Archive for Religion and Spirituality

Update on Looking Forward: Tool Creation and Other Matters

Posted in Occultism, Other with tags , , , , , , , , , on March 21, 2014 by Sypheara

Updates have unfortunately been sparse to the blog lately, but that has  not meant things have been moving along quite nicely on the personal front. Whilst this is not directly relevant to the  content of this blog, I thought it was all worth a mention because, hopefully, this change in my circumstances will facilitate an increased level of practice in the future.

I have recently  acquired a job which has enabled me to have the funds  to finally get a place of my own. This will hopefully provide both the space and privacy to to do necessary workings with the appropriate tools, and I am looking forward to having my ‘walking rate’ on the path accelerated at a rapid pace.

As such, I would like to touch on some coming potential subjects that the blog and myself will cover over the coming weeks and months.

Tool Creation and Acquisition

Over the coming few months and weeks, I hope to be building up a set of tools for use in a ritual context. This includes a myriad of things, and therefore could be on a variety of topics.

For example, I will be creating an altar, which will require significant work. This altar i hope to follow a fairly complicated process under the watchful eye of Hecate to ensure it is properly enlinked to the current. This will include numerous esoteric workings, as well as physical modification of the table i use itself, perhaps even entering the wood etching and pyrography departments. Which for me would be highly interesting and challenging, as it would be my first attempt to incorporate such things into my own work.

As an additional, I will be making a wands for my own personal use, and helping a friend acquire wood in a correct manner for their own. This tool will be one of invaluable help, and since this involves working with the spirits of plants and trees, I want to ensure that taking the wood for its construction is done in as proper a manner as is possible.

The above are limited examples, as I have more planned and hope to detail what I can (ie where its appropriate) as I go forward. Hopefully, this will help me work with Hecate and the other Gods on a much closer level without undue interruption.

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Cherry Tree, Artist Unknown

Familiar Work

A year or two back, I did some workings with my primary familiar, aimed at establishing a greater connection to it. These for the most part, only met with limited success, and unfortunately, due to other issues arising, I was unable to continue those set of workings.I now feel again it is time to concentrate on this aspect as I move into a space where I feel more comfortable doing larger workings.

Whilst I have, and am capable of talking with this spirit rather infrequently through vision and dream, a closer, a more bonded and intimate connection is sought than is currently present. To this end I will be creating a body for it which is not only a tool but a gift to reward is positive presence and influence in my work and life up to this point and to ask for its continued assistance.

This body will probably be an enspirited doll. This doll, like the spirit box was and is for the mighty dead, will act as a focus point that offers a physical housing which will help it to manifest in the physical world.  The dolls body will probably be based on an existing ball jointed doll, which will be loaded with specific elements and undergo a series of workings that will encourage the spirit to accept it as a potential body.

Over the coming weeks, I hope to ask my familiar for its permission  to continue this work, and if given, whats its preferences are to body gender, type etc are to ensure maximum compatibility.

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Porcelain ball Jointed Dolls,  Fernandoartesano 

Five Elements and their Synchronicity

I have been meaning to write a small entry about the importance of numbers, and the interesting parallels between the modern concepts of fundamental physical forces and that of the classical elements. Whilst this may have been touched on before, I haven’t seen anything on it recently and thought it might be good to put forward my own perspective on it as I find it quite interesting.

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Theosophische Darstellung zur Alchemie, Deutsche Fotothek

For now however, it still remains for the relocation to be seen through to the end, and for existing work to be written up in physical format and other correspondences to be completed.

Thanks for reading as always, and a very happy Ostara everyone!

~S~

Of Interest: A Recent Case of ‘Demonic’ Possession

Posted in Necromancy, Occultism with tags , , , , , , , , on February 5, 2014 by Sypheara

Browsing the internet recently, I came across a very interesting article published by the BBC.  This article relates to a case of supposed demonic possession in Indianapolis, America. This case I think is of high interest for numerous reasons. One, the case, when viewed against the backdrop of other similar cases involving Demonic Possession and Poltergeists, shows remarkable similarities. Two, the case was not just the eyewitness reports of one or more questionable witnesses, but rather activity of a paranormal nature was witnessed by medical professionals working on the case. One instance for sure was blatant, and without natural explanation, if the report is to be believed.

The original BBC news link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/25943051

A more comprehensive link to an article by the Indystar:

http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2014/01/25/the-disposession-of-latoya-ammons/4892553/

And in case of a host failure:

Intake officers report of preliminary inquiry

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1004899-intake-officers-report.html

Police report of strange photographic images and accidental caught Electronic Voice Phenomena

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1005559-excerpt-from-lake-county-police-report.html

Bishops report requesting permission to exorcise the family

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1005721-report-to-bishop.html

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The sheer amount of eyewitness testimony means that this is definitely one of the most impressive cases in recent years I’ve stumbled across. It must be noted that this must be hell to go through as a family, quite literally. It is a shame that in many of these cases, it is always assumed by medical professionals to simply be a delusion existing solely in the minds of those undergoing the experience. This only causes a further downward emotive spiral as they become further ostracised, increasingly not only being persecuted by the spirits at home, but further by the support structure supposedly in place to protect them.

In cases like this, it is obvious that the state of fear and panic causes the feedback loop these spirits want. As the terror takes hold and natural explanations are deemed rightly insufficient, the outbreak of sudden religious mania is visible in many of these cases, usually creating a worse situation. From many case studies, intervention of the church usually aggravates matters, and very often causes more problems. Usually the incidences only subside after a specific action has been taken. Some of these actions can be seen to be general when many cases are looked at, but others have a distinct specific action which causes such disturbances to end.

Whilst I will leave my thoughts on this matter for another time, it suffices to say  I find such cases compelling because they match my own belief about the Dark Dead, and similar spirits, which can if strong enough, cause such problems.

Hope you enjoy having a good read through.

~S~

Belated: Happy Imbolc

Posted in Folk Belief, Luciferianism, Other, Paganism, The Path of Flames with tags , , , , , , , , on February 2, 2014 by Sypheara

To everyone reading this, firstly I’d like to wish you happy Imbolc! Sorry the post is  a bit late, but I got caught up in my own workings.

Imbolc marks the beginning of spring, when the solar fires once again begin to return and winters grip begins to loosen.  It certainly hasn’t felt that way in England as of yet! A mild but constantly rainy weather pattern seen this be a very strange January, and  I can only hope that going forward it will calm down allowing for more workings outside to be performed. Although it can’t be said to be unwelcome, keeping everywhere around here relatively warm.

The cross quarter sabbats, are for me, emphasised more than the solstices. The liminality, the crossing points, are for me the times were I seem to combine solitary work with celebrating the event with the wider pagan community. This is something, as a solitary practitioner, I seldom do but feel is essential to prevent myself from falling into a disconnected state.

I often get asked if there is a reason behind this, in an objective fashion, but it simply more of a personal preference that for me. The answer I often give is simple.  The solstices and equinoxes become more of a personal experience for me, simply due to practicality. Not as a rule but as a guide, using the cross quarter days for communal and introspective work, and the quarter days for more workings with an objective, it allows for multiple expressions of my practice where  the staggering of priorities encourages me to take part in all of the Sabbats on some level. Not out of only a sense of duty, but missing out! Of course this isn’t roughly stuck to – if I feel prodded in a certain direction, I roll with it and do workings or rituals or whatever as required.

I participated in an interesting ritual the night before Imbolc which revolved around the Goddess Brighid and the Spirit of the Swan. This involved a guided meditation of a journey to a lake, where upon the Swan would be met, and a message potentially received.

For me it was rather interesting, and played out far differently that I could have expected. I entered a forest from the minds eye that was filled with silver light. The trees and the land itself seem infused with silver, and I felt of reduced weight. It wasn’t long before I reached a lake – the lake was a deep, sapphire blue, in vivid contrast to that of the surrounding land. On it, a swan swam, xrayed, it’s skeleton viewable through its skin. It flickered between this and a more solid corporeal appearance, as it swam towards me.

When it got close, I felt it an aura extend from it to myself. Quite quickly this enveloped me,  surrounding me in a deep sapphire light. At this point, I entirely lost any sense of being connected within anyone else present. I felt the bones push out from my skin and reach down into the ground, piercing into the roots of a great tree. My minds eye was dominated by a giant, white and blue searing eye, and a voice spoke through the swan delivering its message. The energy felt not too dissimilar from that of Belial’s, and completely overtook my body. Eventually once the message was delivered, the experience slowly became less intense, before finally my bones retracted back towards my body, and the swan began to swim away. Even as it did so, it felt like the scene and my own aura was collapsing inwards, and soon i was surrounded by a pitch blackness.

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Imbolc celebration in Marsden

In the distance, I could see an orange light so I stumbled towards it. As i got closer, I could see a skeletal figure, which looked like a ram or goat, except it possessed human hands and stood upright on it’s hindquarters. Like the swan, it flickered between this skeletal visage and a solid form. In this case, the solid form was of a creature covered in black deep fur,  with bone bleached antlers. I could see it stirring a dark, black cauldron, in which a clear, warm liquid that had the consistency of treacle circled, vortex like. As I came closer, the figure reached up, and tore off its own head, to reveal an angelic male figure underneath. This figure glowed like white hot metal, and long flowing blonde hair descended around the narrow face like streams of plasma .There was a feeling that the air around him (for the figure felt distinctly male) was electrified. The skin of the goat fell away entirely , and the figure walked over to me and extended out his right hand, and placed it on my head. There was no feeling of heat, but instead I felt an immense jolt of energy, and suddenly became aware of my own physicality. At that point, I slowly came to, and opened my eyes..

All in all it was a very rewarding and interesting journey, although far different and expanded than  what I expected or the goal of the working itself. It was interesting that I experienced no feelings from Hecate or any other feminine energies.

After everything was over, the person who was leading the ritual also gave to me and other participants a wonderful present: a hand sewn Imbolc bracelet, made out of a white material that also  bore a small charm. As someone who works with knots, knows how much concentration to create it would have taken and appreciates how much intense focus can create a powerful object, it was a very, very nice gift. It was taken home and placed on the altar immediately, and I intend to wear it close to the body between now and Beltane.

On the Sabbat night I prepared the offerings, tying them with red and white string. This included several apples, an alcoholic libation, and some walnuts. One of these walnuts was opened, and filled with the ashes from burnt incense and a small piece of coloured quartz, one I have had since being a small child. As such, i felt it would make an ideal gift. Associations were not thought of here in any large amount – just the desire to return something to the spirits for their continued presence and as  a thank you for the previous experience.

On Monday, I plan to take these offerings to an appropriate place, somewhere secluded where they are unlikely to be bothered. I hope you have all had a similarly interesting few days.

~S~

Ritual Write-Up: Spirit Box Creation

Posted in Luciferianism, Necromancy, Occultism, Paganism, The Path of Flames, Traditional Witchcraft with tags , , , , , , , , on January 17, 2014 by Sypheara

After a long and hard write-up, the Spirit Box Creation PDF is finally complete, and now available in the resources section! Although seemingly taking forever, I can honestly say that I am very pleased with the results. Writing in-depth with others in mind, deciding what is appropriate and not to include, in such a document is a far call from writing up it my own journal!

What spurred me to write the document is the powerful amount of information gained through it’s construction by the spirits contacted through it. Made to help give me a more concrete, physical link to the mighty dead, the spirit box which resulted from this process has gone on to be an invaluable tool, and has pride of place on my personal altar whenever possible. As such, for those who feel comfortable, want to attempt it, and feel ready to do so, I can say I have learned and gained a lot from it, and it is worth an attempt if you feel drawn to it.

Clocking in at around 20 odd A4 pages, it must be said that this is definitely NOT the lightest of documents I have ever produced. However,  it contains pretty much every aspect of the ritual I used to empowering my spirit box. Details on method and ingredients are all listed, along with relevant sigils, and the file also contains images. These I took at relevant and appropriate times during the ritual before the box was ensouled and the invocations began.

Without further ado, the quick link is below:

Spirit Box Creation

Lastly, I would like to thank those who have read over my work and have given their feedback to it. It is much appreciated that people would be interested and give their time to look over it for me. I’d also especially like to thank Mark Alan Smith, who has gracefully given permission for several of the sigils revealed and channeled through his work with Hecate and subsequently published in the Queen of Hell to be used in this document. 

Thank you for reading as always,

~S~

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A Point of View: Seasons Greetings!

Posted in Necromancy, Other with tags , , , , , on December 28, 2013 by Sypheara

Hello all, I hope you have had and are having a fantastic Christmas/Yule/Saturnalia/holidays/whatever you wish to call it. I apologise for being unable to post over the last few days, but I have been busy with family and friend stuff which as you can hopefully imagine, has to come first.

Therefore firstly, I’d like to wish you all  a very merry whatever you call it! I have two small updates for you all, which you may find an interesting read.

snow_falling1680x1050

Firstly, I stumbled across a recent article on the BBC news site funnily enough, which brings a more secular, outsider perspective to the concept of the dead and how they are treated/viewed within modern society. I thought it was highly interesting to read a non pagan / ‘religious’ / ‘spiritual’ perspective which very closely mirrored my own thought strucutrem  especially before I began working with the dead and walking a more openly pagan path. It can be found at the following link:

A Point of View: Why we banish the words of the Dead

Secondly, the write-up on the Necromancy spirit box creation is almost complete, accompanied by relevant pictures. I have decided however to rewrite this from post form into a pdf form, and distribute it as part of the resources, mainly due to how picture heavy it has turned out to be meaning it would have to be spread across several posts. No point having a resources page if I’m not going to use it!

I hope that the article above proves interesting, and again, seasons greetings to you all.

~S~

Ritual Write-Up: The Trident

Posted in Occultism, Paganism, The Path of Flames with tags , , , , , on December 8, 2013 by Sypheara

Continuing on with the theme of the day, I have finished the blog reshuffle I have been intending to do for some time now. The resources page has become the links page, and has been replaced with an resources page of my own work. This will hopefully allow me to distribute some of my own work in PDF format, which will make it easier to read, easier for people to get hold of a hard copy, and reduce the amount of articles needing to be split into multiple posts.

The first of the uploaded files relates to a working which I took part in earlier this year, which was run by the Temple of the Ascending Flame. With the material aligning with my own work, I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to give back some time and energy in participating in group work. This is not something I usually do, but it turned out to be a highly rewarding experience. The supplied and uploaded file has only been slightly modified – outside of that, it is identical to the one I sent after the workings were completed.

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Seal of Belial

The working itself deals with contacting Hecate, Lucifer, and Belial, over the course of several nights utilising sigils, blood magick, and meditation and visualisation techniques. The results were very interesting, and really helped move my personal practice forward on a theoretically, practically, and spiritual level.  At the time, it was the longest ritual I had performed and the first to utilise blood magick, where beforehand only the breath had been primarily utilised.

It is quite a long and serious bit of work. Many of the sigils I have still not been able to figure out the use or meaning to, but plan to when possible do a series of workings to investigate the main seals revealed. The quick link to the PDF is below.

https://theluciferianrevolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/toaf-2013-project-1-revised.pdf

Ave Hecate,

~S~

On Reflection: Witchnames

Posted in Occultism, Paganism, The Path of Flames, Traditional Witchcraft with tags , , , , , , , on November 24, 2013 by Sypheara

The idea or concept of a Witchname has never been an appealing to me. However, recent events have forced me to re-evaluate my take on it, and I thought it would make for an interesting, small post. A quick and to the point explanation for those who have not come across the concept:  A witchname is a name taken or given by a witch to describe their magickal self identity.

You can come across such a concept in in multiple places, and I was introduced myself to it through reading different source materials.  It is often approached in several, widely differing ways across traditions, which vastly alters the meaning and reasons behind having having one. Again, to keep it short, I will describe both extremes of the spectrum, although it is to be reminded that most traditions and schools fall somewhere in between these two examples.

At the most extreme, a witchname is said to be the literal, true magickal name of the practioner.  To know somethings true name, is said to have complete control over it, and examples of this type of approach can be found in several older  demonological  texts and other even older sources which predate industrial society. This is said to be a self awakening experience, said to give control over your own self in a much greater, more concious way, and be a secret to hold exceptionally guarded. A witchname is in this sense supposed to  be given or otherwise discovered, and is not self given as its a property belonging to said practitioner beyond their control.

AstarothSigil

The Sigil of Astaroth. Sigils can also be seen as a form of true name in symbolic form.

At the most open, and at the opposite extreme, is where the witchname is self given, and acts as a simple pseudonym. This pseudonym is adopted often for many various reasons, usually to separate or abstract the persons magickal identity or activities away from their regular everyday self. This is said to elevate the magickal side of a person, whilst helping them separate from the mundane when carrying out workings so that they can be more effective. Often, this name is used for all activities, is not kept secret, and is often used in a public space. This can be seen in many online communities, where users often use their witchname, in this sense, as also their viewable username.

Although knowing of it, I have never been one for the concept of the witchname. Although holding some sympathy with the first concept, and believing it is technically possible, I have always regarded witchnames with suspicion. This has come from meeting other practitioners who are very vocal about their witchnames. Many of these people have left me with the impression that such a name was only adopted to fuel the ego – not due to some internal discovery, spirit or god given gift, or for practical application.  Also, from a personal standpoint, I feel no need to outside of ritual to dramatise my belief, believing that this can often do great harm to the path by making it seem frivolous or pure self indulgence.

As such, the whole concept was although not forgotten, certainly not dwelt upon. After finishing my second journal, I was at a loss at how to start the other despite having plenty to actually write up. How would i begin? Locked in this thought pattern for several weeks, I finally had a break through of a sorts. On the night of the Frosty Moon, I was wide awake for the majority of the night time, unable to sleep in any way. Thus annoyed, I continued to try and sleep with little success, until I eventually passed out for a duration of perhaps 40 minutes sometime very late on in the morning as the sun was almost risen.

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The Mighty Dead, artist unknown

I immediately found myself in a powerful dream, in which I was sucked through and into the spirit box I had constructed for Samhain. I followed this dark tunnel for awhile and found myself standing in a clearing amidst a dark wood, with a pale, sickly blue sky.  In the centre, I could see a figure tied to a stone table that was inclined at a 45 degree angle. Looking closer, I could see that this figure was infact myself, or a form of myself that I often use whilst travelling. Briefly described this form is faun like with notable differences. It possesses horns similar to a gazelles, and large wings that are feathered, but bat like.  Its skin is ivory white, contrasting against the black shadowlike fur and black veins and markings. This was the first time me seeing this body from an outside perspective, and I could see the serpent like eyes vacant –  open, with the colours shifting within them dulled. I moved towards the shell and began to step into it, merging my form with it. Once this weird, but not unfamiliar process was mostly complete, I could see from my new eyes. Removing the bounds of the form that kept it tied to the table, I tried to move off. 

Immediately, I could feel a cool rush of wind and black forms rose up from the base of the pedestal, with a hissing. These forms assumed the forms of shadow like figures, in the main appearing as vaguely female in shape. They surrounded me, touching me across the flesh, being at the same time warm and ice cold, leaving temporary marks across the flesh. Repeatedly, they whispered a name repeatedly into my ear. The word was clear and distinct, penetrating my being as it was spoken. This got louder, and more intense, with several of the forms passing in and through my own body. I was overcome with a feeling that they were calling to me, with a name that refered to me that I had never encountered. This persisted for what seemed like at least ten to fifteen minutes, before they grew quiet, their forms dissolved, and they sank back into the ground.

shadowwoman

Shadow Person, artist unknown

With this, I attempted to stand from my stone support but felt incredibly drained, and fell to the ground. The impact startled me into actually waking back into normal awareness with a large jump.  Analysing this experiment in context, much of my previous assumptions, perhaps unfair ones in light of this event, have been removed.

Having my own experience of what I believe to be the Mighty Dead speak to me what is effectively a kind of witchname has made me look upon the concept with renewed interest and as an avenue for future exploration. The inspiration from this experience cleared my ‘writers’ block, and I plan to make use of the revealed name in future magickal work starting with the beginning of my new journal.

Recommended Reading: Modern Whitewashing

Posted in Other, Paganism, Traditional Witchcraft with tags , , , , , on November 12, 2013 by Sypheara

The watering down, the ‘cleansing’ from Modern Paganism of it’s more ‘unsavory’qualities  has always bothered me. When I began my path, it was an arduous journey to find information which seemed concrete, amidst the apologetic titles which were aimed at ‘white witches’.

These information sources never seemed to relate to my personal path at all – nothing I read in them, when compared to the dreamspaces I had traveled to and the spirits I had talked to seemed to ‘fit’ in any sense. Their  portrayal of a nature or reality without its savage, dark and cruel side seemed to me to be more than simply misrepresentation.  A lie perhaps,  meant to make the content more palatable to sell more books. I feel that these false divisions, which exist purely to satisfy ourselves and our egos, do not help a modern witchcraft in any form. Denying any side(‘light’/’dark’, ‘good’/’evil’ or life and death) is simply self limitation and promotes a dangerous withholding and disarming orthodoxy.

Thankfully, it seems many others share this viewpoint, especially with publications such as Apocalyptic Witchcraft finally being produced. I was recently linked a blog post by a good friend of mine which goes into this on a much deeper level, and I share many sentiments with the person who posted it.

Despite being overly busy, I thought it was far too good to not share.  As such I will post it as it is and let it speak for itself.

http://www.blyssfulwitch.com/the-whitewashing-of-witchery-in-american-neo-paganism-the-taming-of-the-witch/

I hope you all enjoy it, discussion welcomed as always.

~S~

Small update: Happy Samhain!

Posted in Divination, Necromancy, Occultism, Other, Paganism with tags , , , on October 31, 2013 by Sypheara

Hello all, a small update as promised following on from the review and the last tarot reading post. Alot has happened, for the better, thats caused me to be a very, very busy individual lately. Before I launch into it all though, I’d first like to wish you all a Happy Samhain, and hope you enjoy whatever it is you have planned. If you have nothing planned, whether recreational or work wise, then I say you are going to miss out! Its a fantastic time of year, and an important one at that.

Tarot / Personal Update

It seems that my previous reading turned out to be much more spot on than I expected. After a hard slog, and not so little faith, I have finally managed to land a job, fulfilling what I believe was the Judgement card in my favour. I have been watching out for any pitfalls, especially in my own behaviour. Controlling problematic aspects of my behaviour and demonstrating alot of patience has finally paid off, and I am now much more financially secure and free.

As such, I have moved out of my old home to stay with friends, a temporary stop gap to acquiring my own place. This is going to affect the rate of updates, but its something I have needed to do for a long while, especially with the eventual goal being complete privacy for my practice going forward into the future. This would allow me to do much deeper, powerful rituals without affecting others, and enable me to really have the space to pursue many ideas im currently still unable to.

I am keeping in mind the earlier warnings in the reading, and hopefully it will continue to work out, Hecate willing.

Observations and Projects

With a bit more freedom and more understanding people around, moving back to the city has been a really good experience. Despite more people being around and it being an environment that can in no way be described as being ‘near to nature’, it will provide a much more ideal ground for me to move forward with many areas of my life. It’s closer to friends, a more active pagan community, and is generally a nicer place to live than where i was previously based.

If you look hard enough, you also occasionally find gems hidden amongst the rough..

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I haven’t positively identified this planet yet, but seeing such an interesting specimen in the heart of the city, with such impressive flowers, has sparked my interest and brought a smile to my day. Hopefully its a perennial plant, and I’ll be able to take a sample or two in the future for curiosities sake to see if the small hunch ive got is correct. Need more hands on after all, and less book learning.

However, that will have to wait. Tonight I plan to make my gift to the mighty dead and the Gods, in the form of a spirit box. Hopefully this will make a good offering, and im looking forward indeed to crafting it / presenting it at the graveyard tomorrow or the day after, depending on how the process goes. I’ll be detailing this as best as I am able, depending on what feedback I get from the spirits tonight. A picture of the box i’ll be using, along with the central quartz crystal, is pictured below.

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Blog Roadmap

With all the above , the planned content for the blog has shifted. Ill still be delivering the sigil and ritual working write ups as promised, for general perusal, but it is more paramount to concentrate on my own Samhain working to ensure its correctly carried out. Once that is over with, Ill be for the short term concentrating on updating my own personal journals, which have gone neglected for too long despite the amount of ideas/sigils that are swirling around in my head since the witch mark was acquired.

Hopefully once this is done, the ritual writeup will be of interest and use to some of you out there, I do plan on posting more pictures where possible.

Have a good one,

~S~

My Experience With The Tarot

Posted in Divination, Occultism, The Path of Flames with tags , , , , , , on July 14, 2013 by Sypheara

So as promised, here is the first in the next few entries, this particular one focusing on the Tarot. This will include some personal reflection. I’ll try to keep it it to as a minimum as its supposed to be detailing my experience with the Tarot, not the personal issues involved.

Introduction

I’ve always been interested in the concept of the Tarot, ever since being sixteen years of age, predating what I would consider to be my own spiritual awakening. Something about them has always had me enamoured – I think now looking back  it was the ‘mysterious’ story surrounding them and my interests in different ways of divination in a psychological and artistic sense at the time.

When I actually underwent the spiritual change from my past to current self, some of that was invariably lost. In looking for deeper meaning within myself, and at other more ‘serious’ gnostic and witchcraft works, I began harboring the notion that Tarot, longed used by TV psychics and other charlatans, was a tool in self deception. Not surprising considering my sudden shift in mental patterns, I was still trying to make sense of things from my old, over critical mindset.

Sparking my Interest

After recently taking my witchmark, I decided that it was time to try out the Tarot for myself.  The thought behind this was simple. I had been exposed to many things by that point which had shaken my previous convictions and made me a lot more open minded. Due to that, I believed that I needed to begin the search for tools which could aid in Magickal workings and Communication with the Divine, and that when found these needed to be tried out and experimented with, to see what would work for me as an individual.

Due to the abilities heightened and unlocked by the Witchmark and my completed self initiation, I felt like it was a good time to rekindle my interest in the Tarot. The logic was that, even if it had been used by charlatans and its origins over exaggerated and lied about, at the end of the day it was only a channel or conduit, not a source of action itself. On this basis, I decided that exploration in a creative manner would net me interesting results.. and so it did.

For a few weeks I investigated the traditional meanings of the cards, and picked out a deck that I felt attracted to for purely aesthetic reasons. I didn’t get too hung up on the meanings of the cards, but instead enjoyed researching hem, especially the major arcana, as Jungian Archetypes. Some very good information was found online once heavily sifted through. Eventually, relatively comfortable with the basic concepts, I decided to a very simple, one card reading.

One Card Reading

My first experiment was simple. I would do a small meditation and visualisation of Hecates sigil, ask a basic question asking her to answer it, whilst shuffling the deck. Taking one card out at random, when it felt ‘right’, yielded the Eight of Cups.

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Eight of Cups from the Tarot Of Trees.

(Note: This was not the deck used, but I lacked  a picture of this reading

and this Deck caught my eye)

This was pretty interesting to see, especially considering it’s the card I was expecting to come up! At that point in my Life when this card was pulled, I had felt that all my efforts outside of  exploring my spiritually had been destroyed and smashed. I had also been attempting, and still attempting, to repair to me an important relationship that had ended in bewildering circumstances leading to feelings of loss, regret, sorrow and confusion. This had been leaving me feeling drained and lacking hope, with the feeling that  I wanted to grow out of those circumstances into something that was more meaningful and become more effective as a person without knowing how or if I had the potential to do so.

This threw me for a bit,  despite my attempts to rationalise it as confirmation bias, so I didn’t attempt the next reading until several weeks later.

Three Card Reading

Feeling emboldened by the previous reading, despite its confirmation of my negative state at the time, I decided to try a slightly more complex reading.  This time, I did the same whilst shuffling the deck as the first instead this time concentrating on asking Hecate about my present course on the path of flames, and where it could lead if i continued in the same vein.  Splitting the deck into three, I  then revealed the top three cards in left to right fashion on the stacks and laid them down in front of me.

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Actual picture of the reading, revealing the

King of Pentacles, Five of Swords, and Ten of Cups.

This was another interesting result. The King of Pentacles traditionally represents an solid foundation in material wealth, that can mean alot of wealth or quality of life and wealth. However, in regards to this reading and seeing the full picture, it instead spoke to me of my distant past as someone rooted in a safe upbringing with very athiestic, earthly tendencies, and accepting the prefered worldview.

The Five of Swords was a very interesting card to get, and one that resonated with me alot. This card represents a difficult conflict in progress, that can have either a negative or positive effect, either way with some negative consequences. Due to the final card, I dismissed several interpretations which did not make sense in light of it, and instead settled on my own personal meaning. This was that the difficult battle would be a testing time, pitting my will and direction with others and not everything will go my way. However I saw this as a positive sign in that although their would be a price to pay, and it would be an emotionally and spiritually testing one, that it would likely develop into the final card.

The final card is the Ten of Cups, which represents spiritual and emotional fufilment and balance. To me this was a joyous card to receive from Hecate – whilst it doesnt mean permanance or assurance, I couldn’t have asked for a better result to the challenge of The Five of Swords.  It’s good message,  I was happy to receive in relation to my question to her.

When compared with the other cards, this indeed showed a tradeoff and a dying of an old self to attain something new, through the process of a difficult, conflict and not entirely scarless transformation. This I took as a good sign,despite there being a warning buried within it I needed to heed.

Full Reading

So following on from these readings, after another several days, I felt like it was time to try a much more complex reading. The issue surrounding and pushing through on the first rading was the fallout from a long lasting, doomed  relationship. The issue about this  I wanted to resolve was what to do with the remaining friendship, due to it causing lingering problems. I wanted to ask Hecate for help in that manner, as it was becoming obstructive to my path and to moving forward in any manner. With this in mind, I used a simplish spread that I found admittedly online and gave it a shot.

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Actual picture of the reading, revealing the

layout of the spread.

I’ll detail the cards in position, thier meaning and then wrap up with a conclusion to the reading and post.

Distant Past : King of Pentacles

Interesting that the King of Pentacles would show up again in this reading, in the distant past section. Considering my previous stable life, and admittedly lucky circumstances, this card made perfect sense in a more materialistic, straightforward way in this position outside of needing comparison with the second reading.  For this reason, I didn’t dwell on this card, which I saw as just confirming what had already been revealed to some extent in the last reading.

Recent Past: Five of Cups

This card also made alot of sense in this position. The Five of Cups indicates feelings of loss and regret in the recent past. Considering the nature of the question and the surrounding situation, this perfectly described the recent past in black and white terms. It also to me additionally  indicated the suddeness of the change, and the shock associated with it, in addition to the actual lingering consequences.

Present: Ace of Pentacles

This was an interesting card to get, and one that revealed a good foundation around which to base any decision. It also revealed what present weakness was also furthering the problem, rather than contributing to it being fixed. This was revealed by the other cards, and that error and issue was placing too much trust into the current state of affairs.

Future Influences: Four of Pentacles

The Four of Pentacles was also a very powerful card in this reading, and I read it as a warning for the future that was walking into, and one that I wanted to avoid if at all possible. This card indicates hoarding, the need to possess, maintain control, and keep the status quo.  Due to my prior influences and the situation at hand, I could see how walking into such a mentally and spiritually confining place could be very easy to do. As such, I took this card as a serious warning.

External Influences: King of Wands

The card of this position indicates an external influence, I took the  presence of the King of Wards indicated an actual person other than myself who was . This was another major card for me. I had recently been talking to another person in my life who I regard as being a definite King of Wands, who had been helping me in alot of different matters. This fire and energy had been transfered to me, and given me the strength needed
to continue growing in my magickal work. This had had an affect on all matters in my life, especially when it all had culminated in me acquiring my witchmark. It had been this energy which had revitalised me and spurred me on to challenge this issue head on. As such, I saw this external influence as being the pushing point to initiation the reading, and change within me.

My Mental Attitude: Page of Cups

The appearance of the Page of Cups indicated that my mindset up until the reading and decision to push forward had been one revolving around still around intimacy, loving and caring indicating to me the mental reasons that had been contributing to me continue down the current path. Whilst revealing nothing new to me, seeing this card in this position helped confirm that I had read the initial situation correctly.

Helpful Energies: Three of Pentacles

This card, appearing in this position, was another interesting card.  From its position and my reading, it refered in my mind more to help and support I have been getting from others, rather than the person in question. These people have been supporting me through dealing with the issue, unknown to them really, and had been keeping it from escalating into a problem up until this point.

Main Problem: Two of Cups

The Two of Cups represents lovers, or a relationship. Due to this being in the problem position, I interpreted this a blunt way – that the person is question was developing a relationship with another.  When read with the other cards, I saw this as being an unsurmountable problem – as such, rather than resist it in any fashion mentally,  direct my efforts elsewhere.

Hope and Fears: Four of Cups

Another card that pinpointed something I had alreaady to an extent encountered, making an existing thought be able to be seen more clearly. The Four of Cups indicates withdrawal from the world and self absorption. In the position of Hopes and Fears, I interpreted this as my fear that, if this situation continued, it would cause me  me to stagnate in the worst way possible to the point of becoming reclusive.

Final Result: Eight of Swords

The Eight of Swords was the final nail in the coffin. The Eight of Swords indicates the feeling of being bound, with no way out. It indicates that a person feels like whatever decision they take, they will be gravely injured. This was well represented on the card itself – one move would cause the guillotine to fall severing the head.

However, the card also shows that this is also caused by a certain amount of self delusion caused by the situation, and that other options exist that will result in a positive payoff if only they are looked for an explored.

With this being the final result,  I decided that looking for those options in the present before the situation got too bad was the most wise course of action.

Conclusion of Final Reading

With the overall reading being dominated by feelings of lethargy and entrapment, I decided that action was necessary to prevent such a situation from arising. As such, I set about first to see if the actual situation matched that of the cards in regards to the other person. It turned out that, unfortunately, the reading was entirely correct.

I would find out, through pursuing the matter further, that the reading has accurately assessed the situation down to the exact details.  It did  turn out that this person had been using me as an emotional crutch, all the while beginning a new relationship with another. They finally explained to me first hand that they were unable to tell me for multiple reasons, and were pursuing this new relationship to to avoid with dealing with existing issues as some sort of panacea.

As such I took the stark warning in the cards seriously, and severed any relationship with this individual in the kindest way possible. Since then, things have drastically improved. I no longer feel mentally shackled or bound, and have been able to move on in both my magickal and mundane projects, and my personal relations with others have improved.

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Conclusion

I can honestly say that using the Tarot as a divinatory and decision making tool has so far yielded exceptional results.

Using only a very basic method, I have been able to achieve consistent results outside of even needing to consecrate them as tools. I have been quite surprised at this, as I fully expected them to be a very hit and miss, without much practical application.

With them turning out to be the opposite, I will definetly be using them in future workings to ascertain just how useful they can actually be. This will inevitably be expanded as I learn more about them, and how they can be applied to my own Path and in Divinatory use. As always, if anything interesting I can share surfaces, I will gladly share them here.

Thanks for taking the time to read this as always.

~S~