#grimspiration

So this week's prompts sort of all ride alongside one another and go toward one common theme. How to outline and create spells and rituals. It will all focus on the who, what, when, where and how, more or less, which is a pretty good model for anything.

Monday- Basic Outline

New Page/ Lab Notebook - So for this whole ordeal this week, we're going to work mostly in our lab notebook and do some internal thinking, and research. It will be mostly one page each for spell making and ritual making for the entire week, or pages depending on how detailed you want to go. So to start out, make one page for each or add them to the pages you used to define what a spell and a ritual are.

So what are the who, what, when, where, and why of spells and rituals, to you? Make a list of these on a sheet of paper and fill them in with what you feel these things are. You can even do these on the pages you've already made. We'll expand on them as the week goes on.

Research/ new page - herbal research. Pick another herb from you list and go to town on the research! Magical and mundane uses, associations and so on!

Tuesday - purpose, method, ingredients

Research - this is about the “who” “what” and “why” what purposes can you perform a spell or ritual for? Who is the spell for? Who are you performing it on? It can be practically anything or anyone. What are you doing the spell for, what do you want it to accomplish? Looking for love? Need confidence? Want to manifest something? Want to bring more money into your life? Solidify a friendship? Protect yourself or someone else? This is followed directly by why. Why are you looking for love? Why are you protecting yourself or someone else? What you are doing and why you are doing it are intimately connected. Sometimes it can take a great deal of introspection to figure out how these are connected, other times, it is obvious.

Methodology -this is the “how” in the spell. What methods are there to casting spells and performing rituals? Look back at your types of magic pages and think hard on the ways you can cast spells for those different types of magic. Is there a certain way to prepare for spells and rituals? What steps do you take to prepare for the spell and what steps do you take after the spell or ritual? What steps are a part of the ritual? How do you actually perform the spell? Method of spellwork has everything to do with the “how” in the spell, where the purpose beforehand is the “why”.

Ingredients/ tools - this is the “what” within the spell. What ingredients if any does it require? What tools does it require? What kinds of things are a part of the spell? Incense, statues, gems and so on. What do you need to bring to the spell or ritual for it to be what it is?

Wednesday - location, direction, timing

Location and timing - this is the “where”and “when” within the spell or ritual. Is there a specific location you need to perform the spell or ritual? A specific direction you have to face? Do you have to wait for a certain day, week, month? A certain astrological sign or event, like a phase of the moon? Does the spell require you to face north or south? East or west? Or to go through all the directions? How does this information fit into your outline?

New page/ research - gemstone/ other- pick another gem or what have you from your list and research it! Everything from mundane to magical uses! How is it formed? Where is it from? So on and so forth.

Thursday - other parts of spells/ rituals

What other things are part of your spells or rituals? How do you make them yours? What personal touches and flares do you bring to your magic?

Friday - putting it to practice

Practical- if you’ve outlined the general idea of a spell and ritual, or even if you’ve made a specific one, let’s make one, and then do it! Perform the spell or ritual! And journal about it afterwards!

This has been a long and heavy week, but we made it!

Good Luck and Happy Crafting witches!

The 2024 Grimoire Challenge blog has been made! I’m still working on finalizing it. And will begin posting a few things on there over the next couple months. With the prep work posts beginning in December!

Cover & opening page of my grimoire. Finally got around to starting this. Most of my stuff is in various notebooks/files/wherever, and this book is for my compilation of “finished” bits. So definitely filling it will be a slow process.

The runes are Old English Futhorc, which I personally gravitate towards more than some of the older variants.

The variant of vegvísir I used is from the game Skyrim, because I am a big proponent of incorporating stuff I love and am passionate about into my craft - and gaming is a big part of that for me.

Deeper into the Elements

Monday - Fire

Study prompt/ New Page - look into aspects of fire. What is fire? What does the archetype of fire mean to you and in your practice? How do you utilize this element? How do you utilize its energy? What are some associations, plants, gems, metals etc.

Practical/ Hands on - connect with fire. Light a candle or sit by a fire (safely!) and stare into it. Feel its heat. Connect yourself to the element. What does it feel like? What do you feel like? What does it mean? Journal about the experience.

Study prompt - pick another of those herbs from your list and study it! Everything from practical uses, mundane uses, cooking uses, medicinal uses. How do those things play into its magical associations? How do you grow or propagate it? As much info as possible.

Tuesday - Earth

Study prompt/ new page - look into aspects of the element of earth. What does earth mean to you and in your practice? What associations does it have? What does the archetype of earth feel like and mean to you? How do you utilize and use energy from this element or this element itself in your practice?

Practical/ hands on- connect to earth. Sit in the grass or on the bare ground (if you can, it is winter where I’m at after all) and connect to the earth. How does it feel? How do you feel? Journal about the experience.

Study prompt - pick a gemstone off your list and study it! From its properties to how it is formed and where it is from!

Wednesday - Water

Study/ new page - look into the element of water. Like the above, look into as many aspects of water as possible. What does the archetype of water mean to you? How do you utilize its energy? What are some associations of water? How does this element fit into your practice?

Practical - connect to water. Take a bath or shower, drink a healthy amount of water, go swimming, sit in a hot tub. How do you connect yourself to water? How do you feel and how does it feel? Journal the experience.

Thursday - Air

Study/ new page - look into the element of air. What does the archetype of air mean to you? How do you utilize air in your practice? What are some associations of air? Think about the four winds, what are those archetypes and where do they stem from?

Practical - connect with air. Sit in front of a fan or outside in the breeze. Breathe deep. Connect yourself to air and feel it, think about it, what does it mean to you? Journal the experience.

Practical - write a spell or ritual! Any kind is fine, but if keeping with the above prompts, one pertaining to one or all of the elements! A ritual to connect to and call on them all or a spell that utilizes one specifically. A water cleansing or a fire banishment or releasing spell. Whatever works! Put it in your lab notebook to use and rework later if necessary.

Friday - Secondary

Study - secondary elements what are they? Think of abstract concepts. Light, shadow, time, order, chaos. Do those things have elemental value? I know @stormwaterwitch has a series on some of these concepts.

Journal/ introspective - your connection to the elements. Now that you’ve connected to all of them, really look inward and see how these elements affect and influence you. How do they relate to your life and how do you relate to them?

Again, if you’re not into herbs and gems, feel free to study literally any topic on the days that those prompts pop up!

Thank you all again and happy crafting!

This week we will have several new pages. One for a personal look at your practice given the above prompts, one for a family/ ancestral look at the prompts, and one for your community, no matter how big that community is. Whether that is just you and your immediate friends, or something wider like a coven or group you regularly talk to your about your practice.

This will be another week with a lot of stuff in the prompts!

Monday - Traditions

First lets define tradition.

noun: tradition

the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way.

a long-established custom or belief that has been passed on from one generation to another.

an artistic or literary method or style established by an artist, writer, or movement, and subsequently followed by others.

a doctrine believed to have divine authority though not in the scriptures.

Personal page - Take a look inward at yourself and your traditions, inside and outside of your witchcraft practice. What things do you do regularly, to keep your life and your habits on track? Your practice? How do you celebrate things both large and small? What are the traditions you hold personally in your life?

Family/ Ancestor page - Ask your family about these, beyond the ones you know. What are some of your family traditions? How does your family celebrate certain things, large and small? What meals are traditional to your family? Are there any prayers or actions of any kind that are passed down? Look deep and ask about your family further back than just the ones you've met.

Community page - Look at your community at large. Friend groups, a coven or other people who practice like you or with you, and the community you live in. What are some traditions that are held and passed down through generations within that larger community? Everything from celebrations to regularly held events and so on! How does it all relate to your practice or how has it become a part of it?

Tuesday -Associations/ Symbols

Personal page - What are some things you personally associate with yourself and your craft? Everything from foods, to plants, gems, animals, everything you associate with any part of your identity.

Family/ Ancestor page - What are some things from the list above that you associate with your family and your ancestors?

Community page - Same goes for your community. What associations do you hold for your community? We all feel a certain kind of way, and think about certain things when we think about our hometowns or the area in which we live. An example, I live in Ohio, so not so jokingly, there's a lot of corn here, a lot of farmland. That's something I associate with my community.

Wednesday - Tools

Personal page - What are some of the tools you personally use in your craft? It can be anything at all. An example from my practice is a small tin i keep on my altar, decorated with paint and symbols that I use as a sort of money offering tin. I put money in it regularly when I practice at my altar and use it to buy new things for my altar. Another is a round cylindrical tin I use to hold the small pages I've written my devotional poetry on. Anything that is specific to you and your practice.

Family/ Ancestor page - Same kind of deal as above, but on a broader scale, focused on your family and ancestry. What are some of the tools your family uses (both in and out of the traditions you've learned about). An example is my grandmother's piano. We use it as a focal point for a great many things. We come together at it to sing songs that remind us of our family.

Community page - Again, like the above, but focused on your community. A local fountain, or park, or place, a thing people in your community use for some sort of reason. There is a local park with a fountain that holds an important place in our community.

Thursday - A Little Treat

So for today, we're gonna have a bit of an offshoot. We're gonna get in the kitchen and cook! You don't have to do this one, but there's been a lot of stuff for the prompts this week, so let's treat ourselves while adding to our grimoires! Find some recipes!

Personal page - What's a recipe that you came up with on your own, pertaining to or not pertaining to your practice? If there is a certain food you like to cook before/ after spells or rituals, record it on your personal page. Then, go cook it! And enjoy!

Family/ Ancestor page - Ask your family if you want, and discover the recipe for something that has been passed down in your family. I will forever swear by my grandmother's potato soup recipe. Record it on this page, then make it!

Community page - Is there a local favorite spot? Is there a restaurant or place locally that you could visit and eat at? Or is there some sort of cuisine that is made locally and not really anywhere else? Record it if its something you can cook, and make it! If it is a place to visit, go there! And enjoy!

Friday - Back to the norm

Let's finish off the week with our regular research prompts!

New Page/ Research - Herbal research- Pick another herb from your list and learn all you can about it! Record it on a new page!

New Page/ Research - Gemstone/ other - Pick another gemstone or type of magic or tool, make a page or add the info to an existing page!

Whew! That was a lot! Feel free to share your recipes or pictures of what you cook, either by submissions on this page or by tagging me either here or at @thehazeldruid and I'll share what you've made!

Good luck and happy crafting witches!!

Okay, now that we've got all the generalized types of magic out of the way, let's take a look at some other topics that will help us fill in the gaps in things. We'll be looking at symbols, traditions both personal and ancestral, spell and ritual design and much more! Let's buckle up and get to it!

Monday - Alphabets and Runes

Research - Look up different alphabets that have been used in magical traditions. Anything from the Elder Futhark Rune language, to the Ogham Script, to any other form of writing that has been used in any tradition. Do you know another language? Have you ever made your own alphabet or cipher? There are some grimoires that are written in an entire code that only the person who wrote it understood! If you feel like doing so, you can do the same! Look up an alphabet of any kind and write out a translation of those into the alphabet you know. For fun, write out at least one page in that other alphabet!

Research/ New Page - Runes - Is there a rune set you already know? Elder Futhark? Ogham? Another rune set? Have you ever made your own runes? Define rune. What is a rune? What makes something a rune? In both the magical and mundane sense, what are they? If you find a type of runes that you wish to learn, do so! Make a list of the runes themselves, then write out the meaning and symbology of each one!

Practical - Make a set of the runes you research or are already familiar with! Use what you have on hand! It could be as simple as strips of cardstock with the runes on them, notecards with the rune on one side and description on the other, or feel free to find a set online or in a store! You can even go outside and just find some stones and use a sharpie to write the runes on them!

Divination/ Journal - if you perform divinations, use your new runes to do so! And journal about the experience!

Tuesday - Languages

Research/ New Page - Is there a language that you don't speak or that no one really speaks, like Latin, and look into the basis of that language. Where does it come from? What is the language's base? Are there different dialects? Find an accurate translator and look up the words for some of your magical terminology. Make a list of those words to use in spells, incantations and prayers later on. Now, take it a step further. What is your ancestry? What languages has your family spoken in the past? Ask your parents, grandparents and other relatives if they still speak it at all. Get a little family history lesson. Having this connection to your lineage and ancestry can help you better understand a lot about yourself, your family, and traditions you may not realize you are practicing or performing regularly!

New Page - along with the list of words and languages, keep a page with the basic info you discover about your ancestry and family history! It could come in handy for a multitude of things, both pertaining to this challenge and life in general! This page could include traditions, recipes, where you come from, splits in the family, and general family history.

New Page - Pick another herb from your list and research it! Magical, mundane, medicinal, associations, myths and legends, how to grow and propagate it, where it comes from and its history!

Wednesday - Other Symbols

Research - What are some other common symbols that are commonplace within witchcraft circles? What are they, what do they represent? What are they used for? Do you use any of them without meaning to? What is their history? Where do they come from? Think about things commonly associated with withcraft. Cauldrons, brooms, pointy hats, black cats... why are these things associated with witchcraft? Don't just go with the first thing you find when you look this up, dig deep, do research. Are there multiple sources that confirm these things?

Personal/ Introspection - What things do you associate with witchcraft and why? It can be anything from tools you're using, to symbols, to specific herbs and gems or grander things/ ideas like the moon or certain practices.

Research/ New Page - Pick another gemstone or other item you want to research the witchy/ magical uses of and get at it!

Thursday - Traditions

Research/ New Page - Think about the conversations and research you did into your family lineage and language. Carry on with that research and look into the traditions your family has. Everything from when they gather together for things and why, to the recipes they make, to the way they pray or worship, to how they do things in general. Are there any beliefs your family has that have been passed down to you about things like luck? Or love? What wisdom has been passed down to you by your family?

Journal/ Introspection - Do you have any traditions that you practice on your own? Think about the things you celebrate and why, as well as when you celebrate them. Are there certain ways you do things? Everything from cooking to cleaning, to more spiritual practices! Feel free to make a page dedicated to your personal traditions. Recording them can help you to change and grow them over time, or even just to pass them along to your own family!

Friday - Catch Up Day

Today is a catch up day. We've had a lot of information and research prompts thrown at us the last three months, so take today to look back at any of the prompts you have missed or one you want to continue working on!

Alright! There's March week 1 everyone! Good luck and happy crafting witches!

There have been a lot of definitions and broad topics this month, and we have a few more! All of these pages and terms and types of magic this month are pages to return to, add to and even change as you deepen your knowledge, understanding and depth of magic. It's okay to grow and change, and it is okay for our grimoires to grow and change as well.

Monday

New Page - Consecration/ Blessing - Define consecration and blessing, within the context of witchcraft. What is consecration? What is a blessing? How does one do it? Why does one do it? When does one do it? What purposes does it serve? Is it necessary? Have you unconsciously blessed or consecrated something before? What associations do they have? Do you know of or relate to any myths or legends related to these in the context of your craft?

New Page - Research - Pick an herb off your list and get at it! Learn everything possible about it! Magical, mundane, medicinal, everything!

Tuesday

New Page- Wards/ Shields - I know this may fall under protection magic, but it is also a bit more specific. What are wards and shields in witchcraft? How do you make and use them? Why do you make and use them? When do you make them, when do you need them? What associations do they have? Do you know any myths or legends related to wards and shields?

Journal/ Introspection - Let's take a long long look here. Inwards. Again at the morality of our craft. Where do you draw your moral compass from? What inspires you to act the way you do? Why do you act the way you do, for the purposes that you act towards? What is your moral standing within witchcraft? Where do you stand on curses and hexes? Where do you stand on doing magic for or on others? Do you need permission? Where do you stand on teaching magic to those younger than you? Think broadly about this topic, any questions you can ask yourself about your craft, or any questions others have asked you, ask them of yourself and really think on the answers.

Wednesday

New Page - Enchanting - Define enchanting within the context of your craft. What is it? How do you do it? Why do you do it? What tools are necessary? What associations do you have for enchanting? What things can you enchant and what can't you enchant? Are some stronger than others? How do you undo enchantments you no longer need or those done by others?

Practical - Try it! Enchant something of yours, and journal the experience! Record everything in your lab notebook that way you can work and rework it as necessary.

Thursday

New Page - Manifestation - Define manifestation in the context of your craft. What is it? How do you do it? What purpose does it serve? Look into different methods and beliefs on how it works, which one, or ones, work for you?

New Page - Research - Gemstone! Pick another, or if you're not doing gems, pick any other magical topic or item and research everything about it! From its uses and associations, to how it is formed or made! Legends and myths, everything!

Friday

New Page - Glamours - Define glamour magic! What is it? How do they work? Why do we use them? What purposes can they server? What tools do they require? What associations do they have? What legends, or myths or historical stories relate to glamour magic? How do you perform them?

Practical - Do some glamour magic! Anything you can think of, that you feel you can or need to do! Do it! And record the process and your progress in your lab notebook!

More practical prompts are coming, and more bonus prompts are on their way! I'm doing my best to keep up with these posts, but am also working a lot of overtime at the moment! Feel free to tag me here or on @thehazeldruid with any progress you've made with your pages, your lab notebook, or anything to do with your grimoire or this challenge! I'd love to see and I'm sure it would be an inspiration to others!

Thanks and happy crafting/ casting witches!