Grounding | Before You Read

As a Tarot reader you should become familiar with grounding yourself before you readings.

Grounding means that you connect your own energy to the Earth. This serves the same purpose as a grounding rod. Energy you take in to read the cards gets moved through you and into the Earth. Any energy you need gets pulled up through the cleansing Earth for you to use.

Visualize yourself as a tree. You have roots from your feet that burrow through the floor and go down into the earth. Feel them grow thick and strong the deeper as they travel into the earth. When you feel they have gone as deep as they can go, visualize these roots pulling your feet down into the earth. Feel your toes sinking into the ground. Call upon Mother Earth's Energies. Visualize the bright green earth energies flow up through these powerful roots and into the soles of your feet before flowing on up your legs, pelvis, torso, arms and head. Hold this image and then take a deep breath and allow the green energies to flow back down your roots and into the earth bringing with it any remaining psychic debris for transmutation.

At this time I also thank the powers that be... both before and after the reading, for the messages I will and have received. Whatever way you decide to do this will be what is right for you.

A good grounding will make you feel like you are standing on solid ground, that you have the whole Earth backing you up and that you are safe.

Quality Time with the Deck

There is much to learn as you explore the tarot. What I feel to be most important, is to learn about the deck you will be working with. The more you are able to handle your deck, look it over, spend some time with each individual card and really infuse your energy into it, the better the experience will serve you.

As a whole the tarot is an integrated working system. I am now looking at the tarot as an illustration of the whole human experience. To become familiar with my deck I must break it down to better bond and connect with it. Randomly choosing a single card, starting with the Majors. I have selected the High Priestess as my first card. I will spend seven days with the High Priestess and each card in the deck after that. My focus for the week will be on the High Priestess. I'll write down everything I see, feel, think and imagine in my journal. I'll relate her to my own human experiences and log my impressions of this too.

Once I began to see the High Priestess as an archetype I could then build a better relationship with her. As in all relationships, the more time you spend with someone, the better you will get to know them. When we pay close attention to what someone has to say we slowly uncover their layers. There are so many layers to discover and on so many levels. The deeper we dig the more we will find.

☽✪☾ Blessings

Spellcaster's

I have been exploring different areas of the tarot beginning with the traditional Rider Waite / Pamela Colman Smith deck, as I have had it in my possession for quite some time. Another deck that has been with me for a long length of time is the Haindl Tarot deck. It intrigues me like no other deck I have seen!

Paulina Tarot will always have a special place for me. This is an intuitive deck for me. I personally believe any and all tarot decks can be and should be used as intuitive decks. It is a most beautiful deck and has a great elegance in each card. It was also gifted to me by my dear daughter. 

Independent decks are so special. They are something I would love to explore at a later time of my studies. Tarot is an ongoing process of learning. A journey like no other. There is no right or wrong way to study the tarot. You may go in the direction the your intuition takes you. Follow your own path and have fun with it along the way!

With so much information available on the tarot... it is easy to get both overwhelmed and confused! We have to go with what is right for us. Everyone's tarot journey is going to be a different one. The best thing about the tarot is, there is not a right or a wrong way to learn it. And with so much information available on the tarot it is so exciting and easier to study!  

Currently I will be spending time with the Modern Spellcaster's Tarot by Melanie Marquis and the artist is Scott Murphy. This deck was released in the later part of 2016.

I purchased it the way I believe a deck should be purchased... it caught my eye and I was drawn into it! I fell in love with the Pagan imagery, the symbolism {that I am interested in learning more about} and the magical references that are part of this deck.

This will be very interesting! Looking forward to it!!

Cleansing and Storing those Tarot Decks

Tarot Card Storing

 { Storage and care of cards is entirely personal. It is a combination of personal beliefs and practical considerations.

Try different methods and see which works best for you }.

your relationship with your cards is a very personal one and that you should determine what works best for you.
Tarots cards come in many, many shapes, forms and types. Just as there are types of cards, there are also as many storage boxes, bags and ways in which to store and care for them.
Some say that you must store them in an oak box or wrap them in silk.  Others, however, store their cards in the box or pouch in which it was purchased, adding only gems, crystals and/or herbs into the box or pouch to impart qualities they seek as a reader.

The best storage is what works for you.

Tarot Card Cleansing

One of the simplest and easiest methods of cleansing your deck, is to put your cards back in order. If you have had, in the shuffling, the cards turn upside down, I would straightened them so that they all aligned in the same direction.

Another method of cleansing is to pass the cards through the smoke of burning sage. This is especially effective.
Passing your cards through incense smoke as a way of cleansing may work for you.

You can also cleanse your cards by storing them with a stone or crystal that has cleansing properties such as a quartz point.
If you want your cards to have intuitive readings, you could store it with amethyst because it is said to open your spiritual or psychic powers.

Another method of cleansing after buying a new deck  before you use it for the first time; is to let the cards sit in the light of the full moon. Place your cards on a window ledge that catches the moonlight and allow it to infuse the cards with its glow all night long.

I chose to store my Paulina Cassidy deck with a piece of gifted to me.. Citrine Point Crystal. Natural Citrine has healing properties and does not hold or accumulate negative energy. Citrine transmutes, dissipates and grounds negative energy, making it extremely protective for the environment. It is one of only two crystals on Earth that never needs to be cleared or cleansed. The other is Kyanite.

Placing a new tarot deck under your pillow for a week will help you connect to your deck.

An interest in Tarot

When I first became interested in Tarot and started shopping for a deck, I was amazed at how may different tarot decks were available. I looked at decks that I thought I would be interested in, many caught my eye but I still could not decide which one out of all these decks I had seen would be the one for me. I was ready to purchase a few because how could I pick just one?! Doing some reading on Tarot brought me to a decision that worked out to be the best one for me. I decided to go with the Rider Waite deck. I saw many recommendations to use this deck as a beginners deck. It was not as eye appealing as some I had seen but I wanted to learn and knew I had plenty of time to purchase more decks once I knew more about the cards.

The images on the "Rider-Waite" deck were drawn by artist Pamela Colman Smith following the instructions of Arthur Edward Waite and were originally published by the Rider Company in 1910.

This 78-card tarot deck has two distinct parts... the Major Arcana  or trump cards which consists of 22 cards and the Minor Arcana consists of 56 cards.

The subjects of the Major Arcana are based on those of the earliest decks, but have been modified to reflect Waite and Smith's view of tarot.

At first look over of the deck, there are a lot of cards to get familiar with and it is overwhelming. It took me some time to actual start my study of Tarot. Once I realized how to break down the cards within the deck it became so much easier.

☽✪☾ Blessings

Architectural Magic!

Love the old architecture... I'm always in admiration of the quality and creativity from the past.

This is the front view of the Orpheum TheatreLa Salle Francs Tireurs

The Orpheum Theater is an old theatre and movie house located in Massachusetts.

Originally named the Majestic Opera House. The building opened on April 15, 1912 (the same day the Titanic sank). Under the ownership of The French Sharpshooter’s Club of New Bedford, the building had been open for nearly fifty years and it contained an armored shooting range and ballroom. and it had helped train troops for World War I and World War II. The club leased the theatre to the Orpheum Circuit of Boston. It not only had vaudeville shows, but once that was in decline, the Orpheums switched to movies. This Orpheum theatre is believed to be the second oldest (it was built a year after the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles). When the theatre opened it seated 1,500 people. The theatre closed in 1958-59, and was only opened for special events. The sharpshooters club sold it in 1962, and it was used as storage by a tobacco company. The back of the theatre currently houses a supermarket, but the rest of the space is still empty. The building is currently privately owned.

There has been talk of reopening this building. I would love to view the inside of this piece of history.

Pussy Willow

You may know Pussy Willow as Goat Willow or Tree of Enchantment, Witches' Asprin, White Willow, Withe, Withy, Salicyn Willow, Osier, Sough Tree or Asille as it goes by many names.  The botanical name of the Willow 'Salix' comes from the Celtic word 'sal' - meaning near, and “lis” - meaning water. Because I live in an area of wetlands these trees are never too far from me. Pussy Willow is one of my favorite plants to gather each year.

Willow is a magical and healing tree. Its name literally means convolution and there is a convolution of energies associated with it. It stimulates an energy of healing on many levels, especially though in the areas of herbology and aromatherapy.  This powerful plant  has an essence that can help us in divination and reading signs. In fact, it is good for almost any form of divination. It is tied to the archetypal energies of the future. It reminds us that there are promises yet to be fulfilled. It renews and revitalizes, awakening the inner fires of hope and inspiration for that is yet to come.  Willows also awaken clairaudience - hearing of spirit. There is rarely a single message from willow. It is always multiple and many layered.

The Willow has always been known as a tree of dreaming, inspiration and enchantment. It was associated in Celtic legend with poets and spells of fascination and binding. Our deep unconscious thoughts speak to us through our dreams, so if you have lost touch with your dreams or wish to increase their potency, place a piece of Willow under your pillow when you sleep. You will find your dreams will immediately become more vivid and meaningful.

Old strips of Willow were used for binding magical and sacred objects together.  As with the binding of the Witches' Broom called "Tree of Enchantment" in the language of the Witches, was traditionally made with an Ash handle and Birch twigs bound with Willow. Willow is one of the best water-divining woods, along with Hazel and Birch.

Perhaps the most common magical use of the Willow is the making of Wands, for all the Willow's qualities are naturally contained within the wood, though you may wish to charge or empower certain aspects of its qualities for specific uses. Use a piece of fresh Willow cut from the tree with appropriate reverence and ritual, or use a newly fallen piece which the tree has recently shed. You may wish to strip the bark off and carve the wand with runic symbols to associate it with particular uses. It is easier to carve fresh wood and then let it dry out, small twigs will dry out quickly and without cracking in a house, but it is better to let larger pieces of wood dry slowly in an outhouse or shed or even under a hedge. When it is dry it can be polished with several layers of beeswax to protect the wood, or you may prefer to leave it natural.

Willow wands are used whenever there is a need to connect with intuition, dreams, seer-ship, visions and poetically inspired writing or images. They are also used to deal with emotional numbness or emotional excess, or where there are negative emotional feelings which need to be worked through. Like the wand, talismans and charms can be made in the same way, perhaps using the natural shape of the wood to suggest and inspire a carving. Talismans may be worn round the neck or as a brooch, or carried within a pouch and kept close. Like the wand, runic symbols can be carved on a talisman representative to their uses. Wands made from Willow are powerfully effective for wish-making and all water magic. When properly worked with in meditation and magic, willow wands and staffs help us realize the very intimate link between our thoughts and external events in our life. Willow is also the herb to work with rock crystal, to charge the stone and give it protective healing virtues. It is most often used to bring the blessings of the Moon into one's life.
☽✪☾ Blessings

Ostara Ritual

Gathering what has meaning to me and meditating on the changes of the seasons. Feeling the rousing of the energies around me from the Earth. Spend time outside planning and anticipating the coming changes. Working magic when necessary... the circle is released. 

☽✪☾ Blessings

What about that Hare?

All over the world, there are long-spoken tales of hares throughout the continents; the hare is rooted in the folk myths of our ancestors. It is associated in mythology with the Moon, the Celestial and the Sun, the dawn, cunning bravery and most commonly with fertility, . There is proof of hare mythology in ancient pottery, coins, seals, hieroglyphs and in oral history. The most noticeable thing about the mythology of hares is the commonality of these tales across the globe. Similar to the fact that most ancient cultures have a flood myth, most also seem to have hare mythology.

What was it about the hare which led to this mythology? We will probably never know for sure, but one thing for sure is that wild hares have always lived in proximity to people, perform unique and uninhibited courtship dances, are extremely sexually active in the spring and are active at night, all these are possible factors.

As our closest celestial neighbor, it is easy to see why the Moon was thought to be a witness to the creation of the Magical Hare on Earth. Regardless of it's passed origin, today Ostara is still a time for celebration! Their rituals at the Vernal Equinox are related primarily to the fertility of the crops and to the balance of the day and night times.It is a time of new beginnings for both the land and the animals who live in balance with it. The hare or rabbit has become a symbol of the Ostara sabbat.

In my own little space on the planet I welcome the rabbits return, for when I start to see all the rabbits close by again, it is a sign that warmer times are coming very soon. Babies will be born and begin their new lives. The garden sprouts will grow and flourish, flowers will bloom, the air we be sweeter, the birds will be music in my ears and the sun will kiss my cheeks, all will be well in those moments. Enjoy!

☽✪☾ Blessings

Go your own way

So many others will misunderstand you... this is perfectly ok! Continue to walk your own path anyway. We can only relate to one another from our own thoughts, opinions and experiences in this life. Each of us are in the process of learning our own life's journey. It is not important for us to understand another's path. What is important is that we always understand our own, while being open to others, even if they are not open or understanding of us. If we live our lives true to ourselves and not  the way others expect us to live... our lives become happier and we are free. Keep an open mind, be an observer and harness your own strengths...
this is where our power lives.
(.•*´¨)¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•` ღ

☽✪☾ Blessings

Grounding when the ground is frozen...

Baby it's cold outside!

Grounding is when your soul and your energy are connected with the Earth and the energy of the Earth. Being grounded means that your Soul is anchored to both your physical body and the physical earth.

We not only receive energy from the Earth, but also deposit our energy back into the Earth. The energy in your body consists of the energy from your soul, the energy from the Earth, and the energy from the Divine. You receive energy from within yourself, and both realms to stay balanced, centered, and healthy.

Grounding allows us to: Calm down, Feel less anxious, Feel less worried, Gain clarity and decrease mental fuzziness, Create an anchor for spiritual connection upward, Feel less spacey and more secure in our lives, Prepare ourselves for spiritual work and meditation. Grounding is the first step to any spiritual activity.
How to Ground Yourself...

Find a comfortable place to sit

Anywhere that your feet can be firmly planted on the ground and your back can have a support to lean on – any chair is great for this, or a couch where you can touch the floor. When you’re first learning how to ground, try to find a place where you will be undisturbed for the duration of the meditation. After you’ve gotten practice, you’ll find that you can ground yourself almost anywhere, seated or standing.

Close your eyes

Feet firmly on the ground, close your eyes and place your hands in your lap with palms facing upward.

Relax

Take a few deep breaths, slowly inhaling and exhaling, noticing your lungs filling up with air and your stomach expanding with each inhale. Fully exhale, noticing your stomach shrinking and your lungs completely emptying. As you do this, take note of any anxiety or worry that is already slipping away, simply by this action. Imagine yourself breathing in white light the divine, and exhaling worries, thoughts, or anxieties that may be visualized as gray smoke. Inhale white loving energy and exhale gray smoke. Release. Continue this exercise until you feel intuitively ready to move on.

Visualize yourself sitting on a tree trunk

Start to focus your energy downward, visualize the energy in your body flowing downward to the Earth, out through your feet. Imagine that the tree trunk extends down from your feet, through the floor of your house, through the basement, through the foundation of the house, and finally breaking through the Earth. Continue to imagine this tree trunk traveling down through the Earth, imagine its roots breaking through layers and layers of bedrock, until your trunk finally reaches the center of the Earth.

Visualize the center of the Earth

Once you’ve reached the center of the Earth, take note of what this looks like to you. Is it flowing with magma? Does it look like a crystal cave? Is it filled with white light? The energy stored at the center of the Earth is the one of the most powerful, purest forms of healing, cleansing and restoring energy. Imagine the roots of your trunk circling around the healing and restoring Earth center, hugging the core, draping over it.

Imagine earth energy flowing back up through your trunk

Imagine this energy as a strong, electric white currant of restoring energy, and follow it as it pulses and flows back up your tree trunk. With each inhale, watch and consciously feel as that healing energy flows up your tree trunk, through the layers of bedrock, through the sediment, through the foundation of your house, through your basement, and finally through the floor beneath your feet. Feel as that energy reaches your feet and flows into your physical body.

Visualize energy flowing through your body in an upside down U-shape

Once the energy reaches the bottom of your feet and begins to flow into your body, imagine that it enters your body through the right foot, flows up the right side of your body, travelling up your right leg, your thigh, your hip, your stomach, your chest, and through your throat to your crown. Then imagine this energy flowing back down through the crown, following the left side of the body, until it exits through the left foot, back into the Earth. Give it a color that resonates with your connection to the Earth – gold, dark brown, red clay, moss green, ocean blue – whatever feels right to you.

You can think of the body as a having an upside down U-shaped channel through which this energy flows, with your right side receiving energy up and the left side sending energy back down.

Continue to follow that energy as it completes its loop through the body, entering through your right foot, flowing up the right side of the body, to the top of your head, crossing over to the left side of your body, flowing down the left side and exiting back into the Earth through the sole of your left foot.

Congratulations! You are now grounded.

Grounding is the first thing that many mediums, channels, psychics, healers, and intuitives will do before attempting any connection with the divine or those in Spirit.

☽✪☾ Blessings

I love Chamomile Tincture for reducing Inflammation...

Most herbs have a short shelf life, and even if dried they lose some of their nutritional components. Making tinctures allows the herb to be preserved for a longer period of time, and the tinctures themselves become extremely powerful in comparison to a hot cup of tea or using fresh herbs.

Chamomile is a naturally calming herb that relaxes nerves and reduces pain. This herb is one of the most ancient medicinal herbs known to us. The two common varieties are German Chamomile and Roman Chamomile. The dried flowers of chamomile contain many terpenoids and flavonoids contributing to its medicinal properties. Chamomile is well-known as a calming herb, to improve sleep but it has many other qualities that are often overlooked. I am most interested in this tincture for it's anti-inflammatory benefits. Chamomile is rich in a volatile oil known as azulene. Azulene has anti-inflammatory properties and can be helpful in treating aches, pains, and headaches.

Chamomile Tincture anyone can make this...

1/2 to 1 cup of dried Chamomile flowers
approximately 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups boiling water
approximately 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups vodka or rum... The alcohol should be the purest possible, unflavored vodka or Everclear in highest proof you can acquire.
Quart size glass jar with airtight lid
a label to identify and date your tincture

Put fresh or dried Chamomile flowers in clean quart size glass jar
Pour boiling water over flowers to just cover them (may have to stir)
Fill the rest of the jar with vodka or rum (do not use rubbing alcohol or non-consumable alcohol!) and tightly cover with airtight lid. The alcohol is an essential part of the tincture because it will release the volatile spirits within the plant... the healing ingredient!

Store in a cool, dark place and shake daily for 4-6 weeks. This will make a strong tincture!
After 4-6 weeks, remove from cabinet, and pour it through a cheesecloth or mesh strainer.
Store in a jar or in tincture vials for easy use.

Normal dose for adults is up to 1 teaspoon 1-3 times a day as needed.
For infants, only a few drops are needed, and often it can be rubbed on the gums or stomach for teething or colic pain.
For toddlers and older children 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon can be taken 1-3 times a day while needed. It is especially useful for babies and young children who are having difficulty sleeping.
A dose right before bedtime can help relax and sooth them for more peaceful sleep.

Chamomile is fairly easy to find. And easy to grow in the garden. It’s available as a tea at most grocery stores and can sometimes be purchased in bulk at health food stores.

tincture will keep for at least 1 year.

☽✪☾ Blessings

Ostara is near!

This is by far my favorite time of year.

Beginning on the Vernal Equinox March 20th...  it's a time of celebrating the great balance and harmony that exists in the passage of the seasons and the procession of night and day.  This is the time of the year when the nights and days are of equal length. The last signs of Winter are giving way to Spring. We begin our garden plans and preparation. The gardens flowers, vegetables and herbs that will play a part in rituals, spells, potions, cooking and pleasure.Prepare and plant in the garden. A good time for herb workings.

Symbolizing fertility and new growth. Night and day stand in perfect balance. The forces of masculine energy and feminine energy are also in balance . A celebration of fertility and balance, a time when all elements within and without us are brought into harmony. A time of new life and rebirth, as well as the end of Winter.

The egg (and all seeds) contains 'all potential', full of promise and new life. It symbolizes the rebirth of nature, the fertility of the Earth and all creation. In many traditions the egg is a symbol for the whole universe. The 'cosmic' egg contains a balance of male and female, light and dark, in the egg yolk and egg white. The golden orb of the yolk represents the Sun God enfolded by the White Goddess, perfect balance, so it is particularly appropriate to Ostara and the Spring Equinox when all is in balance for just a moment, although the underlying energy is one of growth and expansion.

Walking  the path through nature and reflect on the magic of the Earth... Look out, look wide, look near, look far, look up, look down, look within.

A fabulous time to awaken the body, mind and soul.
☽✪☾ Blessings

Approaching the equinox

As we approach the equinox we are preparing for a blizzard that is headed our way. The snowdrops have just shown their brilliance, but only briefly. Now these beautiful first blossoms are about to be buried once again under all the ice and snow. Freezing cold here... yet everything keeps moving, anticipating the warmth of the sun once again.

Outside everything may look dead, frozen and still. It is very much alive!

This storm has shifted to rain... the brilliant white of the snow will not be here much longer. What an amazing sight to be seen as it covers everything in it's path. Everything except the woodland creatures who are steadily on the move... gathering. Their colors so very vibrant against the frozen backdrop.

 Witchcraft is a deep love of Nature and the ability to see magic in places where most others do not.

☽✪☾ Blessings

Honoring the Moon

The Moon's energy is very powerful so it’s important to direct it with positive intention. Having the power of the Full Moon within us... is a time to be mindful of all that we have and all that we have created. Focusing our heart and mind on our gratitudes, blessings and forgiveness... while sending love, light and healing energies out from within. ☽✪☾ Blessings