What Will Your New Year Bring?

Do you know what the new year will bring for you? Not sure? Itching to know? Then a Tarot reading might be just the thing. The Tarot, as practiced at the Esoteric School, connects the entire Universe to the Tarot deck, in essence shrinking the pertinent factors of the Universe's effect on your life to a manageable size--a reading. Don't know how to throw a Tarot reading? Then give yourself the gift of our Tarot Course this holiday. It's simple, fun, effective, and, best of all, will give you a heads up on what to expect in the coming year.

How Tarot Works
The Tarot is a method of divination that gives you a direct way of obtaining information by psychic or magical means that are not available to the physical five senses. Magical divination can be used to direct our fates. By throwing tarot spreads for various situations in your life and interpreting tarot card meanings, you can discover the influences, energies and probability lines active in your life that pertain to the specific situation. With this information you can see what influences are affecting your situation and know where to make changes to affect the outcomes in your future lines if you want to. This is why the Tarot is such a valuable tool. Since the future is not pre-destined, you can change the future any time before it happens and using tarot spreads gives you the information you need to decide if and what you want to change.

Making the Tarot Personalized
One of the ways we make Tarot readings more precise and more personalized to a particular person is to use a signifier card that represents and is keyed to a specific person or a specific issue, question or situation. Some of the information we use to select a signifier for a person are the Sun sign and the age of the person. There are exceptions to this method of selection, but it is a place to start. Here are the signs that correspond to the suit of card and age that relates to cards.

Sun Sign Signifier Selection Guidelines:
Air (Wands):
Gemini
Libra
Aquarius

Fire (Swords):
Aries
Leo
Saggitarius

Water (Cups):
Cancer
Scorpio
Pisces

Earth (Discs):
Taurus
Virgo
Capricorn

Age Signifier Selection Guidelines:
Page – Conception to teenager
Knight – Teenager
Queen – Adult female
King – Adult male

Situational Signifiers
Signifier cards can also be selected for situations and conditions. Some examples of signifiers for situations include:

Ace of Discs – money, the economy, body health
Ace of Swords – spirit vitality
Ace of Wands – mental health
Sun – general health (spiritual, mental, emotional and physical)
Justice – legal matters, lawsuits, legislation
Devil – large or long term material contracts, birth vision, spiritual contracts
8 Discs – job, work, business
10 Cups – marriage – emotional, family
4 Wands – marriage – mental
2 Cups – lovers, relationships, intimate emotional or passionate couple relationships
8 Wands – travel by air
3 Discs – career plans
3 Cups – friendships, emotional sharing among friends

As you can tell there is a lot involved in learning the Tarot, but it is a fascinating and fun magical study that can really pay off in giving you a way to take control of your future and your life. What a great gift to give yourself! Make it your New Year's resolution to learn the Tarot this year. It's easy to work into your own time and at your own pace with our online course.

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Get Your Magical Practice Back on Track with Basic Magic

Have you let your magical practice fall by the wayside and find yourself getting caught up in everyday life to the point that you don't really put in much time practicing magic? The saying goes, "What you pay into your practice pays you back." That's true. What's also true is that most magical practitioners allow their magical practice to become stale and mechanical at some point or other. So... if you feel like you need a little magical refresher, try our Basic Magic Online Courses. Dig in and get back to basics before the new year so you can start fresh! In Basic Magic you'll get back to seeing everything in relation to the 4 elements, remember how to use the elements in your everyday life and also get a refresher on topics like:

• using magical tools
• healing
• communication with higher powers and beings
• magical self defense and protection
• divination
• spellwork
• using simulacra magic
• Tarot

Just to whet your appetite, here is a sample of one of the techniques you'll learn in the Basic Magic Course.

Firebowl Divination
The Firebowl is one of your magical tools that you will learn to construct yourself. If you don't already have a firebowl, you can find instructions on making one HERE. Divination is a way of obtaining information by psychic or magical means that is not readily available to the 5 senses. By using divination, we are able to discover influences, energies and probability lines that are active in our lives so that we can make changes or adjustments and knowingly exert control over our lives. If you don't like what may be coming in the future you can make a small change in the present to change that possible future. Divination can be done through direct or indirect methods. The Firebowl can provide you with a direct method of divination in that it gives you a visual field that the mind can visually project the information you are seeking. Direct divination methods allow psychic or unconscious perceptions to manifest into the 5 senses so we can understand them. Firebowl divination is very useful for finding people, or objects that you don't know where they are or maybe a lost pet and for looking into the past or the future. To use the Firebowl for divination:

1. Find a quiet place where you will not be distracted or interrupted.

2. Sit in the South facing North with your Firebowl in front of you.

3. You will not charge the Firebowl for divination purposes like you do for other purposes and a water incense is the best medium to burn as the Water element is the psychic element.

4. Start your incense burning in the Firebowl and wait until you have a good column of smoke going. Add more incense onto the charcoal disk if you need to in order to get a good column of smoke.

5. Hold an image of a person or object if they are connected to the information you are seeking and/or get very curious about the topic, question, person or object.

6. You can ask questions to increase your feeling of curiosity such as "Where is...?", "Where was I in [name time period]?", or What is likely to happen if I...?".

7. Peer into the column of smoke and look for images or visual clues to form. Some people find it easier to close their eyes when looking into the smoke to keep visual distraction out.

8. If you get an image, but not in enough detail to make sense to you, keep asking questions until it becomes clearer or you can ask the image to zoom in or out, shift left or shift right so that you can see more details in the "picture".

Remember that the future is not set. Divinations into the future tell you what is likely to happen if everything stays the same in the present. That is one of the beauties of divination; being able to look ahead and make changes now if we don't like what we see.

This is just one of the many magical techniques you'll learn in our Basic Magic Course. Give the Firebowl divination a try and let it help you remember how magical life can be when you use your magic training every day. It doesn't matter how long it's been since you practiced magic. It's never too late to get back on board.

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Image courtesy of Mister GC / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Got Magical Questions? We Got Answers!

Whether you want to know how to invite an angel into your life or you want to discover the procedure for finding your animal totem, we have an entire library for you to browse. Want to know if personal gain is really banned in the use of magic? No, silly! Find out why. In addition to our library, check out the blog, our FB page, and our courses and ebooks and Kindle books. You got questions, and we've definitely got answers!

The Big Magical Questions
There are 2 questions we get asked the most. They are:
1. Is Magic Real?
2. What exactly is real magic?

Our answer is that magic is certainly real. It is the science of understanding and using Universal principles. Since everything in the Universe is made up of some mix of the four elements of air, fire, water, and earth, having an in-depth understanding of these elements is at the foundation of magical practice. What makes these elements magical is the understanding of how they operate not just on physical levels, but also on levels of mind and Spirit. For example, physical level Air is what we breathe. Magically, the Air element is the conduit for psychic communication, enlightenment, understanding, dreaming and more. If you want to attract any of these qualities then you need more magical Air. You can take on more of this element directly or by wearing Air colors such as white or sky blue. Understanding these elements and working with them directly allows us to understand, create or change anything we want to in the Universe.

Magic has been taught as a precision science for thousands of years. Being a precision science means that the techniques are verifiable, repeatable and precise. In the past, the art and science of magic was taught just as math or science might have been and anyone can learn magical techniques. Today our society no longer puts the same emphasis on magic and it is not taught or even accepted as commonly as it was in the past. The most exposure we seem to get to magic these days is through fantasy shows, books and movies like Harry Potter. These are great fun and help to bring attention back to the world of magic, but the techniques are not always very accurate. For example, Harry and his friends use their Wands for just about everything. In reality the Wand is the tool that handles Air element energies only. It would actually explode if you tried to throw firebolts or fireballs with it. We're not saying that fireballs and firebolts can't be done. They are actually good for magical self-defense, but are made using Fire element energies and are better done by hand or using the Fire element tool, the Athame.

What Can Real Magic Do?
Real magic can bring tremendous changes to your life. It isn't just learning a list of techniques, but rather developing a lifestyle that includes magical principles and techniques in everything you do. A few of the major things learning real magic will teach you include:

• Balancing your energies for healing and manifestation
• Changing old beliefs you have
• Defending yourself against physical and psychic attack
• Healing yourself and others
• Finding hidden information and seeing possible futures
• Psychically communicating with other beings
• Creating sacred space
• Finding lost people and objects
• Manifesting what you want and need in life

The bottom line on real magic however is up to each individual person. There are people who will not be able to learn and practice magic. For magic to be real you have to be able to suspend disbelief and have a willingness to not exercise contempt prior to investigation. In other words, one must be open to the belief that magic is real in order for the forces of magic to act. If you can suspend disbelief long enough to try magical techniques out for yourself then it can become real for you too. Seeing and experiencing it for yourself is the only way, as it should be, to develop a magical life. Don't take anyone else's word including ours that magic is real. Give it a try for yourself and through direct experience and observation you will be able to "prove" to yourself that magic is indeed real. A simple way to experience magic and your own magical abilities is working with clouds. Clouds respond to your intention and can easily be moved, shaped and manipulated at a great distance away from you. If you could move clouds suspended hundreds of feet above you that would be quite a magical beginning wouldn't you say? Give it a try for yourself by sending a blank email to clouds@shamanschool.com. The directions will be sent to you right away. We don't use your email address to sign you up for anything or pass on to others so you have nothing to lose and just might gain a perspective into magic that will give you reason to want to explore living a magical life for yourself. 

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Image courtesy of taoty / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Fall in Love with Magic Once a Week

Is your magical practice getting stale? Getting tired of doing the same old rituals over and over again? No worries, fall in love with your magical practice again.... or if you don't have a magical practice, get started with our Everyday Magic Email Course. Once a week we will send you a magical tip or exercise to explore and play with for the week. These fun and inspiring tips will help rekindle that spirit of magic in your life. What will you learn? Here's a short list of topics...

• Creating sacred space
• Contact rituals and communicating with higher powers and beings
• Boosting energy levels
• Four element characteristics and colors
• Personal power and doing Acts of Power
• Universal Laws for manifestation
• Making conscious choices
• Getting rid of pain
• Regaining control of your life
• and much, much more.

Here is an example of one of the tips we offer in this course.

Make a Magical Wish
On our spiritual journey through this life we have guides and teachers that open doorways for us, but we are the ones that have to get through the door. That's the real journey for us. When we try using force of will to try to get through the door, we are met with an equal and opposite force called resistance or second force. This is so by Universal Law and means that we cannot do and the more we try to do, the less we accomplish. Here's an example. There is something about yourself that you want to change. Maybe you gossip too much or eat too many sweets. So you decide on an aim of not talking or eating as much. But this usually leads to us talking or eating more actually because by Law of Attraction, that which we put our attention on is drawn to us. So if we are concentrating on NOT doing something that very thing is being attracted to us and manifests in our lives. It's a spiritual catch-22 that leaves us stuck. This is when a magical wish comes in handy. If we wish it with all our hearts then we do not create the resistance that wanting and attempting do. Wishing, holding the vision, creates an allowing force that pushes us through the door. It allows the Universe, angels, and other beings to work in our lives. When we wish, we are settling back within ourselves and feeling the desire we have, then just waiting. It's all about watching and seeing without forcing anything. When you were younger and wished upon a star, you were on the right track for manifestation.
 

Whether you are wanting to renew your interest in magic or just beginning on a magical path, the Everyday Magic Email course is a great way to spend the next year immersing yourself in magical knowledge and magical techniques to try out.

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Want to Study Magic Now? Get Started at No Cost!

Want to learn magic and magical things like how to invite angels into your life to help you with everything from what foods to eat to finding the perfect parking space? How about having the Spirit of Owl help you access knowledge that may be currently hidden from you? Get all of this and more by signing up for our newsletter and getting our no-cost 10 Magical Quick Fixes ebook. This is a limited time offer so get it while the getting is good!

Here's a sample of one of the 10 techniques in the ebook that you can use to get a spiritual or energetic boost, clear away negative energies or to create sacred space for yourself.

The Sun Candle
Using a Sun candle and charging it with the charge verse is a great magical solution for when you wake up groggy from a poor night's sleep, or anytime you feel tired, depressed, overwhelmed by negative energies or just need a lift. Your Sun candle should be a pure yellow candle which is bright yellow with not too much orange in it. These are usually easy to find and many grocery stores have them in the religious candle section enclosed in glass jars. If you can get one that is unscented, that is best. If you have trouble finding one in your area, take a look in our school store. For this particular technique with the Sun candle, you will need wooden or paper matches (don't use a lighter) and you will need to know which direction is South. Then follow these directions:

1. Stand or sit in the South facing North and have the Sun candle in front of you

2. Light the candle with your wooden or paper matches.

3. Let the flame grow steady and tall which we call a good "working" flame.

4. Now charge the candle by holding your hands so that they are close to (not too close that you get burned though) and cupped around the flame.

5. Focus your attention on the candle and flame and say this verse out loud in a voice of command (strong, powerful voice):

"Child of Wonder,
Child of Flame,
Nourish My Spirit,
And Protect My Aim!"

6. Now simply leave the candle burning for at least 30 minutes making sure it is on a plate or other protective surface and not a fire hazard.

Once you feel ready and at least 30 minutes have passed, blow the candle out. Take a few moments to see if you feel a difference in your energy level and quality of your energy. Most people report they feel lighter, more harmonious and more peaceful.

This is an example of the type of quick magic techniques that can help you in everyday life available to you in this limited time offer. So don't put it off, get to www.shamanschool.com, sign up for the newsletter and get your no-cost copy of the 10 Magical Quick Fixes ebook.

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