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tarot spread

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The Man In Black

After many questions and a few requests, I think it’s time to make a longer post about this.  An enigmatic figure has floated around in witch lore for a very long time. A particular spike in his appearance comes into place during the Early Modern Period. A tall man, comely and swathed in black, adorned with either the horns of a goat or that of a buck, approaches men and women alike to offer them a new life. If they decline, they will go about their life as if it was an illusion. If they accept, they will be granted gifts and wealth (of all kinds) in exchange for loyalty to him.  Throughout the centuries, he’s acquired many different names. He’s been called Old Nick, Old Scratch, The Black Goat, Akerbeltz, Black Donald, The Dark Man, and countless other names. Of course, they’ve all been summed up rather quickly with the word ‘Devil’. And is he?  Yes and no.  The Man in Black is not to be separated from the Christian Devil, but that is not his sum total. He represents much more than that and is an extraordinarily complex figure; so complex that his nature cannot be completely known (a trait that I’ll see to in a bit). He is Lucifer, the Usurper, the Light Bringer, the Torch Bearer, and the Opener of Eyes.  The Man in Black is intimately connected to the topics of the dead, the underworld, fertility, sexuality, and magic. Though the intermingling of life and death might seem befuddling at first, it is important to understand that this is the truest representation of the wilderness. Thus, in total, the Dark Man is, above all, a spirit/deity that represents the Wilderness found both inside humans and outside of them.  He also represents ‘The Great Other’. Where there is order, he is Chaos. This too can be said for all things natural. In a world where we live between giant, rectangular towers, he is the storm that makes them shiver. He is the flaw in the bricks. He is the tree that crashes into them.  Beyond that, he is the concepts that have been shunned by polite society. Most importantly, sexuality and aggression. These primal instincts are intertwined and deeply misunderstood. Sexuality does not always mean lewdness. Aggression does not always mean butchery. Sexuality is the force through which life is animated. It is the conjoining and drinking of souls. Aggression is competitiveness. It is a will to survive and thrive.  In these, we find the origin of him being Satan. Satan is the Lord of Sin, the Liar, and the Roisterer. The Man in Black drinks deeply of Earthly pleasures. He cannot be predictable, for that would make him orderly, where he is chaos. He excites primal passions, of both lust and fury.  His Chthonic associations don’t help with this. Beasts that are usually thought to be messengers and walkers-between-worlds are his symbols, like crows, flies, snakes, toads, foxes, deer, and most importantly, goats. This Underworld association also deals with his link to primal emotions and concepts we tend to ‘push deep down’ for the lack of a better term. Death is one of them. This too deals much with his associations with Chaos. Hell is simply the Underworld. Where the Underworld is Chaos, the Heavens are Order. Earth is the marriage of the two. Where there is civilization, there is also wilderness.  He could be considered a trickster, but more appropriately, he is the Trickster. He isn’t an other, he is the Other. Where in Christian mythos, God created Order, the Dark Man usurps control and creates Chaos His title as the ‘Witch-father” denotes his fondness for, and interest given to, witches. Witches, even separated from the Devil, always have represented the wilderness, or the most wild, primal, and beastly parts of mankind. Naturally, they would be joined with the very spirit/deity that is the embodiment of these qualities. The Man in Black is the embodiment of the thing that witches hold precious, and when they are joined, he teaches and guides them to be the best witches they can be. Many view this as servitude, and while it is true that many witches hold allegiance to the one who pulled them onto the path, it isn’t necessarily true that they are his unwilling servants. The ones who do favors for him are also the ones who are quite affectionate towards him. He isn’t a slave-driver with a whip. Instead, he represents the man who steals the whip from his master’s hand and gains freedom.  Similarly, witches are often people in folklore who have gained powers not intended by God to override His own Divine Will. They are selfish and they change the world to suit their means, and for some, that meant bringing kings and queens to their knees. As Lucifer coveted the Throne of Heaven, so these witches would no longer be subservient.  Since ancient times, people have looked to find the wilderness in horned male spirits and deities. They pray to them when they hunt, they pray to them when they wish to have children, they pray to them when they want connection to the wild. Magic practitioners and religious priests wore horns atop their heads as symbols of spiritual importance. Horns were thought to bestow the ability to see, hear, and interact with the spirits. They were, in essence, both crown and key. They were thought to bestow strength and a will to survive, but also a sensitivity to things beyond the perception of most. We find these qualities in the Man in Black.   Commonly, he is portrayed with a flame between his two horns. This flame is called the Cunning Fire. Those witches who he has created and initiated are lit by his own flame. He passes the Fire Between the Horns to his witches, and they too have power over the world as he does. How does he do this?  He is known as the one who swallows what is and spits out what will be. He eats away the parts of a person that stops them from traversing the witch path. This common theme, even outside of witchcraft, is found in folklore of him, especially in the American South. He puts them through a test of sorts, where they are made to suffer internal and external turmoil. If they pass, they leave changed, new, and somehow improved. For witches, he gives them fire, and in doing so, gives them power. If they don’t pass, they either try to walk away as unscathed as they can, or they leave broken. In some witch myths, he has drawn his initiates to the woods and attacked them. If they survived, he rewarded them. Still, this happens spectrally when some fly. Some account for being attacked, torn apart, and put back together.  He didn’t always create the witches, either. Some of them were waiting to have latent skills awoken, and during his testing phase, he spurred them. Those witches who were said to have power asleep inside them would go through this to awaken their talents.  Witches of the past, and even many in the present, initiate under him. During this process, many people believe that a witch is selling her soul for powers and a new life. While it is true that a ‘witch’s sixpence’ is required when asking, it is not the soul that is bargained off (though I’m sure he wouldn’t refuse it if offered). Instead, the witch is bound to the path and the spirits of that path. They become a part of one another. Their soul, though their own, is part of a larger whole then. The witches before then and the spirits who guide the tradition, in this case the Dark Man, become a part of the initiate and vice versa.  He is to be considered the Master of the Hidden Art. Some people interpret this as widely magic in general, while others feel that it is specific to witchcraft. He is often called the First Sorcerer, the Shapeshifter, the Wanderer, the Trickster, and the Horned One. He stole the Fire (the hidden knowledge), the light, from Heaven and gave it to humankind. This theme has repeated throughout history, of a wild God stealing fire and giving it to the world. In this case, that fire is magic and forbidden knowledge. He is the Light-bringer and is called Lucifer. The fallen angels, too, known in some mythos as faeries and in others as gods, impart their Divine Spark to humans as well.  He appears as many things. He does not have one form. He is the great buck, standing tall with a full set of antlers. He is the black wolf that eats it. He is the goat with great horns. He is the fox that enters the peaceful henhouse and eats to his content. He is both hunter and prey, for the two are sometimes one and the same. He is the man wearing a black suit, handsome and tall. The wild places are his domain. Not just in the woods does he dwell, but back alleys and bus stops late at night. Crossroads lit by moonlight but shaded by fog are his home too. He walks among beasts and humans. He walks the woods quietly and slyly. He walks among the people at midnight in the city.  The Man in Black is an enigma, even to those who know him. He is Chaos, and therefore is eternally shifting shapes. As nature changes over the span of 100 years, so does he change with the world. His nature is to never fully be known, but truly be felt. He is, perhaps above all, feeling. Fear, aggression, lust, excitement, bliss, etc. These are his calling cards.  Working with him isn’t something that someone else usually teaches. Someone might teach you how to call him, but they can’t tell you how to work with him. Like I said, he ever changes. His way of working with each is different.  How would you call him?  How was the Devil called in folklore?  Almost always at a crossroads or in the woods, but as I stated before, these are not his only domains.  Alcohol, money, black hen feathers, antlers and horns, bones, poisonous plants, etc are all things that will draw him close.  But the most important ingredient is feeling. Whatever feeling you have while calling him has to be felt fully. Envelop yourself in it. Fear, bliss, or whatever it is, must be sat in. The reek of it will call him.  He is known to appeal to feelings and senses when he arrives. He is not only drawn by them, but he is an embodiment them. He is inside the fear and the bliss. Through that, a connection can come. That connection can be so vivid and profound that it is often found to be either extraordinarily comforting or deeply unsettling. It is to touch the other half.  If no other spirit or deity will remind you that working with him is a relationship, he will. Everything has a price on it, and that goes for his end too. Whatever favor or task performed, he will grant favors in kind. It is always important to remember that he is a trickster, however. His favors are always repaid, but not always in the way you’d expect them to be.  Witches who walk a traditional path will run into him, be it through the pages of a book, a fleeting thought, or a full-blown ritual. It is impossible to avoid him when practicing folkloric craft. He is not, however, required to be worked with. He is beloved by many witches, and will welcome more into his fold, but it is not required that a witch becomes one of his. Instead, it is always important to remember what he stands for as a champion of witches and what kind of qualities he puts forth as a sorcerous spirit. He is a reminder that, in the traditional and folkloric ways, a witch is a wild being; truly, both hunter and hunted, both crown and key, both king and usurper, both natural and supernatural. 

[tarotbean]

the basics (:

[tarotbean]

Reading Candles for Yes/No Answers

High, steady flame: Yes

Low, steady flame: No

Short, weak flame: No

Dancing flame:Needs more focus. Reground and try again.

Violent flickering flame: Strong no. Take this as a warning if you are certain this isn’t caused by an outside force or natural defect in candle.

Sputtering/Cracking flame: There is more to your answer than a simple yes or no,

Dual flame: Thinking, wait for answer.

Flame leaning to left: Yes

Flame leaning to right: No

Candle will not light: Ask later

Candle will not go out: You are not done yet. There is more you need to hear.

Candle goes out during session: Now is not the time to ask.

[tarotbean]

You know that post thats like “The ideal dynamic is a guy who considers another guy his rival, and the other dude doesn’t even know his name.”

That’s Crowley with Oscar Wilde.

[tarotbean]

Just realized that both coming out day and indigenous peoples day are on the 11th this year so here's your reminder from your local queer native to not let Indigenous Peoples Day get ignored and forgotten this year. Support natives even if they're not queer this october 11th, and don't let white + colonized narratives be the main focus of the day.

[tarotbean]

I've been folding for quite a few days . Here are some of my favorites

(some models designed by Magnus Wenninger)

[tarotbean]

Saturn, The Moon, Jupiter and it's Moons all in 1 capture.

A Once in a lifetime photo by Scot Wilson

[tarotbean]

🔮💕🔮💕🔮💕

𝕾𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖚𝖆𝖑 𝕹𝖚𝖒𝖇𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝕸𝖊𝖆𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖘

Spiritual Numbers / Angel Numbers, are a way that our Spirit Guides communicate with us. You might see these numbers on clocks, tv, your phone, the stove, etc. Once you start paying attention, it can be surprising how often they come up !

•

Have you been seeing any of these numbers lately? 🔮

I've been seeing 222, 555 and 888 everywhere !

•

💕

Here are some clues on what your Guides / The Universe could be trying to tell you when you see certain numbers !

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[Image Description:

Background is Pink, blue and purple sky with clouds.

Title:

Spiritual Numbers - Messages from the Universe

Underneath the title are nine sets of three numbers with what they could mean !

111 - Your Intentions are manifesting quickly. Focus on what you want.

222 - No need to worry, you're on the right path.

Trust yourself.

333 - The Universe is working with you to make your dreams come true.

444 - Trust that You are being guided and protected.

555 - Big changes are coming for your highest good.

Prepare for shifts.

666 - Check for distractions.

Realign with your Spirituality.

777 - Let go of your fears + look forward with excitement.

888 - You are in alignment. abundance and success are manifesting.

999 - Finish + Tie loose

ends. Completion

will unlock your

next steps.]

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What numbers have you been seeing? Do any of these numbers mean something different to you? I'd love to know in the comments !

Wishing you all a magickal day.

Blessed be.

🔮💕

www.etsy.com/shop/thewhitewitchsgarden

[tarotbean]

Happy with yourself spell!!

You know what?

I like myself, I trust myself, I know myself.

I know what I want, I know what I need,

I know what I have, I know what I know.

I mean well, I try hard, I do good.

I help, I heal, I hear, I love, I feel.

I fall down, I stand up.

I strive, I survive, I flourish, I thrive.

[tarotbean]

Why You Should Keep Track of the Tarot Cards You Pull

People will often notice patterns to the cards they pull - you’ll notice that certain cards come up more often. This tends to be based on a feeling though, rather than any real data about which cards you’ve pulled - and the real data may surprise you. 

I’ve kept track of the cards I’ve pulled in my single card readings over the past three months, and here are some things I’ve noticed: 

I pull one card more frequently than any other card. In my case, that card is The Magician. It’s really useful to know - not just suspect - that one card turns up constantly for me. 

Some cards don’t actually appear as frequently as I think they do. I recently pulled the Nine of Pentacles and thought, “Again?? Why do I pull this card so much??” but when I look at the actual data… I’ve pulled other cards way more frequently. I think it’s a form of the Baader-Meinhof effect - a card can stick in your brain for some reason and you remember it as appearing more often than it actually does!

There are interesting things about the cards that I don’t pull. In three months, these Major Arcana cards have never come up at all: The Emperor and The Devil. I can look at the data of what archetypes don’t appear in my life and draw some interesting conclusions. I’ve also not drawn a single court card (page, knight, queen, or king) from the suit of swords - swords tend to deal with conflict, which I maybe have less of during this particular time in my life

I can identify which suit and which numbered cards appear the most and the least in my readings. While the totals of Swords, Wands, Cups, and Pentacles I pull are pretty close to even, Wands eke out a little bit higher total than the others. Cups and Pentacles are tied, with Swords coming in last. If I didn’t have this data, I’d probably assume I pull Swords the most - because they leave the biggest impact on me when I do pull them! Of the numbered cards: I pull Aces of any suit the most, and Twos of any suit the least. This makes for some interesting patterns: The Magician is sort of the “Ace” of the Major Arcana, as well. Aces are about a very singular willpower whereas Twos are about partnership and duality. Through this pattern I can identify the focus the cards have on my life at this particular point in time.

I pull Major Arcana cards more than is statistically likely. The Major Arcana makes up 28% of the deck, but 39% of my pulls. The Major Arcana are more associated with long-term messages, and so my life may have more long-term type changes needing to be made during this period.

This is a quick guide to how you might interpret some of the overall themes you notice:  Minor Arcana: temporary, easily changed, daily life, current situation Major Arcana: long term, archetypes, themes, life lessons, current lesson Wands: spirituality, inspiration, determination, strength, intuition, creativity, ambition and expansion; energy, motivation and passion. Cups: love, feelings, relationships and connection; emotions, intuition and creativity Swords: action, change, force, power, oppression, ambition, courage and conflict; thoughts, and words Pentacles: work, business, trade, property, money and other material possessions Aces: new beginnings, news, movement in a positive direction Twos: duality, connection Threes: creation, creativity, growth, action Fours: stability, structure Fives: tension, conflict, challenge Sixes: relaxation, harmony, reevaluation Sevens: mystery, disruption, adjustment Eights: action, movement, growth, change Nines: contemplation, reflection, looking to the next step Tens: conclusion, culmination, new beginnings, complexity Pages: youth, vitality, fascination, learning, and focus Knights: adventure, energy, missions, conviction, willfulness, recklessness Queens: curiosity, openness, expressiveness, creativity, flexibility Kings: authority, leadership, expertise, mastery, inflexibility

[tarotbean]

My Original Content

Here is a compilation of my original spells and other content. Last Updated 6/24/2021

Message me if you find any broken links so I can fix them!

The Magic of Metal Series

Intro

Copper

Tin

Nickel

Bronze

Pewter

Iron

Steel

Mercury 

Lead

Silver

Gold

Keep reading

[tarotbean]

🔮”Getting to Know Your Deck” a tarot spread

Working with any sort of deck, whether that be tarot, oracle, or a regular set of playing cards, is a partnership, and like all partnerships, you have to get to know them. 

I received a new deck last week (The Angelarium by Eli Manaya & Peter Mohrbacher) which I thought was simply gorgeous. So, in honor of that deck, I am sharing with you a spread I use that has essential questions to kickstart or deepen your relationship with a new or existing deck. 

Shuffle your cards and meditate on each question one by one. Lay them out and read individually, then together for a clearer picture.

🃏 1 - Tell me about yourself. I stand by the belief that decks have personalities, and knowing that allows you to learn how to approach them.

🃏 2 - What kind of questions do you prefer answering? Based on experience, certain decks seem to be better at certain questions. 

🃏 3 - What do you think of me? First impressions last, after all, and knowing how the deck feels about you is essential to deepening your relationship.

🃏 4 - Where do you see us going? This is how far the deck thinks your partnership will go. (Disclaimer: the future is not always set in stone, and the answer to this question tends to change the more you get to know someone)

🃏 5 - How do we work together? The answer here will help bridge the connection between you and your deck. 

Cards 1 and 2 are about the deck itself, cards 3 and 4 are about you and setting expectations, and card 5 is the bridge to bring it all together.

Tips for Beginners

🔮 Prepare yourself before reading and get in the right headspace. 

🔮 It’s okay to go back and read resources on what the cards mean. 

🔮 When you know what a card means, take that meaning and connect it with what your gut or intuition tells you. It may not make sense at first, but it will with more practice.

Have questions? My inbox is open!

[tarotbean]

How to Reconnect With Your Tarot Deck

Look, it happens to the best of us. Or well, it happens to me at least. No matter how many times I promise myself to pull at least one card daily, there are just some days where I forget or don’t have the time.

I recently went through a huge fallow period, and hadn’t touched my tarot cards for a long time until just recently. I kept putting off going back to them because I wasn’t sure how to just pick up the deck again. I felt bad. So, I figured I’d make a little guide for anyone else who has this problem.

So without further ado, here’s some methods to reconnect with your tarot deck.

Cleansing ✧･ﾟ

The very first thing I did when I decided to get back into using my deck was to thoroughly cleanse it. This is because the deck had probably picked up a bunch of stagnant energy since it was just sitting around so long.

You can use whatever method you prefer to cleanse your deck. I used the smoke from some Dragon’s Blood incense as well as music and some accompanying crystals.

Shuffling ✧･ﾟ

Familiarizing yourself physically with a tarot deck is, in my opinion, a very good way to connect with it overall. Gently shuffle the cards for awhile. Don’t ask any questions, don’t think of anything you need it to answer. You’re not doing a reading. Just shuffle them for awhile. Let your hands adjust to holding the deck.

I did this until my shuffling no longer felt awkward and I could handle the cards much more smoothly. After awhile, the deck simply felt like it belonged in my hand. It was at this point I felt much more connected to it again.

Sleeping with your deck ✧･ﾟ

Not only are you trying to readjust to your deck, but you need to let the cards reconnect with your own energy. A great way to do this is by sleeping with your cards, a method that is often used when bonding with your deck initially.

I personally wouldn’t recommend having them on your actual bed with you. It’d be too easy for the cards to fall off and scatter all over the floor or get bent. Nightstands or shelves near your bed work best from my experience. Do whatever works for you.

Asking “what’s changed?” ✧･ﾟ

Communicating with your deck and asking it if anything has changed with you, the deck itself, or your relationship seems pretty crucial to me. It’s a good way to check in with your cards and start divining with them again.

Here are some useful spreads for doing this which I have used, neither of which are mine:

“A tarot spread for reconnecting and communicating with your deck”

This spread is pretty much perfect for this. I replaced “relationship with the universe” with “relationship with you (the deck)” in my own reading but do whatever feels best to you.

“Get to know your deck spread”

This incredible spread is used to get to know your deck initially. However, many of the questions can be asked again in a situation like this to see if your deck’s preferences or alignments have changed, as well as just seeing how it’s feeling that day. I’m absolutely in love with it.

These are all of the ways I used and could think of to reconnect with your tarot deck. If anyone else has any ideas, feel free to add on! I hope this helps anyone who, like me, was unsure how to get back into divination after not working with their deck in awhile.

[tarotbean]

Reblog; do not repost. By “repost”, I mean: do not save this image and then re-upload it. Please hit the “reblog” button so that I may receive the credit for my work :)

[tarotbean]

please make sure that wherever you’re at in life, you don’t treat it like a transitory period. don’t waste your college years wishing to already be graduated & have a job. don’t waste your single years wishing for someone to be in love with. if/when those things come, they will come in due time and they will be good. but there is nothing like looking back and feeling empty because you wasted literal years ignoring what you had because you were hoping for something better. while it’s important to better yourself and reach for your goals, don’t neglect the present because that’s where you are now and it’s your now that determines your future. 

[tarotbean]