Recommended Tarot Decks: 'The Arthurian Tarot'

 The legends, history, and tradition of Arthurian Britain are the theme of the Arthurian Tarot. The major arcana cards depict Merlin, Guinevere, the Lady of the Lake and other familiar characters, while the minor arcana have landscape scenes.

First published in 1991 ...Created by Caitlin and John Matthews.

The Arthurian Tarot is a very high quality book and card set that is nicely packaged and presented in a well-designed box. The cards are printed on quality, durable stock with vivid designs. The card designs are detailed and inviting, and they depict the essence of the grail mysteries. This deck differs from traditional tarot decks in that the suits of the minor arcana have been changed in keeping with the symbolism of the Hallows. So instead of the sword, wand, pentacle, and cup, we have the sword, spear, stone, and grail. The traditional icons of the major arcana have also been adjusted to incorporate Arthurian characters, for example, the High Priestess is now the Lady of The Lake, Strength is Gawain, and the Magician is Merlin. Each card’s image is bordered with a black frame which gives the reader the impression of looking through a window into an alternate realm. The images themselves are intricate, vibrantly coloured and have great depth, which facilitates a detailed reading.

The book which accompanies the Arthurian Tarot is not merely a guide to the meanings of each card, though in-depth interpretations are included. It is a workbook which guides the reader, whether expert or novice, on a personal grail quest called the Hallowquest. This is a meditation course designed to be spread out over a 12 month period. The course is divided into five parts. The aim of the first part is to enable the reader to prepare for the esoteric journey, while the subsequent four parts comprise the course’s seasonal sequence, which is intended to be started at the closest solstice or equinox.

Tarot History

 (Salem Tarot) The designs of the 22 cards in the Major Arcana can be traced back as far as 1440, when the first known deck appeared in Italy. The 3 decks called the "Visconti Trumps" are generally regarded as the "forefathers" of the decks that are widely available today. It is believed that they were originally created as a game for Nobles. It is not until centuries later that the cards reemerged, this time as a tool of divination. In the latter half of the 15th century, the cardmakers in Marseilles, France began to standardize the Trumps. Before this organized production, those who played the Trumps could dictate which they wanted to include, and which they wanted substituted or eliminated. Certain cards; Death, the Devil, and the Tower in particular; were considered offensive by the more conservative Nobles. These images caused religious leaders to attempt to ban the Trumps.

The first detailed reference to the Trumps of the Tarot is in the form of a sermon. This sermon, given by a Franciscan friar in Italy sometime between 1450 and 1470, contends that the Trumps were invented and named by the Devil. It condemns the use of the cards, and generally credits them with the triumph of the Devil. According to the friar, the Devil wins through the loss of the souls of those who play what was then, quite probably, nothing more than a simple game.

The rebirth of the Tarot, and its beginnings a means of divination, are attributed to Antoine Court de Gébelin in 1781.He believed it was Egyptian in origin, and that it contained mystical knowledge that had been purposefully encoded in the symbolism of the Trumps. Specifically, he theorized that the cards were the key to lost Egyptian magical wisdom written by Thoth, the Egyptian God of inspired written knowledge. The Trumps themselves began to noticeably evolve from this point forward. Changes were thought to have been introduced by the different secret societies who produced the decks...read more>>>...

How To Undertake A Tarot Reading On Yourself

There is a common misconception that it is not a good idea to undertake a tarot card reading on yourself. 

The idea is that you are likely to introduce ego in the process, and read what you want to see in the cards that are in front of you ...

I've come across the scenario many, many, times over the decades ... and I've always responded with the same reply ... 

At one time I would undertake a 'New Year Reading' on myself ... and had been pleasantly surprised by the accuracy of the methodology I undertake for 'undergoing a tarot reading on yourself' ....

It is essential to have the accompanying book that contains the meanings for the tarot cards you are planning to use for the personal reading. At no time should any of your own meanings/interpretations be brought into the reading. These are basically the meanings and interpretations which you use when undertaking your readings on other people/clients with these cards,

It is important to follow the card layouts and their interpretations that are included in the book. Speaking from personal experience, I use my own layouts developed over the decades, so the temptation to use personal layouts has to be resisted.

The idea is to let the author of the cards & book undertake an absent reading on you!

Clear your mind of all thoughts, and concentrate fully on the subject you require insights on ... and then choose the cards using the method often described in the book. Place the cards face down in the layout pattern you have chosen from the book.

Then, as you turn the cards, use the actual meanings that have been provided in the meanings book to build an impression of the answer to your given question. More often than not, from personal experience, it is at this point that you should permit your own impressions to be brought into the reading.

More often than not this method of reading yourself will provide the answers you seek. Insights into personal dilemmas and choices to be made are often provided. There is usually uncanny accuracy, especially when looking back on the reading notes after events have taken place.

Matthew James 14.01.2023

A Word on "Astrological Spread"

 In this spread, each card is read as its own entity. Individual cards represent each astrological house and should be interpreted with the strengths and weaknesses of the corresponding house in mind. 

You need not ask a question before using this spread. The various cards in this spread represent the following about you:

1. Self

2. Aries (current mood)

3. Taurus (finances)

4. Gemini (travel and communication)

5. Cancer (home, parents, children and extended family)

6. Leo (pleasure)

7. Virgo (health)

8. Libra (partnerships and marriage)

9. Scorpio (death and inheritance)

10. Sagittarius (spirituality, education and dreams)

11. Capricorn (career)

12. Aquarius (friendship)

13. Pisces (burden, opposition and fears)

(Source)

Celtic Cross Spread

The Celtic Cross spread is probably the most popular spread in use today. It is intended to shed light on many aspects of your life. Due to its popularity over the years, there have been many variations to the layout of the cards in this spread. 

However, whichever one is used, you just really need to concentrate on the question you put to the cards. 

The various cards in this spread represent the following about you...<<<Read More>>>...

The Sacred Geometry of Tarot

[Wake Up World]: The Tarot Cards are a means to comprehend subtle energy. The Tarot is often used to perform divination, essentially intuitive understanding of specific subtle energies. The Tarot reveals the story of energetic development of an individual and the situational through the understanding of subtle energy via the lessons in the symbolism of the cards. 

The Tarot reveals the ascension process, again, pertaining to the individual and the situational as well as being used for divination.

The study of the Tarot is useful in simply understanding individuals and situations without necessarily utilizing it as a divination tool. The lessons available in the layered symbolism of the cards reveal meaning in our own psychology, spirituality and life experience helpful to our internal growth process as well as helpful toward understanding the external world....<<<Read The Full Article Here>>>...

Dangerous Teachings ...

There is something that has been observed on social media, in recent weeks, that warrants a Gripe Of The Day. Indeed, it represents an issue that has been an ongoing concern for several years.

Basic Tarot readers who offer training courses to total novices, which are claimed to be the starting point for glitzy careers in tarot reading, psychic mediumship and spiritual teaching.

The suggestion that just a several training courses will propel a totally inexperienced acrolyte into a successful career is totally balmy? How can this be taken seriously?

Sadly, people fall for it. They go on these debatable training courses, then spend some money on clever advertising, and become newly launched 'Psychic Mediums'. Ridiculous.

The flaws and the pitfalls are endless. Tarot teachings on card meanings and spreads can only go so far towards an understanding of people; their life issues; the techniques needed to deal with difficult, and often suicidal people; etc etc etc. Quite often, these 'Tarot Teachers' are barely more than average 'readers' themselves. So their students will, more often than not, become clones of their teachers. Often with the same flaws, the same outlooks and the same grasp on tarot and its interpretation.

In order to successfully use tarot as a means of understanding the people before you, and to integrate the tarot imagery into comprehending the past, the present, and the future around that person, you have to first learn how to unlock the tarot's secrets; enabling you to open the door to your intuition and the metaphysical blueprint reality that lies behind this reality. The tarot can permit you to read that which is yet to happen ... but only after many years of working with the symbols. This cannot be attained in a few tarot teachings.

This whole concept is a very dangerous one. There are novice tarot readers going out in the public, really believing they have made the cut, and are experienced enough to deal with the life situations that they will come across when they subject themselves to the public. What a potential for disaster this is ... 

5 of Cups - Tarot Card of the Day

None of us should feel too good when the 5 of Cups, The Lord of Disappointment, turns up in our readings. It almost always means that somebody somewhere is going to make us feel let down or sad about something. And often when that happens we can end up giving ourselves a hard time, and hurting ourselves unnecessarily. But there's one important thing to consider when we get disappointed - we feel that way because an expectation we had is not fulfilled, whether by ourselves or by somebody else. So if you get this card coming up often, it's worth taking a good look at your expectations. Are they unrealistic? Are they geared to the abilities and characteristics of the person you hold them of? Or do you expect too much - this is an attitude we tend to apply most viciously to ourselves. Are you expecting more than you have a right to? Are you expecting things that the person in question -yourself or somebody else - is simply not able to provide? If the answer to any of the above is yes, then if you change your expectation, you'll stop being disappointed.

When this card comes up, it warns us that either we have failed to resolved an old difficulty, or that - realistic or not - our expectations are about to be disappointed. Often this will happen in an emotional situation (because this is a Cup card) but can happen elsewhere in our lives too, because disappointment itself is an emotion and therefore belongs to Cups. Aside from locating where the problem lies, there's rarely much that can be done except preparing ourselves to accept the inevitable consequence of being alive - into each life a little rain must fall etc.etc.

One thing that is always worth bearing in mind with a card like this is that the feelings which arise when it occurs often scare us into failing to take another risk, failing to make another effort, hiding away where we can't be disappointed again. (Angel Paths)

Insights For Monday 18th September 2017

Arthurian Tarot - photography Matthew James 2017

According to legend, The Grail provided the food everyone desired. The cauldron thus contains the energy of one's heart's desire. Bringing with it satisfaction and security. Time period extends from the present to end of November 2017. 

Presented is a sense of justice, a defender for the unprotected; a representative that is fair minded and exerts great care and perseverance. Merlin's appearance indicates mastery through disciplined skill, initiative and self confidence. 

Taliesin is the guardian of tradition and provides opportunity for counsel and advice. 

Recommended Tarot Decks: 'The Arthurian Tarot'

The legends, history, and tradition of Arthurian Britain are the theme of the Arthurian Tarot. The major arcana cards depict Merlin, Guinevere, the Lady of the Lake and other familiar characters, while the minor arcana have landscape scenes.

First published in 1991 ...Created by Caitlin and John Matthews.

The Arthurian Tarot is a very high quality book and card set that is nicely packaged and presented in a well-designed box. The cards are printed on quality, durable stock with vivid designs. The card designs are detailed and inviting, and they depict the essence of the grail mysteries. This deck differs from traditional tarot decks in that the suits of the minor arcana have been changed in keeping with the symbolism of the Hallows. So instead of the sword, wand, pentacle, and cup, we have the sword, spear, stone, and grail. The traditional icons of the major arcana have also been adjusted to incorporate Arthurian characters, for example, the High Priestess is now the Lady of The Lake, Strength is Gawain, and the Magician is Merlin. Each card’s image is bordered with a black frame which gives the reader the impression of looking through a window into an alternate realm. The images themselves are intricate, vibrantly coloured and have great depth, which facilitates a detailed reading.

The book which accompanies the Arthurian Tarot is not merely a guide to the meanings of each card, though in-depth interpretations are included. It is a workbook which guides the reader, whether expert or novice, on a personal grail quest called the Hallowquest. This is a meditation course designed to be spread out over a 12 month period. The course is divided into five parts. The aim of the first part is to enable the reader to prepare for the esoteric journey, while the subsequent four parts comprise the course’s seasonal sequence, which is intended to be started at the closest solstice or equinox.

The Path of the Hierophant – Vau

(Ann Skea):The Hierophant is like a lesser, worldly form of The High Priestess. Traditionally (but not necessarily) male, the Hierophant is a channel for the Divine energies, a bridge between the Divine and the Human, a man or woman who has direct access to the Sacred Wisdom and acts as a guide, a mediator, a priestly figure who uses this Wisdom to help balancing the opposing poles of sacred and profane in our world. The hierophantic spark in each of us is that intuitive wisdom which helps us to find a balanced path between orthodox conformity and our inner sense of what is right; between the worldly self and the spiritual self.

The Hierophant’s number in the Tarot is 5, the Pentacle, the number of Mankind. In traditional Tarot cards he is shown as the Pope, seated before the pillars of the Temple, which is the worldly house of the Divine spirit. Equally, he or she may be a prophet, a priest, a magus or a shaman. The Path of the Hierophant lies midway down the Pillar of Mercy and joins Sephira 2, Chokmah (Wisdom) to Sephira 4, Chesed (Mercy). Because of the numbers 2 and 4 (or 2 x 2), there is a strong element of duality and ambivalence to this path. There is also a strong element of sacrifice associated with the Hierophant, since (as the journeyer on this path must learn) this is the path of spiritual growth and to accept the Divine energies and allow them to flow freely through oneself to others is a dangerous and difficult task.

The number of the Hierophant’s path is 6 (the sum of 2 + 4) which is the number of Tiphereth (The Way of Love, Intuition and Divine inner knowledge). And the symbol for this path is two intersecting triangles, making a six-pointed star which appropriately suggests the inter-connection of the Supernal Triangle of 1, 2 and 3 with the worldly energies lower down the Sephirothic Tree. This symbol reflects the Hermetic/Platonic principle “As above, so below” and it is sometimes known as Soloman’s Seal. Soloman, of course, was a hierophant, as were all the other spiritual guides of Biblical, historical and mythological renown.

The astrological sign for the Hierophant’s path is Taurus, the Bull linking it with the Minoan Dionysus, ‘The Bull God’ of sacrifice and rebirth.

The Hebrew letter for this path, Vau (meaning ‘nail’), symbolizes both sacrifice and the steadfast link between the Divine and Mankind. It stands for the created Son, the lesser countenance of the Divine Source. We are all sons and daughters of that Source and fragments of that original Unity, thus we all carry its energies within us. Traditionally, however, the hierophant, prophet or spiritual leader is “called” to their task...read more>>>...

Daily Merlin for 24th May 2016

DAILY MERLIN for 24TH MAY 2016
We return to the 'Mystery of The Shining Star'. The central, significator, is The Shining Star in order to review the current situation around her. The first thing to note is the small 'X' stone on the bottom left of The Star image. 'X' marks the spot, but where? Maybe? What springs to mind, first, are the possible negative interpretations of this X ... X marks the spot of a burial site? That is what we have been led to believe. But intuitively this is not the case as the 'X' appears above ground on The Star image. So ... intuitive trails lead to where? Meaning she is still alive?  X is the rune GEFU ... meaning 'gift' or the 'unexpected'. Looking to the left of the image, we get The Sun card - stability and security of the established story. 8 of Staves the hurdles and obstacles deliberately place to hide the truth. 2 of Weapons contends the two sides to the story; or the two stories - the media hyped bullshit and the true story. 

So where is The Shining Star? What are the current intuitive clues in this spread?Are there any? 6 of Staves shows six flags placed on an incline or a hill, the 7 of Crescents shows seven steps down or up from water, or a beach/cove. Clues to a locality? The 2 of Spheres, The Devil and The Priest portray the future in the spread, but are also important forensic tarot images ... The Devil is FEAR and that which prevents the truth from being revealed. The Priest is the Hierophant or the Wounded Healer, Chiron. There is the religious/medical implication of the situation, again. The reason for the truth not being revealed. Certain religious and medical institutes would be seen in a different light if the truth was revealed. Hence the fear and the control mechanism to keep this hidden. This hints at an occult (Hidden) involvement here, again. There is deception here ... for sure ... the Two of Spheres show the scales of finance/money. The passage of finances from one establishment to an other. The passage or investment of monies. That which has been paid/received with regard to the disappearance of The Shining Star ... 

It's time to descend once more into this mystery, over the coming weeks. The Two Old Dears are back - Doris and Alice - one has provided me the smell of potato cakes, and the essence of movement in this mystery. A re-assurance that MM is still very much alive ... is a commodity worth a sum of money; a case of blackmail? A series of missions or jobs to be undertaken to get her back? - Matthew James   

A Miracle Needed

Not since The Tangerine Dream blog back in 2011 have we made English Soccer predictions for MJ's home team Blackpool FC. It's a long time since the English Premier League ... Blackpool face an almost certain drop into the fourth tier of English Football. That will be three relegations in the last 5 years. Relegation from the Premier League after one season in 2011. Relegation from the Championship last season into the 1st Division and now a drop from that division after the final game on Saturday. Yes? We would say so.

Blackpool MUST beat Peterborough Utd away on Saturday and hope that Fleetwood Town lose to bottom club Crewe. If this happened, Blackpool would remain and Fleetwood would be relegated instead. If Fleetwood win or draw then Blackpool are relegated. So a miracle is needed.

Above are Servants Of The Light tarot cards picked for both games in order to predict a likely outcome.

CARD PREDICTION
On first viewing the cards appear to suggest a survival by Blackpool FC. Their cards are The Magician and a reversed 4 of Crescents. The reversed 4 of Crescents suggests avoiding the drop to the 4th tier ... hence the crescents rising not falling. The Magician providing the indication they pull the rabbit out of the hat as the magician. The User of Staves and The World card for Peterborough plotting something out of the ordinary enabling Blackpool to win by a one goal margin. The 7 of Crescents hinting at the improbably taking place.

The 1 on the Magician suggests Blackpool surviving by 1 point.

That is on first viewing.

Gazing at Fleetwood's cards reveals the Giver of Weapons reversed and Justice ... a combination if this was a relationship reading would indicate a divorce ... losing their manager after the game? A relegation? The Keeper of Weapons centrally reversed is not very clear in its meaning, except the character would fall down if upside down which suggest Fleetwood will fall out of the division. Crewe's cards shows that their plight was already clear before the game. The 8 of Weapons suggests their bottom of the ladder plight whatever happens. The Maker of Staves is similar in a sense to The Magician card. In Blackpool's cards The Magician suggested a win by The Seasiders. So does it suggest a win by Crewe?

This is first viewing.

But what does gut instinct say? Left brain suggests a 5-1 win by Peterborough which relegates Blackpool. Crewe will probably lose to Fleetwood Town.

Understanding Tarot Cards To Understand Your Thoughts

Collective Evolution: The major and minor arcana of the tarot are 78 cards that are essentially tools to explain the archetypes of personality, and the human experience. A common misconception is that the tarot is a mystical medium that divines your future, as though the future is a fate sealed in stone.

This idea can be dangerous because there is a fine line between prediction and manifesting. If your thoughts create your reality – implanting a thought of a “prognosis” for the future, can lead you to invest emotionally in the result, and attach energy to the thought, which can then signal a “dent” in time to create the result, instead of the result existing to begin with. However, if you look at the tarot as a means to temporarily “time travel”, the medium can give you a glimpse into a possible future result by what your thoughts are projecting. If all time is happening at once, and all that ever was, will be, and all that ever will be, was – the future is completely malleable, because you control your reality. If you wish to change your future, change your thoughts…and to change your thoughts, you must first identify them...read more>>>...

Introducing The Bohemian Animal Tarot

I highly recommend The Bohemian Animal Tarot! They are a perfect blend of animal symbolism and tarot ...

My close friend Scott Alexander King is co-creator of these magical cards ...

They can be obtained from numerous spiritual outlets including 'Embrace' at Miranda Westfield, NSW.


From Rockpool Publishing: "The Bohemian Animal Tarot offers a totally unique Tarot experience. Representing our archetypal aspects as part human and part animal, it explores the fundamental types of people and life situations entrenched in the collective psyche of all people. The humanistic qualities of the Major Arcana may also symbolically represent our emotional and spiritual development from the newborn infant to adult, while the animalistic side could be said to mirror our inherent primordial strengths and weaknesses."

Tarot History

(Salem Tarot) The designs of the 22 cards in the Major Arcana can be traced back as far as 1440, when the first known deck appeared in Italy. The 3 decks called the "Visconti Trumps" are generally regarded as the "forefathers" of the decks that are widely available today. It is believed that they were originally created as a game for Nobles. It is not until centuries later that the cards reemerged, this time as a tool of divination. In the latter half of the 15th century, the cardmakers in Marseilles, France began to standardize the Trumps. Before this organized production, those who played the Trumps could dictate which they wanted to include, and which they wanted substituted or eliminated. Certain cards; Death, the Devil, and the Tower in particular; were considered offensive by the more conservative Nobles. These images caused religious leaders to attempt to ban the Trumps.

The first detailed reference to the Trumps of the Tarot is in the form of a sermon. This sermon, given by a Franciscan friar in Italy sometime between 1450 and 1470, contends that the Trumps were invented and named by the Devil. It condemns the use of the cards, and generally credits them with the triumph of the Devil. According to the friar, the Devil wins through the loss of the souls of those who play what was then, quite probably, nothing more than a simple game.

The rebirth of the Tarot, and its beginnings a means of divination, are attributed to Antoine Court de Gébelin in 1781.He believed it was Egyptian in origin, and that it contained mystical knowledge that had been purposefully encoded in the symbolism of the Trumps. Specifically, he theorized that the cards were the key to lost Egyptian magical wisdom written by Thoth, the Egyptian God of inspired written knowledge. The Trumps themselves began to noticeably evolve from this point forward. Changes were thought to have been introduced by the different secret societies who produced the decks...read more>>>...

The Basic Structure Of The Tarot Deck

There are 78 total cards in a standard tarot deck. These cards are divided in the following way: 4 sets (called 'suits') of 14 cards each = 56 cards (the 'minor arcana').

The names of these suits have varied from pack to pack over time but generally suits adhere to some form of the following designations---Wands (or Rods), Cups, Swords, Pentacles (or Disks).

Each suit has ten numbered cards, Ace through Ten, plus four 'court cards' [note: the term 'court card' possibly comes from a corruption of 'coat card', 'coat' having once been used to refer to something, such as one's apparel, which would distinguish one's class or profession]. The court cards go by various naming conventions but: King-Queen-Knight-Page is a fairly standard description. One notices that this sequence is identical to that encountered in the 52-card pack of normal playing cards (the 'Page' being the 'Jack'), with the addition of the 'Knight' in tarot.

Another common scheme, one popularized by the Aleister Crowley 'Book of Thoth' deck is; Knight-Queen-Prince-Princess. The difference between these approaches points to one of the myriad ideological disputes about names and 'meanings' that characterize so much of modern tarot. In addition to these 56 'small' cards there are; 22 cards of the 'major arcana', often referred to simply as 'majors', or 'trumps'. These cards depict various ideas and persons, the names of the cards are mostly rooted in Medieval or Renaissance religion and culture (particularly that of North Italy). The cards are numbered from 0-Fool, to 21-World (or Universe) as follows

0. Fool [the Fool will sometimes be found stuck between 20 & 21]
I. Magus (or Magician)
II. High Priestess
III. Empress
IV. Emperor
V. Hierophant
VI. Lovers
VII. Chariot
VIII. ??????????

And right there our peaceful little perusal of the trumps rolls right off the tracks. We should get used to this, it's going to happen a lot. The problem with 'VIII' is that no one can decide, with ultimate authority, what it's supposed to be. Some people say 'VIII' should be 'Strength' while others say 'Justice' (and thus these two cards are locked in a struggle over the number placements 'VIII' and 'XI'). At the same time, and to muddy things more, there is the whole problem introduced by Aleister Crowley, in his influential 'Thoth' deck, who exchanged the attributions (the correspondences between tarot trumps and paths on the kabbalistic Tree of Life) of IV-Emperor and XVII-Star. Most people, who are not strict adherents to Crowley's Thelemic system, have not followed nor concerned themselves much with the latter change, but many still fight over the VIII-XI controversy. Based on purely astrological considerations the better choice seems to be Strength in 'VIII' and Justice in 'XI'. But there's more to it than that---there almost always is in tarot. So, let's continue;

VIII. Strength (or Justice)---[note: also, in Thoth-influenced decks these cards will be titled 'Lust' or 'Adjustment' respectively.]
IX. Hermit
X. Wheel of Fortune
XI. Justice (or Strength) [again, in Thoth 'Justice' is called 'Adjustment'.]
XII. Hanged Man
XIII. Death
XIV. Temperance [In Thoth this is called 'Art', as in 'alchemical' arts]
XV. Devil
XVI. Tower
XVII. Star
XVIII. Moon
XIX. Sun
XX. Judgment [As in the 'Last Judgment', in Thoth it is called 'Aeon']
XXI. World/or Universe .... read more ...

Tarot Card of the Day: The Magician

Traditionally, the Magus is one who can demonstrate hands-on magic -- as in healing, transformative rituals, alchemical transmutations, charging of talismans and the like. A modern Magus is any person who completes the circuit between heaven and Earth, one who seeks to bring forth the divine 'gold' within her or himself.

At the birth of Tarot, even a gifted healer who was not an ordained clergyman was considered to be in league with the Devil! For obvious reasons, the line between fooling the eye with sleight of hand, and charging the world with magical will was not clearly differentiated in the early Tarot cards.

Waite's image of the Magus as the solitary ritualist communing with the spirits of the elements -- with its formal arrangement of symbols and postures -- is a token of the freedom we have in modern times to declare our spiritual politics without fear of reprisal. The older cards were never so explicit about what the Magus was doing. It's best to keep your imagination open with this card. Visualize yourself manifesting something unique, guided by evolutionary forces that emerge spontaneously from within your soul.

Travelling on his way, the Fool first encounters a Magician. Skillful, self-confident, a powerful magus with the infinite as a halo floating above his head, the Magician mesmerizes the Fool. When asked, the Fool gives over his bundled pack and stick to the Magician. Raising his wand to heaven, pointing his finger to Earth, the Magician calls on all powers; magically, the cloth of the pack unfolds upon the table, revealing its contents. And to the Fool's eyes it is as if the Magician has created the future with a word. There are all the possibilities laid out, all the directions he can take. The cool, airy Sword of intellect and communication, the fiery Wand of spirituality and ambition, the overflowing Chalice of Love and emotions, the solid Pentacle of work, possessions and body. With these tools, the Fool can create anything, make anything of his life. But here's the question, did the Magician create the tools, or were they already in the pack? Only the Magician knows - and on this mystery, our eloquent mage refuses to say a word.

Intensive Mediumship Training Module - Practical Divination Tools

© Matthew James 2014 

PRACTICAL EXERCISE 3 INTRODUCING THE DIVINATION SPREAD ‘WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?’ 

In this exercise we begin to get into the nitty gritty of providing divination card readings for other people. With your group partner, or another group member, please discuss and consider this particular spread. 

Remember THE SIGNIFICATOR relates to the person or the particular situation the person is facing. Take turns to ‘read’ each other. Follow the process in the previous exercises with regard to understanding the cards. Keep note of all your observations. Plus, apply the process of shuffling and picking the cards for the other group member. Take turns to be both ‘the reader’ and ‘the read’ … and remember to keep a note of this exercise in the space below! The more trial readings you undertake … with this process of determining your own card meanings … the easier it gets and the more confident you will be !!!!

Example taken from Intensive Mediumship Training 'Practical Divination Tools' Training Module devised and faciliated by Matthew James. For more information on this Module and other courses please visit The Official Intensive Mediumship Training website...>>>here>>>... 

© Matthew James 2014

This extract cannot be copied or reproduced in any form without the expressed permission of the Authour (Matthew James). Tracking software has been added to this article  

MJ.TV - "Death and The Tower" - with Matthew James

MJ.TV presents the first in its 'Mentoring Series' videos .... renowned International Medium & Clairvoyant Matthew James discusses the tarot images 'Death & 'The Tower' and offers his own insights into these much maligned tarot images.

For more info on Matthew James visit www.matthewjamesmedium.com
Find him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MJMEDIUM