Thoughts While Reading The Complete Lenormand Oracle Handbook       One of the books on my summer reading list is The Complete Lenormand Oracle Handbook: Reading the Language and Symbols of the Cards, by Caitlín Matthews. I don’t have a set of Lenormand Cards – but I’m not letting that stop me from learning as much as I can about them. As with all divinatory cards, I am fascinated by the variety and beauty of the many sets of Lenormand cards available in occult shops, online or from private seller. I think what appeals to me about the Lenormand is the combination of pictures, numbers and playing card symbolism.…

  For 50 years, Alan Oken has practiced the art of “reading” the energy of the cosmos through the lens of astrological charts. A chart depicts the placement and relationships of planets and other heavenly bodies at a particular moment in time, stopping them in place. From that picture of a frozen slice of time, astrologers apply the ancient Law of Correspondences – As above, so below – to look at how the dance of the planets affects events and relationships here on Earth. As Oken says in the introduction to this excellent book, “Astrology is a very complex system of interweaving energies. It takes time and dedication for the…

WATER I welcome you, opening myself to the cool, calming bliss of your serenity, rejoicing in your waves flowing over me, feeling your strength tasting the salt of life, knowing the power you hold. FIRE Crackling flames dance before my eyes, taking me to far-off places filled with magic and wonder. I look into your depths and return, my spirit warmed by your heat. EARTH Barefoot, I feel your comfort under my feet Laughing, I feel the soft grass as I walk Rejoicing, digging deep to plant my roots Growing stronger as you nourish me. AIR Life is Breath Breath is Life Flowing upon the warmness of a summer breeze…

Bright Blessings!   August already!   (pinterest.com)   Depending on your tradition, you will likely celebrate either Lammas, or Lughnassadh, and while I’ve written about Lughnassadh, I’ve delved into little about Lammas.   (drieddecor.com)   The difference lies in what is being harvested. Lughnassadh is about corn harvest, and Lammas is about wheat harvest.   The underlying principle is the same. Both wheat and corn were very meaningful to the people who grew them, and both crops can be used in multiple ways. Meal is ground from corn, while wheat makes flour, and both can be used to bake spectacular things tons of different ways. Both also store well, and…

That chocolate is a magical drug is something that every woman knows. It can nurse you through any kind of heartbreak, it can make you fall in love (provided someone buys you enough of it) and it helps you cope with the everyday stress of a million things. No wonder then that chocolate gifts are something that work for any occasion. But is it just a delicious treat that makes you feel good or is there some serious magic at work here?     The ancient Mayans who are credited with first discovering and cultivating cacao beans, the source of chocolate certainly thought so. Archaeological evidence shows that chocolate in…

Spiralled Edge – Finding the Hearth and Heart   Once upon a time, the Hearth and Heart of a home would have been the main room with a large fireplace for cooking and heating, where people went about their daily lives. The fireplace would have been the focal point of the room. But many houses don’t have fireplaces these days, or they may be mostly ornamental with a fake fire, and we certainly don’t have huge fireplaces. The focal point in that main room has become a TV set, not a fireplace.     Gradually, the hearth became the cooker. And the heart of a home moved into the kitchen.…

(Apprentice of the Wind.  Original Piece by Imelda Almqvist) Here is last night’s conversation in the Almqvist family (I wrote it down verbatim as it unfolded) Youngest Son: “Mum, I know you fly around on your broomstick but I can’t see it anywhere!”   Me: “I have made my broomstick invisible – so no one borrows it without asking first. For instance Middle Son when he runs with elks in the Forest at midnight…   My husband: “I want a GPS on my broomstick so don’t end up having a full frontal collision with somebody else flying around in complete darkness…”   Middle Son: “I just want a normal broom…

TAMAR (Lovingly Dedicated to my Goddess-Sister, Tamara)   Tamar was an ancient Goddess in Georgia. She lived in a palace in the mountains. This palace was built by storks and nightingales. She rode a serpent bridled with gold.     (Photo Credit: Pinterest)     Tamar captured Dilis Varskulavi, the Morning Star, who was the Master of Winter.   When he escaped, which he did repeatedly, the snow would come. As many times as he would break free, each summer, Tamar would re-capture him to bring summer, which she ruled, back to the land.   This made Tamar a Sky Goddess, who controlled the weather and the seasons.   A…

Tarot Mysteries: Rediscovering the Real Meaning of the Cards by Jonathan Dee Published by Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc., Charlottesville, VA (previously published in 2003 by Zambezi Publishing, Limited, Devon, UK) Soft Cover, 321 pages The Tarot Mysteries is published as a paperback, with a glossy cover printed on typical soft-cover stock, measuring 8 ½ by 5 ½ inches. The interior pages consist of black and white tables and card images and nicely-sized typeface printed on a cream-colored paper that feels substantial under my fingers, as if it will stand up to lots of turning back and forth to revisit pages in the book. That is good, because in my…

Ten of Swords (The Ten of Swords Card is from the artist Ciro Marchetti http://www.ciromarchetti.com/)** After all this time talking about the Tarot together, we have not yet explored the Tens of the Minor Arcana! Let’s remedy that right now, and talk about the Ten of Swords, a card which could be in the running for “the most frightening card in the deck.” This will be the first time we talk about the Tens, so first a review of some basic information. A Tarot deck has 78 cards. There are 22 Major Arcana cards, with numbers from 0 to 21; the Majors usually deal with broader and more far-reaching life experience issues,…