A wonderful way to celebrate the potent energies of this time, is with cleansing, clearing and planting. Both literally and spiritually. Clean your house, car, office, wherever you spend your time. Freeing these places of clutter and unnecessary items does wonders for one’s psyche, allowing you to reclaim the energy being diverted to these areas. This will help you with your more personal cleansing. Next, clear your spaces of negative energy. Use a smudge stick or incense if possible. In the case of an office you may not be comfortable smudging, so do your best to mentally bag the bad energies and toss them out a window! Next, make yourself a cleansing ritual bath. While bathing, envision yourself expelling all negative energy, bad habits and repelling energy zapping people (AKA psychic vampires.) Fill yourself with a white-gold light, relax into it, hold this vision until you know it has served its purpose.

Planting can also be literal or figurative. Plant a garden, pot a plant, or even plant a single seed. On a personal level, plant the mental seeds for goals you wish to accomplish, and dreams you wish to fulfill, over the coming months. Start a journal, or even just make a list. Check things off, and even add or refine items, as the year progresses. The time of rest that winter brought has drawn to a close, time to get cracking!

Activities: 

• Have an Ostara egg hunt!
• Plant a seed.
• Eat an egg imbibed with a desire.
• Clean out your house/car/office/etc.
• Smudge your living areas to clear negative energy.
• Make hot cross buns.
• Make a feast of in season local foods.
• Start a goal journal for the upcoming season.

Feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments section. Bright Blessings to one and all, and Happy Ostara!

~Anyanka

No related posts.

• Creative energy
• Psychic power
• self control
• self employment
• self awareness
• self reliance
• opportunities
• action
• mastery
• deception

Reversed

The contrary Magician’s arrogance can lead to self deception, sometimes caused by his reluctance to learn from past mistakes. He is weak willed and insecure. His lack of willpower can lead to mistakes and the squandering of resources. His scewed perception of self causes him to miss good opportunities and to enter ill advised ones.

• weakness of will
• insecurity
• delay
• selfish behavior
• abuse of talents
• arrogance
• over confidence
• manipulation
• sexual inhibitions & frustrations
• self deception
• avoiding problems

Of course there are many interpretations of this card, as is the case with all cards. This is simply a jumping off point to utilize until you figure out what the card means to you.

What does the Magician mean to you?

~Anyanka

Want to study the tarot? The Witches Cupboard offers a wide variety of tarot books, and a multitude of tarot and oracle decks and starter kits for you to choose from.

The Magician image is part of the Robin Wood tarot deck published by Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. mage COPYRIGHT 1991 Robin Wood. All rights reserved. Further reproduction prohibited.

Related posts:

1. Exploring the Tarot – 0 The Fool
2. My Journey Through the Tarot
3. Tarot Reading Accuracy; a Lesson Learned

 The dog represents our ever present intuition. The Fool is ready to step into the abyss with seeming abandon. He must be careful not to step over the edge of the cliff, symbolizing the danger of being careless, unaware, or not thinking things through. This is a double edged sword, as we tend to over-think things. The message here may be one of balancing caution. Be free, and ready to take a leap, but be aware when you are walking the edge as not to fall. He is sure footed on a seemingly unsteady path.

The Fool travels light, with just his small knapsack. He is able to shed materialism and take only what he needs for the journey. We too must be willing to shed the unnecessary, and keep only what matters. We also must trust that we already have much of what we need inside ourselves, especially with intuition (the dog) staying right on our heels.

The Fool does not look back. Instead he looks forward and upward into the day dawning with possibilities. He has a look of acceptance on his face, one of hope, radiant with his internal excitement and promise. He has a look of freedom, as he faces the challenges of life with optimism.

The flower he carries shows a willingness to “stop and smell the roses” so to speak. He delicately grasps this small pleasure of life, without focusing on it too strongly. The white of the flower can signify innocence and purity. The light of the heavens shine upon him, illuminating him with an unmistakable radiance and lighting his way. He is on the top of the world!

Try this yourself. Hold the card in your hand and focus on the image. Close your eyes and try to see it clearly in your mind’s eye. Then grab a journal or notebook and write the thoughts that come to you unbidden. Try not to edit yourself as you go, just write freely and openly. A significant aspect of the tarot is that it is not only forever evolving, but also that, although there are archetype forces and universal meanings, it is also flexible. If you find a card really has a specific message in your eyes, don’t discount this intuition just because it is not listed in a book or accepted by the tarot community at large. Tarot is a language of symbols and how those symbols speak to you. Be open to the message, listen to and accept your personal interpretation. Even jot it down to add to a list of meanings you may find in your studies. Along these same lines, you will find that a card will occasionally seem to say something to you that it never has before, something outside of the ordinary meanings. Accept these as well. If you do not let the cards speak to you and through you, you will be doing a disservice to yourself and whomever you may read for.

Below is a list of some possible meanings of the Fool card as I have come to understand it through my studies and personal experiences.

These are some examples to use as a jumping off point as you learn. Trust your instincts.

When the Fool card comes in the contrary, or reversed, position, the message takes a different tone. Reversed cards can have an opposite meaning, a warning that you are straying from the upright message of the card, or a lessening of influences reflected in the upright message. A reversed Fool could signify that one is being too frivolous, not thinking things through, has lost perspective, is exercising poor judgement, is lacking follow through, making poor decisions, or is being indecisive, overly impulsive, irresponsible or negligent. It can be a warning to think things through and consider all the possibilities. And remember, when doing a reading, be sure to consider the placement of the card and the other cards that have come up in the spread as these are valuable clues as to the message you are meant to receive.

What does the Fool card mean to you?

~Sandy

Want to study the tarot? The Witches Cupboard offers a wide variety of tarot books, and a multitude of tarot and oracle decks and starter kits for you to choose from.

Illustrations of the Universal Waite deck used by permission of US Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT. Copyright 1991 by US Games Systems. Further reproduction prohibited.

Related posts:

1. Exploring the Tarot – 1 The Magician
2. Tarot Reading Accuracy; a Lesson Learned
3. My Journey Through the Tarot

My tarot journey began many years ago, and I did not realize at the time how influential they would prove to be in my life, so the beginning details are a bit fuzzy. I believe I purchased my first tarot deck in 1993, at the age of 16, from a small shop in Baltimore, Maryland. If I am not mistaken, it was called Grandpa’s Candle shop, which was right around the corner from Grandma’s Candle shop. This first deck was a Universal Waite. I still have my original deck, in its original box. The deck is in fine shape due to the loving care it has received, but the box has seen better days.

If you are not familiar with the Universal Waite deck, it is a recoloring of the popular Rider-Waite deck. The pictures seen in the Rider-Waite pack were originally drawn by Pamela Colman Smith, a struggling artist who never achieved any real success or acclaim in her lifetime, under the guidance of Arthur Edward Waite. The deck was first published in 1909 by William Rider and Son, London. The current publisher, U.S. Games Systems, commissioned Mary Hanson-Roberts, known for the Hanson-Roberts tarot deck, to recolor the original drawings in softer tones to enhance the flow of imagery and make the cards more pleasing to the eye.

Sadly, I do not recall the first reading I did with my new tarot deck. My family was against anything “occult,” so I kept it tucked away out of sight and only used it when I felt it was safe to do so. I knew nothing of tarot cards, I figured divination was for tricksters and charlatans. Yet I remember feeling inexplicably drawn to the cards, and I didn’t know why. I’d hold the box, not even removing the cards, and feel a surge of power like I had never experienced. It was a little frightening. I brushed all this off as a trick of the mind, and figured any tummy tingles I was feeling were probably due to the fact that I was hiding these cards from my parents.

However, things changed dramatically the following year. I moved out of my parents’ house at the tender age of 17, and got an apartment with my best friend. Having an apartment creates the need for money. I already had a part time job, but I took on an additional job in order to make ends meet. This is where my memories of my tarot beginnings become clear, as they took me by storm and began a journey I never could have imagined.

I began doing readings for friends, which was fun even if it was a bit disconcerting how accurate the readings were. Then I began reading for my coworkers, people I knew little about. It quickly became apparent that these readings were accurate as well, scarily accurate. Sometimes it seemed to me that the information I was getting from the cards was ridiculous, and completely off track. Then the questioner’s face would pale slightly, or their mouth would drop, usually followed by a confession of some sort that confirmed the reading. Being raised as I was, I didn’t know what this meant. I didn’t know if I was doing something wrong. So for the next couple of years I would come and go with my acceptance of the cards. Sometimes I would read fairly frequently, sometimes months would go by. And every time I pulled them out of hiding to share their knowledge, the answers I received were unmistakable. As can often be the case in matters such as these, I wouldn’t even realize how accurate the reading had been until I looked back and saw how the predicted events unfolded. 

I want to divert from the topic for a moment to make a couple of points that these experiences taught me, or that I came to learn through study and evaluation.

1.  The predictions made in a tarot reading are not set in stone. A reading gives you information you need, a kind of ”heads up.” It is often, although not always, possible to prevent a predicted event from occurring. This may seem to contradict the story of my tarot journey as I have explained it, as I did in fact witness all the predictions coming to pass, but it is not in fact a contradiction. I was young, ignorant of the ways of tarot, and trying to prevent myself from really believing. When the cards showed me a negative situation, it didn’t occur to me that there may be a way to prevent it or lessen it, as doing so would be acceptance of the cards’ power and admission of my part in it all. Being older, more accepting, and hopefully wiser, I have had incidences where I was able to recognize a situation and change course to avert it. Although I admit that I need to do so far more often than I do. Tarot shows you a probable future based on the path you are on, the people in your life, and the decisions you are making. It need not be set in stone.
2. Having a reading done is not a passive undertaking. If you have a reading done for you, please realize that you are not there to have someone magically solve all your problems, give you all the answers, and make decisions for you. You are there to get the message the universe is trying to send you, and see how that fits into your own knowledge of your life and circumstances. A tarot reader is just a messenger, not a magician. It is your job to take the information you receive and put it to good use. For example, a reading can tell you a person, place, thing, or mindset will lead to your undoing. Use that information to figure out which thing in your life it refers to, and work on removing, changing or lessening the influence of the item in question. This is especially true if a person card comes up in your reading. Your reader will likely describe the person’s attributes, but often they can not tell you who the person is. It is up to you to determine who the card is referring to based on the clues your reader gives you  so that the reading as a whole makes sense and is useful to you.
3. Many people find it harder, sometimes even impossible, to read for themselves than for others. I mention this for two reasons. One, and most importantly, you may experience this yourself. Don’t feel that you have failed if the readings you try to do for yourself come up wonky. With enough work, time and concentration, you may overcome this hurtle. Two, if you have a professional reading done, you may find that your reader’s life isn’t perfect. This confuses some people, as they figure that if someone is gifted their life should be coming up roses 24/7. Even the best readers may experience blocks when it comes to reading for themselves. Even if they can pull the needed information  from the cards, they may not be able to recognize the situations unfolding until it is too late. As with many things in life, things look clearer from the outside, so being too close to a situation can prevent one from seeing the whole picture.

As the years went on, my acceptance of the cards, and my obvious connection with them, grew. Eventually I became employed by a service offering tarot readings over the phone. These went swimmingly, and were quite enjoyable, but I had not matured in the tarot enough to handle them. Although the readings were still accurate as always, I would feel emotionally drained and exhausted when I was done. I didn’t know how to prevent this tarot fatigue, so eventually I stopped doing phone readings all together. I have since learned to “tune in” to my psychic centers without having to drain all my energy.

In 2002 I opened my new age shop online to help me be more connected to my spirituality, and to allow me to work from home so that I could be there for my daughter. In 2004 I moved to Arizona, just outside of Sedona. The energy of the area drew me, and I instinctively knew that this energy could be a battery for my growth. I continue to do readings, and may even be opening my “professional reading” doors again soon.

So that’s my tarot journey in a nutshell. So what advice do I have for you as you begin your own journey into this beautiful world of mystery and answers?

1. Pick the deck that calls to you. Walk around the room (if you are in a store) or scan the pages (if on a website) over and over until one just seems to say “I’m yours.” It may sound silly, but if you give it some time and are patient, it will happen for you.
2. Use the meanings in the book that accompanies your deck, but don’t get married to them. If you look at a card and it says something to you that is not in the book, don’t discount it. A tarot reading is based on intuition, trust yours.
3. Realize that a tarot reading’s usefulness comes from contemplating and using the information provided.
4. Give yourself time. Learning to read tarot well can take awhile, or you may be a natural. Either way, you will need time to learn and grow. The best readers are the ones still learning until the day they die.
5. Trust your instincts. If something pops in your head, even if it seems impossible, use it. You’ll find that those first thoughts are often correct.
6. Have fun!

If you are in need of a tarot deck, feel free to browse the selection in my store until you feel the one that wants to belong to you. If I can assist you in finding the perfect deck, feel free to contact me. Be sure to bookmark my blog if you haven’t already, as the next tarot articles are forthcoming!

~Sandy

Related posts:

1. Tarot Reading Accuracy; a Lesson Learned
2. Exploring the Tarot – 0 The Fool
3. Exploring the Tarot – 1 The Magician

Please be aware that this post assumes you have seen the movie. If you have not yet seen it, I don’t want to spoil anything for you so you may want to bookmark this page and come back later.

As one gets engrossed in the telling of the Na’vi ways, one of the first things to become apparent is the parallel to Native Americans. Well, Native Americans from a few hundred years ago. I think the ones running energy-sucking, environment-destroying casinos in modern times have lost their way. But that subject is for another day. The people running the show on the “human” side of things seem to believe the Na’vi to be superstitious savages. Hmmm, sound familiar? When in reality it isn’t that the Na’vi are underdeveloped and backwards, in some ways it is the other way around.

What makes the modern person, one born in an industrialized nation, believe their ways to be correct and the ways of others to be primitive and uncivilized? How civilized are our own power nations? Sure we can call it civilized, mostly because we can morph the word as our needs change. But is it really? In the spirit of the word? What is civilized? Do we even remember? To civilize is to educate and enlighten. Are we the ones most capable of doing such a thing? What education and enlightenment can we offer? Sure, we can regurgitate things told to us by scientists, “proven” using their own manipulation of “facts.” Does their saying something is so make it so? Have we all forgotten, or maybe some of us never learned, that much of scientific “fact” is often theory that has not been refuted… yet. And what is “scientific method?”

scientific method   (1)
n.  The principles and empirical processes of discovery and demonstration considered characteristic of or necessary for scientific investigation, generally involving the observation of phenomena, the formulation of a hypothesis concerning the phenomena, experimentation to demonstrate the truth or falseness of the hypothesis, and a conclusion that validates or modifies the hypothesis.

If you look closely at this definition of the “scientific method,” can you tell me how it differs from what people have done in every culture, religion, region, time in history? Let’s see if we can invesigate a (hypothetical) rain dance using scientific method.

1. Observation of phenomena. Today we held a ceremony in which we danced. During the dance it rained. Last week when we danced this same dance, the same thing occured. However, when we danced a different dance nothing out of the ordinary occured.

2. Formulation of a hypothesis concerning the phenomena. Perhaps when we dance X dance, it brings forth rain.

3. Experimentation to demonstrate the truth or falseness of the hypothesis. We tried different dances, under different circumstances, and observed the results.

4. Conclusion that validates or modifies the hypothesis. When we do X dance under X circumstances or with X words, it rains. When we do other dances, or under other circumstances, it does not have an effect.

Ok, so we can validate a so called “superstition” using scientific method. Do you honestly think that this isn’t how “superstitions” occured in the first place? Someone, or many someones, saw something, observed it, formed an opinion (or hypothesis,) tested it, then decided it was true. These things that “modern man” calls superstition were validated using the same method his own hypthesis was validated by, so how can he claim his to be superior? Although they may appear conficting, they may not always be. Perhaps one just needs to be open minded enough to see the similarities, instead of just drawing a line in the sand. Even if they do in fact conflict, you need better proof than “nah” that the other theory is wrong.

With this in mind, let us consider one of the main themes of the Avatar movie. The interconnectedness of all things. Although I am sure that some scientists and some theories agree that this is possible, I believe that most of science perceives humans and current technology to be the pinnacle of evolution to this point. As such, many of the people living in nations influenced by these “civilized” men and women, believe these things to be true as well. It is undeniable, is it not? When in history has a civilization surpassed our own? Oh wait, we can’t even figure out how some previously civilations did the things they did, built the things they built, or knew the things they knew. Oh well, we are more advanaced anyway. We have nothing to learn from the past, nothing to learn from the uncivilized, our knowledge will come from exchanging knowledge amoungst ourselves, even though greed prevents us from doing even that well. We are above nature, we dominate it, we are not one with or connected to it.

But what if that is wrong? What if the legacy handed down to us by both ancient and surviving civilizations, the message of Avatar, is true? What if we are connected? Not only to each person, but to every thing? Our scientists have “proven” that everything, including us, is made of the same building blocks. Everything contains energy. Why is it so hard to believe that we could be connected to all these things that we share so much with?

Easy. If we admit that, we will have to admit and correct our wrongs. If animals are our brothers and sisters in survival and in life, how can we abuse them before the slaughter? If plants are our brothers and sisters in survival and life, how can we destroy them with brutal force and neary a second thought for little reason? If uncivilized humans are our brothers and sisters in survival and life, how can we walk all over them to get what we want? Honesty is a hard thing… if you have already done something wrong. And honesty brings consequences, modifications for the future that maybe we don’t want to face. Our civilization is like a child, trying to get away with everything it can, denying that mom will be home any minute and she will be baring a punishment when she sees the mess we have made.

Which brings me to my most crucial point, one raised by this movie as well as others. What are we going to do when mom puts her foot down? Toward the end of Avatar, Jake beseeches Eywa (the Na’vi goddess, like the idea of a mother earth) to intervene in the war.  And when she does, nature itself falls on the enemy with an undeniable force. What happens when our mother earth decides it is time for her intervention? Can we survive it? Or maybe the better question is… has she already started?

Viruses and bacteria are getting stronger, more resistent to our attempts to keep them at bay. Is this an attempt to erradicate the destructive disease called humanity? The plants we choose as our food, some are attacking our systems. They are evolving to protect themselves from humans, we are only beginning to understand the toxitity of some. Natural disasters, although always a force to be reckoned with, seem to be increasing in their force, frequency and destruction. What if we have gone too far, done too much, ignored for too long, and we are in the middle of a spanking that will only get worse? Is the question how to stop it, or how to help it along? Are we due for a global cleansing? Or are we on the brink of an opportunity for enlightenment?

Here is what I propose. Let’s not fight nature, but not just let bygones be bygones either. Maybe we can’t change the world on our own, but maybe we can change it with help. Why don’t we join hands, those of us who believe in the interconnectiveness of life, and ask mother nature to gather her children? Show them miracles, make yourself known. Today’s humans are not, for the most part, enlightened enough to understand the way of things. Take us by the hand, show us the way, in clear and decisive ways. Rather than letting us destroy ourselves and our world until the world can’t take it anymore, step in and work with us. Help those with an open mind and an open heart bring others to the understanding of what is, and what needs to be. Yes, there will be those too selfish and greedy, too full of themselves for the truth. But there are others hungry for the truth like a babe hungers for his mother’s teat. Maybe we are not beyond hope. If we can join together, and elicit the help of nature herself, maybe we can save ourselves from extinction.

~Sandy

http://www.thewitchescupboard.com

Please add your own opinion on this subject to the comment section below. I would love to hear from you!

(1) Modern Language Association (MLA):”scientific method.” The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 15 Jan. 2010. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/scientific method>.

Related posts:

1. The Haunting in Connecticut 2009 movie review

Cleaning your crystal ball:

Crystal balls do tend to collect dust and therefore will need to be cleaned from time to time. Do yourself a favor and do not use any kind of detergent to clean it, not even one claiming to be natural or organic as this can leave a residue or film on your crystal ball. It is best to use purified, distilled, or spring water and then dry it with a soft, clean towel.

Clearing your crystal ball:

• Crystal bath. You can soak them in either salt water (use sea salt if possible) or water with an essential oil added. Soak your crystal ball in the bath overnight, then pat dry in the morning. If you prefer you can allow it to dry outside in the sun, provided it is not too cold outside. Be careful not to use too much salt, as it can scratch the delicate surface of your crystal ball. If using essential oil, select something that is either purifying (such as lemon) or is energetically in tune with your intended purpose. When your crystals are “done” pour off the water, being careful not to touch the water as it contains the negative energy it has just cleansed.
• Smudging. Pass your crystal ball through the smoke, or pass the smudge over your ball.
• Incense. Use the same way as smudging. You can choose a purification incense (such as lavender or lemon) or something suited to your current intentions.
• Bury it. You can bury your crystal ball in soft natural earth overnight. I recommend doing this on your own property for legal and practical reason. We wouldn’t want to misplace it
• By feel. This is how I generally clear and charge my own crystals as I have become adept at directing energies. Visualize the crystal enveloped in a pure white light, with any stray energies washing away.
• Reiki. If you are trained in Reiki, you can clear your crystals in that way.

Charging your crystal ball:

• in a bowl of natural water under the full (or some say new) moon.
• during a particular moon phase (waxing moon is drawing and increase, waning moon is banishing or releasing, full moon for abundance and completion, new moon for meditation)
• outside for 24 hours, starting at day break, allowing it to absorb both the sunlight and the moonlight. Note: avoid direct sunlight.
• outside during an eclipse, or other astrological event.
• near a pyramid, especially one of precious metal or natural crystal.
• in the reflected light of Austrian crystals.
• on a quartz cluster.
• in sunlight. Note: avoid direct sunlight.
• with Reiki.
• during an equinox (fall for abundance, spring for growth and fertility)
• the smoke of wormwood.

I hope this is useful for getting you started, happy scrying!

~Sandy

P.S. Visit my website to find crystal balls, books on scrying, gemstones, and more.

No related posts.

What is a Gathering? It is a day and/or time at which point everyone who wishes to participate focuses on the energy of the day, and drawing that energy in a positive way to themselves and other participants. The idea is,
with us all focusing on the same thing on the same day we increase the chance of success by combining our celestial energy.

Everyone, worldwide, is invited to participate regardless of their religion or belief system! The more the merrier! Please participate by whatever method is most comfortable for you. Some people may choose to light a candle, say a prayer, burn incense, do a spell, perform a ritual, or just meditate on the purpose. It doesn’t need to be elaborate, unless you want it to be. You help just by lending your energy & thoughts to the task at hand.

Saturday the 12th – focus on banishing negative influences for yourself and other participants. It is also a minor powerday for protection, so you may wish to add thoughts to this energy as well.

Sunday the 13th – focus on banishing negative influences on the health and body.

Please note: If you need some negative influences banished on either of these days, please post a brief description of what you need banished below. That way people participating can lend their energy for you on this day. Thank you!!

As for me, I would greatly appreciate if all participants would please add me to their efforts today, and I will be happy to do the same for you :) I will post a description of the influences I am dealing with in the comments below with everyone else.

Thank you for participating, and blessed be!

~Sandy

P.S. To all that have wished me well, and to all who have posted their own stories, thank you! I would love to reply to each of you as you post, but I am afraid that my comments would eclipse the comments of others by sheer volumn, and I don’t want anyones to get overlooked

No related posts.

We are giving away (3) sets of 4 bumper stickers to kick off our Customer Appreciation Extravaganza! Each winner will receive all 4 stickers pictured, shipped to them at no charge. Read on for all the details!

Why?

The last year at The Witches Cupboard has been busy as we have been working hard to add additional features and functionality to our suite of websites in order to be a greater benefit to our customers and community. You can now get updates, helpful tips, info, reviews, and loyalty specials via facebook, twitter, our blog, or rss feeds. And as always, you can purchase high quality merchandise in our new age & witchcraft supply store, as well as interacting & casting with others from within the comfort of our cyber coven. Be the first to know of new items, discounts, special offers, freebies and more by following us on the social networks!

To celebrate these improvements, to test them for performance, to thank our loyal fans & customers, and to celebrate the upcoming holiday season, we are hosting a Customer Appreciation extravaganza from November 17, 2009 - December 17, 2009! We invite you to celebrate with us as we reward our readers and expand our features! We will be giving away fantastic prizes, running fabulous specials, and offering free gifts as we spread the word about our sites and network with other witches and new age enthusiasts. No purchase is necessary to participate in most of the events, but you will need to keep an eye out in order to catch them! Some of the events will be announced in a blog post, whereas others will be spontaneous limited time offers announced on facebook & twitter.

How to enter:

To enter, visit our witchcraft supply shopand pick out your favorite item. Then return to the blog post for the giveaway you wish to enter and post a comment about your favorite item, be sure to provide a link to the item you are commenting on. Just doing that gets you one free entry! Additionally, we are providing a boatload of other ways to receive even more entries! You can do as many or as few as you like, as long as you have done the required entry (commenting on your favorite item.) Please put each entry into a new comment on the blog post your entry is for because winners will be drawn by random number generator based on their comment number(s.) Some things, such as being our fan on twitter or facebook, you may have already done. That is ok, it still counts as long as you are still a fan or follower! Just be sure to note it in a comment on the blog post

No purchase is necessary to win, and most of the ways to enter are totally free! All actions are worth one entry, unless noted otherwise.

1. Comment in blog about favorite store item. (required for entry)

2. Become fan of Facebook page

3. Follow via twitter

4. Friend on myspace

5. Add us to your blogroll or link list (include the link to where posted)

6. tweet the giveaway you can use the share button at bottom of post)

7. update your facebook or myspace status with a link to the giveaway

8. Blog about the giveaway (5 entries) (include the link to your blog)

9. Write a review to be posted on our website. You can review a specific product we carry, an article we have written or about the service you have received. Or you can write a general review of our website, blog or store. Include your name as you want it to be displayed (usually first name last initial) and your state. You can email your review me at thewitchescupboard @ yahoo.com (be sure to remove spaces, I wrote it like that to hide it from spammers)

10. Make a purchase from our webstore. (5 entries per item bought) (reference your four digit order number)

11. Buy an almanac, planner or calendar from us (10 entries per qualifying item!) (reference your four digit order number)

Be sure you make one comment on this blog post for each action you have done to be sure you get counted correctly for the drawing.

When:

You can submit your entries until 9pm PT 11/18. After the drawing has closed I will be drawing the winners via random number generator and announcing them on this page, so be sure to come back to see if you have won! Winners will have 3 days to contact me with their shipping information, or an alternate will be drawn. If you do not win, but love these stickers, you can find them on our website for just $1.25 each. GOOD LUCK!

~Sandy

http://www.thewitchescupboard.com/servlet/StoreFront

Disclaimer: Void where prohibited by law.

UPDATE: Here are the winners of our 1st customer appreciation giveaway, drawn by random number compliments of http://www.random.org! Please contact me ASAP with your mailing information and I will get your prize out to you as soon as I can. Thanks for participating, and check back for more giveaways!!

1. Jennifer Gleason
2. Mandie D
3. Michelle

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One of the first questions people understandably have when one tells them they read tarot cards, is to ask how accurate the readings are. The readings I have done since picking up that very first deck are scary accurate. Seriously, I don’t know if anyone’s readings should ever be this accurate. I guess that seems like an odd statement, let me see if I can clarify.

In the last 15 years I have read for myself, strangers, and countless friends. I even did readings by phone for awhile a few years back. When I do a reading, no matter how little I know about someone, they nod their heads enthusiastically as I tell them their life story. I can’t tell you how many times I have felt compelled to say something that seemed completely out of the blue, or completely incorrect, yet when I said it aloud the querent was astonished and asked how I could possibly have known? This should be a good thing right? Yes and no. First of all, it means I often have to tell people unpleasant things in the past, present or future. That is never any fun. With the rare exception of the enlightened querent who will not let the negative bother them, and instead uses it (as it should be used) as a call to action and a point of growth. Second, even though my answers are correct they may not be complete. I have had several occasions when I was on the right track, I was getting all the right reads, and crystal clear answers, but I just stopped too soon.

For example, my best friend’s first marriage. She was dating this guy that, well let’s just say I was not nuts about him. When she told me she was going to marry him, I could feel the fear and panic building in my chest. Being someone who knew me quite well she knew that I read tarot cards, and she had a lot of faith in my readings. So I suggested we do a reading to find the outcome. I was confident that the cards would reveal that the match was inadvisable, so I promptly whipped them out and away we went! Imagine my devastation when the cards confirmed that yes, she was going to marry this guy. Here is where I made my mistake. I put my tail between my legs and packed up my cards in defeat. She did marry him. Even though we were, and still are, very close I wasn’t invited to the wedding. Maybe because I wasn’t supportive of her choice, maybe because her parents weren’t nuts about me, or maybe just because she recognized she wasn’t marrying him for the right reasons. I was, however, present when she picked up her divorce papers less than 2 years later which made up for it completely.

Was my reading inaccurate? Not at all. She married him just as predicted in the cards. My reading was incomplete. I read far enough to find an answer I did not like, and I stopped. What could have been different had I read deeper into the situation? What if I had asked how the relationship would work out, if they would be together in five years, would they be happy, what would their challenges be? Maybe her marriage, brief as it was, was just meant to be. Or maybe that whole part of her life could have been bypassed in favor of better things if only I had given her more to work with?

So what is the moral of the story? Don’t always assume you have a whole situation figured out just because your reading has been accurate and clear so far and you have reached the last card in your chosen spread. Sometimes the “answer” you just discovered is just the tip of the iceberg. Although it is true that we can not read indefinitely, ferreting out every possible scenario (especially if you are reading professionally and are therefore on a tighter schedule,) we can ask ourselves whether we think this is the entirety of what this person needs to know at this juncture in their life. Life is fluid, our path altered slightly with each decision we make or refrain from making. Tarot, as a reflection of life, is no different. Don’t be afraid to break out of the “norm.” Challenge what is expected, and go with your gut. If cards 3 & 4 look like they should be switched, do it. If the querent has shuffled, and you get the urge to shuffle it one more time yourself, do it. You can not successfully read tarot cards if you do not trust your instincts. The cards do not provide answers exactly. What they do is help you tap into your psychic senses and connection to the universe, this is where the real answers come from. In denying your instincts, you can make the cards virtually useless. So listen to your instincts, and at the end of each reading ask yourself if that really was the end?

~Sandy

Related posts:

1. My Journey Through the Tarot
2. Exploring the Tarot – 0 The Fool
3. Exploring the Tarot – 1 The Magician

Powdered incense frequently comes in the “self lighting” variety. It is generally herbs, oils, and/or resins ground and mixed with an unscented incense power, salt peter or charcoal. The mix gives the incense powder a way of maintaining the burn once lit.

When using a self lighting powdered incense, start by forming the incense into a cone shape. This can be done by creating a cone out of paper and packing the incense powder into the cone shape. Turn it over, lightly tapping to expel the incense cone onto a fire safe dish or incense burner. Light the tip of the incense cone and it should provide a nice even burn. If you have trouble using paper to achieve your desired response find something else (like the inside of a candle snuffer) that is cones shaped to use as your incense mold.

If you are using power that does not contain a self lighting aid, or if you are using granular incense or resin chunks, you will want to burn the incense on a charcoal tablet. If you have a resin, first use a mortar and pestle to grind the resin into a powder.

Place the charcoal tablet in a fire safe dish or incense burner, indent side up if it has an indent in the tablet. Use sand under the tablet for safety and to dissipate the heat, charcoal can burn quite hot. Never light it while holding in your hand! Now light the edge of the charcoal tablet. The tablet will start to spark, this is normal. Most charcoal tablets designed for use with incense contain added ingredients, such as salt peter, to help them light and stay lit.

The charcoal will glow red and accumulate ash as it burns. Once the charcoal is fully started, sprinkle your power/herbs/ground resin/etc diirectly on top of the charcoal. Don’t use too much, or you could smother it and have to start over. Just a pinch or so will do, maybe about 1/4 teaspoon or so.

If the smoke begins to fade, add more incense. Be careful not to leave your incense unattended., and be certain to dispose of the remnants safely.

Happy buring!

~Sandy

You can find incense cones, incense sticks, granular incense, natural resins, self lighting powder & charcoal in my store. I also carry a variety of burners, censers, and mortar & pestles.

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