Llewellyn Publications's Blog, page 91

This past weekend at the Readers Studio, I noticed that some of my fellow attendees are becoming very interested in Lenormand decks. They like that Lenormand gives very specific, very clear readings. Once familiar with the cards, which have specific meanings rather than a range of meanings like tarot, and the reading method, usually but not always the Grand Tableau, they can answer questions with little ambiguity. Tarot, on the other hand, has become more and more vague, with a focus on spiritual teachings and a presentation of possibilities.

Tarot has not always been what it is now. Card meanings have grown, evolved, and deepened over the past decades, with an emphasis on a spectrum of meanings for each card, from positive to negative. In Lenormand, although there is some “tarotizing” of the cards in some circles, cards are usually good/positive, bad/negative, and neutral, which is part of the simplicity and elegance of the system.

The dichotomy seemed so prevalent to me this weekend. This expansion of tarot meanings (with the downside of vagueness) opposite the simple clarity of Lenormand. This desire for broad strokes and empowerment (tarot) versus a need for more specific fortunetelling/predictions (Lenormand). I’m not sure what I think of it or where I think it will lead, but it is interesting. I do think that the role of oracles (all types) throughout history reflect cultural mores, belief systems, and a people’s experience of reality. And perhaps we will not be able to put this trend in historical perspective; perhaps that will be the job of others who have some distance from this moment. But still, we can think about it and speculate.

And so, I’m interested in your thoughts, whether you use tarot only, Lenormand only, or a combination of the two.

Two Lessons in Life

In my previous post I shared how I performed some magick at a young age. Clearly, however, it was not the result of a truly trained magician. Unknowingly, I happened to have followed a pattern that equated with the practice of magick. It was unintended, natural, and successful.

The second attempt that I remember didn’t happen for another ten years. During that decade I spent time going to school, playing baseball, goofing with kids on my block (I grew up on a street named “Stoner Avenue.” No, really!). I did all of the things a normal guy kid did. By the time I was 16 there were two important things I hadn’t experienced.

Danielle

I met her at a youth meeting at my temple. I’ll call her Danielle V. Danielle was short (she used to say she was 5-feet tall, but she was actually 4’11″), very curvy, had blonde, shoulder-length hair, and smiled with her entire face, a smile that lit up the room. She and her family had just moved over from England, and she had a strong British accent—not a cockney accent* filled with jargon and omitted letters like Eliza Doolittle at the beginning of Pygmalion and My Fair Lady, but the more educated and refined form she later learned. I still find an English accent to be extremely attractive, perhaps due to my relationship with Danielle.

At first we only met a youth group meetings. Finally, however, I got my driver’s license and we could go on dates. I loved listening to her voice. Dani was very…formal…during our dates and our time in public. In private, however, our make-out sessions got hot and heavy! I was in love! That left another common human experience to endure, and it wasn’t long in coming.

Dani went off to summer camp. A few weeks later I got a “Dear Don” letter in the mail. She had found someone at the camp. I had my second experience that everyone goes through. A broken heart.

“You’ll Find Someone Else…”

Outwardly, I was the big, strong, tough guy. Hey, I played offensive line on the high school football team. But inwardly, I was crushed. Really crushed. Friends told me to “get over it” and just find someone else. But how, in Los Angeles, do you find a beautiful blonde with an English accent who was my age and was also be interested in me? I tried to smother my feelings. I tried to find someone else. But I couldn’t stop thinking about Dani. I started to ignore my friends and realized that was not good. I just had to figure out a way to get over this.

And then it came to me. I realize now that what I had done was a beautifully planned out magickal ritual, one that would teach me some important lessons.

Dani had given me a picture of herself. I decided to put all of my feelings for her into the photo, then burn the photo. That way, my feelings for her would burn up with the photo. I both thought and felt it was a great idea.

The Ritual is Performed

I took a box of matches and the picture out to the curb in front of our house. I didn’t accidentally want to burn anything in the house during the photo conflagration. I spent ten minutes focusing intently on the picture, sending all of my feelings for Dani into the picture. I felt my breathing increase and I could sense something flowing from me to the photo. When there was nothing else to flow I knew the time was right for the next step in the ritual.

I held the picture by a corner, lit a match, and held it near the lowest corner. “As this picture burns, so will my feelings for Dani burn away. As this picture burns, so will my feelings for Dani burn away.” I repeated it over and over. I just wanted my feelings for her to be gone. I wanted the heartache to be gone. I used a second match and then a third. In the middle of the ritual I had the horrible realization that the picture would not burn!

My mother and step-father were both heavy smokers. They didn’t use cheap, replaceable lighters. Instead, they used expensive ones that could be refilled with lighter fluid. I went into the house and “borrowed” the container of lighter fluid and returned to the curb. I drenched the photo with the flammable liquid and repeated holding the photo by a corner and reciting my incantation. ”As this picture burns, so will my feelings for Dani burn away. As this picture burns, so will my feelings for Dani burn away.” I kept repeating it as I lit a corner at the bottom.

The picture quickly went up in flames, and I had to drop the picture to the ground. I kept repeating the spell, over and over. I closed my eyes to increase the intensity. When I opened my eyes the flames were almost gone, but the picture was barely singed! The lighter fluid resulted in a flame of low heat, not enough to burn the photo. Only the lighter fluid itself had burned.

Enough with my planned ritual. I changed the chant to, “As this destroy this picture, so will my feelings for Dani be destroyed.” I decided to simply tear the picture into little pieces. I built up the new chant, repeating it over and over. When the intensity could build no more, I took the singed photo and started to tear it to pieces. To my dismay, it wouldn’t tear!

I tried to tear it. Really I did. But the paper just would not rip. I tried tearing it from top to bottom, bottom to top, and side to side. The paper just couldn’t get started tearing. Feeling deflated, but finally realizing what to do, I went inside my house, got a scissors, and made many small snips around the photo’s edge. I started repeating the incantation, but after three failures my heart just wasn’t in it. Still, I had a feeling I needed to complete what I had started.

So I repeated the new chant, and when I was bored with repeating it, I tore the picture to pieces. I hope the ritual worked, but somehow I knew it hadn’t.

The Aftermath

I was right. Now, not only could I not stop thinking about her, I couldn’t stop thinking about the failed ritual. I was in a funk until I met a new girl at a high school dance. “Karen W.” was the opposite of Dani, tall, brunette, very slender, and outgoing. I really liked her, but it was never love. It was just fun and wonderful. I am extremely grateful for the time I spent dating Karen. I’m also sorry that I no longer have a picture of Dani.

Magickal Lessons Learned

Practice a ritual before performing it. Just because you think something should work doesn’t mean it will work.
You need to have your heart and passion in the ritual from beginning to end.
Rituals seem to have a natural duration. If the ritual clearly isn’t going to be effective during that time, end the ritual.
The design of many rituals includes a release of energy or tension at their climax. If they don’t have that feeling of release, success is unlikely.

Well, that’s it. One thing I can say about this experience is that I no longer consider it a failure, just a learning experience. As they say in NLP, “There is no failure, only feedback.” It’s only failure if you don’t learn from what you did. After high school I never saw Karen again. I hope she is happy and well. Although I never saw Dani again, I did hear about her. After I graduated from UCLA I was playing music in a series of rock and roll bands. After one gig, I drove back to where I was living, but I was very hungry, so I stopped off at a small restaurant in Culver City called Johnnie’s (best pastrami sandwich around!). I recognized the cook. We had played football together in high school. He came over and we talked for awhile. It turned out that somehow, he was now dating Dani! I laughed about it with him and wished them lots of happiness, but it still brought up some emotions. They were just far less than before.

Years later, I decided to formally study music. I re-entered the student life at Santa Monica College. In one class there was a young woman with the same unusual last name as my friend who had been the cook. I asked her if she knew him. It turned out he was her much older brother. We shared some stories and I eventually asked her about Dani. Her face turned dark. It turned out they wanted to marry, but because he wasn’t the same religion as Dani her father forbade it. She, the dutiful daughter, obeyed. They broke up. He reacted by joining the army and was stationed in Germany where he met a woman and married her. When he finished in the army he came back to the U.S. with his wife, moved to the midwest, and became a farmer.

After the class I never heard from any of them again. I hope they have all had happy and productive lives.

 

 

 

*A Cockney accent is not an uneducated or lower class accent, it is the particular accent of people brought up in hearing range of the famous bell, Big Ben in Elizabeth Tower of the Palace of Westminster. At one time it was considered inferior to standard British English and many people, like Eliza Doolittle, tried to eliminate the accent. Many still do this. More recently, Cockney has come to be considered an alternative form of English.

Topic suggested by Chirotus. Thank you!

Most people don’t completely remember their early childhood. Freud suggested this was the result of our embarrassment over ideas and actions of our early youth and called it “motivated forgetting.” However, many people remember certain events from that period that had a strong effect on them. One that I remember was my first experience of magick.

The Background

When I was five years old I watched my father die of a heart attack. My mother couldn’t deal with maintaining a house, raising me and my older brother, trying to find a job, and the loss of her husband. My brother and I were sent off to relatives while my mother received help dealing with the stress. A few months later, my brother and I snuck down to a phone after everyone in the house was asleep. We called our mother and begged to come home. That helped snap my mother out of her situation and in a short time, with help, it was me, my mother, and my brother against the world.

My mother had obtained a job as an accountant at a neighbor’s busy store. As usual for women then (and for too many women now), she did twice the work and received half the pay she should have received. But she was happy for the work and the ability to move her hours around so she could get my brother off to school and me off to kindergarten. Her work taking care of a business, our home, and us was hard, and after a time she needed a vacation.

I had an uncle who lived in Las Vegas. He was a pit boss (later he offered to send me to dealer school), and we think he may have been a part owner of the hotel/casino where he worked. He told my mother that if she could get us to Las Vegas, he’d get us a room for free. That became the plan.

The Trip to Las Vegas

My mother owned an old, faded blue car from the early-1950s. Today such a car would be called a “beater.” I think it had a googolplex miles on the odometer. I still remember the stink of the fabric seats. It might have been mold. The car, we had named it Annabelle for some reason, had no air conditioning and it would have been horrible trying to take us in mid-summer through the desert from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. I doubt if the car would even make it that far. So my mother decided on the cheapest alternative: we would take the Greyhound Bus. We got a lift to the Santa Monica station and got on the bus. There were two stops where we had to change busses along the way. The first was in downtown L.A. There was no problem there. We arrived at the second station, about ten miles outside of nowhere, just in time to see the red of the taillights of the bus that was supposed to take us the rest of the way. “No problem,” the station manager told us. “You can take the next bus to Las Vegas.” It was scheduled to arrive six hours later.

The last place any normal person would want to be is in a non-air conditioned bus station in a desert in the middle of nowhere with two small children. To this day I wonder how my mother kept sane. Eventually, the bus arrived. We were hot and sweaty as we boarded, and we enjoyed sitting in the air-conditioned bus taking us to our destination. [The seats on buses or "coaches" then were quite plush, oversized, and comfortable. Too bad airplanes won't use seats like that!]

We arrived and took a taxi to the hotel. The weather was very hot. But as they say, “It’s a dry heat.”

Yeah, dry. It was like living in a kiln!

Mid-Century Las Vegas

Over past recent decades, Las Vegas tried to rebrand itself as a family destination. Today, the hotels are often “kid friendly” and have lots of things for children to do. Some hotels even offer child care. Unfortunately, people started coming there for the entertainment and not the gambling. Profits went down so prices on other things such as rooms and meals have skyrocketed. Now, Las Vegas is trying to return to its adult reputation with its advertising of “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”

Back at the time of our visit, however, gambling was king! Meals were cheap. Rooms were cheap. And there was nothing for kids to do. Oh, there was a swimming pool outside, but I couldn’t stand the heat. There was a putting green that my brother liked. More power to him. It should have been called a “putt and sweat.” To her dismay, I hung with my mother.

My mother like to play the nickel slots. Today, you put in your paper money and push buttons on the machines. Back at this time you had to put in your nickel in a slot on the right side of the large device—the reason they were called “slot machines”— and pull down a handle that looked like a straight bar on the side of the machine to make the wheels spin and determine whether you won or lost. The nickname for slot machines was “one armed bandits.” Today you can drop $20 in a few minutes. Back then they were rather slow bandits. Ten dollars of nickels could last you for hours. Hours! Unfortunately, there was no place for a little kid like me.

My mother got a heavy cardboard cupful of nickels and plunked me down in the aisle just outside of where the machines were. That way she could keep an eye on me and still relax as she slowly gambled away the nickels. It’s a fairly mindless action with relaxing repetition mixed with occasional joy when the sound of coins hit metal at the bottom of the machine when you get a small payoff. [Today, many modern slot machines play recordings of that sound when people win.]

For a time, I looked around and listened to the bells and voices of the people. But soon, I was completely bored. And that resulted in my first act of magick.

My Magick Ritual

The invocation:

“Mom,” I whined, “I’m bored.”

“You’ll just have to sit there and wait.”

I watched some more. “Can I play like you are?”

“No, that’s gambling. Little boys aren’t allowed to gamble.”

“I don’t want to gamble, I just want to play like you are.”

“You can’t. That’s gambling.”

“How about if I just put the money in the machine?”

“I’m sorry, that’s gambling. You can’t do that.” A uniformed guard with a gun was watching now.

“Okay. You put in the money and let me pull the handle. I won’t touch the money at all.”

“Nope. That’s still gambling. You’ll just have to watch and wait.”

“Well, if I can’t play over there, I’ll play over here!”

“What…?”

Ritual Intent:

My goal was to play like I was winning at slot machines like my mother occasionally did.

Ritual Actions:

[Smoking was a big thing in casinos, and the place reeked of burned tobacco. To make sure the smokers didn't have to leave the casino, there were several cigarette vending machines against the wall.]

My mom and the guard watched as I walked over to one of several cigarette vending machines.
I assumed the god form of The Mother (well, my mother) by miming putting a nickel into the machine.
Since it didn’t have a slot machine’s arm, I made the next ritual move, duplicating the pulling of the slot machine’s arm by pulling down on the protruding nub used to open the coin return slide.

Magickal Results:

$1.37 in change clattered down the coin return slot. My magick had worked!

The guard burst into laughter as my mother ran out of the slot machine area to scoop me up.

What Happened?

Did my magickal ritual cause the machine to spit out money? If not, of all the cigarette machines that were there, why did I choose that particular one?  I could have selected another. Why the odd amount of change when cigarettes were only fifty cents a pack back then? How did pennies even get in there?

I don’t know what happened that afternoon. I only have a simple name for it: magick!

Lo Scarabeo is known for their creativity, including printing treatments. They have many beautiful silver and gold foil decks, a glow in the dark oracle, and are coming out with the first ever 3-D tarot deck. Their most recent deck is the Golden Universal Tarot. The cards are really beautiful but unfortunately it is difficult to photograph or scan gold foil.

Luckily, Lo Scarabeo made a short video that does show the gold foil very nicely. You can see the video HERE.

Learn more about the deck HERE.

Today we sadly mark the passing of a storyteller, priestess, consultant, reader, and author, Bronwynn Forrest Torgerson, who left this world on April 12, 2013. From her Witchvox obituary:

Bronwynn was a passionate writer and story-teller. She authored several books, including One Witches Way and Cookie Cutter Magic, as well as myriad other articles, short stories, and poems, many of which also saw publication. She was an active member of the Pagan community, an exulted and revered Priestess, a respected consultant and reader — and a tenacious friend and ally. Bronwynn loved nature, and was at peace while hiking a forest, or any coast touched by an ocean. She loved entertaining and playing Scrabble with friends. She believed in equality for all, and in speaking one’s mind.

Bronwynn is survived by her husband, Dan Poland (AZ); twin children, Angela (Kevin) Lian (AZ) and Moraelyn (Kristin Hundstad) Briargate (Norway) ; 5 grandchildren and a sister, Marilyn Roark (IL). She touched many hearts and lives through her years, and now leaves innumerable friends and cohorts to their own mirth and wanderings. Light a candle, and remember her, as she embarks on a new journey.

Her husband has announced that her memorial will be held on May 1 – which is not only Beltane, but what would have been Bronwynn’s 60th birthday. I think she would have liked that; in fact, I think the entire memorial will go exactly as Bronwynn desired, because she planned it out years ago, “just in case.” She even printed the entire ritual in her book, One Witch’s Way ! I would like to share with you not the whole thing, but just a snippet; I’m sure many at the memorial will have her book in hand.

Pushing the Envelope: A Pagan Preparation for Death

We’ve all heard the horror stories of how someone like Lady Lemuria, a.k.a. Susan Smith, died of a sudden heart attack and was given a private Christian burial by her loving family while her covenmates were still reeling from the news. Although that name and scenario are fictitious, if there are no written last requests from members of our Craft communities, you’d best be resigned to the fact that conventional kin will soon be singing “Amazing Grace.” The deceased, who might have preferred cremation, will be pushing up daisies and taking an eternity to make things right with the Lord. Not the Horned One. You know, the other Lord, that guy with the white robe and stone tablets.

What should we as responsible, loving Pagans do for ourselves and for those we will ultimately each leave behind? Moon Grove Coven had a solution that I think would work for us all, covener and solitaire alike. What we each did, at the time that felt appropriate, was to write out any bequests “in the event of,” as well as any passages of poetry, memorial tributes we would wish spoken, and so forth. The writing was signed and dated, then placed in a sealed envelope that went into the coven Book of Shadows. It would never be opened or read—“unless.”

Although Moon Grove disbanded in 2003, Autumn and Joad still have my envelope.

My Craft-friendly family knows where my books and tools should go when I’ve left this mortal plane. My husband Dan knows that no stone will bear my name, but a hundred trees from coast to coast will be planted in my honor. He knows where to scatter my ashes, and which oaks will speak to my soul as it pauses and reflects.

Being one gifted with bursts of far memory, I do not fear the Veil or passing through it. As Z Budapest once said truthfully, “It is not death we fear; it is suffering.” Here, then, for both contemplation and chuckles, is the scattering ceremony I have written for myself.

When the time of my reaping has come, and direct cremation without embalming has been accorded to me, let those who have loved me take a handful of my ashes and scatter them on the winds, in the place I walked and spoke to the trees and collected small woodland treasures. […]

She then gives the full text of calls to the four directions, space for toasts, and a final thank you and send-off. She imagines that the toasting of mead will continue until “all the mead is gone, the park rangers have come and carted folks away, or those in sumbel have passed out cold.” I’m so sorry I can’t make it, Bronwynn, but I’ll toast you at home on May Day.

In closing, here is another quote from this passage that I hope will offer comfort to those she’s left behind:

“So . . . a little rest upon the wind, then new tales to gather in. I shall find you again, dear friends.”

So mote it be. Safe travels, Bronwynn.

The Full Moon in Scorpio will occur Thursday, April 25 at 3:57 pm Eastern (7:57 pm GMT) at 6 degrees. Full Moons represent the culmination of those things that were begun with the New Moon (in this case the April 10 New Moon in Aries), which found us focusing on our self-confidence and drive.

The Scorpio Full Moon opposes the Sun in Taurus; we are reminded to check ourselves in the progress we made towards our goals set during the Aries New Moon. Have we begun a more healthy approach to our lives through making goals? Are we being too stubborn (Taurus) in our ways, and have mindsets that need to be let go? Are we pushing ourselves too hard or too fast (Scorpio) and need to slow things down a bit?

This Scorpio Full Moon is also a partial lunar eclipse (at 4:07 pm EDT); eclipses are times of heightened energy. The Moon rules our emotions, so be prepared to deal with any emotions that surround the issues you’ve been working through these last couple of weeks.

Lunaea Weatherstone is becoming one of the most prolific tarot authors and creators working today.

She created her own collage deck, Full Moon Dreams Tarot, which had a limited edition set of 250 decks and sold out very quickly. She is no longer offering it for sale (although decks have been known to sell on ebay for $400), but you can see it on her website: http://www.lunaea.com/tarot/

She has written companion text for the small books that accompany a few oracle decks published by Lo Scarabeo, such as the Wicca Oracle and the Astrological Oracle. She also wrote the text for the forthcoming Fairy Lights Tarot.

Her most recent work, the Victorian Fairy Tarot, is an ambitious project. When Lunaea first proposed the idea, I thought “what a perfect combination” and “it is so perfect, why has no one else done this?” As Lunaea completed her descriptions for these delicate and detailed images, we looked for an artist. Finding an artist whose style works with a theme and who is willing to take on such a large job: seventy-nine cards (including the card back).

When we found Gary Lippincott, we thought we’d traveled back in time to find an authentic Victorian illustrator. We were thrilled when Gary accepted the commission. Here are a few images so you can see for yourself how perfectly Lunaea and Gary worked together. Note that some of these are just bits cropped from cards and some are full cards. It is just a teaser, after all!

Here are some sites, if you are interested in learning more about Gary, Lunaea, or the Victorian Fairy Tarot:

http://www.garylippincott.com/index.html

http://www.lunaea.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Victorian-Fairy-Tarot/554843437882723?fref=ts

 

Magick is more than making changes outside of you, it is also making changes to yourself. If there is something you don’t like about yourself, you can change it.

Well, there’s nothing new about that! There are numerous systems for personal growth, change, and empowerment, some more effective than others. To effectively use any of them, however, requires you to know more about who you really are. If you think you’re cowardly when, in fact, you are actually brave, you might spend many days, months, or years trying to become brave when it’s a quality you already have.* Surely this is one of the reasons the concept of “Know Thyself” is so important—you can’t decide on your goals (where you want to be), if you don’t know your true make up (who you are) right now.

This is one of the reasons astrology can be an important aspect of magickal studies. Other people look to different systems for analyzing character, ranging from popularized (and simplified) forms of psychology to the “science” of phrenology**, the so-called reading of the bumps on a person’s head.

The more precise the system for determining a person’s character and personality, the more complex the system for discovering it. In the world of psychological testing, the Myers Briggs Test for determining qualities of a personality often requires advanced training to administer, expensive paperwork, and lots of experience to interpret and understand. It has resulted in a multi-million dollar business.

There is another system for determining a person’s character and personality that is surprisingly accurate, easy to do, and actually rather fun. I gave an introduction to it in Modern Magick, and I thought you might like to learn more about it here.

Discovering Your Time Line

While it is easily possible to map out historical events over time, it is interesting to note that we each have a personal time line. Even though we don’t constantly think about it, when asked we can see our lives as a linear series of events***. Interestingly, this is not merely philosophical. There is actually a physical location to our personal concept of time. Here is a simple exercise to discover your personal time line.

Step One. Think of a happy event from five years ago. Now, going with your first thought, point to where you hold that memory. It may be to your left or right, above or below you, in front of you or behind you. There is no right or wrong here, it’s just a location. If you can’t quickly determine where that past event is located in space, try to locate another event earlier in time, perhaps your birthday party from when you were five years old. If, after a few tries, you cannot locate a past event in space, ask yourself, “If I could locate this past event in space, where would it be?” Point to it quickly. Go with your first thought.

Step Two. Now imagine something taking place in the future. Going with your first thought, point to where you think it will be. If this doesn’t come quickly and easily, try a different event you hope will occur in your future. If its spatial location still doesn’t come quickly and easily, ask yourself, “If I could locate this future event in space, where would it be?” Again, point to it quickly. Go with your first thought.

Step Three. Imagine a line going from that past point in space to the future point in space. This is your personal time line.

Notes: For most people, the line is straight. It may go from right to left or left to right. It may go from your front to your back or vice versa. The present may be within you. That is, you may see the past behind you, the present going through part of your body, and the future being ahead of you. This may be on a diagonal. It may go from a lower height (relative to your body) in the past to a greater height in the future. Others may discover that the entire time line is outside of them. They can see it in front of them or turn to see it behind them, running from side to side. Or perhaps it runs along either of your sides, going from back to front or front to back, but never touches you.

There is no right or wrong position for your personal time line. Wherever it is located is perfect for you. If it doesn’t feel “right” to you, try locating some more points of past events and future events. You may find that your time line is a curve or a “V” shape. For some people it may be wavy. It doesn’t matter. We’re just finding out the location of your time line.

Location, Location, Location

If we look at the shape and location of different people’s time lines we can see lots of differences. There are two major grouping factors. For some people, their time line is completely outside of their bodies. They can see the entire line—past, present, and future—to their sides, in front or behind them, above or below them, etc. At no time does this imagined time line go through their bodies. [Most often, the time line for people in this group forms a line in front of them, going from left to right.]

To be a member of the second group, the time line goes right through you with the present being within you. My personal time line goes from a past that is below the center of my back, to a present that is within me at my heart, and on to a future that extends up and ahead of me. [The most common form of time line is like this, going from back to front with the present being within the body, but unlike my time line it is level.]

Are you in group one where you can see the entirety of your time line or group two where part of your time line goes right through you? Both are fine. Neither is better than the other. But here’s a surprise: you can do an entire psychological reading based just on whether a person is a type one or type two!

If you experience your time line as completely outside of you, NLP describes you as being a Through Time person. The characteristics of a Through Time person include:

You are very aware of the value of time.
You are very good at planning.
You are precise at meeting deadlines.
Once you plan something for the future, you can quickly lose interest in it.
You may have little connection with the present and often ask what day it is.
Problems from the past can bother you for a long time.
You’re great at remembering past events.
You’re great at remembering birthdays, anniversaries, moon phases, etc.
You’re a great researcher.
You probably like “oldies” music.
You are punctual. If you’re late, you know it and may feel guilty.
You may often look at a watch or clock to check the time, although you probably have an internal clock that very accurately knows the time.
You have little patience for people who delay you.
Perhaps the most important question in your life about anything is, “When?” Answers that involve the past or future are far more interesting than those that involve the present.

If you experience your time line as going through you, NLP describes you as being an In Time person. The characteristics of an In Time person tend to be the opposite of those of a Through Time person and include:

You are the life of a party.
You only look at a watch or clock if you have to.
You get engrossed in what you’re doing and tend to lose track of time.
Being late to meetings and appointments is common. You may keep an appointment book (or have a secretary do it for you).
You may look at your appointment book and be shocked at everything you have planned.
You’re not good at planning.
If asked what you’re doing next weekend, you either haven’t planned it or can’t remember what you’ve obligated yourself to do.
You tend not to plan ahead.
You like to keep your options open.
You focus on the present and “live in the now.”
You enjoy whatever comes your way.
In the future, you may regret things you did in the past, but you don’t worry about it.
“Get over it” and “put it behind you” are two of your favorite types of expressions.

When I took the test I quickly discovered that I am an In Time person. I was surprised at just how uncannily accurate these descriptions were.  While learning about a person’s time line and whether they are an In Time or Through Time person can give you important information, remember that everyone is an individual. Most people will have some qualities of both groups, although they will primarily be an In Time or Through Time person.

So once you take the test, determine if you are an In Time or Through Time person. Then run down the list to see whether the descriptions accurately describe you. It’s important to say that these are descriptions, not value judgements. Being the life of a party, living in the present moment, punctuality or holding on to events from the past are neither good nor bad, they simply are. But once you know your characteristics you can choose to change.

That’s why “Knowing Yourself” is such a powerful concept. It gives you the true starting point for making the changes in your life where you become the person you want to be. It’s the starting point for self-empowerment.

It’s the beginning of being a magician.

 

• • •

*How could you not know whether you’re brave? Bravery is something that appears only in situations where it is needed. If you’re never put in a situation where bravery is required, it may never manifest or not appear. You wouldn’t know.

**Disturbingly, phrenology was considered a scientific study by some scientists until the middle of the 20th century. It was abandoned and labeled a pseudo-science primarily because it was used by scientists in the Nazi regime to determine who was and who was not a so-called Aryan. Phrenology was abandoned due to its association with the evils of Naziism and not due to the questionability of its premises. Similarly, the swastika, at one time looked at positively around the world, has been abandoned in the West due to its association with Naziism. It still remains popular in Indian and other parts of Asia as a symbol of good fortune and luck.

***Some other cultures do not have a linear understanding of time, seeing it as more circular. Even so, the system described here will still work.

Kirk - “Is he dead?” 

McCoy -”it’s worse than that Jim, his brain’s gone.”

The above dialog comes from the first episode of the third season of the original Star Trek. The episode was first shown in 1968, was the first episode in the “we’ll put this show here to die” time slot of 10:00 p.m. on Fridays, and demonstrated the “quality” of their new, lower budget. It’s generally considered one of the worst of all the original episodes. Two of the stars, Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner, have stated that they didn’t like it. Dialog like the above is on par with the infamous “But one thing’s sure. Inspector Clay is dead, murdered, and somebody’s responsible” from 1959′s Plan 9 from Outer Space, often regarded as the worst film ever made.

So why am I writing about bad movies and bad TV? Today, I feel as if someone said that about me: “his brain’s gone.” I’m facing a crisis of indecision due to so many potentials. There are so many topics I could write on here:

Magickal techniques
Rituals
Magickal philosophy
Tantra
Sex magick
History of magick
Famous people in the history of magick
Early cultures and their relation to magick
Deities
Tarot
Psychic abilities
Psychic self-defence
Meditation
Astral projection and travel
Reviews of books
Wicca and Witchcraft

And on and on andon andonandon.

So where do I start? Instead of picking one and just doing it, I jump from one to another and end up doing nothing.

Finally, I decided. I’d ask readers.

What would you like to read more about in my blog?

What’s important to know?

What would you like me to share?

Lots of people blog to share things like how they feel or what they had to eat for lunch. I’d much rather write so that when you finished reading you know something that can be of use to you. So let me know what you think. You can post to the comments section below or email me directly: [email protected] .

Taurus, The Bull

April 19 to May 20

Modality: Fixed

Element: Earth

Ruler: Venus

Keywords: Stubbornness, perseverance, stability, dependability, sensuality

As a bull, you are known for your determination and willpower, but, taken too far, these traits can turn into stubbornness. You are stable and find security in routine, which can often make change difficult. Be careful to not let your unease with change rule your life. Possessions are important to you, with Venus as your ruler. While it is nice to enjoy the finer things in life, be sure to donate or sell old items that serve no purpose—it is always possible that your love of possessions is tied to an emotional insecurity.

Your friends know that they can always count on you, and you are sensitive to the needs of others (though the latter can make you prone to gullibility; be careful at times when helping others out). You feel complete when part of a couple; even though you are highly selective of your partners, once you find the one you will be highly devoted. Family is highly important to you; you have strong ties to siblings and your extended family, and you are proud of your children (show them encouragement and give constructive criticism, as you often have high expectations of your kids).

When it comes to work, you prefer environments that give you not only stability but also autonomy. That said, be careful not to get too stuck with one job or company; changes often occur, and don’t shy away from a prospective opportunity. Taurus is also one of the universal money signs. This, in combination with your practicality, can equal a large net worth.

For the year ahead:

Affirmation: People enrich my life with their wisdom and experience.

Jupiter in Gemini, your second house of personal resources, through June 24 provides a boost in finances, but be cautious, as you are also more likely to spend as extra income flows in. Jupiter then spends the rest of the year in Cancer, your third house, beginning June 25. This will be a positive time of family, friends, neighbors, and get-togethers.
Uranus continues its seven-year transit of Aries (began in 2011); during these next years, look for insight into your life and lifestyle, making changes as needed for self-renewal and personal health. Here in your twelfth house, you may notice you enjoy more time alone.
Saturn continues its long trip through Scorpio, where it will remain until 2014; here in your seventh house, your relationships will be highlighted. Strong relationships can benefit from Saturn in the seventh house. you may also feel encouraged to learn about relationships and human nature.
Neptune began its long transit in Pisces, your eleventh house, last year. It will remain in Pisces through 2025, highlighting friendships. Friends may come and friends may go, and you are likely to gain many insights into who to trust and when.
Pluto continues its long transit of Capricorn, making this time ideal for education, whether learning something new through structured classes, friends or family, or travel. This transit is one of transformation.