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21 Advanced Techniques for Reading Tarot Accurately

Some of my YouTube subscribers comment on how my readings are always to the point. How I never need to pause before interpreting a spread or a card. Maybe it's the two decades of reading. Maybe it runs in the family. Maybe I peek at the cards and rehearse before I start recording. (LOL Who has the time?) Or maybe it's just because I know all these techniques by heart. Hope they help you too.

Learn to interpret synchronicities

Learn 10 ways of reading a spread

Learn to avoid blanking when reading

Learn the right meaning to use each time

Learn to interpret tarot cards literally

Learn to read for yourself objectively

Learn to interpret in a personal way

Learn the importance of the card underneath

Learn to read suits in unconventional contexts

Learn to read reversals the right way

Learn the difference: advice vs. outcome

Learn the meaning of The Fool’s Journey

Learn how to predict timing reliably

Learn to interpret physical appearance

Learn the meanings of tarot’s colors

Learn the meanings of tarot’s numbers

Learn to determine locations with tarot

Learn traditional ways of dealing the cards

Learn how to deal with rouge cards

Learn to earn the trust of your tarot decks

Learn to properly close a tarot reading

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You know what I love? A witchy blog, YouTube channel, or podcast that’s down to earth. Literally tell me you’ve fucked up. I love to hear how people mess up and keep going, how witches evolve and change in their practices, and how it’s not always or even sometimes a glamorous thing to be. Most of my witchery comes from sitting outside just breathing and observing nature in my backyard. I don’t live in a forest. I live in a city. But the way the vines of Boston ivy shine when the sun hits them is top tier and I see them as friends and housemates so to speak who protect my yard from malevolent spirits. I see the “weeds” that I know by name as friends too, the false hawksbeard, clovers, and dandelions. They are all spirits that I work with and acknowledge simply with a hello. The witchiest things I do in a day is stir lemon into my water for brighter energy in the morning, and play with my cat to honor Freyja. Singing and dancing to my fav songs to cleanse a space once in a while, and lighting a candle while I read a book on witchcraft. Not always a fancy ritual. Just the simple things are what I see myself in.

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Sometimes appreciating and communing with nature means accepting the limitations of where you live.

I used to feel bad when I read so much about meditating outside, sitting in stillness with your eyes closed. I thought these writers had to be much better pagans and witches than me to accept the consequences of that in order to be close to nature.

Then I was lucky enough to visit the UK a few years ago and I realized there's just not the same kind of bugs there. These people weren't somehow ignoring swarms of mosquitos to meditate. They weren't better pagans than me; they lived in a different place.

Since then, I've tried to adjust advice to fit my home. I do nature walk meditations instead of sitting by water and I accept that I can't be out for hours when the temperatures get into the high 90s in July. Once I started working within the limits of Florida, I felt a lot more at home in it.

Now I understand that loving nature doesn't have to look the same in every place and that's okay. You're not a bad witch or pagan because you have to adjust your practice to your home.

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I feel like not enough people know that you can just go do witchcraft. Like yeah, all the pretty and aesthetic things you see online can be really expensive, and if you live in a place where witchcraft is frowned upon it can be hard to hide things, but your practice can literally be anything you want.

Part of my practice is making friendship bracelets with colors of what I want to manifest. I learned morse code and tie my goals into the bracelet. It look like a normal bracelet, no one would know the difference unless I told them. Your manifestations and spells can be verbal and whispered to the wind, your sigils can look like doodled stars or stick figures, your altar doesn't need to be anything more than the tools you use (if you even need an altar). You can put spells together based on what you have and what the things around you mean to you.

You do not need to buy things for witchcraft or have a very visible practice, just do what feels right for you. Your practice is what you make it.

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GRIMORE IDEAS

INTRODUCTION:

A book blessing.

Table of contents.

ABOUT ME:

Your current path.

Your personal beliefs.

Your spiritual journey.

Superstitions.

Past lives.

Favourite herbs/crystals/animals/etc.

Natal chart.

Craft name.

Astrology signs and their meanings.

Birthday correspondences (birth tarot card, birth stone, etc.)

Goals.

SAFETY:

Fire safety.

What not to burn.

Toxic plants and oils (to humans, plants, and animals.)

Crystals that shouldn’t be put… (in sunlight, in water, etc.)

Things that shouldn’t be In nature (glass, salt, etc.)

Potion safety.

How to incorporate blood in spells.

Smoke safety.

Wound care.

Biohazards.

Spirit work safety guide.

CORE CONCEPTS:

Intention and how it works.

Directing energy.

Protection.

Banishing.

Cleansing.

Binding.

Charging.

Shielding.

Grounding.

Centering.

Visualization.

Consecration/blessing.

Warding.

Enchanting.

Manifestation.

Meditation.

What makes a spell work.

Basic spell structure.

What not to do in spells.

Disposing spell ingredients.

Revitalizing long term spells.

How to cast spells.

What to put in spells.

Spell mediums (jars, spoken, candle, and sigils.)

Spell timing.

Potion bases.

Differentiating between magick and mundane.

Common terms.

Common symbols.

Intuition.

Elements.

Basic alchemy and symbols.

Ways to break spells.

Laws and philosophies.

CORRESPONDENCES:

Herbs and spices and their uses and/or properties.

Crystals and their uses and/or properties.

Colours.

Liquids and drinks.

Metals.

Salt and their properties.

Numbers.

Tarot cards and their meanings.

Elements.

Trees and woods.

Flowers.

Days.

Months.

Seasons.

Moon names, phases, and their meanings.

Zodiacs.

Planets.

Incense.

Teas.

Essential oils.

Directions.

Candle colours and their meanings.

Animals.

Symbology.

Bone correspondences.

Different types of water.

Common plants.

ENTITIES:

Deities you worship.

Pantheons.

Pantheons and deities closed to you.

Common offerings.

Epithets.

Mythos.

Family.

Worship vs work.

Prayers and prayer template.

Deity comms.

Devotional acts.

Angels.

Demons.

Ancestors.

Fae.

Familiars.

House, animal, plant, etc. spirits.

Folklore entities.

Spirit etiquette.

Graveyard etiquette.

Boundaries.

Communication guide and etiquette.

Spirit work safety guide.

How entities appear to you.

Circle casting.

Servitors.

Mythological creatures (dragons, gorgons, unicorns, etc.)

UTILITY PAGES:

Gazing pages.

Sigil charging station.

Altar pages.

Intent pages.

Getaway pages.

Vision boards.

Dream pages.

Binding page.

Pendulum board.

Throwing bones page.

Divination pages.

Mirror gazing page.

Invocation pages.

Affirmation/manifestation pages.

Spirit board page.

OTHER PRACTICES:

Practices that are closed to you (Voodoo, Hoodoo, Santeria, Brujeria, Shamanism, Native practices.)

Wicca and Wiccan paths.

Satanism, both theistic and non-theistic.

Deity/entity work.

Religious paths (Hellenism, Christianity, Kemeticism, etc.)

Animism.

TYPES OF MAGICK/SPELLS:

Pop culture Paganism/magick.

Tech magick.

Chaos magick.

Green magick.

Lunar magick.

Solar magick.

Sea magick.

Kitchen magick.

Ceremonial magick.

Hedge magick

Death magick.

Gray magick.

Eclectic magick.

Elemental magick.

Fae magick.

Spirit magick.

Candle magick.

Crystal magick.

Herbalism.

Glamours.

Hexes.

Jinxes.

Curses.

Weather magick.

Astral magick.

Shadow work.

Energy work.

Sigils.

Runes.

Art magick.

Knot magick.

Music magick.

Blood magick.

Bath magic/rituals.

Affirmations.

DIVINATION:

Tarot cards.

Oracle cards.

Playing cards.

Card spreads.

Pendulum/how to use one.

Numerology.

Scrying.

Palmistry.

Tasseography.

Runes.

Shufflemancy

Dice.

Bibliomancy.

Carromancy.

Pyromancy.

Psychic abilities.

Astrology.

Auras.

Lenormand.

Sacred geometry.

Angel numbers.

Ornithomancy.

Aeromancy.

Aleuromancy.

Axinomancy.

Belomancy.

Hydromancy.

Lecanomancy.

Necromancy.

Oneiromancy.

Onomancy.

Oomancy.

Phyllomancy.

Psephomancy.

Rhabdomancy.

Xylomancy.

TOOLS:

Crystal grid.

Candle grid.

Charms.

Talismans.

Amulets.

Taglocks.

Wand.

Broom.

Athame.

Boline.

Cingulum.

Stang.

Bells.

Drums.

Staffs.

Chalices.

Cauldrons.

Witches ladder.

Poppets.

HOLIDAYS:

Imbolc.

Ostara.

Beltane.

Litha.

Lammas.

Mabon.

Samhain.

Yule.

How to celebrate the Sabbats.

Esbats.

Deity specific holidays.

Religious holidays (Christmas, Easter, Dionysia, etc.)

Celestial events.

ALTARS:

Basics of altars.

Travel altars.

Deity altars.

Spirit altars.

Familiar altars.

Ancestor altars.

Self altars.

Working altars.

Sabbat altars.

SELF-CARE:

Burnout prevention.

Aromatherapy.

Stress management.

Coping mechanisms.

Meditation techniques.

THEORIES AND HISTORY:

Witchcraft history.

Paganism.

New age spirituality.

Cultural appropriation.

Thelema.

Conspiracy theories.

Cults.

Satanic Panic.

KJV.

Witches in history.

Cats in history.

Transphobia in witchcraft circles.

Queerness in witchcraft circles.

OTHER:

Recipes.

How to get herbs.

Foraging.

Drying herbs and flowers.

Chakras.

Reiki.

Witches alphabet.

Runic alphabet.

Guide to gardening

Your witch tips.

Resources.

Other tips.

List of spells.

Cryptids and their lore.

What is a liminal space?

How to start a dream diary. 

Recording/writing rituals.

Wheel of the Year. 

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Crystal DONTS

Crystals that are damaged/Dissolve/Chemical Reaction by Water

Angelite

Azurite

Boji Stones/Shaman Stones/Moqui Marbles

Calcite

Celestine

Halite

Hematite

Jet

Lapis

Malachite

Moonstone

Pyrite

Selenite

Unakite

Mica

Fluorite

Turquoise

Damaged/Fade/Cracked by Sun/UV

Amethyst

Aquamarine

Aventurine

Calcite

Celestine

Citrine

Fluorite

Jade

Jet

Kunzite

Lapis

Malachite

Rose Quartz

Sapphire

Sodalite

Topaz

Tourmaline

Amber

Beryl

Chrysoprase

Opal

Smokey Quartz

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Ultimate Grimoire or book of shadows checklist✨📓✒️🔮

Hey beautifuls,

I’ve compiled a checklist in booklet format of pretty much anything I could think of or find online that you could include in your Grimoire/book of shadows. Please note that this is a very very broad list and you do not need to include absolutely everything listed. Pick and choose what matches your craft!

also if you would like a non-watermarked PDF print version (digital file) I’m offering this for just $3 AUD. You can direct message me here on tumblr or on my Insta account “@beautifulvalleywitch”.

Otherwise enjoy this free version lovely’s 🥰🥰

*copyrighted, please do not share without credit or claim as your own*

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To all my fellow american witches: remember that meaning you were going to write down? that spell or ritual? and you thought to yourself 'no, I will google it later'. This is the time to write it down. we do not know what the coming years will look like for us. write down the spells and the rituals and the associations. share them amongst friends, make covens, or even just non-covened groups of witches. power in numbers.

also, to all who are understandably freaking out right now: i am here for you. I may be just one random person on the internet, but do not worry alone if you can help it. reach out. I am here, others are here. we will be okay. you are not alone.

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Best of luck to you Americans in these next few days. Whatever happens, stay alive.

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women inside of men

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Whether you’re a devotee or a worshipper, you’re not always gonna be at your best, and there are gonna be times - maybe lots of times - where you may not feel you can give 100% to your deities. You may not even be able to talk to them at all.

That’s why I LOVE devotional jewellery or any other kind of devotional item that you can carry with your person. Just the simple act of putting on a necklace or a ring or something similar is such an amazing way of showing your deities “hey, I’m still here. I still love you. I still carry you with me.“

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Completed my first love attraction spell jar this morning, would anyone want a recipe after I see how it goes?

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this blog is my digital and I also have a physical grimoire :)

you know the drill, rb for a bigger sample size!

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I'm currently putting together a recipe for my first spell jar (that isn't protection of some sort) in a while and I am so excited. Unfortunately I forgot my grimoire at home :( so the details are gonna be smoothed over later ig

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Hellenism Books I have compiled

ahhh so public library for beginners and closet pagans

Also anyone who wants to find an epub file or send one here and DM me :D

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DIVINA OBSCURA: a personal Hellenic library

Disclaimer: this post is a perpetual WIP, serving as an archive of all the books I've read on topics of Hellenic polytheism, mythology, ancient Greek history, and similar topics.

This is by no means a list of recommendations (in fact, there are some titles on this list I wouldn't recommend), but feel free to treat it that way if you're looking for suggestions!

Other reading masterlists:

ARCANA OBSCURA: a personal occult library

CLASSICS

The Odyssey, Homer

MYTHOLOGY

Mythos, Stephen Fry

Mythology, Edith Hamilton

Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth, Natalie Haynes

HELLENIC RELIGION

Ancient Greek Religion, Jon D. Mikalson

Ancient Greek Divination, Sarah Iles Johnston

GREEK HISTORY

Creators, Conquerors, and Citizens, Robin Waterfield

MODERN WORSHIP

Hellenic Polytheism: Household Worship, Labrys

Hellenismos: Practicing Greek Polytheism Today, Tony Mierzwicki

In Praise of Olympus: Prayers to the Greek Gods, Hearthstone

A Year of Pagan Prayer, Barbara Nolan

Secrets of Greek Mysticism, George Lizos

THEURGY

The Practical Art of Divine Magic, Patrick Dunn

For the Love of the Gods, Brandy Williams

HEKATE

Keeping Her Keys, Cyndi Brannen

Entering Hekate's Garden, Cyndi Brannen

Entering Hekate's Cave, Cyndi Brannen

Hekate Liminal Rites, Sorita d'Este

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Book Review: Recreational Witchcraft by Lyra Black

"In this book, magic is for everyone. Especially you."

TL;DR: I highly recommend Recreational Witchcraft for anyone who has or is looking to practice witchcraft.

Lyra Black's dry humor and witty writing style made this book a very fun read. It gives a lot of good beginner information very easily and with explanations. Black has used her own experiences with getting into magic to connect each part of the book, and her experience in previously running a blog (by the same name as the book) shows in her ability to convey information while keeping the writer engaged. I also appreciated that the book comes from a nontheistic approach, which can be hard to find in witchcraft books these days, and allows the reader to mix their religious views and practice as they wish.

Some of the "beginner" information in Recreational Witchcraft includes: herbs and meanings, crystals and meanings, definitions for a wide variety of tools and workings (such as binding vs curse vs hex), guides such as how to build an altar, and information on the sabbaths and ways to celebrate each.

Black has a lot of spell recipes in the book, from bath scrubs to glamours to charms, for many different uses. I personally really enjoyed the various shower spells, a thing that had never occurred to me would exist before. She also talks about alternatives for some of the ingredients, and how to replace (or remove) ingredients entirely. She views that ingredients only have the meaning you give them, which is a good mindset to have especially when it comes to working with things you're allergic to.

I have only seen one negative review for this book, and that is that it references marijuana a lot. As the book and former blog were called Recreational Witchcraft, and that the cover and spine has marijuana leaves on it, I thought this was evident. The chapter of the book specifically dedicated to witchcraft under the influence is somewhat brief, and mostly contains alcohol (mixed drink spells, they look really cool tbh) and Black's own experience doing witchcraft under the influence. Marijuana is mentioned in Black's written experiences in other parts of the book, but I did not find it to be overbearing.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. Recreational Witchcraft is good for anyone with any amount of experience or interest in witchcraft. It is a wonderful introduction for adults and has a lot of insight into the practice of another witch, which is something I always value, as I love to see practices different from my own. Black's experiences make the book incredibly relatable and light, and kept me engaged. Seeing her view on things such as mind-altering substances in witchcraft and the ethics of love spells made me think about my own views on parts of witchcraft. If you do choose to pick up the book, I hope it is as great for you as it is for me.