#specifically easy to read symbolism tarot symbolism is too complicated for me personally

[gladstones-corner]

Let's Talk Divination

This was originally going to be a much more specific post, but I decided to take in in a different direction. Today, I'm going to cover divination as a general topic, including how to practice it. 

Like my post on ritual magic, let's get started with a definition. What exactly is divination? Merriam-Webster nails it, I think: 

"The art or practice that seeks to foresee or foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge, usually by the interpretation of omens or by the aid of supernatural powers." 

I dig this definition a lot. It tells us that: 

Divination is both an art and a science 

It is both natural and supernatural 

It can be used to uncover information 

It can be used to tell the future 

That's all well and good, but why is divination important? Let's take a look at those last two points there: uncovering information and foretelling the future. 

Uncovering information spans a wide range of applications. Did you misplace your phone? A crude map of your home and a pendulum can help you remember where it is. Had something go worse than you were hoping? A tarot spread can help you examine why. 

Foretelling the future seems self-explanatory, but it's more complex than that. Divination can certainly tell you likely outcomes, but it won't set your fate in stone. If anything, it's part of being a proactive force in your own destiny. 

Alright, cool. We have some ways divination helps us out. But how do we practice it? The good news is, that's up to you! 

If you're new to the skill, I suggest starting with a pendulum. These are great because they're portable, versatile, discreet, and easy to make. All you need is about 8-10 inches of string and a small weight to tie onto the end. 

To use a pendulum, hold it by the non-weighted end and let it swing freely. Before divining, I tend to ask my pendulum to signal to me the following: 

Yes 

No 

Maybe 

Answer unknown 

That helps me calibrate the pendulum so I can clearly understand its responses. 

If you're less comfortable with freeform interpretation, there are plenty of divination mats to try. Some are simple, others are more complex and mimic spirit boards. I encourage you to make a couple out of paper and see if you like them before purchasing one. 

Mastered the pendulum? Try something a little more complicated, like Elder Futhark or Ogham. These are rune sets that are rich in symbolism but easy to make and learn. You can use wooden coins, index cards, or anything of regular size and shape to make your own and get started. 

Runes not really your thing? Or maybe you've mastered them too? In this case, I can't recommend Lenormand highly enough. It's a 36 card deck with beautiful, easy-to-understand art on every card. The best part? Each card has a playing card equivalent; you can purchase a set of poker cards and draw your own! 

Where do we go from here? I'd say oracle decks! These are unique in that they're non-standard. Each deck is highly personal to its creator and differs from all others. I suggest doing a lot of research to find one you like, and really taking the time to learn its methods and meanings. A good oracle deck will carry you very far. 

And now we come to the final divination method I'll discuss here: tarot. I kept this one for last because I consider it the hardest to learn. 

Despite the consistent 78-card requirement (22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana), there is considerable variation between decks. Finding one you like seems impossible at times, and trying to find resources can be a pain if you're not reading a RWS or one of its variants. 

But don't let that get to you. Finding a good tarot deck and learning at least the Major Arcana will net you a lot of experience in divination. Is it any more rewarding than the other methods? No, not really. But besides the pendulum, it's my favorite. 

Are these the only divination methods available? Absolutely not. Geomancy, augury, bone-casting...the list goes on. There are as many ways to divine as there are people divining—and I didn't even cover scrying, which is a topic all on its own. 

Give these methods a try! Let me know how they work for you. 

As always, blessed be~ 

[the-corset-witch]

Hey, I have a tarot related question: I just got started with learning how to use tarot cards, but I sometimes have trouble 'reading' the cards. For example, if I ask a relationship specific question, but I draw a card from the pentagram suit, I dont understand what it means. Should I just look for deeper meanings in the cards?

Hey there! Since I’m an intuitive reader this advice is gunna be angled toward intuitive tarot reading.

1, make a story in the card(s) and use this to guide you. For pentacles my stories always have to do with gardens and crops and wealth since those are the themes of that suit.

2, find symbolism. Symbolism is rampant through almost every deck unless it’s minimalist (and even then the symbols they focus on pack a punch). If something catches your eye in the card analyze it; like I always end up looking at the flowers in cards and deciding how they make me feel.

3, if you have a humanoid deck (a deck w humanoid depictions) find your “place” in the card. Are you this person or that person? How does that change the perspective of the story you began in #1? 

4, if all else fails, take 3 keywords from your LWB (little white book) and try to make them into a sentence.  

Now for pentacles in a relationship, you’re looking at a lot of hard work (a theme of the suit), and : A= The start of something that’s either very physical or going to take work to make work , 2= learn to balance between each other, 3= don’t criticize the work that’s being done, 4= too much greed for your partner’s affection will drive them away, 5= don’t be afraid to be vulnerable lest you end up emotionally impoverished due to lack of connection, 6= learn to give freely and learn to accept things given to you, 7= impatience won’t help the love grow, 8= hard hard hard work and it feels repetitive and stagnant so spice up your love life with some spontaneity, 9= Very fruitful relationship that will bring a lot of happiness, 10= all good things and an excess of emotional happiness and wealth.  Court cards are very flexible for me, so I don’t have any hard set “sayings” for those.  

Pentacles is not a very romantic suit, its a suit about working hard to get where you want to go in life.  A lot of people want love to be easy, and want there to be no work, but when you are trying to blend together two lives it can get complicated.  

I learned tarot by tucking my LWB into a box and forcing myself to tell myself stories and such with the cards, so I will sometimes have meanings that are a bit different from the standard; like where the 8 of Cups says it represents “walking away” I just straight say “abandonment”, because that’s just what I got from the card.  I will also say that when I first started reading tarot I was coming out of a breakup and doing a lot of relationship readings and you can be wrong- the cards are not wrong, but you can be.  Especially if you end up reading what you want to read instead of what you need to allow into your life.  In my case, I needed to let go, but I kept drawing cards that made it seem if I just did X she’d be happy with me again.  No, I needed to do X for myself, and let go.  

[tipsycad147]

3 Ways To Use Magic For The Zodiac: Libra

SL Bear

Libras are an interesting mix. They like the finer things and appreciate beauty, but are often categorise as superficial. They are heavily concerned with justice and fairness, but they are motivated to keep the peace above all — the ultimate people pleasers. This makes Libra indecisive when it comes to choosing sides and fearful of confrontation. While they are labelled good mediators, they hold grudges like a dog with a bone and can be swayed easily, especially if they believe it means a faster path to harmony. In essence, Libras are incredibly sweet, down to Earth people who just want a little peace and quiet. Things get tricky for them when other people are involved, which is unavoidable — unlike some other signs, Libras are very social beings.

Looking To The Wind

Because Libras are all about balance and harmony, I wanted to honor this when creating some magic for their birthday. Though Libras can be indecisive, it’s only because they want to make sure they’ve done things right. They want to make the moral choice, that also makes the most people happy. This is a hard thing for anyone, but Libras take this responsibility very seriously.

What you will need:

A small piece of blue material

A stick and a way to affix the material to the stick

A blue candle

A tarot deck

Alternative: A coin and some blue paint

Libra is an air sign so it’s important to bring this element into your magic because it’ll work well with you. For this magic, you’ll be using wind so wait for a breezy day before starting.

To begin, make a small flag out of your materials, then plant it somewhere outside where you can see it from a window. Light a blue candle, shuffle your tarot deck, and draw two cards. Place these cards side by side in front of the blue candle. The card on your right represents the situation you’re having difficulty with — the problem that needs a decision — and the card on the left represents your role in this situation. While you’ve probably already spent a lot of time thinking about this decision, and weighing all sides, something is keeping you from reaching a clear yes or no. This is where the flag comes in. Trust your intuition! You already know the right thing to do, so no more vacillating. Whichever way you’re leaning toward more, take a moment and ask aloud “am I making the right choice?” Then take both of the tarot cards in your hand and look outside at the flag. If it blows east, the answer is yes. If it blows to the west, your answer is no.

Alternatively, you may not have time to wait for a windy day or for whatever reason, a flag is not possible. No worries! Paint a coin (a quarter will work best) blue and mark one side with the Libra glyph, which is a symbol for balance. Instead of looking outside at the flag after reading the cards, flip the coin high in the air. Heads (the side with the Libra glyph) is yes, and tails is a no. You can keep this coin with you and ask it simple yes or no questions whenever indecision strikes.  

Pomme d’Amour

Libras are connected to the planet Venus, as well as the goddess. Because of this, Libras are ruled by a desire to find lasting love and a partner who will support them through thick and thin. While they may not necessarily seek marriage, the concept of marriage and union is closely tied to Libra’s symbolism.

This spell is meant to draw out a fitting partner for Libra!

What you will need:

A green (unripened) cherry tomato

Rose petals

A banana

A paper bag

A small altar

Seven red candles

This spell should be started on a Monday.

To begin, create a sigil based on the traits you’d like to see in a partner. Keep it specific “My partner is _____” and add as many adjectives as you’d like. Once your sigil is complete, draw it on the paper bag.

The altar doesn’t have to be as big and special as your regular altar, it’s just a space where everything can sit without being disturbed. Tomatoes are sacred to Libras, probably due to their association with love and Venus. There are also stories of tomatoes being powerful aphrodisiacs, which make them a perfect fit for this spell. Place the candles in a circle and then pop the tomato into the paper bag with the banana and nest this in the centre of your circle. Please space everything carefully so there’s no chance of the paper bag catching fire!

In the space between the bag and the candles, sprinkle your rose petals. This spell will be performed over a week so don’t be alarmed when the petals start to dry — that’s perfectly fine.

At the beginning of the week, once everything is set up, light the candle just to the right of the candle at the very top of the circle, or the candle at the 1 o’clock position. Recite the first line of the incantation. For each following day of the week, moving clockwise around the circle of candles, say the corresponding line of the incantation and light the next candle in the circle, along with all the preceding candles you lit the days before. I recommend letting the candles burn for at least a half hour every day, but feel free to let them burn longer if you like!

On the seventh day, all your candles will be lit and you’ll recite the last line of the spell. Remove the tomato from the bag and tear away the paper round the sigil, so it’s small enough to burn, then activate your sigil with the flame of Sunday’s candle. Save the ashes of the sigil, mix it with the rose petals and set them in your hand. Go outside and blow this mixture to the east.

If the tomato isn’t ripe yet, it’s okay, there’s no time limit on it. However, when it does ripen, use this tomato to make something delicious and share it with a friend or family member who could use a pick-me-up. This is a gesture of kindness and love which hopefully will come back to you!

Libra love spell incantation:

Monday: I send the call out on the wind

Tuesday: And it will come back again

Wednesday: Love built to last and stronger still

Thursday: Than summer sun or winter chill  

Friday: Venus, please find them for me

Saturday: And make them beautiful to see

Sunday: I sent the call out on the wind, and now I bring them home again

You may substitute whatever pronouns you’d like here, of course.

Aeolian Force

Though water is by far the most powerful way that our landscape is shaped, wind is a force of change as well. It blows the terrain away or blasts sand and dirt against surfaces thus eroding them over time. This is called the Aeolian process and it’s seen primarily in sparse regions like deserts and areas with little vegetation. It creates smooth, bizarre rock formations and gorgeous dunes. For this spell, we’re going to use it to bury an old grudge.

Libras don’t let go of past insults easily, but holding onto the past — which can never be changed — is unhelpful. Not because you should forgive everyone always and hug instead, but because focusing on anything negative for too long is bad for you. It’s nonproductive for your life. So what do you do? You blow it away.    

What you will need:

Sand

Mint

A wooden stick (or any tool handy that can be used as a writing instrument)

You can perform this spell two ways: Go somewhere with a lot of sand or, if that’s not possible, just grab some from the craft store and put it onto a container. Add a little mint to the sand, then with your stick, write out the thing you can’t let go of, or the name of the person who wronged you. It’s hard to write in sand, so keep it short. Let this sit overnight and while it rests, use this time to think about why this action bothered you so much. Think about why holding onto this blip in your past serves you. Does it? Does the person still think about it, or are you the only one that hasn’t moved on? The point is to realize that when you let go of something, it stops having power over you. Instead of negatively affecting you, it disappears into the past.

In the morning, return to the sand and blow onto the surface until you’ve made the words disappear. As you do, imagine you’re wiping it from your memory. This might take a minute, but that’s good. It will give you more time to meditate on why taking this step is the right thing to do.

Libras are complicated; elegant yet down to earth, fair but deeply concerned with making sure everyone’s needs are met. For your birthday, take some time for yourself and celebrate the many facets of your personality — there’s no one quite like you, Libra!

Do you know how to enhance your magic, improve your intent, and get kick ass results from your spells all at once?

If you don’t, then you need to be utilising the amazing energy structure inherent to the human magical system. Tapping into this energy system allows you to understand the magic you’re using on a far deeper level and achieve results that will blow your mind.

In The Witch’s Energy System, I’ll break down the entire system into easy to use pieces so that you can learn to see, feel, and make use of this energy in a way that will completely change how you view your own magic.

Learn More Here >>

https://thetravelingwitch.com/blog/2018/8/26/3-ways-to-use-magic-for-the-zodiac-libra

[lipstickmata]

on approaching tarot as a “semiotician” (ahaha whatever that is)

another interesting discussion with the ole former program mates about tarot last night

it made me think about how I read cards and to what extent if any I should reconsider the method.

so as i (we) understand it, reading someone’s tarot is of course nothing more than a wonderfully engaging exercise in semiotics.

there’s an enormous amount of very rich and complicated symbols/messages with stacked and stacked layers of meaning depending on position and theme and etc.

of course the cards are not the only agents you are reading. you have the readee—or rather, everything you have gathered and understood about the readee, since you only see/read as much of them as both/either they let you and you are able to.

and then you have you, the reader. Although the cards have commonly understood meanings—or at least overall themes—the way they will be interpreted is, by definition, only due to how you process and interpret them. Therefore you also have to take your own knowledge and ability to read your own motives/biases into account as you interpret the cards.

the way I understand it, one takes the readee into account so one can read the cards in a way that is still true or honest—that is, supported by the cards—but will also still please them or make them happy, if it’s just a casual reading; or in a way that could be the most benefit or interest to them, if it is a more ‘serious’ reading.

while this is easy if you know the person—especially if you like them—it also presents some obstacles. when you see like romantic heartbreak in the past, for example, like it is line 1 of the most common meanings for those cards—and you know the person has actually experienced whatever, like you know times and dates and specifics—do you bring it up or not?

in those cases I tend to defer to using much vaguer terms than I normally do, because in those cases I want only them, not me, to fill in the blanks. but then it kind of becomes the elephant in the room? 

recently I read for a friend whom I really really like, but don’t know extremely well. The way I was reading the cards, I wanted to be like ‘you are, right now, constantly at risk of losing the thin veneer of calm and sophistication you have expertly pulled over a giant roiling pit of nervousness and anxiety and worry.’  but instead I said something much gentler and which I knew was true and complimentary, like ‘everyone sees and enjoys your calm and sophistication’. 

this was where the reading stumbled. 

she was like ‘no, no, that doesn’t seem right. secretly I am the opposite of calm.’

and I just kind of blurted ‘I mean it can mean a lot of things that too.’ in that case, i should have just gone for it.

even harder is when I dislike the person for whom I am reading—because I fear my own feelings are making me interpret the cards in a way that skew negative.

a few years ago I did a reading for someone I was not fond of due to their toxic and cruel self-obsession and treatment of others, and their whole card spread reading basically read to me like ‘your narcissism and selfishness will get you that thing you want (that they had asked about in the reading) but you will lose almost everyone you care about in the process.’

was it a fair reading of the cards? yes. did it absolutely reflect my own feelings? also yes, except that i didn’t even think they would succeed in their venture because of my low opinion of them.

what I said: ‘you will get that thing you are after.”

what ended up happening over the next few years: they succeeded, but their selfishness and narcissism caused them to lose almost all their closest relationships.

cards aren’t “real” but observation and intuition are. should I have given the full ‘reading?’ I think in that case they wouldn’t have heard it, tbh. but in other cases, maybe?

(i want to stress here that these two examples kind of make me sound observant and insightful when truly nothing could be further from the case. I drift through life oblivious, consumed by daydreams and hypotheticals.

just off the top of my head--i did not figure out who the half-blood prince was until snape out and told harry ‘i am the half-blood prince’. i did not figure out Captain Nemo was a bad guy in 20000 leagues under the sea until someone told me. 

while i am, i admit, pretty good at observing people, i am actually terrible at drawing correct conclusions about anything or anyone.)

basically and in short:iI am like hyper-aware of my biases and cognition processes, as much as possible, when I am reading cards, and i am unsure how helpful this is.

is modifying completely every answer to remove your own knowledge and bias helpful, or is it like the opposite of what you are supposed to do when reading? 

i mean this is not like a scientific experiment and I am approaching it like it is. i would be very interested to hear any viewpoints or experiences in reading tarot. everyone i have talked about this with basically holds similar views and understandings as i do, which is nice when exploring ideas to their logical conclusion but not for testing or altering viewpoints necessarily.