Tuesday, July 23, 2013

How to Learn Magic: Free Online Tutorial

Since magic doesn't just come naturally to many people and since there are so many magical topics that can be studied, we offer a free online tutorial on how to learn magic. Magic is a study of using intention and a system of creation as well as a precision science – the science of:
  • deliberate creation
  • effective prayer
  • manifesting Higher Will
  • heightened awareness
  • selective perception
  • dynamic, harmonious relationships
In deciding how to learn magic, you must be familiar with how Universal Law works and the Rules of the Road (laws that govern magical practice). Magical practice also requires an understanding of the 4 elements of Air, Fire, Water and Earth. Other basic topics include:
  • Hand magic
  • Magical self defense
  • Using the magical tools – firebowl, wand, athame, chalice and plate
  • Divination
  • Tarot
  • Sonics
  • Spellwork
These are all basics that one must learn before continuing magical study. From there, many topics are available from healing to creating and performing rituals and communicating with higher powers and beings. Magic opens you up to a new way of living and takes you on a path of spiritual growth. It becomes a way of life as well as a study of all the various magical topics that can be explored according to your interests. For example, if you are interested in healing work, you can study using magical tools with the 4 elements for healing then perhaps move on to studying the use of crystals in healing, learn how to do long-distance healing techniques or learn how to make your own plant based tinctures. As you learn these various techniques and follow your magical passions, you also learn more about yourself, deliberate creation and how to manifest that which you desire in your life.

The first step towards all of this is deciding that you want to start living a magical life and finding out how to learn magic. Take a look at our free tutorial and see if that helps you to get started. You can also join our mailing lists to get our latest posts and see what topics we cover that resonate with you. If you already know of a specific interest that you haven't seen us cover, leave us a comment on Facebook suggesting a topic you'd like to see written about. Any act of intention is a magical act, so set your intention to explore how to learn magic and you will be on your way to a magical way of life.

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Thursday, July 11, 2013

Tarot Card Meanings: Is the Devil Really the Devil?

If you have never explored the Tarot, you may have an advantage over those who have read books and other sources to get tarot card meanings. Memorizing tarot card meanings in a way defies the tradition since the Tarot was originally an oral tradition. It's OK to look at written meanings as a guide to get you started understanding tarot card meanings, but it is best to get meaning from looking at the symbols within each card itself and work towards seeing the meaning of the cards as they pertain to each individual reading. There are also many different Tarot decks available. In our Tarot Homestudy Course and Basic Magic courses, we have students get the Waite-Rider deck and this is our preferred deck for too many reasons to go into in this article. We also have students key their decks as that personalizes the deck to their own energies.

Basics When Looking at Tarot Card Meanings
There are two types of cards in the Tarot deck: Major Arcana and Minor Arcana cards. The Minor Arcana cards are in suits: Wands, Swords, Cups and Discs and are numbered Ace through 10, and the court cards Page, Knight, Queen and King. The Major Arcana cards are all the other cards and have a relationship to the suits, but are not tied to a specific suit. Major Arcana cards represent principles, concepts or ideals. Minor Arcana cards represent the variety of ways those principles can manifest in the everyday or mundane world. The principles represented in the Major Arcana are from past ideas that our culture has not been taught. When interpreting tarot card meanings it is wise to take this into account and avoid applying present day meanings to these past time symbols. Tarot card meanings also vary according to whether the card shows up in a reading in its upright position or is what is called reversed (meaning it is upside down) and according to its position in the reading and what other cards it appears with. This is why just memorizing definitions of cards will not give you the best readings. Having a general idea of what the card represents and being able to relate those meanings to a specific reading will give you a much better interpretation or "picture" of the reading as a whole.

Let's take an example of how to think about a particular Major Arcana card (as we do in our Tarot Homestudy Course) and see examples of the principles behind the card that you can use as a guideline. Notice also how we point out symbols on the card itself and how you might apply them to the meaning when interpreting a particular reading. The Devil card is one many people are familiar with and one that is widely misused in media productions.

The Devil
The Devil card does not represent the Christian Satan or evil. It is concerned more with principles of materialism and how we handle our contracts in the material world. In the Upanisheds, ancient writings from India, we learn there are two major errors. One is to become materialistic and the other is becoming overly concerned with spiritual things thus ignoring the material. Since we as spiritual beings have chosen to be here in physical bodies we have to strive to find a balance between the spiritual and the material. How the Devil card appears in a reading and what other cards it appears with can give us information on how we are doing in this regard. It can relate to how the spiritual being is doing in handling the contracts it makes through having a physical body and in the material world. This card is a good one for long-term contracts such as a house mortgage. If the card is upright, then you are handling these types of things well. If it is reversed, then these types of issues are being mishandled either by you getting too spiritual or too materialistic. In some way the two sides are out of balance.

When looking at the card, notice the pentagram is upside down. In the upright position this signifies going from upper levels to lower. If the card was reversed or upside down the significance would change to imply something going from lower to higher. Also notice the two beings on either side of the Devil. The chains around them are loose implying that they are bound only by their own choice. It can also imply that materialism doesn't have to drag you down, that you have a choice. You can see too that he is perched on a stand and having to maintain balance. Noticing these things in the card can also give you clues as to the meaning.

As we said earlier, much of the interpretation of the card depends on the other cards in the reading and where the card falls in the reading. Here are some other guidelines to consider when looking at The Devil card in a reading:
  • How we spiritually work in the material world
  • How we create an effect in the material world as a spiritual being
  • How we are able to manifest in the material world
  • How we deal with materialism
  • How balanced are we between the spiritual and the material 
  • Could be concerned with higher level contracts, those that cover a long span in our lives and hold to the Rules of the Road (Universal Laws governing magical practice)
  • Contract dealing with birth vision or spiritual contracts made before coming into body

The Devil card deals with the higher and the lower. If you were looking at something to do with a contract just on the material plane then Emperor would be the card to designate this. With the Devil card you are looking at how it affects you on the material and the spiritual planes.

As you can see from this example, just memorizing a single definition would limit your interpretation of a reading severely. Looking at the reading as a whole and considering the arrangement of the cards, looking at symbols in the cards and having a basic understanding of tarot card meanings allows you to put together a much more individualized reading specific to what signifiers you are using and to the person you are doing the reading on. To learn more about how to do Tarot card readings and about tarot card meanings, check out our Tarot course in the Esoteric School store.

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Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Magic Spells on the World Level: Blast from the Past

When it comes to magic spells, a wise practitioner must remember the magical principle that "altered procedures produce altered results". When performing a spell or ritual it is very important that the procedures be followed exactly as written and intended. This is one of the reasons that getting spells from outside sources is not always as safe as creating your own. If you have created the spell, then you know the intentions and procedures intimately. In our Kindle book Witchcraft Spell Books series, we stress that the magic spells and rituals provided there have been tested over long periods of time and found to be safe even for beginners, but the instructions must be followed exactly to get the desired results. The first book in our Kindle book series, Learn How To Do Witchcraft Rituals And Spells With Your Bare Hands, gives some examples of how magic spells can backfire when the procedures are not followed exactly or intentions are not specifically set. Here is one story that tells the tale of extreme repercussions for magic spells where intentions are not directly set.

A World War I Story
This story is about the results of the intentions of various groups of people during World War I. According to our magical research, when the entire civilized world prayed that something would rescue Germany from the inflationary depression after World War I (because it was dragging everyone down economically) without specifying what or how, those prayers brought Hitler to power. Hitler tried twice before to take power, but failed both times.

At the same time, the Jews were fervently praying to return to the Holy Land. However, at the time the Jewish population was too large to successfully return to the Holy Land (they would have been killed off by the Arabs)--only a small population could successfully return. The Jewish prayer tied into the prayers that brought Hitler to power, and by the path of least resistance Hitler's methods reduced the Jewish population so that their prayer of returning to the Holy Land could be realized.

The Magic of Kindle
By now you hopefully know about our new Kindle book series, Witchcraft Spell Books. If not, let us get you up to speed. This series was designed to help keep magical knowledge alive and in as many hands as possible. Witchcraft and magic are very real. These practices have existed as precise sciences for thousands of years. More importantly, every single person can learn to do witchcraft and magic. We are all born with the talents and abilities that empower us to do the rituals and spells presented in these books. In the distant past, studies in witchcraft and magic were just as important as math, science, or the arts. These books in a three-part series are dedicated to spreading the knowledge of practical witchcraft and magic around the planet.

The first book in the series, Learn How to Do Witchcraft Rituals and Spells with Your Bare Hands, enables you to learn, step by step, to perform beginner rituals and spells with your bare hands. You can find it HERE. But, don't think you have to have a Kindle to take advantage of this knowledge. You can use your Smart phone or computer and still access these books by getting the Kindle app. Claim your magical birthright, get your copy now, and join the wonder filled world of magic!

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