:sun: Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE - Solstice Festivities of Light

Susurrus · June 19, 2022, 4:26pm

That seems lovely @martje! I like the setup you have & the general feeling of them.

We are having a yucky day here & I was thinking yesterday about different types of rose bushes I could plant that are orange, peach, yellow, kinds of colors. I couldn’t for the life of me think of any orange or yellow flowers blooming right now here.

Today is gloomy & rain storms… I went outside for something & looked across the street & there they were:

So then I’m walking back across the street & see this rose bush that I had helped. There were small oaks trying to develop but overlapping the bush…

I went down the side of my house & one flower out of the ones lining the side of my house was open:

When I walked around the side & came across the driveway to the front porch I found this one:

So I found my little bright spots for the day that seemed to go with the challenge when I was feeling down & not expecting it. Honestly kind of sad that I didn’t have any of those colors yet in my yard. Since taking the pictures it also looks like the sun is attempting to come out, but our forecast doesn’t see that staying that way for long.

martje · June 19, 2022, 4:52pm

They are lovely sunny flowers.! They are doing well compensating the rain. I am sorry for you that the sun is not shining yet, hope it will soon. If not there are these flowers and I hope you will feel the sun in your heart

Ostara · June 19, 2022, 5:13pm

Beautiful!

Ostara · June 19, 2022, 5:13pm

You found sunshine on a rainy day. The flowers are beautiful!

Susurrus · June 19, 2022, 7:32pm

@martje honestly I saw your post then went for a walk to the mailbox & started finding them when I opened the door between my house & the neighbor’s yard. Your entry inspired me to go looking when I saw the sun peeking out.

@Ostara I definitely did, they have been my little sunshine all day long, no matter what has come my way. I feel good about my decisions & how things have been going today.

I hope that everyone is having a great day!

AileyGrey · June 18, 2022, 12:39am

Our family has a lovely evening outside planned for Solstice with fresh seasonal treats. This weekend I am going to bake a lavender lemon marsapone cheesecake (thankful for our local repairman… the heating element went out this week and he had it fixed in no time! Part of me was sad cause I’ve been eyeing a new oven… but I’m thankful we could repair and not blow all our savings. Also thankful both were options!). Also planning on some sort of lemon berry blend beverage for the kids and some sangria for the grown folks.

We will be chilling (read that melting) round the fire pit and playing in the pool and displaying our lovely suncatchers we made. Here’s mine! The photo does not do the sparkle justice!

Finally, we will do a sunset walk with bells to invite our fairy friends to the festivities and listen to the children’s version (short and in modern English) of A Midsummer Nights Dream. I told my kids if they memorized some verses, I’d give them a prize. We will see if they do!

I also plan to do a quiet morning meditation by myself in the morning dew! Mama needs a minute!

BryWisteria · June 20, 2022, 12:24pm

It’s time for a friendly reminder!

The dawn of the solstice is here- thank you so much to everyone who has shared their sunny, light, and bright magick over the past few days! It has been really inspirational to see

If you haven’t already shared an entry but would like to join in, please know that you still have some time!

This challenge will close TOMORROW

If you would like to participate and haven’t done so already, please post about your challenge experience(s) by the deadline: Tomorrow: June 21st, 7:00 AM CET (Central European Time)

Blessed be!

BryWisteria · June 20, 2022, 12:50pm

@Ostara That Book of Shadows is amazing- and while I’d certainly say it was a great find on your end, I’d also say that it was lucky to find a new home with you! Those are so lovely Litha ritual ideas, a very beautiful invocation, and a great recipe for sun water- thank you so much for sharing them!

And I adore your altar- the sunflower in the middle and the dried blossoms in the ring all look stunning!

@Torista It seems that the boy who visited you in your dreams is growing up- I wonder if his next request will be for the midday sun, and after that a picture of a sunset? Very interesting, Torista! The sky you’ve designed already looks amazing- I can’t wait to follow the progress and see the painting come to life

I have no doubt that your dream customer will be very pleased with your talents!

@Susurrus Hooray for solar magick ideas and inspiration! I know the weather had other plans this weekend- but it looks like the sun has returned just in time for the solstice It sounds like you had a lovely time enjoying the nature and the memory of the sun- it gives so much to us, I think spending some meditative time appreciating it is a really lovely way to celebrate it Beautiful work!

@Kasandra When in doubt, why not both! Nice choice By celebrating both nights, you say farewell to the final sun of spring and then welcome in the first light of summer- I love it, Kasandra!

You’ve got a really lovely Draconic Ritual planned out too (may it be free from Luqueas’ chaos ) - may you enjoy the time when fire and dragon magick are at their peak. Blessed solstice and blessed ritual!

@Phoenix_Fire I love how you combined your Pheonix Day celebrations into Yule festivities- your sacred space is so beautiful! It has such an aura of warmth, hominess, and love

Wishing you a bright and blessed Yule- may your magick help to light up the coming winter!

@IrisW Welcome, Iris- it’s always great to hear from you (and see your always gorgeous altar space)! It never fails to amaze me- you have so many wonderful treasures! And that rainbow rose, wow- what a thoughtful gift for Pride Month! Your sister-in-law is very kind.

Wishing you blessed spellwork for the solstice and a very happy birthday to your stepson- happy festivities!

@Amethyst Fire is wonderful, but only when it can be safely controlled- I am sure your landlord would be grateful for your mindfulness, Amethyst! The ritual is going to be absolutely wonderful with the candles and meditation I love the inclusion of the Air ritual too- thank you so much for sharing it!

Blessed ritual work and happy solstice- enjoy it!

@Martje Goodness, you have been busy Martje! You are so kind and give so much of yourself to others, I hope you are able to take some time for yourself too! You deserve a nice rest to help rejuvenate and ground yourself The circle spell you found is really lovely- may I ask where you found it?

The picture you took is so beautiful! Look at those happy sunflowers and that colorful painting- your candles burn so brightly Really lovely work- thank you so much for sharing!

@Susurrus Hello pretty flowers! Oh, those are lovely- and the perfect colors too! You have such beautiful nature around you, Siofra- thank you for sharing them!

@AileyGrey I saw your entry in another thread- I hope you don’t mind that I rehomed here into the main challenge thread! You made such a gorgeous suncatcher (what is the crystal on the end- a geode? It is stunning! ) and the sound of lavender lemon cheesecake has me drooling- what a tasty summer treat!

It sounds like you and your family are welcoming in the solstice in style- so many fun plans and activities! I wish you all a wonderful time- enjoy the fun and savor your peaceful meditation Have a blessed one!

WitchAngel111 · June 20, 2022, 2:14pm

Weekly witchy challenge entry

Sometimes life gets so busy and we need to keep it simple. I’ve learned to incorporate my witchy magickal practices in simple ways throughout my day. For this challenge I would have loved nothing more than to have a large feast and bonfire with love ones. But that was just not possible this time around.
For this challenge I did a Lithia season tarot spread, asking:

How will I grow this season?
What do I need to release?
What do I need to focus on?

Magician - With practice, I will improve my magickal skills.
3 of Pentacles - I don’t need to look to others for the answers. Let go of self doubt.
7 of cups - With a world full of decisions, follow your heart and intuition.

I have also been eyeing a honey cake recipe that I think I may try to kick off the season with some of natures sweetness.

Happy Litha and blessings to you all!

Susurrus · June 20, 2022, 3:08pm

Thank you for sharing @WitchAngel111! Those look really yummy! I may have to bookmark that one!

martje · June 20, 2022, 3:18pm

@BryWisteria Thank you for your kind words. This week I am going to get a feet massage ( reflexzone) and on Thursday I am going to visit another witch who runs a witch school even! We did the brigidtraining together and we should meet a long time ago but thanks to busy life’s Thursday will be our first meeting since the training. She lives in a very beautiful village. I am so looking forward to this. Specially now I am more into all this witchy stuff So me time this week
The spell I found on the Sage app. Do you know this one? Before I found spells 8 I found them.
The have a short practice every day which I like, a tekst or small ritual, you can fill in something you are grateful for, and a short meditation around five minutes. It is broader orientated but they do have a lot of things linked to witchcraft. They also have a forum and several groups but I never felt the warmth and friendliness I felt here. You are really doing a great job! All of you but specially the ones who carry this group. I don’t want to overlook anyone so I don’t name names, but I guess you will know. So I take this opportunity to thank you again for building this place!

Amethyst · June 20, 2022, 4:33pm

You’re welcome! I hope you have a blessed solstice as well!

Torista · June 20, 2022, 5:30pm

I started the outline for the mountains this morning.

I read some what recently that in early Christianity it was taught that capital “G” god appeared to ‘people who didn’t know him as a young boy and the deeper your understanding the older he appears’. I’m wondering if my reading has changed my perception. But I’m happy to paint as much as he asks for diety or otherwise.

WitchAngel111 · June 20, 2022, 6:12pm

@Ostara your altar is beautiful!!

Murphy · June 20, 2022, 6:15pm

I freshened up my altar for Litha. It’s been a while since I’ve swapped things around, so everything got a good smoke cleanse while I was at it.

I cheated a little and cooked our meal for Litha on Saturday. I knew there was no way I could pull it off on a weeknight, haha! I grilled salmon with a spicy glaze which came out way better than I thought it would. I also got a couple of fresh batches of fire cider started.

WitchAngel111 · June 20, 2022, 6:15pm

@Susurrus beautiful!!!

martje · June 20, 2022, 6:53pm

Nice , bright and very colorful!

MeganB · June 20, 2022, 6:54pm

Here’s my entry for this challenege we made some suncatchers today with the kids! My daughter and my 7 year old nephew picked some colors and we went for it. If you want to make something like this, here is how you do it.

First, get your materials. You will need a thick paper such as cardstock. You will also need parchment or wax paper, an iron, scissors, a cheese grater, and crayons.

With two pieces of thick paper, cut out a shape such as a rectangle. You should end up with two pieces that are exactly the same.

Then take a large piece of parchment or wax paper and your crayons. Hold the cheese grater over the prachment paper and grate your choice of colors and crayons. You should get finely shaved crayon pieces.

When you have enough, and it doesn’t take much, fold the paper in half and carefully iron over the paper. This will melt the crayons in the parchment paper and create a cool pattern.

Let it dry. Then cut it out and put it between your original two pieces of paper. Glue it all together and find a way to hang it up on a window that catches the sun!

The kids had a lot of fun making these. We hung them up just in time for it to pour rain

Anyway, exploring the way light moves through colors on the window is a good way to enjoy the Solstice. It’s also a nice way to subtly charge sigils with the energy of the sun!

martje · June 20, 2022, 6:56pm

Beautiful and what a fun and creative idea!

Artemisia · June 21, 2022, 1:02am

I am a bit scattered this week as I have been dealing with an injection site reaction that’s thrown my mojo and sleep cycle all out of whack from the discomfort. I don’t trust that I will remember to post my entry in time tomorrow so I’ll make do with what I have for now!

Solstice Festivities of Light - Challenge Entry

While I do intend to greet the dawn tomorrow and the solstice, things that I have managed to work on this week include planting Marigolds in with my herb planters as well as seeding one with Calendula. I also snagged snapdragon, four-o-clocks, sweet peas, and perennial wildflower seed packets for the front (sun) and side (shade) gardens!
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I was reading through my copy of Llewellyn’s Midsummer Rituals, Recipes & Lore for Litha I decided to do the tarot spread in there today and then do a 3 Rune draw in the morning. Cards are 1-6 starting with the bottom middle one - Me, Situation, Obstacles, Guidance, Suggestions for Direction, and the Future. I’ve moved back to using a basic RWS deck lately to seal in the meanings a bit better as I’ve been working much harder to learn to read intuitively. Donut supervises as always

And finally (for today at least!) I did get a gift from the sun day before yesterday!!