Sowing & Reaping: A Tarot Spread for Spring

With the arrival of spring, practitioners may adapt their magical rituals and spells to align with these strong themes of growth, transformation, and new beginnings. As the earth awakens, so too does the magic within each of us, and divination becomes a powerful tool for uncovering the opportunities ahead and navigating the path to personal growth and fulfillment. A spring Tarot reading offers insights into the fresh beginnings, new challenges, and the potential for personal development that this season brings, providing a mirror to reflect the magical essence of springtime.

DivinationJohannaMarch 1, 2024tarot spreads, tarot spread, tarot, divination, spring divination, spring, new beginnings

In With the New: Unlocking the New Year With Tarot

With the passing of each new year, many people turn to divination to see what the coming year has in store for them. The Gregorian New Year has only just occurred, and, while some of you may still be recovering from New Year festivities, now is the perfect time to look toward the year to come. Instead of focusing on resolutions and pressuring ourselves needlessly, these tarot spreads are instead intended to reflect on the year now behind us and the year to come ahead of us. In this piece, you’ll find six spread in total, each easily customizable to meet your unique needs – two versions of an Out With the Old, In With the New spread, a 12-Month Tarot Spread, two versions of a 6-Month Tarot Spread, and the Wheel of the Year Spread, each offering a glimpse into the year to come in their own special way.

DivinationKeziahJanuary 3, 2024tarot spreads, tarot spread, new year, new year's, new years tarot reading

Divining in Darkness: Methods of Divination Perfect for Winter

Winter. The word evokes a sense of chill, of cold, crisp air, and of dark, long, quiet nights. Darkness is often seen as a symbol of confusion or unfamiliarity, of uncertainty, of not knowing the way forward, but darkness can, indeed, be a powerful ally in the art of divination. Darkness can be the backdrop for some of the oldest and most varied forms of divination still known to us, and it can also be a tool itself, a key player in our divinatory practices. Two such realms of divination that rely on darkness in their own ways will be explored in this piece, two schools of divination that are perfect to welcome into our winter practices and traditions.

DivinationKeziahDecember 13, 2023divination, winter, winter divination, pyromancy, fire, libanomancy, scrying

Trust the Trees: Dendromancy & Autumn Leaves in Divination

In the Northern Hemisphere, the Autumn is in full bloom, so to speak, and Winter is right around the corner. The leaves have not only turned from greens to fiery oranges, golden yellows, and rusty reds, but, in many areas, they’ve already been falling to the ground for a number of weeks now. Some take to raking up the fallen leaves and disposing of them – don’t! Not only are you doing your yard and the environment a great disservice by ridding the land of fallen leaves, but you’re robbing yourself of an opportunity to partake in seasonal divinatory fun! Yes, fallen leaves can be a useful tool for divination, and the bare branches they leave behind can also be read for omens. In this post, we’ll take a look at dendromancy and a few methods of divination that make use of the autumn leaves.

DivinationKeziahNovember 29, 2023dendromancy, divination, autumn, autumn magic

Horn of Plenty, and Other Autumn Tarot Spreads

Tarot as a means of divination has long been used to aid those seeking guidance and is ideal for those who question how they move forward, how they can let go of the past, and what may await them further up the road. In this piece, you’ll find three spreads that are perfect to incorporate into your autumn readings – the Horn of Plenty (for those thinking about or hoping to start a new project or endeavor), the Witch’s Tree (for those looking to grow or change in their practice, or those questioning where their magical journey should be focused), and the Starburst (for those who are leaning into change). Though these spreads use up to eight cards, beginners need not be intimidated. You can customize your spread, cutting down on the number of cards pulled to shorten your reading and get down to the meat of the matter. Feel free to alter your spreads to meet your needs.

DivinationKeziahNovember 24, 2023tarot, tarot spread, tarot spreads, divination, cartomancy, autumn

Connecting with the House Wights: Using Tarot to Connect with Your Household Spirits

Practitioners of cottage magic possess a deep connection to their homes and the land around it. Although some may think of this as a connection to the beams and bricks that make up the house itself, many cottage witches also seek to build a connection with the rich spiritual energies that reside in their homes. For those who acknowledge the spirit realm and seek to walk in step with it, household spirits can be a source of peace and comfort as well as powerful magical allies.

the Dumb Supper: A Divination Rite

While the Dumb Supper has come to be more commonly known today as a ritual used to honor the dead and our ancestors, its origins are said to lie in a divination rite used to foretell one’s future spouse, and in some rural regions of the United States (particularly within the Appalachian, Southern, and Ozark regions), the use of the term Dumb Supper is still mostly used when speaking of the divinatory practice. Believed to have been brought Stateside by immigrants from the British Isles, the Dumb Supper was practiced in the United States at liminal points in the year, with the hope of revealing the identity of one’s future spouse or beloved.

Crystals for Divination & Spirit Work: Enhancing Your Practice When the Veil is Thin

When the veil between the physical and spiritual realms becomes thinner, practitioners of magic are presented with an opportune time to enhance their divination and spirit work practices. Whether you are a seasoned practitioner or just beginning your journey, crystals and gemstones can be powerful allies in connecting with the spiritual world and gaining deeper insights into the mysteries of the universe.

Study & Practice, Divination, Curios of MagicJohannaOctober 18, 2023crystals, gems, stones, spirit work, spiritwork, divination

Under the Thin Veil: Herbs & Spells for Personal and Spiritual Protection

As the leaves change and the air takes on a crisp chill, the magical energy of autumn permeates the air. This time of year is not only visually enchanting but also spiritually potent. During this period, the veil between the worlds is thin, making it an ideal time to focus on spiritual/magical protection and warding off negative energies.

Samhain Divination: Divining the Unknown at Samhain

Samhain is one of the four major festivals within the Gaelic calendar, and easily the most widely known of the lot. The festival marks the end of harvest season, the transition into winter, and the beginning of the dark half of the year. Samhain is a time when the walls between our world and the Otherworld – the realm of spirits of all kinds – are down. During this time, it is easier for the Otherworld folk to walk among us, and easier for the living to see and commune with these spirits. For many, this time of year is when the connection to the spirit world feels stronger than otherwise. Because of this Samhain is considered an auspicious time to practice divination.

A Guide to Samhain: Exploring the Customs & Origins of Samhain

Samhain (pronounced sow-in or sah-win) is one of the four major Gaelic holidays, a festival that marks the passing of summer into winter, of the ‘light season’ into the ‘dark season’, and the end of the old year and beginning of the new. Now celebrated or acknowledged by many modern pagans, wiccans, druids, and magical practitioners throughout the world, Samhain’s origins lie in Ireland.

Roses in Witchcraft: Magical Uses for Roses

It’s spring in the northern hemisphere, and that means it’s the season of blooming roses everywhere! Or that’s the case ‘round my region. It’s now the perfect time to get out and harvest roses, petals, buds, thorns, and leaves, and to put them to magical use. In this post, you’ll find a collection of spells that anyone can try for themselves.

A is for Apple: Thirteen Magical Ways to Use Apples

The almighty apple – so commonplace, yet its uses are endless. It has countless magical correlations and applications around the world. The small, too oft unnoticed apple bears significant religious connotation as well – a fruit that has been historically used in invocational offerings to no less than a dozen deities and has gained symbological infamy. From its use in fertility and romance magic to its association with death and immortality, there seems to be very little the apple cannot do.

Workings for the New Year: A New Year’s Cartomancy Spread

For many practitioners of magic, rituals for guidance, self-improvement, and clarity are something of a New Year’s tradition. Witches and other magical practitioners often use rituals, spells, and other traditions to clear away the negativity the old year and ring in the new. One example of such a tradition is the common practice of using divination to help map out and navigate their plans for the new year.

Divination, Holidays & TraditionsJohannaJanuary 21, 2022new years divination, new years tarot reading, new years cartomancyComment

Are You Cursed?: Detecting Curses & Their Origins

Here’s the good news: curses, while always a hot topic in the magical community, are really not as common as many people might think they are. There are, of course, practitioners who specialize in curses and hexes. And you may occasionally make someone angry enough that they mutter (or tweet) the threat of a curse in your direction. But the overwhelming majority of what we think might be the manifestation of curses in our lives can be chalked up to bad luck.

Workings for Samhain

For many witches and Pagans, Samhain is a time of excitement and festivities. The Halloween season is not just a time of year that is—for many members of the magical community—a rare opportunity to show one’s true colors to the world. It also falls alongside Samhain, a celebration of the Spirit Realm and a festival that honors the dead and other spirits. During this time, many witches and practitioners of magic may host rituals to honor the dead, to communicate with spirits, or to strengthen their connection to the Spirit Realm.

How to "Calibrate" a New Tarot Deck (or Recalibrate a Used One)

I tried for years to learn to read Tarot cards—and faced a lot of frustration and disappointment. It wasn’t part of my familial practice and it didn’t come naturally to me. I had already been a practitioner of magic for more than 10 years when I finally had my aha! moment with Tarot. Suddenly, it seemed so obvious and so simple. I could read Tarot because I hadn’t applied my personal rituals and beliefs to reading Tarot. I had tried, instead, to condition myself to read with the rote memorization of books, rather than seeking to connect to the spirit of the Tarot deck like I would any other tool I used in my magical workings. I had never tried to bond with a Tarot deck, or with each card. I had never worked to create a link between myself and my Tarot the way I had with my runes.

Exploring & Creating Personal Symbolism for Power-Raising, Divination and Spellwork

In the practice of magic (just as it is in literature, theater, and artwork), symbolism is a vehicle for deeper understanding. It is a language that expresses things which may not be as impactful or powerful if we were to lay them out in plain speech. It allows us (with or without the use of words) to convey messages of spirit, power, energy and emotion that are otherwise beyond description. Our understanding of these symbols can manifest as complete thoughts of which we are aware and cognizant—but it can also manifest as bodily sensations, shifts in one’s mental or spiritual energy, or the alteration of one’s perception.

Free Printable: Symbolwork Worksheet

Symbolwork is the ongoing process of creating, bonding with, modifying, maintaining and utilizing one’s personal symbol set, and applying one’s personal symbols across the many disciplines and skills which make up a magical practice. Our Symbolwork Worksheet is a free printable designed to support learners in the exploration and creation of personal symbol sets for magical working, divination, power raising, etc.

Free Printable: Record of Signs & Omens

Our Record of Signs & Omens printable is specifically designed to go beyond merely helping practitioners keep track of omens. Its fields and format are intended to help the practitioner to consider an omen from many different angles (taking into account the regional, cultural and personal significance of a symbol), to learn to distinguish between commonplace encounters and genuine omens, and to keep track of recurring events easily. It is a useful tool for organization as well as for learning.