As many as we want?! There are at least fourteen badges that I donāt have, but if I tried to do that many challenges in a week, Iād definitely get burnt out.
Anyway, I think Iāll do three challenges. After all, three is a very magickal number!
For the first challenge, Iāll do Try Something New. Iām sure Iāve done just about everything mentioned on this site. So what else could I do thatās new? Well, working with a deity that Iāve never worked with before is trying something new. But which deity? Well, Iāve taken an interest in The MorrĆgan. I could do shadow work, but does anyone have other suggestions?
For the second challenge, I want to complete the elements with Of The Element Water. I have so many calluses on my feet from standing all day (luckily, I now have a job where I can sit and stand at regular intervals). A foot soak of lavender Epsom salts should soften them.
For the third challenge, Iāll do Heed The Call of Crystals. I have used essential oils and smudge sprays to cleanse my sacred space, but what about crystals? I have a box of crystals, some of which are clear quartz. The new moon is almost here, so using them to cleanse my tools seems like a good idea!
Ahhh! So many challenges to choose from! I missed almost all of them I think I will go with the kitchen witchery and maybe the magic of music and ocean magick but we will see
My gosh!! I know Iāve missed quite a few and wonāt be able to complete them all this week so it will be a tough choice to figure out what to do. So excited that we are already at !!!
Iād like to post for Solstice: Festivities of Light
So I did a follow up celebration during Midsummer
I spent some time in nature on a monk abbey that is open to the public - it is so peaceful and beautiful there.
I walked the grounds, admiring the flora and fauna, almost ran into a gator (yikes!), walked a labyrinth they have there, and sat and did a guided Summer Solstice meditation before heading back home
Oh my! What a treat! I was making a list of the badges I have yet to aquire and wellā¦ itās a bunch still! Iām late to the game when it comes to challenges
I currently have 21 badges. Since Iād be nuts to try to get them all in this week, Iāve narrowed down my choices to 6 with the goal of completing at least 3!
Yay!!! Happy 100!!! and thank you @BryWisteria for all your hard work in creating and offering these all!
Well, i know that Iām doing:
I think I have been here for 99 of the 100. They had started when I joined! Very exciting & I canāt wait to do this challenge now that itās really starting to change over here & boating on the weekend is a thing!
Was so excited to see what next chalenge was buti guess time differrnce meant it wasnt posted before went to bedā¦ which is cool because it was so worth the wait. How exciting. N im glad i didnt see it last night as id probablt wouldof been up thinking of all ideas of what could do rather than sleeping or at least the half conscious state i got to when started seeing stuff but i eventually drifted off. But to wakeup n find challenge for week, even betterš
@Alarm that was quick to getv1 done but oh such beautiful pictures! Thank you for sharing!
@katmabis that seems like a great way to use ilthe challenge wisely. Especially since we always have a catch up every 10th challenge, so donāt feel like you need to get ALL of them done this week. Good goal setting
@Amaris_Bane i hope you find some that maybe can be worked woth each other? That would help if you can figure out which ones your missing & how to incorprpate them together.
@stavroula dont feel like you have to do them all. Stick with what interests you & feel.free to look through other challenge entries. Those sound like a great starts!
@MeganBā¦ do what you canā¦ they will still be there for the catch up.challemge in the fiture.
@Susurrus I narrowed my 72 down to 21 that I really want to attempt (still a lot ). I have put them in an order for me to tackle from my most interested to āleastā and Iām just going to work my way down. I am going back home Fri-Sun for my ābabyā brothers 30th birthday (me ā ) and Pride here in Houston is Saturday so I am trying to do some specific ones over the weekend (protection on Friday, color magick and gratitude on Saturday, probably the thrifty witch one as well at my momās as sheās got a pile of bones for me to pick through!). Key for me is to avoid burnout.
Editing to add that some of them Iāve picked are so second nature to me now that they will be easy for me to complete.
Not to sound like Iām bragging, but I am! I have all the badges! MWAHAHA!
@Amaris_Bane, I understand what you mean about the ones that are already something you do regularly, I love those ones! But remember, burnout can sometimes sneak up on you too!
@Amethystā¦ I have 1 to doā¦ then I get to say not only do I have all of them, but I also have doubles of some too! No really, having all of them already is an amazing feat because I know that you got them from the very beginning, I was a few weeks behind you I believe. Great job! You do a wonderful job each time
Yes! Thatās why Iām just starting at the top and working my way down until Iām tired. If I donāt get them all down, oh well.
I love Wednesdayās to see what the new challenge will be, but guess what, my week is screwed up because Monday was a holiday. I was sooo busy at work (because Monday was a holiday) that I forgot it was Wednesday! Thatās my own little ADD thing going on. Lol! I love catch up challenges!
@Ostara youre mot alone, ive been a mess all week having my dIghter home Monday. She gets out next week. Ive been all turned around this week with appointments & everything!
My mind and body have to be on a schedule or I am thrown off mentally and physically. I hate it, but thatās my life.
Exactlyā¦ i get all messed up whenever there is any kind of holiday & the kids miss a day or 2 for it. A lot of our Monday holidays, the kids have the Friday before off as a Staff Development Day, so a 4 day weekend with Monday off too.
Giving gratitude ā blessed and grateful
I will never stop being amazed how the universe works itself out! I just sat down about an hour ago to write out a list of all the things I was grateful for over the last week so that I can include it in a gratitude ritual in the next few days.
Most of you know that my husband, who was only 51, had a massive heart attack on Fatherās Day. It was really out of the blue and unexpected, especially because we have been really focused on health the last year. Heās fine, heās home and recovering , and I finally had a few minutes to process what actually happened and how very fortunate and very blessed we are. His heart has no damage and is working at full function, even though he had a complete blockage in the āWidowmakerā artery. The doctors were able to go in through his wrist, dissolve the clot, and insert two stents.
So here is my list of the things I am thankful for this week:
Iām grateful he didnāt die and that my kids got to keep their dad. It really wouldāve sucked if he died on Fatherās Day.
Iām thankful that I was able to stay levelheaded and calm during an emergency.
Iām thankful that my kids knew that I needed them to cooperate and didnāt ask him any questions or panic.
Iām thankful that the paramedics, fire department, and fire and rescue team are right around the corner from our house and weāre at my door in a matter of minutes. Iām thankful for their professionalism and good judgment.
Iām thankful for my mom and my father-in-law who took charge of my kids so I could go straight to the hospital.
Iām thankful the car had gas in it.
Iām thankful there was hardly any traffic on the 45 minute drive to the nearest heart friendly hospital. I am the worlds most nervous driver on a regular day so I was especially nervous driving by myself to the city while my husband was in an ambulance.
I am thankful the parking deck was almost completely empty right next to the elevator. See above about nervous driving habits.
Iām thankful for the doctors and nurses who jumped right in and same to my husbandās life.
Iām thankful to the hospital administrators and volunteers who got me from the front door to where my husband was as quickly as they could.
Iām thankful for my teenager who packed me a bag as quickly as they could so that I had some things to do while I was waiting and a couple snacks and a phone charger without me even having to ask.
Iām thankful for the brand new hoodie that I had sitting in my car so that I wouldnāt be cold while I was waiting at the hospital.
Iām thankful for the Night Shift nurses who found me an extra dinner tray so that I wouldnāt have to leave and go outside of the hospital to find something to eat.
Iām thankful that my husband was awake and alert and in good spirits immediately after his procedure.
I am thankful that there was no traffic at any time on my way to or from the hospital every day that I went this week.
Iām thankful that my college kid drove home immediately (seriously he didnāt even stop to pack clothes he just got in the car and came) so that I would have an extra set of hands and an extra driver.
Iām thankful my two middle kiddos still got to go to camp because said college child drove them back-and-forth and babysat the baby so that I could sit at the hospital with my husband.
And thankful for my mom who took a day off work so that she could run errands, feed my kids, and keep me sane.
Iām thankful for my friends, both online and in person, who checked on me, prayed for us, and offered to help in anyway they could.
Iām thankful for my close friends who are bringing us dinner for the rest of the week so that our little family can tuck in and rest and recover together.
Iām thankful for the pharmacy techs who filled prescriptions quickly today, and for the transport team they got us out the door quickly and efficiently, and the fabulous discharge nurse who gave us all the information we needed and went above and beyond to be sure we were ready to head home.
Iām most especially grateful that we have another chance and another chapter together.
For my second entry, Iām choosing the āThe veil between worldsā challenge. Ancestory honoring quickly became an important part of my practice as Iāve grown. There are many great resources out there on how to honor your ancestors and each culture has different methods so Iām not going to get into a discussion of that but describe how I honor my ancestors.
I have a small area set up as an altar to my ancestors, blood, adoptive, and marriage included.
The space includes a small shelf with a glass for libations where I normally offer clean water unless they specifically ask for something else. There is an electric candle (because cats) that I leave on at all times to give them light in their darkness. I additionally have a white prayer candle that I light each morning during my prayers to my ancestors. I will leave it lite while Iām going about my morning routine and put it out before leaving for my office. I have a small white porcelain bowl for offerings, a bronze incense holder, and a small egg jewelry box that I received on a Tamed Wild box that reminded me of my great-grandmother.
Above the shelf I have several photos of family members that have passed. I have many more I honor but do not have pictures of them. My mother was adopted so the family on her side is not blood but they raised her and were important in my life. My husband was also adopted but his mother was something special and was taken away from us too early.
Close up of the pictures
My paternal maternal great grandmother
My husbandās mother (on the right, along with a friend)
My parental grandmother
Me as a baby with my maternal grandmother and her mother (maternal maternal great grandmother)
Me and my maternal paternal great grandmother
My maternal grandmother and grandfather.
In addition to the altar, I set out a special meal for my ancestors as well as any spirits that have passed as part of my Samhain celebrations.
For offerings, I will give things that reminded me of reach ancestor and what I āfeelā they want on a particular day. Itās been everything from cigarettes and whisky (for my grandpa Kennedy) to pieces of bread Iāve baked (my great-granny) to flowers (my grandmother Clay). I also try to do a special offering on their birthdays.
As Iāve started my ancestors honor practice, Iāve also had spirits from older ancestors that I never met reach out. I do my best to honor reach and everyone reach day on my actions and words.
Blessed be!
Ahhhh so much to choose from! I like almost everything Donāt have the time now, but today I am traveling for two hours. I think I will use this time to wonder and ponder
Cheers! Congratulations