely way to bring light to the darkest time of the month, @Berta :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: I am constantly amazed by your many creative talents and this time you blew me away with your words! I can feel your warm intent lighting each and every phrase here. Reading this brought such a smile to my face. Thank you for sharing your positivity, love, and gratitude- I feel so blessed to be able to experience your warm heart! :hugs::sparkling_heart:

Congrats, @colin!!! :partying_face: That is so exciting you finished the Self Initian Ritual- well done! You have been working hard to find your own way and it is so heartening to watch you gain confidence and stand strong on your unique path. One year behind you, so many more to come! Congrats again- and love and light to you! :candle::two_hearts:

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Thank you so much for that lovely poem @berta! We’re grateful for you too! You’re words and craftiness add so much to the group. It wouldn’t be the same without you!

Congratulations @colin! For doing your self-initiation! That takes a lot of courage when you’re facing your shadow.

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PDF format → What does this moon bring_.pdf

I’m going to do a ritual bath - clean slate both mentally and physically…

It is believed that as the moon grows, that your intention or wishes will too. Typically they will come to fruition by the time the moon completes its cycle and returns full circle to new again.

What you can do:

Take a ritual bath. Water symbolically washes away “old” stuff.

Use some Epsom salt and lavender!

Dim the lights, light an incense, add some candles, and play some soothing music and relax for about 15- 20 minutes.

While you are relaxing, envision the water taking all the negative stuff from you. Don’t be afraid to fully submerge yourself - clean your slate both physically and energetically.

I will then make some moon cookies, some hot cider, use the image above to answer some questions, do a tarot spread, and enjoy some bay leaf burning!

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Ooh the bath was just fabulous! This time I went for Himalayan salt, vinegar, orange oil and roses. Inhale positive energy from the white candle and exhale negative energy to be absorbed by the black candle. I had a loooonng soak and meditation. Really gorgeous- would recommend!

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I think that’s my favorite thing about baths/showers. I always feel so refreshed or renewed afterward. Like the hot water just washed all the negativity and stress down the drain. I always feel like a new person afterward.

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Happy Happy Birthday @janelle! I’ve just uploaded a little Witchy Self-Love Birthday Ritual I made for my friend back in October! Maybe something there could inspire you :kissing_heart: I hope you’re having a wonderful day! :heart:

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I have been doing shadow work this week in the form of journaling, the shadow worksheet, and a few tarot readings. I have been feeling good the last few days and it just seemed to fit for what I am going through. I recently got out of a depression and I felt like seeing what had changed and what I could possibly work on. The tarot readings were kind of like the cards telling me to slow down and wait because things are happening as they should. A nice swift kick in the ass. The journaling though, I have written pages upon pages of things everything from the mundane to deep feelings about situations around me. As I wrote, my anxiety got better and I felt better in general about each day unfolding. I even did a jar spell for the first time in at least a month. Afterwards I felt really good about what I had done, even if my anxiety caused it to be a little rushed & scattered, the end result and my intentions were there for the spell. I just went about it a different way than what is traditional. I’m continuing to do shadow work, it’s always a work in progress, because I want to make sure I am ready for what’s to come. From what I know, it’s going to be life changing and put everything into a whole new perspective for myself and those that are close to me.

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This Dark moon :black_heart: Magick really fits into my moment. I shall do it tomorrow, Saturday, which is the day ruled by Saturn.

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Oh, I love Loner Wolf! Their content and emails are information and interesting!

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Have to see what I can conjur up for this challenge.

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I feel really scattered and chaotic inside, I don’t know if my shadow work has stirred up some things or what. I know made a post, somewhere about my experience with Shadow Work, but I cannot seem to find it. I will have to poke around the forum & see where I put it.

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Hey all! I wanted to do something today, on Saturday because it’s a good day to banish things you don’t need, especially with the waning moon. Still I wasn’t sure what to do, that is until I read this morning’s 365 Goddesses: A Daily Guide to the Magic and Inspiration of the Goddess by Patricia Telesco.

December 12th’s Goddess is Bamya, the Zoroastrian Goddess of the Twilight, who Guides the Sun God’s Chariot through the sky. As the sun sets in Iran today, a huge bonfire is lit to symbolize the power of light over dark, good over evil.

This Goddess teaches that even one person can make a difference. Which is a good thing right now. Included with this book was this wonderful devotional prayer.

At sunset today light an orange candle (or another one the color of twilight) and greet Bamya with this prayer:

Lady of the Gentle Twilight I welcome you. As the sun sets on this day, let things from the past that I no longer need to bear also fade away. Teach me to leave them behind as easily as you leave behind the daylight. As darkness falls, grant rest to my unsettled spirit so that I can rise tomorrow renewed and whole. Bamya be with me. Amen.

That’s all the book had, but I’m going to focus on my ill-health as the candle burns down. Hopefully it will banish any illness as the candle goes down. That’s the plan anyway.

Then, on Monday the night of the New Moon, I’m going to focus on my New Year’s resolutions. Seems a good night, with the new moon to try to start some new goals.

So that’s what I’m going for the Magic in the Dark Challenge.

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I’m sorry you’re feeling chaotic, maybe it’s a good kind of chaos though. You can always hope. :hugs:

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Especially when I’m actively trying to organize information. Before I start have an idea of what I want to do or where I want it to go, then I start to do & everything floods my brain & I get so confused and draw a blank. I think it’s me preparing for a big change in 2021/after the holidays. I don’t necessarily think it’s a bad chaos, just tough to manage sometimes. Thank you @Amethyst!

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I’m an idiot, I told you that I was feeling chaos & scattered… I DID make the post about my shadow work on the right thread. I need to breathe for sure!

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Well good luck managing it! It sounds like you’re a baby bird getting ready to burst from the shell! That’s difficult for the bird sometimes but always good in the long run. Good luck getting there!

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I know what you mean, I feel like something big is in the works.

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As I have said, I am working on Shadow Work. I use my journal for Shadow Work, Dreams, and regular journal types of things. But I have also used worksheets. I print one off from Spells8 whenever I want to do it but then I did a search and came up with another worksheet and then a selection from a site that has 25 questions for shadow work. So I decided to share them both if anyone wants to use them for themselves. I know there is something big coming my way soon, so I am trying to be as prepared for it as I can and the Shadow Work just feels right. So I am going with it.

31.-The-Shadow.pdf (40.6 KB)

So, whether you’re actively engaging in shadow work now or you feel like you need to but dunno where to begin, these challenging journal prompts are for you. (They are also for anyone who just happens to read through them and thinks one of them might be just the ticket for some random self-exploration. Go for it!)

1. How judged do you tend to feel on a daily basis? Explore how much of that perceived judgement is real and how much is imagined.

2. Take a look at the best and most enjoyable aspect of your life right now. What is your underlying fear in that area and why?

3. Write about the last time you tried to manipulate a situation to your advantage and examine how you feel about that in hindsight.

4. Describe a scenario in which you feel that competition could be healthy and productive. Then describe a scenario in which competition could be toxic and unproductive. Finally, write about your emotional response to this exercise.

5. What does it feel like to have your emotions belittled or downplayed? Be as descriptive as possible and try writing about specific examples from your own life too.

6. Pinpoint something that’s really frustrating/upsetting you at the moment. Then try writing an uplifting, beautiful poem about it!

7. Write about the last time you ran away from your responsibilities. Consider why you did that and what the results were.

8. How can you begin to give other people more space and acceptance to be themselves around you?

9. Whereabouts do you tend to expect other people to conform to your beliefs? (And what scares you the most about allowing people to have their own beliefs in that area?)

10. What does the term ‘superiority complex’ bring to mind for you and why?

11. If you could say one thing to the person who’s hurt you the most right now, what would it be and why?

12. Consider yourself at your worst - at a point where all of your most negative and disruptive traits have come to the surface. Capture that version of you in your mind. Then write a letter of love, understanding and compassion to that version of you. (For extra credit: Read the letter aloud to yourself whenever you feel like you’ve turned into a bit of a monster!)

13. What does the word ‘punishment’ make you think of right now and why?

14. Write about the different ways in which people have expressed their anger or resentment in front of you over the last few months. What do you notice about their different modes of expression for these emotions?

15. What’s the one thing you know you need to do but keep avoiding? Write it down. Then write a step-by-step description of actually doing it. Include every action which would need to be involved in order to get it done. At the end of the exercise, explore how you feel.

16. When was the last time you witnessed distinctly self-destructive behaviour, either in yourself or in someone else? Describe it and the emotions you had at the time.

17. What was the last cruel thing you wanted to say to someone in order to make them feel bad about themselves or their actions? Write it down and then explore your feelings about it.

18. Whereabouts do you currently feel isolated and how are you dealing with that emotion?

19. Write about the biggest experience of loss for you so far this year.

20. What do you currently envy in someone else’s life and why? (For extra credit: What kinds of emotions come up when you imagine yourself having access to the thing you envy?)

21. At the top of a blank page write the following words, ‘My insecurity is my teacher.’ Then fill the page up with your responses to this sentence - whatever comes to mind, honey!

22. What does it feel like to be completely discouraged by someone’s words? Be descriptive and consider writing about personal experiences of this in your own life.

23. Why is it sometimes difficult to tell the difference between someone saying something intentionally mean and someone just saying something accidentally thoughtless?

24. What does the term ‘constructive criticism’ make you think of and why?

25. Which emotion do you tend to deal with in unhelpful/destructive ways? Write about the way you usually deal with this troublesome emotion. Then write about what your life might be like if you dealt with it differently.

Keep in mind that these journal prompts are designed to be ball-busters. I like to create journalling tools which feel like a little bit of an uphill bike ride with an increasingly steep incline, so feel free to dip in and out, stop on the side of the road for a rest or take things slowly.

Mod Edit

Credit for these journal prompts goes to Kelly-Ann Maddox. You can find her page here.

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Happy 30th!! Hope you have a wonderful celebration!!

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Congrats! I remember feeling so excited and connected to something that I felt I had been missing for so long after my Self Initiation.
:star_struck: :tada: :balloon:

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