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February 22nd, 2012 | 
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A question I get asked a lot is “What are the best Tarot card decks?” Well, “best” is a relative term. I don’t really think there is any such thing as “best” but I do agree that there are some decks that are more popular than others and maybe a little easier to understand. In this article, I’m going to briefly review the most popular and probably the most easy to learn Tarot card decks in the world today. Hopefully, after reading this, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what Tarot card deck you will ultimately end up with.
Without a doubt, the most popular and easiest to learn Tarot card deck is the Rider Waite Tarot Deck. This deck was named after the very famous occult scholar, Dr. Arthur Edward Waite. The deck was first created in 1910. He had the designs drawn by a very talented lady by the name of Pamela Coleman Smith. Pamela was a member of the occult society group called the Order of the Golden Dawn.
The deck itself is Read the rest of this entry »
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Have you ever walked past a window and thought you saw something just beyond your sight? Something that made you stop and look again, only to discover there was nothing there? This form of divination has connections to crystal ball readings where the reader asks a question, and the seer looks into a ball of glass to find answers to their questions.
It works by scrying, or gazing into the reflective surface, and placing oneself into a trance-like state in order to find images or other signs within the tool. This helps the user define current events, or predict future elements within the life of the reader.
Many cultures have used this divining technique of crystallomancy for several years, although the use is not strictly confined to crystal balls, as water, smoke, glass and even the clouds have proven successful in finding images that are translated into the answers to questions, or receive messages about the future. Read the rest of this entry »
Your mind power is waiting for you to tap into it. Psychometry is one of the resources lying in wait. What is psychometry? Sometimes referred to as token-object reading, psychometry is a type of extra-sensory perception, or ESP. Basically, it is the ability to learn the history of an object by making physical contact with it. Sound familiar? You may have seen this ability on NBC’s Heroes as one of Sylar’s ill-gotten abilities.
Think about how a family heirloom brings back memories of grandparents, or how by picking up a favorite book you remember how you felt reading it. Many believe that objects have souls and memories, and that their pasts are contained within. This is the theory behind psychometry. In coining the term “psychometry,” Joseph Buchanan developed a theory that all things exude an emanation. He likened the studies of psychometry and its ability to tell us more about human history to geology’s ability to tell Read the rest of this entry »
The origins of Magick are unknown as is the origins of religion. There is much speculation about when humankind became aware of “supreme creation forces” and many a lengthy debate – bordering on academic wars – has been waged on this very topic. The same applies to Magick. Did Magick precede “belief” or did “belief” precede Magick. A bit of a chicken and egg question, and one we will not be able to answer unless some life changing discovery is made by archaeologists in the future.
What is notable is that there must have been shamans around some 50,000 years ago. The rock paintings found from that era have a religious overtone and the caves where these were discovered may well have been places of worship. The earliest artifacts around these sites were carbon dated to 27,000 years ago – during the Paleolithic period. Was Magick practiced then? Perhaps it was, but then perhaps not.
What we do know is that later Read the rest of this entry »
As Aleister Crowley defined Magick – “The Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will.”
Low or Natural Magick evolved out of the lowlands where farmers grew crops. Many Solitary Witches and Wiccans practice Low Magick as well as many ancient Pagan (i.e., from L. paganus meaning “a countryman or country dweller”) cultures did. Low Magick utilizes natural objects such as crystals, herbs, rocks, fire, air, earth, water, animal parts (i.e., not from sacrificial means but from the use of feathers, pelts, skins, horns, entrails, or bones found by a practitioner in the forest, fields, or grasslands), the weather, seasonal changes, or anything found within our environment and nature. It can be looked at as taking care of your physical earthly wants, needs, and desires such as love and relationships, money, health, personal protection and is generally short term.
Sympathetic Magick (a.k.a. Primitive Read the rest of this entry »
The practice of Kabbalah has been going throug something of a renaiscance in recent years, and with celebrities such as Madonna talking publicly about its benefits many people have become interested in the subject. At the same time as gaining in popularity modern Kabbalah has also evolved and metamorphosised from its ancient origins so that what I call ‘modern Kabbalah’ is something quite different from the traditional subject. In this article I will try to give a general outline of, and introduction to, the study and practice of modern Kabbalah.
The origins of Kabbalah lie in early Jewish mysticism, but from those beginnings the study of Kabbalah has grown and branched out, first into a Christian and Islamic Kabbalah, and then further, so that today many people who study and practice Kabbalah do so outside of any particular religious affiliations, treating it as an independent spiritual system in itself. Within Jewish legend there Read the rest of this entry »
There are many texts describing the origin of the tarot card, although no proof has been found to justify a clear case. Some say they came from gypsy origin, others say they are part of ancient Hebrew, Greek or even prehistoric imagery. What is known is that the first cards were found in the 1400s where an Italian document describes a set of playing cards similar to the 78 deck we see today, but contained pictures of Greek gods and four different bird types.
The structures of the tarot cards were said to have been set in place to tell a story of the soul; to describe a young Christian’s journey through his life with moral guidance and instruction. They have also been used as an alternative to the playing card, which originated in Europe on a large scale some 50 years prior to the Tarot card being distributed. Many texts describe the gambling uses of the Tarot, and how similar they are to other card games, although the use of Read the rest of this entry »
Who hasn’t, at one point or another, wished that they could read the thoughts of another person? Who hasn’t wanted to discover the innermost secrets and desires kept carefully hidden and locked away in someone’s mind? Who hasn’t wished to be able to tell if they were being lied to? Who hasn’t wanted to be able to discern the future?
For an accomplished telepath, all that and more is possible. The short definition of telepathy is the transference of thoughts or emotions from one mind to another, or the ability to “see” hidden things using only the mind, essentially a form of E.S.P. or divination. However, telepathy can be utilized for so much more, as highly experienced telepaths are able to focus and utilize their enhanced powers of the mind for a number of practical uses.
Telepathy is not just a super power found in comic books and science-fiction television shows and movies. It is most assuredly a real psychic Read the rest of this entry »
It has long been established that witchcraft has been a prominent function in society, from the use of healers in ancient civilizations, to the modern advancements in the pagan religions over the years.
Witchcraft was the main way of life, with people following astrological charts, ridding themselves of demons, using the earth as a restorative power for themselves and their land, and making use of magical entities to define how they should live based on the seasons they lived in. Healers of the ancient world have always called upon the powers of the gods or the earth, to provide care for those suffering, and were well respected in their communities for all the good they do.
The majority of witches believed that the earth had supernatural powers, and that everything should be done for the good of all, as nature was revered, and so was the spirit of the person who would eventually return there. There was a focus Read the rest of this entry »
The most popular of occult symbols is the Endless knot. Although many versions of endless knot exist, the most popular one is the pentagram. This five pointed star was used by almost all the ancient cultures including China, Greece, Europe, Latin America, India as well as Egypt. References to this occult symbol has been found in the Neolithic cave walls, Babylonian paintings and in even in Scriptures.
According to the Greek philosopher Pythagoras, five was the number of man and each of the five points of the pentagram represents the five elements water, earth, spirit, fire and air. The top corner represents the crown of the human head and the remaining four points represent the tips of the limbs. In the Kabbalistic tradition, the pentagram is also believed to represent justice, mercy, wisdom, understanding and awe-inspiring beauty.
The pentagram is considered so powerful that it is used in magickal purposes to Read the rest of this entry »