Reading the darker side of Tarot

I’ve been starting to read oracle cards and Tarot at metaphysical fairs and one of the fascinating trends I’ve observed has come in the form of people who get readings from me and ask me not to pull any punches with the reading. One recent customer shared with me that they didn’t want me to filter my reading for them in any way. I never filter my readings anyway and explained that to my customer but it got me to ask them a question in turn.

“Why do you think people filter their readings?”

“They probably don’t want to deliver bad news or share something that will make someone uncomfortable.”

I nodded and took that in and gave them their reading. I can’t really speak to the experiences that anyone else has around giving or receiving readings but in my own experience of giving readings I’ve always opted for trusting my intuition and telling the person what I’m actually getting about the situation. I trust that if anyone else have given me a reading they have done the same.

The exchange got me thinking about reading the darker side of Tarot and Oracle cards. In some cases you find that reading through reversals, but I actually think you can look at a given card in of itself and regardless of what the position is you can read it and look at all the angles.

For instance, if I look at the Hanged Man, the positive perspective I can take is that the Hanged Man represents presence, being still in the moment, and cultivating awareness. The shadow side of the Hanged Man could represent blockages and obstacles both internal and external. Both the shadow and the gold are present within any given kind of reading and yet it’s up to the reader and readee to determine what applies for a given situation. The way we read a situation matters because it tells what we can learn from that situation and the same applies to a Tarot/oracle reading. The most important skill you can cultivate in divination is learning to look beyond the surface meanings of a card, so you can read into the card and how it relates to the overall experience.

Want a reading from me? Schedule one at this link, and let me show you what happens when you combine two different decks for your reading.

How to learn a divination deck

I share my process for how to learn a divination deck and an exercise you can do each day to learn a card and what it means as it applies to your life.

Divination, the observer effect, and results

One of the fascinating aspects of divination is the observer effect, where the act of observation, or in this case divination has an impact on the magical work a person does, or for that matter the mundane realities of a person’s life. In this video I share some of my thoughts on this aspect of divination and share why I use divination as an active form of magical work, instead of for the purposes of getting information.

Magical Experiments podcast: Divination and Tarot Magic with Liz Worth

Liz Worth and I discuss divination and Tarot magic, exploring how to work with the cards and also the importance of taking a grounded approach to your divination readings.

Learn more about Liz

Check out her books

Magical Experiments Podcast: Tarot and Spell casting with Elise Oursa

In this episode Elise Oursa and I discuss how to mediate and work with spirits, how to work with Tarot and the finer pragmatic details of creating change in your life with spells.

Elise's Website is http://www.eliseoursa.com

and her facebook group is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/cardsncoffee

Elise's new tarot deck Blood and Ink will be available for pre-order soon!

Dixit Tarot Reading Experiments

Recently I've been doing some experiments with pop culture magic Tarot readings, specifically with cards from the game Dixit. In the actual game you are given a set number of cards and you are a story teller, sort of. When it's your turn you come up with a word or phrase to describe the card. Then other people choose a card they think represents that word or phrase and give it to you. They all get shuffled together and revealed and people try to choose the card of the actual story teller. The cards themselves are quite beautiful with some excellent art, and no words, all designed to evoke a response from you. I decided to try and use them for tarot readings because the art is quite evocative, but there have been some interesting challenges that have come up with the cards.

The first challenge is just how many cards there are. I have three versions of the game and when I looked on Amazon, they've released even more expansion packs. It's a lot of cards to choose from and you aren't going to necessarily want to use them all, especially if you also want to play the game. When I did a couple of readings I used the entire deck and it made the reading more complicated, so I'm thinking of looking through the deck and just picking the cards that call to me (and I'd still likely use them for the game but mark them in a specific way in order to pull them out for readings).

The second challenge is there are no words (or roles) associated with the cards. When I did a reading with them each time, it made me appreciate how the roles of given cards are spelled out via words (in tarot cards). It was harder to do a reading because those words weren't there and it made me realize how much I've taken those words for granted. The words represent the specific roles of the cards and so I've thought of two possible ways to resolve this challenge. The first way is to make specific cards with specific roles. There is however no space on the cards to write the role. You'd have to keep a separate document and memorize those roles. The other way is to dispense with the roles altogether and just read the cards from an intuitive perspective. Its more challenging but it can be done and I think it can be a good exercise to help the reader hone his/her skills.

The third challenge is related to the second and its that the cards are open to interpretation (purposely so) and in some cases are abstract enough that it can be an additional challenge to read the cards as anything meaningful to the situation or person. However, I think if you have enough practice you can find details that are relevant to the person. It also just may require some experience of doing readings for people with those cards.

This is just my initial foray into doing readings with Dixit cards so I'll post an update in the near future with some further findings.

Did you enjoy my writing? If so, please become my patron. Your supports helps me continue to write.

Radio Interview: I was interviewed on the Pagan Variety show about Pop Culture Magic 2.0 and the Pop Culture Grimoire 2.0.

Magical Experiments Radio: I interviewed Frater Barrabbas about the difference between Ritual and Ceremonial Magic and his work with the Quabala. Start listening to the show 8 minutes in.

Collage tarot cards as enchantment workings

Shauna Aura Knight recently made a post about creating your own tarot cards using collage. It's an intriguing idea, and her methodology is useful as a way of doing some deep work with Tarot that nonetheless allows you to create a personal connection with a given card through not only the act of creation, but also meaningful pathworking done with the collage to get at the heart of the meaning of the Tarot card (Note: the image for this post is a collage tarot card that Shauna created and I'm using it with her permission).

One of the other uses of this technique is that it could also act as a form of enchantment. In the capacity of enchantment, the creation of a collage tarot card would be focused on not just helping the person understand the meaning of the card as it relates to his/her own internal work, but also understand the card as it relates to the world, and specifically to what function the card is supposed to embody to the world at large. I think the word function is critical here, in understanding the purpose of the Tarot card. Actually, I find the word function is critical in understanding magic generally, but that's a post for another day. Anyway, the tarot card you create via collage will be one that fits a particular function. That function is partially derived from the card itself. For example if the card is two of swords, then part of the function of the card is derived from being the two of swords, but part of the function is also derived by your understanding of what that function is and how it applies to the world at large. So a question to ask would be: "What does the Two of Sowrds mean to me and how does that meaning function in my life and in the world at large.

What makes Tarot cards useful is the relationship the cards have with each other. While the 2 of swords has its own meaning, context, and function, all of that changes in relationship to other cards. What the 2 of swords means and how it functions is altered in part by the combination of other cards. For the magician this is useful as a form of enchantment, because what s/he does is pick out the relevant tarot cards and line them up to produce specific outcomes. The functions of the cards interact with each other to modify the enchantment and produce a specific result that occurs because of the functions the cards embody and perform when used for enchantment.

When I do a tarot working for enchantment, it works in the following manner: I shuffle the cards and then start pulling cards out. I don't set them up into a spread right away, until I've pulled all the ones I need to pull. Once I'm satisfied I then arrange the cards into a spread that connects each card to the other cards and creates a sequence of functions that perform the enchantment. To activate the enchantment, I read the cards and through the act of reading, simultaneously internalize the cards, imprinting them and their functions into my consciousness so that I can embody them, and externalize the cards by evoking their functions into the world in order to start aligning the variables effecting the enchantment. Approaching enchantment in this way insures that the internal beliefs and values of the magician is aligned with the objective reality s/he is seeking to manifest. I find that it creates a path of least resistance, if you will. If you choose to make collage tarot cards, then you can add in the creation of the cards as part of the enchantment. The creation of the card can be understood to be a gathering of the meaning/function of the tarot as well as the creative force of the magician, with the end result being a personalized card that uniquely represents the function of the card.

What I like about using Tarot cards for enchantment purposes is that they can help the magician make logical sense of the enchantment. The spread is used to create a sequence of steps/functions that generate specific actions, which in turn generate specific outcomes. That's how magic works, in my experience. You create or follow a process you understand and you use that process to program a specific result into reality. It's so simple that it might cause a person to struggle with it, but why make magic more complicated than it needs to be?

Free Reading special with the Process of Magic Class

This week, until Friday June 1st, I'm offering a free Dual-Deck Tarot reading on a topic of your choice when you sign up for the Process of Magic class. For these readings I use the elemental hexagon deck and the alchemy deck for the readings. When you contact me to sign up for the class, tell me the question you want me to do the reading for and I'll send you an email with what I find.

Tarot Readings and spontaneous spreads

 

I was doing dual deck tarot readings at the local yule fair last week and what stood out to me was how people would create their own spreads, which didn't necessarily look like anything I'd create, but nonetheless made perfect sense for those people. What I liked about that realization is that it proves that fixed spreads are not a necessary part of Tarot reading. In fact, I'd argue that the spontaneous creation of new spreads made the reading more effective because the layout of the cards demonstrated the mental "space" of the person, and how the different cards were situated in that space.

Space, mental and physical, is part of how a person defines his/her identity. The manipulation of space via placement of objects is part of that identification process and it can tell a lot about what obstacles a person is encountered. A spread that is chaotic with elements all over the place still has an order to it, even if its an order that only the person who created the spread understands. A reading I recently did initially looked very chaotic. It took asking some questions to really get to the central issue, but once those questions were asked the spread made complete sense and fit the issue rather well.

What makes this approach dynamic however is that if you use a tarot reading as an act of enchantment, you can make the person's ability to change the spread, to reorganize it an essential part of the reading. In other words, the person changes the spatial identity s/he inhabits by changing how the cards are spatially organized, as well as how s/he understands the underlying message of the card. The result is a different reading, one that plots how the person will make changes to the existing pattern in order to resolve whatever issues are represented.

Here's a podcast episode where I talk about some of my initial experiments with Tarot.

Radio interview with Jaymi Elford

I just finished interviewing Jaymi Elford about her Tarot Business. We had a couple callers cal in at the last minute and I apologize to them, but if they wish to contact her with questions, please visit her website. Jaymi offers Tarot Readings, Tarot Classes, and Tarot pouches which can hold your tarot cards. She's also writing a book on cutting edge Tarot techniques. To learn more about her, please visit her website.

You can listen to the radio show interview below. Next week's topic will be Magical Groups and will air on Friday June 10th at 2:30pm.

Listen to internet radio with Experimental Magic on Blog Talk Radio

Another application on Space/Time Tarot work

At the Magical Experiments potluck, I shared the dual deck system with the other people, and did several readings. One reading was a birthday reading and it showed some influences the person needed to be aware of that could be problematic. Since I mentioned that these readings can be enchantments, one suggestion was made by Jaymi Elford that the actual direction that nodes faced in could be manipulated in a divination reading, making it into an enchantment, to help a person make changes in his/her life. Good idea. The elemental hexagon deck has six points and the way it's set up is that you have two sides that face to the left and right. Those side are open currents, that allow the influence of that node to flow into a person's life. If a person wants to change the flow of that influence, they change the direction the node faces, so that a point faces the connector. This shuts off the flow of influence that's going toward the person. Obviously, with such a reading a person will need to make changes in his/her life, but this act can start the necessary impetus in the subconscious of the person, planting that seed for change that removes the negative influence from your life. It's another way to use the dual deck system, and what makes it so effective is that by having one set represent connectors and one set represent influences, places, people, etc., you can effectively use the system to change those influences in your life.

Using the dual Deck system for enchantments

While I find using Tarot for divination useful, I typically use it for enchantment purposes. My latest experiment with the dual deck system involved doing an enchantment for a specific situation. If you go to the Facebook page for magical experiments, you can see a picture of the latest dual deck working, which is the enchantment I did. Here's a link to a close up of the photo as well. The core issue of the reading is at the bottom of the picture. There are two arms to the reading as well. The left hand arm represents the enchantment to control and mitigate negative influences that would effect the enchantment adversely. The right arm represents the desired outcome as well as specific node points and influence factors that will be drawn on in order to make the desired result manifest into reality. The three nodal points that spread out from the right arm, are the specific spheres of influence to be drawn on, with the connectors representing the best possible avenues to manifest those influences into the actual desired result.

Not all enchantments would need to be conducted this way, but for this instance it has been useful to approach it with an eye toward mitigating undesired influences. The dual deck system is useful because it provides visual symbols that can be manipulated physically, which the person can use to also manipulate possibilities in imaginary time. The cards provide an interface for the possibilities to manifest from, while making sense to the person doing the action, because the conceptualization of the possibilities is mediated through the cards and the maneuvering of them into specific spaces.

Intuition is also a useful component for this process, as a way of accessing imaginary time. Intuition is used in the placement of each nodal point as well as in the placement of the best connector for each nodal point. On the imaginary time level, intuition is used to match the possibilities to the nodal points and connectors, and help the person establish a meaningful connection between the reading and the events the person is influencing via the enchantment of the reading.

It's useful, with enchantment, to recognize that what is being worked with is the placement of a specific possibility into an existing system, in order to turn that possibility into reality and make it an inherent part of the system. Each nodal point represents a specific conceptual space within the system. The connectors (in this case) represent emotional states of being that are key influences for realizing the impact of the conceptual spaces on the desired result. Since we want the positive conceptual spaces to have maximum impact, in order to ensure that the desired result becomes reality, we need to use connectors that will embody the path of least resistance and maximum empowerment of the desired result.

Further experimentation to come...as a note this is a system partially derived from Calyxa Omphalos's work with dual deck tarot readings, and partially derived from ongoing work with using Tarot for enchantment purposes.

Further experimentation with two tarot decks

I've been continuing to experiment with two tarot decks and have found each reading to be useful. The primary deck is what I would call node cards. They represent specific people, events, issues, etc. The secondary deck is the connector cards and represent what connects the node cards to each as well as influences acting on the nodes. In cases where a connector card only connects to one node, it indicates either there isn't enough information or that the person hasn't done enough to get information.

From an enchantment perspective, I think the dual deck has potential as well. I'd use the connectors as specific influences to make a desired outcome for a specific node come into reality, while also using all of the nodes to support the outcome that was being created through the dual deck reading. That's the next experiment I'll be working on.

I find that using two decks in synch with each other is an interesting exercise because of the information that can be derived from using two sets of cards. It's an interesting approach to making meaning of the reading, because both sets of cards need to have some relevance to each other, but a lot of that relevance is derived from the reader or other people involved. What makes a connector have the influence it has, and why is that particular outcome shown? It's a system I recommend experimenting with for the sake of seeing what it'll show you. then compare to a reading done with just one deck and see if there's a difference. I've noticed more information with a dual deck reading than just a one deck reading, but your results may vary.

Tarot card readings with two decks

Calyxa Omphalos, who created the Elemental Hexagon deck, told me about this concept of using two tarot decks to do readings at Pantheacon. I thought I would give it a try recently, and I was very pleased with the results. I used the elemental hexagon deck and also Ray Buckland's alchemy deck. I interspeced the cards I laid down from the elemental hexagon deck with the alchemy cards I laid down, using the alchemy cards as connectors. What I found was that the connector cards naturally seemed to enhance the cards that were being used for the main reading. They provided complementary information that helped support the overall reading. It was also interesting to use two different sets of cards in conjunction with each other, particularly because with these cards it was as if I was forming specific equations (which could be really useful for using cards from the enchantment end of things).

I have to admit that just using the elemental hexagon deck has been very effective, but I also think its pretty to novel to use more than one deck for a reading, and what I liked about this approach is that it managed to fit into the theme of both decks, in terms of symbolic representation of processes the cards depict. I'd suggest that if possible it's a good idea to do this kind of reading/enchantment work with two sets of tarot cards that have complementary themes.

I'll report more as I continue to work with this rather novel approach.

Hindsight

I was looking at one of my experimental journals, a written journal I keep, and saw it in a reading I did a year or more ago about a possible move to the East versus staying in Portland. I won't say much about the East coast reading beyond noting that what the reading showed me certainly would've come true, which was apparent when the reading was done, but in hindsight is even more apparent now. But looking at the reading for staying in PDX. The Death card was first...Transformation, recycling, going thorugh a cycle...yes that's exactly what I'm experiencing in my life, followed by creativity, action, compassion, and breakthrough...All of which are elements in my life right now, both in the emptiness working and in my business pursuits. And why really mention it? Because it fascinates me to see how much my life has changed as a result of my choice, in what I would think of as really positive changes overall. I took the harder path, in some ways, a path where some alchemical rotting needed to occur in order to bring about inner alchemical changes...and is still occurring...hard when you face your demons in all their glory, but so rewardinging for the changes that can occur. One reading came true...the other could've too...but in hindsight, having experienced some of the journey for this reading I found...I'm where I need to be, to progress on my spiritual path. And looking at the reading over a year later, I am struck by how it spoke so well to not just the present then, but also the present manifesting now. It's amazing what you can see and find in the patterns of yesterday which speaks to the weave of today.

The cards say it all

In a recent post, I talked about using a new deck for some of my space/time tarot work. Last night, I finally got around to using it for myself and working with the spider goddess of time again, though as a curious note, since I'm currently letting someone borrow the book, she wasn't as present, which suggests that the book itself is magical artifact or talisman for connecting with her. Anyway, I set up my usual circle and invoked my future as well as my space/time deities and XAH. As I mentioned I didn't feel the spider goddess as strongly, but her silver web was still present. I asked my future self for help in continuing to navigate the current economic situation. Then I shuffled the elemental hexagon cards for a while.

First three cards presented myself and my obstacles.Vanadium- the Seeker was definitely me...and how interesting that for the metaphysical world it's described as void. That certainly fits my emptiness working. The two cards above the seeker card were apt as well. The one on the right was Fluorine-paranoia and the one on the left was Nickel - cost of living. Certainly the current environment is one of paranoia in general...and that fear can be infectious. The cost of living is an issue as well, given my current economic circumstances.

The next two cards are resources in myself to rely on right now, both for myself and my business. The card on the left, above Nickel is Hydrogen - Building blocks. It's an excellent reminder that I know how to build a business and also know how to use those building blocks effectively. Strontium was the card above flourine. Strontium is Luminescent Self and what it tells me is to use my meditation, my discipline practices, etc. to work with my fears, but not let them become paranoia...sit with the fear, but not fight it.

The next two cards presented external factors, people, etc. that could help me in this process. The card above Hydrogen is Silver, the moon goddess. I'm pretty sure this is a person and I'm pretty sure I know who this person is and how this person would relate to the cost of living and building blocks aspect, given some of the help she's already given me. Interesting to get confirmation on this person's presence and role not only as a helper, but also other ways she's manifested in my life.

The card above Strontium is Chlorine - Chaos in order, magic. On the superficial level its the reminder to use magic, but on a deeper level, could be more. Too early to tell, but if it's more then it's the vector of another person's path crossing mine...we shall see. Regardless it's a useful reminder that magic is always one of my most potent tools and actually points to the fact that it's time to work with Apophenia.

Final card, the outcome as it were is Argon or completion. A light bulb, but also a filament...Everything coming together to provide illumination, wealth..It is the trump card for the world. All things and none, everything and nothing, becoming complete...it's an interesting theme that continues to play itself out in a myriad of ways.

I'll be working with Apophenia next.

An interesting reading. Below's a picture of the reading:

Review: The Art of Memory by Frances Yates

This is pretty much an exhaustive coverage of the memory mansion technology, where a person creates a virtual space and symbols and associates information with each symbol. Yates traces the technique to pre-socratic Greece through Rome and the medieval and Renaissance era. There's some intriguing overlay with the occult history of Giordano Bruno. I'll admit, however, I was actually looking for what I hoped would be detailed information on how the memory technique is done. While Yates does provide some information, I didn't find this book to be as useful as I hoped. It's useful as a history about memory techniques, but not really for a description of those techniques.

4 out of 5 mnemonics.

Latest space/time Tarot Experiment

At Pantheacon, I had the good fortune to barter one of my books for a very intriguing Tarot deck, the Elemental Hexagons Deck. Tonight I broke the deck in with a space/time tarot ritual working for a friend of mine. I used the voyager deck to create the magical circle and invoked the future version of my friend into my hands so that he could shuffle the deck. I asked him to provide me information and/or magical work to help him with a situation in his life. The reading itself was interesting, but I won't post details as it is confidential information. What I will note however is how tactile and intuitive using the elemental hexagon deck is. I was able to easily intuit a pattern that made perfect sense for the information, but what I really liked is how the cards fit together. You basically attach one hexagon to another. It really helps make the relationships very apparent and seamless.

I'll be experimenting more with this deck for space/time workings, especially with the spider goddess of time, in the near future, so expect further posts, and some pictures in the near future!

Space/Time Tarot/Deity experiments

I decided to do some space/time work with tarot cards after finishing A Brief hirstory of Time by Oryelle Defenstrate-Bascule. In his book he'd explain some of his own space/time tarot techniques and it reminded me of some of my experiments with space/time tarot, which I'd done a year or so back. As good as any reason to break out the cards and do some further experimentation as well as deal with a few gnawing situations in my life. As Oryelle points out and I have pointed out as well, tarot isn't just for divination. It's also for conjuration. A reading provides you more than a glimpse of the future...it also provides you an opportunity to manipulate the possibilities presented to you. I used the voyager deck to create a magical circle and an evocation triangle. The magical circle and triangle is based off the book Portable Tarot by Donald Tyson, but the technique described here is an extension of his concepts into my own style and experimentation of magic. Here's what it looks like (Note you can also click the link to see the full picture):

The aces are in the center. They form the elemental foundation. On top of them is the card, which represents my current self. My presence is the Hanged Man. The outer circle is the trumps cards used to create the magical circle or tarot temple or whatever else you want to call it.The row of cards above are trump influences I am relying on. All of them were appropriate as gateways and power providers.

The summoning Triangle is the Priestess, the Fool, and Space/Time. Normally the Hanged man would be part of the Triangle, but I replaced him with the Priestess card, thinking it appropriate, plus the Hanged man is the presence of me. The Master of Worlds is the Future self I picked for myself. I thought of going to the usual card, the Woman of Crystals aka the Gaurdian, but I realized that didn't feel right, so I randomly stirred the voyager cards until my hand came to that card, which said I am the future of you. I realize now that the Guardian card is no longer representative of me. She was the guardian of my lies, illusions, and delusions which Babalon stripped away from me this last year. The presence of the Hanged Man is that which stares into the emptiness of zero seeking answers while submitting to the suffering necessary for achieving those answers. That suffering, for me, is really the emptiness work and the work with my past, with the roots of all that has haunted me in this life. The Master of Worlds is also the Master of time, but to master anything, you have to submit to it first, surrender to the flow in order to understand the force and manifest a movement that goes in sync with others. The master has surrendered to the emptiness and so understood it. He is me after this year is finished, or at least a possible variant of me.

I did the activation of the circle as well as the invocation of the future self into my present self, asking him to guide my hands for the reading I was going to do. I evoked the spider goddess of time, Purson demon of time, and Thiede the Dehar of space/time. I also evoked Xah my Personal Daemon and fox spirit and guide. Each of these beings are essential to my mythology of time. I wanted their presence and guidance in the working I was doing, because I wasn't just doing a divinatory reading, but actually a conjuration across the silver web of time. Below is a picture of me meditating with the forces that I'm working with:

I felt my older self lay his hands into mine and I shuffled my Alchemy deck and created a reading specific to circumstances in my life, both present circumstances, but also seeking for the person(s) who are part of a very specific magical working in my life that is yet to come, which this emptiness working and the love working has been a prelude to. Below is the cards pulled for the alchemy deck (Note you can also click the link to see the entire picture):

You can see most of the cards, though one got caught in the glare of the light. The Three in One, in the center, are present situations in my life. The two cards above and below the three card spread are current potential factors I can use that also involve what it is I'm seeking for. The card to the left is the past, and aptly reflects who I was. The cards to the right is an action to take as well as the desired reality. This not justr a reading...it is actually a specific working, a conjuration of reality, which utilizes the principles of the cards to manifest specific goals. The last time I did this type of working, was for Leisa Refalo's Podcast on Tarot and the magical working I did has come to fruition and continued to manifest since then. I mention that because I want to emphasize the dynamic nature of this working. It isn't a divination...It it a conjuration of potential that is manifested into reality. It does provide necessary information for how the conjuration will manifest, while also aligning the realities into one. It's also a kind of retroactive magic, because I'm using my future self to guide my presence in manifesting this potential into specific reality.

After I did this reading, I then spent some time working with the spider goddess of time in particular. I asked her to show me how to weave webs of potential into reality. I put my hands together as if in prayer, but as I looked at my hands, I felt the Astral fingers of each hand go through the other hand, so that I held my physical fingers in prayer, but held my astral fingers in a kind of V and used both sets of hands to weave the silver strands of time into reality. She guided my weaving and as I looked into those hands, I began to see a flickering of images that represented different potential realities. I started weaving the images into the silver webs and then cast the webs into reality. The webs of time would take the images of the possible future and meld them into reality. Below is a picture of the prayer pose I was doing. Obviously you can't see the astral fingers, but it gives you an idea of what I was doing on a physical level:

When I finished with the meditation, I thinked each deity of time and then thanked my future self. I recorded the cards and the specifics of the reading in my personal journal and then undid the temple, releasing the silver webs into reality. I'll be experimenting with this technique in more depth and there will likely be an article about it in the future, but I also wanted to show a work in progress as it were as well as how I do some of my space/time magic work. This post will likely end up in my book on identity and magic, as a lot of my research and experimentation is involving a lot of space/time work. This is a small example of that work.

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Review of A Brief Hirstory of Time by Oryelle Defenstrate-Bascule

For any chronomancer out there, this book is a must read. Not only will it put you in touch with the Spider Goddess of Time, but it also demonstrates experimental magic at its finest. Oryelle presents some very intriguing concepts and ideas about time magic. I found it hard to put this book down as I was enthralled by his ideas, as well as noticing some intriguing synchronicities in our work (which isn't surprising as this seems to be common amongst Space/Time magicians), most notably the silver strands of time. Oyrelle artfully blends poetry and art into a discourse on space/time magic which is revolutionary for what it offers, namely a non-linear perspective on time as well as methods for practicing some potent space/time magic. I'll definitely be utilizing some of this techniques and experimenting with them, because I know the process described within the book works. I've already started working with the spider goddess of time and she is a very real presence. I highly recommend this book. You will get a lot out of it and also be supporting and artist and magician in his work.

5 out of 5 silver webs of time.

podcast interviews on Tarot connection

Interivew with Lupa on Totem cards Interview with me on experiments with tarot and magic

 You know in listening to this episdoe, I'm struck again by how much the ritual I did in it, already has changed my life. Leisa, the host, mentioned that each time a person listened to it, the invocation would occur again...and so there's some space/time magic for you...but also that show and in fact that day made me recognize some realities that were important to me.

The transmutation continues...