#Wordless Wednesday: Vedic Astrology Meet-Up Tomorrow

Featured Favorites Friday: Exploring Samhain on Storenvy

I've re-opened my shop on Storenvy and am excited about selling again!  For this Featured Favorites Friday I decided to take a look around the Storenvy marketplace and see what Samhain goodies I could find!

"Curiosity"
Hand Crafted by Kimberly Abbott

Check out this amazing Pendulum Board titled "Curiosity" by Kimberly Abbot of The Alluring Path.  I love the six color choices she has and I love the owl, especially her face.  The whole shop is full of lovely things, especially the Celtic Knot Pendulum Board and some beautiful scrying pendants.  Be sure to check her out!

Handmade Samhain Pillar Candle
From Artemis Secret Place

 



This candle from Artiemis Secret Place looks so witchy!  I love that it's scented with Witches Brew and that the maker uses eco-friendly soy wax.  This or the two candle set would add flare to any Samhain gathering.

Cemetery Seer Necklace
From The Bone Slums

How stunning is this piece from The Bone Slums?!!!  It's called the Cemetery Seer and the oracular witch in me is drawn very strongly to the stunning opening in this piece which is perfectly accented with dark brown cord and carnelian.  Every piece in the store is cruelty-free and sunning with organic beauty!

Remember The Ancestors Spell Kit

Last but not least, here's my Samhain offering for this year, a Candle Spell Kit to Remember the Ancestors.  Blessings to all of you this witches new year!

My Stuff Mondays and Tarot Wednesdays: catch-up

So opening weekend of the Maryland Renaissance Festival went well, if wet.  But playing catchup from the weekend has lead to me needing to catchup on this weeks posts.

My Stuff Mondays: As I'm sure everyone has heard by now, tomorrow is the second Full Moon in August, making it a Blue Harvest Moon.  Personally I feel like having an extra harvest moon is great because the strength will help to power through the harvest season reaping as much as possible.

I like to keep most of my everyday magic simple and sweet so I will share with you the following spell/blessing that can be used tomorrow night:

Hold a candle between the palms of your hands and direct all of your energy into the candle.  As you light your candle, concentrate on your desired outcome and say (either aloud, or to yourself):

                Lady of the Moon, I ask that you grant me your blessing.

                In the fullness of your light let my intention become reality.

You can find the entire spell and a New Moon Cleansing spell in my etsy shop.  Use the coupon code KAT10 for 10% off anything, just for being an awesome person.

Full Moon Blessing and New Moon Cleansing Spell Kit

Tarot Wednesdays: I feel like if I were to pull some cards for some of the regional pagan community I would be pulling the Moon and it would read as "you're too emotionally invested to see the problem clearly, consider taking a step back... way back".  The situation is beyond frustrating and I hope that the coming season of darkness will allow everyone involved the time for reflection and re-birth.  But right now, it's The Moon: There are mysteries here that have not been explored and if one can be open to hearing them, they will be rewarded.  However, if one can't step back then they will be fighting the tides and what could be inspiration will instead be madness.  Like the waning and waxing, the moon is a two edged card.

"The Moon" from The Stolen Child Tarot, a Major Arcana Deck by Monica Knighton

Tarot Wednesday: 11 - Justice

Justice Tarot Card by EmbroideryEverywhere

(See, I am attempting to get back on schedule!)

As we work our way backwards through the Major Arcana we have come to 11 - Justice.  Wikipedia gives some frequent keywords:

• Impartiality ----- Distance ----- Coldness ----- Justice

• Objective mind----- Criticism ----- Being clever ----- Insensitivity

• Decision ----- Intellect ----- Analysis ----- Realism ----- Severity

• Responsibility ----- Rationality ----- Clear vision ----- Logic and reason  

When I look at this card I see blind rule by the sword and the scales.  It reminds me that what feels right is not always just.  The rule of law needs to be separate from compassion and emotions that connect us as beings.  Justice is so much bigger than individuals and needs to be able to embrace the cold impartiality of objectivity in order to serve.

The Dragon Tarot

This is not a nice card and it's not always fair.  When I pull this card for a client I remind them that life is not always fair and they need to consider taking that impartial step back to look at the situation with more objective eyes.  When a client is facing a hard decision, this card reminds them to make it with their head, not their heart; not an easy task.

How do you feel about the sword and scales?

Featured Favorites Friday: Lugh Time

As the wheel of the year truns those of us in the northen hemisphere have recently celebrated the first of the harvest festivals, sometimes called Lammas and other times celebrated as Lughnassah.  Today I am sharing with you some beautiful artisan crafted items that celebrate the Celtic God Lugh.

I love the idea of these Magical Melts from Moonlit Herbals.  What a creative way to combine multiple magical components together in a way that can be used without an open flame.

Her Light of Lugh Magical Melts are scented with Satsuma Oranges, Cassis and Pineapple and contain soy wax, organic herbs and flowers, glitter, crystals and the highest quality essential, essence and fragrance oils.

This gives me an idea to set up a long-lasting spell or altar, honoring Lugh and the Light to last all day, bringing blessings and strength to my home.

 You can also find this shop on facebook.

This beautiful hand-crafted Altar Tile featuring Lugh's shield was made by one of my favorite etsy sellers, Paula of The Whimsical Pixie.  The detail is amazing and I love the grain accents along the edges.

This piece honors Lugh as a sovereign protector and warrior. For Paula, his shield represents ability and versatility, attributes that have helped us survive long winters for century's.

This tile would be a beautiful seasonal accent for not just an altar but a home as well.

The Whimsical Pixie can also be found on facebook.

This hand-sculpted pendant depicting the Spear of Lugh crafted by Caeruleus Lady of Hooded Crow Crafts just jumped right off the page at me.  The detail is amazing and as the paint is metallic it will shine as it moves.

There are many myths surrounding the Spear of Lugh including one that tells the spear head had to be kept in a pot of water or it would ignite and cause fire around it.  This pendant surely brings to light that same fiery and powerful essence.

The talented artisans at Hooded Crow Craft would be happy to work with anyone to create a beautiful and meaningful pendant to honor their own gods.  Such work makes my hear joyful.

Follow along with the goings on of the shop at their blog.

Mickie Muller is one of my favorite artists when it comes to laying the might and majesty of the Gods onto canvas and paper.  I am familiar with her main shop offering various items with her artwork on them but I have just found out that she is also the creator of a Celtic Ogham Divination Oracle called Voice of the Trees.  This is SO cool.  No really... SO COOL!

In her Voice of the Trees shop you can find prints, mugs, tarot bags, mirrors and home decor with the deep and meaningful images representing the Trees of the Ogham.

Today I chose to share with you a beautiful wall candle sconce depicting Lugh for the card of Ash.  This card represents transformation and action, breaking inertia and taking care of business.  I wish all of us the power of this card in the months ahead!

You can also find Mickie at her blog and her art website.

Have a great Friday everyone!

Tarot Wednesday: Chinese Horoscope Reading

For the record, I love ebay, mostly because it has become a fantastic place of deck buying retail therapy.  One of my newest acquisitions has become my new listing on etsy, a Chinese Horoscope Reading.

Baptiste-Paul Grimaud was a publisher of various Tarot Decks in the 1800's and this deck dates (according to the box) from 1848, re-publised in 1988 by France Cartes.  If my french is semi-passable the images on these cards were originally penned by Silvia Maddonni.  I find the images to be artfully rendered and full of eye catching details.  The ink work is amazing.

The reading starts with the individual's Animal (from the Chinese Zodiac) based on the date of birth and also the Chinese Elements that corresponds with their year of birth.  These two cards represent the fundamental make up of the querent and govern how that individual will interact with the six 'variables' of Season, Atmosphere, Behavior, Health, Flavor and Color.  All eight cards make up the person's horoscope.

I can't wait to get one of these done!

Tarot Wednesday: The Tarot House Deck

As I continue indulging my tarot card habit collecting beautiful and meaningful decks, I find more and more I am fascinated and drawn to decks released by independent publishers. There's just something extra special about buying a deck from the creator and it feels like 'back in the day' when almost everyone had their own hand-made version of a deck of cards, due to lack of a printing press. I recently ran into a new deck that I just had to feature here, The Tarot House, which is a collaboration between a mother and daughter and employs a combination of Reiki and Tarot.

The Tarot House by Tricia and Jenny House

The passion to create this unique blend of Reiki and Tarot began with the younger member of the team, Jenny, who wanted to bring the intuition and guidance of the Tarot into her Reiki healing sessions to help expand the experience for the people she was helping. Once this decision was made she searched for a deck that fit her needs; something beautiful, positive and created with love and came to the conclusion that the artwork of her mother, Tricia, would make the best possible deck.

Each card has been induvidually painted by Tricia, the meanings described in detail by Jenny and, after four years of work, the finished deck is a beautiful tool.

You can find images and meanings of the Major Arcana, Swords, Wands, Cups and Pentacles on their website, The Tarot House. The deck can be purchased on etsy as well as through their website directly and has recently been reduced to a (more than fair) price of $24.99 (£14.99) that includes a lovely brocade bag (choose from six wonderful colours), a spread card with layouts of Celtic Cross, Past Present and Future and Chakra spreads, a leaflet with short divinitary meanings, and Reiki healing for harmony.

The beautiful artwork is also available as greeting cards from Etsy and ArtistPublishers.

I love a couple of things about this deck.  The images themselves feel so real, I think because they are not digital creations but instead digitized versions of paint and love on a canvas.  I love that the color pallet is bold but not distractingly so.  The texture and details in each of the pictures just add more possibility for a nuanced reading, and I am very jealous of the creative talent required to paint 78 individual images.

Tarot House Spread

In wandering about their website I also came across a spread that I may have to start using as it just looks like an interesting way to have the cards relate to each other, and after all... isn't that what reading cards is all about?

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PS: All these images are used with permission from the artist.  Please take a moment to click through and check out her other wares.

PPS: Enter to win a full set of printable BOS pages from a pagan-run small business here.  

PPPS: Enter to win a Tarot Tips Sheet just for spreading the word about a Pagan Publisher here. 

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Tarot Wednesday: Self Published Decks

When I look through my plethora of Tarot and Oracle (and other) decks, I am fascinated by how differently each idea comes across in the art works.  In the age of internet publishing it's easier to find variations from a variety of talented artists, some of which I am happy to share with you today.

The BlueDogRose Tarot by Nakisha is full of beautiful domestic animal images created in ink and watercolor and professionally printed on playing-card stock.  This 2011 deck  is a full 78 cards made up of 22 major and 56 minor arcana.  Swords are represented by Cats, Cups are Birds, Pentacles are Rodents and Clubs are Dogs while the Major Arcana also have goldfish, guinea pigs and rabbits.  I love the vibrancy and personality of this deck!  Check out some of Nakisha's other decks, such as the TaRat, for beautiful are with some standard Tarot imagery.  She can also be found at her blog and facebook page.

The Steampunk Tarot purports to "builds a rusty metal bridge to the edge of your subconscious" and looking at the listing I believe the artist, Charissa Drengsen of curly-cue design, has achieved this.  This digital collage tarot deck is a full 78 cards that blends "post-modern and tribal, ancient and contemporary, traditional and subcultural" images and themes.  The deck is available in multiple sizes and has a large or pocket sized companion book.  I have a soft spot in my hear for steampunk and it looks like this deck does a marvelous job of cohesive digital collage and filling the cards with meaning.  Swing over to the shop and check out some of Charissa's other work as well, such as paper dolls and steampunk patches.  She can alse be found here.

This Oracle Tarot Deck by Lisa Chow is stunning in it's intricate simplicity.  I love the stark contrast of the pen against the paper and I appreciate that she pulls in just a touch of color when it counts.  The artist was drawn in by the classical and intricate art work of the tarot and rose to the challenge of imparting her own spin on the standard imagery and this full 78 card deck is the result.  The prints that color the rest of her shop attest to her artistic eye for color, line and space.  More about Lisa can also be found here.






Thanks so much and please don't forget to enter my current giveaways here and here!

-Kat

Pagan Blog Project WK16: H is for Hydromancy

HYDROMANCY: divination by the appearance or motion of liquids (as water)

How cool is that?! 

  

Selenite Crystal Ball by kuberacove

As you may know, I experiment with all types of divination, sometimes even on purpose.  I am very successful with Tarot and Oracle cards of all types, I’ve worked with runes and the I-Ching, pyromancy (fire) is awesome, ceromancy (candle wax) has worked in the past, crystal ball gazing is occasionally very eventful and sometimes I just say things.   

Hydromancy is another form of divination involving the use of water to bring messages and can be done in many ways.

SilverWater by picsoflive

In nature one can sit alongside a body of water, relax one’s mind and gaze into the water.  This is very similar to pyromancy in that everyone experiences it differently.  Images may appear or the sound of the water may become words or messages.  Using the light of a full moon or patterned shade of trees may increase the liminal space that assists in reaching messages.

Black and Blue Scrying Bowl by NewTribeCrafters

When inside one can fill a bowl with water, relax the mind and gaze as above.  When choosing a bowl a simple one may be better than one with a picture or pattern in it.  Also consider the color of your scrying bowl as a completely clear glass bowl may only help you scry your table-top.  The water that is used can be from anywhere but water collected from nature or spring water that has been energized by celestial light (the moon or the sun) may be easier to use.

I have a fantastic Tibetan Scrying Bowl that is used by filling the bowl then creating a vibration on the water with the handles.  Pictures in the ripples and the sounds of the vibrations all help to paint a picture and impart information to me.

If you are looking for additional information I suggest searching up: Martin. A. Del Rio (1551-1608): a Jesuit expert on magic and the occult who wrote, among other books, Disquisitionum magicarum libri sex

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 PS: All product images are from amazing etsy.com sellers who have been notified.  If you are so inclined, please click through and check out their wares.

PPS: Enter to win one handmade item up to $15 in value from a pagan-run small business here.

PPPS: Enter to win one of three sets of witch-crafted original art bookmarks here.

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