Spiral Tarot

Looking for a new tarot deck? One with beautiful art, cards that’s images tell you a story of what’s happening? A tarot that will deepen your understanding of the Kabbalah, Astrology, Hebrew Letters, the four Elements, and broaden your mythological knowledge? And it’s not Crowley’s Thoth deck? Then I’d say you are looking for the Spiral Tarot.

Hermes Trismegistus represents the Magician, actualized and powerful.  Dionysus  is the Hanged Man, sacrificing himself and following the 23rd path on the Tree of Life between Hod and Geburah. The three of cups shows 3 women dancing gaily in the Autumn Harvest, and the seven of swords pictorially tells you when it’s time to just follow your instincts, cut your losses, and take what you can get and run with it.

Kay Stevenson has created rich, detailed art that incorporates Celtic, Greek, Roman, and more mythological gods and goddesses. She uses the standard tools of cups, wands, swords, and pentacles for the suits and the princess replaces the page, to bring balance to the King/Queen male/female aspects.

I recommend this deck to beginners and novices alike, whether your goal be using the deck for divination or delving into your subconscious. Best purchased in a set, so you get Kay’s interpretations of the gods and goddesses she depicts, and to more fully understand and experience this deck to the fullest potential.

MELA AMARA

Playing with Pendulums

Ever play with a pendulum? They’re GREAT for instant amusement, figuring out where you left your keys, testing the chakras, and learning to work with your own energy. I first heard of using a pendulum when a friend told me how he’d used one to find his fiancee’s lost engagement ring. They’d searched everywhere for a few days, and were able to locate it after using a pendulum.

My first time of personally using one was when I was going to school for Shiatsu-massage. We used them in class one day to demonstrate how to open up your hand-chakras, and how to close them down. A very important skill for a therapist to have: knowing how to project or contain your energies. We also used the pendulum to determine the health of the chakra-system. Beginning at the root chakra, we saw how each chakra spins clockwise or counterclockwise depending on the chakra. It was a quick and easy way to find if a person was out of balance, and what chakras they needed to work on opening up or closing an overactive chakra.

Finding a pendulum is easy. You can find them in stores, made out of a wide variety of materials: different stones, each enhancing the pendulum with gemstone qualities, or metals such as brass, copper, or silver. In a snap you can even use a necklace. All that is really required is an object that freely dangles from the end of a string or chain. And easy way to begin is playing with opening and closing your hand chakra.

Here’s how I do it: 

• Choose your pendulum (we have an awesome variety at Magus, so I just pick up one off the rack). Lay the pendulum piece in your palm, and gently pick up the chain or string, and lift the pendulum about 2 or 3 inches from your palm. 
• Keep it still, as much as you are able (don’t make it move by moving your hand --- that’s cheating). Then, concentrate on seeing a vortex of energy rising from your hand in a spiral. 
• Once you get the pendulum swinging accordingly, then imagine the vortex getting sucked into your hand, like a tornado, and try to bring the pendulum to a stop. 
• Open it up again, and close it down again. 

Instant amusement for you, you’ll amaze those watching, and you’ll have a very physical test of how well you can control your energy. Of course, many people use pendulums to answer simple Yes or No questions. This comes in handy for finding those darn keys, or that family-heirloom ring. For this, each time you begin, ask the pendulum to “show me Yes” and “show me No” as the direction it moves may vary depending on the pendulum you are using at the moment, and also your own energy at that moment. Then start big picture: Is it outside? Is it in my house? Did the Fido eat it? Is it in _____________ room? This way, you basically narrow down the possibilities until you are able to locate the object.

I’ve seen customers use their pendulums to help them make decisions on purchases also. Basically, the pendulum is one of the most basic and dependable forms of divination. They are usually small, and easy to carry in a pocket. They can be used as a learning tool, a divination tool, or just pure fun and amusement. Come on into Magus and feel free to “test drive” the different stones and metal pendulums we carry, and find the one that works best for you. Prices range from free (use that necklace you’re wearing) to $40, but most are under $20, making them a great gift item also.

MELA AMARA

New Moon Manifestation

The new moon can be a intensely magical part of the year. The new moon represents an optimal time for planning, seeding, and planting of your intentions. Recognizing that it takes time for the period of gestation & breaking through to daylight, realizing it is also so with our ideas and desires. It takes the darkness of the New Moon to see the star we should reach for.  With the dark moon, we have time to reflect on the mysterious unseen forces which offers a nurturing environment where our intentions can be planted before they spring into manifestation, and reach for the stars.

New Moon Ritual

Look on your calendar and find the next new moon. It’s a monthly occurrence, so you won’t have to wait too long. In the meantime, take time to contemplate and focus on what you want to change or manifest in your life. Take into careful consideration how you word your intention, because the saying “Be careful what you ask for ; you just might get it” comes into full effect when you’re adding  magical energy to it.  Set aside about 20-30 minutes for the ritual itself.

Here is a list of supply suggestions:

• Notebook/ Book of Shadows
• Pen & Colored pencils/markers/crayons
• Candle
• Incense
• Meditation Music

Begin by purifying your space. You can set a ritual circle if you wish, or just smudge the area with incense. Light the candle, inviting in beneficent beings that are willing to aid in achieving your wants and wishes. Next, write your intention as succinctly as possible. I recommend adding something like “I accept _____________ into my life now, or something better that is for my highest good and the highest good of all concerned”. Now for the fun part: create a sigil or symbol representing your intention. Be creative as possible; it doesn’t need to be a work of art, just a representation of your desire for change. Carry this symbol with you at all times, until the changes have fully manifested.

Remember that some changes take time, and it is okay to repeat the ritual at the next full moon with the same intention, or you can set new intentions. It is helpful to salt & pepper your list with smaller, simpler items that will manifest more easily. Think of things like lunch with a friend, a massage, or tickets to a show. Not only can you enjoy these manifestations as well, but you’ll be aware that your spell is working, and it will snowball the rest of your intentions. If it makes you happy and you want more, put it on your list. Keep in mind it doesn’t have to be a tangible thing either; wishing for deeper and healthier relationships isn’t a bad one at all.

When you are ready, take your time to give thanks and appreciation to the Powers That Be for aiding and helping you. Thank and dismiss the energies that you earlier evoked when lighting the candle, by intentionally blowing out the candle.

You can do this New Moon ritual at every new moon, or just when there is something in particular that you need help changing or manifesting.

MELA AMARA

Ancient Chinese Coins

Coins are a great symbol of wealth, as they are the representation of and literally are money. Chinese coins are used in Feng Shui to draw wealth and prosperity into businesses and homes. Tying three coins together with a read string or thread, and then hanging them on the doorknob on the inside of the entrance, or taping them to your checkbook or cash register will attract money and revenues into your life.

The reproduction most commonly used is a round coin with a square in the center; this represents heaven and earth, making it all the more powerful for manifesting your dreams (heaven) into reality (earth). These coins have been used to ward away evil, disease, or any negative energy directed at the wearer.

Chinese coins can be used for protection but are most commonly utilized for their prosperity enhancing abilities or also as a divination tool for the I Ching. Grab your stash of riches at Magus!

MELA AMARA

The Money Frog

Looking for an easy way to increase your cash flow? Do what Donald Trump does, and incorporate Feng-Shui into your business and home. At Magus, we have many of the tools used in Feng-Shui. One of my favorites is the Money Frog.

This mythical creature is said to appear every full moon near homes that will receive good news of increased wealth or monetary gain. They are called “chan Chu” in Chinese but are more commonly known as the Money Frog. Believed to be the bearer of good fortune, they come bearing a coin in their mouth, or a string of coins behind them. The three-legged sits on a protective bagua or a pile of coins. It is usually placed near cash registers or in a wealth corner. Also, placing him inside your front door facing inwards symbolizes money coming into your home or business.

Come to Magus to get your own friendly Money Frog, and invite wealth and prosperity into your life!

MELA AMARA

Decorate Your Sacred Space with Magus

In the cold winter months, many of us have a tendency to follow the nature of the bear and hibernate at home.  For myself, I like to use the winter months to both reflect and revitalize the inside. I do a lot more meditative work than I do in the warmer months. I use creative visualization to help me actively create my universe. In this process, I always end up recreating the space around me too. My home is an extension of me; I like to keep it clean, organized, beautiful and vibrant. When it’s dark and cold outside, I want to draw warmth and happiness inside. Of course, this isn’t the time of year for repainting the walls to infuse a new color and energy, so I change the art and accents around my house to make it more reflective of where I am and where I want to be.

This year will be easier than other years past as I have a bounty of beautiful choices here at Magus. No matter what the budget is through the holiday season, we have a great variety of things to fit any size wall or wallet.

Many of you are fans of the Enchanted Universe card line, and specifically Josephine Wall’s art. We have 8x10 cards that can be sent to loved ones, or if you frame them you have a detailed new piece of art that cost $2.95. Or go for a bit larger size, and select a Tree-Free Frameable that have the image reprinted on the inside of the card for just $4.95.

If you are looking for something a bit more unique or personal, check out the pieces by our local artisans. We support professional artists such as Beth Hansen, Paul Rucker, Todd Jerde, Giovanna Fregni, and Tamara McGuigan-Murphy. Their pieces range from the simplicity of the Black Rose print, to oozing with emotion in the Ecstasy/Agony oil painting.

Have something in mind you want captured in artwork? We can help you find and introduce you to the artist that could express your ideas best. From the center of our lives to the circle of our community, Magus is here to help.

MELA AMARA

Choosing a Magikal Name

Sooner or later, most practitioners decide to take on a magickal name.  The reasons for this are varied, but for most, it is one important part of creating the magickal personality. This is a name that can be shared with your coven or order mates as a way to identify you as separate from your mundane everyday personality. Why do this? Well, it adds definition and power to the aspect of the self that is interested in the spiritual pursuit. Just like wearing a ritual robe helps you to step into a different mindset for practicing ritual, a magickal name will help you to identify with that sacred part of yourself.

A magickal name can evolve and change as you grow and change. Using the name William as example, he may have been known as Willy when he was a child, but as he grew he outgrew Willy and began having his friends call him Will. Professionally, he goes by William, and could turn the name into a magickal one for himself by emphasizing certain letters: Will I Am.

In certain traditions, you choose your name to begin with, and as you go through the ranks of initiation, you may be given a  new name, or an inner-order name. If you do choose your own name, there are many ways to go about doing so.  You can choose the name of a god or goddess that embodies the qualities you want to enhance or be associated with. Your patron may give you your name in meditation. When choosing my original magickal name, I did it by researching words in ancient languages, and making a huge list of words and their meanings, and kept dwindling it down intuitively until I had eliminated all but the one I chose for myself.

When deciding on your name, try not to limit or constrain yourself. Trees, stones, animals, gurus, Gods & Goddesses, planets, flowers, fanciful creatures, even movie personalities are all valid inspirations. But don’t choose  Dr. Evil; that’s already taken, and yours should be a creative expression of who you are.

Once you have your magickal name, another decision you will be faced with is whom you decide to share it with. Some feel that their name is theirs alone, a supremely sacred and private part of yourself. Others will share it only with members of their coven or order.  I also know people who go by their magickal name at all times.  Just like some people choose to keep their sun sign private because they are concerned of sharing such personal and potentially powerful information with others, and others decide to have it tattooed on their body for all to see, know, and identify them by, it’s all a matter of personal choice.

MELA AMARA

Tarot Decks

With the variety of tarot decks available, it's hard to not want them all.  My experience has been that "Tarot should always be given." Those were the words spoken to me as my first deck was handed to me.  Another path to take is to let your intuition speak to you on which one to select for yourself.

Your intuition can be powerfully accurate as to what you need in your life, and it's always wise to listen to it. Many people have felt drawn to decks, done their research, and had great results with the deck they purchase. 
I find that the deck resonates to a person and what they need in their lives in a way that the person wouldn't have thought of or expected.

The universe knows what we need in our lives to find balance. Our friends/family members know us, and see a different and sometimes unbiased point of view on what we need. 
In the end there is no right or wrong, both lead to understanding our life and those around us, and help us to follow the path we feel is right.

ARIEL HANSON

Astrological Readings by Adam

The year of 2014 is packed with evolutionary potential. We’re in the heart of a tumultuous seven-year-long square between Uranus (unpredictable planet of revolutionary genius) and Pluto (dwarf planet of shadow-facing and transformation). This lengthy event is turning our old definitions of power and value on their heads, inside and out. Fundamental structures of many lives are in a process of chaotic redefinition, and good astrology can help us to navigate these complicated adventures successfully.

I’m honored to be the newest reader at Magus during this exciting time. I’ll be available for drop-in readings on the store floor every Tuesday from 2:00pm to 9:00pm, and closed-room readings on Sundays from 1:00pm to 6:00pm.

I’ve studied the sacred art of astrology for the past fourteen years, and it has been my primary profession for the last five. I’ve been living and practicing in Northern California for most of the last twelve years, but moved to Minneapolis in 2013.

I’m passionately dedicated to my work as an ambassador of good astrology: counseling, teaching, and writing. I offer holistic perspectives on the soul lessons that my clients are learning, and stir up gratitude and curiosity about the complicated quests they’ve come here for.

Your birth chart is a wonderful tool to study your path, but it takes many years to understand its guidance. No astrological computer printout or book can tell you what the intricate, sacred mandala of your birth chart means.

You can get an amazing jumpstart on understanding your life path by studying the placements of your Lunar Nodes. These two points (the North and South Node of the Moon, where eclipses occurred while you were in utero) offer clues to the past life wisdom you’re cooking with, the baggage that keeps getting in your way, and the unexplored lessons that you’ve come here to dance with. An amazing book that concisely illuminates the basic messages of your Lunar Nodes, and also offers delicious guidance for working with each New Moon is New Moon Astrology: Using New Moon Power Days to Change & Revitalize Your Life by Jan Spiller.

You came to this Earth with an essential role to play and a conversation with a gifted astrologer can help to honor your important part with deeper awareness. Stop by on a Tuesday to say hello, and stay for a reading.

-ADAM WOLTER

www.innatewholenessastrology.com