Happy Solstice

Happy Solstice! )O(

Before we get into Lady Justice which is our next card, I wanted stop in, to talk about how today is the Winter Solstice or Yule. How exciting! This evening will bring the longest night of the year and officially mark the first day of Winter for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. I am finding it hard to swallow that yet another year is about to pass us. Its unbelievable that 2015 is almost over. This year has been a really special one for me and has truly been one full of adventure! I got married to my "one true love" as Disney would call it, went to Salem which has been a dream my whole life and I got to work at a carnival, a haunted one no less! I was able to use Tarot to raise money to help an amazing cause and had the pleasure of meeting all kinds of different people in my community. I think I was able to bring Tarot to people who would normally not experience it and my Facebook group has grown into a budding Tarot family. This blog has grown and gotten more views and visitors over the past twelve months and I think I learned how to use a hashtag! (#stilllearning) I have been able to use Tarot to touch lives, make people happy, comforted and connected with the universe a little better than before. It has been a crazy but wonderful adventure. I am excited for what is waiting after the clock strikes midnight on the 31st. 

Yule has always been one of my favourite Sabbats. The idea of the longest night of the year when I was a kid, was always a mix of the scary unknown and anticipation. I would lay in bed for what felt like hours, thinking the sun was never going to come back. Even as an adult, I still have a hard time sleeping on the Solstice. It feels like night is never going to end, time feels slower and the darkness of this night is just a touch more inky than the others. The magick is that no matter how dark, the Sun always does come back. No matter how dreary it might seem and even if it feels like the darkness stretches out into forever, the light never actually leaves us. Thats the meaning of this old holiday to me. Can you imagine our ancestors and how they have felt by this point? The days growing shorter and the nights longer and colder. Then finally right before the breaking point the longest night passes and slowly the sun creeps back. What an amazing feeling that must have been. Yule is a holiday of hope, blessings and merry making (though I think the Pagans always had a way of sneaking some sex into every holiday, such a smart group!).  We must be thankful to the light, the sun and all of the blessings in our lives. This is a time of feasting and toasting. Below is a little Yule ritual for anyone who wanted to welcome back the Sun. Happy Yule, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Thank you for sharing this past year of adventure with me, here's to many more!

Welcoming Back the Sun- Yule Ritual

Opening the Circle:

Set a candle one in each Quarter (North, East, South, West). Bring a lighter starting in the East, light the candle and say the following, repeat for each direction. 

East: Guardians of the frigid Winter winds of the East, I welcome you to this Yuletide circle. I ask that you join me this night in celebrating the return of the Sun. 

South: Guardians of the fiery flames who light the Yule Log of the South, I welcome you to this Yuletide circle. I ask that you join me this night in celebrating the return of the Sun. 

West: Guardians of the frozen lakes and turbulent seas of the West, I welcome you to this Yuletide circle. I ask that you join me this night in celebrating the return of the Sun. 

North: Guardians of the cold Earth of the North, I welcome you to this Yuletide circle. I ask that you join me this night in celebrating the return of the Sun.

Invoking the Powers of Nature

Have two pretty candles one of the left and one of the right. The one of the left represents the Goddess or the feminine side of Divinity. The right represents the God or male side of Divinity. 

Light the left candle and say: Great Goddess, Mother of the Earth, I ask that you join me in this circle as I celebrate the returning of the Sun and the turn of the seasons. I ask that you bless me and those that I love. Please join me this Yuletide. Blessed Be.

Light the right candle and say: Great God, Father Sun, tonight we celebrate your return from the Underworld. As the sun grows stronger so do we. I ask that you join me in this circle as I celebrate this solstice night in your honour. Please join me this Yuletide. Blessed Be.

Now the circle is cast. Say: The circle is open. Blessed Be. 

You can do whatever you wish at this point. You will be surrounded by the energy of the Quarters and the Lord and Lady. Here are some suggestions:

Little Pieces of the Sun Exercise:

Even though the Winter Solstice marks the beginning of longer days, it also represents the beginning of Winter. If you are someone who gets the Winter Blues this little exercise is exactly what you need. You will be taking four small items and filling them with hot Summer energy. They will keep you motivated and feeling sunny, even in the coldest days of Winter. 

You will need a yellow candle, a small red or orange flower (that would dry well, like a rose), small bowl with water mixed with salt or sea water and one stick of incense. 

Begin with the stick of incense. Take the incense and carefully pass it through the East candle- do not light it. Think of all the smells of Summer, such as: bonfires and campgrounds, burnt marshmallows and suntan lotion etc. As you hold the incense picture the warm summer breeze passing through it. Think of the way the air smells like flowers when the wind is just right. The scent of lilacs and wild roses. Infuse the incense with the energy and hope of Summer. Thank the element for its gift. Return the incense to the centre of the circle. 

Take the yellow candle and carefully pass it through the South candle- do not light it. Think of all the fiery hot energy of the Sun and the South infusing the candle. Direct all of your energy into the candle, fill it with memories of Summer. Feel the candle grow hot like the Summer Sun. Think of how it felt when the Sun was beaming down on your skin. What Summer mornings feel like and hot Summer nights. Infuse it with the energy and hope of Summer. Thank the element for its gift. Return the candle to the centre of the circle. 

Next take the small bowl of salt or sea water to the West candle. Carefully drop a little bit of wax from the candle into the water. Think of the feeling of jumping into a cool lake on a hot Summer day. Think of water balloon fights and refreshing dips in the ocean. Think of the way the beach smells. The scent of salt in the air. The way it makes your skin taste and feel tight. Think of the sound of waves crashing on a beach. The way the sand feels between your toes. Allow yourself to long for the sea. Picture blue streams of light coming from your third eye into the water. Infuse it with the energy and hope of Summer. Thank the element for its gift. Return the water to the centre of the circle.

Finally take the rose bud or flower to the North candle. Carefully pass the flower over the flame- be careful not to put it too close. Think of the flowers that bloom in the Summertime. Think of gardens growing. Vegetables sprouting and the scent of the earth after a sun-shower. Think about the way the grass feels under your toes and how the Earth feels warm. Your hands working the soil and tenderly caring for plants. Think of sleeping under the stars and staring up at the Moon. The way this time of year nature beckons you to come outside and play. Infuse the bud with the energy and hope of Summer. Thank the element for its gift. Return the flower to the centre of the circle. 

Now you have successfully blessed and infused the four items with the power of the returning Sun with memories of it at its height. Anytime you are feeling the Winter Blues bring out one of the items. Light the candle or burn the incense. Use the water for blessing yourself or your home. Dry the flower and keep it out somewhere as a reminder of the growing Sun.

Mirroring the Past, Looking to the Future Exercise:

This exercise is all about reflection on the past year and excitement about the future ahead. You will need a deck of Tarot cards or other divination tools (runes, playing cards, crystal ball, tea leaves, your own palm (this works perfect when you don't have divination tools of your own), whatever floats your canoe really) and a piece of paper, pen and lighter. 

On the paper write everything you have accomplished this past year. Try to remember the special little things that stood out in 2015 that you were thankful for. When you are ready fold up the paper and set aside for later. Next we are going to look at our future. Do a Tarot reading for yourself or some other form of divination. Try to take a peek at what 2016 holds. Write your forecast in a journal or online. Check back in June of 2016 and see what has transpired so far!

Once your celebration is over, take the paper outside and burn it somewhere safe. Say a prayer to the universe to thank it for its blessings. Watch the smoke carry your gratitude to the heavens.

Janus

Closing the Yule Circle:

I always think it is important when you close your circle to thank the Quarters as well as the Goddess and God in your own words. Start with West and work Widdershins (counter clock-wise) around your circle. Reflect on how the four elements matter in your life and why you are grateful to each one. 

Thank the God or male energy for his presence during your celebration and then do the same for the Goddess or female energy. 

Make sure to snuff your candles. Say: The circle is open, but never broken. Merry Meet, Merry Part and Merry Meet Again!

Clean up and make sure to have a glass of wine or other festive drink and something to eat. Save a little bit of the drink as well as some of the food to offer to the Nature Spirits outside. 

May you never thirst or hunger! )O(

I hope you have a Blessed Yule, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Very Happy New Year!

See you all in 2016 (or possibly before) for more Tarot Adventures! 

My Salem Adventure and Belated Halloween Blessings!

*** This is a warning that this post is going to be a long one, so sit tight, get a cup of coffee, tea or cocoa and enjoy this journey with me!***

Happy belated Halloween readers! I hope you all had a magickal Samhain. I am a little late with this post but I hope you still enjoy a little after the holiday Halloween magick. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday- shocking I know. A lot of people think it is because it is the one-day of the year when I can really let my freak flag fly indulging in all the horror awesomeness of the holiday, which for the record is half true. I do love all of those things but the true reason is that this is the one night when I feel like I can truly connect with those I have lost. I really do believe that this is the night you can make contact. Normally on this evening I would set up an altar adorned with the images of my lost loved ones with lit candles. I would take some time and write them letters that I would later burn. It is my belief that the smoke carries over the messages to the other side and sends my love to them. I will never know if the messages are received but is gives me a deep sense of peace knowing that I tried. I usually only send the letters to a special few, my paternal grandparents and my uncle Larry. I miss my grandfather and uncle every day, the pain and hurt that was left with me will never leave but on Halloween the ache is much less. I never met my grandmother Marion but I have always felt her presence and on Halloween I like to believe she is with me. I heard stories from my dad that she used to practice witchcraft so I have always felt a connection with her through that. These are the real reasons why I look forward to this special night.

This Samhain was a little different because I was away, so I had to send my messages through prayer and not through my normal means, but that is okay because I got to spend it in Salem, MA. Salem holds a special significance to me because in 1692 the only Witch Trials in North America were held there. Twenty innocent people were hanged and one was crushed to death.

It is extremely unlikely that any of these people were actually witches but it is important because as a practicing witch in 2015, to remember that we were once not as free as we are now. If I were back then, I would have been hung for sure. There was no such thing as public Tarot readings back then and I feel that I owe it to these lost souls to pay my respect to them. It is a constant reminder of how lucky we are, whether we are witches or not that we can be who we are without prosecution. Not to get political but this also serves as a reminder that there are people in this world right now who do not share the same rights as we do. Always be thankful that you live in a country where you can be yourself.

Anyone who knows me knows that I have wanted to come to Salem my whole life. I remember being young and checking out books from the library on the witch trials, which sparked my interest on the occult. Salem was always this mysterious place of magick. Nowadays it is a place where people like me are welcomed. All of the things that make me odd around my hometown make me normal in Salem. When I first stepped foot there, I could feel the magick. There is a weird energy in the air. It smells like magick and fried donuts. The trees are huge and adorned with bright yellow and orange leaves. The town was alive with Halloween celebrations and people everywhere were proudly letting their inner witch out to play.

We started out with a trip to the House of the Seven Gables, which I mistook as the Witch House and was pleasantly surprised when I found out I was 100% wrong about its history. It was actually the setting of a book by Nathanial Hawthorne. The house is a big black mansion. All of the furniture inside was from the 1600-1700’s. Our guide led us through various rooms and one very confining almost panic attack-inducing staircase. He taught us the houses history through bad jokes and references to nerdy movies that I got but I think left the rest of the group confused. It was amazing to see this old house and to just take a moment to step back in time. It was probably one of the highlights of my trip and considering I legit had no idea what it actually was until I got there, was a very pleasant surprise for me. After the House of Seven Gables we set off to get some much needed lunch and a cocktail that left me feeling a little buzzed in Salem.



We stopped at a pub called In a Pigs Eye. The pub had this really cool vibe to it and the food was excellent. Our waiter was awesome and really made the whole meal entertaining. On the walls in the pub were different photographs of people posing as different Tarot cards. It was fun to be surrounded by something I love out at a public bar. Our waiter told us that the people in the photos were bar regulars. They were beautifully done and if I had more money I would have bought some. I thought it was awesome as a Tarot Reader that the pub we picked ended up being decorated Tarot-Style. Only in Salem can you get a drink with both the Devil and the High Priestess looking over your shoulder. I had this drink called a Rum Runner and it knocked my witch boots off a little bit. I had to get my father-in-law and fellow lover of rum to help me finish it off otherwise my family would have been dealing with “drunk Tasha” for the remainder of the trip. I prefer to keep her at home so I was happy for his help in finishing the drink.

After dinner we decided some good ol’ fashioned horror would help kill my buzz. We headed down to the waterfront to visit Count Orlock’s Monster Museum. This is where the horror fan in me was delighted. Count Orlock’s had wax figures from several horror movies throughout history and overall had a very creepy atmosphere. You would turn one corner to see Nosferatu rising from the grave to being face to face with Regan from the Exorcist. Freddy Krueger was there and so was Michael Myers. Jason Voorhees made an appearance and so did my main squeeze Elvira. We had the chance to see several props from different movies and even got to take a peek into Pinhead’s puzzle box. For any horror fan this place is a must. I will definitely be going back there. You can tell that the owner is passionate about horror cinema and this love shines through the exhibits.

A trip to Salem on Halloween would not be complete without a trip to a haunted house. After doing a lot of haunted house research we found Chambers of Terror. My mother in law has never been to a haunted house and she braved her way through one of the more intense ones in Salem like a pro. I also would like to note that one of the people in the group before us bailed out and Cathy still braved her way through. So big blog kudos to you Mama T! She had this plan to be in the middle and I think the scare actors could tell she was nervous because they never hesitated to take advantage of any opportunity to scare the living shit out of her. We laughed, we screamed, I told a ghoul I would do whatever he wanted… apparently when I am scared for my life I am very giving of myself, much to my husband’s dismay. Also side note: I love calling Paul my “husband”, must be a newlywed thing. ;)

We had some time between our ghost walk and our appointment for the Witch Museum so we walked around Salem for a bit. This was amazing. There are no words to describe the beauty of the houses or of the port. There was a huge tall ship docked there called Friendship that was a replica of one of the first trading ships. She was a thing of beauty. Some of the streets were old cobblestone and again the energy was just like static. We stopped at Salem’s oldest cemetery after walking through the Witch Village. The cemetery was beautiful. The rows have been worn down to dirt from all of the people who have walked through there. In this cemetery is the Witch Memorial. It was a little overwhelming. I think I was able to hide a few stray tears under my huge sunglasses. It was an emotional experience and I am feeling a little overwhelmed right now as I write this. They have these stone seats set up with all of the names of the people who were basically murdered by the puritans. On the seats people have left offerings of coins, bottles of oil, bouquets of flowers and other mementos. It is a nice sign that even in this time people still feel the loss of these innocent lives. When we were in the cemetery a huge bird, I think it was either a hawk or a falcon- I am no bird expert landed on one of the stones. It just sat there and watched everyone. It really added to the magick that was present in the cemetery that day. After paying our respects we went back to Essex St. to check out several of the occult shops. We went to a shop called Crow’s Haven Corner, which claims to be one of the oldest Occult shops in Salem. It did not disappoint. It smelled so good in there, if you know witch shops, you know the smell I am referring too, witches and their stores have this really odd perfumed natural smell and it was awesome in there. People were casting spells and reading Tarot cards- for very high prices may I add. I bought myself a new Tarot deck called, The Halloween Tarot- I thought it would be fitting for the occasion. I also picked up a spell candle for myself and something else for a dear magickal friend of mine. I am not going to put what I bought him here because I know he reads this blog. Sorry M, you will have to wait for your dinner!

We also stopped at a wand shop, which had some of the most beautiful wands I have ever laid eyes on. The shopkeeper was a sweetheart and he was telling me some different stories about Salem and his time in the theater as part of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. After this we went to our second haunted house of the evening. 

The 4D Haunted House, was visually really cool- do people still say, “cool”? Though it was not very scary, however my mother-in-law may disagree. There were so many interesting things to see in there like theme rooms and some parts were a little bit spooky but I felt rushed and didn’t really get to see a lot of what was in there. They let you in as a large group and the group in front of us got a lot of the scares so I knew what was coming. I really would not recommend this place and I would not go there again. If you want to go to a haunted house, go to Chambers of Terror and save your money on this haunt; at least in my humble opinion.

One of the highlights of being in Salem was just walking around, though my aching feet may disagree with that. Seeing all of the people in costumes was awesome. Only in Salem can you find yourself walking down the street with Michael Myers stalking behind you. Groups of skeletons would wave you across the street while Freddy Krueger played a little finger-tapping tune on a lamppost. Witches of course, were in abundance. I almost regret not wearing my witch hat when I was there. Jack and Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas were greeting people on the same street corner that that creepy kid from the Ring was hanging out. The Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus were everywhere casting spells and running about. I saw a very sexy cat woman and also some sexy cops. Surprisingly people were not dressed in the trashy costumes that you would see in my neighborhood back home. The costumes were all well thought out and executed. I could spend pages talking about the different costumes so I will spare you the rest.

Towards the end of my night there we went on a ghost walk with our dead tour guide Michael who claimed to be stuck in a time machine, which brought him to 2015. He was an amazing guide who took us on an hour-long trip through the city. He showed us the local haunts and told us interesting stories of murders, witches and curses. One of my favorite stops was the old old Salem jail (yes two old’s). He also took us to where one of the accused witches had an apple orchard, which is now a bar, and he claims you can still smell the apples on some mornings. He made the walk fun and even made sure to get the approval of us Canadian tourists. He took us to this house where a high profile murder took place. Cathy took some interesting pictures there, which were full of orbs that we can’t explain maybe it was the ghosts! We stopped at an old church, which was built on a puritan graveyard to stick it to them by a rebel who escaped during the trials and returned afterward, the church of course if supposed to be haunted. This part was probably one of my favorite parts of the trip. When I return to Salem, I plan to do a lot more of these tours.

After this we headed to our last stop of the evening, the famous Salem Witch Museum. I wish I could end this post on a positive note, but this was actually very disappointing. The first part of the Witch Museum was excellent. You sit in this big theatre and all around you are displays from the witch trials. A voiceover tells you the stories of the people accused and as the story progresses each display gets lit up. Its hard to describe but it was really interesting and informative. The second part of the museum is an exhibit on witches through the ages. It consisted of a wall with pictures of Glenda the Good Witch, the Wicked Witch of the West and other characters throughout history. However I could have easily seen this same info online. Then there is a wax figure of an old-school Pagan priestess who talks about being a wise woman. It was lackluster. Then on another wall were pictures of witchcraft trails through history. This would have been more enjoyable if I could stop and read it but there were so many people there I didn’t have the chance. I think if we went on the off-season, maybe I would have enjoyed the exhibit a bit more. Lastly there was a display of two modern Wiccans who explained what Wicca was and modern witchcraft. I thought this was alright but as a Witch myself I think it would have been better to have someone who actually practices to talk about Wicca, but maybe that isn’t realistic of me. That was it. No reproductions of what the houses would have looked like back then or what the gallows would have looked like. No real witchcraft items, other than some really old herbs. No real essence of witchcraft or history was in there. I thought that as a museum which is set up inside an old HUGE church that it would have had a little more to offer on the history side of things. The gift shop, to be honest pissed me off a little. I was expecting to be some more pieces of history of Salem in 1692 or maybe some more authentic witchcraft items but it was just your run of the mill witch Halloween decorations and Harry Potter stuff. The Harry Potter stuff bothered me because Salem has nothing to do with Harry Potter and vice versa. Why focus on HP when you can focus on the history that has brought so many people to this city in the first place? Also side note: don’t get my wrong, I LOVE HP but not in this setting. I am no museum expert or curator so this is of course only my ignorant opinion, which is to be taken with a grain of salt. I would not want to dissuade anyone from going there because you just may have an amazing experience. Maybe I am just old and bitter and have my broomstick shoved too far up my ass! LOL.

Thus concludes my adventure to Salem. I am going to hold on to these dear memories for the rest of my life. I could take up pages and pages talking about everything I seen but frankly, I don’t want to do that to your eyeballs. If you are still with me reading this right now, high five to you, dedicated reader! If you ever get the chance to go there I hope that you take full advantage of the opportunity. It was almost, dare I say, life changing for me. I hope you had an amazing Halloween/ Samhain and that you were surrounded by the love of those who have passed before you. Know that your loved ones are always close by. Even though the hurt that leave behind never really heals, remember that they want you to be happy and to continue to move forward in life. May your witch hats always be pointy and your brooms never need a tune-up. I think I will go try to remove that broomstick from up my rear end, now that I am don’t ranting about the Salem Witch Museum and gift shop, LOL. Blessed be to you dear reader!