💯 Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE - The Hundredth Challenge

[martje]

Challenge 4 a touch of tarot

I think I started my tarot and oracle fascination 30 years ago. At first there were pictures in a magazine , I could cut out. They were not tarot cards but they were meant for divination. I was astonished about how truthful they were. But, I had lots of anxiety problems at that time, so in time I used them all of the time, and this did not do me good. So at one point I threw them away. I told this to someone who I really trusted, and he made me change my thinking about them. I realized it had everything to do with how I could empty my mind, and be open. And trust
If I wanted a specific answer I could become disappointed or just put to much force and will in it that it confuses the answer.
So I started buying decks, the first one was de raider wait deck.
This is just a glimpse of what I resembled over the years

I want to talk to you about two very special decks for me.
The first one is made by an artist in Italy. There is a commune there, and they have build a whole spiritual community. With a stunning temple! https://damanhur.travel/
The paintings on the cards are also in big format in this temple.
The cards have only one word, and the paintings are abstract
In the painting there is a symbol in gold.

You can make this symbol alive by hovering it with your finger. While you do this you take in every detail of the card, and then you hold the card between your hands and close your eyes.
And then you just wait what happens, maybe you see things, hear things, or just know what specific answer the card has for you.

The second one I ordered in England. These are very special dragon cards with poems on the backside of it

I looked for the site where I found them, I can’t recall the name or the designer’s name. Such a pity, they are so lovely
Here is another one:

If I remember or if someone of you knows the name I am happy to know and add it to this forum.

I am happy to tell you that I found it!
Dragon wisdom cards

For now I would love to draw one of these cards for you a dragon card with poem, or a card from Damanhur in Italy
If you want this you can sent me a personal message

[Ostara]

I have really enjoyed everyone’s entries this week! They put a smile on my face!

[martje]

So do you

[martje]

I am wishing you a very restful sleep @Ostara and sweet dreams

[Ostara]

Awww thank you @martje!

[Artemisia]

I see a lot more iced lemon balm tea in my future this summer! It was a random herb purchase for me last year before I had even looked into its uses and benefits. Luckily it’s perennial and happy in my garden box so it’s back this year as well.

[Susurrus]

@jessica72 I’m so sorry for your loss & I think you did a wonderful job on each entry. Sending hugs & healing love our fur babies are a part of our family.

@Phoenix_Fire great job getting them done & putting them all in one post! That was a great idea to help keep it easy!

@Amaris_Bane you’re kind of on a roll too with your challenges along with @kasandra!

I agree with @Ostara & have also enjoyed reading everyone’s entries. Thank you so much, everyone. I am going to the beach tomorrow & will be doing the Ocean Magic challenge to earn the last badge to have 1 of each!

[Kasandra]

For my fifth and LAST challenge, Of The Element Water , I found some lavender and chamomile body scrub at the local dollar store. The container said to “take deep five breaths and express your gratitude”, which I did. I scrub it on my feet, thinking about “what I wanted to be that day”, per the instructions (free from stress or worry). I finished by washing my feet off, thinking, “May I walk this day with joy and confidence.” They felt really soft and smooth, afterwards. Hopefully, this daily ritual will soften and remove my calluses.

[jessica72]

Thank you @Susurrus xxx I do feel a bit better today. His ashes came home so he’ll be waiting for me at home.

[Susurrus]

You’re welcome @jessica72

I am going to do the Ocean Magick challenge that I missed & I’m not sure if the other thing that I want to do is in one of the challenges I will have to go through them & see if the other thing I want to do can be incorporated into a challenge somehow

I am probably going to keep it simple & just do the one for this week.

[Ostara]

My dream magick worked. No nightmare last night!

[Susurrus]

That’s great! I’m so happy for you! That has to be a great feeling to wake up without having that kind of an interruption throughout the night

I had a vivid dream a week or two ago that I can still remember. Any other night, I don’t remember or feel like I had a dream at all. This one though, it’s sticking with me.

[AileyGrey]

Kitchen Witcher - Kitchen Witch - Challenge Entry #eec-2022

I typically do not enjoy cooking. In fact my family frequently reminds me that I do not actually cook, I prepare burnt offerings. I do enjoy baking and I am pretty good at that part! This week I have found myself cooking a lot more than usual since our normal family chef is out of commission. We are having to make some diet changes over here and one of our top priorities is to get as much processed food out of the house as possible.

We are southerners. We like good food! So I have spent some time this week trying to figure out what “quick things” i can make to replace the no no items we need to can. We all enjoy breakfast sandwiches and the convenience of just being able to grab one and go… so I made our own!

I used fresh yeast rolls, low fat Canadian bacon, and egg beaters egg substitute baked on a pan and sliced to the right size. They turned out so well! They were so easy andI totally think we could pull these off.

The husband and college kid did not like the egg subsstitute (but I honestly think it’s because they knew it was egg substitute… I’ll try again with “real” eggs and just make sure they don’t see the substitute and see if they notice!). The little kids enjoyed it,

So, lots of love and healthy intention went into these bad boys, even if they didn’t impress their intended!

I also finally got around to making my lemon lavender cheesecake, I couldn’t find my springform pan and I was too tired to worry about it, so I made it in a regular dish, It did not turn out pretty like I wanted it to to honor the sun…. But let me tell you how delicious it is! I don’t really love the smell of lavender, I never have so I was a little worried about cooking with it (just an fyi… you have to use lavender extract, don’t just dump your eos into you baking!). It is so good! I’m going to try some tea later! I garnished it with lemons to represent the sun and lavender, It isn’t as gorgeous as I wanted, but I think all the sun deities know the intention of my heart and the week that I had! It’s all good!

So this kitchen witch wanna be is ready to hand the spoon back over to its rightful owner in our house! Good thing it’s all about intention!

[AileyGrey]

Of Spells and String - Weavemaster - challenge entry 3

Several years agp I was reading the works of an educational philosopher named Charlotte Mason. She has influenced the way we parent and teach our personal children, and my own teaching as well. One of the things she recommends is that all children learn to do handcrafts. There’s a bunch of reasons, but I decided that handcrafts were a must in our family.

I am also a big “practice what you preach” kind of mama, so I decided I needed to learn a handcraft too. The next time we visited my mama, who is an amazing crocheter, I asked her to teach me. Never mind she had been offering to teach me since I was a child… I was finally ready!

I took to it like a fish in water. I love it. It (usually) brings me joy and relaxation/. And, since I started crocheting, I found that I automatically put intention into what I’m making. I always have! Look at me being a witch and not even knowing it! Ha!

I give you “the blanket”. I have some dear friends who have 4 children. Our kids have grown up together. They are amazing people. Juliana was writing on her Facebook that all of her kids had this zig zag patterned blanket that her mom made for them when they were little… everyone except the newest miracle baby. Grandma passed away before the newest baby was born. I decided that I was going to crochet the new baby this blanket.

Every row, I think about what her grandmother would want for this sweet baby’s lifeL courage, joy, love, harmony, peace, etc. and I reflect on it while I am working that row. Hopefully, when it is finished, this sweet baby will feel like she’s wrapped up in a hug from the grandma she never knew.

This particular blanket has given me nothing but trouble while I’m working it. With the amount of mistakes I have made while working it and the amount of times i have had to redo parts of it, I could have had it finished 7 times by now. My goal was to have it finished by the end of June, but i don’t think that’s realistic anymore… so now… the middle of July. I can’t wait to give it to baby Iris. I also can’t wait to move on to another project!

[BryWisteria]

It’s time for a friendly reminder!

Look at all these amazing challenge entries! There is so much to unpack here- so many wonderful areas of magick explored! I’ve enjoyed every post I’ve read so far and am really excited to jump into those that were posted over the weekend- thank you so much to everyone who has entered so far!

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 28th, 7:00 AM CET (Central European Time)

Blessed be!

[AileyGrey]

The spelling bee - spell master: entry 4

A couple of challenges ago, we were working on bath and shower magic and I was on the search for a shower meditation that I would use often. Honestly, I am still trying to put together a magickal morning routine that flows really nicely for me. I get so busy during the school year teaching and parenting… often times, time is not my own. It’s totally the life I asked for, but I have to get creative about when I can have me time and then I have to make the very most of it. I shower each morning before the crack of dawn so that I can have some quiet time before anyone else wakes up… before I have a responsibility to anyone other than myself. I get a lot of thinking done in the shower.

I still haven’t found the perfect shower meditation. Ideally, I want a guided meditation that i can click play on and go… but nothing has felt quite right…. So I wrote my own. This is the first time I have shared any spells I’ve written myself. I’m pretty proud of these.

Morning Shower Meditation: to be done during a morning shower

Blessed water, falling down
On my toes, torso and crown
Cleanse my body and my mind
Let love and joy be mine to find
I’ve many things to do and see
An if it harms none, so mote it be!

Evening Shower Meditation: to be done during an evening shower

Blessed water, falling down
On my toes, torso and crown
Wash away this trying day
Let peace and rest come forth to stay
Let me relax and my mind be free
An if it harm none, so mote it be!

I tried to keep them very similar so that (eventually) I can have them memorized and begin each of my showers with them. Short, sweet, and simple!

[AileyGrey]

Books, Tomes, and Tales: Book Lover - Challenge Entry 5

I am an avid reader. My New Years goal is always to read at least 52 books…1 a week for the year. I usually surpass my goal (I’m on book 43 of the year now!) I love reading and I do it all the time!

I started this magickal journey in early April: so it goes without saying that I have been grabbing up every book that sarks my interest related to the magickal arts. I do a lot of e book reading and audiobook listening in the car… but here is my recently read list.

Wicca for Beginners by Kelly Murray

The Path of a Christian Witch by Adelina St. Clair

The Morrison by Courtney Weber

Hecate by Courtney Weber

Making Magic: Weaving Together the Every Day and the Extraordinary by Briana Saussy

Scottish Witchcraft: A complete guide to authentic folklore, spells, and magickal tools by Barbara Meiklejohn-Free

Sea Magic: connecting with the oceans energy by Sandra Kynes - finishing now

Moonology: Working with the Magic of Lunar Cyles by Yasmin Boland - started but not finished

A Spellbook for the Seasons: Tudorbeth - browsing by seasons… the illustrations are magical themselves!

Witch: Unleashed, Untamed, Unapologetic by Lisa Lister (to be read)

The Illustrated Bestiary by Maia Toll

The Compendium of Magical Beasts by Dr. Veronica Wigberht-Blackwater - so much fun… my kids keep stealing it!

They have all been interesting and helpful as I grow as I grow in my practice, some more than others. I am always up for a book recommendation if you have them (and no worries, I already browse the book club regularly!)

[AileyGrey]

Claws, Paws, Tails, and Scales: Animalis Magum - Challenge Entry 6 (Last One!)

I am 3 months in to my journey with the craft. I have learned so much and sometimes I am completely overwhelmed at what I don’t know (though I realize it’s the journey over a lifetime that makes it worth it) and sometimes I feel like I’ve been doing this forever! Honestly, I have been doing this forever, i just didn’t realize it. I am constantly surprised at how the things I do daily without even really thinking about them are kind of an essential part to my craft. It just comes naturally and it’s amazing!

I love “coincidences”.

I have been really enjoying the daily oracle and tarot and rune posts on the forum. I decided awhile ago that I wanted to get a deck of oracle cards… but the choices completely overwhelm me. I even tried to look at some apps for oracle cards and I can’t commit to one because I am afraid it won’t be the one I’m really meant to have. When I get like this, I know I need to pause, I’m rushing. I decided I would just relax and the right deck would present itself to me. Y’all, get ready… this is great!

I bought this book at the Renn faire right after we did the bestiary challenge. I’ve glanced though it and read the reflections. I pulled it out to show my college kid who has been home after my husband’s surgery and I just happened to flip to the back cover. There’s an envelope full of oracle cards that match the illustrations and reflections in the book. I was so excited! And the college kid, in true college kid fashion says…” well it says they are included right on the cover…”

I’ve had these cards for over a month and didn’t even realize it!

So, I decided that the universe must be telling me that these are the cards I need to learn from right now.

Here is the animal part of this challenge. Every card and corresponding pages in the book are lessons to be learned from our animal friends.

I copied the talented @Susurrus (the sincerest form of flattery right?) and shuffled the cards 3 times, took off the top 3 and drew the card and drew black bear. I went to the book and got a really nice reminder about seasons. With the chaos that drove our week last week, I definitely needed a reminder that it was ok to tuck in and rest!

So, for the next little bit, I will be feeling out these surprise oracle cards and learning from my animal friends… because that’s what the universe has it in front of me. I’ve had exactly what I’ve needed all along!

[MeganB]

Here is my entry for the Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE - Spell Swap Meet entry

With the SCOTUS decision here in the United States to overturn Roe v. Wade and give the decision on uterine healthcare to the states, thus removing the protection for uterine freedom from those with a uterus, I have decided to share this spell from Michael Hughs’ book Magic for the Resistance.

Trigger Warning

This spell speaks of menstrual blood, blood, and the fight against anti-choice people, politicians, and establishments. I have included it under a “read more” for those that don’t wish to see it.

Hands Off, Laws Off: Hekate Invocation for Reproductive Rights

Hands Off, Laws Off: Hekate Invocation for Reproductive Rights

This is a spell for the protection of women’s reproductive rights. It can also be done for protection of women’s health clinics and their doctors and health care workers. Perform this ritual during your period (if you have one), in response to antichoice votes or initiatives, to protect clinics under siege, or during the full moon. Do this ritual at night, never in the daytime.

Components

• Red candle with the words “Hands off” inscribed on one side and “Laws off” inscribed on the reverse. Use a pin or a nail.
• Your menstrual blood (if during your cycle) or consecrated olive oil
• Incense charcoal
• Cauldron or ashtray
• Bay leaves and myrrh
• Photo or name paper of politician, representative, judge, preacher, or other figure opposing a woman’s right to choose; or the printed logo of an antichoice organization
• Piece of red cloth large enough to wrap around the candle

If it is during your period, you may want to anoint the candle with your menstrual blood. It is an extremely potent magical substance, so you only need a tiny bit spread across the surface.

At your altar dress the inscribed candle with your menstrual blood or olive oil. As you’re doing so, see and feel your fingers transferring your personal power into the wax while repeating in a whisper:

My blood, my life, my power.

Dab your blood onto the photo, name paper, or logo of your target. Feel the feminine energy overpowering your target. Set the candle on your altar, with the target paper in front of it. Perform the Centering Ritual and begin.

Light your charcoal. Light the prepared candle. Say the following prayer:

I call to thee, Hekate of the Crossroads
Queen of the starry cosmos
Lady of the dogs
Guardian of the realms of the dead
Come to me from the deserted places of the
night
I call you to my sacred chant
Please accept my gift of incense
And hear my prayer
Of Protection

Drop bay leaves and myrrh onto charcoal.
Watch the smoke as it rises to please Hekate.
Pick up photo, name paper, or logo in your left hand and hold it in front of you, just below eye level. Say with passion, ferocity, and strength:

Keep your hands off my body
Keep your laws off my body
Only life that is wanted
Shall we carry into this world
Only life that will be loved
Shall be brought forth from our bodies
Whenever the choice must be made
The choice shall be mine
My body
Is not your property
My body
Is not your domain
My body
Is not your god’s
My body
Is my own
Hands off
Laws off
Hands off
Laws off
Hands off
Laws off

Light the target paper on fire from your candle and say:

Not your choice.

Say with all of your focus and will:

MINE!

Drop paper into cauldron and let it burn.
When the paper is burning, say the words of power (see note).

AKROKODÊRE MOUISRÔ CHARCHAR
ADÔNAI ZEUS DÊ DAMNAMENEUS
KYNOBIOU EZAGRA

When the paper has burned completely to ash, say: The spell is cast. My body is protected.

Throw more bay leaf and myrrh onto the charcoal. As the smoke rises, say:

I give praise and thanks to Hekate of the crossroads.
May you go in peace, carrying my prayer. So mote it be.

Extinguish the candle. Clap three times to end the ritual and ground. Wrap the candle tightly in the red cloth. Keep it stored in a safe, secret place, as a ward to protect your body and your choice, and ready to be used again if the need arises.

** Note: Pronounce the “barbarous” words of power, which are drawn from an ancient ritual of Hekate, phonetically to the best of your ability. If you’re feeling ambitious, look up ancient Greek pronunciation. We really don’t know exactly how the words were pronounced, so just say them with passion.

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Here is my entry for 🌊 Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE - Of the Element Water

I love water, water of all kinds. I’ve written before about how healing water is for me, how it is a liminal space, and how it is connected to a deity I work with. I wanted to share these images with you all from the night of the Summer Solstice. I had a pretty crappy day but for the final few hours I decided to go for a swim in my pool.

I’m the kind of person that enjoys being under the water. If I could be under the water for the entire swim, I would! But I mean, unfortunately I can’t breathe under the water I have a little pouch that I can put my phone in to take pictures underwater and that’s exactly what I did.

So from my water-loving heart to yours, here are my photos. 📸

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[martje]

That s a nice one