:fire_element: WITCH CHALLENGE - Fire Magick

[BryWisteria]

Merry meet!

Thank you once again to all those who joined in for last week’s Witchy Challenge - Sacred Blades

If you thought things were shiny last week, get ready to glow - we’re lighting up for the fire festival! The theme for this challenge is inspired by the sabbat and is…

Fire Magick

It’s sabbat time! April 30 - May 1 is one of the eight pagan holidays on the Wheel of the Year. It will be Beltane in the Northern Hemisphere and Samhain in the Southern Hemisphere - both of which are known as “Fire Festivals”. The fire festivals are the four cross-quarter sabbats (Beltane, Lammas, Samhain, and Imbolc). The name refers to the fire-themed traditions performed during these holidays.

The cross quarter days of Imbolc, Lammas, Samhain and Beltane are often associated with the element of fire. Beltane in particular is known as a festival of fire, and it’s not uncommon to celebrate the greening of the earth with a large bonfire.
From Learn Religions: Quarter Days and Cross Quarter Days

Whether you’d like to honor the holiday or simply light up your sacred space with some dazzling magick, it’s time to tap into the power of flame. You might use candles, light a bonfire, make offerings, worship a deity associated with fire, or more.

There are some suggestions below, and if you’re looking for additional inspiration, feel free to revisit entries shared in the previous fire-themed challenges: Light 'Em Up Candle Magick, Of the Element Fire, and Of Candles and Flame. It’s a beloved area of the Craft to explore!

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This challenge is about fire magick - how you choose to take on this theme is up to you.

So are you ready? Because it’s…

CHALLENGE TIME!

Safety Note: Although a popular aspect of religious and spiritual practices, fire can be dangerous. Please remember Fire & Candle Safety when working with flame. Be safe and have fun!

Picture from Canva

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Magickal Flame

This challenge is all about using fire in the Craft - as always, feel free to explore the theme in a way that aligns with you and your unique practice.

Still not sure where to begin? To help you get started, here are a few suggested spells and other ways in which a witch might approach this challenge.

Please make sure you are logged into your Spells8 Account so you can view all of the resources shared!

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Celebrate the Fire Festival

Beltane: Symbols and Traditions

Beltane Abundance Bonfire Spell

Samhain: Symbols and Rituals

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Cast Fire Spells

Fire Elemental Invocation

Red Candle Fire Elemental Spell

Spell for Energy: Ignite Your Inner Fire

Pryomancy: Fire Divination

Bay Leaf Burning: Manifest a Wish

Dragon Flame Tea Meditation

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Work with a Fire Deity

Belenus: Great God of Light and Fire

The Goddess Brigid

The Goddess Hecate

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…And More!

The suggestions above are just a few ideas to help kickstart your creativity. If you feel called to explore the challenge theme in another way, you are welcome to do so.

Spells8 Printable Page: Beltane: Sacred Traditions of the Fire Festival

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How to Join the Challenge

In order for your entry to be counted, all you have to do is write/share about your experience and label it as your challenge entry. There is a lot of chatting here (which is awesome- chatting and discussion are very welcome!) so please clearly write that it is your entry so I know to count it!

Where Do I Share My Entry?

Click here to learn where to share your challenge entry

You are welcome to post it right here- just click “reply” to this post and write your experience in the text box that pops up!

Alternatively, you could create a new post in the forum (this is good for when you have a lot to share and/or would like to discuss aspects of your entry not related to the current theme)

Note: If you do choose to create a new thread, please add the “challenge-entry” tag and/or add a hyperlink back to this post so that it can be easily found- thank you!

Click here for a note for our lovely lurkers

Everyone is welcome to join the challenge. For those who would like the challenge prizes, please know that you will need to share your experience if you want to receive a prize and a public shout-out.

Don’t feel comfortable sharing? No fear! For lurkers and those who are shy, it is absolutely okay to follow along with the challenge on the sidelines. At the end of the day, these challenges are here to help you help yourself by expanding and enhancing your personal magickal practice. I hope they can be helpful for you!

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Deadline

This challenge will close in 13 DAYS

To join in, please share your experience by:

Tuesday, May 6 at 7:00 AM EDT (Eastern US Time)
2025-05-06T11:00:00Z

(Note that the time zone is ET- if you don’t see your time displayed above, you can use this time zone calculator to check for your time zone!)

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Prizes

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

Acknowledgments will be given in a Props and Presents Post that will appear in the forums the day the challenge closes.

After the challenge closes, you are still very welcome to post but please be aware that no additional prizes will be given. This discussion will remain open for about a week after the challenge finishes.

From Spells8: A Fire Spell to Burn Away Obstacles

A warm reminder that the challenges are designed to be very open- everyone is encouraged to participate in a way that honors and reflects their unique practice

If you’re not sure whether or not something is acceptable to post, please double-check with the Forum FAQ and/or reach out to your friendly Moderator Team.

And for those new to challenges- welcome! Know that the goal of these activities is 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

From Spells8: How to Read Candle Flames

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Peaceful and small or dazzling and grand,
Reaching for the stars or a candle in hand
Both large and small, fire brings delight-
Ignite your magick and burn through the night!

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Blessed Be

[MeganB]

What does it say about me that the first thing that popped into my head when I saw the title for this challenge was this GIF…

aannyywayy… I have an idea for this challenge already!

[tracyS]

@Ostara Get the fire hose ready sister, here we go.

@MeganB I love it

[jayne]

@MeganB I had a very similar reaction, lol.

[Artemisia]

The last time I did anything with fire and magick, the fireproof container shattered suddenly, sending shards of metal too close for comfort. I’ll stick to candles

[tracyS]

I love beaker.

[BrightBear]

That is my favorite GIF of all time!

[jayne]

I think I would too, given that experience!!

[dan3]

Challenge Entry - Fire Magick

The Magic of Fire in Pyrotechnics

[photo by Chris Barraga – PGI]

Elemental Power – Fire as Magic

At its heart, pyrotechnics is the art of controlling fire. And across cultures and mythologies, fire has always been sacred and magical—a symbol of transformation, passion, destruction, and rebirth. When we manipulate it to light the sky, we’re participating in a kind of ancient ritual. It is alchemy in action – turning powder and metal salts into colored flames, summoning light from darkness, and painting ethereal pictures.

This control over an untamable element makes it feel like magic, even when we understand the science behind it.

[photo by Dan Creagan]

A Spell in the Sky – Symbolic Magic

Fireworks don’t just explode—they tell stories. A well-designed display can evoke emotion and awe, remind us of festivals, victories, and freedom. When thousands of people look up to the blank canvas of the sky and suddenly see it come alive, there is a shared feeling and moment of wonder.

That shared awe? That silence followed by gasps and cheers? That’s not just entertainment. That’s ritual. That’s enchantment. In a world of screens and distractions, fireworks command us to look up—and dream.

[photo by Dan Creagan]

The Colors of Enchantment
The chemistry behind the colors is precise and technical… but the effect is otherworldly. Strontium salts for red, barium for green, copper for blue and sodium for gold (and lots and lots more for every visible hue). Each color feels like a rune in an ancient spellbook – chosen not just for beauty but emotional resonance.

The person behind the display is like a modern-day sorcerer – studying scrolls (OK… spreadsheets) of mixtures, using a somewhat arcane language, and creating light, sound and emotion from paper, paste, string, powder, and spark. The wand is a firing system. The circle of power is a launch site. The result? A sky that looks like it’s been blessed by gods.

So while fireworks can be explained with physics and chemistry… they’re also a link to the ancient magic of fire, spectacle, and shared human awe.

When we say it’s “magical,” we don’t always mean impossible—we mean it moves something deep and primal inside us.

And sometimes, that’s the best kind of magic.

[photo by Dan Creagan]

[dan3]

If anyone is curious, this is what a fireworks shell looks like. I made this one for a class on how to build them. I am a licensed pyro with all my fingers!

The shell is wrapped in paper with a charge underneath to get it going. The fuse for this one is on the bottom (it is a rocket shell)

[CelestiaMoon]

@dan3

I am a licensed pyro with all my fingers!

How cool is that! My big brothers raised me into fireworks – I got to light my first one at age 5 or 6 I think, and ever since I’ve loved them. Even the smell of black powder that some seem to hate for whatever reason, I don’t get it! You’re living one of my childhood dreams

[dan3]

He who hath smelt the smoke is never again free. Often said by pyros.

[Mystique]

Fabulous! Thank you for all the great information! And I’m glad you still have all your fingers! Lol

[georgia]

Oof! Thanks for the Seasons link! I fell down a rabbit hole and forgot to finish the page!

@dan3

A sky that looks like it’s been blessed by gods.

I feel this way about meteor showers, too! They almost always bring tears to my eyes as I spend my time connecting with my deities- tears of joy, tears of longing, tears of sorrow- all are cleansing. Some months, it is harder to get outdoors in the chill of night, but when I can without affecting my health, I enjoy the time spent. It seems odd, but I wake up for meteor showers even when I am not aware of the date of the next one!

@dan3

When we say it’s “magical,” we don’t always mean impossible—we mean it moves something deep and primal inside us.

I like this! This is more what I feel and aim toward than control of my surroundings.

Is there a place I could take a 14 year old pyromaniac to learn to use his love of the flame safely and for the good of others? I’m thinking of something like a museum with kid safe classes or something with hands on learning before he gets too frustrated. He is not college material, like Einstein was not adaptable to the school system, but I don’t want him to miss out on the wonder and infinite possibility of his own deep feelings for the flame.

Challenge Entry
My driver’s daughter has been working for the same company for 13 years. One of the local higher ups has been a nightmare, but the company doesn’t see her shenanigans. Finally, my driver’s daughter had enough and told the higher up to take the job and shove it! We all applaud her.

Now she needs a new job. The company has decided to downplay her experience to the point that interviewers have told her she’d be better off getting a cashier’s job. Bills must be paid. The whole family is now on the brink of homelessness- driver, daughter, and pyro grandson.

Whenever I light my candles or focus on the elements, I have been adding prayers that she finds a job she can enjoy which will work with her- a single mother with health issues. So far, some interviewers haven’t even been showing up and others have been insulting her- perfect signs she shouldn’t get those jobs. The right job for her is out there: I’m requesting she be guided to it.

[dan3]

@georgia

I feel this way about meteor showers, too!

The Guild (PGI) meets yearly in August and does several displays. August is the Perseid Meteor Shower season. It is mesmerizing when the heavens push out meteor trails in sync with the fireworks.

@georgia

Is there a place I could take a 14 year old pyromaniac to learn to use his love of the flame safely and for the good of others?

Our Guild does youth training but it is wrapped up in the adult participation - someone underage would have to be accompanied by a parent or guardian and would have the expense of the convention. So the membership, convention costs, staying for a week (that is how long the training is) ends up being quite a commitment. Parents who are pyros attending the convention have no problem with it but they are already paying for themselves for the whole thing.

The PGI has a listing of local clubs (sometimes a bit out of date) that you can contact to see if they have a program or someone interested in doing what you want. That list is here.

[Artemisia]

Challenge Entry - Fire Magick

I decided to create a Beltane-inspired spell to ignite creativity

Materials:

• red candle
• metal fireproof container
• jar

Herbs:

• lavender
• rose
• bay leaf
• St John’s Wort
• mugwort

After setting my intention, I lit the candle, saying, “I light this Beltane fire to awaken the creative spark within me.” I meditated on my intention while watching the candle flame, and then I lit the herbs, which didn’t catch fire but rather smoldered like incense, and let the smoke permeate with my intention.

I added unburnt herbs to a small jar and sealed them, saying they were to awaken the creative spark within me.

[Ostara]

FIRE MAGICK!!! Yay, I will warn hubby @tracyS! Let’s see what kind of trouble I can get into.

@dan3 that’s so cool, and I’m happy you have all your fingers!

@georgia that’s beautiful. I hope your daughter finds a job that she loves soon!

@Artemisia a Beltane inspired spell is a great idea. I can’t believe it’s almost May!

I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet, but I will think of something!