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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cp_c9hXkUH4)

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWCHo0BTRV8)

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=592rweK4TMI)

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVc6C0-Bqeg)

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My grimoire I am working on right now. I will be posting my divination journal soon, too.

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(please do not remove or change the caption)

Breaking The Cycle:

This spread takes the shape of an infinity symbol to help better represent a situation that seems to be in an infinite loop in our minds, or hearts, or souls. This spread should reveal to you some cycle that needs to be broken. I believe the part where this spread helps you to break the cycle is all in the acknowledgement. As you look at the cards, and start to see the pieces fit together, you should have a bigger-picture representation of this problematic cycle.

I would not do this spread with a situation in mind. Just lay out the cards for the positions given, and let the cards tell their own story about what it is that needs to be let go.

The positions are…

1) Your Soul - The part of you that is at the core of this situation.

2) Your Goal - What it was you strived for.

3) Your Gift - An aspect of yourself that was helpful to you in this situation.

4) Your Challenge - An aspect of yourself, or a person, or some element of the situation that needed to be overcome.

6) The Outcome - How it all shook out.

7) Your Reward - What you gained from the situation.

8) Your Lesson - What you still need to learn in order to break the cycle and move on.

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Question: Do I have a Book of Shadows or a Grimoire

Yes. I have several actually; too many in fact.

Picture 19 years of note books and printed out whatnots, or written notes inside books and doable what you think that’d be.

It became a problem.

I actually call it a “grimoire” since I am not Wiccan. I am starting over, taking out everything that I don’t even use anymore, and writing one based off of my current practice.

I worked on it some tonight so the mod podge is still wet. I took pictures out of cards that were sent to me and magazines, and this is pretty much the theme of what every page will look like, with me writing in it. Something special and personal.

I will show you more as I progress.

The original notebook I got here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J0C748?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00

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Conversation with Frigga

Today is an unsure day for me; I am essentially buying a car after 3 years of turmoil with a used car that I was making payments on (including a new engine, breaks, electrical system, starter, etc). I can not financially afford to go through that again, so we have decided to take the loss and trade it in on another, and pay off the difference.

So, when I say “conversations with Frigga” this is how I talk to her, Thor, the ancestors, etc; I divinate since she is the Goddess of Divination, among other things, and who I feel closest to as far as goddesses go.

So, the rune I pulled is Dagaz, which means dawn, or day; the beginning of something new, and the sun breaking through the clouds. I feel she is telling me that it’s going to be ok; leave your shit that happened yesterday at the door, because today is a new, and good, beginning. 

Want a rune or tarot card pulled for you? I do single card or rune readings using tarot, cartomancy (playing card divination), or runes. Just ask me to and I will respond. Please also specify which system you are comfortable with. 

I will leave your name out of it publicly if you wish, but I may post the question and answer to the blog referring to you as “someone” so it could be used as a teaching tool. 

The runes I most often use (these ones) are made of oak and was “stained” with my own rune oil I make (using sacred herbs found in the Havamal) and my own blood. I also redden them more using Dragon’s Blood since I find it more easy to find than ochre. 

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This is an illustration I did of the Nine Worlds from Norse mythology for my maps project. I wanted to do a simple, informative map because I was baffled by how little most people know about it compared to Greek/Roman/Egyptian mythology.

The descriptions about how the worlds are set up are quite contradictory or logically impossible, so it’s really up to each individual how they want to interpret and render them. Some theorizes it as a flat island world (with an inner, middle and outer circle), or (as a certain Marvel comic does it;) a mush of dimensions with aliens and stuff. I’ve always imagined it as a giant tree whenever we had story time in elementary school, so I tried to fit all the named places I could find strictly into a tree. Also, the tree has its presence and is the centre in most of the worlds, so I solved that by putting a tree within a tree within a tree - Yggdraception!

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Explanation: 

Yggdrasil is the world tree. Its branches stretch across the sky and its evergreen leaves covers the world. At the very top of the tree, there’s a golden eagle by the name of Vidofnir, and between his eyes sits the hawk, Verfolne. The pair looks out towards the world. Yggdrasil has three rots, each going down their own wells.

One goes down to Kverghjelme, a well in Niflheim. The root is gnawed on by the serpent Nidhogg, in hopes that it will one day kill Yggdrasil and the world(s) with it. Another goes to Urd’s well in Åsgard, which is tended by three norns (destiny-thread goddesses). In the well lives two golden swans. The water here is so pure and holy, it’s white (but I still coloured it blue!). The third root goes to Mime’s Well in Jotunheim. It is guarded by the wise god Mime, who got beheaded but his head is still there giving advice to gods. This place is also where Odin sacrificed his eye for wisdom. 

A squirrel, Ratatosk, relayes gossip and insults between Nidhogg and Vidofnir. There’s also four deers I forgot to draw in but they don’t do much than eat the leaves. 

I split the world into four sections:

At the top section is Åsgard, the world of the Aesir gods. Here is Valhall, the banquet hall of the gods and warriors, and Folkvang, Freya’s house, where she lives with her own hand-picked warriors (who are more honorable and less bloodthirsty than those who live in Valhall). I’ve also put in the homes of the gods that were given by name, like Bilskirne (Thor’s house), Breidablik (Baldur’s house) and so on.

The only way to get to the other worlds is by Bifrost, the rainbow bridge, which is guarded by Heimdall, from his home in Himmelberget.

In the upper-mid section is Alvheim, land of the elves. The fertility god, Frey, lives here as their ruler. There’s also Vanaheim, the land of the Vanir gods, who specialize in fertility/farming/etc. but not much is known about them.  

Midgard is the human world and lies in the centre of the three. It is surrounded by the world sea and the gigantic Midgard serpent which bites its own tail.  

In the east is Jotunheimen, the land of the giants. I imagine it as a very mountainous terrain. Utgård lies here, which is where the wolf Fenris is being tied.

In the south, is Muspelheim, the land of fire.

In the west, lies Svartalvheim, the land of dark elves and dwarves. 

And in the north, lies Niflheim, the land of ice and mist.

Helheim, the land of the dead lies below/within Niflheim. I drew it as an underground realm under Kverghjelme. Everyone who died outside of battle gets sent here, regardless of how good/bad they were when they were alive, but criminals would be put in Nåstrand, a house by the corpse river. 

…

I just totally realised I forgot to include an explanation with my assignment, d’oh.

I used the Norwegian names instead of the Norse/Icelandic ones because that’s how I know them as and is a lot more relatable to me (ek snakkur ikkur islendur!) and the descriptions are in English, but there’s a full Norwegian version around somewhere…! 

Sources: Norrøn Mytologi, Åsgard Web, Noregur.is, Valkyria, NT Shamanism and Wikipedia NO/SE/DK.

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Runes and Coffee by iscalox

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1.) The front of my altar.

2.) Shrine to Thor

3.) Shrine to Frigga: (incomplete; waiting on the set of skeleton keys I ordered to come in) The cauldron is there to represent home and hearth.

4.) Ancestral Shrine: The doll my great grandmother made, the picture is of my great great grandparents before they came here from Germany, the bible has been in my family for over 80 years, the buckeye is from the town in Ohio my family is from, the WWII ration book represents all of my family who fought in any war, and the graveyard dirt is of my grandmother.

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Tarot Card of the Day: Page of Pentacles

Again, a card representing good luck and fortune with money. The Page of Pentacles understands how money works, and will work hard to get it, but in a child-like way. It means being industrious with ideas on how to turn in some income, and in my case it looks like it’s going to succeed. 

Want me to pull a card or rune for you? Just ask. Specify which one and I will keep it private if you wish.

Deck used today: Housewives Tarot (my favorite and most accurate deck)

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I tried making my own spell candles like the post here: http://maidenofthestorm.tumblr.com/post/75345324738/moonstonebeginning-blessing-candles-pop-tea

I didn’t have a coffee pot with an old fashioned warmer (I own a Keurig) so I used a pan on the stove over medium heat. Worked fine.

I just have to figure out how to keep the wicks from sinking.

Top: Rose and Lavender for self love and calming

Bottom: Sage and Rosemary for cleansing

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Cartomancy: Using Playing Cards for Divination

I was recently in the market for a new deck of cards, either tarot or oracle, and all I found were overpriced options, which inspired me to do this post.

When I worked at my previous job, I was the resident witch. It’s not something I advertised, but when you work in the place I work, things get around. I was helping a very good friend of mine on his journey with discovering crystals, and actually gave him quite a few.

There was another woman I was helping, she was in her early 20′s, and didn’t have a lot of money. She knew the basics of spellwork and had studied wicca quite extensively, along with my help. Her and her husband were having issues and she was trying to get him to notice her more romantically, or have her appear more attractive. She worked the spell time and time again and it wasn’t working, and I asked her if she tried divination to see if she should even be using the spell. Some spells we can try 100 times, and if the universe has other plans, it has other plans.

She stated she didn’t have anything to divinate with and I told her tomorrow I would bring her something to help her out.

Next to our work was a general market so I walked in there and bought her a nicer set of playing cards and brought them in with me. I told her to tuck them away, and I will explain more after work.

Now, I know she probably had a set laying around, but I wanted her to have a set that was specifically just for her divination. I also recommend that to any of my readers wanting to do this; set aside these just for your divination. Witches in the closet still will also appreciate this because no one will suspect a pack of poker cards laying about.

When she did get home, and I gave her the free website with the meanings of each card, I just would like to say she became more talented at readings than I was. It was like I helped her find her calling, which make me very happy. I go to her sometimes for a reading!

All for the price of $2.00 vs $20.00 for a tarot deck.

With playing cards you can use the single card draw, the 3 card draw, the celtic cross, the past, present, future, or basically any spread you use for tarot.

The website to help you with the meanings (but I also recommend using intuition and your own view of what the cards mean to you!) can be found here: http://www.destinywitch.com/Pages/CartomancyCardMeanings.aspx

Happy reading!

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One of the many reasons why I follow and revere the Northern Gods is simply because they are fallible. They make mistakes, and in fact, tell tales about them. The Vikings believed that their Gods weren’t above them, but instead walked beside them as treasured friends. With that view, it is a wonder why those who follow the Northern Gods don’t accept mental illness as easily as they should, considering the sagas point to Odin battling with depression numerous times.

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A spread to help you find ways to improve your craft!