Such a lovely evening poem to welcome the night. I can see how the picture inspired it! The poem and picture go perfectly together. Thanks for sharing your beautiful entry, Shari! 
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Challenge Entry
I really struggle to get to sleep at night, and to stay asleep. Iâve tried all kinds of things but nothing seemed to work.
In the end, I worked with Co-Pilot to create a gentle evening ritual that can act like a signal to my mind and body that the day is complete and itâs time to rest.
The âClosing the Dayâ Candle Ritual
What youâll need
- A candle (I use one of my beeswax tea light candles)
- A cup of tea, water, or another comforting drink (Iâve been trying out a new herbal blend for sleep)
- A small notebook or scrap of paper
The ritual (5â10 minutes)
1. Light the candle As you light it, say:
âThe day is ending. What is finished may rest. What remains can wait.â
Take three slow breaths.
2. Empty your thoughts onto paper Write down:
- One thing you accomplished today
- One thing youâre grateful for
- One thing youâre letting go of until tomorrow
Keep it brief. The goal is release, not reflection.
3. Sip and settle Hold your drink with both hands. As you drink, imagine tension leaving your shoulders, jaw, and chest.
You might quietly repeat:
âI release what I cannot carry tonight. I welcome rest. Tomorrow will arrive in its own time.â
4. Close the spell Blow out the candle and say:
âThe day is done. My work is done. My mind may wander home.â
Then - and this is very important!! - avoid checking messages or tasks for at least a few minutes.
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What a wonderful challenge entry @Greenbriar 
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I love the combo of a candle, a nice drink, and some journaling. May your ritual help you find a good nightâs rest, Greenbriar! Thank you for sharing your entry 
This is so true! Iâm guilty of obsessively checking messages (and then struggling to fall asleep because of it). Turning off the phone and keeping it on the charger far away has been my best line of defense so far. But every reminder helps - it is important for a good nightâs sleep! 
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One week to go!
Dusk is on the horizon for this challenge, but thereâs still plenty of time before night falls and the curtain closes. Beautiful job to all those who have shared their evening magick so far! 
For those still pondering about the theme, rest assured that plenty of time remains on the challenge clock. There is one more week until this challenge closes.
Looking forward to reading your entries!
Blessed be 
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Challenge Entry
In my youth, my mother always had me prepare for the next day before bedtime. That meant bathing, homework done, book bag by the door. She wasnât much for songs or stories before bed, so I made up my own, though I did have a radio at the head of my bed- easy listening, set so quiet I couldnât hear it unless I was still. It is good to review what worked in youth as hints to what can help in an older age.
My current evening process is similar. At suppertime, I finish up what I have left for the day. Somewhere in that process, I review my to do list, crossing off what I finished with a minor celebration and adding success to my health notes calendar. Then I review what I havenât done, yet, making a list of things I didnât think to write out previously for tomorrowâs focus. That way these things are out of my head and on paper for another day. I can leave them by the computer in another room. I also get out the supplies I need to get the next dayâs chores started- that way, I have more reason to get the chores done, just to put stuff away.
Then Albus calls me for our usual quiet time, settling down. I spend that two hours on anything which relaxes me- card games, reading, listening to music.
If at bedtime I am not quite settled yet, it is usually due to hot feet or some health condition. Even if I wake in the night, I do the same, which can help me settle back down for rest. I refuse to allow myself to bother my birdie roommate, so I will get up and go into another room in the dark. No lights necessary in the city, here. Iâll soak my feet in cool salt water in summer or snuggle in a blanket in winter, taking whatever medicines or extra water will ease symptoms so I can rest. Then I turn on the computer only to dig into a long, winding movie which can quiet my mind, knowing I donât have to finish it because I can note the time bar before I turn it off and finish it tomorrow (or Iâll fall asleep in the middle 
).
None of these patterns seem particularly witchy. However, the real magic is what works for me. May your patterns bring you peace!
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What a wonderful challenge entry Georgia! The magic of it is that it works for you!
Challenge Entry #2
I donât do this very often because getting in and out of the bathtub isnât easy with my crappy knees. That seems to make it more special when I do get in the tub.
Yesterday evening I added some Moonbath Soak bath salts to the water as the tub was filling. As I soaked, I imagined the stress of the day floating away and once I was out and towelled dry, I imagined my worries and concerns draining away with the water as the tub emptied.
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Challenge Entry - Evening Twilight
When I think of Twilight and the liminal connection in my garden it is like the Earth presses the pause button neither light or dark. During this time the Sun is 6% below the horizon before moving to 12% whereby Street lights would be needed.
At this time the veil is thin and doorâs and windows can become portals. A prefect time for ancestral rituals and there is still time to cast a reading of my Witches Runes.
For me I acknowledge that the Earth has stopped to take a breath and so I walk barefoot in my garden, sit on the lawn and look up to see the first stars and planets , there is a feeling of tranquility everywhere the birds and wildlife start to quieten, I look around noticing the shadows forming and then casting further and further until areas become dark.
I close my eyes and listen as far as I can to detect the smallest sound. I feel the breeze on my skin, my feet connected to the Earth and the gentle sound of the water from my pond. I smell the scent of my Star of Jasmine. I feel at one.
Then the Street lights turned on, I hear the traffic the Earth has rotated and started again.
Though I am sad that it over I know that the Earth will stop and take a breath tomorrow and so will I.
With Love and Light 
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Hi everyone forgot to add in my post that all your entries are moving and lovely. I have enjoyed reading every one so far.
With Love and Light
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I am the same with baths itâs hard for me to get in and out of, love how the bath looks and the owls are cute too. 
and the shells I love shells my daughter lives in a beach town she gathers lots of shells for me. 
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I very much enjoyed reading your Challenge Post so inspiring I will eventually do a ancestral ritual when I became more confident. 
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I like the way you defined this. It brought up memories of walking home as a child- guilty that Mom was expecting me earlier, yet that warm hug of glow from the windows of other homes, complete with singing trees as the birds get themselves settled in for bed.
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A beautiful memory to hold close to your thank you for sharing this with me. I am happy you found tranquility in remembering 
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CHALLENGE ENTRY
I think the biggest thing for me is that Iâm not happy with my evening routine. I donât think this time is spent very well and I want to change some very bad habits.
At the end of the work day my husband and I come home and generally just chill out and relax, which is good, but it always ends up being with the beer and a wine and then we chill out a little bit more, watch a movie and go to bed. Although that sounds lovely, I think it is a very bad habit to be drinking every night and I would like to cut back on this area of my life. I think it would also benefit my health greatly.
So I am slowly devising a written evening routine and trying to work towards better habits. Then save the chill out time for the weekend with my husband.
the changes I would like to make for the better
-
putting on my diffuser lighting some incense and candles.
-
maybe some very soft background music something soothing and relaxing, instrumental of course. Maybe sometimes my husband may play his guitar which I really enjoy listening to.
-
do my daily journaling as I tend to get behind in this very often.
-
relax with a cup of chamomile tea while I talk to my husband about the days events and what is on the plan for tomorrow. We work together in our own business so we are together 24/7.
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make sure my kitchen is clean before I go to bed as this always frustrates me and also have meals planned for smoko and lunch the next day. I am a big meal planner and I usually have the week planned in advance and do a lot of Prep on the weekend.
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then it would be lovely to head off to bed around 7:30 with a cup of Sleepy tea and read for a little bit before going to sleep by 8:30. I am learning about astrology at the moment and this would be a good time to catch up on some of my reading.
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intermittently I would also like to do an evening far infrared sauna three times a week as part of my regular routine to detox my body.
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in the summertime as soon as we get home we usually jump in the pool for a relaxing swim. We are now coming back to summer weather and it wonât be long before we can be back in the pool again which I really look forward to. This may involve a small glass of wine while I do it.
So baby steps in making changes for the better. Itâs funny how we can change the good habits to bad habits very quickly but changing back to the good habits is a much slower process.
blessed be
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Love your entry I think your goals are very balanced with some fun still mixed in. Love the idea of getting into a pool after work. Soothing those aching muscles and release any stress lovely. Sadly, for me I will make do so with a shower minus the glass wine too 
Blessings
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@Moonbeam
Thank you my pool is a magnesium pool. We put it in to help with my scoliosis. Although I donât do as much swimming as I should I definitely spend a lot of time in the water relaxing. In Queensland here in Australia it can get very hot in summer so it is very enjoyable.
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A pool with added healing we could all do with one of those I am happy that this helps you and is definitely needed where you are 
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Would a grape juice give you the flavor without the alcohol while you reconfigure your tastes? Just a thought to help wind down. Hot tea is great in cooler weather, but like you said, your area is ramping up to summerâs heat. Iced tea? Make ahead and have it chilled in the fridge, ready for relaxing. Sometimes, we pick up the easiest to grab just because it is ready and we are too tired to mess at the end of the day.
Agreed. Sometimes itâs hard to see the switch from good to bad, too, so I honor you for noticing the changes in yourself and wanting to do the work.
Brilliant! Iâm glad it helps! I had scoliosis when I was young and grew out of it, but I remember the discomfort. May your healing waters give you much needed relief and comfort.
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Iâm a BIT of a night owl 
I also lean heavily into the moon and a collective consciousness. Iâm very intentional, except when like super mad LOL, so I usually spend the earlier part of the day really drilling down on what I want to do with the night.
I love dusk, especially here because you can stand exactly between light and dark. I love the long shadows and, in the hotter months, I love the way the world starts to give me a reprieve.
I would say that usually around dusk, I manifest the mindset that Iâm going to need for later. Itâs when I sit on the porch and watch the neighborhood. Itâs when we eat and come together as a family. Itâs that time when I can go clean out my little pool and not get just scorched! Itâs a time of preparation, a moment when I hold onto the light while being excited for the darkness. Itâs when I gather my strength and purpose.
It might involve a glass of wine or a cocktail. Something that symbolizes the day is done and gone. And then I sit down and work on the story I want the moon the hear later that night.
I feel like sunset and dusk is a special time during the summer and early fall. In the winter, itâs more like a promise of a sunny tomorrow.
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Thatâs a beautiful way to express and perceive it. Iâm drawn to and depict all celestial objects, but the Moon is my primary focus, my center. So, I understand what youâre saying.And I would love to see any photos you take from your perspective. Please feel free to post any in the moon picture thread. I hope you have a blessed weekend.
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