Dreamspell Adventure Codespell

 Also known as daily affirmation, poem, prayer.

I'm Kin 23

I perfect in order to dream
Producing intuition
I seal the input of abundance
With the planetary tone of manifestation
I am guided by the power of magic

Pattern / Fill-in-the-Blank of Codespell

I [tone power] in order to [seal action]

[tone action]ing [seal essence]

I seal the [time cell] of [seal power]

With the [tone name] tone of [tone essence]

I am guided by the power of [seal power of guide]

Seeker's Moon

1st quarter in sidereal Sagittarius 

On the seeker's moon, we allow ourselves to yearn. We allow ourselves to look at all the pain of all we do not know and that the slim likelihood of our ability to know not all of it but enough to satisfy us. It is a good time to seek out new spiritual experiences but only with an attitude of open minded curiosity, nothing goal oriented or you've missed the point. If you get nothing out of the experience this too can teach you something about yourself. ~ Moon Phase Astrology by Raven Kaldera

Hunger

I don't suffer from physical hunger; in fact, I think I've been eating too much. I guess I have a spiritual hunger. Paganism is where I feel most comfortable but there's not too much of a Pagan community in my area.

Tarot  - hanged man

Search

Tarot - 8 of cups

What am I searching for? A new job, a way to lose way, how to go back to school, how to study for my Net+, getting over not having another baby, way to get over not ever having a relationship with my mother.

Heal

Tarot - 4 of swords

Healing is physical and mental

Vulnerability

Vulnerability = 7 wands. Ever feel like the whole world is against you? Even worse when the thoughts in your head are against you.

Dedication

New moon in sidereal Aquarius
Spirit de la Lune: new beginnings

It's that time again to attempt to follow the keywords for UU Lent. Dedication = 8 pentacles. This card happens to be my birth card. I guess the message is that I need to dedicate myself to myself. Time for self-care.

Bullet Journal

So, not sure how I came across this but bullet journaling is a thing. I keep a daily planner, a dream planner, and a tarot / oracle planner. I'll try to consolidate them into this one bullet thing. I'm already a bit hesitant because all the planners I see seems like they're done with by people with art degrees. I can barely draw a stick person. Anyway, I have my Leuchtturm 1917, since this seems to be the favorite one to get. And I'm doing everything in pencil to start with.

My goal is to have something in place by Yule 12/21/2017 because that's the beginning of my magical year. My journal will also track the tropical zodiac solar months and the lunar months.

Well, here it goes...

List of my tarot and oracle decks

I have no idea which is my favorite. But here they are all in no particular order

Tarot
Universal Goddess Tarot
Tarot of the Sweet Twilight
Sun and Moon Tarot
Animal Wisdom Tarot
Raven's Prophecy Tarot
African Tarot
African American Tarot
Black Cats Tarot
Samurai Tarot
Brotherhood of Light Egyptian Tarot
Buddha Tarot
Healing Earth (2nd edition)
Tarot Cards (seriously, this is the name of the deck)
Celestial Stick People
Journey into Egypt

Oracle
Oracle of Echoes
Spirit of the Wheel
Earthly Souls & Spirits Oracle
Liquid Crystal Oracle
The Healing Oracle - Crystal Reading Cards
Mother Mary Oracle
Sacred Creators Oracle
Mother's Wisdom
Spirit de la Lune
Mayan Oracle
Amethyst Oracle
Goddess Oracle
Tea Leaf Fortune Cards
Rebel Deck (billed as Tarot with attitude, but it's nowhere near being tarot)
Wisdom of the Oracle
Wisdom of Natural Hair
Wisdom Keepers
Book of Doors

Other
Cosmos Tarot & Oracle
I Ching
Extra Sensory Perception Testing Cards
Deck of 1000 Spreads


Wishlist
Moon Deck
Moon Oracle
Tarot of Transformation
Sacred Symbols
Awakened Souls
Star Road Map
Australian Dot Tarot

Tarot and Oracle Lunar Month Challenge

I recently joined Instagram to participate in various tarot and oracle challenges and also to put interesting decks on my wishlist. Most, if not all, of the challenges are for calendar months. I wanted to do one for the lunar month (or moonth). This one will be perpetual; you can start any moonth and repeat as long as you want. It's designed to help you be more in tune with the lunar cycles. 

The keywords and the weekly elements are from the Spirit de la Lune deck which divides the moonth into 4 weeks of 7 days. Each week beginning with a major moon phase. If you have this deck, draw the appropriate moon card and a tarot card from the weekly element. A synodic moonth - the time between new moon to new moon - is 29.5 days. So, sometimes you will not have a keyword for 1 or 2 days but you will still draw a tarot card.

Week 1 - Air

new beginnings

envision

refine

create

play

awareness

expansion

Week 2 - Fire

ignite

movement

focus

courage

strength

manifest

connect

Week 3 - Water

fulfillment

listen

reflect

guidance

devotion

dream

surrender

Week 4 - Earth

release

boundaries

support

rejuvenate

rest

transition

be

You can switch the elements around and / or choose your own keywords if you don't have this deck. Again, the point is to follow the lunar cycle. I'm interested if anyone else has done or will do this. Tag with #LunarMoonthTarot or #LunarMoonthOracle. Which tarot and / or oracle decks would you use?

Mother's Daughter Moon

New Moon in sidereal Cancer

*All energies are heightened when the Moon is in Her sign of rulership.*

On this Moon we examine our relationships with others, especially those in which one person nurtures another. We also examine our early nurturing and our same-sex bonds. We may also examine the issue of differentiating oneself from the same-sex parent which usually happens in adolescence (as with Persephone) but sometimes waits until well into adulthood. This is a good time for those who need a rite of passage to plan or carry that out. ~ Moon Phase Astrology

New beginnings: Write your intentions; you are entering a new chapter. Allow rebirth to take place. Swirl and be in the new possibilities. Run free with your imagination. Open your Third Eye chakra. Turning inward is soothing in this watery Moon. It is a highly sensitive, touchy day. Seek coziness and comfort. Cancer, the Nurturer: Deep clean or organize your home; make it a meditation. ~ Spirit de la Lune Oracle Deck

UU Lent 2017 - Quiet

First day of the month, first day of my work week, first day of the Christian holiday Lent. I'm still working nights so sleeping during the day. No one is here but my furbabies. Most of them sleep with me so they won't bark. Cellphone is turned off. House phone is turned off. Sign is posted on the front doors to keep people from knocking.

Quiet is important. I cannot sleep with noise. It can't be too quiet; I have the tv on very low - white noise I suppose. If it's too quiet, my mind starts wandering, going back to times when I was a kid, or replaying negative experiences wishing I had done something different, or wishing I had a regular daytime job.

Make time for quiet. Today's world is so fast-paced there is no time to think. We get our info in 140 characters or less. Our attention strays after 6-10 secs. Everyone is not into nature but find something that calms you, that quiets your thoughts. And do...Nothing.

Wintereemas 2017

Happy Winter-een-mas!

Each day celebrates a different genre. This list needs updating, though. My favorite games are platformers like Mario, Kirby, and Spyro. My least favorite is sports but I liked NFL Blitz before the NFL got greedy and only wanted to license Madden.

• January 25th: Adventure / Action
• January 26th: First Person Shooter (FPS)
• January 27th: Fighting
• January 28th: Real-time Strategy (RTS)
• January 29th: Racing
• January 30th: Role Playing Games (RPGs)
• January 31st: Sports

Inauguration Day of 45th US President

Article II, Clause 8
Before he enters the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:—"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." [Notice there is no "so help me God" in the Constitution.]

Amendment XX, Section 1
The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January...and the terms of their successors shall then begin.

Money Spell

With all things magical, remember the 4th step in the witch's pyramid: to be silent. In today's information age and better religious tolerance, we have no need to hide or be ashamed of our Paganism. However, use common sense. It is okay to share because some of us are not cut out to be part of a coven. It is not ok to brag. Work your magic and leave it to Deity / Universe to continue the process.

This spell is not a substitute for mundane (non-magical) action. What follows is a basic spell. I will post not what I did exactly because a witch's spell is her/his own and you should put something into the spell to make it personal.

You will need:
candle - whatever color YOU think of when money and prosperity comes to mind (ex. green, gold, silver)
oil - anything earthy, as Earth is the element related to prosperity (ex. patchouli)
physical money, quantity 5 - cash, not checks, money orders, or credit cards (ex. any denomination bill or coins)

You can substitute incense for candle and oil. Again choose an earthy fragrance pleasing to you.

Dress the candle with the oil (or light the incense). Speak as if you have the money you need. If you ask for a specific amount, add "and a little more" afterwards. Don't be greedy and be realistic.

Run the bills or coins over the flame / smoke (Be careful!), thinking of your intention. Place money on your altar or in your wallet. Thank Deity and extinguish candle with a snuffer. Once this spell has resolve, take the blessed money and give to a charity, church, or friend in need. Pay it forward!

Bodhi Day 2017

Happy Bodhi Day!

Unfortunately, I won't be able to view the morning star at dawn as Buddha did since Venus will rise after the sun. Time to think about my Buddhist studies. Been sorely lacking in this department. Namaste!

Winter Solstice Tarot Spread

Blessed Yule!

My created winter solstice spread is brought to you by the Deck of 1000 Spreads. I know - there are a zillion spreads out there and it's nothing wrong with using them. However, when you create your own spread, a little something of your essence is added.

Start by placing the solstice card in the middle. This is the significator. I used the Ace of Pentacles from the Universal Goddess deck. According to my research of tarot and astrology, this card represents the 1st day of Capricorn. Feel free to use whatever card you wish. I've read that some will place the Sun card here.

The object was to use 8 places to signify the Wheel of the Year; Yule marks the beginning of the solar year for me. I ended up using 9 with 2 cards at the beginning. Starting directly above the center and going clockwise, the places for the spread are

1. Message from Spirit AND Message from friends and family
2. Positive influences
3. Hopes and fears
4. What is hidden (what should you be on the lookout for)
5. Immediate future
6. What to use in the future
7. Goal (for this year)
8. Outcome

This is a beginning of the year spread so you can use it for your birthday, whenever you start the magical year, Gregorian New Year, etc.

I used the Sun and Moon Tarot to read. While I won't tell you all the cards I drew, I did pull the Sun card from 2 different decks. How's that! Also the significator is Fortuna, the Roman goddess of luck, good or bad. This reminds us that nothing is written in stone and the cards serve to give us a possible outcome.

Deck Review - Spirit de la Lune

This deck arrived yesterday. After pondering over whether I should get it or not, I went ahead and ordered it. Definitely worthwhile. The site listed 2-4 weeks as processing time; I got my deck in about 2 weeks. Well packaged. Padded envelope contained Easter basket grass and silver stars for decoration; what a nice touch!

The box: I have the 2nd edition so the box is completely square. The 1st edition cards came in a round tin. Around the box in silver are the phases of the moon. Opening the box was just a tad difficult. The width of it is just a little too big for my hand span. The lid is a snug fit so I had to shake the box a bit to it off. The guide book is perfectly square; 1st edition book was rectangular.

The deck: My first round deck! How fitting that it is a moon oracle. 56 (+ 2 reference) cards which contain 28 moon phases (as viewed from the Northern Hemisphere), 12 zodiac cards, 12 full moon cards, and 4 special moons. The artists call them moondalas (moon + mandalas). Cute! I haven't worked with the deck yet but as soon as I opened the pack just to scan them, I felt calmness. Maybe it's the roundness or the muted colors or the abstract art. I knew I'd made a wise choice. In fact, it has inspired me to make my own moon oracle but I'll tell you about it some other time.

Oracle decks are different from tarot decks. Oracles can be any amount of cards and the creators will need to provide a guidebook. Tarot is (usually) 78 cards with a major and minor arcana; the meanings are pretty much universal. The artists of Spirit de la Lune make comparisons of their oracle to tarot - full moon cards are major arcana, moon phases are minor arcana, and zodiacs are the courts.

The deck is packaged with the full moon and special moon cards first. Next come the phases/zodiacs broken up by suits. The guidebook explains each cards and includes spreads for each full moon. I love the little mantra / poem for each phase card! Cursive on the intro pages is a little hard to read but that just means you have to take your time to read it.

I rate this oracle 4.75 / 5 moons. Since the synodic month is 29.5 days, I wish 2 or more space or void cards was included so that we could follow the moonth with a phase card a day. I'll probably just make some placeholders out of black construction paper. The borders that indicate the elements could stand to be more different. I'm having a hard time telling the purples, blues, and greens apart.

Deck website: http://www.spiritdelalune.com/

Durin's Day 2016

I've set the sun/moon angle on Durin's Day to be 22.5 deg because it seems most likely this is when the crescent moon will be visible right before the setting sun. Due to the brightness of the sun and the tiny sliver of moon, you should be able to see the moon after civil twilight. Times are EDT.

Winter (Samhain) - Nov 6 6:47p

New Moon (sun/moon angle 0 deg) - Oct 30 1:38p
New Crescent (sun/moon angle 22.5 deg) - Nov 1
Waxing Crescent (sun / moon angle 45 deg) - Nov 3 4:50p

Sunset - 6:05p
Civil Twilight ends - 6:33p
Moonset - 7:38p

Sadly it was cloudy so I didn't see the doorway open. Bummer.

My first post on how I figured this out is here.

Squee!

Finished reading the intro to The Book of Doors. Very excited to start working with this deck.