Author: benebell

Halloween Mood Decks

On By benebellIn cartomancy, oracle deck, tarot, tarot community12 Comments

Does any tarot reader not end up having to sling a ton of cards around Halloween season? =)

Halloween seems to be that time of the year when everyone wants a tarot reading. Pro readers are getting booked for spooky parties and local festivities. When the mood is light and celebratory and the veil is thinning, here are some of my favorite decks to tinker with in late October. Even when the crowd you’re reading for are teenagers, I think these decks are age-appropriate and sure to enthrall.

Each of the hyperlinked headings with the deck name will take you to my review of that deck.

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The Reverie Tarot and Midnight Reverie Tarot

On By benebellIn deck review, promotional, tarot, tarot community, tarot symbolism6 Comments

As of this posting there are only two weeks left of the Reverie Tarot Kickstarter campaign, so please go here and support this psychedelic tarot pop-art project. The simplicity and minimalism here means you need to rely on your intuitive powers, which is what will help you dial up your clairs.

Constance Watkins has penned a dream-like world that brings tarot numerology to life. The Reverie Tarot and Midnight Reverie Tarot set is beautifully paired and would make a great gift to any poet, writer, or artist for them to keep close by on their work desk, especially since Watkins offers a guidebook of card meanings to go along with the deck. I wasn’t sent the guidebook to review and haven’t seen any of it, so you may want to reach out to the Kickstarter campaign for details.

With this deck, instead of examining the surface imagery of your situation, you examine its underlying numerological code. In fact, in addition to a classical tarot reading with the cards, also consider the numerological significance of the numbers splayed out in front of you.

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Tarot Fortune-Telling, Divination, and Life Coaching (Part II)

On By benebellIn cartomancy, opinion, personal spirituality, tarot14 Comments

This is a continuation from Part I.

So what do we mean when we make the distinctions between tarot as fortune-telling, or as divination, or psychology-based tarot, or even the popular notion now– tarot as a form of life coaching?

I have a free 30-minute audio presentation plus 12-page handout, “A Comparative Analysis of Fortune-Telling and Divination,” which you can check out here. The 12-page pdf handout includes a compilation of quotes from various renowned Western occultists and cartomancers on the issue of fortune-telling and divination, some who don’t seem to make a distinction between the two and others who make a very clear distinction.

In other words, I don’t think we can say in any absolute terms what constitutes fortune-telling and divination, and whether there should be any distinction made between the two.

It boils down to a matter of subjective opinion and perspective. Maybe your perspective is that the two are totally different, and maybe your perspective is that fortune-telling and divination are one and the same, with no distinction of note. Either way, it’s just a personal opinion.

We each have to discern for ourselves what the implications of fortune-telling and divination are for us, and with all the chatter about psychology-based approaches to the cards and life coaching, we need to figure out what those terms mean as applied to the tarot.

Whether you bask proudly in the appellation of “fortune-teller” or you shirk from it and go out of your way to disown that label says more about you than it does anything about the tarot, and that’s okay.

Here are my own approaches to these terms and the distinctions I make for myself. What are yours?

Fortune-Telling

“I will tell you something you don’t know.”

Or as it’s more often phrased, from the querent’s point of view: Tell me something I don’t know. If you’re a fortune-teller, I would say you must be prepared to take up that challenge.

Fortune-telling is premised on the notion that some among us possess an ability for precognition and therefore can see beyond our ordinary constraints of space-time. Psychic ability and the four clairs– clairvoyance, claircognizance, clairaudience, and clairsentience– will be presumed. There is the potential for omniscience, but more realistically, the accuracy and the scope of information that can be provided is based entirely on the skill of the fortune-teller.

Continue reading “Tarot Fortune-Telling, Divination, and Life Coaching (Part II)” →

Bling Crystal Box (Monthly Subscription) by Zen with Gems

On By benebellIn gemstones and crystals, personal spirituality, promotional4 Comments

Melodie of Zen with Gems, an amazing Etsy store for all your gemstone and crystal needs, by the way, has just launched a monthly subscription box, the Bling Crystal Box, which I’m totally in love with.

There are two options, the Medium (for the 7-inch wrist) or Large (for the 8-inch wrist). If your wrist circumference is over 7 inches, go with the Large. I went with the Medium and it was perfect.

I was sent the October 2019 launch box for review and, if I like it, to also help promote. Normally I decline to receive and review overly-commercial products. Before I said yes to Melodie, I did a little bit of research. I really liked what I saw. I liked her work ethic, her passion, her incredible knowledge of gemstones and crystals, I liked her Etsy shop, and wanted to see her Bling Crystal Box succeed. It meant something to me to be part of this, so that’s why I said yes to Melodie, whereas I more often than not say no to such promotional offers.

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Divine Masculine Tarot Prototype Look-See

On By benebellIn deck review, tarot, tarot community9 Comments

Tarot of the Divine Masculine by Vasich & Vasich is a deck I’m really excited about. It features extraordinary talent in every aspect of its conception and design.

This post is a look-see of some prototype cards from the deck. You can also check out more images of the deck on Marko Vasich’s Instagram feed, @markovasich, linked here. The Kickstarter campaign is scheduled to launch today, October 1, 2019, so please go here and support their campaign.

The artwork here is done in oil paints. Like Da Vinci and Renaissance oil painters, the technique used is a multi-layering method, also known as the Flemish technique, which is what gives these works of art such vivid coloring. These works are hand-painted on gessoed art board. I can’t stop extolling the beauty of the art in this deck.

Look at the detailing etched into the temple columns for the background of the King of Wands. Look at the hairs on the lion’s mane. Check out the lizard or gecko coiled around the man’s left ankle and shin. Even the checkerboard tiling is painted with such expertise and subtlety as to exude realism.

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Order the 2020 Metaphysician’s Day Planner + the DIY SKT Mini Printables

On By benebellIn Magical in the Mundane, promotional47 Comments
My own selected cover design, based on Iris (1896) by Eugene Grasset. You’ll get to custom design your own day planner cover. Dozens of design options will also be included with your order.

Order the 2020 Metaphysician’s Day Planner today! We offer this custom-tailored package year-round, so order any time! Delivery within 7 business days to your e-mail inbox.

$25

  • Metaphysician’s Day Planner for 2020, with your birth chart (in Whole Signs) and 2020 solar returns chart in the front pages
  • See below for all features in the Day Planner
  • The 400-page Metaphysician’s Guidebook (delivered as a pdf e-book, with an additional option to order a physical copy)
    • The Guidebook includes basic instruction on how to read your birth chart and solar returns chart, run transits forecasts for yourself, and insights into the key astrological events of 2020
    • A break-down and explanation of each section in the Day Planner and how to optimize your work and planner organization with those sections
    • Insights into how to work with the grimoire end pages and integrate metaphysical study into your everyday life
    • Basic name analysis with numerology tutorial (for both personal names and business names)
    • Basic medieval geomancy tutorial
    • Lifestyle articles on time management, goal-setting, achievement, how to deal with failure, and more
    • 2020 void of course moon times
    • And so much more!

$30: All of the above + digital files for the SKT Vitruvian Mini do-it-yourself tarot deck

Click to enlarge.

For those who’ve never purchased a metaphysician’s day planner before, see below links to previous versions and you’ll get a sense of the contents.

How to Pre-Order

STEP ONE:

Either send $25 for the day planner only,

Or send $30 for the day planner + do-it-yourself SKT Mini tarot deck printables.

Send by PayPal or GooglePay to abelldelivers@gmail.com.

You can also click on this link: https://www.paypal.me/benebell

STEP TWO:

E-mail me at abelldelivers@gmail.com your completed Order Form (see below).

  1. Name as you want it to appear in the book:
  2. Date of birth (month/day/year):
  3. Time of birth:
  4. Location of birth (city, state/province, country):
  5. City, state, and country of residence for 2020:
  6. Size option, from the following (check one option below):
  • [ ] Standard US Letter Size, 8.5” x 11”
  • [ ] European A4 Size, 8.27” x 11.69” (210 mm x 297 mm)
  • [ ] Trade Paperback, 6” x 9” [Warning: Font sizes 7 and 8 used; less space to write in; minor changes to grimoire pages to fit the substantive content into the smaller page size]

If you send $30, then in addition to e-delivery of your 2020 day planner files, you will also receive e-delivery of the do-it-yourself SKT Mini Vitruvian deck files along with a unlisted link to a video tutorial on how to craft your own mini tarot deck from the files.

Click on hyperlinked photo to read more about the SKT Vitruvian Mini do-it-yourself printable deck.

The SKT Vitruvian Mini do-it-yourself tarot printables is a $5 add-on to your Metaphysician’s Day Planner order. You’ll get printable files to assemble the two-piece deck box, 80-card deck, and even a little white book.

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Holy Anointing Oil Silent Auction

On By benebellIn Magical in the Mundane, personal spirituality, promotional10 Comments

I’m offering by silent auction the remainder from the large batch of holy anointing oil I crafted specifically for the SKT Vitruvian decks. What’s left after anointing the decks is five (5) one ounce (1 oz.) amber glass bottles with glass eye droppers that we will offer by silent auction. All details below.

My purpose for anointing every deck was to clear it of any malefic or potentially baneful energies in the material and to energetically protect it for the rest of the deck’s lifetime.

You can use this oil to consecrate and bless any object or space intended to be sacred. Every time you perform a space clearing, after you’re done, anoint the corners of that space (four corners or eight corners, depending on your preferred approach). Anoint your altar tools or ritual tools with this oil. Anoint talismanic jewelry intended to be used for personal protection from malefic or baneful forces.

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My Queen of Swords for the Cult of Tarot Community Tarot Deck

On By benebellIn free download, tarot, tarot community39 Comments

Thank you, Cerulean, for telling me about the Cult of Tarot Community Tarot deck. I’ve participated in a collaboration deck before, the Tarot Pink, where I contributed the Two of Wands. For the CoT Community Tarot deck, I chose the Queen of Swords.

I ended up drawing two versions and hope you’ll help me out by voting on which one you prefer. I’m torn between the two because they go in pretty different directions, not just in the art, but especially in terms of interpreting the Queen of Swords. You’ll see what I mean.

Continue reading “My Queen of Swords for the Cult of Tarot Community Tarot Deck” →

Do-It-Yourself SKT Pocket Notebooks

On By benebellIn free download, Magical in the Mundane, Spirit Keeper's Tarot, tarot, tarot community3 Comments

This is a 2.75″ x 4.25″ saddle-stitch notebook you can easily make yourself from 3 sheets of loose print paper, 1 sheet of adhesive sticker paper for printable labels (these are typically free from UPS or FedEx), scissors, a stapler, and a corner rounder is optional.

I like this DIY pocket notebook because it’s easy to make at home, doesn’t require any specialty tools or expensive materials, and most important of all, fits in the back pocket of your jeans or easily with a pen in your jacket pocket. That makes it really convenient to travel with.

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Golden Venetian Lenormand

On By benebellIn cartomancy, deck review, oracle deck6 Comments

The Golden Venetian Lenormand is a sister deck to Eugene Vinitski’s Venetian Tarot, which I’ve reviewed before here. Vinitski has teamed up with author, philologist, and art historian Elsa Khapatnukovski to produce a masterpiece of a Grand Jeu Lenormand, which consists of 54 cards (rather than the popularized Petit Lenormand or Petit Jeu Lenormand, which consists of only 36).

However, you can also select out the 35 Petit Lenormand cards and work with this deck as a Petit Lenormand. So in essence, you’re getting two decks in one. You’ll definitely want to purchase your copy of the Golden Venetian Lenormand via Vinitski’s Etsy shop here.

Like Vinitski’s Venetian Tarot, the Golden Venetian Lenormand is crafted in a High Renaissance style with a design focus on classical humanism.

The Lenormand oracle is a predictive fortune-telling system from the late 18th century based on the Game of Hope by Johann Kasper Hechtel, an illustrated edifying card game steeped in Christian allegories. In the 19th century, 16 more cards were taken from other well-known European cartomancy systems of the time and the 36-card Petit Lenormand was expanded into a 52-card fortune-telling deck, plus the additional 2 jokers.

By the way I love the little details of insight from Khapatnukovski. For example, the Fox card, No. 14, Khapatnukovski acknowledges that you’re not likely to come by a fox in Venice, but because it’s common symbolism in the Lenormand system, here it is. This particular fox is running over a canal holding a seagull in its mouth. The seagull, symbolic of freedom and a desire to dream, locked in the jaws of a fox, show the anguish of mind of a trapped individual.

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