šŸ’€ Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE- The Veil Between Worlds

:warning: Friendly Warning- this post talks about death. If this topic is upsetting for you, please click the back button and return to the main page of the forums.




Greetings to all!

Well done once again to all those who joined in for last weekā€™s special Weekly Witchy Challenge- Catch Up!

The clock has struck and time is up- all previous challenges are once again closed. But when one door closes another one opens- and this challenge opens the door to all that lies beyond.

The theme for this weekā€™s challenge isā€¦

:skull_and_crossbones: :candle: Honoring Those Who Have Moved On :diya_lamp: :skull:

We have recently entered Scorpio season :scorpius: - a time ruled by the transformative planet Pluto who symbolizes the cycle of life and death :red_circle:

With Halloween festivities and Samhain celebrations coming this week, this is a perfect opportunity to take some time to honor those who no longer have a physical presence in this world.

Although it may be a scary or sad conversation at times, death is an important and unavoidable stage of the cycle of life. It is a serious topic- but not one that should be shunned or given a purely negative context.

Consider the tarot card ā€œDeathā€- while it symbolizes the end, it also heralds a transformation and a new beginning :raised_hands:

In Wicca, The Horned Man dies at Mabon. But the wheel is always turning, and the masculine deity is reborn again to rise once more in the cycle of the year.

Some cultures and practices even consider death to be a joyous affair as it is considered to be a celebration of life itself :confetti_ball: .

Whether you have a somber celebration or a joyous ritual- there are many ways to enter this weekā€™s challenge. The goal this week is to see beyond the veil between worlds to honor those who have moved on.

Are you ready? Itā€™sā€¦ CHALLENGE TIME!

STEP 1 : Honoring the Dead :skull:

In addition to the pagan holiday Samhain, there are many other rituals and celebrations honoring the dead all over the world.

Here are just a few to get you inspired:

  • Japan has a variety of traditions including floating lit lanterns on lakes and into the sky for Obon.

  • Polish people fill graveyards with candles and lanterns on All Saintā€™s Day and commemorate lost ones on the following All Soulsā€™ Day.

  • The seventh month of the Chinese lunar calender is called the Ghost Month and China has the Zhongyuan Festival (Hungry Ghost Festival) in which they perform ceremonies and appease spirits of the past.

  • DĆ­a de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a colorful and exciting time celebrated in Mexico.

Across borders, languages, and cultures- many people take time to honor their ancestors and loved ones that have passed.

The above holidays and celebrations are just a few ways that people honor death- here are even more you might consider:

  • Make an altar- Consider setting up an altar in honor of the deceased. You might make an offering of their favorite foods or items.

  • Attempt to communicate with spirits- You may try to connect or speak with those in another place. Perhaps try mediumship, an Ouija Board, or Heather to help you reach across.

  • Worship a Deity of Death- Practice with a god associated with the afterlife or death. You might consider the Horned Man,
    Persephone the Queen of the Underworld, or one of the many other deities of death.

  • Meditate- take some quiet time to focus your energies and meditate on the cycle of life and death. Find answers within yourself about how you approach the cycle and what death means to you. You might include lighting purple candles.

Purple-candle-spells-meaning-colors

Witches-New-Year-Samhain

Still not sure what to do? Here are some additional great Samhain resources that can give you more knowledge and guidance:

STEP 2 : Share Your Experience :writing_hand:

Whether you choose to celebrate Samhain, follow another cultural tradition, worship a deity of death, or follow another approach- you must share your experience to participate!

Please tell us about your experience honoring the dead

For your entry to be counted, please write about your experience in the comments below and/or create a new post in the forums. If you create a new post, please tag the challenge by adding a hyperlink back to this post - thank you! :grinning:


:exclamation: This challenge will be open for 6 DAYS! :exclamation:

To join in, please share your experience by 7:00 AM CET (Central European Time) on Tuesday, November 3rd!


:gift:
For their efforts, all participants will receive a special shout-out and a small prize! :gift_heart:

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.
:gift:


A warm reminder that all challenges are designed to be very open- everyone is encouraged to participate in a way that reflects their unique practice :open_book:

:warning: Respect Reminder :warning:

Please remember that members of the forum family come from many walks of life and different practices- you may encounter views and beliefs around death that differ than yours.

Also consider that some people may still be recovering from a recent loss of a loved one.

When responding to challenge entries of other people, please be respectful of the beliefs and situations of others.

This is a supporting and loving community- let that shine through now!

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 a moderator.

For those new to challenges, know that these activities are designed 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 :handshake:

May honoring those who are gone give you an appreciation for the cycle of life and a reminder that love and joy can cross even the veil between worlds

Blessed be! :candle::two_hearts:

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What a timely challenge! Great idea! Although when you were talking about Heather, I was all like, ā€˜who is Heather?ā€™ until I clicked the link. :rofl: :rofl:

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This is great! Thank you :grin:

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I love this challenge already! I think I am going to set up my altar with some of my grandmother items. I will post a picture when I get it all set up!

Thank you and I cant wait to get started!

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This is such a lovely idea :heart:

and @Amethyst omg

:face_with_hand_over_mouth: :face_with_hand_over_mouth: :rofl: actually snorted and now Iā€™m crying.

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Well! Around here, Heather is a popular name, not a plant. I donā€™t think Iā€™ve ever seen heather the plant. LOL!

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That sounds like a lovely idea for an altar, @Susurrus :blush: I look forward to seeing how you set it up in honor of your grandmother- I know it will be lovely :two_hearts: Maybe include some of your photo albums too? :framed_picture:

Omg @Amethyst you are too funny!!! :rofl: Hahaha maybe I shouldnā€™t have capitalized it- I think if ā€œHeatherā€ is a person, their name should be capitalized- but if itā€™s just the plant it should be lower case :laughing: Whoopsies! Or maybe there is a Heather out there who can help you speak with the dead? :thinking: Curiouser and curiouser! :rofl:

And you are very welcome- Iā€™m glad you like the theme this week @Rowan and @Limeberry! :sparkling_heart:

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Thank you! I think I am going to try adding some of her things today. I wish I could get to my albums, they are in a tote downstairs now and I canā€™t make it down there. I will have to see if I can find the smaller one that I have of family members from long ago. I had that one in my room, it may still be upstairs! Thank you

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It sounds lovely, @Susurrus- I hope you can find some still upstairs! Or maybe send someone on a quest downstairs to see what they can retrieve? Either way I am sure your altar is going to look wonderful :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

Iā€™ll be waiting until Halloween festivities are over to set up a Samhain altar and meditation zone on Sunday. Looking forward to it! Iā€™ll try to remember to snaps some pics to share on Monday :camera_flash:

Happy celebrating, everyone! :two_hearts:

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I made an ancestor altar. I celebrated my daughterā€™s birthday (which is on our new year :jack_o_lantern:) too! I meditated and communicated with the departed with a written letter and I burned it to send it out to the universe. And I did some candle magic.

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Oh that sounds awesome! Iā€™m so happy you had a great night! I still have my altar set up for my ancestors and I think to day I am going to do some more pendulum work. We did a little bit last night after the dumb supper and we did a jar spell under the full moon in front of a bonfire.

Tell your daughter I said Happy Birthday!

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This is my altar for my ancestors. Last night we also held a dumb supper, used a pendulum to speak to ancestors/loved ones, did a jar spell under the full moon by a bonfire, it was a great night. The moon was gorgeous too! We were outside during our festivities and in our favorite dresses. I also had my witchy blanket, because its soft & cuddly.

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Of course :blush::heart: thank you! I just told her :blush: she said that we have the same name :grin: sheā€™s learning that more than one person can have the same name.

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Oh thatā€™s awesome! She is very welcome! Have a great day!

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Thatā€™s beautiful, Krissie! Sounds like you had fun under the Moon!

I saw it mostly from the window but tonight weā€™ll make a bonfire :fire:

I wish I had more memorabilia from my ancestors but thatā€™s all back in my hometown. I did however print my late grandfatherā€™s picture for this occasion, and carved pumpkins :jack_o_lantern:

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Iā€™m putting together a special altar for my mother and my aunt. I didnā€™t have time to get it set up for Samhain, but their birthday and the anniversary of my momā€™s passing is the 7th, exactly one week after Samhain. Iā€™m trying to decide what to put on it other than just photos. I want to put up something representing their extra special psychic bond they had that only identical twins share.

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I could be wrong, but I believe Samhain is for another 2 nights! So you have time! @Francisco or @BryWisteria or @SilverBear would know better. As I understand it, there is still time!

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On the ancestor altar, you can put physical objects like family heirlooms (jewelry, quilts, vintage clothing and accessories, kitchenware), or other memorabilia such as letters, recipes, artwork, stories, and of course, food and beverages.

Also candles and handmade things that you can prepare especially for this occasion.

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Hey everyone! Hope everyone had a good holiday. I did the Samhain Solitary Celebration for the New Year. After I lit the candle I wrapped myself up in Momā€™s old jacket and I have a good family portrait of me, my Mom and my Dad hanging up by my computer desk. Nothing jumped off my walls or even made me think that Mom and Dad are around but I had a wonderful feeling of nostalgia all day. It was a wonderful little ritual and I thank @Francisco for sharing it.

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A lovely ritual, @Christina4- and a very happy (belated) birthday to your daughter! :partying_face::cake:

A jar spell under the full moon with a bonfire- sounds like an amazing experience, @Susurrus! Iā€™d love to hear more about it in your lovely After Samhain Tea Time today :coffee::blush:

A beautiful altar, @Francisco! The pumpkins are wicked cute :jack_o_lantern::grin:

I think it is absolutely okay to wait until the anniversary of their passing, @AmethystGlynae - and adding their photos is a lovely touch! Consider leaving an offering of their favorite foods or sweets, any items of theirs that you still have, a letter written to them, and candles or lanterns to light their way :candle:

That sounds like a lovely ritual, @Amethyst- I am sure they are watching over you and sending you their love from beyond. Hope you had a blessed holiday as well! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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