Tag: Religion Spirituality

Today’s Tarot Card for June 1 is The Hanged Man

The Hanged Man

This Tarot Deck: Lord of the Rings

General Meaning: Traditionally, the card known as the Hanged Man usually indicates a lack of ability to help oneself through independent action. This energy is arrested and awaiting judgment. With this card, there is no avenue for the will to regain control until the situation has passed.

This represents a good time to be philosophical, to study and meditate upon the position you find yourself in, and form resolutions for the moment you become free again. Only those who possess wisdom, patience and optimism will be able to see through limitations, including possible humiliation, to grasp the inspiring lesson one can gain from such an experience.

Today’s Tarot Card for May 29th is The Anchoret

The Anchoret

 

This Tarot Deck: Cagliostro

General Meaning:The challenge of what has traditionally been known as the Hermit card is to be able to recognize a teacher in a humble disguise. This font of mysterious knowledge will not make it easy for the student to acquire his wisdom, as it takes time and long contemplation to fathom what he knows. He often speaks wordlessly, or in ancient and barbaric tongues, communicating with the elements, animals and Nature herself.While the hourglass was an identifying feature on the earliest Hermit cards, more modern ones have shifted the metaphor, showing more or less light released from his lantern. In either case, the Hermit card reminds us of the value of time away from the hubbub of civic life, to relax the ego in communion with Nature.

Today’s Tarot Card for May 26th is The Lovers

The Lovers

This Tarot Deck: African Tarot

General Meaning: Although it has taken on a strictly romantic revision of meaning in some modern decks, traditionally the Lovers card of Tarot reflected the challenges of choosing a partner. At a crossroads, one cannot take both paths. The images on this card in different decks have varied more than most, because we have had so many ways of looking at sex and relationships across cultures and centuries.

Classically, the energy of this card reminded us of the real challenges posed by romantic relationships, with the protagonist often shown in the act of making an either-or choice. To partake of a higher ideal often requires sacrificing the lesser option. The path of pleasure eventually leads to distraction from spiritual growth. The gratification of the personality eventually gives way to a call from spirit as the soul matures.

Modern decks tend to portray the feeling of romantic love with this card, showing Adam and Eve at the gates of Eden when everything was still perfect. This interpretation portrays humanity before the Fall, and can be thought to imply a different sort of choice — the choice of evolution over perfection, or the choice of personal growth through relationship — instead of a fantasy where everything falls into place perfectly and is taken care of without effort.

Today’s Tarot Card for May 25th is The Hierophant

The Hierophant

 

This Tarot Deck: Ukiyoe

General Meaning: Traditionally known as the Hierophant, this card refers to a Master and the learning of practical lessons from the study of Natural Law. This energy of this card points to some agent or resource that can reveal the secrets of life, the cycles of the moon and tides, the links between human beings and the heavens.

Because monasteries were the only places a person could learn to read and write in the middle ages, a Hierophant was one to whom a student would petition for entry. He was the one to set the curriculum for the neophyte’s course of study.

Often pictured with the right hand raised in blessing, the Hierophant is linked with the ancient lineage of Melchezidek, initiator of the Hebrew priestly tradition, the one who passes on the teachings. All shamans of any tradition draw upon this archetype.

Calendar of the Moon for Friday, May 25th

Calendar of the Moon
25 Huath/Thargelion

Plynteria: Altar Cleansing Rite

Color: White
Element: Air
Altar: All altars should be stripped, cleaned, and left bare. At the end of the rite, they are to be redecorated with clean white cloth (or colored for specific deity-altars), new candles and incense, fresh flowers, and new offerings. All altar furniture should be cleaned as well. All sacred gardens should be repaired, and all outdoor shrines taken apart before the rite. One statue of the Goddess (or whatever god/dess is the patron of that House) should be stripped bare and stood on the floor before the altar with a tub of salt water and a tub of fresh water, and clean towels.
Offerings: Clean sacred things.
Daily Meal: Vegan

Plynteria Invocation

Call: We come together to make this House ready for the Gods.
Response: Make ready!
Call: We make ready for the gods of the winds.
Response: Make ready!
Call: We make ready for the gods of the waters.
Response: Make ready!
Call: We make ready for the gods of the fire.
Response: Make ready!
Call: We make ready for the gods of the earth.
Response: Make ready!
Call: We make ready for the gods of Love.
Response: Make ready!
Call: We make ready for the gods of Fate.
Response: Make ready!
Call: We make ready for the gods of mortal deeds.
Response: Make ready!
Call: We make ready for the gods of Death.
Response: Make ready!
Call: All divine spirits are welcome into this House!
Response: We welcome you!

(All come forth and wash the statue of the Goddess with great reverence, dipping it first in salt water and then in fresh water, and cleansing it gently with towels. If she has clothing, it is carefully given back to her clean and mended. The altar is then draped with a clean white cloth and she is stood on it, in a place of honor. Candles and incense are lit, salt and water are sprinkled. Then each goes to a different part of the property and restores the other altars, making sure that they are clean and ordered.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Today’s Tarot Card for May 24th is The Emperor

The Emperor

This Tarot Deck: Tarot of the Witches

General Meaning: In the most practical terms, what has traditionally been called the Emperor card represents the highest leadership, a head of state or the most exemplary and powerful person in the realm. This archetypal ruler is responsible for the positive working out of affairs of a society or community, which are directly proportional to his well being and happiness.

The more enlightenment and cosmic perspective this energy brings, the better life is for all. The Emperor archetype masters the world of matter and physical manifestation. When you apply this card to your situation, acknowledge your potentials for mastery. Reinforce a sense of sovereignty within yourself, despite any self-limiting beliefs, habits or appearances to the contrary.

Today’s Tarot Card for Wed., May 23rd is The Empress

The Empress

This Tarot Deck: Tarot of the Spirit

General Meaning: Traditionally entitled “Empress,” this major arcana or “trump” card portrays the energy of the Great Mother. She is Nature, around us but also within us, the ever-unfolding Source of life-giving power. She is often pictured as a pre-Christian Goddess, as the one whom the High Priestess is channeling down to earth for the rest of us.

In medieval Europe, the Empress card was painted to represent whatever Queen currently ruled the land, probably to satisfy the Inquisitors. But the scholars of the Renaissance and beyond had no doubt of her true identity, although she could not be fully revealed on Tarot cards as the “woman clothed with the sun” until after the French Revolution.

This supreme archetype of femininity also symbolizes fertility. It is She who provides us nourishment and security. She is also sometimes seen as delighting us with flowers and fruit. A potentially terrifying aspect of this archetype manifests itself whenever karmic mood swings wipe out our plans, like a storm that has come upon us. Whatever happens, the Empress is the Source of our Embodiment and of Natural Law. She might even be called “the Great Recycler.”

Lessons In Tarot – Lesson 8: The Question Reading

LESSON 8

The Question Reading

In this lesson, you will finally learn how to do a full tarot reading for yourself. I describe a simple procedure you can use to explore a personal question. Having a procedure to follow is important in tarot work. When you follow the same steps over and over in a certain way, they help you center yourself in the moment. The details of the steps are not that important; in fact, you can change any of them if you wish. The goal is to maintain a spirit of mindfulness. Doing a reading with loving concentration will make your tarot practice very powerful.

Here is the procedure for a Question Tarot Reading.

Setting the Mood

Your first step is to create a conducive mood. Lesson 6 offers some suggestions on how to set up a pleasing environment. You can try these ideas, if you like. Focus on what will make you feel comfortable and secure.

When you are ready, sit down on the floor or at a table leaving some empty space in front of you. You should have your tarot cards and your question written on a piece of paper. At first, a full reading will probably take at least thirty to forty minutes. Try to arrange your affairs so you won’t be interrupted. With experience, you will be able to shorten this time, if you wish, but it is always better to feel unhurried.

Begin to relax and still your mind. Put aside your worries and concerns for now. (You can always get them back later!) Settle fully into the present moment. Take a few deep breaths, relax all your muscles and feel the quiet as you turn away from the outside world. Take as much time as you need for this calming process.

Asking Your Question

When you feel centered, take your cards out of their container. Hold them cupped in one hand while you place the other hand on top. Close your eyes and bring the cards into the circle of your energy.

Now, make an opening statement, if you wish. Some possibilities are:

  • a prayer
  • an affirmation
  • a description of how you are feeling
  • a simple hello to your Inner Guide

You can write a phrase to say every time, or you can speak spontaneously. It is more important to speak from your heart than to mouth an empty formula. Say your statement out loud, as sound adds energy and conviction.

Next, ask your question, either from memory or by reading it. Be sure to say your question exactly as you wrote it. One of the mysteries of the unconscious is that it is very literal; the cards you choose will often reflect the precise wording of your question.

Shuffling the Cards

Open your eyes and begin shuffling. It is important to shuffle the cards because this is how you sort through all the forms your reading could take and arrange at a subtle level the one you will receive.

There are a number of ways to shuffle the cards. Each method has its pros and cons. Choose one that is most comfortable for you. Certain methods mix the cards so some are right side up (upright) and some, upside-down (reversed). If this is your first reading, do not worry about reversed cards.

Concentrate on your question while you shuffle. Focus on the overall intent rather than the details. Don’t strain to stay fixed, but do keep the question in mind as much as you can.

Cutting the Cards

When you feel you have shuffled long enough, stop and place the cards face down in front of you with the short edge closest to you. Cut the deck as follows:

  1. Grab some number of cards from the pile.
  2. Drop this smaller pile to the left.
  3. Grab some part of this second pile and drop it further to the left.
  4. Regroup the cards into one pile in any fashion.

It’s best to regroup the cards in one quick motion. Don’t try to figure out which pile should go where. Just let your hand move where it will. The cut is an important finishing step that marks the end of the card-arranging stage. Once you have regrouped the cards, the pattern of the reading is fixed, and all that remains is to lay out the cards and see what they reveal.

Laying Out the Cards

Follow the steps for the spread you have chosen. If this is your first reading, use the Celtic Cross.

  1. Pick up the deck and hold it in one hand with the short edge closest to you.
  2. With your other hand, turn over the first card as you would the page of a book.
  3. Place this card in Position 1.
    (The position number corresponds to the placement order.)
  4. Turn over the second card, and place it in Position 2.
  5. Continue in this way until you have placed all the cards.
  6. Turn any reversed cards around if you are not using them.

Responding to the Cards

Pay attention to your reactions to each card as you lay it out. At first, you will not know or remember the usual meaning of a card. Your thoughts and feelings will be based mainly on the images. As you practice, your reactions will become more informed, but also more predictable. Try to keep some of your original openness as much as possible. Pay attention to any responses that seem unusual or out-of-place.

When all the cards are laid out, take a moment to respond to them as a whole. Do you get an overall impression? Do you have any new reactions? Jot down some of your thoughts, if you wish. Don’t worry if you can’t remember all of them. Just as with dreams, you will recall the most important. Try not to get too involved in your notes as that can break the flow of the reading. You simply want to capture a few ideas quickly.

Analyzing the Cards

In the beginning, use the section about individual cards in your Tarot Book till we get to covering individual cards here. Later, you can examine the cards on your own, but you may still find this section useful. (I use it myself from time to time!)

Begin your review with Position 1 and proceed in position order. Here are the suggested steps:

  1. Look up the card in the Card Section of the Tarot Book that came with your cards.
  2. Read through all the keywords and actions.
  3. Look for actions that make you say “Yes, that one really fits!” I experience a kind of jolt of recognition when I see one. Don’t shy away from actions that seem less pleasant. Trust your reactions, and reserve judgment until you’ve seen all the cards. Note any stray thoughts or “irrelevant” feelings that come to mind.

When you’ve considered each card, look for relationships between them. Apply the principles of interpretation.

You could ponder a reading for hours without running out of insights, but, of course, this isn’t practical or desirable. Do try to spend some time, however. Your reward will be equal to your effort.

Creating the Story

At some point, you need to pull everything together. I call this creating the story. Your story will help you understand your situation and give you guidance for the future – what you have been seeking all along.

I recommend that you create your story spontaneously. Once you have finished your card review, let that analytical approach go. It’s no longer appropriate. Your story will be more authentic if it arises freely from within. When you feel ready, simply begin speaking your story, saying whatever comes to mind. Use any notes you have to help, but don’t focus on them too much.

I encourage you to tell your story out loud. Writing is too slow, and just thinking your ideas is too vague. Your story will gather strength and power as it is spoken. If you begin to ramble or lose your train of thought, don’t be concerned. Simply pause, regroup and start again. As you practice, you will get better at speaking on the fly. You may want to tape your story. When you play back the tape, you will be amazed at what you hear. You will truly feel you are your own best tarot reader.

Writing the Summary Statement

Your story is done when your words slow down and stop naturally. Your next step is to distill the main theme of your story. What is the essence of your guidance? Ask yourself these questions:

  • What is the problem or conflict?
  • What is my role?
  • What does my Inner Guide want me to understand?
  • What is the projected outcome?
  • How do you feel about that?
  • Do I sense any recommendations for action?

What you are doing is forming the answer to your question. Before the reading, you posed a question that had meaning for you. Your Inner Guide has responded, and now you want to capture that wisdom in a form you can remember. Try to summarize your story in one or two sentences. Concentrate on the message in the cards and not the mechanics of your interpretation.

Finishing Up

The main event is over, but, as with any ceremony, there are a few final steps to take to end your reading and leave your cards ready for next time.

If you have not already done so, write down the cards you selected and their positions. It is easy to forget them. Then, clear the deck to remove all traces of the energy patterns of this reading. I clear a deck by scrambling the cards together gently. It reminds me of erasing letters in the sand with a sweep of my hand. You may enjoy this technique as well, but any shuffling method will do. Take a few moments now to clear your deck. Make sure the cards are face down or turned away from you. Stop when you feel you’ve shuffled long enough, and gather the cards together. Your deck is now ready for your next reading.

Before putting the cards away, hold them again for just a moment. Place your deck in one hand with the other hand on top, and close your eyes. Say what you feel you have learned from this reading. Express your gratitude to your Inner Guide for helping you via the tarot cards. Gratitude is a wonderful sentiment. It provides the ideal frame of mind in which to end your reading.

When you began, you initiated a cycle. You created meaning in the form of a reading, and now you have completed that cycle by returning the cards to their resting state.

Using What You Have Learned

The reading proper is over, but the inner work is just beginning. Your goal is to integrate what you have learned into your life in some way. If you don’t, your tarot practice will remain a beautiful pastime with no power to help you.

Decide on one or more actions you can take to put your guidance to work. You can reinforce what you’re doing now or make some changes, either radical or minor. Specific actions are usually more helpful than vague plans.

If you are keeping a journal, write down what you intend to do. Commit only to what you know you will actually carry out. I know how easy it is to lay out some cards, look at them briefly and then never think about that reading again, especially when your reaction is less than positive!

As the days go by, think about your reading and how it meshes with your life. Ask yourself these questions:

  • How meaningful was my story?
  • How well did the guidance fit?
  • Did I miss any clues?
  • Did I carry out an action, and, if so, what happened?
  • Did something unexpected occur?
  • Do my Daily Readings add anything?

You may be tempted to do another reading, but it’s probably best to wait until there are important changes in your situation. Assume that your first reading covers all you need to know. If you are puzzled about certain elements, mine your first reading for more insights. By going deeper, you will get closer to the heart of the matter.

Using what you have learned in a reading is probably the most important step – and the most difficult. It involves moving beyond playing with the cards. When you actually commit to integrating your tarot insights into your life, you have realized the true and lasting benefit to be gained from the cards.

This is my ideal tarot session, but, to be truthful, I don’t always follow it. Sometimes I linger over these steps, sometimes I neglect quite a few of them. I encourage you to adopt whatever procedure suits your interests and needs. If you don’t enjoy the cards, they’ll just gather dust on the shelf. The details aren’t that important; it’s the intention that counts!

Exercise – Lesson 8

The Question Reading

Exercise 8.1 – Doing a Question Reading

You are going to do a Celtic Cross Question Reading from start to finish. Follow the procedure outlined in lesson 8. You will need a question to be answered. You can use the question you wrote in Exercise 7.1 or write a new one. Interpret the cards as best you can using your intuition and the Card section of your Tarot Book and Celtic Cross Sections.

You may feel a little at sea this first time – not sure whether or not you’re doing everything right. Remember there is no one correct interpretation. What you see in the cards is right for you by definition, and, no matter what, you will come away with something of value. In future lessons, you will learn some principles of interpretation that will help you feel more confident. At that point, we’ll revisit this reading to see what else you can learn from it.

Your Daily Number for May 21: 3

Domestic issues that include decorating, gardening, or home-repair may dominate your schedule today. It’s not the best day to engage in business dealings; some confusion in money matters is present. Be sure to get receipts and estimates for all purchases and projects.

Fast Facts

About the Number 3

Theme: Expansive, Sociable, Dramatic, Diversified, Creative
Astro Association: Venus
Tarot Association: Empress

Today’s Tarot Card for May 21st is The Magician

The Magician

This Tarot Deck: Winged Spirit Tarot

General Meaning: Traditionally, the Magus is one who can demonstrate hands-on magic — as in healing, transformative rituals, alchemical transmutations, charging of talismans and the like. A modern Magus is any person who completes the circuit between heaven and Earth, one who seeks to bring forth the divine ‘gold’ within her or himself.

At the birth of Tarot, even a gifted healer who was not an ordained clergyman was considered to be in league with the Devil! For obvious reasons, the line between fooling the eye with sleight of hand, and charging the world with magical will was not clearly differentiated in the early Tarot cards.

Waite’s image of the Magus as the solitary ritualist communing with the spirits of the elements — with its formal arrangement of symbols and postures — is a token of the freedom we have in modern times to declare our spiritual politics without fear of reprisal. The older cards were never so explicit about what the Magus was doing. It’s best to keep your imagination open with this card. Visualize yourself manifesting something unique, guided by evolutionary forces that emerge spontaneously from within your soul.

Today’s Tarot Card for May 18th is Judgment

Judgment

This Tarot Deck: Visconti-Sforza

General Meaning:What has traditionally been known as the Judgement card, sometimes entitled Resurrection, represents the great reunion that the ancients believed would happen once in every age. This was the time when souls are harvested and taken Home to their place of origin, outside the solar system. Then the World is seeded with a batch of new souls and the process starts over.From a modern point of view, this great reunion — which includes every personality that you have ever been and every soul that you have done deep work with — reunites to consciously complete the process. In a way, we symbolically celebrate this returning to center every year on our birthday.

In personal terms, the Judgment cards points to freedom from inner conflicts, and so clear a channel, that the buried talents and gifts of past incarnations can come through an individual in this lifetime. This card counsels you to trust the process of opening yourself, because what emerges is of consistently high quality. You can effortlessly manifest as a multi-dimensional being, and assist in evoking that response from others.

Your Daily Number for May 16th: 2

You may find yourself more sensitive to the world around you today. Your intuition is heightened, and you may find yourself longing for knowledge. You’re feeling somewhat emotionally exposed to the world, so be careful to guard against insecurity and keep your feet firmly planted on the ground.

Fast Facts

About the Number 2

Theme: Adaptable, Tactful, Gentle, Cautious
Astro Association: Moon
Tarot Association: High Priestess

Today’s Tarot Card for May 16th is The Sun

The Sun

This Tarot Deck: Spiral

General Meaning:What has traditionally been known as the Sun card is about the self — who you are and how you cultivate your personality and character. The earth revolves around the sun to make up one year of a person’s life, a fact we celebrate on our birthday.The Sun card could also be titled “Back to Eden.” The Sun’s radiance is where one’s original nature or unconditioned Being can be encountered in health and safety. The limitations of time and space are stripped away; the soul is refreshed and temporarily protected from the chaos outside the garden walls.

Under the light of the Sun, Life reclaims its primordial goodness, truth and beauty. If one person is shown on this card, it is usually signifying a human incarnation of the Divine. When two humans are shown, the image is portraying a resolution of the tension between opposites at all levels. It’s as if this card is saying “You can do no wrong — it’s all to the good!”

Elder’s Meditation of the Day May 15

Elder’s Meditation of the Day May 15

“We must have respect and understanding for women and all female life on this Earth which bears the sacred gift of life.”

–Traditional Circle of Elders. ONONDAGA

At a gathering of Native Elders we were told that many men of today had lost their ability to look at the Woman in a sacred way. They said we were only looking at Her in a physical sense and had lost the ability to look at Her sacredness. They said the Woman has a powerful position in the Unseen World. She has the special ability to bring forth life. They told us to start showing Her respect and to look upon her in a sacred manner. We must start this today.

Grandfather, show me how to see in a sacred way.

*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*

Your Daily Number for May 15th: 9

Success is yours today, and your feelings of accomplishment touch everything you do. Don’t miss this chance to pamper yourself and engage in some mind-body healing. It’ll do you good.

Fast Facts

About the Number 9

Theme: Encompassing a love for all, Compassion, Patience, Selfless
Astro Association: Virgo
Tarot Association: Hermit

Today’s Tarot Card for May 15th is The Star

The Star

This Tarot Deck: Sacred Rose

General Meaning:What has traditionally been known as the Star card is about reconnecting one’s Soul with the Divine — the transcending of personality, family, community and reputation. It has to do ultimately with the freedom to be one’s Self. The Soul is responding to celestial influences — forces that can provide the personality with a stronger sense of purpose. The Star card helps us to remember our exalted origins and our attraction to a Higher Union.This card could also be called the “Celestial Mandate” — that which refers us back to our reason for being, our mission in this lifetime. The Star reminds us that, in a sense, we are agents of Divine Will in our day-to-day lives. If we let go of the idea that we are supposed to be in control, we can more easily notice and appreciate the synchronicities that are nudging us along. In this way, we become more conscious of the invisible Helping Hand, and we better understand our place within — and value to — the larger Cosmos

This Tarot Deck: Sacred Rose

General Meaning:What has traditionally been known as the Star card is about reconnecting one’s Soul with the Divine — the transcending of personality, family, community and reputation. It has to do ultimately with the freedom to be one’s Self. The Soul is responding to celestial influences — forces that can provide the personality with a stronger sense of purpose. The Star card helps us to remember our exalted origins and our attraction to a Higher Union.This card could also be called the “Celestial Mandate” — that which refers us back to our reason for being, our mission in this lifetime. The Star reminds us that, in a sense, we are agents of Divine Will in our day-to-day lives. If we let go of the idea that we are supposed to be in control, we can more easily notice and appreciate the synchronicities that are nudging us along. In this way, we become more conscious of the invisible Helping Hand, and we better understand our place within — and value to — the larger Cosmos

The Beauty of Color Magick (Rediscovering a Lost Art)

The Beauty of Color Magick (Rediscovering a Lost Art)
image
Author: Pagan Education Network

Color Magick is one of those simple types of magick that have enough avenues to keep Witches and pagans busy for a lifetime. This type of magick was one of the first things I was introduced to in the Craft and it opened doors for me like no other type of magick could. Why? To start with it is easy to understand, easy to work with, and it is something we have been practicing since we were children.

Can you remember back to the first time you realized the power color held? You were probably between four and six years old when an adult asked you, “What’s your favorite color?” As a child you were more than willing to tell them all about your favorite color, the toys you had that were that color, your favorite crayon colors, or even a stuffed animal that was the just the color you liked. When we are children, child color painted our worlds. Children marvel at all the colors in the world without even realizing it. Color was already stirring within your feelings that would last a lifetime.

As you grew up, your repertoire of colors grew but you still had that one special color that seemed to mean more than the others. By the teenage years there were colored pens, paper and school supplies in our favorite colors. Our rooms were painted to match our attitudes, favorite colors and most importantly we began to have an overwhelming sense of identity-attached color. Most of us even remember the beloved jewelry that told us which mood we were in based on the color the jewelry turned. Ah yes mood jewelry, what great fun. There were mood rings, bracelets and other wonderful jewelry pieces. They were all made of this wonderful material that reacted to the heat of our bodies. Its magick was so simple, so accepted that it became a fashion phenomenon that was accepted by everyone. Color continued to play a big role in our lives whether we acknowledged it or not.

Enter adulthood. At some point most of us rented apartments or bought homes. The first order of business in our new residence was to make it our own. How did we do this? You got it. Color! As human beings, we are surrounded by and we surround ourselves with what feels good to us. We use it to decorate everything in our lives from walls to comforters, clothing choices to accessories. We create with color when it comes to ourselves and our homes in every way.

The fun of decorating our home spaces begins with being able to choose from the thousands of colors of the rainbow. You can pick anything, what your walls look like, what your furniture look s like and what accents would be perfect for your room. All of these things are intrinsically tied to color and how those colors make you feel. You may have chosen a mossy green and brown for your living room, a cool blue that reminded you of sunny days in summer for your bedroom and a red or orange for the spice of your life, in your kitchen.

Without even realizing it we have been influenced by color throughout our lifetime. We have been surrounded our entire lives by color. We find it in nature, art, homes, hotels, clothing…you get the idea. We cannot escape it nor should we want to. Just imagine how terribly blah the world would be without it. Now to where all this realization lead us, magick of course!

I am willing to bet when you first began to research the metaphysical and the occult you realized, and maybe not for the first time that color possessed power. During your metaphysical studies you began to realize that many things in magick and the mundane were tied to color. Not only were they tied to color but that color had resonance and meaning within its magickal purpose. Suddenly there was a whole new door that opened to you. There were explanations for the reasons that certain colors made you feel a certain way. It made sense why you enjoyed some colors or disliked others. These reasons had to do with light energy and more specifically the frequency and vibrations that colors put off.

As your studies took you deeper you began to have the knowledge to put to all of these sensations and inspirations to work for you. This new power came from understanding why you felt the way you did when in the presence of certain colors and why certain colors held power for you. The name of this art is color magick and it has a world of uses.

Color magick can be extremely useful when doing healing work and be a helpful tool in making magick happen. Every color has a certain resonance or frequency within the light spectrum. These colors are as individually unique as the Witches on the planet are. The key to color magick is finding what, when, how and where it works best for you.

So how does one go about exploring and using color magick effectively? One of the first concepts many pagans are introduced to in regard to color magick is the chakra system and the meditations that go with them. This teaches a couple of main themes to new students of the Craft. Self-healing techniques, balancing moods and basic color associations are just of few of the concepts. These are normally built upon later in occult training. Those trained in the occult arts also learn to heal and control their own body rhythms by introducing various colors to the chakra system.

The underlying science of what they are learning is to use the Vibrational frequency of color to affect change within themselves or their environment. Soon occult practitioners realize that they can do more than just imagine color in their chakras; they can influence each chakra and balance them by using the opposing colors that corresponded to them. A fun tool for learning this concept is your traditional color wheel bought at a local art store. Suddenly your standard color wheel will take on a whole new meaning.

By purchasing (or printing off the computer) a color wheel and writing on it which chakras the colors correspond to and what the color’s frequency does a student can have a visual aid to work with. This visual aid can help to teach them how to properly correspond and contrast to affect changes in their own system. This can be extremely useful in training oneself to associate color frequency with moods and correspondences.

Color magick doesn’t just end there; it can be used in everything from candle magick, to poppets, to the writing in your Book of Shadows. As Witches, the more advanced we become, the more creative we become with colors and their uses. We no longer arbitrarily pick up a piece of clothing, paper, or even ritual items without feeling the color resonating within our personal sphere. We are now fully awake and aware of how color is affecting our person on both a mundane and magickal level. Color has taken on a whole new meaning, coming to life before our Witchy little eyes.

If you have tried or considered all of these things but you feel like you are in a slump regarding color and its uses in magick, then let’s revisit it and swirl up some fun! Let’s consider working more closely with the elements. In magick we use the elements for nearly every magickal action we do. We call them to aid us in our circle, we ask them to empower our magickal activities and we use them to gain further insight into our own path-working. But sometimes we hit a virtual bump in the road. We experience an imbalance or a loss of connection to one or more elements.

So let’s look at how we can whip up a little bit of color to fix that too. When I feel a loss in connection to an element, or on occasion more than one, I set on a mission to correct it. Why? Well for me it allows me to come back into balance with the universe around me.

All you need to do is find the colors that resonate best for you with each element and then practice meditations or magick associated with those colors. You can meditate on the color, introduce that color into your clothing for a day or a week, write a spell in the elemental color ink on the same or similar color paper, burn candles that are intentionally imbued with that elements energy and even set your altar space or sacred space up with lots of things that are in the color and correspondence to the element you are working with. This is also a great way to gain a deeper understanding of the elemental powers and the mysteries contained within their realms. Yet again the color wheel becomes a wonderful tool for learning and growing.

Color theory even finds its way into spells and Craft work. You can muster up an extra amount of kick to charge your spells with by using the power of color. This makes them both more powerful and effective. Further if you are asking a particular element to aid you then it is a great way to honor their spirit. When we consider again the resonance of color then we have to look at the way it works.

To keep things simple red is slower and violet is faster and you can fill in the blanks in the rainbow in between. So the quicker you want your magick to work the higher the frequency of color you might want to use.

As previously discussed color also has a great mental affect on us. We naturally associate certain colors with certain ways of being, material things or even mundane activities. Though various colors mean different things to different cultures, I will focus on Western philosophy, as that is where I reside. Money is a good example of a mundane color association that can work effectively for magick.

When a Witch performs a money spell, they normally use a green candle and display green monies around it. Here they are using the subconscious power that green has upon our psyche and that colors influence on our waking state to make our spell more powerful and effective.

By now you should be noticing that nearly everything we do involves color and our associations to it on some level as part of their design. This leads me to yet another area of color and magick, mood. The mood of a ritual can dramatically change how we perceive the ritual we are involved in. Think back to a fun house or even a Halloween attraction. The colored lights of these area’s can make it spooky, eerie, scary or even downright frightening. Try it out for yourself. Consider using this type of color magick during your next ritual and see how it works for you. Simply using colored bulbs found at any store can dramatically change the mood or ritual setting.

Replacing some of the key lights in the room that you are using will allow for the room to take on a whole different feel and look. This look goes more than skin deep, remember you are not just changing the glow by changing the light bulb; we have also changed the resonating frequency of the room.

The energy in the room is now vibrating at a higher or lower frequency depending on what color you chose. This not only helps to change the energy in the room, it works on a subconscious level as well giving us the sense that we have just entered into a different space, way of being, or even time. Its effects can be as profound and far-reaching as the imagination will allow.

Finally colored bulbs are an inexpensive and quick way to help us change our mood or the mood of a room. We do this by going back to our earlier technique of changing the lighting. By changing the light bulb in a lamp you can help yourself to overcome or attract certain frequencies of energy into your life.

For example red can inspire creative energy or passion; it vibrates slower than other energies so it creeps into the psyche slowly. It can also give a room the air of mystery or even a deeply serious but powerful tone. Red is also usually seen as the life force, blood and the color of manifesting, bringing new ideas into reality.

By contrast violet light is at the other end of the spectrum, it is a fast, high frequency so it can be energizing or balancing depending on what you are feeling personally. It can attract a higher state of consciousness and make meditation easier. Pink is both healing and passionate, its energy is soft and calming. Pink has a gentler less forceful energy than red. Blue is great for calming a room, release, giving a cooling and refreshing feeling. Yellow by contrast is great for happiness, inspiration and wisdom. Green is great for grounding, serenity and comfort. These are the basics, though the color list goes on quite a bit further.

Today science and the medical field are catching up to what Witches have known for years. It is amazing when we consider that we are no longer the only ones who have discovered color’s many benefits and that there are others who use this knowledge to their benefit. It is true that it is becoming more and more common that predominant, well-respected hospitals across our country, as well as traditional medicinal fields are now getting in on what Witches have known and practiced for years.

A few years ago my mother, who was suffering from breast cancer, had to go in for surgery at a prominent hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. When her blood pressure would not come down before surgery a soft-spoken nurse smiled at her and said come with me. Within a few minutes they had her set up in a room specially designed for stress relief through color therapy. They instructed her to breathe slowly and deeply, to relax and focus on the colors as they came up.

I stood amazed. In the room was set up a little devise with a bulb and a wheel that changed like a projector from one colored cellophane to another every so many minutes. What was this doing in a hospital of all places? Suffice to say the Witch in me was tickled pink! After about 20 minutes they came back in to get her and checked her blood pressure. Like magic (pardon the pun) , her blood pressure had come down significantly and my mother even noticed a difference in how she felt. I commend this hospital for being one of the first to catch up to what those of the Old Craft have known for so long.

Looking at the holistic fields or what some refer to alternative health care, we again see the use of color as a predominant field of study. During healing the practitioner lays their hands upon a person’s auric field to help heal their physical or mental ailments. They visualize the colors needed and then they gently push that colored energy into their aura helping to repair and heal, thus resulting in affecting the physical and mental body. When acts of stone healing are performed with the use of stones, the stones used are not only appropriately colored but also ones that resonate with the correct frequency in order to help the individual involved.

We can also use these types of alternative medicine for healing ourselves. This is not a new theory as demonstrated by the hospital above. There are some great ways to help oneself to heal on many levels when working with color. One way is to visualize the color best suited to repair the area, then by focusing that energy on the specific area several times a day. By doing this we can encourage a scrape, surgical incision, or even a headache to heal or dissipate. This technique can even be used to help change your mood or mental state. Be prepared to be amazed at how quickly this simple activity works for you, speeding your way to healing completely.

As we have journeyed through the rainbow we have visited many, many ways in which we can use color in magick. As you can see the use of color is not only limitless but has far reaching affects in both the magickal and mundane world. Some of the concepts above may have been familiar to you and maybe some of them were a new take on an old idea but all of them are powerful tools for both Witch and holistic practitioner alike. By breathing new life into an old idea you can reintroduce some fun into your magickal and mundane life, alleviating the feeling that things have gotten a little stale.

Be creative and you might even find some new ways to incorporate the mystery and magick that all Witches love into your spiritual practice. You could even reintroduce some of the techniques above to your practice and watch your imagination run wild. I promise your magick will take on a whole new life and at the very least you will challenge yourself to revisit something that has long been a cherished, precious magickal skill.

By: Kimberly Sherman-Cook, Minister
Pagan Education Network


Footnotes:
References:
Principles of Color Magick, Online course Pagan Education Network
Color Correspondences, George Knowles, controvercail.com
Solitary Wicca, Scott Cunningham
How to See and Read the Aura, Ted Andrews
How to heal with Color, Ted Andrews
Making Magick, McCoy
Elemental Magick, Wolfe

Today’s Tarot Card for May 14th is The Devil

The Devil

This Tarot Deck: Hanson Roberts

General Meaning:What has traditionally been known as the Devil card expresses the realm of the Taboo, the culturally rejected wildness and undigested shadow side that each of us carries in our subconscious. This shadow is actually at the core of our being, which we cannot get rid of and will never succeed in taming. From its earliest versions, which portrayed a vampire-demon, this card evoked the Church-fueled fear that a person could “lose their soul” to wild and passionate forces.The image which emerged in the mid-1700’s gives us a more sophisticated rendition — that of the “scapegoated Goddess,” whose esoteric name is Baphomet. Volcanic reserves of passion and primal desire empower her efforts to overcome the pressure of stereotyped roles and experience true freedom of soul. Tavaglione’s highly evolved image (Stella deck) portrays the magical formula for harnessing and transmuting primal and obsessive emotions into transformative energies. As a part of the Gnostic message of Tarot, this fearsome passion and power must be reintegrated into the personality, to fuel the soul’s passage from mortal to immortal.

LESSON 6 – The Environment

LESSON 6

The Environment

The environment of a tarot reading includes the physical setting and your internal state. There are five inner qualities that are beneficial. These are:

  • Being Open
    Being open means being receptive. It is an attitude of allowing – being willing to take in what is offered without denial or rejection. By being open, you give yourself the chance to receive what you need to know. 
  • Being Calm
    It is hard to hear the whispers of your Inner Guide when you are in turmoil. Tarot messages often arrive as gentle hints and realizations that can be easily overwhelmed by a restless mind. When you are calm, you are like a peaceful sea in which every ripple of insight can be perceived. 
  • Being Focused
    Focus is very important for a tarot reading. I have found that whenever I feel a question strongly, I receive a direct and powerful message. When I’m scattered and confused, the cards tend to be the same. Your most insightful readings will be those you do when the desire is very strong. 
  • Being Alert
    When you are alert, all your faculties are alive and awake. A cat is alert when it is watching a mouse or bug. Of course, you won’t be pouncing on your cards, but you will find them difficult to read if you are tired or bored. 
  • Being Respectful
    Being respectful means treating the cards as you would any valued tool. You acknowledge their role in helping you understand yourself better. You honor the choice you have made in deciding to learn the tarot and handle the cards accordingly.

Even though these five qualities are important, they are not necessary. You can have a meaningful reading without them, but it may be more difficult. The best way to decide if the time is right for a reading is to look inside. If something feels wrong, postpone the effort, but if your inner sense says go ahead, then all is well.

Besides the inner environment, there is also the setting of a reading to consider. The ideal place is one that elicits feelings of quiet, peace, even reverence. You could do a reading in a crowded airport, but the noise and distractions would make inner attunement difficult. Since you will probably be doing most of your readings at home, let’s look at how you might create a agreeable environment there.

Set aside a place in your home where you will do your readings. By using the same spot over and over, you build up an energy that reinforces your practice. If you meditate or pray, you can do these activities here as well as they harmonize with the tarot in spirit and intent.

Try to create a sense of separateness about your spot. When you use the cards, you want to turn away from the everyday world and go into a space that is outside time and the normal flow of events. A separate room is ideal, but a corner set off by a screen, curtain, pillows or other divider can work too.

Try also to create an atmosphere of beauty and meaning. Place some items nearby that are special to you. Objects from nature, such as shells, stones, crystals, and plants are always appropriate. A talisman, figure or religious icon can help you shift your focus from the mundane to the inspirational. Consider pictures and artwork, especially your own, and appeal to your senses with such items as flowers, incense, candles, textured materials and quiet, meditative music.

These touches are nice, the only thing you really need is a space large enough to lay out the cards. You can use either a table or the floor. There is a grounded feeling to the floor, but, if that position is uncomfortable, a table is better. Choose a table of natural materials such as wood or stone.

If you like, you can cover the table or floor with a cloth to create a uniform area. The material should be natural, such as silk, cotton, wool or linen. Choose the color with care as colors have their own energies. Black, dark blue and purple are good choices. There should be little or no pattern, so the images on the cards stand out from the background.

Store your cards in a container to protect them and contain their energies. Any natural substance is fine, such as wood, stone, shell, or a natural cloth. I know of one woman who sewed herself a silk, drawstring bag and embroidered it with stars, moons and other designs. Consider keeping your cards wrapped in silk cloth when inside their container. Silk has a luxurious feel that will remind you of the value you place on your cards.

Tarot cards pick up the energy and character of those who use them. For this reason, set aside a tarot deck that is just for you, if you can. These cards are going to be your personal tool of communication with your Inner Guide. You want to bond to them closely.

When you do your tarot work in a place of your own, the experience can be quite powerful, but extra preparations are never necessary. All you have to do is use the cards. That’s the important part.

Exercises – Lesson 6

The Environment

Exercise 6.1 – Creating a Place To Do Your Readings

Spend some time thinking about where you will do your tarot readings. Consider some of the suggestions or use your own ideas. Don’t feel that you have to create a showcase location. Just see what you can do to create a setting that is pleasing and comfortable.

Exercise 6.2 – Quest for a Symbol

In this exercise, you will be announcing your intent to find or create an object that will be a personal symbol of your tarot practice. You can buy, find or make this object yourself. Once you have it, place it in your tarot spot as an inspiration for your work.

Read over the description of the Fool. This card often stands for the feeling of joy and freedom that comes from beginning a new adventure. It is in this spirit that you will seek your object. This quest symbolizes the quest for greater understanding you are undertaking by learning the tarot.

Hold the Fool in your hands, and close your eyes. Announce your desire to find or create a tarot symbol. Commit to working until you have it. The value you place on this quest will reinforce the value of your larger quest. Once you have affirmed your intent, let it go. You will find what you are looking for.

This exercise will strengthen your faith and commitment and leave you with a tangible symbol of your purpose. It will also help you learn that hidden within seemingly foolish acts is the experience of life as an adventure.

Conception of God

Conception of God

Author: Katie Koumatos

“How do you envision God?”
“As a witch, do you believe in God? In Jesus?”
“How can you have multiple Gods?”

When I talk to non-pagans about my spiritual beliefs, I get these questions a lot. I imagine this will only increase as I begin my time as a seminary student. While the community at Pacific School of Religion is open minded and welcoming to pagans, I imagine that there is still a lot of ignorance about pagan practices. Even within our community, there are a lot of discussions about how to approach the conceptualization of the divine. So let me share with you my own approach. After many years of searching, I found a beautiful metaphor that describes it perfectly.

Consider the ocean. For any of you who are lucky to have lived in a coastal town, it isn’t easy to imagine that we know the ocean. Growing up in San Diego, I spent many childhood days playing at the foot of the Great Pacific Ocean. As I learned how to spell and do long division, I also learned how to negotiate the fickle nature of the ocean, survive the rising tides and avoid the hidden dangers.

So it is easy to say I know the ocean. But what I actually know is one small piece. I have come to know the Pacific Ocean through half a dozen spots where it comes into contact with the land up and down the California Coast. I know the ocean at its boundaries, its borders. And even then, I only know THIS ocean and I only know it at THESE boundaries.

Every time I go to the ocean, even if I go to the very same beach, it is always a different ocean. Each wave falls differently along the sand, making small but powerful changes in the shape of the land. For me growing up in San Diego, the ocean was blue and relatively warm, playing along long flat beaches filled with sun worshiping beach-goers. The ocean of my adulthood is a colder ocean, breaking against the picturesque rocks of the Northern California coast. Up here the ocean is a grey and windy creature, with swirling and powerful tides. Up here I sit far above the ocean’s break, enjoying the view and the spray but rarely submerging myself in the water.

After many years, I have finally realized that God is like this.

The ocean is truly unknowable. We can list facts and send boats out to gather bits and return. But no human being will ever fully know the ocean. It is simply too vast, constantly changing, and so very deep. However, while the full ocean is unknowable, human beings from the beginning of time have had complex and important relationships with the ocean. We know her in our own spaces, at the boundaries of where she meets the land upon which we live.

Each human being who reaches out into the void seeking the divine cannot ever expect to understand the wholeness of God / Goddess / Universe / Great Spirit / the All. But in our little space, at the boundary between our short, incarnate existence and the vast eternity of divine energy, we find our face of God. Like the ocean, it changes over time, waves shifting the shape of our lives as we adjust and grow in our relationship. And while many people may gather at the same beach, but have different experiences of the ocean, so too may many people gather together in fellowship and yet remain separated by the different faces they see in God.

People can shape God as well, just as humans can shift the land where the ocean meets them. We shape the stories and the perceptions, the expectations and visual imagery. Over time this shaping can become powerful and deeply ingrained. But they are still open to interpretation.

We need these interpretations. The immensity of the divine energy is just too big to engage and feel the comfort and solace that religion offers. Having a personal relationship with God is only possible when God is squeezed down a bit, into a form that we can conceptualize having a personal relationship with. So we humanize the divine energy. Some religions are monotheistic, and give one face of God their full attention. While others simply spread out the realms of symbolic control, creating multiple faces and personalities for us to engage.

Whether your face of the divine is a multi-armed Hindu deity, the kami of the stream near your home, the Virgin of Guadalupe, or your own higher spirit, we are all just seeking a personified form to engage with. As we are made by divine energy, the worship and energy of human beings creates a real and tangible presence for the forms and faces that we have created for the divine. These faces of God are not stagnant, but they can and do exist separately and distinctly from our own personal experience because they are and have been conceived of by other human beings. With each ritual calling, we are making and remaking our Gods just as they are making and remaking us.

In the end, I believe that divine energy is the sum of all of us, along with all the animals and the plants and the whole wide universe. It is the spark of distant stars and the reproduction of the smallest bacteria. It is life and death and the shifting movement of existence here and everywhere, in this moment and in all moments before and after it. I believe that this whole is greater than the sum of these little parts and that collectively, we are conscious. I believe in a pattern, a tapestry of life in which we all play our part. We can make choices in this, but we have a part to play and there are pieces in our lives that guide us. And in all of this, different Gods are just convenient faces, ways to engage an unknowable energy.

The way I see it, God doesn’t care or even acknowledge the differences in our practices. Only human beings, with our limited sight and infinite distractions, could come up with a way to make such a small difference into a reason for centuries of war, dominance, and animosity.