Llewellyn Publications's Blog, page 73

When people get to together to discuss tarot, one of the topics that often comes up is “do you read reversals?”

Reversals are cards that appear upside down relative to the orientation of the reading. Like this (The Lovers from the Llewellyn Tarot by Anna Marie Ferguson):

The topic of reversals includes several subtopics, such as do you use them (or ignore them if they show up), how to you make sure they appear in readings, and what exactly does it mean when a card is reversed?

1. Should You Use Reversals?

You need to decide for yourself. Because there are so many different ways to work with the cards, there isn’t a single rule that works for everyone.

There are two things you should do before deciding whether or not to use them. Think about the questions raised in section 3. Once you decide your philosophy, your choice will be much more clear. But even after that, the second thing you should do is try them out. Do some readings with only upright cards. Then do readings that incorporate reversed cards. If reversals enhance your reading quality, then you have your answer. If they are jarring or interrupt your visual interpretation of the cards, then perhaps they aren’t for you (unless that jarring/interrupted experience is interpreted as part of the reading!).

 2. How Do Reversed Cards Come Up in a Reading?

The main way to insure that reversed cards are incorporated in your deck is to simply take a portion of the deck (I’ve heard many teachers recommend 1/3 as a good starting point), reverse them, and then shuffle them into the rest of the deck.

If you use the “finger paint” method of shuffling (lay the deck face down on the table and mix them all around, as if you were finger painting), reversed cards usually happen quite organically.

No matter how careful you are, even if you try really hard to keep all the cards upright all the time, cards are certain to get mixed up. So if you just wait long enough, they’ll happen. Some readers never, ever reorient their cards (that is, they never go through and put them all upright, never put them back in numerical order…although this is one way some readers cleanse their decks).

3. What Do Reversed Cards Mean?

Now this is the million dollar question, isn’t it? As with all things tarot, there are at least several possible answers.

Older traditions assigned specific meanings to reversed cards. Some of the meanings seemed to have nothing to do with the upright meaning. Sometimes they did. There really wasn’t any rhyme or reason to them. But many, many readers swear by these interpretations. You can decide to use a system of interpretations based on your favorite teacher, book, or deck.

Other methods include deciding on a general meaning of reversals and applying that to the upright meanings. For example, reversed cards can mean:

the opposite of the upright meaning
a blockage
an inward experience (with the upright being an external experience)
a subconscious impulse

If you decide on a general meaning to apply, go through each card and apply it to the upright meaning to make sure you have interpretations that make sense with the card and your philosophy of reversals. If you want to explore more ideas about reversals, Mary Greer’s book on the subject, The Complete Book of Tarot Reversals, is an amazing resource.

Bonus: What do you do if a card comes up reversed but you don’t read reversed cards?

1. Simply turn it rightside up and move on.

2. Decide that those cards are demanding extra attention and give them extra emphasis as you interpret the spread (turn the card upright after noting its exclamation).

3. Enjoy debating with other tarot readers about whether employing the technique described above means you are actually reading reversed cards or not.

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Sherrie Dillard, author of Love and Intuition, Discover Your Psychic Type, and the new Discover Your Psychic Type.

Even though you may not be aware of it, you are likely communicating and connecting with your loved ones on the other side. There is constant interaction between the physical and spirit realms. Connecting with those on the other side is not as mystical, abstract, or special as you may think.

In the many years that I have been a professional medium, I have given thousands of readings. Most of the people who seek out a session with me want to be assured that their loved ones on the other side are happy and at peace. My clients also often ask for advice and guidance from their loved ones and feel comforted knowing that they are watching out for them from their celestial perch. Many hope that their loved ones will send a bit of the heavens their way.

A few years ago I was struck with the realization that we are more important to those on the other side than we suspect. Although we often look to those who have passed over for wise guidance and assistance, we play an essential role in their healing and evolution. Not only do our loved ones love and cherish us, they are also learning from us. Despite the general belief that we are alone in our struggles and challenges, we are not. Our loved ones on the other side are right beside us watching and observing our strength and courage.

In a recent session, I communicated with the father of my client. He had passed over several years earlier after a difficult illness. After assuring his daughter that he was free of pain and enjoying the company of many of his family and friends who were also on the other side, he thanked his daughter for helping him. Confused as to what he meant by this, she asked for clarification.

In response, he said, “Your open-hearted kindness and ability to express love is helping me to learn how to give and express love.”

Upon hearing this, my client told me that her father had died without telling her that he loved her.

Her father, listening in on our conversation, replied. “I didn’t know how to. Despite the lack of love you received in your childhood, you love so easily.”

Long after this session I could still feel the palatable energy of love and healing that both my client and her father shared. This is not an exception. Family and friends (and even those relatives and others in the spirit realm that we did not know well) often speak of how much they are helped by our efforts in the physical world.

We continue to learn, grow, and evolve once we have passed over. Our attempts and efforts here in the physical world to love, to forgive, and to make positive choices and wise decisions are being observed and watched by those on the other side who need to learn similar lessons.

Our thanks to Sherrie for her guest post! For more from Sherrie Dillard, read her article “What is your Medium Type?.”

Wow, how time has flown!

It’s been almost a year, now, since I announced the “Win a Free Tarot Deck with Your Prediction” Contest. For full details and for your chance to enter, see this LINK. Only comments made to that page are acceptable. Further, ALL predictions must be made and dated on or before December 15, 2013. That means your last chance to enter is this Sunday.

Are you the king or queen of making predictions? Are you ready to put your predictive abilities up against everyone else in the world? If you win, you will receive your choice of a Tarot deck, absolutely free.

However, there are rules and conditions. You will find them on THIS PAGE. Go there now and make your prediction. You can use any predictive method you like, but make it on or before Sunday.

Good luck, and may the best predictor win!

It was 35 years ago. A young and dumb kid—we’d call him a “geek” today—went to the newsstand to pick up some of the latest issues of Thor, The Avengers, Doctor Strange, Conan, and the Fantastic Four. He also looked quickly through the rest of the magazines at the large newsstand, seeing one he’d never seen before.

It was called Gnostica, and it was published by Llewellyn.

Yes, that geeky kid was me. I was also going to Gilbert’s Books around the corner. They had one of the best new and used occult sections in town, and it was rumored that Israel Regardie used to hang out there. Gilbert’s is long gone. A smaller version of the newsstand is still there.

Gnostica was just amazing. I eventually collected a complete set of the magazine. The writers of articles became the authors of today. One frequent contributor was Colin Wilson. The first issue I read included an article beginning on page 12, Colin Wilson’s introduction to

Colin Wilson

June 26, 1931—December 5, 2013

Photo by Tom Ordelman Thor NL

Wilson wrote articles and letters to Gnostica. This led me to deeply admire his writing. His book, The Occult: a History, is a classic, including sections on Crowley, Gurdjieff, Blavatsky, the Kabbalah, primitive magic, Mesmer, Rasputin, D.D. Home, and Paracelsus. He later wrote books on the paranormal and UFOs, including Strange Powers: Astral Projection, Reincarnation, Dowsing, Spirit Writing and various other occult topics. He also wrote science fiction and horror fiction, including the book, The Space Vampires which Tobe Hooper made into the movie Lifeforce. According to Wikipedia, Wilson thought this was the worst film adaptation of any book.

Later, Wilson wrote several biographical books on occultists and so-called “fringe” personalities such as Hermann Hesse, Wilhelm Reich, and Jorge Luis Borges. This included a short worked entitled Aleister Crowley: The Nature of the Beast. I had hoped this would give some insight into the motivations for Crowley’s actions and beliefs. It didn’t fulfill my expectations. As a result, when I read this book in 1987, I began to lose interest in Wilson as a writer on the occult. His book had far more to say about Wilson than about Crowley. To me it showed an inward focus and an interpretation of the world from a unique and incisive perspective. So ignoring his fiction and occult writings, I turned to his more philosophical books. After all, I had majored in philosophy in college.

That is when I discovered his first book, The Outsider. Simply put, this book is one of the most important books of the 20th century, marking him as one of the leading lights of the “Angry Young Men” movement in existentialism. What he presented in that book was a simple concept: the great and unique thinkers throughout history were alienated from society and considered to be “outsiders,” both by society and by themselves. He saw this and described this in figures including, Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, Ernest Hemingway, Hermann Hesse, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, William James, T. E. Lawrence, Vaslav Nijinsky, and Vincent van Gogh. I could name this in dozens of others, including Wagner, Beethoven, Tesla, and maybe even Steve Jobs.

Even more importantly, I’ve seen that feeling of being weird, being an outsider, being a geek, among so many occultists. We’re just not part of the mainstream. I’ve often felt this way. Wilson’s book provides a sense of pride: Yes, you are different! Be proud of that difference because it is the Outsider, like you, who, throughout history, has moved the world forward. I describe part of this concept in my book, Modern Sex Magick.

And now, Wilson, the great Outsider, the Angry Young Man, has moved further outside than ever before. I wish him peace on his journey.

Many years ago I briefly studied Kung Fu with one of the great masters of the art who, at the time, was teaching in the San Fernando Valley of California. One of the things he stated was that the hardest opponent to face would be a big, powerful, untrained bully because he had no fighting pattern to counter. Another thing I learned was never get into a fight when you are angry.

If you get into a fight when you are angry, the anger will take over your mind. Rather than fighting instinctively based on your training, your actions will come from your rage. A lot of people think that it’s good to get into a rage in order to prepare for a fight as it will increase your endorphins resulting in greater speed and power. But if you stay in that rage, you’ll be unable to control that speed and power. It is speed, power, training, and intuition combined with a sense of calm and balance that it most likely to win a battle against an equal or perhaps even a stronger or faster opponent. As they used to say on the “G.I. Joe” cartoon show,

Knowing is half the battle.

This understanding, that a calm approach is more likely to bring success in stressful or even dangerous situations, sometimes gives this mistaken opinion that people from cultures with this philosophy are “inscrutable” and “emotionless.” Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. Understanding when we are in a state of anger and rage allows us to exit those uncontrollable emotions and use the energy that comes from them in positive ways. We all have those emotions. Expressing them in dumb ways or through doing dumb things is just, well, dumb!

I’m not trying to present a holier-than-thou attitude. I’ve done such dumb things on many occasions. I remember one time when I was in a situation where I was feeling a great deal of emotional hurt, rage, and anger over a situation I could not change. So I went to the garage of the house where I was living and hung a pillow by a rope from the rafters, letting the pillow hang in the air at the level of my chest, right in front of a wall stud. I then took a martial arts stance (“side horse” for those who are interested) and beat the stuffing out of that pillow. I was trying to get rid of my mental emotions with physical action.

I was very lucky. My right hand swelled to the size of a large boxing glove. I had to keep it on ice for the next couple of days. I ruined the pillow, too. All in all, this was a dumb thing to do. And I still felt angry.

Even though our bodies and minds are closely connected, feelings are of the mind, and may require mental techniques as well as physical ones to effectively resolve them.

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If you’re interested in Asian healing and spiritual techniques, try these books:

Chi Gung by L. V. Carnie.

Chinese Healing Exercises by Steven Cardoza

Taoist Yoga and Sexual Energy by Eric Yudelove

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 Joy to the World.

Now Go Away!

During this holiday season we often find ourselves back with our families. In fact, it would seem like all of the popular films, novels, and TV movies extoll the virtues of spending time with your parents and grandparents, siblings and cousins. It is very often at this time that we find out why we moved away from them in the first place! Sure, we love them, but that doesn’t always mean we like them. Inevitably there are fights over who was a favored child, politics, religion/spirituality, or even which sports team to support. There’s anger over our differences and even greater anger because we can’t really express our anger; it’s the holidays!

And don’t forget shopping! The stores are often consumer insane asylums with people actually fighting over things. Finding a parking place, choosing where to eat, driving on busy streets, worrying that you didn’t get a good deal, are just a few of the things that may make any person’s blood boil in rage.

Being with family when you don’t want to be, going to shopping when you’d rather not, are forms of conflict, although often that conflict is within ourselves. And as with any form of conflict, the winner tends to be the one who is the calmest.

Anger or rage that is unexpressed or, more importantly, not discharged or released, leads to stress. We all need some stress in our lives, but excess stress negatively affects us mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. As I wrote in Modern Magick, excess stress can cause:

…lack of focus and the inability to make decisions. It can decrease your ability to tolerate things other people do and prevent you from getting needed rest. Virtually any health problem you have might be amplified by stress, and it can be the direct cause of pain, heart disease, digestive problems, depression, obesity, skin conditions such as eczema, and many other physiological issues.

When occultists realize they are “stressed out,” they may go with a nap or a cup of calming tea. Sometimes they will use the technique known as Progressive (Muscle) Relaxation. This can cause deep mental and physical relaxation, but the practice of this exercise takes so long it can also result in a sense of wasting time and total boredom (which may cause more stress). You begin at the feet or top of the head and slowly relax that area, perhaps sending a ball of warm energy there to let it all relax. You continue this slowly, going up or down (depending upon where you start) through the rest of your body.

When performed well, progressive relaxation can be very, well, relaxing. And time consuming. But there is an alternative.

When you find yourself stressed out, wanting to scream and yell, or wanting to hit someone, try this (again, from Modern Magick) first:

THE INSTANT RELAXATION RITUAL

This can be done standing, sitting or lying down.

       STEP ONE. Start by tensing all of the muscles in your feet and ankles.

      STEP TWO. Without relaxing the tension in your feet, tense the muscles of your calves.

      STEP THREE. In a similar manner, tense the muscles of your thighs, hips, stomach, chest, back, arms, hands, neck and head. In other words, tense every muscle in your body, starting at the feet and ending with the head. Hold your body in this totally tensed condition for five to ten seconds.

      STEP FOUR. Take a deep breath and hold it for a brief moment. Then, suddenly, as you let all of your breath flow easily and effortlessly out of your lungs, simultaneously relax all of your muscles at the same time. Permit your body to go as limp as the position you are in will allow. Just let go. Completely. Just let go.

      STEP FIVE. With your mind, “look” through your body for any tension. Be especially aware of the neck, forehead, shoulders, stomach and lower back. If there is any tension, immediately send a “golden glow” of relaxation to that area and allow the tension to fade. Enjoy this very relaxed and stress-free condition.

      Caution: Unlike the progressive muscle relaxation method, this technique is physiological as well as mental. The extreme change in muscle tension and its sudden release may, in a very few people, cause a muscle spasm commonly known as a “charlie horse.” If this occurs, stop immediately and deeply massage the area until the spasm ends. If you are a person who gets a charlie horse, do not shy away from using this technique. Once your body becomes used to the sudden change in muscle tension and stress diminution, the spasms should cease and you will have a wonderful and fast system of relaxation and stress reduction. Also, I have found that such a spasm is more likely to occur when sitting or lying, so if you are one of the few to whom this happens, you might practice this several times while standing to acclimatize the body to the sudden physiological change. After several positive experiences with this ritual while standing, change back to a sitting or reclined position.

Many decks published today are identified, in part, as being based on the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot (RWS) or as not being based on it. That identification only means something if you know what the RWS Tarot is. For seasoned tarot enthusiasts, it is ingrained, but for people new to tarot, it might be helpful to understand the importance of the RWS Tarot and its characteristics.

Arthur E. Waite was the creator of the deck, although some question to what extent he was involved with the design of the cards, particularly the Minor Arcana. He was mystic and occultist and member of the Golden Dawn. He invented (although he claims it is ancient) the Celtic Cross Spread, one of the most well-known and popular spreads.

Rider is the name of the publishing company that produced the deck in December 1909.

Hence, it’s original name, The Rider Waite Tarot, after the creator and publisher.

It is more common now to include Smith, for Pamela Coleman Smith, the artist who painted the cards and who, some say, was the creative force behind the Minor Arcana cards.

The Minor cards are part of what really set this deck apart from others that came before it. Until Smith, the Minor cards of the tarot were illustrated only with pips (suit designators, like we find on playing cards). She wasn’t the very first, however. The Sola Busca Tarot, 1491, had scenic illustrations on the Minor cards. It is safe to assume that Smith saw that deck as we can see its influence in some of her images.

When someone says that a deck is in the RWS tradition, that can mean a few different things.

1. Some use it in the loosest possible way, meaning a 78-card deck with 22 Major cards plus 4 suits each with Ace – 10 and four court cards. Strength is numbered VIII and Justice is numbered XI (the reverse was true in older decks). Swords are associated with Air and Wands with Fire (this is reversed in some deck).

2. Some use it to mean the deck follows that structure and has scenic illustrations on the Minor cards.

3. Some use it to mean the deck follows the structure and has scenic illustrations on the Minors that follow the same composition and imagery as the RWS Tarot (decks that follow the RWS this closely are often called RWS Clones).

4. Some use it to mean the deck follows the structure and has scenic illustrations on the Minors that somehow reflect the images on the RWS but are not close replicas.

5. Some use it to mean the deck follows the structure and has scenic illustrations that do not necessarily resemble the RWS images at all but if you think about them, they are conveying the same meaning, just in a different way.

For me, personally, when I use it I mean 3 and 4 mostly. Usually if I’m talking to someone with a basic understanding of the cards, I will include 5 as RWS, but not usually for someone very new to tarot.

One of the questions I’m most frequently asked is, “How do I improve my ability to visualize? I can’t see anything.”

And it’s no wonder that people ask this. Practically every book that covers magic and spellcraft, as well as books on the Law of Attraction and those that disguise their occult links by calling what they describe as “visioning” or something else, not to mention all of the books on creative visualization, are rife with techniques that begin each exercise with “visualize…” What most of them don’t describe is the very nature of visualization. How can we visualize without a specific definition of what visualization is?

You may be thinking that this is kind of a stupid thing because everyone knows that visualization is the skill of forming a visual mental image.  ”Everyone” would be right, too… in most mundane instances. However, they’re incorrect when it comes to magick.

For magickal and spiritual purposes, visualization—as in creative visualization—means to use all of your mental abilities to create a desired outcome. This is not limited to the visual only. In creative visualization you also use your hearing, your taste, and your olfactory senses. You use your ability to touch and sense movement.  You listen to your inner emotions as they express how you feel when you exist when you have the desired goal. All of your senses are involved. It’s not limited to vision only. Although important, a visual make up of this is only one aspect of visualization, so if you don’t “see” your visualization, it doesn’t matter—as long as all of your other senses are intensely involved in the experience of magickal visualization.

Of course, the reality is that even if you think you can’t see anything in your mind’s eye, you’re simply not yet aware of it. For example, if I were to ask you, “What color is your bathroom at home?” the vast majority of you reading this—including the vast majority of those who insist they cannot see visualizations—would instantly be able to tell me the color. If I presented three paint chips with different versions of that color, you’d be able to tell me which of those chips were closest in color to that of your bathroom. There is only one way you could know this if you are not in your bathroom: you see it in your mind’s eye. Everyone can visualize! You simply have to become aware of it and improve it.

So How Do I Improve on My Abilities?

Since we all actually do have visual abilities, and we all are capable of working with all of our senses to achieve magickal visualization, how can we make them better?  The answer is that we have to extend that period when we’re using all of our senses to create a desired outcome. And frankly, that can take a bit of work. The ability to create and hold something in our senses requires increased concentration, and in this day of fast cuts on TV and movies, shorter articles, and shorter attention spans, increasing concentration is a subject that is rarely taught. But if we approach it as a fun game, it is easy to learn and, at the same time, become more aware of the visual imagination. I describe how to do this in my book, Modern Magick:

Exercise to Improve Concentration

Needed: a timer and four cards. The cards should be pure white with no lines. On the first card place a large black spot, and on the second place two spots side by side. On the third card make a row of three spots and on the fourth card, a similar row of four spots. A black marker is perfect for making such cards, although if you are comfortable using graphic programs on your computer, you may wish to create your cards that way.*

Set the timer for five minutes. Look at Card One until you have a very good idea of that single spot. Burn it into your mind. Now close your eyes and only think of that spot. You will see in your mind’s eye an image of the card. It may not be perfect. It may be reversed or a shade of what you saw. That’s exactly what it should be.

This is not some magickal power, it is physiological. The mind records an image and holds onto it as an “afterimage.” In this exercise we are working with it to attune your mind to improve its visualization abilities. If the image in your mind begins to drift to a side, just let it return to the center of your focus. If any other thoughts come into your mind, simply bring back your focus to that one spot. Cease the exercise when you can no longer see the spot or when the timer goes off. Your goal in this exercise is to keep that single spot visualized in one location for five minutes while you allow nothing to interfere with your concentration. Practice once or twice daily.

When you have very few breaks in your concentration, move on to Card Two with the two spots and repeat the exercise. Continue this practice until you can keep the two spots in your mind for the full five minutes. When you can do this with Card Three and then Card Four and its four dots, you will have excellent concentration abilities.

Although this exercise sounds easy, it is not. The first time I tried it, I broke out into a sweat and was drenched within five minutes. Do not underestimate its difficulty.

It won’t take long to improve your concentration and visualization abilities, and I would encourage you to try it. This, by the way, is just one tiny bit of the techniques, tricks, ideas, and instruction you’ll find in Modern Magick, especially in the current 3rd edition which has 40% new material and all new art. Besides being a great gift, it’s a great investment for yourself! 

 

*Alternatively, you might want to try different patterns with the dots. For example, the three spots could be in a triangular pattern. The four spots could be in two rows, making a box pattern.

 

* * *
—— THIS SUNDAY! ——

December 8

Noon–3:00 p.m. Eastern  • • • • •  9:00 a.m.–Noon Pacific
MAGICKAL ASTRAL PROJECTION:

Methods to Project By

Astral projection, the separation of the consciousness from the physical body, is one of the most discussed and extolled topics in all of occultism and spirituality. But other than visiting someone “on the astral” or toddling around the astral plane, what good is it? In this worldwide webinar you’ll learn the answers to three questions:

What is the theory behind how astral projection works?
Why astral project?
How do you astral project?

This live webinar, where you’ll be able to ask questions, is more than just theory. It will include several methods for projecting that have successfully worked for thousands of seekers. Then you’ll see why it’s valuable as a part of magick and how you can use it to achieve your goals.

You can participate, live, in this webinar, from anywhere in the world. All you need are your computer and a good link to the internet. You’ll be able to hear me and see my slide presentation, live, just as if you were attending my workshop in person. However, attendance at this important and valuable webinar will be limited, so reserve your spot by registering now. Use this LINK to register. Make sure of your local time for this webinar using the button on the page when you register. On the day of the webinar you can join the presentation up to a half hour before the webinar begins.

If you have ever wanted to learn about astral projection, how you can use it and how you can actually astral project, this is the webinar you’ll want to attend! Take some time off from holiday planning and shopping and learn something that will last a lifetime. This will be a great investment in yourself. Or give this webinar as a gift to a friend.

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Tisha Morris, author of the new Mind, Body, Home.

We all know that home is where the heart is. Maybe this is why we tend to have such a love-hate relationship with our home. Our home gives us so many pleasures in life…and yet so many challenges as well.

It’s cozy. It’s messy. We love to cook in the kitchen. And then the dishes pile up in the sink causing us stress. You love your walk-in closet, but the clothes in the floor drive you crazy. You have your favorite spot for morning coffee. And there’s also the upstairs closet that you dread going into.

Our home represents all parts of us—the good, bad, and the ugly. In psychotherapy terms, it shows all aspects of ourselves—our personality that we show to the world as well as our shadow sides.

Our shadows are those aspects of ourselves that not only do we not want others to see, but even we don’t want to see them. In fact, we may not even realize they are there. That’s how much we don’t want to look at them! However, in doing so, we reclaim aspects and parts of ourselves that we need in order to become whole and step into our authentic selves.

Scary or liberating enough, our shadows lurk somewhere in our home. Without thinking about it for too much longer, you probably already know where some of those areas are. If not, let me give you a hint: Our shadow sides hide behind doors: closet doors, cabinet doors, and drawers.

Is there a room, area, closet, or drawer that you hate going into? It could be anything from a small drawer to your entire basement. What we don’t want to look at, we store away. We don’t even turn the light on in that space.

Think about where you have stored your shadows away in your home. And literally, the more storage options we have in our house, the more availability we have to not face these sides of ourselves. This is the dread much of the time with moving, especially if downsizing to a smaller space or going from a home with a basement to a home with virtually no storage. We are suddenly faced with everything we have not wanted to look at for years.

Here’s the good news, though: Our shadows are not really as bad as we make them out to be. (That is, unless you have some literal skeletons in your closet!) In fact, our shadows are actually quite useful. Maybe your hot temper that you hide behind your soft voice could actually be used effectively in a leadership role if it were acknowledged and then used appropriately. Instead, you appear meek until you can’t take it any longer and then blow a fuse.

Or maybe your shadows are actual talents and skills that you had as a child, but were told they were not useful or would never make you money, so you stashed them away in a Rubbermaid box.

Regardless of how we label our shadows, at the end of the day they are an aspect of ourselves that need to come back home. We all want to be a whole authentic version of ourselves—not pieces and parts, constantly seeking and pleasing for temporary fulfillment.

It wasn’t until I shifted my thinking and saw this time as an opportunity to connect with my dad’s spirit that I was able to accept the waning of his physical self, which I hope provided an avenue for spiritual growth for the two of us.

Where have you hidden your shadow sides? Consider uncovering them and embracing sides to yourself you haven’t seen in years. You may be pleasantly surprised and reduce the amount of storage space you need too!

Our thanks to Tisha for her guest post! For more from Tisha Morris, read her article “4 Ways to Put the Om Back Into Your Home.”

Names and Magick

One of the strongest aspects of magick is the use of names. By this I mean the use of one word or phrase to represent something much grander.

For example, if someone were to mention my name, you might think of a blogger, a writer, a workshop leader, a hypnotherapist, an occultist, a magician, a Tantric, a musician, or something else. Perhaps you might think of several of those things. To me, my name is a representation of all of those things and more.

The same is true of designing a word to represent a magickal goal. You don’t have to think of “After doing a divination to show a positive outcome of doing a ritual, I’ll be doing that planned rite to obtain $1,000 to help pay for Aunt Matilda’s medical expenses when she goes in for surgery.” Instead, the name or goal might just be “Money,” or even more simply “$.”

There is a great advantage to this, not just in brevity, but also in working with our subconscious minds. It is through our subconscious where we activate magick, and while the name “money” or “$” may not have a clear and complete meaning to our conscious minds, if we’ve prepared for a ritual appropriately, the use of the name will trigger what is needed to help us use all of our abilities to achieve our magickal goal. So working with names in this way can be a great benefit to us—with magick.

Names and Mundane Life

In our daily lives, the use of names to represent something and trigger our emotions are specifically used to deceive us. The example I like to give is the politician who says he wants our votes because he’s for “better schools.” In this case, the name “better schools” can mean all sorts of things. For example, it might mean, to you, smaller classes, more and better trained teachers, classes in physical education as well as in music and the arts, etc. To the politician it might mean cutting funding for schools in order to force people to spend money sending their kids to private schools where less objectivity is taught. Or your concepts and the politician’s concepts of the name “better schools” might be reversed. The thing is, the use of the name, “better schools,” appeals to your subconscious desire to help children but misrepresents the way the politician thinks. The politician may get your vote even though he plans to vote exactly opposite the way you believe.

The technique of using names in this way is quite old and quite deliberate. There are people on all sides of the political spectrum who have consultants who teach them how to use names without revealing any actual meaning to the names in order to get votes. Today, with the news media seemingly retreating from objective journalism, it becomes our responsibility to find out the truth for ourselves. When a politician uses a name in this way, it’s up to us to ask, “What do you mean by that?” and keep repeating our question until we get a thorough answer.

Closer Than Family

When I was first initiated into a Pagan tradition, I was told that I was to treat the rest of the members of my coven as being “closer than family.” Most people have family members they don’t like, but they’re family, and if they need help, you’ll be there. Paganism in the West seems to feature a combination of valuing independence, but also of tolerance and cooperation. When we can we help those who are closer than family, we do so.

And yet, there are also a number of people who forget the part of helping one’s family. They believe they can do everything on their own, and if you can’t make it, too bad. I have seen this increasing with one particular political group. They had originally tried to appeal to the dissatisfied on all sides of the political spectrum, but lately they have moved more and more to an extremist point of view. Recently, one of their representatives said that the U.S. faces “judgment for its religious tolerance.” She continues saying that one of the reasons we’re facing judgment from God is that “We have welcomed pluralism, atheism, secular humanism, Wicca and even Islam.”

Surprisingly, having travelled the U.S., I’ve met many Pagans who are in favor of this group and their politics, even though their leaders see us as a cause of destruction. I am no longer going to support this group in any way.

Who Are They?

I haven’t named this group for a specific reason: this is not a blog about politics, it’s a blog about magick. Part of that involves thinking like a magician and seeing through the misrepresentation of using names to hide what someone else means. I don’t care about this group. I do care about the individuals, especially Pagans and other magickal folk, who are blinded by the group’s use of names and don’t realize what they really mean. They are actually willing to vote against their own best interests.

With systems like astrology and the Kabalah’s Tree of Life we have paradigms for understanding how and why people act the ways they do. That is the mindset of a magickal thinker. Simply listening to names and assuming your meaning for the name is the same as their meaning for it is not part of the clear thinking of a magickal scientist.

Exercise:

This week, when you read books, newspapers, the internet, etc., or talk with people, or just hear them talking, listen for the use of names to deceive. If you have the opportunity, ask the person what he or she means by that name. See what responses you get.

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Just Days Left to

WIN A FREE TAROT DECK!

Since the start of this year, we’ve been holding a contest to win a free Tarot deck. Now, there are just a few days left in this prediction contest. Are you the best diviner in the land? Can you make predictions better than anyone else? Enter the contest and see who wins. The winner will get his or her choice of a free Tarot deck, too!

Only entries on the contest page are accepted.

Go to this LINK, read the rules, and make your prediction!

Good luck!

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Take some time off in the shopping and preparation for the holidays and change your life!

Sunday, December 8

Noon–3:00 p.m. Eastern  • • • • •  9:00 a.m.–Noon Pacific
Magickal Astral Projection:

Methods to Project By

Astral projection, the separation of the consciousness from the physical body, is one of the most discussed and extolled topics in all of occultism and spirituality. But other than visiting someone “on the astral” or toddling around the astral plane, what good is it? In this worldwide webinar you’ll learn the answers to three questions:

What is the theory behind how astral projection works?
Why astral project?
How do you astral project?

This live webinar, where you’ll be able to ask questions, is more than just theory. It will include several methods for projecting that have successfully worked for thousands of seekers. Then you’ll see why it’s valuable as a part of magick and how you can use it to achieve your goals.

You can participate, live, in this webinar, from anywhere in the world. All you need are your computer and a good link to the internet. You’ll be able to hear me and see my slide presentation, live, just as if you were attending my workshop in person. However, attendance at this important and valuable webinar will be limited, so reserve your spot by registering now. Use this LINK to register. Make sure of your local time for this webinar using the button on the page when you register. On the day of the webinar you can join the presentation up to a half hour before the webinar begins.

If you have ever wanted to learn about astral projection, how you can use it and how you can actually astral project, this is the webinar you’ll want to attend! Take some time off from holiday planning and shopping and learn something that will last a lifetime.

 

 

I’ve been so engrossed in the process of making new books this year that my blogging status became nearly obsolete. I’m sorry! While there’s been plenty to talk about, I’ve been lost in the words of authors instead of finding my way up from the pages to write my own thoughts. But I know you’ll forgive my absence when I finally share this stack of shimmering new titles!  Let’s see what 2013 brought us, according to category. Where have we been this year in the worlds of self help, health & healing, and spiritual development?

Spiritual Development & Parapsychology

Intuition for Beginners by Diane Brandon: Enhance your sense of inner knowing. Explore the different kinds of “sixth sense” to discover your own intuition and make it stronger.

Premonitions in Daily Life by Jeanne Van Bronkhorst: Shows how to identify your premonitions, demystifies assumptions and fears so you can learn to trust them, and demonstrates how to respond with common sense.

Your Psychic Self by Melissa Alvarez: Shows you the various ways psychic ability can manifest and also teaches how you can work with these abilities. This is an easy guide to discovering your intuitive talents.

Past Lives for Beginners by Douglas De Long: A detailed and approachable introduction to understanding reincarnation and how it impacts your current life. Learn simple ways to uncover your past lives and create a better present!

You Are a Medium by Sherrie Dillard: Discover your own medium type  and develop your skills with techniques based on your type. Dillard also shares stories that demonstrate not only do our deceased loved ones help us from the other side, but we help them as well! 

Inspiration and Personal growth

Your Essential Self by Richard Harvey: Hands-on exploration of the 3 stages of human awakening—the process of self discovery, the transformation into authenticity, and the source of consciousness. Reconnect with who you really are.

Garden of Bliss by Debra Moffitt: Journey to a protected place of spirit and imagination where you can connect with your emotions, trust your insights, and rediscover peace. Like Eat, Pray, Love, this is a transformational journey, but with a practical spin! 

Your Inner Gold by Nanci Chandera PhD: Overcoming the inner blocks that hold you back from spiritual growth is one of life’s most important tasks. This book is a step-by-step guide to personal evolution.

The Energy of Words by Michelle Arbeau: Choose  powerful words and let the secret energy of language attract abundance to your life! Eliminate negative vocabulary and replace with positive personalized language to transform your life.

Living a Life of Gratitude by Sara Wiseman: Sharing uplifting stories that travel from the beginnings of life to the end, Living a Life of Gratitude shows you how to open your heart to a journey of reflection that will help you slow down and appreciate life for what it is.

The Serenity Solution by Keith Park PhD: Helps you face difficulties with ease through easy-to-follow concepts, simple illustrations, and step-by-step exercises to develop insight and concentration. Employ calm focus, an alert, relaxed, optimal state of mind!

 Health & Healing

The Holistic Way by Billy Roberts: Fulfill your desires for optimal health and happiness with the nadi technique, a simple and effective holistic system for self-healing.

The Yoga Birth Method by Dorothy Guerra: Applying the wisdom of yoga throughout the stages of pregnancy and labor, this book presents an eight-step pathway for connecting with your mind, body, and spirit from start to finish.

Chinese Healing Exercises by Steven Cardoza: Improve your health and longevity with 88 easy-to-learn exercises. Based on the principles of acupressure, taiji, qigong, and Daoist yoga, each exercise includes illustrations, easy-to-follow instructions, and its physical and energetic benefits.

Romance & Relationships

Beyond Soul Mates by Cyndi Dale: Guides you from the often-turbulent waters of soul-mate relationships into the calm, peaceful, and refreshing waters of true-self relationships, and true love. Attract your true mate or re-ignite the flame of true love in your current relationship!

Spiritual Lovemaking by Jody Baron & Peter Beamish: Spiritual lovemaking is all about aligning the physical and non-physical aspects of your being, creating a deeper connection with your own spirit—and with your partner. Relax into mindfulness and experience the pleasure of sexual energy and profound ecstasy.

Feng Shui

Classical Feng Shui for Wealth and Abundance by Denise Liotta Dennis: If you’re looking for feng shui “from the source” you’ll appreciate this Classical Feng Shui wisdom, revealing authentic techniques for success with money, business, and career. 

Mind, Body, Home by Tisha Morris: If you’d prefer a more relaxed and intuitive approach to feng shui, this is the book for you! Presents your home as a reflection of you, correlating every room with its physical, mental, or emotional counterpart in you. Being in tune with its energy allows you to create positive changes in your life.

I’m glad these titles have finally made their way to you! And if it’s gift ideas you’re looking for here are even more thoughts from last year’s 2012 post and in 2011 we had Twenty Under $20: Mind-Body-Soul Gifts by Personal Taste.

Happy Holidays!