Llewellyn Publications's Blog, page 66

with Seane Corn and an early copy of “Yoga and Body Image”

Last week I had the great pleasure of meeting Seane Corn, internationally known yoga instructor and one of twenty-five contributors to the up-coming book Yoga and Body Image. Seane was in town at The Yoga Center of Minneapolis for a five-day intensive she co-presented as part of her organization Off the Mat, Into the World, which helps promote community action for good. I recognized her by her mane of fiercely curly hair and waved her into the coffee shop as she started walking past. Her warm smile and signature eyebrow rang familiar from the yoga DVD I’d practiced years ago to the many images I’ve seen of her in magazines over the past decade.

As I sat and talked with her, the genuine passion and care she holds for supporting others in their own journey, and in turn having them be able to support and encourage others, became a key theme. Her goal for social outreach is impressive, exponential, and taking hold in the yoga community and beyond. Sometimes her goal is as grand as raising impressive funds to support communities in crisis. Other times it’s as humble and (seemingly) simple as requesting her photo not be manipulated on the cover of a magazine.

“Even though it’s in my contract that my image can’t be Photoshopped, they still do it sometimes,” she said in frustration. “I’m 48 and they have me looking 27. They’re presenting an ideal that no one can live up to, that I can’t even live up to. It does no good.” I wanted to yell to her Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you, for trying to start the ball rolling toward healthier body image. It’s such a complex issue rooted in the many intertwining threads of society, but Seane’s approach was as simple as it gets: show the world the truth so we can begin to once again recognize authentic beauty in others and in ourselves.

“This book is so important,” she added. “I think it will really impact people.”

“I wholeheartedly agree,” I replied.

“Why did you think this was important? What made you take on this book?” she asked simply. Ah, this question.

One of the curiosities I’m most often asked about my job is, “So what’s your favorite book you’ve worked on and why did you do that topic?” It’s such an impossible question because each book has its own spark and in some way I’ve personally connected with every one I’ve acquired. Of course I’m looking for what people want and need. Sometimes that hits directly home. In the realm of spiritual self-help and wellness I’m blessed in that my job creates the opportunity to constantly glean new insights into my own healing and development. However, there is one topic that hits the “personal” level more deeply than others for me, and that is yoga.

I’ve enjoyed yoga for years. Like so many others I’ve found relief from chronic ailments and balance to a sometimes too-loud internal world. When I’m on the mat I learn to focus only on what exists within that boundary. I honor my limits, letting go of the mental chatter to focus on the physical present. I breathe, I move, I stretch. I breathe some more, sometimes find strength I didn’t know I had, and occasionally shed some tears. Over the past few years, tears have been more frequent as yoga has helped me release the pain and grief of losing my favorite yoga instructor­, my sister. And this is where the topic, of course, has become so deeply personal. And it’s exactly why I knew this book was needed.

There have been two books in particular over the past couple of years that caught my immediate attention: The Yoga of Food, which was released in June, and Yoga and Body Image, which will be available this October. These books deal with the issues we have with our bodies, including (but not limited to) addictions and eating disorders. These topics are often misunderstood, yet wildly rampant.

Chances are you know someone who is struggling or has dealt with one or both of these challenges, if not you yourself. Both of these are issues that my sister wrestled, which ultimately resulted in her untimely passing. I touched the edges of anorexia as a teenager as well, but was pulled back before it took a firm hold. In my case, an emotional need was met and I was able to more healthfully deal with whatever had been spurring my imbalanced relationship with food. But I’m brutally aware that’s not always the outcome.

Whatever the case, these issues tangle into our emotions, mental health, physical wellbeing and perception, social interaction, and more. The topics are so incredibly important, yet often are inaccurately judged and socially shunned.

“People are finally starting to really pay attention to these issues in a broader way,” I offered. “The videos showing stages of image manipulation became so popular last year and it opened my eyes. I feel like we’re waking up to reality. We need more of that, and this book took the reins and ran head-on in that direction.” Seane nodded, understanding.

When we don’t see true representation in the world around us it becomes a very difficult hurdle and one that we often may not even fully perceive. When the “norm” becomes alienating for so many, how is that normal? When negative self-thinking and harmful actions to fit impossible standards become typical practice isn’t that a sounding alarm for change? But how?

Knowledge. Truth. Community. And that’s exactly what you’ll find here.

The pairing with yoga provides an exceptional lens for clarity and mindfulness around these complex issues that blindly take hold, steering our lives and taking them away from us. These books shine a light on often hidden topics, allowing you to be much more aware of what’s true, what’s false, and what you can change or embrace. Also important is witnessing others standing up and voicing their experiences, which can help you understand your own, knowing you’re not alone.

I’ve been inspired and honored to have had the chance to help these kinds of books into the world. They were too late for my sister, but I’m so glad they’re here in time to support you. Read them, know yourself better, and pass it on so the knowledge can grow… exponentially.

One of the many things I love about Anthony Louis’ Beyond the Basics is his overview of the historic evolution of so many of the facets of tarot. This really helps modern card interpretations make more sense.

For example, in his chapter Number Symbolism and the Tarot, his explanation of how the Golden Dawn numerology is based on the Sephirot made more than any I’d ever read. Usually books just give the Sephirot meanings without making it clear how these associations developed to a numerological symbolic system. Tony provides the list that we are probably all familiar with:

1. Kether: Supreme crown

2. Chokhmah: Wisdom

Etc.

But then he explains that the Golden Dawn combined the Sephirot with astrology to create their system. Here’s what Tony writes regarding the Golden Dawn system:

Each zodiac sign consists of three decans: a first or “initiatory” decan, a middle or “stabilizing” decan, and a final or “transitional” decan. The symbolism of the sequence of decans (initiate—stabilize—move on) combined with the symbolism of the numbers from one to ten generates in large measure the Golden Dawn meanings for the pip cards.

1: (Kether) The force of Spirit acting on and through an element. This initial spark of pure elemental energy will undergo development and maturation as it moves toward the 10 of the suit. In Kether, the energy is pure potential and has not yet manifested (like an idea in the mind of God)

2: (Chokmah) The initiation and fecundation of a thing. The element of the suit appears in its original harmonious condition and first tangible form, not yet affected by outside factors. The pip twos are associated with the initial decan of the “initiating” or cardinal signs of the zodiac and exhibit a double dose of the desire to manifest something new.

3: (Binah) Action launched and realized, for good or evil. The action characteristic of the element has commenced and manifests in a form of initial completion. The pip threes are associated with the “stabilizing” middle decan of the “initiating” or cardinal signs and signify an initial consolidation of what was started in the twos.

4: (Chesed) Realizations, making a matter fixed and settled. The energy now solidifies and manifest in established reality. The pip fours are associated the final decan of the “initiating” or cardinal signs, which will soon transition to the fixed signs of the zodiac and represent a desire to let go of what was begun in the twos and threes to move on to something more enduring.

And we will end the excerpt here, as we have read through one full decan cycle. Hopefully this helps you understand the Golden Dawn marriage of Sephirot, numbers, and astrology. I know it helped me quite a lot.

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Aaron Leitch, author of several books, including Secrets of the Magickal Grimoires, The Angelical Language Volume I and Volume II, and his new Essential Enochian Grimoire.

Every so often, usually in online groups or forums, someone comes along and asks if it is always necessary to construct your own magickal tools, or if one can simply purchase them instead.

Overwhelmingly, such a person receives the same answer: Of course you must make your own tools! Constructing the tools is part of the ritual, it is how you imbue the tools with your personal energy and link them to your psyche. To use a tool made by someone else, you are bringing in that person’s energy and any impurities that might come along with it. Besides, just going out and buying all of your tools is lazy—an indicator of our modern consumer culture of instant gratification and simply purchasing your way through the system rather than doing the work.

Some people are very adamant about making their tools—even to the point of losing respect for anyone that purchases them instead. They feel the necessity of constructing the tools from scratch with your own hands is an obvious no-brainer. For them, there is no reasonable excuse for lowering yourself to consumerism to obtain your tools.

But, are they right?

I’m not sure who was the first to insist that one must construct their own magickal weapons. Nor do I know exactly at which point this became a “given” in modern occultism. However, I do know that this attitude seems to be a modern convention. I’ve never run into it in the African Traditional Religions (like Santeria, Palo, Voodoo, etc). I’ve never heard it said about Hoodoo or Hexcraft/Pow-wow. I’ve never encountered it in the grimoires, nor heard it said in any form of (pre-modern) witchcraft or shamanism.

Of course, we do have some points to consider here. Most of these forms of old magick existed before there were occult shops or websites to sell us fancy magickal wands and talismans. So, these systems never directly address the issue of making vs. purchasing the tools, and it is obviously assumed you will be making them from scratch.

Also, we have to consider that some magickal texts—like the Solomonic grimoires—contain extremely involved ritual instructions for the creation of most of the tools. Given that we know a store-bought item will not have been created according to those instructions (and may have even been mass-produced with slave labor, or in an environmentally harmful manner, or both), we might assume it is necessary to make them from scratch instead.

However, both of these considerations are assumptions. In the former case, there was simply no issue to address at the time. (There were no stores.) We don’t know what the ancient shamans would have done if they had had access to occult shops and websites. However, many systems of old magick continue to exist today, and they have directly addressed the issue. What you might find surprising is that none of them seem to have a problem with buying magickal items.

Hoodoo is likely the best example, as its proliferation in the American south was largely thanks to “occult curio” mail order catalogs. Hoodoo has an ingrained tradition of using materials that are cheap or already on-hand—such as writing talismans on brown paper from old shopping bags (which, at the time, were often laying around your kitchen in stacks)—but it was also acceptable to buy nearly everything from the catalogs: candles, floor washes, herbal baths, oils, powders, incense, talismans, etc, etc.

Santeria, Voodoo, and other ATRs also embraced the concept of occult shops—and today one can find any number of “botanicas” in heavily Latino populated areas. (They are very common here in Florida.) In the botanicas you can buy statues, icons, herbs, beads, animal products, urns, cloths, iron tools, railroad spikes, and nearly everything you’d need to set up the altars and practice the religions.

Going back a bit further, we find the famous Key of Solomon makes mention of buying your magickal dagger. After giving the instructions for forging the blade yourself, the text amends: “But if it seemeth unto thee too troublesome to make a similar knife, have one made in the same fashion.” (Key of Solomon the King, Book 2, Chapter 8.) Likewise, one is encouraged to get ahold of holy items—such as robes and censers—that have been used by priests or rabbis during religious services.

Other grimoires even give guidelines for having your tools made by professionals. The person you hire must be trustworthy and upstanding—likely so his personal character will not taint the tool before it even gets to you. Some even insist the person you hire should be an occultist himself, and willing to follow all the ritual instructions as he makes the tool. A common warning (often heeded even by modern occultism) is that one must never haggle over the price of a magickal item.

Even as recently as the advent of Wicca: in the Book of Shadows—just after the instructions for making the altar tools (which are adopted largely from the Key of Solomon)—we find a clause stating that if the witch can get her hands on the magickal tools of a wizard, then she should not pass up the opportunity. I’m fairly sure that Gardner had either Solomonic tools or Golden Dawn tools, or both, in mind when he wrote that.

As far as I can tell, the concept that you must make your own tools is strictly modern, and it’s validity depends entirely on the psychological model of magick. If the magick you are doing is strictly in your head, and the rituals are only intended to activate aspects of your own psyche, then it would be vastly important to craft the tools yourself—as part of the psychological exercise.

On the other hand, if the tools are houses for real spirits, then who makes the house isn’t as important as knowing and working with the spirit. Aladdin didn’t have to make his own lamp in order to summon the Jinn from it.

Now, before I sign off, I’d like to make a couple of points clear. First, I’m not suggesting that the above evidence should give us permission to indulge our consumerist laziness and simply purchase everything we need! It is still true that making the tools yourself is the best-case scenario—because it does indeed become part of the ritual and puts a piece of your own soul into the items.

However, there will be some things that are beyond your ability to make from scratch; for example, how many of you can forge your own blades? It is at these times one should consider buying the item—or the ingredients to make it. At no time ever should you decide to purchase something because doing so is simply “easier” or “faster.” That attitude will put an end to your magick right away.

There will also be times when it is impossible to buy a tool and still meet the ritual requirements for its creation/consecration—especially if you don’t know an occultist who can do the work for you and reliably follow the rituals in your stead. In such cases, you will have no choice but to make it yourself.

Thus, in the end, I’m not taking a firm stance either for or against purchasing your magickal tools. Instead, I wanted to illustrate that, historically, there hasn’t been a firm stance either way. Buying tools and ingredients is neither encouraged as “the way to go” nor discouraged as detrimental to the magick. The concern is for what is most practical given your circumstances, and protocols are given for both options.

In my own practice, I have many tools I have made myself and a few that I have either purchased or have inherited from other occultists. Sometimes what I need to make requires me to go out into nature and gather the ingredients myself, and sometimes it requires me to seek out a good botanica.

Of course, I never haggle over the price.

Our thanks to Aaron for his guest post! Visit Aaron Leitch’s author page for more information, including articles and his books.

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Jean-Louis de Biasi, author of Secrets and Practices of the Freemasons, The Divine Arcana of the Aurum Solis, and the forthcoming Rediscover the Magick of the Gods and Goddesses. Jean-Louis is also Lifetime Grand Master of the Ordo Aurum Solis and Kabbalistic Order of the Rose-Cross.

 

Gods and Goddesses are commonly associated with pagan, magickal, or theurgic rituals. This is very similar to many religions, in which every follower prays to and invokes the divinity.

Various processes are used to build such relationships. Many traditions make use of divine names in prayers and invocations, believing that a specifically correct pronunciation and vibration will create a connection to the divinity. There is a strong belief in the magic community that if you know how to pronounce a sacred name, its power will be drawn to you and your ritual will benefit of this divine influence. This idea is as old as Ancient Egypt.

Another way to fulfill this goal is by identifying oneself with a divinity. You can visualize him or her, pray, invoke, imagine his/her presence in you, etc. Christians did that with Jesus and pagans are doing that with Hekate, Osiris, and many others. All that can be good, and even successful; but is it real? How can we be sure that we are really in contact with a divinity? Can we be fooled? Are the ritual invocations of the divinities effective?

In the past I had great success with such invocations in rituals from various traditions: Christianity, Hebraic, Gnosticism, etc. I did the same in other pre-Christian rituals, in theurgy, etc.

Then something progressively changed.

“May I speak to the President?” Do you think that you merely have to pick up the phone, dial the number of the White House (or any other foreign Presidential residence), and ask to speak directly with the President? And that the receptionist will immediately give you the line? Even if you introduce yourself and conclude your question with “Please,” do you really think that you can talk to the President? Even more, do you believe that he will stop doing his work and fly to your home to listen to you?

If the President won’t do that, what about a God or a Goddess?!… If a divinity really exists, I am sure that his or her activities are essential, numerous, and far removed from my daily problems. Of course, I am not talking about a divine energy present everywhere. I am talking about real Gods and Goddesses.

“May I speak to the President, Please?” Magicians can be persistent and obtuse! I can try calling, and calling, and calling again. But is this the best way to proceed? I am not so sure. Maybe they are steps to follow before even pick up the phone.

I must be humble and have a strong will.

I must be ambitious, but not arrogant.

I must learn how to pronounce his name.

I must understand how government works and who to meet first.

Then, maybe one day, I will be able to demonstrate the correct attitude and let the President know that I exist.

Rituals are not so different. Remember next time you invoke a divinity during a ritual: maybe this divinity actually exists and is very busy right now. Don’t upset her! Hang on! Hold the line! If you get disconnected, try to find the best time to call back.

Our thanks to Jean-Louis for his guest post! Visit Jean-Louis de Biasi’s author page for more information, including articles and his books.

This is a good technique if you are reading for yourself or for someone who is willing to be interactive with you and the cards.

I’ve been working with the idea of adding signposts to my readings in various ways. I call them signposts because they mark something specific that you are looking for in a reading.

Here’s one way I use signposts. If a client wants to know if something is going to happen, I have them go through the deck and select a card that represents their goal. They put the card back in the deck and we shuffle. Then I flip through the cards one by one until we find that card. I place the three cards that came before it on the table in a line. Then I place the signpost card. Then I place the next three cards that would have followed it on the table after the signpost.

This makes a spread of seven cards. I then interpret the reading. The three cards before show the energy moving toward the goal. Now this energy could be very positive and the client could work with it to achieve the goal. Or they could be problematic and the client could decide if s/he wanted to find ways to push through (in which case, we’d pull more cards about that). The cards that come after the goal show the results of achieving it. Sometimes we think if we do something, achieve something, we will be happy and all will be well. But sometimes we find that what we thought we wanted isn’t quite what we’d hoped. This also can help the client decide if s/he wants to continue.

If you do magic, this could be a good divinatory practice before spellwork. Simply select a card that represents the spell and follow the same steps as above.

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Gregory Peters, author of the new Magickal Union of East and West.

I enjoy traveling, and will fly overseas as often as possible to explore different regions. Spending an overcast day slowly wandering through the ruins of Pompei; climbing up the winding path of of Lykabettos to get a great view of the Acropolis; navigating through the chaotic and cacophonous streets of Bombay during Navratri in order to sit at a Durga pandal; spending the night sitting in contemplation on the banks of the Bagmati river, watching the strangely sweet smoke and ashes of the cremation ghats at Pashupatinath continuously drifting up to the stars…these experiences are liminal moments, where all that is familiar is discarded and I am cast into new and unfamiliar territory.

One thing that keeps me centered during such travels is keeping up with a daily practice. For example, while trekking in the Khumbu region of the Himalayas, I maintained a nightly sadhana that I had committed to work with for 9 months. In maintaining this practice under often strenuous and unfamiliar circumstances, I was able to go deep into the practice and learn to discern what was essential, and how to immerse completely into the heart of the practice in any situation.

During such travels, I found that my entire day would tend to revolve around the practice, and aspects of it would extend outwards, bleeding into other parts of my day. When eating, for example, I am more mindful of the food. When trekking, every step becomes the beat of the mantra. The elements come to life as well; for example, when in Nepal the wind blowing in the Himalayan ranges was the sound of Dakinis flying through the sky towards me.

When doing a regular practice while traveling, whether in a completely foreign country for weeks, or a weekend away, or even at a friend’s house overnight, it becomes necessary to know what is essential to your practice. I prefer to travel light, so anything that I bring with me has to be essential. These days I will often only have a mala with me; anything else I will rely on my ability to find exactly what I need at the required time. Sometimes it may be more efficient, and a great practice of mental development, to perform your entire ritual astrally by visualizing every aspect of it. In this way, the practice also integrates into the experience of movement, and the dynamic qualities that are stirred up by being in unfamiliar locations add to the overall energy that is fed into your rites.

One practice that I have found particularly helpful when traveling is to introduce yourself to the local spirits and guardians in any location you find yourself, and to give an offering to placate them. Not only is it polite (you are the guest visiting their home, after all), but it is also beneficial to your own work to ensure that the entities of any new place are acknowledged and welcomed into your practice (or, at least appeased so that they will not interfere or cause obstacles in your journey).

If you can, sit down in a central spot or one that feels as though it is a good location to communicate. Carry a pack of matches or a lighter, a small candle, and a stick of incense in your bag if possible. Light the candle first, and mentally invite the spirits to you. You can say something like, “Sprits and Guardians of this Place, I ask that you welcome me into your abode and assist me in my journey. Take these offerings in peace.” If you are very visual, you may see one, several, or clouds of entities approaching. If you don’t see anything, just know that they are present and try to feel them near you. Invite them to come and take from the light of the candle whatever they may require for food. On the astral the light is transformed into endless offerings.

Next, light the incense from the candle flame, and again offer the scent and smoke to the spirits as perfumed nectar. Rub your hands together until they are heated up, then extend them outward, palms forward, and feel the energy flowing from your body toward the spirits, where they transform it again into vast offerings of whatever they require.

See the spirits enjoying the great feast you have offered to them, or simply know that they have accepted it and are pleased. Thank the spirits for their hospitality in welcoming you to their land, and for assisting you in your travels. In this way, you will not only have a more enjoyable trip, but may possibly have made new allies that will be willing to assist you in your future work.

Our thanks to Gregory for his guest post! For more from Gregory Peters, read his article “Ceremonial Magick: Reuniting Yourself with the Natural World.”

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Jean-Louis de Biasi, author of Secrets and Practices of the Freemasons, The Divine Arcana of the Aurum Solis, and the forthcoming Rediscover the Magick of the Gods and Goddesses. Jean-Louis is also Lifetime Grand Master of the Ordo Aurum Solis and Kabbalistic Order of the Rose-Cross.

 

In many countries it is very difficult to do what we can do in the United States: go to our neighbor supermarket to choose a drug we need. Of course we cannot find everything, but for the most common diseases we can freely buy what we need. This is great! What need is there for a doctor if you have a cold or if your eyes are dry?

However, in France and elsewhere in the world, you cannot proceed like that. Pharmacists are the exclusive guardians of most drugs, and can provide them only with a prescription from a doctor. This is often very frustrating, as we want to be free to choose what we think we need!

It amazes me that learning magic can be seen in the same way. When I was young I felt a real desire to explore the invisible, to know more about spirituality. Then I bought books, began various practices, used esoteric techniques from one tradition and then another. I was raised as a Catholic, but it was not an obstacle for my exploration. I was doing my first self-medication and the feeling was excellent. But I was treating my symptoms of the moment.

When we are doing this on our own, we need a good description of the medicines, their properties and side effects. We need also to be aware that combinations of various products that can change their effects and become harmful. At some point it is good to make a decision: do we need to see a doctor, even if we have to pay something, or do we continue as we are doing without any training in medicine?

All of us must decide.

I decided to see a doctor in order to have a full exam and receive a real treatment which will consider my body as a whole. I even saw specialists for precise problems.

Initiatic Traditions work in the same way. There are many existent esoteric schools that developed specific processes, ceremonies, and initiations. The experienced Masters in charge of these schools learned from their predecessors and received a spiritual power allowing them to connect to high level of consciousness for the good of their students. It was true in the past, and this is still true today in serious initiatic Orders. History and inheritance can be seen as essential components of an authentic tradition, and these things provide safety and success in the spiritual life of the students. Receiving magical training, initiation, and real and direct teaching can be seen as the decision to follow a treatment. You remain free to go to your local pharmacy but at the same time you are following a full treatment that must continue for a long time in order to be really effective in your life and even afterlife!

Our thanks to Jean-Louis for his guest post! Visit Jean-Louis de Biasi’s author page for more information, including articles and his books.

In tarot, many cards seem to share meanings, or at least aspects of meanings. For beginners this can be frustrating.

One way I encourage people to work through this confusion is to compare cards with similar meanings and note both how they are similar and how they are different.

For example, there are a number of cards that represent the idea of endings. Death, the Tower, and the 10 of Swords are just a few. Let’s see how they compare.

They all indicate an ending of some sort.

The Tower, with its energetic lightning blasts, suggests a sudden ending. Death, in real life, can be sudden, but for me The Tower is sudden, unexpected endings. Death, in tarot, with its promise of rebirth, is associated with a more gradual, organic, and most likely expected (or at least not totally surprising) ending. The 10 of Swords is also an ending and while I suppose it could be surprising to be stabbed in the back ten times, this card is more metaphoric than that. It is from the suit of Swords and therefore represents our thoughts and ideas. This ending is more like the logical conclusion of something. The Tower and Death are Majors and therefore outside of the querent’s control. As a Minor card, the 10 of Swords is more likely something that the querent participated in and his/her participation moved (or helped move) the situation to its final, logical conclusion.

How would this affect a reading? Let’s say someone was asking about their job. Let’s see how each of these would play out as an answer.

The Tower: a sudden event, announcement, or decision that will change the querent’s “Tower” (their worldview regarding their job). This will be unexpected (although because they are getting a reading, maybe not quite so unexpected). We might be able to tell from the other cards in the reading if the event would be a company reorganization, a layoff or firing, or offer from another company.

Death: the querent is probably asking because they’ve felt unsettled and nervous for some time about their job. Hearing that their time there may be at an end will not surprise them and in fact may be a relief. If something is dying, it is not healthy. Perhaps his position no longer suits him or the company is failing.

10 of Swords: this would be more indicative of interactions with bosses, colleagues, or clients that has led to a clash or tense situation. The querent may be pushing things on purpose (or perhaps unconsciously) to force a change. We’d have to turn to the other cards in the reading to see if the change is resolution or something more drastic.

This practice of comparing similar cards is really helpful in teasing out the nuances of meanings. There are cards that represent love, beginnings, loss, journeys, work, etc. For example, the types of love represented by the Lovers, the Ace of Cups, the 2 of Cups, the 10 of Cups, and even the 10 of Pentacles are all very different. The Star and the Ace of Cups, perhaps even the Hanged Man, can represent Grace or Divine love.

Take out your favorite deck and group them and see what discoveries you make.

The annual COVR (Coalition of Visionary Retailers) awards were announced this weekend at INATS in Denver. Two Llewellyn titles won 2014 COVR Awards, and several others were first runners up:

Mind, Body, Home: Transform Your Life One Room at a Time , by Tisha Morris (WINNER, Conscious Living Books)
The Magic of Flowers: A Guide to Their Metaphysical Uses & Properties , by Tess Whitehurst (WINNER, Wicca and Magick Books)
Merry Meet Again: Lessons, Life & Love on the Path of a Wiccan High Priestess , by Deborah Lipp (First Runner Up, Autobiographical/Biographical Books )
Tarot Illuminati , by Erik C. Dunne & Kim Huggens (First Runner Up, Divination Products)
The Essential Guide to Crystals, Minerals, and Stones , by Margaret Ann Lembo (First Runner Up, Health/ Healing Books)

Congratulations to our authors!

 

The Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR) is an organization formed by a unique group of businesses that deal in “Visionary Resources,” and who work with and support each other as independent retailers, manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and publishers of visionary books, music, and merchandise.

 

For the seventeenth consecutive year, COVR Awards were presented at the International New Age Trade Show (INATS) banquet. The Visionary Awards are judged by retailers and seasoned professionals, who evaluate each title based upon content, presentation, and their own knowledge of the industry.

For our fans not in the Twin Cities, MN metro area (and for those who missed it!), we are happy to share a video of Mark Anthony’s appearance on KMSP TV. Mark is the author of Never Letting Go, and was interviewed on the Fox affiliate KMSP (Minneapolis/St. Paul).

KMSP-TV