Tag: ritual

Reminiscing Thoughts and Musings on Time.

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Welcome to the month of March, aka the Springtime month! Or for some people, the allergy season. But hopefully, it will be more of a month of welcoming spring. That is what we hope for though the weather in some areas might have different ideas. We also just had a time change. We sprang forward last Sunday. And of course, no one likes the loss of one hour. Some might prefer the extra daylight, but the struggle is real for the early mornings where sunrise is delayed by an hour. But this got me thinking a lot about the concept of time. And it also had me reminiscing and nostalgic in many ways. So, this post is going to be a mix of personal and foxy witch style thoughts. Hope you enjoy it! Let’s get into it.

A year ago, I had been struggling to get my life back in order after my major back issue in 2023. Though the experience had been humbling, it was difficult to do things as I had done before. I knew patience was important as recovery can be a lengthy process. For me, true recovery has taken a full year and a half to get back the flexibility I lost and the strength. I can walk and run again like I did pre-injury, though I’m more aware of how I move now. In some ways, the flare-up feels like it happened so long ago that I see sepia tone when I think of it, and yet, I remember on a visceral level what that experience was like. Oddly enough, as terrible as it was to go through it, I realize now that I’m grateful for it. Looking back, I see that it taught me to appreciate what my body is capable of in terms of healing and how it communicates with me when it needs rest. It made me connect with my body and spirit in a unique way that still shapes how I do things today and will continue to do.

This leads me to think of how time moves in such a way that we can’t qualify it with the right words. What is “time”? Is it a tangible concept that we can attribute to meaningful experiences in our lives or is time itself a concept that has been condensed into something from what it actually is? From a purely scientific perspective, time is defined as something measured, like mass, for example. Einstein introduced the concept of space and time. No doubt we’ve discovered that time is quite complex to explain. We’ve asked ourselves the age-old question: can we go backwards and forwards in time? We know just from living on this planet that time zones differ from hemispheres. From a spiritual standpoint, one wonders if we can “see into the future” or “re-write our past”. And from a different perspective, do these things truly matter or are we neglecting the present by doing so?

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These are not unique questions nor are they questions that get asked infrequently. I’m sure many of us wish we could change events in our past or guarantee a particular outcome in the future. Neither possibility is currently existent. The reason I’m focusing on time for this particular post is because I’ve caught myself doing this too. I long for a specific result in the future, and I find myself reminiscing and nostalgic of some things while simultaneously “re-writing” in my head how some things should have unfolded instead. And it does take away from the present. Yet it’s something that persists. I’ve been nostalgic for remnants of my teenage years that seemed a limited time of carefree enjoyment. There are moments we often feel more keenly than others. I think the loss of that time is one I do feel. Things that went by in a blur before I could blink have an irony of feeling so far away and yet like it just happened. Our sense of memory is inexplicably linked with time.

Outside of the personal things that have to do with time, we consider time with regard to rituals and how we conduct them. Timing is then considered auspicious. I always used to wonder: why do we care about what planetary alignments are in place or what phase the moon is in for certain rituals? I did a little bit of research on this that leads me to believe this dates back to pre-history, more specifically pre-agricultural revolution. Think about how we measured the length of a day and year. We learned by observing. We know how the tides work through observations. And we’ve seen the effects of the tides on living beings. These observations are what I believe led to the assignation of auspicious time in activities. This makes sense on a broader scale as to farming and what types of weather are conducive to it. The same applies to ritual workings.

Some ritual workings are meaningful for winter and on a full moon. When we work in tandem with the cycles of nature, we create an inner harmony within ourselves. Thus, time plays an important role beyond measurement. Time is a factor that reminds us to stay in the present. It is something I am trying to be more conscientious of because the present moment can be precious and easily overlooked if not.

That’s it for now! I have much more planned for future posts, but I did want to share my thoughts about time for this blog post.

If you read this far, I appreciate it! And finally, I’ll be posting another Tarot blog post soon, in time for April! We will talk about being in the year of the Hermit, Key #9 of the Major Arcana, that Revolution Number 9 I mentioned at the end of the last blog post. I will also be posting about the lunar new year, Lupercalia, and galactic astrology as I’ve said, even though Lupercalia has already passed. It might be a “holidays and festivals” post. These are snippets of what posts I plan to make. Again, thank you all for your support.

Disclaimer: None of what I’m stating in this, or previous blog posts should ever be used in lieu of financial decision-making, medical and/or psychological treatment, and life-changing alterations.

Thank you for reading so far and for being patient with me as I know this post was long overdue! If you are interested in my Tarot readings and creative writing Tarot courses, head over to my site:

https://www.thetarotstories.com

Until next time, have a blessed rest of the month. Namaste. With love, the Foxy Witch.

2022: The Lovers and Tarot Magick

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Apologies for such a late post. 2022 already feels long, doesn’t it? But here we are! And numerology wise, add the numbers for 2022 up and you get 6. Key 6 in the Major Arcana is the Lovers card. The Lovers is ruled by the element of Air, and the card itself signifies many things including love, morality, choices, and a newness overall. So, what does that mean for 2022? Well, we came out of the year of the Hierophant, Key 5 in the Major Arcana and the sum of the digits in 2021. The Hierophant as 2021 represented orthodoxy and correctness, which makes sense when we think about the impact of 2020 (Key 4, The Emperor) and everything that came after. So, now where does that leave us in terms of something new? Let’s think about that as we focus on the topic for this post: Tarot Magick!

For more on the Tarot, you can read the three posts I did on the history of Tarot and its modern use. Today, however, I’ll be focusing on the esoteric uses and the sympathetic magick we can do with Tarot. First and foremost, no matter how you use Tarot, it can be beneficial. The images and meanings can help us in the same way that journaling and using affirmations can. So, let’s view Tarot through a similar lens for the purposes of this endeavor. One of my favorite things to do with a Tarot deck is to set my intention for the week. Let’s say that my intention for this week is to commit to an artistic activity every day. Imagine that the cards I shuffle and pull, are “scary” cards like The Tower, The Devil, and Five of Swords. Wait. Does that mean my art will suck this week?! Before pressing the panic button, let’s first look at this objectively.

The Tower represents a major upheaval or change. Think what goes up must come down. If we use this analogy, perhaps the tower can be a force for good in our lives. The Devil is a tricky one. Aside from Christian and/or Biblical imagery, this card can reveal hidden layers within us. Yes, on the one hand, it is associated with temptation. On the other hand, I like to view The Devil card as being able to recognize the various multitudes that co-exist within ourselves, the good and the bad, and the potential to give in to things equally. So far, we have a major change, hidden layers, and now onto the Five of Swords. Perhaps, this Five of Swords calls into question the competitive and cutthroat nature of human aspirations. This is especially applicable in a workplace scenario. Let’s put it all together for artistic intentions: major change, hidden layers, and cutthroat competition.

Now, we’re going to take it apart. What constitutes major change? Does our artistic intention equate an upheaval or perhaps is it a transformative exercise? To use the energy of the Tower, we need to look at what we are building and evaluate whether something must shift or move to make room for the new. The foundation of what we want to accomplish will stay strong. This is a renovation of sorts. The next card is the Devil. Maybe in the context of temptation, this is a scenario in which a little indulgence could be useful. We need to think in terms of the playful nature of temptation versus the all-consuming desire that could potentially cause harm to ourselves. This is an area where “everything in moderation and eat desserts sparingly” comes to mind.

Five of Swords is more ambivalent. Are we in competition with others in our artistic intentions? If so, perhaps the idea is to change our perspective to be more motivated to be better—to compete against our personal bests (but not to go overboard either). If we are not competitive with others and are feeling that others are cutthroat competitive with us, this is a reminder to make time for ourselves and focus the attention where it belongs. Sometimes competition in the workplace is a challenge, especially when we are not actually competing. We may be surprised to learn that others can be competitive regardless of our intentions. Again, that is a call sign for us to channel energy inwards and not let the competition weigh us down.

These are just suggestions for interpretation, not to be taken at face value. Your own interpretations will likely make more sense to you, after all! Now, onto the magick side of Tarot. I think the beauty of harnessing imagery, such as what we see in Tarot, is an effortless exercise in our spiritual designs. If we really think about it, we use imagery in virtually every aspect of our lives. The decks I tend to use for magick are the Luis Royo Black Tarot and the Aleister Crowley Thoth Tarot. Say what you will about Crowley, but that Tarot deck is definitely potent. Here is a ritual suggestion. I’ve given substitutions as well. Make it your own and have fun!

Items need for Ritual: Salt water, almond oil, (or any base oil) a few pinches of mugwort as a herb (if not, you can use a bay leaf or cinnamon stick), your Tarot card of the day (if you pull a card, otherwise, use the Star card for inspiration, or use both a card you pull as well as the Star card), any essential oils. You can also decide which moon phase suits your purposes for magick.

I put the mugwort (you can use basil, cinnamon sticks, chamomile leaves, bay leaves, depending on your intention) in hot water like a tea, then strain it, add a few drops of an essential oil or added herbs, (lavender for calm, eucalyptus for healing, etc.) and then make it a mist. I spray my sacred space or altar and cleanse the area using incense or ringing bells. I find that both purify and protect my space. I say an intention prayer and call in the deities or guides. Then I shuffle my deck and pull out a card, whatever that card may be, interpret it, and make another intention based on the card. For example, if you pull a 10 of Wands or Five of Cups, think about whether there is a heaviness in your life where you’re feeling bogged down. What can you do about it? What would be the intention there? If it’s Five of Cups, how do we move past that sorrow? You can also keep the Star card on hand for inspiration and hope.

I then meditate and create a sigil for whatever workings I feel called to based on the Tarot magick I just did. Then dip your hands in salt water for added cleansing. Use an anointing oil afterwards (some will say you should do this at the start, but I find this method works for me. Try and see what works for you!) If you don’t have oils, you can substitute using herbs or make teas to drink for calming. This often helps ground me after ritual. I close the ritual with a prayer and gratitude to the guides. You’ll find as you start doing these rituals, you will interpret things your own way and craft your own magickal workings. That’s it for now. I will post more on herbs and oils next! Again, please make sure to check for safety, allergies, etc. and be careful around pets. **Disclaimer, none of what I’m proposing in this, or previous blog posts should ever be used in lieu of financial decision-making, medical and/or psychological treatment, and life-changing alterations.**

Thank you for reading so far and for being patient with me as I know this post was long overdue! If you are interested in my readings and creative writing Tarot courses, head over to my site:

https://www.thetarotstories.com

Until next time, have a blessed rest of the month. Namaste. With love, the Foxy Witch.