👣 Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE - Your Magickal Roots

[BryWisteria]

Warm greetings to all!

Thank you once again to the talented folks who joined in for last week’s Weekly Witchy Challenge- Elemental Mastery

After combining talent with creativity to explore ways of using all of the elements in our magickal practice, it is time to take a step back and turn reflective.

The theme for this week’s challenge is…

Exploring Your Magickal Roots

We all find our magickal path in one way or another- some come from a line of practicing pagans while others were called to the craft through various other ways.

Some have been building their practice for years while others have just begun- but no matter the stage of your journey, we are celebrating that you are here now!

This challenge is all about exploring and reflecting on your magickal roots

Are you ready? It’s… CHALLENGE TIME!

Step 1: Looking Back

Everyone’s journey into magick is wonderfully unique- so take some time to reflect on your own experience.

As you reflect on your own personal journey into magick you might explore ancestral ties, connect with a magickal sect or following, or meditate as you look back on the road you have walked so far.

Here are just a few suggestions as you reflect on your magickal roots:

Reflect back on your own personal journey into magick

Feel free to share your road into your magickal practice! You might talk about:

When did you first feel called to your magickal practice?

Did you find magick on your own, or through a friend or family?

When did you begin practicing?

What drew you to magick- did you have any favorite aspects?

How has your magickal practice grown and changed over time?

Anything else you’d like to share about your discovery of magick?

Connect with your heritage

Was the craft something handed down in your family? Even if magick wasn’t passed down through the ages- you share the blood and heritage of your ancestors

Perhaps you have an interest in a particular pagan practice or deity due to ancestral ties?

Feel free to explore and share your own cultural heritage and how your ancestral roots have influenced your magickal practice and beliefs.

Explore the history of your magickal sect/following

For those that may not want to share their own personal voyage or ancesteral ties, consider delving into more general magickal history

While many choose to develop their own magickal paths, many others resonate with a sect or specific following of pagan beliefs- all with rich history to explore and learn from.

A few examples and possibilities :

• If you identify as Wiccan, you may choose to explore the roots of Wiccan history.

→ Such as the video Wicca Initiation: History of Modern Paganism
→ Or the discussion Paganism 101: Are Wicca and Paganism the Same?

• If you work closely with a diety, perhaps consider exploring their history and rise to power.

→ Many deities and devotionals can be found in the Collections of Deities from the Spells8 site
→ Lists of deities and resources can be found in Dealing with the Divine

• If you follow another specific branch of paganism (such as Luciferianism, Druidism, or other) or tradition (such as those originating from Celtic, Greek, Egyptian, Japanese, or other cultures) you may explore those roots as well!

… And more!

This challenge is very open- feel free to explore your magickal roots in a way that resonates with you!

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STEP 2 : Share Your Experience

No matter how you choose to tackle this challenge, you must share your experience!

Please share:

• Your personal journey into magick and/or what you learned about you/your chosen path’s magickal history

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!

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This challenge will close in 6 DAYS

To join in, please share your experience by:

2021-03-02T06:00:00Z CET (Central European Time Zone)

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

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.

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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

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

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Whether it was paved by your ancestors or forged by your hands, the road you’ve come is cause for celebration and appreciation- congrats to you on your journey so far!

Blessed be

[Susurrus]

Oh, I love this one & I love writing. So I think I will use the prompts & then do some research on my deity Brigid. @MeganB had some new information about her & it made me more curious about Brigid than I already was. I have been wearing my Brigid’s Cross & Claddaugh necklace to keep her with me while I am progressing through my days. Thank you for this one. I’m very intrigued!

[MeganB]

Oohhhh this is a good one!!

is much excited

[Kasandra]

What great timing! I was looking through my mirror book last night (which is a just handful of notes on my phone, ) and surprising myself with the knowledge I’ve gained since last June.
My journey might make a long post, so we’ll see if I’ll have to make a new topic.

[BryWisteria]

That sounds wonderful, @Susurrus- I know you love writing! I’m looking forward to reading your journey and hearing more about your practice with the lovely Brigid

I’m so glad you think so, @MeganB!

Cheers to that, @Kasandra- I keep a journal on my laptop as I’ve found it’s just so much easier to keep notes there (and easier to read afterwards too! ). Congrats to you on your journey so far- I’d love to read your experience if you are willing to share!

@Kasandra

My journey might make a long post, so we’ll see if I’ll have to make a new topic.

Long posts are absolutely welcome- but yes! If you have a lot to share, a new post (while linking back to the challenge so that it counts as an entry) is a great way to keep the thread neat and tidy

Thanks so much- I’m really looking forward to reading it!

[christina4]

This one’s going to make me think I’ll have to come up with something creative.

[Jeannie1]

Hi
I too was listening to Round the Cauldron I’m pretty sure it was her that said it helps to figure out where and who your ancestors were. I just took a DNA sample and figured what my DNA says about me. I would really like to dive inn a little deeper by figuring out who exactly they were. (Like specific people) Anyway, It helped a lot. It gave me more of a identity as appose to where I am from.Knowing where I came from! I wondered if that was why I was drawn to the Celtic practice because it was the first book I found on the subject of Witchcraft. Most of my descendants are Celtic Vikings & the Germanic Anglo Saxon. But still I am still working with different possibilities and want to keep my practice open. I heard it’s good to start with the Wiccan cause Gerrrald Gardner used a lot of different practices and I can appreciate that! Can’t wait to hear about everyone! This is important and glad we are working on this challenge.
Thanks so much
Jeannie
Blessed be

[MeganB]

@Jeannie1

I too was listening to Round the Cauldron

I don’t remember what episode that was, but that sounds like something I would say if someone doesn’t know where to start!

[BryWisteria]

I’m looking forward to seeing what your creative mind comes up with, @Christina4! Enjoy!

That is so cool- I’ve always wanted to try the DNA sample test, @Jeannie1! It sounds like you were able to unearth your heritage and trace back your family to certain regions. That is so exciting! Congrats to you on your discovery

[Susurrus]

Good morning! I have done my DNA through Ancestry and through My Heritage. They pretty much came out the same but I traced my roots back to the Black Forest Germany & back to the Romania area of “gypsy”. I have a lot of people in my tree from there and they settled in the USA anywhere from PA to VA on my mother’s side. My father’s side is from Italy & Ireland mostly. If I can get a screenshot of my DNA origins I will post that in a little bit from my phone. It just looks cool how they break it down for you.

I was introduced to paganism/wicca by my stepmother. She brought it up & I was very interested & curious. My friend that lived the next town over used to practice, so I would practice with her & we got along great. Once I moved and had children of my own, I put that part of me on hold for over 20 years while I was their mother full time. I am still a full time mother but my boys are adults now. My daughter has some interest in what I’m doing & likes to try it with me sometimes.

Last July I found Spells8 by accident doing a general search for witchcraft after another friend sparked the interest in me & I had started working with crystals again. Since then my practice has grown & expanded in ways that I never imagined. Without the help & support of Spells8, I don’t think I would have come as far as I have.

[Francisco]

@Jeannie1

I heard it’s good to start with the Wiccan cause Gerrrald Gardner used a lot of different practices and I can appreciate that!

That has always been my view! I’m glad you mentioned it. For this challenge I made a video that ends with Gerald Gardner and Wicca: From Aleister Crowley to Wicca: 4 Types of Paganism

I decided not to go the DNA route because there is so much there to uncover that it feels a bit overwhelming!!

@Susurrus That’s very interesting. Have you been to Italy? I just wish international travel was safer right now so I could visit!

[Susurrus]

@Francisco I have never been overseas. I would love to visit Italy & Ireland! One day I’ll get there!

[Rowan]

I think I knew there was always something, at the time I wasn’t sure what to actually call it but I just felt called to the less traveled path of things, believing in things many could not fathom or would not admit. I’m an empath and been aware of this for a few years now. Until then, I was always labeled “emotional” or “having anger issues”…lol. Being Irish and German of course I have a temper but when I realized how to ground myself and tune into what was really going on I can now manage my emotions, which back then I didn’t realize it wasn’t all my own emotions but rather my reactions to the emotions I was picking up on. I’ve always been intuitive, uncanny at times in the past the things I would sense.
It was after the fake floor of my first marriage went out from under me that one day driving home from work, I stopped into a book store by my house and bought my first deck of Tarot, Raider Waite to be exact. Those cards became like a security blanket for me, I carried them with me and was just in awe of the connection I felt when using them. At a time in my life when everything I thought I knew was false, they were like a companion, my guide to the new road ahead of me. I never thought about how or why I decided to go to the book store and buy that deck that day, I don’t remember planning it or even speaking about wanting to learn Tarot. It’s as if they called on me to find them.
Then I was a single mom to a 6 year old little boy and focused all my energy on being everything he needed me to be for him. Then a short while later we met a great guy who became everything we both needed, and with that a bit later our family of three became a family of five with the addition of two baby girls 10 months apart…
Another thing that put me on the path of magic was the encounters with spirits that I have had in my life, some just leaving me in amazed wonder and others making me run for my covers…
That taught me protection of not only myself and loved ones but of my home and space.
Then I moved to South Carolina, jumping completely on a leap of faith and a feeling of I had to live here, I discovered manifestation and meditation. A thought becomes a thing became my household bulletin announcement. I honestly believe that this move to South Carolina was manifested into reality after our family vacation here almost two years prior to moving. Then I began learning more and more about negative energy and vibrations, candle magic and minting doors, salt in the corners and bells on the knobs.
And Alas, I stumbled upon Spells 8 after being in another group for a year that just was not the right fit. Spells 8 has a belonging vibe for me, a kinship separated by distance but not in heart.
This is a bit of my magickal roots, I still have a lot to learn, a lot to try, and I’m grateful to go through it all with each of you on my side. Ha! I’m a Poet and didn’t know it!!!

[Jeannie1]

Francisco,
That’s Awsome, I can appreciate this opportunity to learn and put all the pieces together. I had no idea that Alestair Crowley was friends with Gerald Gardner. How his work was the exact opposite of the new testament. He was a polytheistic facet and loved the Egyptian Gods. But was fascinating that

@Francisco

Using his own quotations, it is also possible to make the claim that he was a monotheist .

I really resonate with being an eclectic multicultural religion because it has the blend of the eastern and western mysticism. Also interesting that in that time The Hermetic Order of The Golden Dawn was in the world. I have that book and just goes to show how much I appreciate knowledge. I love how know I can understand what was happening at that time. You think he got some ideas from The Golden Dawn in Wicca?
Jeannie
Blessed be

[Jeannie1]

Krissie,
My DNA

Thank you for sharing it looks like we both have Scottish In us. Germanic, England & Northwestern! We should see if we’re related! Lol
I am so glad that you were introduced to paganism and Wicca by your stepmom she sounds like a really cool person to know. It’s sad that you had to put away what you love for so long to be a full-time mom. You’re a great person to be a sacrifice for the kiddos! I too feel like I had to put a lot of things on hold for my children. And by the way I don’t think that it was an accident that you found us.

Tamera,

@Rowan

I’m an empath and been aware of this for a few years now. Until then, I was always labeled “emotional” or “having anger issues”…lol. Being Irish and German of course I have a temper but when I realized how to ground myself and tune into what was really going on I can now manage my emotions, which back then I didn’t realize it wasn’t all my own emotions but rather my reactions to the emotions I was picking up on

Blockquote I have alot to say, you could not have worded that any better. I didnt realize that I was picking up from the negative energies in the room neither. I also didn’t realize that my thoughts become my actions neither. You said that you are very intuitive, and I feel the same. To many times I was being told that my intuition was wrong & I never trusted my gut because people would knock me. Goes to show how I should start trusting myself. I always ended up being right. I want to love myself to the core!! Know I am learning to love my gift. Before, no ne even would admit that we all have a intuition. Till I meet my bestie who is a witch.
You said that the tarot was like a security blanket, sometimes I cant walk out the door unless I have my tarot with me. You said its like a companion me too I am learning to be strong for myself and trust that intuition. It’s a really good tool and seems like you have all the tools you need to work your magic!! I Remember that bracelet you made that was magical with the evil eye. See your helping me too and that’s awesome because I really needed some protection in my family and that helped. I am glad we all have eachother!

Blessed be
Jeannie

[walter]

I understand exactly how you feel @Susurrus same here, i came across Spells8 by accident, and has been the best thing that’s happened to me, spiritually. I can’t believe how much I’ve grown and learned. Wicca has been almost my daily practice, a year in April. (June officially, where I accepted the religion in my heart)

[Susurrus]

I finally accepted it & did my self initiation in September. Thank you everyone! I am an empath so on some level I knew that the Christian religions weren’t what fulfilled me.

@Rowan

I’m an empath and been aware of this for a few years now.

I am the same and knowing that there were other people like me really helped once I found my way here. I feel on such a deep level and personalize other people’s feelings. So I wind up beating myself up for them or taking on their pain or their joy. I have been aware that I feel very deeply for many years, I just didn’t know what it was or why I couldn’t just turn it off like other people. I was also labeled emotional or angry or a bitch. Whatever works for people I guess.

@Jeannie1 we have some similarities! I love it! I think the DNA breakdowns are so interesting. My family tree on Ancestry has over 8100 people in it. I love to see how far back I can go with it.

As for my stepmom, we had our issues. She was my mother from the time I was about 2 years old until just after my second son turned 1 year old. She was my abuser for many years. It wasn’t until I had my first son that it stopped & we could talk to each other. She passed away in 2003 to pancreatic cancer. But she is the person who got me my first tumbled stones & introduced me to Tiger’s Eye stones & others. When I got back to my practice, I took out the stones I had from when I was a teenager & started with those.

@walter thank you also, I found Spells8 completely by accident in July when I was looking into being an empath & working with crystals & just being curious about what I was thinking & doing. It just made sense once I started going through the courses & doing things. I was like, oh, this is home!

[Amethyst]

Beautiful story @Rowan! And I love your closing statement! I think that goes for a lot of us here! Good job!

[walter]

@Susurrus , exactly my feelings as well. It’s like, oh, ok, this is where I belong…