Category: free download

Chinese Shamanism Meets Taoism: The Hidden Link in 3,000 Years of Magic and Mysticism

On By benebellIn divination, feng shui, free download, Fu talismans, grimoire, I Ching, I Ching The Oracle (book), Magical in the Mundane, personal spirituality, Tao of Craft (book), Taoism, traditional witchcraft7 Comments

Course Description

Let’s time travel and step into the mystical lineage of the Neolithic Wu 巫 shamans that laid the foundation for Taoist mysticism. This free public video lecture explores the birth of Taoist magic and the enduring legacy of Wu shamanism. We’ll decode Taoist occultism as it is practiced today to reveal the hidden history of how shamanism shaped the mystical practices of East Asia, preserving and refining early shamanistic techniques into a structured magical system, giving rise to Taoist mysticism.

Taoism is the enduring legacy of the Wu 巫, and how their oft-forgotten roots and history have shaped the modern practices of spirit mediums, Asian modalities of witchcraft, and Taoist ritual magic today. We’ll bridge the gap between the ancient traditions we’ve inherited from the Yellow River cradle of civilization and modern mystical practices, presented in a way rarely explored in the English language.

This is Taoist witchcraft decoded, in reclamation of the Wu 巫’s shamanic practices of the Tao 道.

Continue reading “Chinese Shamanism Meets Taoism: The Hidden Link in 3,000 Years of Magic and Mysticism” →

An Overview of the Taoist Grimoire Baopuzi

On By benebellIn free download, Fu talismans, I Ching, I Ching The Oracle (book), Magical in the Mundane, personal spirituality, Tao of Craft (book), Taoism, traditional witchcraft8 Comments

The Baopuzi 抱樸子 (circa 300 – 343 AD) by the celebrated alchemist and polymath Ge Hong 葛洪 is a Taoist grimoire that I would posit to be the most if not one of the most influential and impactful texts on Taoist mysticism.

Scans of the text you see in this video are from here [四部備要], this copy of it archived between 1924 and 1931 as part of a national effort to preserve essential ancient Chinese texts. You can also access a digitized version of it via the Chinese Text Project, ctext.org here.

This write-up is the companion blog post to the video to provide some additional notes on the Liu Jia Secret Mantra and other fun (to me) tidbits from the Baopuzi.

Continue reading “An Overview of the Taoist Grimoire Baopuzi” →

Trademark Registration DIY (USPTO)

On By benebellIn create your own deck, free download, professional tarot, tarot community1 Comment

If you’re not a very disciplined, organized, love-to-do-research, always-did-your-homework Type A personality with strong Virgo vibes, then skip this blog post entirely and do not try to DIY intellectual property law. Hire an attorney.

Even if you are all that, this is not legal advice. I am not your attorney. This is a free-for-all blog post you came across on the internet, on a website about fruity-tutti metaphysical arts no less, so if you leave with even a few nuggets of insight to get you started on the right track, call it a win. Which is to say, do not blissfully rely on what I’ve said here. Apply critical thinking.

But… For an attorney to do the due diligence, put together the application, and steer your trademark through registration with the USPTO, it can cost around $2,500 if it’s a simple, un-problematic trademark. And if you’ve got unique circumstances or someone ends up challenging your mark, then the fees will skyrocket out of control.

If that sounds like way more than you’re willing to spend, well the good news is technically you can file a trademark without a lawyer. Yes, technically it can be DIY, though that comes with quite a bit of risk. If you do it wrong, your application will get rejected, you won’t get your trademark registered, and you will be out of pocket the $250 or $350 you paid for the filing fee (no refunds).

Nevertheless, I’ve always been a do-it-yourself (DIY) type and if you’re kinda like that too, and you are willing to roll up your sleeves and do a lot of research, homework, and study yourself, and you accept the risks of DIY trademark registration, then maybe you don’t need to hire a lawyer or take your chances with one of those discount run-of-the-mill legal services websites. Maybe you can shoot your shot and try to register your trademark on your own.

Here are the basics.

Continue reading “Trademark Registration DIY (USPTO)” →

Personal Energy Audit: Spiritual, Emotional, Mental, Physical

On By benebellIn free download, personal, personal spirituality24 Comments

This was something I found helpful from a leadership workshop I participated in, and so I would like to share it with you. I believe the original source or credit goes to Tony Schwartz in The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working (2011).

It’s a personal energy audit worksheet, and then based on your self-assessed scores, set goals and commit to practices that will raise your energy levels in these four fields: spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical.

Download the Worksheet

PDF  |  DOCX

We often talk about productivity and time management, when really perhaps the conversation should be focused on productivity and energy levels. If you don’t have sufficient energy to invest in your endeavors, then it’s harder to be productive. So you want to make sure you have sufficient energy, at all times.

This worksheet helps you to audit and assess your energy levels, and thus immediately implement changes as needed to raise your energy levels in the areas where they are low.

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I Ching Oracle Cards (Free Printables)

On By benebellIn cartomancy, create your own deck, divination, free download, Fu talismans, I Ching, I Ching The Oracle (book), oracle deck, Tao of Craft (book), Taoism13 Comments

Download the digital files to a text-driven 64-card I Ching oracle deck for a free companion tool to my book, I Ching, The Oracle (North Atlantic Books, 2023).

This is a serviceable everyday personal divination deck that also doubles as an easy, accessible introduction to the I Ching.

It makes for a great study tool as flash cards and for learning the Ba Gua trigram and Wu Xing alchemical phase correspondences.

For your convenience, I’ve also uploaded the files onto makeplayingcards.com. External link and info below.

The listing is $23.20.

  • $22.95 of it goes to makeplayingcards.com, not me.
  • Only $0.25 of it goes to me.

Yes, that’s right. A quarter.

But if you are on a tight budget, you can download the printables file and crafty craft your own DIY copy of the deck.

Apart from the six-line hexagram images, the card faces are text only. No one is trying to wow you with artistry here. =P

This deck is intended to be a functional beginner’s tool for learning the I Ching, to be used in tandem with the book, I Ching, The Oracle.

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Secret Book of the Three Sovereigns

On By benebellIn free download, Fu talismans, grimoire, personal spirituality, Tao of Craft (book), Taoism, Tinkering Bell, traditional witchcraft8 Comments

Also known as the: 三皇文 (sān huáng wén); 三皇經 (sān huáng jīng); 三皇内文 (sān huáng nèi wén); Version transmitted to Ge Hong: 小有三皇文 (xiao you sān huáng wén)

Is the Seal of the Nine Immortal Realms 九老仙部印圖 from the Secret Book of the Three Sovereigns 三皇內文遺秘, which is now canonized in the Daozang, or Taoist Canons, part of the lost, legendary grimoire, the Book of the Three Sovereigns 三皇文?

According to lore, during the Three Kingdoms Era (220 – 280 AD), the Taoist mystic and later an ascended master Bó Hé 帛和 finds this text buried inside a stone wall atop Mount Xīchéng 西城山. From Bó Hé’s teachings arose of the earliest traditions of Taoist magic: the School of Bó Taoism 帛家道 (bó jiā dào), or The Way of Bó. Popular among the upper class during the Jin (266 – 420 AD) and Wei (386 – 534 AD) dynasties in the northern central plains of China, the tradition focused on study of the Book of Three Emperors and formulated their own approach to talismanic magic, invocation of gods, and alchemy.

Then, around 300 AD, atop Mount Songshan 嵩山, the Taoist occultist Bao Liang 鲍靓 receives this text painted on silk, as transmitted to Bó Hé. Bao Liang was a renowned master of various occult practices, from astrology and alchemy to necromancy. He married his daughter Bao Gu to the alchemist Ge Hong.

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Wills & Trusts: Estate Planning Kit (Free Download)

On By benebellIn free download, personal19 Comments

If a digital file of templates for a living trust, last will and testament, and other common features of an estate planning kit would be of interest to you, then you can download one for free. See below.

ESTATE PLANNING KIT

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD ZIP FILE
Last Updated 2024 March 8

THE DISCLAIMERS:

  • This is not legal advice.
  • I am not your attorney.
  • These documents are provided for general educational purposes only.
  • All documents are keyed to the State of California (I’m a California and New York licensed attorney.)
  • Laws change frequently and so the laws applicable at the time these documents were drafted may be outdated by the time you see these documents.
  • You should not be using these documents as-is.
  • You should retain legal counsel in your jurisdiction to give you detailed and specific legal advice custom-tailored to your estate planning needs.
  • These documents bear significant legal implications, so if you do not fully understand what you are reading in the documents, then do not use them. Seek qualified legal counsel to assist you.
  • Always consult the legal professionals in your region to ensure that your estate plan is aligned with local laws and regulations.

THEN WHY PROVIDE THESE?

Times are tough and not everyone can afford an attorney. If you weren’t going to do anything at all and were going to die intestate (i.e., die without a will, trust, or any estate planning in place), then this is better than nothing.

SO… if you were planning on doing nothing, then this last will and testament template plus funeral instructions codicil, even the power of attorney and medical directive would be a step up from nothing.

My family has had to learn firsthand that there is a big difference at probate court between someone dying without a will in place vs. someone with a valid will. Do your loved ones who survive you a huge favor by getting a last will and testament in place.

But if you were planning on hiring an attorney to do your estate planning, then IGNORE THIS POST and do not use these documents. Rely on your attorney’s counsel.

Even if you don’t (and shouldn’t!) use these documents as provided, they’re a good starting point of reference for you to consider how you want to approach your own estate plan and what you would need to gather for safekeeping within that plan.

Also, if you are a licensed attorney yourself but aren’t a wills and trusts attorney, then you may find these starter templates useful.

I dare say this though– if you’re the detail-oriented, research-loving Type A personality who can capably do your own complex tax returns and you negotiate your own contracts, with a spirit of diligence and precision toward all things DIY, then it’s not terribly hard to start with these templates and create your own estate plan. Just sayin’. =P

Continue reading “Wills & Trusts: Estate Planning Kit (Free Download)” →

Frater Setnakh’s 72 Angels Talisman Coins and Cards

On By benebellIn cartomancy, deck review, divination, free download, Magical in the Mundane, personal spirituality, promotional, tarot4 Comments

I previously showed the above in a #54321tarot tag. Whether you get the coins or cards, if you’re interested in the 72 angels correspondences, there’s a free download from me at the very end of this walk-through.

The download is so you can do a direct comparison between the 72 angels and tarot correspondences per Christine Payne-Towler’s Tarot of the Holy Light and the tarot correspondences per Frater Setnakh.

This post is a photographic walk-through of the 72 Angels Talisman Coins and Cards created by Frater Setnakh.

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Copyright Law and Tarot: Handbook Download

On By benebellIn free download, professional tarot, tarot, tarot community8 Comments

Last Updated 2023 Dec. 29

You might find this free handbook helpful.

Here’s some of what you’ll find in the downloadable PDF and DOCX:

  • Copyright law basics, from what is a copyright, to what constitutes infringement, and defenses against infringement
  • Group Registration of Unpublished Works (GRUW)
  • The DMCA and template DMCA take-down notices; how to look up an ISP’s DMCA Designated Agent
  • Template cease-and-desist demand letters to send to an infringer
  • Template letters to defend against a cease-and-desist demand letter
  • Sending cease-and-desist demand letters to stores selling knock-offs
  • Actionable solutions for the independent artist to deal with counterfeits
  • How copyright law applies in various tarot professional specific scenarios
  • AI technology, web scraping, copyright, and tarot
  • How copyrights compare to trademarks and patents; design patents and how they might be pertinent in the world of tarot

Continue reading “Copyright Law and Tarot: Handbook Download” →

Taoist Magic for Beginners: How to Get Started

On By benebellIn feng shui, free download, Fu talismans, grimoire, I Ching The Oracle (book), Magical in the Mundane, personal spirituality, Tao of Craft (book), Taoism, traditional witchcraft9 Comments

This is a companion write-up to the above video.

Continuing from what I said in the video chat, if this is something you seriously want to do, then start by getting that three-ring binder. Though I think organizing it into eleven sections is sufficient, I noticed you can’t buy packs of just eleven binder dividers. They come in sets of 12, so that’s fine. Having a final “Miscellany” tab is always a good idea anyway.

Continue reading “Taoist Magic for Beginners: How to Get Started” →