WILL BORIS JOHNSON STAND BY HIS MANIFESTO PLEDGES ON THE NHS?

The Emperor card is certainly a person who has 'taken back control', and is his own man. In a way, BoJo has been in thrall to wings of the party that he had to lie with to get what he wanted. The big question has been, what will he do if he gets into the position that this card represents?

I sense that he is very aware of where his power comes from. He made a point to say in his first speech outside the steps of 10 Downing St. that he is aware he has borrowed votes. This card is of a figure who has power but also is aware that he must work to maintain it. That is a two-fold task, to confound rivals and to secure his power-base. I think he knows that the NHS is very important and is often downgraded by other Tories, he knows not to make that mistake.

I see nothing here to suggest that there is some kind of immanent abandonment of this promise. We do not have a guarantee, after all his task is about maintaining power not necessarily keeping a pledge. Pledges are kept because they maintain him in power. What matters in this card is rulership. This is the motivation so as long as the public hold his feet to the fire, and he knows this, then he will act to consolidate that support by being seen to uphold his election promises.

WILL THE TORIES WIN A MAJORITY IN THE 2019 GENERAL ELECTION?

Using the RWS cards designed by Pamela Colman-Smith and using a two-card spread for this one.

1st card - The Tarot's take on the situation.
2nd card - The Tarot's counsel (its take on the outcome).

Keeping it nice and simple as it is quite a simple question. Perhaps not surprising given the importance of a General Election generally and this election specifically we have two cards from the Major arcana. The cards of the Major arcana indicate 'powerful outside forces' acting upon this question and its outcome.

The first card is number 15 The Devil. Turning over this card it was one of those moments when I thought "But of course!" However, it can also be taken as an example that perhaps the feelings of the reader affects the cards drawn. What Jung called synchronicity, a coincidence of inner meaning with outer physical circumstances. It certainly reflects a feeling I have about where we are right now politically and I know that I'm not alone. However, if I were a Tory voter (for thought experimental purposes only mind you... ), then what would I have turned over? Of course, such questions are not statistically relevant as subjective experiences are a once-only event never to be repeated (can't step into the same river twice sort of thing).

So, traditionally, this card indicates dark passions, impulsive or addictive behaviour, trickster behaviour, enslavement - particularly by ones own passions, oppression and subterfuge. I guess you can take your pick really!

What is also of interest, at least to me, is that the RWS pack has baked into it astrological symbolism and this card represents the 'Old Goat-Head' Capricorn which is ruled by Saturn the planet of restriction. Capricorn is conservative by nature, tied to tradition because of his association with time and season. Saturn was originally an agricultural deity who was old and lame, representing the end of the cycle as his sign covers the end of the year. His festival was the Saturnalia, celebrated around the Winter Solstice, the darkest time of the year and thus he is old and can appear as much as the Grim Reaper as in his alter ego Old Father Time.

So my interpretation of this is two-fold. On the surface we have a party that appeals to impulse rather than reason, that has a hidden agenda, that does not bode will for the 'gens' who in this picture are Adam and Eve tied by chains, but in a way it is an enslavement that could be averted, those chains are quite loose and could be slipped out of with little effort. The problem is that they do not realise it and have given up in the face of a sense of doom a fateful resignation.

The second interpretation is to see what is happening as a sign of the times and thus this is symptomatic of deeper forces connected to cycles of time at work in the present moment.

The second card is The Emperor. He sits on a throne ornamented with rams heads showing the alignment of this card with the zodiacal sign of Aries. The Emperor is one who rules alone. In his benign persona he is a just ruler, who takes council before making decisions in his malefic persona he is a dictator and subject to paranoia as many tyrants are. The sign of Aries covers Spring time, which is ruled by Mars who governs the will. His is the planet of conflict, territorial and combative. This sign signals a new beginning which can be either for good or evil. This is dependent on what motivates him.

In answer to our question, we have a victory for the Tory party, I think this is pretty clear. It aligns with the polls at the moment, although they are predictably closing the gap between Conservative and Labour, which is a usual effect in the days leading up to the GE.

So there you have it... my prediction for Boris to be PM on Friday morning with enough numbers on his team to push his agenda through. Depending on your allegiances this may be music to your ears or the bell, ask not for whom it tolls for it tolls for thee... !

Keeping on this astrological theme, Austin Coppick informs that we have Saturn in Capricorn conjunct with Pluto (gate to the underworld), with Jupiter (Emperor of the gods), also just having entered the same sign. I guess we can expect quite a few sharp intakes of breath in the coming month.

I'M THINKING OF GETTING A NEW TAROT DECK, WHAT FACTORS SHOULD I CONSIDER?

For this question I am using playing cards and a 5 card French Cross spread:

A 3 card line to give a picture of the question: 7 of Hearts, 2 of Hearts and 7 of Spades

A card above, the cards' advice on what to do: 6 of Clubs
A card below the card's advice what not to do. The Joker

The line through the middle sees the central card of the cross to be '2 of Hearts' which I think makes the primary factor in your consideration in making your decision; the relationship or feeling that you have with the cards. They must please you aesthetically because that will encourage your imagination and intuition when you read them. A pack that you have no real resonance with will be hard work. However, having said that the two cards flanking the 2 of Hearts are both '7's. This number is connected with 'difficulties' and the suits are one Heart and one Spade. We have a twin pair of opposites (red/black). I think this points to the next factor to take into consideration that is the cards should have a tension for you between reading with your heart and reading with your head. The suit of spades comes close to the metal of the swords - a sharp cutting quality that the confines of the cards internal logic can provide. Sometimes we might not get much intuitive resonance from a card in a particular reading and then it is possible to fall back on traditional meanings to provide something for you to work with in your overall interpretation. On the other hand do not get 'stuck' with the 'little white book' meanings either. If your intuition is shouting something specific to you then pay attention to that too. This is the tension that is necessary when choosing your pack. Yes, the symbolism is important but the colour of the sky may also be necessary to spark your imagination too.

The card above is the 6 of Clubs. Generally I think of '6' cards as 'road opener' cards. They are about options and choices and the suit of clubs has to do with how you will work with your new cards. I think this points to you maybe seeing if you can test drive one or two packs that you have never used before, maybe even trying one or two that you would not immediately choose to use to see how you read with them? A relationship that is strong may not start off immediately so. Very few love affairs start with 'love at first sight'.

The card below is The Joker. What to avoid... following on from the last card, probably acting on impulse. Take your time and think it through. Who hasn't clicked 'buy now' on a Tarot pack after a couple of glasses of wine? I have several 'nice' Tarot packs that sit on my shelf that rarely, if ever, see the light of day. I keep telling myself 'One day...' but if you are looking to get a pack to work with now then don't hurry the decision.

Good luck with your choice and I hope you have many years of enjoyment and fruitfulness with your new cards whatever they may be!

Will the UK leave the EU by 31st January 2019?

So we have two club cards either side of the Joker.

The suit of clubs seems to appear quite often in association with power and politics which makes sense as this suit has to do with strength, labour, work and status.

7 is the number of difficulties, so here we go again!  The Jack to the right is looking away. Jacks I think in this reading is the messenger card.

Clowns to the left of me,
Jokers to the right, here I am,
Stuck in the middle with you

The Joker is indeed stuck in the middle, I think this is BoJo. We still have no real resolution at this point either. So the uncertainty continues. As we look at the  cards at this point in the timeline, we see two cards with figures looking ahead expectantly, with difficulties backing them up.

My prediction is that Brexit is not resolved by this date.

How will the story play for Boris Johnson when Parliament opens in September?

Starting with the KoD as significator for BJ, next to him we have 10 of Spades. He has a full on war on his hands here. Below him is the Jack of Spades a usurper but as Jack not a king he is a proxy for a larger group who are behind the scenes, hence the blank card next to the Jack.

Reading the top line we have two diamonds (same suit or party as the King), going from 9 to 3 a reduction in support by 2/3rds from the battle. However he re-coups with a 7 of Hearts. This I think is the hearts and minds war with the party, although they are very nervous they will not abandon the party in the end. So I would think that he will mange to keep his troops together in the end.

The middle line shows the spades followed by the 2 of Diamonds. I think the interpretation for this is that BoJo will face a rival challenge. Maybe the proposed caretaker, although I may be from his own party as from the Opposition.

So the way I think it will play out is as follows: Jack (Jeremy Corbyn?) will probably play his no-confidence card, he has support; but BoJo has more support to begin (9 Diamonds), As a rival appears (2 Diamonds) his support is cut (3 of Diamonds). Probability is that he will play to the hearts and minds of the party and overcome his rival.

WILL I BE ABLE TO GET A RAISE OF AT LEAST 10% AT MY NEXT CONTRACT NEGOTIATION?

It's all diamonds, which in Tarot terms would refer to disks or coins so we are on track for the question here.

First thing, if we follow the rule about red cards meaning a 'Yes' then it would seem so. However, looking at the numbers I am not so sure. Erring towards the negative is not a bad idea when betting on fortune.

I think the initial 10 of diamonds is the wish but the next 2 is saying that you may be disappointed at the initial offer. However if you push a bit then you may get an incremental increase on that offer.

Just to follow the logic of this interpretation. A 2 suggests a negotiation between two parties and  the 3, in incremental increase on the initial offer.

IS MY WIFE'S SUPPORT OF MY PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT SINCERE?

The first two cards depict our two protagonists the querent, who I  think is represented by the King, and the Jack of Clubs who would therefore be the wife. The first impression is that these two are seeing eye to eye so the immediate answer is a 'Yes'. However there are some more details about this.

Firstly in yes/no terms looking at the number of red cards (yes) to the number of black cards (no) we have more 'no' than 'yes', or perhaps 'Yes' but tending towards 'No'. Having the two person cards at the beginning means that behind the king (querent) are three more cards. It is important to point out that I read these three as being relevant to the querent and his inner condition, his personal baggage rather than his wife's.Right behind him is a 5 of Clubs. A five is a 'strife' card so I think we have a conflict here and the suit is clubs which pertains to work, status and power. I sense the querent's vulnerability in this card. It may be a fear of letting-go of the power in the relationship and becoming dependent upon another's good-will - in this case his wife. Reading along we get to the Ace of Diamonds. Aces are new beginnings and also point to the source of the power of the suit, something in potential. Diamonds can mean cash, wealth or something precious, like a diamond. I sense this is the aspiration of the querent to undertake this particular work of self-development. I think this inner gem is also reflected in the choice of suit for the king - Hearts, a suit that is all to do with feelings and personal values, these two go together as the two red cards in the reading.  The Jack shares the same suit as the other two cards. The final card is the four which is a number of stability and safety.

So my final answer remains the same 'Yes' she is sincere in her support, your anxiety probably is mixed up with your anxieties about the personal development work you are embarking on. There is a question of your power balance and it is on your mind but I think your way to a more stable relationship is through the very work that you are now beginning.

WILL MY LOVER LEAVE HER HUSBAND THIS YEAR?

In this line of three we have a story being told. In the centre the Knight of Disks mounted, as Knights on a quest are, rides towards his sweetheart the Queen of Clubs. Behind him stands the 8 of Swords.

One thing to note is that the court cards are of two different suits and I'm sensing that this spread is pointing out that the two personages are after two different things. Perhaps this is why she is looking, not at him, but in the opposite direction. Batons pertains to rulership, amongst other things, and this is her, as Queen, wielding her own power. This situation suits her, although it does not entirely suit you.

The 8 of Swords I think could point to separation as swords do indeed 'cut' bonds. The number 8 is connected to wishes and hopes and here is portrayed the wish of the querent to see an end to her relationship with her husband.

I think, however, the conclusion is that, at least for now, she is content with the arrangement and is not looking in your direction or at the 'cut' of the swords. So, no she will not leave her husband this year.

WILL MY NEW LOVER BE A LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP?

Oh dear!  There are a lot of swords in this reading. We have our line of three where we see the Knight of Cups riding forth, but note that he is riding away or backwards at the very least. In the middle we have the 10 of Wands. Just look at that blocking action. 'X' marks the spot indeed. Here the way really does looked barred.

To the right we have the 7 of Swords. Swords in this pack usually means a cutting action or conflict. But just look at the image. There is some serious sexual imagery going on here. There is the vesica made up of six swords and then the 7th sword upright and penetrating (thank you Dr Freud). I sense that the relationship has a strong physical element, as relationships usually do at first, but I  think it will not last beyond the time when that wears off.

The above card - what to do - is an 8 associated with hopes and fears, I think this is saying don't pin your hopes on this one. The below card a 4 'stability' is what not to do - speaks for itself. This is probably not the one.

Enjoy the ride, plenty more fish in the sea.

I HAVE MISPLACED A RING AND CANNOT FIND IT. WILL IT RETURN TO MY POSSESSION?

The loss of a sentimental item is an expression of value that goes above and beyond the cost.

We have a 3 card line here, just a story with no what to do or what not to do. I'm afraid the story is one of loss and separation.

Diamonds in the playing cards suits are discs in a Tarot pack such as TdM and thus a good representation of a ring.

We start with an Ace which is a '1' a unification of item and wearer. Next we have two of diamonds which is a card of separation and distance of what was once aligned. The last card in our tale is 2 of spades. This maintains the separation and brings in the sorrow that such a loss entails.

I'm sorry, but there is nothing here that suggests a reunification.

I'VE DECIDED TO LEAVE MY ROTTEN PARTNER … WILL I GET ENOUGH OF OUR MONEY OUT?

OK, so we are back with our French Cross spread.

Reading across from left to right: I do not know know the gender of the querent but would not be surprised if female.  We have Queen of Cups which as a significator would suggest a woman and 'matters of the heart', in this case a relationship which we know has failed.

The question is about redeeming money which is reflected in our second card. A 'six' is a road-opener, a card giving options so the querent is in with a good chance of having possibilities before her. The next card, is a 4 of batons. A 4 is a number of stability and no-change and the picture is of a way blocked with an 'X'. I think we have here resistance. Now, batons are to do with, amongst other things, power and I think here it refers to leverage or advantage in circumstances. Maybe the partner has the upper hand legally or circumstantially? Whichever, it has a bearing on our next two cards.

The card below is what not to do, and here we have 3 of swords. I have the strong feeling this is about not getting lawyers involved in an adversarial battle where everyone digs in for the seige.  Above in the what to do position we have another 3 this time of batons. I sense that the cards are advocating a more diplomatic approach; an appeal to someone whom you can both trust and whose authority you both can accept as impartial. Maybe a mediator of some kind.

In essence, I do think you stand a good chance of reclaiming your money but go for the softly, softly approach of mediation rather than all guns blazing - at least for the time being.

Should My Wife and Son Leave for the U.S. in September or Once My Visa Is Ready?

So, we have our French Cross, made up of our horizontal line of 3 plus the card above, the cards advice on what we should do and the card below what we should not do.

First thing to note we have mainly diamonds plus one heart card. I sense the diamonds, which often represent coins and money are here denoting movement akin to the transactional nature of money. Is this the reason for the move? Reading across we have the Jack, your son, he will experience difficulty in this move some 'strife' from the 5 of diamonds but eventual reunification of the family symbolised by the 3 of hearts. Above is the 2 of Diamonds which is the answer to your question. 'Yes', you can send them on ahead, you will be re-unified as a family (3 of Hearts), you do not have to give into your fears symbolised by the 8 of Diamonds.

Should I Stay with this Company or Cut My Losses and Move On?

This time we are using just the Major Arcana otherwise known in the TdM as the Trumps for our fortune-telling.

The story so far, is that we have a lot of optimism at the start. Here you are coming in under the sun lots of promises of growth and high hopes. But just look at the 2nd card, the Star which is in the place of the sun has shrunk down or moved further away. Either way you look at it the reality is not what was promised at the beginning. The female figure is now pouring her water out of two jugs one on land and one on the water. She is divided so I think that we have this card for the present dilemma which it is picturing.

The third card shows another female figure who has become Force. She has to open the jaws of the lion which she can do but she is looking on. I think you probably could extract some good from your present job but you are looking away and I think you have already made up your mind on this question.

WHY DO MY MAGICAL EFFORTS NEVER SEEM TO NET ANY RESULTS?

Sorry for the shiny top card, there are my new pack of wipe-clean plastic playing cards for reading whilst drinking red wine.

Our spread is called the French Cross with the usual three-line in the middle across with the card above (5 of Hearts), as what to do and the Ace of Spades below for what not to do.

As you can see the two jokers are also made use of as part of the card deck for readings and we have one here.

So, for this reading we start with our three line spread going across. We have Ace of Hearts showing a new and exciting relationship starting - this time with magic and its praxis. Who doesn't remember picking up that first spell book, that eldritch tome and the excitement that ran through your fingers as you greedily turned the pages looking for that spell of great power to open up the magical universe and get me all sorts of goodies - where is that genie?

The 10 of Diamonds is a card of completion, end of the cycle usually also meaning running out of juice. This question is about the fact you have not seen any physical manifestations of your desires, precisely what a 10 of Diamonds is about. The 'coins' could be actual money spells not working but it could just mean that the 'wealth' you had hoped for from your praxis is just not apparent. Why? Well he is standing next to you, we have the joker card.

The joker - aha!  The trickster, the thief who steals from heaven and comes to earth to teach what? Well magic of course!  This is Mercury or Hermes the god of magic himself. The joker is quite literally his business card as he is the consummate businessman and merchant. God of transactions, thieves, magic and medicine. A quixotic, bisexual ambiguous clashing-of-the-opposites type of guy.

The fact that you magic is not working is because he is getting your attention just when you were trying to get their attention.

He is the cloven hoofed one and if you want this to work you had better go meet him at the crossroads (gallows being somewhat harder to find these days in most places).

What to do?  5 of Hearts. A card of strife, arguments and falling out but it does mean that there is a relationship in there somewhere. It just needs to brought out and tended to. A '5' is also your body and in magical terms it means embodiment, this means taking it out of your head and getting down to it in ritual. Have you been cutting corners in your spellcraft by any chance? Whatever, you need him onside and he is your negotiating partner. Look out though he is god of discourse and eloquent speech too.

What not to do: Ace of Spades. Traditionally the death card. I think this is the cards advice that it would be wrong of you to stop - to give up now. Push through it, plug yourself into that Mercury wall and try again.

Is My Wife's Music Going To Make Us A Lot Of Money Next Year?

So this time we are looking at playing cards as fortune-telling cards, going back to the roots of card fortune-telling.

Traditional meanings, where we have yes/no questions like this one, is that we have red for 'yes' and black for 'no'. So our suits are the red suits, diamonds and hearts so the quick answer is 'Yes'.

We also read the cards from left to right and we have 4, 2, 10. So I would add that we have an initial spurt in finance, a dip and then a lucky 10 to show an increase in returns.

We do have a change of suits from diamonds to hearts. Diamonds are much more the money cards and hearts have to do with soul food e.g. one's personal values. My guess here is that we have a strong sense of worth coming from being able to make the money from something that means so much and not just in financial worth.

Sure, maybe I am hedging my bets here but the cards are making this transition in sense of worth from the question that perhaps measures success in terms of money to one of values... just saying!

My Partner and I Have Fallen Out. Will I Get Any Sex in the Next Few Months?

This time we are looking at just using the trump cards from the Major arcana, so called.

Each one of these cards is showing a reversal, a backslide or inversion. At first sight this is a bold question from someone who is looking to move on. However, the devastation in this spread is clear.

Why would you have a problem getting sex? Unless you live in the middle of the desert or the Antarctic, and even then there are still the nomads!

This question is a cover-up.

Yes, of course you can have sex just download the app.  This question is not about sex...

Three cards showing everything going upside down cannot be ignored.

So, fine, if you want sex go get it... but know that the fall-out from the relationship is going to have to be dealt with, sooner or later, in order for you to move on.

For now, go and have a good time though... 

Why is my Business Failing?

For very sound reasons many tarot readers will not give advice on health, finances or legal matters. This is not because the Tarot is not able to do so but because the reader is the interpreter a lack of knowledge and expertise in these areas can lead to mistakes. If you are a lawyer, I can see no reason why the Tarot cannot be a great asset in your thinking about a case.

Here the querent wants advice on why her business is failing? No doubt the answer will be complex and this reader has no expertise in either business or finance matters. So the answer I think this reading gives is going to be centred on the querent and her attitudes. Attitudes play a tremendously important part in our decision making. Science tells us and our common experience has also known this, that much of our decision making is based on emotion and feeling. Do I feel I can push on through hard times? Is it worth it? What is the point? These questions are as relevant as any spreadsheet when it comes to running a business.

So, in the spread we have just one court card who is front and centre. Without a doubt this is the querent herself - yes, that is right the querent is a woman and the court card is a man - a timely reminder that court cards are not gendered per se but can point to aspects traditionally associated with historical gender roles.

I have no idea what the business is but if it is anything to do with armed services I would not be surprised. Anyway, what is clear is that all three cards are from the suit of swords and she is personified as the King of her realm. What is striking is that to her left is the Ace of Swords. This is the powerhouse of the whole suit and yet, look, she is turning her head away from that source. She is looking at the 8 of Swords instead.

The eight is associated with 'hopes & fears' according to Camelia Elias, and many others too. So, I'm thinking if perhaps our querent is not losing sight of her original inspiration for her business and, having run into some rocky times, might be succumbing to fear of failure?  Maybe the suit of swords is advising her to fight back a bit more too. 

Why is my Father Absent from my Life?

A more complex question that does not need a Yes/No response benefits from a longer spread.

The only figure we have is the Knight of Wands slightly to the left of centre. This is a person of movement who does not stay. I think therefore that this figure is your father. He is a younger man in this card and he holds a baton aloft which 'rhymes' with the Ace of Swords to the extreme left. The ace pierces the crown and suggests, in the context of this question, conception, yours, but maybe others also.

The knight faces away from his progeny and he looks through the 10 of Swords over to two coin cards. I think this is where his interest lies. For this question a child is asking of a parent there are no cup cards, nothing here that is denoting relationships. I think this is significant for this reading.

So to the left we have the cards portraying him in the past, assertive and ambitious.  I think his thoughts are more with more material gain (the 2 grows to a 10 of cups which might suggest he became quite wealthy).

I've left the central card until last because I think here lies an important piece of the jigsaw.

Eight scimitars form a 'vulva' with two crossed swords barring the way in. I think something has gone seriously wrong with the relationship with your mother. From his side, he felt rejected and I suspect that a man who found it it difficult to form affectionate attachments to people projected his attachments onto sex and material gain. For him this is how he loves.

The 'sex' allusions in this reading are highly symbolised through shape rather than 'in the flesh and I think this is because the cards are suggesting this is how he sees both sex and material possessions. These things for him are not just 'sex' and 'money' rather it is what they symbolise for him and how the compensate for a more emotionally satisfactory series of relationships with people.

Will the Antiquarian Bookshop I Work for Last Another Year?

Yes, but probably by the skin of your teeth. There will be cuts also.

The Queen of Swords is looking back to the past and away from the future. I'm wondering if the owner is not facing reality. Behind her we have 3 of coins this is our central card and shows the small shoestring budget that a lot of independent booksellers are facing here. The third coin faces downwards and I get the sense that this is the trend. 

Over on the right hand side we have 7 of Batons. Six of those batons bar the way but there is a seventh that is just breaking through. The Queen needs to turn around though and face the other way if this possibility is to be realised.

The answer for the 'Queen' is in her hands, literally, she holds a sword but she needs to wield it and make the cut with the past so that the shop can move on and maybe expand into new directions. Someone needs to sit down and come up with a strategy.

Good luck with that, remember we magical folk need our antiquarian booksellers!

Would It Benefit My Life To Move To London?

It's cups, cups cups all the way with this reading!

The short answer is a "YES!", although the benefits are not necessarily financial. In fact the absence of coins means that this querent may not be wanting to going for purely monetary purposes anyway.

Starting from the left we have the 6 of Cups. Look at how regimented they seem all lined up on either side of a boundary. If this is the past or current situation then we have a somewhat limited social life, maybe a feeling of having to play things down in order to 'fit in'.

Our central card is a nine so an increase in cups, in social contacts. Just look at how the central boundary has been replaced with more cups.  The valet is carrying an oversized chalice to the party of 9 to make a 10 cups which is a completion number. I think there is much promise here but that satisfaction will be on relationships, fun, networks, but not necessarily great financial rewards.

One comment on the numbers we have '6' and '9'. Both these are divisible by '3'.  A '3' is a change card either upwards or downwards. Cups is a 'red' suit so we have, I think, the emergence of a new life in a positive sense.

This is one party you want to bring your own cup to.

Pip Card & Courts: A Freestyle Reading

All part of the Rune Soup PM course on Tarot. We are giving up our beloved Major arcana cards to 'fortune-tell' like the devil with the pip cards and court cards only.  The cards are read simply with no set meanings or placements, just creating the narrative with what can be seen.

OK - this isn't quite freestyle as there are suit and number associations but these are staying close to the associations with the suits rather than the usual element.

First question:

DOES MY NEWLY-PROMOTED BOSS THINK HIGHLY OF ME OR IS SHE JUST PRETENDING?

First thing that strikes me is the absence of 'people' cards, or court cards. I think what we have in their place is symbolic representations of people. What this means is that this reading is about the qualities that each person has and how they interact.

Reading from left to right the 2 of Cups We have the partnership in focus here. The two protagonists, the querent and his/her boss are on either side of an ornamental candelabra with two fish-like flowers. Both stick out their tongues and one has eyes open the other closed. The reading is highlighting the nature of the relationship. It's like the constantly bickering couple who are absolutely tied together.

Swords are a clash or conflictual suit but a 'four' is indicative of stability, a tension which ultimately is creative indicated by the 'birthing' of the third cup in the last card.

I see nothing here to indicate pretence rather a creative relationship that relies on a tension between the protagonists to produce a result.

Smoke & Daggers!

After Breitbart published a report saying that 12 churches across France had been vandalised in the month before Notre Dame du Paris burned on 15th April; a conspiracy started that the fire was arson. 

The fact-checking site www.snopes.com investigated and said the report was “mainly false”. Investigations are at an early phase and currently the authorities say it was not deliberate.

Q) Was the fire at Notre Dame du Paris arson?

Using the RWS pack - one card draw:

II Swords. A seated woman, who is blindfolded and holds a sword in each hand. Her arms are crossed, behind her is the sea, above her a crescent moon.

☽ in ♎︎

The usual interpretation for this card is a ‘difficult decision’ to be made. It can suggest procrastination, indecisiveness, an unwillingness to take sides or make a judgement. It is also a justice card, hence why it is placed in Libra. The moon describes a reflective mind-set.

There is a suggestion of something hidden which could lend itself to conspiracy. Swords have a connotation of the execution of justice. It may be that the authorities do have their suspicions but are playing their cards close to their chest.

What does seem to be clear in this murky answer from the tarot, is that things may not be as straight forward i.e. not ‘just’ an accident.

Summoning the Solomonic Archangels I

Herewith, some entries from the magical journal for these workings:

The First...

7th March 2019

Using the Rudd Nine Celestial Keys, I called forth Sachiel in the day and hour of ♃.

Also used this in combination with the Deeply Theta entrainment track (10 mins). This was used in the scrying spaces in-between callings.

After the original conjuration/invocation there was a sudden inner image of amethyst tinged clouds; looking up I saw a triangular window open up and a ray of light shone downwards through the clouds. An angelic figure appeared sometimes in the mode of the Temperance angel in RWS pack and then holding a sword. I thought this was just the RWS image intruding but it became fleshy and moved in a strong breeze. His eyes were closed. The impression was quite strong. Then I saw in the stone shapes moving like someone riding a horse at full gallop, then a gazelle running fast. These were phantom-like and indistinct.

After the 1st recitation post conjuration, the imagery faded as did the feeling of opening up and I had to make a continual effort to reach ‘heaven-ward’. 

After the second recitation I returned to the amethyst clouds and realised why those soapy New Age images are styled the way they are.

The light shone onto the stone and once more the figure returned holding a light which he offered to me and I reached out and accepted it. Next the light was in my heart centre.

After this an hour had elapsed and decided to call it a day; so welcomed the angels in an approximate ad-libbed formula and then asked all to return to their own places, thanks them and asked them to complete any further knowledge, wisdom etc. over the next two days (as above).

Closed with Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

And the Second...

22nd March 2019

Invocation of the 7th Key, Anael, angel of ♀︎ in the day and hour of the same.

Following the invocation, I had the impression of a Winged Egyptian Scarab and there was a connection with the phases of the planet ♀︎. I am unaware of any such connection so will do some research on this.

I also saw a golden sandal topped with a rose on an angel’s foot; for the 1st repetition.  

The 2nd repetition the scarab appeared again and this time opened his wing casings and beat his wings as if to fly off.

The Deeply Theta is quite conducive to the working because it has an ethereal sound and nature. There is a depth and sense of the imaginal as its own reality. It’s difficult to say exactly but it is a series of experienced images that feels more than the usual mental stream. There is a connection of some sort.

Scarabs were a very popular form of amulet from the Middle Kingdom onwards. Associated with the rising sun and the god Khephri. He was regenerative in his associations, which may be why he could be associated with ♀︎ too. He is also associated later on with the ‘Heart’. He was a popular choice to be laid over the heart in mummy wrappings and was used advocate on the deceased’s behalf in the Hall of Judgement. The spells from the Book of the Dead were spoken to the amulet who was then wrapped up with the mummy for burial. His association with the underworld may be because he traverses two worlds, upper and lower.

So, this may be a form of the angel Anael, or one of his angels, who rises up and is reborn, who can traverse two worlds and maybe transmit spells to the otherworld - a messenger!

There Must Be An Angel...

My route into angel magic was via grimoire magic. In particular through the Runesoup premium member's course on grimoiric magic. Grimoires appear to be experiencing a revival at the moment going by the number of blogs on the experiences of magicians using this form of magic.

Part of the 'plugging it into the wall' tech involves regular planetary prayers to the angels of the day. Gordon White suggested those from the Hygromanteia; but I opted in the end for those given in The Goetia of Dr Rudd which ritually enact the 7 day creation myth from Genesis.

The angels associated with the days are as follows:

1st day Sunday - Michael
2nd day Monday - Gabriel
3rd day Tuesday - Samael
4th day Wednesday - Raphael
5th day Thursday - Sachiel
6th day Friday Friday - Anael
7th day Saturday - Cassiel/Caphriel

As I also use these daily angelic conjurations for my sigil magic which is planetary based, and following on from something I saw in the RS forums decided to go full-on angel magic for a while.

The obvious choice was to stick with the Dr Thomas Rudd angelic magicians group whose working manuscripts have been published a couple of times, the one I use is by Stephen Skinner & David Rankine as part of the Golden Hoard series of Keys to Ceremonial magic.

The angelic launch sequence couldn't be simpler. There is no circle, wand, ring, etc. What we have are a series of prayers and conjurations, one primary and one to recite as follow up. However do not be deceived! It's important to remember that these manuals were used by working magicians who would already have a basic launch tech so it would not necessarily be included in the instructions.  An indication of this are the angelic seals, of which there are two given for each angel from two different manuscripts, so presumably only one is used (either, or). No instructions are given as to how these seals form part of the working so one's own experience has to dictate. From the grimoire tradition spirit seals are generally placed in the triangle of art where the spirit is to appear. If scrying then the crystal is placed on top of the seal. So this is the method I use for this work.

There is a prayer to be said before any angelic conjuration. This gives the basic cosmology, which is the Cabalistic Tree of Life.  We have nine angelic keys and one for the angelic choir. This latter one is associated with Malkuth. Thus we also have the seven planets taking us up to Binah (Saturn), the last two are without planetary association (pre-Herschel) which takes us up to the angel 'Methraton' for Kether.

Dr Thomas Rudd and his group were also experimenting with Dr John Dee's system of angelic magic, now referred to as 'Enochian'. I think they based these planetary angel workings on Dee's method of calling.

I use one of the angel seals that uses material that I'm familiar with from Adam McLean's 'Magical Calendar' book. These have the familiar hermetic seals for each angel that are used in several grimoires of that period.

Basically, this is a scrying working, to summon the angel or one of his minions to appear in a crystal or stone. I place my scrying stone on the seal, either burn frankincense or anoint myself with its essential oil. My preliminary work is a recitation of the 'Our Father' and 'Hail Mary' and calling on St Cyprian of Antioch to oversee the working. Then as follows:

• The general prayer is recited to set up the angelic hierarchy.  
• The first long conjuration of the angel is recited.
• First 10 minute scrying session (I use entrainment .mp3 soundtrack).
• 1st recitation of the shorter conjuration.
• Second 10 minute scrying session.
• 2nd recitation of the shorter conjuration.
• Third scrying session.

The whole of the above takes about one hour. 

The long conjuration alone takes about 20 minutes. I find it more effective to chant this in a sing-song voice rather than just to recite it. The punctuation is all commas and no full stops. capitalised letters are used mid-sentence but add to the punctuation for breathing. All this gives a rhythm to it which is just as well because it is very repetitive. By the end of 20 minutes I'm experiencing a light trance, which is just what is needed for the scrying. The entrainment track also helps deepen the ASC.

I generally experience various sequences of visual images that appear in quick succession, but usually one becomes settled. I'm not a great scryer and my active imaginations are 'piss-poor' to be blunt. However there is a certain quality to scrying images which marks them out from the usual mental chatter.

My experiences tend to be visual rather than aural though I have had voices speak before. 

So far I have used this to call for four angelic visions, and would recommend this work for those who want to try scrying because it is so simple to perform from the comfort of your armchair.

Unlike grimoiric workings there is no particular request to make for these workings. The conjurations tend to just ask for wisdom and 'sapience' for the magician. My experience is that the results come in the form of altered perceptions (angelic perceptions?). The symbolism given tends to lead to a desire to research and make connections to create a narrative that then gives the lines or threads that weave together to form the angel. At least this is how I'm perceiving my own experiences so far. 

I'll post up some extracts from my magical journal and also the researched elements that interweave to form the narrative 'body' of the angel in my own understanding.

So what's all this for?

Essentially a deepening relationship, as GW likes to put it "getting their attention". As stated above I use angelic forms for sigil magic and could also use it for prayer work generally. So it isn't that I'm asking to win the lottery when the angel appears rather to establish a place in the spirit ecology network, I'm sort of handing out my business card and asking for theirs too.

Tarot Reading - March question

Having joined the Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI), following my tarot reader's course with Suzanne Corbie,  I'm all up for getting plenty of practice in.

Each month the TABI forum posts up a monthly question for peeps to give readings. This is the one for March...

I'm looking at a complete change of career, I have a couple options, can the cards guide me as to which path would be best for me

The pack is the Rider Waite Smith pack, probably the best known one for newbies. Pamela Colman Smith teamed up with Golden Dawn's Arthur Edward Waite to produce perhaps the most copied tarot design in the world. The Marseilles pack may be older and Sola Busca may be the 'bad boy' of Tarot but RWS has provided the most inspiration.

The spread is one I've taken from a playing card fortune telling book I picked up in a 2nd hand book shop some years ago. This one is attributed to 'Sepharial' otherwise known as Dr Walter Gorn Old, yes, that is his real name (now we know why he used Sepharial), a 19th century astrologer and one time editor of Old Moore's Almanac.

The spread takes the form of an astrological chart, houses 1-12 with five extra cards laid out in cross formation in the centre. The card in the centre (V Swords in this spread), is the significator. The general idea is to read the appropriate house(s) for the answer to the question.

The significator is the 'cut and run' card, which is flanked, to the left, by IX Wands and Ace Swords on the other side. Reading across from past to present it looks like the querent has had some serious battles on his/her hands and has decided enough is enough. The Ace card is a new beginning and is indicative of the new decision. The fact that the question is about a radical change of direction is supported by this card. the IX Cups is the pleasure card and points to the need of the querent for work to be rewarding and not just for money. The Hierophant card may indicate that some of the problems may be to do with relationships with those in authority. If this is so then one option may be to work for him/herself.

Looking to the houses we have XIII Death and III Cups in the 1st House, the house of self, well-being, health and mental health.  I think this signifies that the querent is going through a period of radical transition, literally the ending of abundance. A rupture of relations, finding him/herself alone coming to the realisation that things are irreparably going to have to change.

The 2nd House is about finances, here we have IV Pentacles and XIX The Sun. The card of consolidation of wealth with opportunity for growth. From the question it is not clear what the options the querent is looking at but if it involves retraining or reinvesting into a new company or project then these cards are giving the green light for this.  The 10th House is about career and long term goals and here we have III The Empress, a card ruled by Venus. Venus rules fertility, sex, beauty, hospitality, music and the arts. If one of the options refers to anything along those lines then the 10th House is well aspected for a career  in the service sector dedicated to wellbeing, beauty and entertainment. This card is accompanied by IV Swords, depicting rest from a period of strife. Given the strife indicated in the other parts of this chart there is a healing process that is necessary for the querent and this may mean that a career in therapy or complementary healing may be of benefit for both the querent and her/his clients too.

There are other aspects but they do not relate directly to this question so will leave this reading here.