Tarot Meanings: Why Keying Your Deck is Important

In studying tarot meanings it is helpful to know that the Tarot is in a sense a simulacrum of the Universe. The word Tarot is a disguised word. It was originally spelled Rota which means "wheel". The Tarot deck represents all phenomenal experience, the wheel of life. By keying a tarot deck, it becomes a living form tied into the existing Universe. In keying a deck, you become connected to the cards, are able to access information from the Universe through them and make a connection with tarot meanings.

When you begin to study the Tarot, it is best to not try to memorize the meanings of the cards. Originally the Tarot was an oral tradition so writing down the tarot meanings in some ways defies the tradition. Written tarot meanings can be used as a guide to get started but you should also strive to see the tarot meanings as they pertain to specific readings.

Keying your deck helps you get a sense of each card and begin establishing a relationship with it. You have the opportunity to take each card one at a time and really look at it, make it come alive for you and see various meanings it can relate to.

The easiest deck to begin with is the Waite-Rider Tarot deck. Your Tarot deck is like any other magical tool in that keying it personalizes it to you. Keying your deck connects it to your own energies and also to the Universe itself.

Keying the Tarot Deck
First put your deck in natural order which is:

• 2-10, Page, Knight, Queen, King, Ace of Wands
• 2-10, Page, Knight, Queen, King, Ace of Swords
• 2-10, Page, Knight, Queen, King, Ace of Cups
• 2-10, Page, Knight, Queen, King, Ace of Discs
• 1-21 of the Major Arcana with the Fool being the last card

The first card above should be facing down on the top of the deck and other cards listed in order go below it.

To key the Tarot cards:
1. Sit in South facing North.

2. Place your keyed Plate (Earth tool) and Tarot deck put in natural order in front of you.

3. Set up matching candles of Sun Yellow, White or Sky Blue on either side of the Plate.

4. Light the candle on the right (Wisdom candle) with a wooden match.

5. Keep the match lit and sweep it down in an arc over the Plate to light the candle on the left (Protection candle).

6. Again keeping the match lit, sweep it up in an arc over the plate to the flame of the right candle again. This creates a connection between the two candles.

7. Take the first card from the deck (2 of Wands), place it face up and upright to you on the Plate.

8. Look at the card. Notice the overall color of the card, the flatness of it and its dimensions. Don't focus on any particular detail. Keep your gaze soft and look into the scene.

9. Then begin to ask questions about the card like "What time of day is it?" or "Is that a town in the background?" You are not trying to get answers to these questions, just creating curiosity.

10. Keep asking questions until you see the card "window". It will feel like you are looking into the scene through a window The card will look like it is becoming clearer, more alive, 3 dimensional, more colorful or brighter. You get a sense of real understanding or relationship with the card. This can help you when you begin doing readings as you develop a connection with all the tarot meanings of the card.

11. Once the card windows, take it off the Plate and lay it face down next to the Plate.

Continue this process with each card in the deck. You do not have to do them all at one time if you become tired. You can mark your place and return later. If you have a card that will not window, you may have issues about that card. Put it aside and try again later.

Can you see now why keying your deck is so important in understanding tarot meanings? A book or other written meanings can give you a jump start to understanding each of the cards, but keying your deck helps you become intimately involved and connected to the cards and tarot meanings. Once you have keyed your deck you are ready to begin doing divination and tarot readings. Learn more about the Tarot, tarot meanings and how to do Tarot readings in our Tarot Homestudy Course.

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Spells and Magic for Everyday Use: Why You Need to be Precise!

When performing spells and magic it is very important to be precise. I can cite many examples of spells and magic procedures that either "backfired" or that were perceived as failed all because the practitioner was not precise in executing the procedure. We've said it before and will continue to repeat – Magic is a precision science. The Universe can always deliver what we ask for, but sometimes it doesn't seem that way because we either are not ready to receive and our level of being is not a match for what we are asking to manifest or because sometimes we just aren't asking the right questions or are not being specific enough in our request.

Let's say for example that you want extra money. You are ready to receive this money, and you have asked the Universe to deliver. As you are walking down the street, you look down and find a penny. There you go, the Universe delivered just what you asked for, extra money. What you didn't do was specify how much money or when you needed it by or that you don't want anyone else to come to harm in order for you to attain it. This is where in spells and magic, Directors and Limiters come in and can help us get more precise in letting the Universe know exactly what we want.

Directors
Writing down your Directors and Limiters for a spell and magic procedure can help you in manifesting what you want and help you get very precise. Directors are a list of everything that you want in your manifestation. In this list include specifically what it is that you want. How much money, date you want it by, etc... It is often better to define ranges rather than absolutes to give the Universe room to work. So for example, it is often better to say "delivered in six to ten weeks" rather than saying "must come at 4:00 pm on October 2". Also, do NOT specify, HOW it will come to you. That is not your job; that is the Universe's job to determine the delivery system.

Limiters
Limiters are a list of what you don't want to happen in your manifestation. It is a way to safeguard yourself and others. Remember by Rules of the Road that causing harm to others will provide a backlash to you, whether in this lifetime or a future one and whether you did it with intention or not. Use your limiters in your spells and magic procedures to define things such as wanting your money to come to you without causing the death or loss of property to anyone. You might also want to specify in the Limiters that there not be any negative financial surprises to pop up around the money, for example some type of large tax or investment of capital on your part. As always in spells and magic, think it through completely. Then build in your safeguards.

Tip For Getting Help From the Universe
Here's a tip that is one of many you'll find in our Daily Rituals for Attracting What You Want in Life ebook that can help you in asking the Universe for help. Now that you have your Directors and Limiters defined and written down, make several copies of them. Take one copy and meditate or pray over it, then place it in a sacred place. This might be your altar, a Universe box, or a Bible or other sacred book to you. Then put other copies around places that you will see them. On the wall above your desk, on the refrigerator, your car dashboard, etc... This will keep your aim in your consciousness. You may not stop and read it every time you see the list, but your subconscious mind will absorb the information every time you see these lists and this will cause your belief to grow.

Real Life Example
Here is an example of how being precise enough to define what you want can deliver surprising results. This also shows why you do not want to get wrapped up in how the results come to you. The Universe is able to see the bigger picture and can find ways to make things happen that we could never have imagined.

One of our advanced students had accrued quite a bit of debt and wanted very much for that debt to be paid off. She specified in her Directors several things including the amount of money needed to pay off all her debts and a range of time. In her Limiters she specified that no one would be harmed by her receiving this money, that there would be no death involved in this receiving and no loss of property to anyone. This was especially important to her because she wanted to make sure she did not inherit the money as the result of a family member dying. She really couldn't see any other way the money would come, but put it out to the Universe, put herself in the receiving mode and being a true believer in spells and magic, trusted the Universe would deliver. And the money did come. It came in a way that she would never had been able to make happen herself without the divine intervention and that was a total surprise. Within the specified period of time, her sister came to her reporting that she received an unusually large one time Christmas bonus at her job. She said one of her first thoughts on hearing about the amount of the bonus was that she wanted to use a portion of that money to pay off her sister's debts and ease her money worries. Being a believer herself, the sister saw the large bonus she received as being tied to her sister's manifestation and that now they could both benefit from it. Coincidence or magic? I know what I believe; what do you believe?

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The Tarot: Judgment

In this new era, the world of the 6th Sun, we are being asked to use our own spiritual judgment more than ever. We can no longer rely on authority figures or gurus. We have to look back at our own history and ask ourselves if we are manifesting what we want. If not, what errors are we making over and over again? In what ways are we NOT using our spiritual experience and wisdom? One way to find out how we are doing in this aspect is to use the Tarot and in particular the Judgment card in a Tarot spread or reading. Here's why.

Judgment
The Judgment card is all about the spirit or you as a spiritual being. It is not about being judged from outside sources. If you wanted to look at that aspect then Justice or in the Crowley deck, Adjustment, would be the cards to use. Judgment relates to the spirit's own judgment as a spiritual being. Think of it as your spirit raising the ghosts of your past and passing judgment on them. In a reading of this type, spirit is accessing its entire life path and judging itself according to its own experiences. It is how you are dealing with your specific conditions as a spiritual being based on your past. This would be the card to use for questions such as:

• What kind of judgments have I passed on my own past experience?

• How good is my judgment as a spirit?

• How much am I paying attention to what I know as a spirit from the past?

If the Judgment card is upright in your reading, it tells you that you are doing well as a spiritual being in integrating past experiences and using good judgment as a spirit. This is not what is according to what outside sources such as man's laws, cultures or social systems say, but rather how your own spirit judges you and your past experiences. When Judgment is being used properly, it is compassion that you can shift, choose, and change. An upright card in your reading can imply that you have a spiritual balance going on and your ability to manifest is very high.

Of course, if you have a reverse Judgment card show up in your reading, then you get good information on what you need to consider changing. The experience of all our lifetimes is there for us to have and use if we ask for it. The Tarot and in particular the Judgment card can help in checking how we are doing in this role and give ideas of how we can do better. If you are interested in learning more about how to do Tarot card readings and what the cards mean then our online Basic Tarot Course can help you get started in this fascinating magical study.

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Magically Throw a Fit To Enhance Manifestation

Today I would like to share an experience with you all that arose from our advanced student class concerning how to magically throw a fit enhanced their manifestations. Consider that these are magical practitioners who have been consistently living a life of magic and communicating with higher powers and beings anywhere from 10 to 15 years. This group of individuals is adept at spellwork, working with the four elements and any number of magical techniques. Recently however, one student in the class was experiencing difficulties in achieving a certain manifestation she desired. She had done spellwork around the issue, sought guidance from higher powers and beings and engaged in a variety of other magical procedures. She had seen progress towards her manifestation, but it was falling short of what she truly desired. She then asked the question in class of how she could tell the Universe that she has continually honored them and now needed them to perform something for her.

The answer to this question was surprising. When asking for answers from Higher Powers and Beings on what else could be done to resolve a certain problem, the Winds and Old Ones responded that to yell and scream, be violently angry, and make demands would be appropriate. The answer received said, “We are not like you humans, it’s all acceptable energy and equally honorable to us as praise – adulation means nothing to us – all human expression is a joyous note to Creator’s ear as long as it’s honest”. In a nutshell the answer was for her to throw a fit. And so she did. She discovered through this process that a more personal relationship was created with the Old Ones, thus enhancing communication with them and a knowing that they “have my back”. She found that using this new working relationship allowed her to make use of Abraham-like techniques, telling the story of her life as she wants to live it and having the Old Ones there to back her up whatever yarn she chooses to spin. To quote this student, “I’ve tried out wilder and wilder yarns and they are all coming true”.

This led to a discussion in class and to other students trying out the magical throw a fit technique to see the results. The consensus was that as long as all other methods have been tried, yelling and demanding is quite OK with the Old Ones and other higher powers. In fact, our students found out that they not only see it as creating a joyful noise to Creator’s ear, but that they find it down right funny and consider it a form of praise. If you consider that from an energetic point of view, this makes sense. You are creating a high intensity, high energy condition which interprets very much like a crowd cheering at a concert or sports event. This intense energy is then interpreted as a high form of praise; again much like the musician or sports team would interpret it. So in some cases to magically throw a fit is considered as extending a large intense amount of energy towards higher powers and beings which they consider as a method of honoring them. It is also an expression of real and honest emotion and in a true relationship we are allowed to express our more “human” qualities, warts and all so to speak, and are given acceptance for it. Students found that putting out this type of energy came back to them as seeing their desires manifesting with less work on their parts and quicker.  

So the next time you are communicating with higher powers and beings, consider enhancing your relationship with some real honest emotion, give them a chuckle, let loose and go magically throw a fit. See what your results are and how they compare with our advanced students’ results. And if you are ready to get more serious about your magical studies check out all our free resources, online courses, ebooks and Kindle books and pick the format that works for you to dive into the wonderful world of magic.

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Is Magic Real Without Faith?

"Is Magic Real?" "Is Witchcraft Real?" "Is magic real and can I really do magic like what I see in the Harry Potter movies?" These are without a doubt the number one questions we get asked daily. The short version answer is Yes, magic is real and you can really do it. The longer version answer is that real magic is not quite what you see in the Harry Potter movies. Some principles, practices, rituals and magical tools have a resemblance to what you see in these fantasy shows and books, but there are also many discrepancies and magical happenings that are purely fictional. For example, Harry and his friends use their Wands as multi-purpose magical tools. Real magic uses the Wand as the tool for channeling or flowing the Air element. Since a Wand is made of wood, it is terrible for conducting Fire energies because wood burns. No real Wand can continuously conduct all four magical elements on a consistent basis and survive.

Back to our question, "Is Magic Real?" Again the short answer is yes, but part of the longer answer is for any individual, what you pay into your magical or witchcraft practice pays you back. So in other words, WE know magic is real and that spellwork works, daily magical rituals can improve one's life and daily problems can be resolved, but if magic is not real to YOU or if you don't devote time to the practice then you probably aren't going to see results and you might then decide it is not real. Rather than asking us, Is Magic Real?, we'd rather you take the information in our resource articles, blog, ebooks, courses and Kindle books, and try the exercises out for yourself. Then you can answer the question for yourself about Is Magic Real.

What we believe people are really asking when they say Is Magic Real, is will magic work for me, will magic help me get what I want out of life or can magic improve my life. Whereas we know it will, it is a difficult question for us to answer for any one individual because we don't want you to take our word for it. The way we teach witchcraft and magic is by hypothesis. We want you to read the material or listen to techniques, spellwork procedures and rituals in courses and then try them for yourselves exactly as taught. Exactly as taught is important because magic is a precision science and altered procedures produce altered results. This is one reason some people find magic does not work for them. They don't follow directions exactly and either get results they don't want or they get no results. After you give the procedures a try following the descriptions exactly, then YOU decide for yourself based on your experience and observation whether magic can be useful and helpful in your life, whether magic really does work for you and answer the question for yourself, Is Magic Real.

Really the only true way you will be a believer in magic is to try it yourself. We have found over the many years of teaching that students may want to believe or say they do but on a deeper level they really aren't convinced. We don't see it as our job to convince anyone or defend magical practices in any way. It is for each person to try out and experience for themselves and come to their own conclusions. Once you produce your own proof, you will find your own faith and belief in magic. By providing the learning tools, we offer anyone interested in pursuing a magical life a way to achieve it.

Once you try out the rituals and techniques for yourself, you open the door for it and can watch the miracles manifest before your eyes. You will then have your own proof and know that magical practices are real, effective and useful in your everyday practical life. If you are ready to begin your journey into magic, a good place to start is with Kindle books. You don't even have to have a Kindle to access them. A Smart Phone, tablet or any computer will do it. So get your copies now and let the Magic Begin!

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