My First Tarot Set

I have been wanting to learn the Art of Tarot for a while now, but I have been looking at different sets and none of them called to me... so I never bought a set. I did find one set that I fell in love with, but at the time I did not have money for it, and then the store went out of business, and I haven't been able to find that set again...
But anyway, I decided to look once again, and I did find a set I was thinking about getting when all of a sudden it hit me 'I don't need to get the perfect set right now, all I need is a set to learn on, and then I can continue my journey to finding the perfect set'. So Here I am, I bought an inexpensive but very pretty Tarot kit with all the cards and an instruction booklet.
I took home the set and I made it my own. And my cat Sage, also made himself at home with the Tarot. He sniffed them, licked them, and laid on the cloth I set out for them. Maybe this was his way of blessing the cards...?

I sewed the Purple Pouch, and I cut the perfect length of Green material for the cards. And I tied it with a Purple Velvet cord I made with leftover material from the pouch.

 Here is the Booklet called The Art of Tarot. It's very pretty and easy to understand, I look forward to reading through it and learning everything I can about The Art Of Tarot.

 Sage was very interested in these cards... he was also very interested this morning while I was reading the steam from my cup of tea. Maybe he really is my familiar.

 Here is the set wrapped up in the green cloth with purple cord, the booklet and the Purple velvet bag I made.

 Sage loved the cloth I use for the cards.

 Fanned out

 Here they are all spread out

 Here are the different suits. From left to right, the Major Arcana (the 22 numbered cards), the Suit of Pentacles, the Suit of Swords, the Suit of Cups, the Suit of Wands.

 Sage really was interested in these cards.

Here it is all wrapped up and protected. Some of you may be wondering why I used Green material instead of black or dark purple... well for one thing Green and Purple are my favorite colors, and I feel a strong connection to both of those colors. I already had purple material for the bag and the cord, but I wanted some green as well, and since I had some extra Green material hanging around I thought it was perfect.
Sometimes when you are doing Magic you have to do what feels right to you and not what someone else said/wrote you should do. Magic works differently for everyone, so I tend to follow my instincts more then I follow written spells. In fact that is the same way I cook, I look at a recipe then I change it and do my own things, and it hasn't failed me yet, so I will continue to do so.

Friday the 13th

Today is Friday the 13th, and before you flinch and shrink away at the notion of 'Bad Luck' take a look at how Friday the 13th could actually be a blessed day.

First we look at how Friday the 13th came to be known as an unlucky day:
The notion that Friday the 13th is a unlucky day has only been around since about the 19th century, and it's mainly because of Christian superstitions.

• In Numerology and Christianity, 12 is considered the number of completeness. 12 months in a year, 12 hours on a clock, Jesus' 12 Apostles, etc. So the number 13 has been considered irregular, or it causes some problem in the wholeness of 12. There is also a superstition that was derived from The Last Supper. 'If there are 13 people seated at a table, one of those people is going to die.'

• Christianity also has a superstition about Friday being an unlucky day because in Christian Scripture, Jesus was crucified on a Friday.

• And according to many Freemasons, Friday the 13th the Knights Templar was slaughtered on Friday the 13th.

Now with that out of the way, Here are some reasons why Friday the 13th is a Blessed day:

• Friday Honors the Goddess Freya (Freya's Day), also called Frigg she is a goddess of fertility. 
• Friday is also associated with the Planet Venus and Aphrodite. So Friday is the best day to preform spells for new friendship and love. And it is a good day to offer love to your Goddess/God of choice.

• 13 is a sacred number of the goddess because in the lunar year there are 13 lunar cycles. 
• In Egypt the number 13 is associated with immorality. 

'There were twelve steps on the ladder to eternal life and knowledge; the thirteenth step meant going through death into everlasting life.'

• 13 is also the traditional number of Witches in a Coven.

Another interesting thing to note is that Insurance companies tend to have less reports on Friday the 13th. This could either be because more people stay home during this day for fear of something happening to them, or because people are more cautious when they are out driving.

2012 is a rare and special year because it has 3 Friday the 13ths.
Here are some ideas you can use to celebrate Friday the 13th, as well as have a wonderful year.

• Make a list of 13 things you wish to accomplish this year and post it somewhere you will see everyday. Try to get as many of them done as you can this year.
• Write a list of 13 things you do not like about yourself or wish to change. Set the paper on fire to symbolize banishing them, then set about changing your life for the better.
• Host a Friday the 13th Party, and have 13 different things to choose from, drinks, appetizers, etc.

My Altar

I realized that I have never posted a picture of my altar, and when I was taking some pictures for my last blog post, I decided to take a few pictures of my altar to share.

My altar takes up the top of my short Bookcase (that holds most of my Magic Books) in my bedroom. And as you can see I have acquired a lot of magical items for my altar... though it is not finished yet. In fact I do not believe my altar will ever be finished because my altar is like me... Ever changing and evolving.
As you can see, my altar is not just a flat surface either, I have also taken up the wall above and next to my altar as well.

Pardon the busyness of my altar. I have multiple spells in the works on my altar, so it's a bit crowded at the moment. lol

Some of the items I have on my altar are:

• Cauldron
• Wand
• Mortar and Pestle
• Crystal Ball
• Candles
• Wheel of the Year
• Incense Burners
• Cat Statue for the Maiden
• Cat Statue for the Mother
• Cat Statue for the Crone
• My Partner's and My Handfasting Cord
• A Dry Rose form our Handfasting Ceremony
• A Pendulum 
• My Lucky Bamboo (That is at least 6 years old)
• And so much more...

I will continue to add and replace items on my altar for the rest of my life. I also store my favorite pentacle necklace on my altar while I am sleeping. It helps the magic recharge overnight.

I hope you all enjoyed the insight to my magical world. I really love my altar. I hope that one day I can move it to a larger place that is close to a window so the light of the moon can shine down on it.

A Spell for the New Year

I read this spell on 'A Bad Witch's Blog' and I liked it so much I decided to adapt it for my own and write about it here. This spell is designed to be done before Twelfth Night (The last night of the 12 Days of Christmas). This year, Twelfth Night is on January 5th, so if you want to do this spell also, you better get cracking. lol
The Blog I read it on described the spells as a Spell "for New Year luck and its purpose is to let you give yourself a gift of good fortune to carry forward to the year ahead."

• The first thing you need to do for this spell is to think of something your really want for the new year.

Ex: A New Home, A Good Job, Love, Success in a Project, Money, etc.

I actually did my spell in 3 parts (meaning I made 3 separate wishes that were all tied to the same goal.) But I am not going to say exactly what my goal is because I feel that wishes and spells should not be talked about too much in fear that they gather outside interference.

• Pick something (an object picture) that symbolizes your wish.

Ex: Pink Quartz Heart for Love, a Paintbrush for an Art Project, a Pen for Writing, a House (picture or toy) for a New Home, a Coin for Money, etc.

• Take the object you picked and wrap it up with some tissue paper or wrapping paper and ribbon. 

I chose tissue paper and ribbon that also corresponded to my overall goal, but that is not a requirement. I just thought the spell would be a bit more powerful that way.

• Hold your present and ask the powers of the New Year and January (month of new beginnings) to bless your desire and grant your wish.

• Take your gift and place it in your desk drawer, carry it in your bag, place it under your pillow or put it somewhere important. Look at your present every time you need an extra boost to your goal.

• When you feel that the time is right (after your wish has been granted), you can open your gift.

Here is my Wrapped Wish

I placed it on my alter because that is where I like to put all my 'in progress' spells. That way I can give them a boost of energy every time I see them.