Thoughts on The Hermit

The Hermit

A character not celebrated in todays modern society.
Someone who practices meditation, self reflection - the art of learning through solitude and silence. Think of your common idea of a hermit...one thing above all else that you might think of, intelligence is one thing that stands out as an attribute. The Hermit has knowledge, a type of quiet wisdom one can only teach oneself. 

In the tarot The Hermit card represents the need to withdraw (why this illustration on the The Wild Unknown tarot is so poignant) with the promise that you will emerge back into the modern day world shining brighter. Bringing a newfound light to others, as they bask in your spiritual glow.

The Hermits secrets are not for everyone, only those willing to climb to the highest peak, or reach into the darkest cave.
All the answers you need are within.
The Hermit comes at a time when you begin to question what we are told is normality, when you begin to believe that there is more to the meaning of life than the mundane 9 to 5.

There is a hermit in all of us...some of us tap into his spirit regularly, others have yet to find him, hiding away, scribbling questions in the depth of your soul. He's that nagging voice you sometimes here that tells you to step back, to renegotiate the cards life has dealt you. 

Apophyllite

Would you look at this beauty!?!

Apophyllite is native to India, and it occurs in ancient lava and basalt flows. It is most often found in glassy rectangular prisms in it's natural form. It was only discovered in the 1800s, but may have been given a different name before this date, which makes it's history hard to trace.

These crystals contain a high amount of water molecules in their structure, which is firstly what makes the appearance differ slightly to that of clear quartz, but secondly that which  makes them compatible with those with a connection to the water element.

(Like me as a Scorpio)

It is believed to be a very spiritual crystal, it bridges the gap between the physical and spiritual realm - it helps your spiritual connection, and there for should aid wonderfully in divination.

It can be used also in meditation, as a crystal it is known to aid in calm and tranquil feelings; so this combined with it's breaching of the spiritual world, makes it ideal for dreamscape work, journeying, scrying, astral travel, and meditation.

If you hadn't guessed by this crystals attributes it is connected to your third eye chakra.
Apophyllite is known as an "ascension stone", which means it helps bring light and clarity to emotional situations. It helps you be more honest with yourself about things, and brings the truth from others.

I got this gorgeous gem from http://www.crystalfaery.co.uk/ 

Visit the online store, for all your crystal needs - just follow the link for 'Crystal Cavern', or feel free to browse and enjoy the other wares they have to offer.

Happy Samhain

Merry meet, and a happy Samhain to all readers.

What a sabbat it was!

What did you guys get up to? Share in the comments, I'd love to read what you guys have been doing.

Matt and I waited in for trick or treaters, which is always fun.

Then I spent an evening with my witch sister, Suzie. She made me magical mulled cider, and I broke her 'Nightmare Before Christmas' Virginity. Then we made midnight margaritas, and watched 'Practical Magic'.

 When I came home, it was time for my favourite part of Samhain - ritual work, and my 12 card spread for the new year.

This is a shot of my altar, looking all mystical in the candle light.

Let me turn the lights on, so you can see what's going on!

Along with my Directional correspondence, my altar had Crow feathers, to call in and honour the Morrigan, My Pentagram, white flower petals, and parts of a roe deer skull, so I could harness the energy from ancestors and nature.

Directional Correspondance;

North - Earth

East - Air

South - Fire

West - Water

As I do every Samhain, I pulled 12 cards to tell my what the new year has in store for me.

It is always a perfect and magical way to end Samhain.

Never forget to give an offering to the Gods you've worked with; I cast a little of my blood in the fire in thanks to the Morrigan - she is a Goddess of war after all.

This work left me utterly drained for the day following Samhain.
Large ritual work definitely takes it's toll, so be wary that you don't plan much for the following day. My body was hurting, my emotions were all over the shop, and my physical and mental state were utterly drained. Especially around Samhain and Beltane, the veil between the worlds is so thin, it is easy to tap into a lot of magical energy.
After any ritual work, be sure to drink plenty of water, and have a comfortable place to sit down, for atleast a few minutes.

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Blessed Be
xoxox

The Choice Is Yours...

                                                              

Choosing Paths

A little pull I did a few days ago...
It's a super easy pull, but one which can be devastating to the heart strings.

You pull two cards to start with. One focused on one option in your life, and you pick another card based on your second option.
 This can be a choice between jobs, houses, life choices, two people.

Once you've picked these two cards, take time to contemplate over them, and try and discern their meanings. Sometimes they'll be obvious; The Tower card appears for one choice - change is needed, you need to knock everything down to rebuild. Other times, they'll be less obvious.

Next you pick two more cards, one related to each first card, and original choice. This card is to show you an outcome or needed action.

I won't tell you what I was thinking about ;) but I will discern the cards for you none the less, so you can see how this spread would work.

Choice 1

 First card is the Six of Wands.

This path has led me to a darker path, one I am just now blossoming away from. I am the butterfly in this card, flying away from that path, and situation.

Second Card is The Chariot.

This card is a reminder that we are in charge of our own lives. We hold the reins!! It indicates movement, and re-taking charge.

These two cards tell me that Choice One, is best left alone. Essentially run for the hills from this option, it will not bring positivity.

Choice 2

First Card is The Four Of Pentacles.

This card promises stability, especially regarding material matters. The four pentacles, are harmoniously tied together, showing balance and security.

Second Card is The Nine Of Cups.

Cup cards relate to our emotional side. The Nine of Cups is all about bliss and harmony. It's tagline is wishes fulfilled.

So, on the opposite side of the spectrum, this choice seems much more positive, and will lead me to a place of positive completion.

The choice is simple.

The Fortune Teller

"Go ahead and read my fortune,
Cast your dice, Devine my fate.
I just want to know I have one,
Tell me that it's not too late."

Second Hand Faith - Emilie Autumn

Communicating with the Fae

This beautiful deck from Brian Froud, is one of my favourite oracle decks.

Every card is a beautiful illustration by Froud himself, of the faeries he encounters.

This deck has a real air of mythology, and features images that are strongly laced with pagan totems, alongside Welsh, Scottish, and Irish versions of fae.

This little guy is called Indi. Isn't he adorable.
Froud has covered both the unseelie court and the seelie court in this deck. Cards full of colour and vibrant light, contrast beautifully against dark shadows, and troublesome eyes.

I use this deck when my mood is more playful. This is a beautiful deck for autumn pulls, and to take on spring adventures. The air is less serious, and more fun that the tarot. Their messages are still true, and just as often feature warnings, but working with the fae is always more light-hearted.

To Strengthen A Tarot Reading...

"Wisest Ashataroth, please send,
Your guidance and your wisdom lend.
Help me read with clarity,
And speak the truth,
-So mote it be."

(This is my oldest and very first tarot deck that I was ever to purchase, at the tender age of 14. The cards are stained, and bent, corners furling, over used, and much loved. The jewelry is a tiny little ethically sourced real bat skull, painted in a jade green.)

The tarot card was first invented during the 15th Century, originally as part of numerous card games. They did indeed begin life, as a simple pack of playing cards.
 First making an appearance in Europe, the cards were most commonly associated with France and Italy.

Later on in life, Romania took the art of Tarot as a form for trade.
It is hard for us to picture a gypsy clan, without a wonderful old woman, covered in shawls, at her caravan doorstop, beckoning you inside to have your cards or your palm read.

There is evidence in written form that some sort of divination was placed into these cards in 1540, But it wasn't until the 18th Century, they became a common symbol of the occult and began to be used in divination and magic routinely.

Some of the french free-masons make connections with the pictograms on the cards to the ancient egyptian gods. For example they believed the card we now commonly know as 'The High Priestess' was a representation of Isis.

They also believe that the very word 'Tarot' comes from the Egyptian words 'Tar' and 'Ro' - literally translating to the Royal Road of Life.

The Tarot deck has been used worldwide, and can be found in documentation dating back through many famous characters.
Casanova stated in 1765 that one of his Russian mistresses was constantly using her own deck for divining life's intentions.

A typical tarot deck is made up of 78 cards, and is split into two parts.
The Major and Minor Arcana.
There are hundreds of decks out in the world, and the best way to learn is to find a deck that suits you, read through the accompanying book, and then teach yourself the cards. Feel them out for yourself.

There is a lot of bad press for tarot, with cards such as 'The Devil', 'Death', and 'Judgement', unknowing people tend to see tarot and in fact divination as a whole, as communing with the dead. Which is not the case.

 Most divination is no more dangerous than reading your horoscope. Something most people (even the most judgmental of witchcraft) will do everyday, whilst reading the daily paper.

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Happy fortune telling, my gypsy sisters!

Feel free to share your decks with me, I love to see other peoples tools.

Let's talk about tarot...

...discussing my tarot decks, how I store my decks, and some pointers on choosing your own.

There are a lot of differing opinions when it comes to most things magic related, so go with what feels right for you.

   These are just my experiences and my opinions.

Any questions feel free to drop me a message.
xx

A beginners beginning to tea leaves

Today, I'm going to show you the very basics to doing a reading for yourself with tea-leaves.

If you have any questions, or want to know more feel free to ask me in the comments,

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The first thing to talk about is the cup itself.
Obviously this type of divination has to be done in a teacup, preferably one with a wider rim.

The top or rim of the cup, represents the present. Any shapes here show your current situations and events.
The middle of the cup, is the near future - things that will soon come to pass.
And the base, is your distant future. And yes we can literally be talking years here.

Symbols seen closer to the handle tend to represent you (or the person being read for)
And when symbols fall close together in your teacup they will probably be correlated events.

 The Method.

Brew yourself a pot of loose-leaf tea. Earl-grey is a great one to use. My local occult stockist recommends loose green tea. But find what works for you, something that doesn't hugely unfurl into giant leaves.
 Once brewed, without using a strainer pour yourself a cup.
You may have to repeat this process, and drink through a few cups, to get a generous amount of tea-leafs in your teacup.
As you drink meditate on a question - or just try and clear your mind.

When only a small amount of liquid remains, take the cup in your dominant hand.
Swirl what remains clockwise, three times.
(Remember 3 is a magic number!)
And now upend your cup into your saucer.

Now....here, some diviners will rotate the cup whilst face down to the saucer, three full turns - again clockwise. It is not done by everyone, and again it's about what feels right to you.
Personally I find it very noisy, and not necessarily the best way to treat your china. If you have done these steps correctly, and measured your liquid and tea-leaf amount effectively - this does come with practice, so stay patient my pretties - you should be left with leaves stuck to your cup, when you turn it up the right way again.

This is what you read from.
If you become more experienced, you can branch into reading the remains of your saucer aswell.

It is up to you to find the shapes and symbols in your cup.
There are plenty of books and online resources to help you find the shape meanings. But, I wouldn't look at these, until you have found the shapes.

Otherwise you might end up seeing what you want to see.
Someone craving a relationship might see a heart in the cup that is not really there.

Sometimes there might be a lot of symbols in one reading, sometimes it might be a solitary shape...and sometimes it might be nothing at all.
 Don't force yourselves to find things. Wash your cup out and try again tomorrow.
It might not be the right time for a reading.

Like with tarot it is worth keeping a journal of tea-leaf reading to see how your reading pan out in reality.
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This is one of my readings.

(I use the Edwardian Divination cup. The markings on the cup are for an old party game used in the early 1900s. You don't have to use these, and your everyday teacup will work for divination just fine.

I enjoy the markings though - and it makes the divination seem even more magical.)

There was only one shape I could find here.

A Dog.

Do you see it?

 The dog means 'Loyal friends and associates will support you in everything you do, so don't be afraid to ask for help.'

The dog is at the very base of my cup, pertaining to my needing this 'help' a long time in the future. However the dog is also very, very close to the handle. This would suggest that whatever happens, is going to affect me directly and personally.

The trick with tea reading is that it relies a lot on your own intuition. This can make it a bit daunting - the rules are not as clear cut as with tarot of palmistry. You will see what needs to be seen.

Let me know if you give this a try,
I'd love to see how you get on.