Category: storytelling

The Coven of Cards – 00

The Coven of Cards – 00


Another discovery on the web: doing magick with playing cards; i copy/paste most of it and made some adaptations

I establish a space that can remain up for at least a lunar month, and dress it with a red cloth upon which I place a votive candle on the South side, a small incense dish on the East side, and a dish of water with a sprig of rue on the West side. 
I remove all the courts from a deck of playing cards, and lay them out on the cloth in a ring, in the following order:

1 – K ♠, The Magister, in the North
2 – Q ♦, The May Queen, in the South
3 – K ♣, The Harvest King, in the West
4 – Q ♥, The Seeress, in the East
5 – K ♦, the Devouring Sun, in the Southwest
6 – Q ♠, Dame Fate, in the Northeast
7 – K♥, the Red Lord, in the Southeast
8 – Q ♣, The Reaping Wife, in the Northwest
9 – J ♦, The Dancer, between Dame Fate and The Seeress
10 – J ♠, The Man in Black, between The Devouring Sun and The Harvest King
11 – J ♥, The Merry Men, between The Red Lord and The May Queen
12 – J ♣, The Kern Baby, between The Reaping Wife and the Magister

Then, I choose three cards to represent what I Will to Be, and set them under the Joker, in the center. 
Doing this represents the mastery of witchcraft over circumstance. I light the candle in its holder and the incense in its dish. 
I take three pinches of salt, cast them into the dish of water, and proceed to conjure a small circle around the coven of cards with my right hand, asperging the circle with the sprig of rue and censing it with the incense. 
After the circle is made, I sprinkle and cense each of the Coven cards.
Then I take up the Joker and the cards beneath it and lay all but the Joker out in a line in the center, naming each of the three cards as I set it down.   

I point to each of the three cards with my right forefinger, touching the card as I state my intention. 

(paraphrase/adaption)
… (lay cards down) 1-2-3
…state intention 1-2-3, connecting the cards as in a storyline/sentence
…”And…(scoop up the cards in the sequence 3-2-1 with Joker on top of all)
…”by the power of witchery” (kiss the Joker)
…“it is mine, here and now.”  (Knock three times with my knuckles of my right hand  to the north of my stack)
…“So mote it be.”

Then I set the stack of cards in the center of the circle, set my Athame in the North, pointing at the stack of cards, and leave the assembly to keep going on its own.
Knocking three times draws the attention of the spirits I work with, so that They take note of what I’m saying and do Their part.
The Athame pointing to the stack reinforces my will working on the intention in the stack of cards.
The Coven of Cards will continue to work on the spell, keeping a current of energy going just like a battery, with the red and black acting as positive and negative poles.
I restate the spell every morning when I first wake, and every evening right before I retire.
I don’t repeat the circle casting, or the censing and asperging again, but in the mornings I do light a candle and some incense.
I leave the spell going until I see definite results or until a lunar cycle has completed, whichever comes first.
I keep a couple of decks of playing cards set aside for this kind of work.
One deck to take the Coven from, and a second deck because I often need a court card to represent the person I’m working for.
When I dismantle the spell, I put the three cards back in the deck they came from, then give offerings and thanks to the Coven of Cards before dispersing them back in their deck.

Source: The Coven of Cards | The used key is always bright

Cartomancy For the Witch of Poor Memory

Cartomancy For the Witch of Poor Memory


Considering I have trouble with memorizing large lists, I am really fond of poetic memory-aides!
Here comes something I found on the web, inspired by hedgewitchery 

The firstmost rule is easily had:
Red cards are good and black cards are bad.  

The secondmost rule shall bring greater fruits:
It deals with the meanings of each of the suits.
The Hearts count as love, family, and friends.
Diamonds are money, wealth, means, and ends.
Clubs shall mean work, callings, and plans,
And Spades are the troubles that plague every man.  

The thirdmost rule toward number inclines;
Just note the card’s pip and read here their signs:  
An Ace brings beginnings,
And Two gives exchange,
Three shows things growing,
But Four does not change.
Five is the body, Its health and its stead,
Six shows a path
That the Seeker shall tread. 
Seven brings troubles That Fate has assigned,
While Eight shows ideas And thoughts in the mind.
Nine heralds changes,
And Ten is the end,
While Kings are the symbols Of power and men.
Queens are the emblems Of women and truth,
A Knave is a message, A girl, or a youth. 

1 –  K ♠, The Magister, in the North
2 – Q ♦, The May Queen, in the South
3 – K ♣, The Harvest King, in the West
4 – Q ♥, The Seeress, in the East
5 – K ♦, the Devouring Sun, in the Southwest
6 – Q ♠, Dame Fate, in the Northeast
7 –  K ♥, the Red Lord, in the Southeast
8 – Q ♣, The Reaping Wife, in the Northwest
9 –  J ♦, The Dancer, between Dame Fate and The Seeress
10 – J ♠, The Man in Black, between The Devouring Sun and The Harvest King
11 – J ♥, The Merry Men, between The Red Lord and The May Queen
12 – J ♣, The Kern Baby, between The Reaping Wife and the Magister

source: Wise & Subtle Arts of Cartomancy

 Runes  

 Runes  


The Runes started talking to me after I read Ralph Blum’s Book of Runes, along with the Runic Poems.
Blum made his own intuitive approach on the Runes, so I use this way of looking alongside the available scientific documentation.
My working with the Runes became challenging when I met Folkish Asatru who insisted on Aryan bloodlines (not available in my ancestry).
Then it felt like cultural appropriation to keep working with the Runes. Suprisingly I still feel some affinity with Grimnir. Go figure !

Using the runes as ‘gates’, chanting the sounds, imitating the rune-forms in your body…reminds me of certain Hindu-magick practices.
Singing and carving the runes for trance work and/or magick sounds like seidhr/galdr as hinted in the Edda and Sagas.
Besides the magical part , there is also the religious part, considering the idea that Freya taught Seidhr and Odin taught Runes…
IMHO connecting with the Nordic Gods and Spirits is prerequisite of working with Runes, Seidhr, Galdr.

See: The Book of Runes – Ralph Blum –

 Camoin Tarot de Marseille method

 Camoin Tarot de Marseille method


Must read…Camoin basic rules  for reading TDM…
The method works for me, but…his claim ‘heir to a tradition which goes back for many centuries’ is contested in the Tarot community.

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1st rule :
It is always the person asking the question who shuffles the cards and selects the cards. The cards are placed face down, and it is the Tarot reader who turns them face up at the appropriate time.

2nd rule :
When a card is in reverse position (of course from the perspective of the querent) it means that the energies of that card are blocked. If there is not already a card directly above (or below when following a variant method – see Upward and Downward Spreads) the reversed card, another card is drawn and placed there. The new card is always placed upright. It indicates the solution, the direction to take, what needs to be done to remove the blockage of the reversed card below it. It is the card that “cures” the reversed card.
3rd rule :
When a figure in the card gazes, or “regards”, in a direction where no card has been placed, another card is drawn and placed next to the first in the direction of its Regard. This card can be either upright or reversed. For instance, if the Pope is upright in the future position and it is looking at an empty space without a card, another card must be drawn to see what the Pope is regarding. This new card can be either upright or reversed.

4th rule :
When a similar symbol appears two or more times in the spread, it is important to pay attention to that symbol. For instance, in The Empress, The Emperor and The World, an eagle appears three times.

5th rule :
When the problem related to the blockage in a reversed card is resolved through the Tarot reading, and/or in dialogue with the querent, the reversed card can be placed upright. The situation thus transforms and the new reading appears which corresponds to what is occurring now that the problem has been remedied.

6th rule :
When all the cards have been placed and there are no more cards to draw, the spread is in principle finished. However, it is possible to continue to read the cards in the spread in relationship to information that surfaces during the discussion. For example, a certain card might represent a member of the querent’s family, a work colleague, or another person related to the question. Another reading can be made based on the card representing the particular person The new reading will give an idea about the life and surroundings of that person. 7th rule : Variations are of course possible using the Minor Arcana or with other structures than the standard spread beginning with three cards; for example, the Cross spread, spreads with more cards in a row horizontally, or any other spread. 8th rule : When using the Minor Arcana, the rules expressed above equally apply, in particular those on the direction of the Regard for the figures in the court cards: Page, Queen, King, Knight.

Source: Basic Rules of the Camoin Method of Tarot Card Reading — Camoin Tarot de Marseille (Tarot of Marseilles)

Asking the gypsy cards: how will job hunting go

Asking the gypsy cards: how will job hunting go


Q:
I’d like to know how Job hunting will go.

A:

center-focus card for job hunting: travel
above-thought: hoping for a good arrival
below-undercurrent: jealousy 
left-behind-uncounscious influences: judgement
right-front-conscious act: letter

interpretation

you are already taking a lot of action for job-hunting, every time hoping for a good result, but being disappointed because somebody else was chosen.

unconsciously your inner judge is putting a lot of stress on your process.

it seems the oracle is trying to tell you: hold your horses, take a break, relax…

Only then there will be space for good news

Choosing a Tarot Deck 

Choosing a Tarot Deck 


So many decks to choose from…

Hard-core traditionalists would prefer old Tarot te Marseille, but I find most old artwork too ugly for my modern senses.

Other Traditional decks: Choose a Deck | Tarot Heritage

On the other hand…modern versions of TDM sometimes diverge too much from the original tradition, almost becoming a Rider-Waite-Smith clone.

Other modern TDM: Marseille inspired Tarot decks

Rider-Waite-Smith…need I say more?
Diverging from de original TDM, heavily loaded with Golden Dawn dogma!

What is less good? RWS clones! 

What is worse? Zombie RWS!

 

The bare bones of the Oracle

The bare bones of the Oracle


Ancient Chinese put their questions in pictograms on tortoise or ox bones, then the diviner would put holes in the bone.
After that, the diviner would apply so much pressure to the bone that it would crack.
The diviner would interpret the cracks and inscribe the result on the bone.

The underliying principle of this oracle is:
Every pictogram might have several meanings depending on context (place in the structured ‘text’), in other words a pictogram had not just one single meaning but several diverging possibilities.
Look at the overall relations between pictograms and ‘connect the dots’ (the pattern of the lines that are formed after the cracks).

This bare bones approach is also applicable in other forms of divination:
– Tasseography :tea-leaf, coffee grounds
Cartomancy.
The idea is just to look at the pictures, the relations between pictures.
Of course, there are many cultural variations on interpretations of the pictures: a wolf might mean something very different, depending on European or Native American outlook!

See also Debra Books article on Oracle Bones

Wandelen in schoonheid

Wandelen in schoonheid


ik wandel  in schoonheid
de schoonheid is voor mij
de schoonheid is achter mij
de schoonheid is boven mij
de schoonheid is onder mij
(vrij vertaald naar Navaho lied)

Ik onderzoek de manier waarop wandelen heilzaam kan zijn voor lichaam en geest.

Zomaar wat zegswijzen die ik tegenkom:
‘Even wandelen, de benen strekken, het hoofd leegmaken’

Als ik echt in volle bewustzijn kan wandelen, dan kan ik mijn eigen lijf en tevens mijn omgeving goed ervaren, mijn relatie met mezelf en mijn omgeving verbeteren.

Als ik dit ook met anderen in dezelfde intentie kan doen, versterken we elkaars aandacht en aanwezigheid!

Zie ook: Mijn queeste | Dreamquest

Interview with a new oracle deck:Tarot de Marseille

Interview with a new oracle deck:Tarot de Marseille


Casting of seven cards in a row, reading from left to right:

1. Please tell something about yourself
Denier 6: value for money
2. What is your most important character trait?
Epee 7: Resourcefulness
3. Your strengths as a deck of cards
XVI LaMaisonDieu: Upending stagnation
4. Your weaknesses as a deck of cards
XIIII Temperance: Slow moving
5. What is the best way to work with you?
XI LaForce: Discipline
6. The result of our partnership
Batons 7: Confidence
7. What else do you want to mention?
XVIII LaLune: Heed the visions

Gestalt reading: Denier 6-Epee 7-XVI LaMaisonDieu-XIIII Temperance-XI LaForce-Batons 7-XVIII LaLune.
Four major arcana:
XVI LaMaisonDieu-XIIII Temperance-XI LaForce–XVIII LaLune, the swift harshness of XVI LaMaisonDieu is tempered by the slow moving XIIII Temperance, while the power of the discplinarian XI LaForce is mellowed by the dreamy visionary XVIII LaLune,

Three minor arcana: two sevens (Epee & Baton) & Denier 6, the chancy sevens are grounded in the material world.
The emotional Coupe is missing, but on the other hand there is the dreamy XVIII LaLune.

It seems that here the Major Arcana shows the balancing act of opposite forces, while the Minor Arcana shows the grounding of complementary forces.

Conclusion: I have the feeling that Tarot de Marseille is really willing to work with me.

update…second opinions on the web:

1. The decks is best read using spreads;
2. Best answers positive, pro-active questions ( 7 connected to Chariot, Swords – Thoughts) ;
3. Sees through illusion and deception;
4. Agree with your interpretation;
5.Patience;
6. Agree with your interp.; also i think it will become one of your working decks.
P.s. of course i agree with all your interpretations, but i added where i have other thoughts too.
Enjoy your deck!
….
1. Please tell something about yourself
it’s a new structure
2. What is your most important character trait?
Breakthrough prior boundaries
3. Your strengths as a deck of cards
inspiration
4. Your weaknesses as a deck of cards
Balance takes time
5. What is the best way to work with you?
Discipline
6. The result of our partnership
Provide a whole new perspective
7. What else do you want to mention?
Keep it simple. Some will tell you things not true.

See also: Interview with a new oracle deck | Dreamquest