I finished reading A Wicked Pack of Cards: The Origins of the Occult Tarot last night. It is an interesting book about the development of Tarot from a trump-taking card game (which is actually very fun) to an occult tool. I was a little confused about the authors’ opinion on Tarot though. Which I suppose is understandable since the book was written by three people and they are bound to have different ideas. It felt a little like in part of the book they were saying that Tarot reading is rubbish, since it starting as nothing more then a card…
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Somewhere along the way I lost my sense of humour. It’s pretty sad to wake up one day and realize that. Very rarely to I laugh out loud at anything, and my jokes tend to be sarcastic. I was very distressed by this revelation, and have been making an attempt to rediscover the humour in life. (Difficult to do these days, but I’m reinstating my newsfast.) So, the other day I did a Google search for Wiccan Humour (I’m starting small). Some of the stuff I found was funny, and some was a little mean. But one site in particular…
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This is the first Easter that I have spent away from my parents. I have been out on my own for about three years now, but for the past two years I went to my parent’s house for Easter dinner. I guess I sort of miss my family today. We, by that I mean quanta and I, were invited to Easter dinner at my aunt’s in Windsor, but it is just a bit to far now that we are in Toronto. And, quite honestly, I was looking forward to having a nice long weekend to spend alone with quanta. I’ve…
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A comment was added yesterday to my entry Why I am Wiccan. The person more or less asked if one finds a spiritual practice satisfying, is the title really important? My first thought was “No, it’s not.” I thought this because religion is deeply personal. It is something between you and your god(s). But, as I started to write this entry, I began to think that maybe titles were important, to a certain extent. If you don’t follow a religion, it makes no sense to say that you do. I am not Presbyterian, Asatru, Celtic Reconstructionist, or Jew so I…
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Yesterday I mentioned that I am part of a few groups that I really enjoy. One of them is the Stat-Tarot group at Yahoo. It’s purpose is to have many people do a one card reading for a specific issue and then do an analysis of those readings to see if there is any correlation. It is an extremely low traffic list, and a really interesting project. The time commitment is very small, just long enough to do a one card Tarot reading and send in a report (in a specific format) detailing your reading. If you are interested, keep…
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Off and on, I’ve had an interest in various types of personality tests. I know my Myers-Briggs type and my enneagram type, ISFJ and 1 wing 9 respectively. I’ve also explored by Western and Eastern Zodiac signs in an attempt to learn more about myself. Sometimes I discover truths that I knew about all the time, and other times I discover hidden pieces of myself that I am forced to acknowledge. I am always pleasantly surprised when two systems neatly intersect. Take, for example, Tarot and Myers-Briggs. Based on physical characteristics and my Zodiac sign, the Queen of Pentacles is…
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There are a few different types of Wiccans and/or Pagans out there. One of those groups likes to research their faith through solid scholarly works like Ronald Hutton’s Triumph of the Moon and classic texts on mythology like Edith Hamilton’s Mythology. Of course, this group doesn’t ignore the influence of popular works of fiction on their faith or on the general perception of their faith. But, they don’t see these works of fiction as the gospel (if you will pardon the expression). Fiction is recreation, and if it adds to your spiritual journey, so much the better. There is another…
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This past weekend I recieved a nice letter from someone asking me why I was Wiccan, instead of, say, Christian or Buddhist. I wasn’t able to reply as quickly as I would have liked, since my cold had knocked me pretty low. But this morning I sat down to write my reply. I am Wiccan because it is the right path for me. It fills my spiritual needs and nourishes my soul. The Lord and Lady speak to me, and it feels right. Beyond the purely spiritual, the morals of Wicca seem right to me. My actions are my responsibility…
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I got an email this morning, through my main site The Lotus Pond. A young girl (and I am making a bit of an asumption here) said that she was Wiccan, but there was some things she doesn’t understand. She wanted to know why TV shows have witches and Wiccans do they things they do. She wanted to know if what she had read is true, that being Wiccan means you will develop ESP and other supernatural powers. She seems pretty confused. So, I sat down to write a reply that I hoped will help her out a little bit.…
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My hopes for the Gaian Tarot’s Teacher card (traditionally the Hierophant) have been exceeded. You can see the card here. It is beautiful, and just in line with what I would look for in a Pagan-inspired deck. Truthfully, my first thought when I saw it was “Wow! What a great Hermit card!” But, no, it is prefect for the Teacher/Heirophant. Being outside, part of nature, is more in line with the Pagan mindset then being inside in a church or temple. Many Pagans, in fact, believe the outdoors is their temple or that they carry their temple with them everywhere.