Herbal Tea Basics -

How to Read Tarot Cards When You Don’t Know Shit

OR: HOW I STOPPED WORRYING AND LEARNED TO LOVE PRACTICING TAROT

This is a simple exercise I’ve done really to hone my intuition while divining. I like to pull a three card spread (past, present, future) but you can really use whichever spread you’d like.

Major Arcana:

Most trump cards can be self explanatory if you’re good at word association.

The Fool card starts a story that follows a journey through to the World, the end. Everything in between is character development.

Death does not mean death. Unlike most horror films, its appearance can actually signal a new beginning or change.

Minor Arcana: Know what each suit means or symbolizes in general.

Cups: Water, focuses on your emotional self, creativity and romance, following your heart over your head.

Pentacles: Earth, focuses on your physical self, material ideas like business or wealth, manifestation.

Swords: Air, focuses on your mental self, action and concentration, intelligence and conflict.

Wands: Fire, focuses on your spiritual self, intuition and inspiration, values and flaws.

All in All: 

Use the context clues in the imagery of your cards to guide your intuition.

Don’t worry about misreading a card or getting anything wrong. This is really about trusting yourself and your gut instincts.

Don’t be afraid to take the surface value of the card during this exercise. It’s just an exercise. 

I hope this helped you if you’re just starting out, want to try a different method to divining with tarot, or just want to generally work on trusting your gut.

Divination Masterpost

my masterposts always blow up and i have fun making them, so lets go for round three boys. tried to mix this one up by adding in pdf books, videos and non-tumblr links.

GENERAL

Divination Intro

Common Types of Divination

‘Divination for Beginners’ by Scott Cunningham (PDF book)

‘The Complete Guide To Psychic Development’ by Cassandra Eason (PDF book)

TAROT

Tarot for Beginners

Tarot Myths

All About Tarot Cards (youtube video)

Rider Waite Tarot Cheat Sheets

Tips For Learning Tarot

Bonding With Tarot Decks

Interviewing Your Deck

How To Break in a New Tarot Deck

How To Shuffle and Draw Tarot Cards

Cleansing the Cards

How to Cleanse Your Cards After Someone Touches Them

How To Read Tarot Cards When You Don’t Know Shit

What To Ask Tarot

How I Turned Pro with Tarot Readings

Things To Consider in a Tarot Reading

Stop Learning Tarot Like Flash Cards

What Makes a Reading Good?

Tarot As Your Best Friend: a Simple Guide

When To Put the Cards Down

8 Tarot Card Layouts for Every Sabbat (youtube video)

PENDULUMS

Pendulums 101

Pendulums

MC’s Guidebook: Pendulums

How To Use a Pendulum

Pendulum Tips

Types of Pendulums and Uses

Pendulum Tip

‘The Art of the Pendulum’ by Cassandra Eason (PDF book)

RUNES

An Introduction to Runes

Using Runes

Rune Stones, The Basics (youtube video)

The ‘Elder Futhark’ Runic Alphabet

‘Elder Futhark’ Simplified for Beginners

Rune Resources

How To Use Rune Stones (not a tumblr link)

Runes in Modern Magic (not a tumblr link)

Introduction to Bind Runes (not a tumblr link)

DIY Cheap Runes

Sea Witch Runes

NUMEROLOGY

Numerology 101

Numerology: Calculating Your Life Lesson Number

Name Numerology

Numerology (not a tumblr link)

Angel Numbers

Angel Numbers Simplified

TASSEOGRAPHY (TASSEOMANCY; TEA LEAF READING)

How To Read Tea Leaves (youtube video)

Tasseography

Tasseomancy

Tasseomancy (Visual Notes)

A Beginner’s Guide To Tea Leaf Reading

Simple Shapes To Look for in Tea Leaf Reading

Tea Leaf Symbols and Their Meanings

SCRYING

Scrying 101

Scrying (Witchcraft 101)

Beginner’s Guide To Scrying

Interpreting Scrying and Visions

How To Use a Crystal Ball (youtube video)

Water Scrying

Water Scrying

Water Scrying Basics

Bubblebath Scrying

Sea Scrying

Full Moon Water Scrying

Ink Scrying

Candle Wax Scrying

Leaf Scrying

DIY Scrying Ball

PYROMANCY

A Basic Introduction to Pyromancy

Pyromancy

Reading Candles for Yes or No Questions

How To Read Candle Flames

Candle Flame Meanings

Smoke Meanings

Lychnomancy

Fire Divination Spell

UNCONVENTIONAL DIVINATION

Cartomancy Intro (Part 1, Part 2)

Divining with Scrabble Tiles

‘Magic Word’ Bibliomancy

Pokemon Divination (My Meanings)

How to do a Shufflemancy Reading

Bone Divination (Osteomancy)

Artist’s Divination

Aeromancy

EXTRA HELPFUL BITS N BOBS

Void Salts

Ouija Boards

Psychic Exercises

Poem for Divination

Divination Drinks: Teas To Aid In Divining

Divination and Working With Deities

“My Divining Skills Are Always Improving” Sigil

Recharge After Readings

Types of People - Divination

I feel like not enough people know that you can just go do witchcraft. Like yeah, all the pretty and aesthetic things you see online can be really expensive, and if you live in a place where witchcraft is frowned upon it can be hard to hide things, but your practice can literally be anything you want.

Part of my practice is making friendship bracelets with colors of what I want to manifest. I learned morse code and tie my goals into the bracelet. It look like a normal bracelet, no one would know the difference unless I told them. Your manifestations and spells can be verbal and whispered to the wind, your sigils can look like doodled stars or stick figures, your altar doesn't need to be anything more than the tools you use (if you even need an altar). You can put spells together based on what you have and what the things around you mean to you.

You do not need to buy things for witchcraft or have a very visible practice, just do what feels right for you. Your practice is what you make it.

There are so so so many ways to experience the gods.

There is no right or wrong way. There is no blunt way. Its all feeling and ephemeral.

If you’ve felt warmth, if you’ve had a dream, if you’ve seen a crow that stares at you for too long, if something inexplicable happens and you’re lucky suddenly, if you’ve caught eyes with a stranger and felt like you knew each other. If the candle flickers a certain way, if one time when you’re singing your voice sounds gorgeous in a way you weren’t expecting, these are all the presence of a god.

God phoning is popular on witchtok but half the time what they’re saying is bullshit. I’ve very very rarely heard a voice and every single time it was my own voice, just suffused with something, saying something I normally wouldn’t say. Or maybe I would. I’ve never heard a clear, distinct, audible voice. Its an invisible world we’re connecting with, its a different plain. We cannot experience it the same way we experience every day life.

We’ll never sit down at a coffee table across from the physical manifestation of our god, and know that its them, not until after. And even then we can never be sure. That’s the nature of it. There are no absolutes, there cannot be. That’s what makes it beautiful. That’s where belief comes in. It isn’t about being good enough or worthy enough or devout enough, that doesn’t exist. That isn’t what its about at all. You are worthy even if the divine doesn’t manifest in a way we’ve been told is the only real way, and you are connecting even if you cant see it now. My most intense spiritual experiences are never something I realize are happening in the moment, its always only after that I can see it clearly.

The gods are all around us.

Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis) by Will Burrard-Lucas

Hand Crafting Ideas for Offerings/Devotional Acts

I wanted to make a list of ideas for those who don't feel like drawing or painting, but still wanted to create on behalf of their Gods!

•Make fake flowers for them out of paper/tissue paper

•Cross stitch/Embroider them something they're associated with. Im embroidering a teapot for Hestia!

•Needle felt their sacred animal

•Devotional Jewlery Making (necklaces, bracelets, earings, prayer beads, ect.)

•Sculpt clay figures of your Gods/animals

•Make a polymer clay keychain/coin that reminds you of them so you can have them with you everywhere you go

•Making little trinkets/offering plates/dishes out of resin

•Wood carve their sacred animal

•Woodburn an offering plate or a pendulum board. You could also woodburn a box to keep their offerings in

•Make candles/wax melts for your Gods with scents curated to them!

•Make incense cones! They're surprisingly easy!

•Make bath bombs to take a devotional bath

•Make a specific soap to wash before prayer

•Make a diorama for their altar. I use foam/cardboard/and plastic trash for dioramas!

•Crochet/Knit an altar cloth! For more advanced, make a stuffed animal, veil, or devotional clothing

•Printing pictures/find magazines and make a physical collage of your God/their symbols/things you associate with them

•Build a mini temple for you Gods out of popsicle sticks or legos

•Take pictures of things you associate with, whether it be part of nature, animals, cozy places in your home, bodies of water, sunsets, ect.

•Start a little scrapbook of your deities

I was super inspired to make this because of the ask @khaire-traveler received the other day where they suggested origami for Apollo!

Cartomancy

A tarot styled divination method using standard playing cards. This oracle first appeared in Europe in the 14th century and is still used sporadically today. Practitioners of this divination are commonly called cartomancers. Cards can be laid in a variety of spreads and functions much like a tarot deck. As such, cartomancy decks should be designated and regarded with all the respect of a deck of tarot cards. The meanings of the cards are as follows:

Hearts

• Ace: Love, beginning, happiness, friendship

• King: Fair-haired man, affectionate and generous, but impetuous

• Queen: Fair-haired woman, trustworthy

• Jack: Fair-haired young person, good friend

• 10: Good fortune, joy

• 9: Desires fulfilled

• 8: Invitations/partings

• 7: Someone unreliable

• 6: Unexpected good fortune, generosity

• 5: Jealousy, indecision

• 4: Changes, travel

• 3: Need for caution

• 2: Friendship, success

Clubs

• Ace: Harmony, property, achievement, love

• King: Dark-haired man, honest, open

• Queen: Dark-haired woman, strong, helpful

• Jack: Reliable friend

• 10: Fortune, abundance

• 9: New romance

• 8: Opposition, danger of recklessness

• 7: Prosperity, potential romantic interference

• 6: Business success

• 5: Help from a friend/partner

• 4: Bad change of fortune

• 3: Good partnership

• 2: Disappointment and opposition

Diamonds

• Ace: Money, a ring

• King: Fair-haired man, stubborn

• Queen: Fair-haired woman, flirty, witty

• Jack: A relative, unreliable

• 10: Journey, wealth

• 9: Financial opportunity, surprises

• 8: Declarations of love

• 7: A gift

• 6: Reconciliation

• 5: Successful meeting

• 4: Change for the better, an inheritance

• 3: Domestic/legal battles

• 2: Important love affair

Spades

• Ace: Conflict, infidelity, stress

• King: Dark-haired man, successful, ambitious

• Queen: Dark-haired woman, seductive

• Jack: Dark-haired youth, well meaning

• 10: Grief, despair, imprisonment

• 9: Bad luck, delays, quarrels

• 8: Disappointment

• 7: Possible loss of friendship

• 6: Improvements

• 5: Anxiety, setbacks, interference

• 4: Jealousy, business troubles

• 3: Bitter parting

• 2: Scandal, gossip, deceit

Note: You may choose to include the joker to represent folly, new beginnings, the Universe and to also signify the person receiving the reading.

Bonus: Using Playing Cards to Detect Baneful Magick

This technique relies on reading either red or black cards and nothing else. It can technically be used to answer any yes/no question.

Shuffle the deck and ask, "have I been hexed or cursed?" -while you are shuffling. When ready, stop shuffling and deal out five cards in a row, face down. Then one by one, left to right, turn them over. Black indicates a 'no' response, while red indicates 'yes'. You can see the degree of the curse by the presence of red cards. All black is a clear 'no' and all red is a clear 'yes'. The spread can be read as follows:

5 Black - 0 Red: No curse or negative energy present

4 Black - 1 Red: Blip of dark energy, natural defenses can ward it off

3 Black - 2 Red: Dark energy present, possible jinx

2 Black - 3 Red: Sufficient dark energy, possible hex, cleanse immediately

1 Black - 4 Red: Significant harmful magick present, likely hex or curse. Do a purification/protection ritual

0 Black - 5 Red: Curse confirmed, take serious action to uncross/cleanse/protect. Someone has intentionally tried to harm you with magick.

Designed to help you investigate deep emotional struggles and learn why you feel the way that you do.  1. The Issue This card represents the topic of the reading. It can represent the individual the reading is for, or the specific problem you are trying to understand.  2. The Struggle This card represents the thing that is your most immediate obstacle. 

The center six cards examine the things within you that impact card one. We could say that we’re looking at your hopes and fears, the factors that determine how you feel about your situation. The row is chronological from left to right, with present day in the middle.

Top Row. External The upper row is representative of lighter aspects of the psyche. This is the face you show others, and what you are consciously, externally aware of.  Bottom Row. Internal The bottom row is the shadow aspect, your hidden fears, the feelings you wont acknowledge to yourself.

Bottom of Cut. Outcome I use the bottom card on the deck or the bottom card of the cut, depending how I deal, as the destination or outcome card. This tells us how you can expect things to “shake out”, if you continue the current course. You can see the spread in action here using the Klimt Tarot deck.

You don't need a patron deity for your practice to be valid, nor for you to be worthy of a deity's time and attention.

The Plagues song in Prince of Egypt goes so hard