Winter Witchery: Update #3

Three weeks into December already! Where has the time gone?

This was a very low spoons week for me, which you’ll see reflected in this update. I hope everyone is taking at least a little inspiration from my Winter Witchery Challenge!

December 15th: Spirit sensing. I didn’t get much for sensing my spirits individually, but did notice their energies as a whole. I made the mistake of lying down while I tried to sense them, and drifted off to sleep.

December 16th: meditation. With almost no spoons, this was all I could manage. I had some success.

December 17th: meditation again. Much as the previous day.

December 18th: spirit sensing. This didn’t go very well because as in my last attempt, I fell asleep.

December 19th: shadow work. I didn’t journal today, but instead worked with one of my tarot decks that focuses mainly on my shadow work, getting both a general message and a more shadow work specific message.

December 20th: energy work. I did alright considering how long it’s been. I feel I am slowly making progress.

December 21st: Winter Solstice celebration! My celebrations are generally very low key. This year it was a mug of hot chocolate with extra whipped cream, and a snowflake drawing with some blue fineliner pens. It’s not much, but I feel it’s enough to recognize the day.

I’ll be back next week for another update! I hope you are also taking some time to get back to your magic.

Winter Witchery: Update #1

Hello everyone! Micah here with an update on my Winter Witchery Challenge. We’re a week into December, so here’s a quick summary of what I’ve done for each day so far:

December 1st: A brainstorming day for where I wanted to go from here. I asked myself 4 questions: what do I want to continue or resume in my Craft? What would I like to explore? What do I want to do more of? What do I want to do less of?

December 2nd: Today was a ‘research day’ where I explored one of the areas I identified yesterday, which is crystals. I happen to have a crystal shop within walking distance, so I took a stroll up and took one of the little cards with crystal correspondence on it for every. single. crystal. in the shop. It was quite a thick stack of paper by the end! I came home with a few crystals I picked out myself by intuition, and one more that one of my spirit companions led me to.

December 3rd: Today I spent time with my spirits, just being with them. I also started a document with the name, correspondences, and some geological info of crystals. I’m basing it off the little info cards I picked up yesterday. It isn’t all crystals, of course, but it’s a start. The geological info was to help keep me grounded in what I know and trust–I’m still a little dubious on crystals, but I do have an interest in them from a geological standpoint as well.

December 4th: I chatted with one of my spirits about crystals. This spirit happens to be rather knowledgeable about them (they’re the one that lead me to one on the second). We chatted mostly about the powers and limitations of crystals, what they can and can’t do, and also a little about how to use them. I always feel I don’t know what to do with them once I get them.

December 5th: Today was the resumption of a habit I tried to start a while back, “Shadow Sunday”, where I take some time each Sunday to do a little shadow work. This time I used a visualization, which you can find here.

December 6th: I spent a few minutes doing some energy work practice. It’s been ages, but this used to be a daily habit, and I want to return to that.

December 7th: Spirit time. I spent a few minutes meditating, trying to sense my spirit friends and identify who was where. It quickly turned into a cuddling session with me just trying to be still and sense them. It didn’t last long, as I’m not in the habit of sitting still, but perhaps in time I can do this for longer.

Well, that was a much, much longer update than I intended it to be! But I do want you to get a good idea of what the challenge is aimed at, and hopefully inspire you as well!

Are you participating in the Winter Witchery Challenge? How is it going for you? Are you enjoying it? Is it helping you get back into your Craft?

I’ll be back next week or so for another update!

Burn Away the Sadness Spell

This is a quick little spell for releasing sadness. Witchcraft is of course not a replacement for medical professionals of any sort. Seek help if you need it.

I dreamed up this spell in as I was trying to fall asleep one night. For this spell you will need:

• an envelope
• paper
• something to write with
• basic energy work skills
• a match or lighter, and a safe space to have open flames (optional)

Instructions:

1. Ground and center in whichever manner you prefer. You can shield as well if it feels appropriate to you.
2. Take the paper and writing utensil. Write down all the things that are making you sad. All of them.
3. Collect the sad energy from within yourself, in whatever way you prefer. Imbue the paper with the sad energy. Make it connected so that the energy merges with the paper.
4. Place the paper in the envelope and seal the envelope.
5. Burn the envelope. If you cannot burn things or do not wish to, rip it to shreds. Visualize all your sadness being burned/ripped up and destroyed along with it.
6. Dispose of the ashes or paper pieces as you see fit (but keep the environment in mind!)
7. Ground and center again.

And that’s it! You should be able to adapt this to other negative emotions, as well. Feel free to ask questions, or tell me how it goes if you try it!

SeptEWC Day 14: Reflection and Feedback

Today brings the September Energy Work Challenge to a close. Two weeks went by quick, didn’t it?

Reflection and Feedback

Congratulations! You made it to the last day! Look back on the challenge–what have you learned? What energy work thing do you want to work on most? Was this too easy, too hard? What energy work thing would you like to explore more? And any other reflections you have. 

This is also my first time hosting any sort of challenge! I’d love to hear your feedback on the challenge in and of itself–was it well organized? Too long? Too short? And so on with any comments you have. 

Micah’s Response

Most of my thoughts are revolving around the challenge itself and how it was run. I don’t think anyone actually played along, but maybe they will at a later date (I’m not putting any time limits on this–pick any two weeks for this if you like!). When I was planning this I got very excited and picked the next two week stretch that worked well for me, without really thinking about how school is picking up now and this might not be good timing for others. I also tended to post these in the morning, which misses a lot of the American crowd, I suspect. So perhaps I’ve learned how not to host a challenge!

That being said, I hope someone finds these posts a good resource for energy work practice. Perhaps it still will serve some purpose, even if I can’t see what that is yet.

Your Turn

How did you feel about this challenge? Tell us your thoughts and tag the post #SeptEWC one last time!

SeptEWC Day 13: Take it Up a Notch

We are almost done with the September Energy Work Challenge!

Take it Up a Notch

Today, do any energy working you find make difficult! Find an energy work exercise you haven’t done before, at what you judge your skill level to be, or slightly higher, and give it a go! If you can’t think of an energy work exercise to try, try looking at the exercises linked in this page!

Alternately, go back in this challenge and pick an exercise you struggled with to try again!

Micah’s Response

Unlike yesterday’s Freebie Day, I already knew ahead of time what I wanted to do for this.

I started, of course, with grounding, centering and shielding before proceeding to make an energy ball. I spent a little more time on this one, and managed to feel some resistance when I moved my hands slightly closer to test for it. From there, I split the energy ball into three even(ish) sections: one I turned to silk, one of leather, one of burlap ribbon. My challenge is braiding with multiple materials–something I’ve only tried once or twice before, and struggle with.

When I braid with one material, I can do it without thinking. I can’t even teach people how to braid because I move the strands in the pattern without thinking. Here, I struggled to think of the pattern. While I could imagine each material visually, I struggled to visualize the texture as well. I braided twice, collapsing it back to an energy ball in between. After I retracted the energy back into myself. Usually I do at least three braids with this exercise, but since I struggled so much, I only did two.

Your Turn

What was the energy work exercise you picked for today? How did it go? Tell us with the #SeptEWC tag!

SeptEWC Day 12: Freebie Day

Just a few days remaining in the September Energy Work Challenge!

Freebie Day

Today is just what it sounds like! Do any energy work of your choosing! It can be something from a previous day in the challenge you want to try again, something you’ve been wanting to do or try, anything so long as it involves energy work!

Micah’s Response

The hardest part of this for me was figuring out what to do.

Once I decided, it wasn’t particularly difficult. Ground, center, shield. Create an energy ball. I’ve been doing energy balls for a while now, and it is no longer difficult for me. I couldn’t feel resistance between my hands on this one, but I still felt it was strong. I programmed it with intent, changing its color to match, and flung it upwards towards the ceiling of my room.

I immediately heard an “Aww! Micah! That’s so sweet!” from one of my spirits.

“It worked, then!” I said via telepathy. I wasn’t sure it would work, but it clearly had!

I had programmed it with a message of love. So all my spirits could know how I feel about them. Like an offering of love from a red energy ball.

One of my spirits squeezed me. I heard an “That was very kind, Micah,” from behind me.

I think this is something I should do once in a while. My spirits seemed to like it.

Your Turn

Time for you to pick an energy working and try it out! Don’t forget to tag it with #SeptEWC so challenge participants can see your post!

SeptEWC Day 11: Energy Self-Cleanse

Day eleven already! I introduce the September Energy Work Challenge here.

Energy Self Cleanse

First off, I would like to say that this is not my original self-cleansing process, but something a spirit friend taught me (modified slightly for beginner energy workers).

Start with an energy ball, or gather energy somewhere just outside your body. Let it sink in through your skin. Have it spread out slowly through each section of your body, through every inch of it. As it spreads, intend it to cleanse your energy system, to restore it, to remove any parasites, to work through knots in your energy. Let it remove anything doing harm to your energy system, without itself causing harm. Spend as much time as you feel is necessary letting this energy move through your system, doing its work. When you feel it is done, let it return to its normal, non-working state as normal energy in your system. 

Micah’s Response

After grounding, centering, and shielding, I started with an energy ball. This one felt fairly strong, as I could feel a slight resistance when I went to put my hands closer together. I colored it green, a color I associate with healing, while focusing on its intent. I overlaid my hands, fingers crossed over the fingers of the others, and pulled them–and with it, the energy ball–to my chest. I let the energy soak in. It went immediately to my head and began its work there, slowly coursing through me. I watched it move through each part of me, still focusing on its intent and directing it on what I wanted it to do. The only issue it seemed to run into was a knot of energy between my shoulder blades, where tension and ache is usually present in my physical body. After it ran through everything else it focused here until it seemed to break through the knot and flow through my entire body easily. My hands pulsed with energy. I gave the green energy another moment before letting it return to its usual state of energy within my body, instead of being energy with a particular purpose.

Your Turn

Time for you to try a self-cleanse! Use #SeptEWC so anyone participating in the challenge can see!

SeptEWC Day 10: Charging

Day 10 of 14…we’re almost at the end of the September Energy Work Challenge!

Charging

For this, you will need something to charge, and your intent. The something could be a spell, a sigil, or anything else that can be charged by energy. 

There are several ways to do this. I usually create an energy ball while focusing on my intent and let it ‘soak’ into the object. You can do this, or place your hand(s) on the object, or do whatever feels appropriate and natural to you. So long as you are getting focused, intended energy directed into the object, you should be fine. Continue putting in energy until you feel the object is properly charged. 

Micah’s Response

For this I chose a small pendant of raw amethyst, which I’ll be charging with an intent for healing. The first thing I did was hold it in my hand and spend a few moments cleansing it. I don’t want any other energies mixing in and potentially messing with my intent or charging.

Once I felt the pendant and chain were cleansed, I focused on just the pendant. This morning I’m a little too tired to make a full energy ball, so I placed my fingertips on the pendant and focused healing energy into it, letting it course down my arm, into my fingers, into the amethyst, a green light that wrapped itself tight around the edges of the stone. One of my spirit friends helped this time, I noticed, though I can do this on my own.

With the stone charged, the only thing left to do was clasp the chain around my neck. I can still feel it, sense the energy off it, know it isn’t an uncharged necklace.

Your Turn

What did you charge, with what intent, and how? Tell us with the #SeptEWC tag!

SeptEWC Day 9: Reading a Room

Day 9 of the September Energy Work Challenge already! Where is September going??

Reading a Room

This is very similar to doing an energy reading on an inanimate object, except instead it is a room.

Focus on the energy of any room. Does any particular object give off a stronger energy than others? Don’t try to focus on this object and read its energy, just note it and move on. Overall, what does the energy of the room feel like? Does it have a temperature, a smell, does it make you tingle or prickle or give you another sensation?

As usual, observe first, and when you finish, you can try your hand at interpreting. 

Micah’s Response

For this I picked my bedroom, mostly because that’s where I happen to be. As per my usual for energy work, I ground, center, and shield first. Then I sit and relax and try to sense. My eyes are closed, as they often are when I try to sense things.

The first thing I notice is a hand on my shoulder, one of my spirit friends. Past him is a whiteish swirl of flowing energy which I notice is all around the room. It feels sort of clean, as if cleansing, and it’s a sort of soft, gentle feel. It swirls in cylinders in several parts of the room, with other energies behind it that I can’t well sense–my spirit friends as they sit and stand within my bedroom. It flows around them.

I notice a dark grey from the floor. It sort of flows up in strands into the room, like flames licking at the white, though it doesn’t feel like fire. It feels protective. I notice it’s on the walls and ceiling as well, all with it flowing its flame-like tendrils into the room.

There is a cylinder of blue that moves from one end of the room to the other, I think a spirit friend as they move through the room. I can see other colored cylinders now, mostly blue and green. Someone is red, someone else is gold–

–I am overwhelmed by all the energies. It’s a sense of being almost dizzy, of so much at once. I open my eyes and stop focusing on the energies of the room. I don’t want to overload myself.

I know I said not to interpret while you sense, so I’ll point out all of this sort of came with the energy reading for me–I knew what I was sensing as I sense it, without trying to. The grey I suspect might be part of one of the many wards around me, due to the protective feeling I got from it, and that it surrounded the entire room. I am not sure what the white is–it seemed to be a sort of general energy in the room.

Even after a few minutes I still felt overwhelmed and found I had to ground myself again. It helped tremendously. I think it’s a good idea to ground and center both before and after doing energy work, but I often forget to do so after as I rarely feel the immediate need.

Your Turn

How did your room reading go? Don’t forget to tag with #SeptEWC!

SeptEWC Day 8: Reading of an Inanimate Object

Welcome back to the September Energy Work Challenge for Day 8!

Reading of an Inanimate Object

Take an inanimate object (a book, a crystal, anything), and try to notice the non-physical traits of it. (This is easier done when touching it; people with more practice in energy work are welcome to try this without touching for more of a challenge). Does your hand tingle? Feel warm? Cold? Do colors come to mind? Take note of anything you can sense from it from any of yours senses. Don’t worry about interpreting just yet; for now just observe. 

When you feel you have finished and noticed all you can, go ahead and stop observing. This is your time to try interpreting what you have sensed. 

Micah’s Response

For this, I picked the eraser that lives on my desk.

Why, you ask, did I pick an eraser?

Well for one, it’s right next to me. For two, I use it all the time, and I imagine some energies have built up on it that I might be able to sense.

I ground, center and shield before picking up the eraser. I can feel my hand tingle slightly, but at first the only other things I notice are the physical texture of the eraser, and that it’s a little cold to the touch. After a moment there’s something else–a vision of sorts, showing someone at a desk, using the eraser, then holding up the page to the light and seeming to be content with their work. There’s swirls of yellow from them, then the image fades and leaves only swirling yellow in my mind’s eye.

I couldn’t get anything else off of it, and I tried a few times. My mind was racing, and I struggled to calm it down enough to focus on the eraser’s energy. I often struggle with reading objects (people and spirits are easier for me, which seems to be backwards from most people). My energy readings of people or spirits are visions like this, and this is the first time I’ve gotten a vision from an object, so perhaps that’s a sign of improvement. The vision here was short, but sort of logical, in a way, to be seen from an eraser’s energy. Yellow is a color I associate with creativity, and paired with the vision, makes some sort of sense (more than my visions usually do).

Your Turn

So, how did you reading of an inanimate object go? Tag your post with #SeptEWC!