Witches: Make Your Beds

WITCH: "Over my last decade of both intentionally and unintentionally studying energy, I’ve realized how the organization of space has a huge effect on a person’s creativity, mood, and ability toaffect reality. This is especially important for those who are sensitive to that which exists beyond the mundane." (Carolyn Elliott, WITCH)

image source: pixabay.com

As someone who is -- I am dejected that I need to acknowledge this -- a slob, this article makes perfect sense to me, and clicks in that place where other similar philosophies have failed.  The stagnation I've felt in my own life, that stuck feeling, has much to do with my external environment. As a witch, (fumbling and learning on my twisty path) this article from WITCH speaks to me. One example: we have what we call the "room of doom." Every now and then I go in there to clean it up. I just can't seem to work in there for more than half an hour. My husband doesn't even try. One time I literally passed out in there, just looking at all the chaos and trying to decide where to start. I've placed black stones, mainly obsidian, in corners of the room and that helped for awhile. Granted, there is a weird energy in there -- we felt it when we moved here. Some energy, some residual spirit, is hanging around keeping the creepy chaos intact. Well, off to practice mindful, intention focused, straightening up.

Six Signs You May be a Disaster Shaman – Fractal Enlightenment

This is beautifully written, and very, very intense. By Gary 'Z' McGee,  author of Birthday Suit of God and The Looking Glass Man. Six Signs You May be a Disaster Shaman – Fractal Enlightenment. For those of us who feel as outsiders, who recognize the imbalances, who know that Nature is assaulted moment by moment , who are artists and creators. . .

Tarot Card Synchronicity

One meditative exercise related to tarot I like to do is to mentally do spreads in my head. I decide what deck I'll use, then visualize two or three cards. I don't stop to think about them or decide before hand; I accept whatever pops into my mind. The other night, I was "using" Patrick Valenza's Deviant Moon deck, and the two cards that immediately came to mind were The Star and Two of Cups.  

The next night, I was practicing with the same deck. The first two cards of the first spread were The Star and Two of Cups. An amazing message of synchronicity! Full disclosure: I did not previously have these two cards in a reading, the deck was shuffled very well before hand. I simply picked up the deck, shuffled, and when I laid out the cards, those were the cards. 

According to my mathematical minded husband, the chances of that happening are about six thousand to one. 

Synchronicity! Deviant Moon Tarot, Patrick Valenza

1919 Ouija via Phantoms and Monsters

Lon Strickler at his blog Phantoms and Monsters (his blog has a new look; nice!) has a piece on use of the ouija back in 1919, and one family's experience.



I found the following interesting, concerning reactions by the University of Michigan to using the ouija board:

Phantoms and Monsters: Pulse of the Paranormal: At the University of Michigan, Ouija boards were reportedly “replacing Bibles and prayer books,” so that a local nerve specialist was treating female students for “extreme nervousness” brought about by “too close association with the Ouija board and too great belief in its wandering. They had become fascinated by its message and had come to place so much trust in them that they were in a serious condition when they were turned over to him.” Men were also vulnerable, and a member of the staff warned that “[T]he ouija is becoming a serious menace to this country.”

The Twin Peaks Tarot | The Daily Grail

Oh this is good! A tarot deck based on one of my favorite television series, Twin Peaks. The creator, Benjamin Mackey, utilizes the Rider deck as the foundation for his take using characters from Twin Peaks. The Daily Grail (a site you must visit -- every day!) has more.

"The Twin Peaks Tarot | The Daily Grail: I think there are certain characters that David Lynch was purposefully basing off Tarot archetypes. There's one scene where Major Garland Briggs, he's talking about his experiences in the White Lodge, and there's a scene where he's sitting on this stone throne and he's surrounded by this lush greenery, and the pose he's striking is almost exactly the pose that the hierophant strikes. Then there's also a scene with Blackie at One-Eyed Jack's, she's at her table and she's playing the Tarot Cards. And it's a really small thing, you don't see her doing it a lot and they don't make a lot of direct references to it...but something like that, makes me think that maybe David Lynch has more of a conscious connection to the Tarot." (Benjamin Mackey,creator of the Twin Peaks Tarot)

From Patheos: "Scrying Over You"

Scrying Over You: In the end, the magic’s not in the physical tool. It’s in you, and you can start out with some simple household or inexpensive items. So feel free to use an old, black coffee cup filled with water as a scrying pool. But once you start using it for that, it’s probably best not to also use it for your morning coffee. The first step in scrying is perceiving the spiritual aspects of the world. The second (and often more difficult) part is being able to understand what you see, and interpret what it means back here in the everyday. (Patheos)

Good advice and insights on scrying. Something I've tried, and continue to explore, and I agree with the author that it's not all about distinct and dramatic pictures -- like a movie -- but something more subtle. I also like the advice that anything can be used for scrying; a bowl of water, etc. It's fun as well as comforting, for myself, to use mirrors (especially if you made them yourself) but not necessary. Also not necessary to use a crystal ball, which, depending on the size, can be very expensive. It's not always about the tools, but it is always about you, your intentions, and your relationship with the spirits.

LeGrande Circus & Sideshow Tarot

From the Aeclectic Tarot site, this new deck with a circus theme. Here's the blurb from the site:

LeGrande Circus & Sideshow Tarot: The LeGrande Circus & Sideshow Tarot was created by a former professional clown, and has 78 cards illustrated in the style of vintage circus posters. Each major arcana card features a well-known circus archetype (from the magician to the balanced elephant), while the minor arcana show everyday scenes from life under the big top and its sideshows. - Created by Joe Lee
Tarot Deck - 78 Cards - US Games 2015

I am both intrigued and repelled (mostly repelled) by circus and carnival themes. (And I intensely dislike clowns. Disgusting things.)  After all, I come from circus folk. Really, I do. You can find my I Come From Circus Folk pages on tumblr and Facebook, as well as the following two poems about my circus folk experiences on my blog fragments, found: Big Duke, and Goat.

My grandmother, Louise Gladstone Lee, of the Tom Mix Circus

Another reason I despise circus and carnivals: exploitation of animals.

But back to tarot. I do enjoy the artwork, especially vintage circus posters and related items. I like The Magician card shown here. These cards do look like fun. I don't know if I would personally use them, doesn't seem to be a good fit for me. But as I've learned, you never know what you'll decide works for you in the future.

Mothman Flutterings : Swastika Talking Board and Spirit Board Synchronicites

I have a post at my Mothman Flutterings blog about synchronicity, talking or spirit boards, and the swastika. What's the Mothy connection? The Nirvana company, which produced the Swastika Talking Board, was in West Virginia. Pt. Pleasant, West Virginia, is home to the Mothman of course!

Mothman Flutterings : Swastika Talking Board and Spirit Board Synchronicites: A bit of synchronicity. I was thinking about oracles in general as I was waking up, and Ouija boards in particular. Toying with the idea of a folklore presentation on oracles -- how there were talking boards before the Parker Brothers Ouija board most of us are familiar with today, etc. Then I see this vintage ad for the Niravana Swastika Talking Board this morning on Andy Colvin's Facebook page:

The Orange Orb: White Raven/Black Raven: Mind Postcards and UFOs

I have a post about Raven on my Orange Orb blog:

The Orange Orb: White Raven/Black Raven: Mind Postcards and UFOs: I don't recall having the vivid "mind postcards" pre-UFO events. Or I should say, pre-orange orb sighting - - I've had UFO related episodes all my life. Who knows if these mind postcards, as I call them, have anything at all to do with the energies surrounding manifestations of UFOs. Lately I've been trying to remember events post orange orb sighting, to see if there is a connection between psychic or precognitive experiences, apparitions, dreams, synchronicities and my UFO sightings, particularly the orange orb one.

Connolly Tarot Reviews

One of the decks in my Goodwill mystery box purchase is the Connolly (Elleen Connolly) tarot. I haven't used the deck in a straight out reading, but have been playing around with it. I'm not sure if I like it or not. I kind of do, to my surprise, but there things I don't like. Yet, I do like it. Then again…


I'm not the only one who feels this ambivalence. "Chronata" on Aeclectic Tarot wrote a review of the deck:

Connolly Tarot Reviews: Review by Chronata "Ah the Connolly tarot... I know a few people who absolutely rave about this deck, and I know quite a few others who absolutely detest it. Me?....I'm somewhere in the middle. Normally I wouldn't bother to write a reveiw for a deck that I feel kind of apathetic and "middle of the road" about, but this deck merits some appreciation from me because I actually use it often in professional readings." (Aeclectic.net)

She goes on to write that she uses the Connolly deck in Angel readings, with Angel decks. I can see that; I have Doreen Virtue's Healing with the Angels, Mary Queen of Angels oracle and her Angel Tarot. For times when I feel this is the way to go, it seems like the Connolly deck is a good deck to use, possibly with blended readings using these decks.


The colors are vivid and lovely. The illustrations are nice with a RSW feel in most cases. The cards are clear, easy to read, nice to look at. Gentle yet invigorating at the same time.

But I don't get some of the interpretations, like The Moon card. The Fool should have more action, more energy, instead he stands there rather calmly.  The Christian slant puts me off a bit -- though I just put that in a context of traditional Christian mysticism -- and I am a little put off with Death and The Devil renamed to Transition and Materialism. Then again, Doreen Virtue has done the same.

So, so far I like this deck, to my surprise. I'm not sure how much I like it yet -- I guess I like it more than I don't -- I am looking forward to using them in a reading, as well as blending them with other decks. It does seem like a good deck to use in conjunction with other types of decks (Angel cards, etc.) for those clients who respond positively to those images. I think I'll hold onto this deck for awhile.

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