Month: November 2019

The Light Seer’s Tarot by Chris-Anne Donnelly: Healing for the Ages

On By benebellIn cartomancy, deck review, tarot, tarot community28 Comments

Although this Kickstarter indie-published version of Light Seer’s is now out of print, you can get the mass market version from Hay House, which will be released on December 3, 2019, so stay tuned. In the pre-order stage, it is already one of Amazon’s #1 New Releases, so this is definitely a deck to pay attention to.

I’ve been working with this deck for the last month and would like to share my impressions and offer a walk-through of the cards.

Right out of the gateway, we have just the most exquisite work of art. I found the tarot art here emotionally and intuitively moving.

Our Fool or lightseer is holding an amethyst in one hand, with a subtle elemental nod to Air, while holding a walking stick in the other, which can also be interpreted as a staff of office, denoting a certain spiritual status, or potential here.

The sacred geometry below with golden light emanating upward lets us know that this is about a spiritual journey. The Fool has her eyes closed and is about to do the trust fall over the edge of a cliff into the fountainhead of Spirit below.

Click on photographs for an enlarged view.

Here’s the First Septenary of the Major Arcana. I love the continuation of the sacred pool imagery from The Fool here in The Magician, though instead of the trust fall, now our lightseer can harness energy or Astral Light from the sacred pool.

Continue reading “The Light Seer’s Tarot by Chris-Anne Donnelly: Healing for the Ages” →

Postel’s Key of Things Kept Secret (1547)

On By benebellIn grimoire, tarot symbolism7 Comments

Published in 1547, Guillaume Postel’s Key of Things Kept Secret from the Foundation of the World (full title Clavis, Absconditorum a constitutione mundi clavis) proposed the notion of a universal wisdom and truth that underlies all religions, languages, and symbolic systems, and that there was a unifying language — a divine script — by way of symbolism and math (sacred geometry) with correspondences into each human language, which unlocks that universal wisdom and truth.

To access that unifying language, one would need a Key to decode from the language you speak now to that language, and French occultist and mystic Eliphas Levi would later revive this concept as the Key to the Great Mysteries, which he said was the tarot, and all this became a key principle in Western esotericism.

Guillaume Postel (1510 – 1581) was a French scholar, diplomat, Christian Kabbalist, and mystic who traveled widely across the Middle East where he learned Hebrew, Arabic, and Syriac. His Key of Things Kept Secret came at the height of the Renaissance’s prisca theologia movement, this intellectual current that believed all religions and philosophies derive from a single, ancient, and divine source. Postel sought to reconcile Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and all human traditions through what he called Orbis Concordia, or a universal harmony of the world. And the Key, the Clavis was the methodology for deciphering that prisca theologia.

Postel believed in the Eastern esoteric concept of soul dualism, though he framed it differently, i.e., instead of saying “yin and yang” aspects of soul, he said “female and male” aspects of the soul, with one being emotion and the other being intellect. Oh. Wow. Anima and animus, anyone? (Yeah, yeah, I know, not the same…) Nonetheless, bear in mind that Postel pre-dates Carl Jung by some odd 365 years.

Concept Postel’s View
The Key The universal code that reveals divine order in all things
Basis Hebrew Kabbalah + Christian theology + Hermetic correspondences
Purpose To restore humanity to its original divine knowledge
Means Study of sacred language, numbers, and symbols
Outcome The reunification of all religions and nations under divine harmony

The more you dig into Postel, the more interesting it gets. At one point he believed himself to be a prophetic interpreter in possession of such a Key, and that as a result, he is here to proclaim that there would be a female messiah, a Mater Mundi, who would usher in a new age of universal harmony. Needless to say, he eventually found himself a target of the 16th century Inquisition and was subsequently imprisoned and forced to recant his propositions. At one point, Clavis was even a banned text.

Postel’s Key endeavored to unlock a universal code for deciphering any mystery or esoteric wisdom, with the “translation” work happening by way of correspondences. In other words, the “Key” isn’t a physical instrument, but a methodology for interpreting Matter and Spirit.

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Preexisting Disadvantages and Reacting to Failure

On By benebellIn opinion, personal, personal spirituality, promotional10 Comments

This is an excerpt chapter from the 2020 Metaphysician’s Guidebook, a 400-page companion guidebook that is included with your custom order of the 2020 Metaphysician’s Day Planner.

If you want to get inspired by someone’s success story to see what tips you might be able to pick up from that individual’s path to success, do not look at the positive steps that led to the success–

Look to how people respond to failure.

When experiencing failure, most people treat it as a personal injury. They attribute their failure to something inadequate in themselves. They take the failure as a sign that they truly aren’t good enough, aren’t worthy.

When I experience failure, I never assume it’s due to my own inadequacy. Instead, I view it rather objectively.

Clearly I did something wrong. I made a misstep. I didn’t exert enough force. I underestimated my opponent. All I have to do is try again but next time, without that misstep.

I don’t experience shame or a reduction of self-worth when I’ve failed. Instead, I think rather matter-of-factly, “Well, I won’t do it that way again!”

I attribute it entirely to an error in judgment—and never to any form of personal lacking.

Maybe that’s egotistical and presumptuous of me, but all through my life that has helped me create my own reality. There’s this tacit doesn’t-need-to-be-said-aloud given in my life—I deserve the best. So I am never fearful, nervous, or insecure about pursuing the best. I have never shortchanged myself in terms of what I feel entitled to, because at that unspoken innate root of me, I just know I’m destined for the best.

In no way am I saying that I actually am destined for the best, or that I always get the best, or that I am anywhere close to being the best. But the subjective, totally personal reality I’ve created for myself positions me positively, in a way that allows me to be fearless, and to shoot for the stars.

Overcoming nurture can be the biggest challenge for many, however.

Maybe all throughout your life you were told you aren’t good enough, that you’re inadequate, or that you’re less-than.

Maybe you were born from a place of disadvantage, so you’ve always had to run twice as fast as everyone around you just to catch up, and if you aren’t running twice as fast as everyone around you, then you’ll never catch up.

No, that’s not fair. But it’s life. It’s what you were handed and you can either deal with it and therefore overcome those disadvantages or you can dwell on the disadvantages and let that slow you down. Remember: you have to run twice as fast as everyone else just to catch up, so dwelling on the injustice is not going to help matters.

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Seals of Solomon Magic Cards by Inna Vinitski

On By benebellIn deck review, grimoire, Magical in the Mundane, personal spirituality, traditional witchcraft7 Comments

Inna Vinitski’s Seals of Solomon Magic Cards are the perfect companion tool to go along with your copy of the Key of Solomon, or Clavicula Salmonis, which I offer a free download of here. So although this deck does not come with a guidebook, everything you need to know about these seals and now to work with them can be found in that free download. I’m going to be making page references to that free download pdf of Key of Solomon.

I think the single most compelling reason to acquire this deck for your toolkit is to use them as easy, go-to charging plates for your charms, talismans, gemstones, crystals, and other metaphysical knick-knacks. Here, Inna Vinitski has already done the work for you. Once you get these cards, consecrate them and voila! Incredible! A set of tools for planetary magic at your fingertips!

This post will both showcase the Seals of Solomon cards, which I urge you to get if you want to deep-dive into working with the Key of Solomon, and also get into what the Key says about these seals, or pentacles.

To start, let’s try a little something, shall we? Below in the photo of the three magic cards, take a moment to gaze at each one, connecting your third eye (that space just between your brows) with the eye depicted on the card back. For one of these three cards, the tug at that space between your brows will feel stronger, more intense than for the others. Note which of the three cards gives you the strongest intuitive sensation.

Remember it, because we’ll be returning to your card selection later.

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Rune Equations by Simon H. Lilly (Deck + Book)

On By benebellIn book review, cartomancy, deck review2 Comments

Rune Equations by Simon H. Lilly, an artist and writer from Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales, is a 34-card deck where rune divination has been converted into cartomancy. It’s a black and white deck at standard tarot dimensions (70 mm x 120 mm) that comes with a 170-page book. The book, Rune Equations, is an invaluable reference manual on rune divination and very much worth acquiring for your personal occult library.

There are three main rune systems that we know of:

  1. the Elder Futhark or Germanic runes, which consists of 24 letters arranged in three groups of eight, or aetts (above photo, left page, top);
  2. the Younger Futhark from the Viking Era, which consists of 16 letters and is the system associated with the Norwegian and Icelandic pagans (above photo, left page, bottom); and
  3. the Northumbrian Futhorc, a 32-letter system best known as the English runes (above photo, right side).

This deck allows you to work with either the 32 Northumbrian runes or the 24 Elder Futhark runes.

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Spirit Keeper’s Tarot Major Arcana Free Download

On By benebellIn create your own deck, free download, Spirit Keeper's Tarot, tarot, tarot community8 Comments

Although the First Edition black and white and second Vitruvian Edition sepia-toned Spirit Keeper’s Tarot decks are now out of print (forever, as they were both limited edition decks), for those interested, you can download a 30-card version of a black and white Vitruvian. These are the Majors only, with only The Initiate card as Key 0, plus the 4 Aces and the 4 Archangels (tarot Kings).

DOWNLOAD ZIP FILE

And for a glossary of card meanings for the 30-card deck, click below to download the DOCX file for Microsoft Word or the PDF.

Spirit Keeper’s Tarot (Majors, Aces, & Archangels)

Download

DOCX | PDF

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Way of the Panda Tarot by Kim Tsan

On By benebellIn deck review, tarot11 Comments

I knew that the Way of the Panda Tarot would be cute and cuddly, but I was not prepared for its depth of wisdom or its exploration into a unique philosophy of life. In the same way kids say the darndest things, pandas do, too.

This deck is that stuffed teddy bear you had when you were two that you wouldn’t go anywhere without; it’s Blankie, who you wouldn’t ever let go near a laundry machine. In fact, the pandas depicted on the deck each have names and back stories, which you’ll learn about in the guidebook.

When you order the deck, you’ll get a Little White Booklet, which is packed with info on its own. You can also order an extended, comprehensive Guidebook. I’m going to talk about it all.

Click image for enlarged view.

First, the guidebook. It’s the official operation manual for your deck, and its bible. The book itself is written in such a way as to be interactive. Tsan’s writing style is whimsical, full of delights, gently-worded sanity, and a lot of wisdom.

Before we continue on, choose a card, left, center, or right. Remember your selection, because we’ll revisit these three cards at the end and give you a quick little divinatory reading.

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The Keys of Solomonic Magic and Spirit Conjures

On By benebellIn free download, grimoire, personal spirituality, traditional witchcraft58 Comments
Clavicula Salomonis, grimoire in Arabic

Solomonic magic is pretty much the foundation of occultism, modern witchcraft, and ceremonial magic west of India and China, encompassing Europe, the Middle East, and now the Americas.

What you will discover within the pages of this book I’m sharing, you’re going to find to be the keystones of Persian magic and witchcraft, the magical practices of Muslim-influenced Southeast Asian countries, the Golden Dawn (though many of their correspondences differ), hoodoo, Wicca, and maybe even the traditions you’ve inherited and have been wondering where those traditions might have come from.

If you’re serious about your occult studies, then I hope you’ll add this text to your library and read through it cover to cover at least once.

From my vantage point, this book is essential reading, even if for no other reason than to take it apart to realize once and for all this is not for you. That, too, is invaluable. Whether you want to strengthen the connection to these roots or you want to sever ties with the roots altogether and grow anew, either choice calls for an examination of this text.

The images from historically significant grimoires, the essence of the ritual instructions provided, and the methodology behind the crafting of seals, devising the magical scripts, and even how to prepare for ritual can help to inspire your own creativity, offering sparks and revelations for how to do Craft your way.

From the Tractatis de Nigromatia (16th century), A grimoire on necromancy

If you’re a total beginner, then please do not try out any of these rituals or operations on your own. Plus, the instructions are pretty clear that most of these conjurations should never be performed solitary.

At the beginner and intermediate level, a light read of this text is going to be the best introduction to ceremonial magic, witchcraft, and occultism west of the Indies you can get.

This should be your orientation manual into the Craft and the beginner steps for realizing your Great Work. Levi even says as much, which is why in a course I was putting together focused on Levi, I ended up having to back-track and start first with the Key of Solomon.

Continue reading “The Keys of Solomonic Magic and Spirit Conjures” →