@Amethyst It is fun getting lost in a world of your own creation though 
You have a talent with words I love it <3
@Garnet That’s such an inspirational story <3 and so beautifully worded I felt every emotion <3
I also love everyone’s new names 
Fine choices 
<3 Blessed Be <3
That was beautiful! So eloquent and I could really feel your need for your friend to pull through! And I bet your good work helped a lot! I could almost feel the love pouring off you!
I get that. You wonder why couldn’t the Gods take you instead. But love, if you had gone they’d be here hurting. It’s not fair but it’s nature. Which just is unfair at times. 
I’ll be thinking of you and keeping you in my prayers.
Thank you so much @Liisa! It’s very fun until you get writer’s block and it feels like you’re hitting your head against the wall. LOL. Glad you like my words!
Thank you for sharing my first adventure in magick. Bessings abound
enough for us all.
Disclaimer/TW/content warning: This post contains discussion of depression and anxiety. I’m not discussing anything too intense, but I just wanted to let you know so that you can skip over this post if it could potetnially be upsetting or cause feelings of discomfort.
Tonight, I used the New Moon to take some time to try my hand at a bit of Shadow Work. I’ve heard about how intense it can be, and, honestly, as someone with depression and anxiety, I’m still a bit apprehensive at giving it a go. I decided to start out as light as possible for a while and sort of ease into it a bit instead of diving in too deep of water without first putting on a life jacket.
I did the Moon in Aries Meditation after a few other steps (smudging with palo santo, casting a Circle, calling the Quarters, presenting an offering to and praying to Bast for protection, etc.).
I think tonight ended up being a great night for the Moon in Aries Meditation because the gloomy, dreary weather has had me feeling a bit “meh.” I imagined the jungle in the meditation being a symbol of the struggles I face with my depression and anxiety symptoms. The visualization of the fire within me clearing out and transforming the jungle of my symptoms was surprisingly effective at helping me to feel a bit lighter and less under the weather! 
After the Moon in Aries Meditation, I used the Shadow Worksheet found on Spells8 as a prompt for my journaling in my Book of Mirrors, or, should I say, my Omnibook™️ (as mentioned previously). I took it easy and just focused on the “My irrational fears and the problems they cause” part. I feel like I had a huge breakthrough that took even more weight off my shoulders, and I wanted to share some of the statements I wrote; I feel like they may apply to things some of you may be working through.
Stressing and worrying about it only causes me anxiety.
Stressing about something that I have no power to control drains me of my power to be able to control what I can.
By stressing about this situation that I can’t control, I am accomplishing nothing. This fear does not benefit me. It only destroys me.
What else can I put my freed-up energies toward once I get that weight off my shoulders?
I hope y’all enjoyed your weekend! Blessed be! 
Congrats on jumping into the BOM course, @Jewitch! How are you liking it so far? 
Hooray for the Green Witchery- feel free to share any fun plants you discover as you explore your yard in search of lovely herbs! 
I’m glad the New Moon brought you insight and good energy. May the positive vibes carry you through the week- thanks for sharing! 
Lovely, @AliceInWonderdab! I can tell your witch name was chosen with thought and care- Joan is a beautiful name 
Well done with your BOM, @Liisa! 
It sounds like you had fun putting it together- the pictures are stunning! I love the new quill as well 
I hope you continue to enjoy the process of filling up your new BOM. The poem to Freya is gorgeous- thank you for sharing your lovely words! 
Thank you again for sharing your entry, @Susurrus- it was a delight to read 
Beautifully written @Garnet 
The emotion is tangible- sending love, light, and endless support to you 
Great correspondences and beautiful BOS, @Missa! And congrats on your new name 
Hooray for your craft name, @Christina4! 
If you do decide that you’d like to change your username, feel free to give a shout here or in a PM and we can update it for you 
Your chant is beautiful written- thank you for sharing your talents
“Different Drums” was delightful to read, @steph! We are blessed that you chose to share it with us- your words have an important message! 
Congrats on your new name, @Kasandra! 
It sounds like it is a name that resonates deeply with you for many reasons- an excellent fit! Blessing to you and your name name- enjoy!
Well done @Rowan- and congrats on your witch name! Sometimes find us when we least expect it, and it sounds like this name came to you at exactly the right moment Rowan carries beautiful meaning and has a powerful ring to it- blessing to you and your witch name!
Gorgeous @Amethyst- it is a name with personal history and lovely nostalgia that suits you well! May your new username bring you many blessings on your witchy path! And wonderfully written with the Prayer to Apollo and Elemental Circle Banishment- it is always such a delight to read your words and poetry. You blew this challenge out of the water- fantastically done! 
I had quite the surprise when I logged in this morning and had to play a quick game of Coven Detective to figure out who was who! 
Well done to all the talented writers of the coven!
Friendly reminder 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: April 13th, 7:00 AM CET (Central European Time Zone)
Blessed be! 
I loved the BoM course! I appreciated how much of an emphasis it put on “do whatever feels right to you” because pretty much all of the other journaling resources I’ve looked at up to this point have been very “you HAVE to do it this particular way, or it’s not real journaling” which I knew wasn’t true, but it was very de-motivating. The Spells8 BoM course was super motivating though.! 
Thank you my dear! I feel comfortable with it at the very least. So that’s good. Glad you liked my writing! It was fun! I had a good day yesterday doing this!
Hee! I figured you’d be confused. Sorry about that. I’d say it won’t happen again but we’ll get newbies and it’ll come up again. LOL!
Content warning for a deep dive into fear and anxiety
As someone who’s also been struggling with anxiety for a long time, I recognize these are some very powerful and meaningful statements you discovered! Anxiety can be such a slippery eel to get a hold of. A shapeless blob of terror. I think this same moon showed me a very similar lesson, and I consider it a major breakthrough too. Some of my discoveries…
I have a limited amount of energy and time to use it. Everyone does. We might have a divine spark within us, but we’re still just guests on this plane of existence.
I can choose how I spend that energy. Or save it for later.
Basic needs come first. Food, water, sleep. If I “just loan some” time or energy from those, I’m going to have a bad time.
Self care is also a basic need.
Things that our brains may trick us to do when faced with a difficult situation: stress and overthink, worry and catastrophize, feel guilty about getting here and a better person for feeling that guilt, reinforcing it. Anxiety is the sum of these and maybe more. I don’t know if they helped our ancestors, but they certainly don’t help us. If at all possible, please feel free to skip this step.
It all comes down to doing or not doing a thing. I can stress and worry about it all I want but it doesn’t let me evade the decision.
I can try to explain to myself that it was the stress / worry that made the decision for me, but what difference does it make really? Suffering doesn’t make me a better person, it just makes me feel worse.
My background to these is being unemployed for two years, after having been an academic overachiever for a lot longer, or trying way too hard to be. Suddenly a lot of time to think and try different things, but it like everything else has its complexities. Now I’m just learning to be human again. And a witch.
@Jewitch @CelestiaMoon Thank you both for sharing these thoughts <3 I have struggled with anxiety for quite some time now, thankfully I have been spared the depression that can come with it so far. It can be a daily struggle sometimes but these words really are simple yet powerful <3 Practising the craft has made me look further into myself than I’ve ever done and sometimes that stirs up the anxiety already in us, but I wouldn’t change it for the world because it has made me more humble in my approach to what happiness truly is, not a constant state we live in but one we enjoy when we have it and let go off temporarily before coming back to it <3 Blessed Be <3
I relate to this on a spiritual level I moved back in with my parents after I graduated from college in 2018, took a gap year before applying to grad school because I was so burnt-out from school, and got rejected after being thoroughly convinced that I was going to get accepted, and have had a hell of a time trying to find a job. After getting turned down by every single job I applied for, I FINALLY found something working as a part-time admin/moderator for a mostly-LGBT social network company, but it doesn’t offer benefits and on May 12th, I’ll be aging out of my parents’ health insurance plan. All the while, I’ve been watching my friends and people I graduated with getting promotion after promotion in their Adult Jobs that they got right out of college. ~end rant~ haha
@CelestiaMoon @Liisa and anyone else who knows what it’s like to live with anxiety and/or depression, y’all are valid, worthy, and strong! I may not know exactly how you’re feeling because only you can, but know that you’re not alone in your struggles and that even though I don’t know y’all very well yet, I’m always willing to lend an ear if you need to vent about anything! I may not always know how what to say, but I’m always willing to listen!
Blessed be, everyone! I hope you’ve all had a marvelous Monday!
We are always here for you too <3 You will find a job, once all of these restrictions start to ease I’m sure the job market will pick up again <3 Blessed Be <3
Beautifully and emotionally written, @CelestiaMoon As a fellow witch with anxiety (one of the many here in the forum family, I see! Hugs to all!) your message hit a powerful note within me. Sending love and light your way- it sounds like the time to step back and think while discovering yourself has been a gift in disguise for you. There are good things on the horizon- may many blessings find their way to you soon! 
I am so glad to hear that your craft has helped you find a path towards happiness, @Liisa! You have chosen to have a wonderful mindset- may your beautiful magick and positivity continue to guide you well! 
Your words are very powerful, @Jewitch- thank you for blessing the coven with this inspirational message! 
It can be hard to learn how to stop comparing ourselves with others, but it does help to know we are all on the path forward and always moving upward to bigger and better things on the horizon 
May wonderful things be coming your way!
This challenge is now CLOSED Well written, everyone! Thank you for sharing your names, words, and stories with the coven- they were a delight to read! 
A Props and Presents post will soon appear with shout-outs and prize details. Please keep an eye on the main page of the forums.
Note : This post will remain open for continued discussion for a few more days, but no additional prizes will be given after today.
Blessed be! 
Lord and lady
My intention is to be close to your reverence And I pray that the words of this book of mirrors and gives me the tenacity to do a reflection of my life from the inside out. May I have the mind that is mindful and reflects . Give me opportunity to reflect my actions that are negative or positive and help me get through all my peaks and valleys. All my highs and lows help me to honor you and see what you want me to see. Good and bad caution anyone who looks at my book and mirrors or Grimore they will be pained. This is a book that has magical properties and is mine not yours! I actually have two more but the paint is drying right now so I was really trying to wait so I could put all four of them together I also got a dream book and a another one for my animal totems and Diety.
I also did a ritual to bless my Bless my Book of Mirrors and Grimoire, Bos, Dream book 
ect!
I asked the Lord and Lady to to concentrate my bos and did a small prayer and meditation 
. I also opened up the quarters and asked my ancestors to be with me during this ritual.
My flame that I used for my alter was really big. I thought it was very unusual. I used a black pentagram to repel negative influences! I used my book from The ultimate book of shadows for the new generation solitary which by Silver Raven Wolf and she gives you instructions on how to have a small ritual for your Bos. Since today was a new moon 
I thought it was perfect! I also used a cord on top of the books and FYI my Grimoire was green for growth of spirit! Are used a small meditation and also used some holy water to sprinkle over my books and what I did was I asked the Lord and Lady and Hecate to help me concentrate my items and give me ability to have peace love prosperity protection happiness and harmony! I also invoked a earth pentagram and sealed it of with the cord and Pentagram. I also used a air pentagram to give me protection and ability to have a good practice in my craft.
Absolutely Stunning Dahhhhling! Seriously, they all look great!
Rowan,
I love that I finally have something that I made. I actually had did all the work and really just love how well it turned out! Know all’s I need to do is write in dragons blood 
and add my writing for my first page . I did write down my intentions and you saw it right above this post! image|666x500
I burned the edges for my intention to make use of my books and really get down to the bone 
and start being as dedicated as I can to the Lord and Lady!
Thanks Rowan I really like your witch name fits you well!
Jeannie
Blessed be ⚕️
Love and light:candle:
glad to know that you like it…
