herbal magic

📆 Transitioning from August to September

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Month End Tarot Reading with The Spore Tarot

Here and Now I Exist – Who you are now, in your entirety.

Eight of Swords / Rosehips (Rosa canina) – Just like those in the world that don’t know the medicinal properties of rosehips or the joyous flavor of rosehip tea… you are missing something important. It’s not being hidden from you, but rather you are hiding from it through willful ignorance. No one can tell you what it is. Rather, you are going to have to figure it out for yourself, preferably before it’s too late to act.

The Slough – What is to be left in the past as you move forward.

Five of Pentacles / Thyme (Thymus vulgarus) – In order to get things around you and energies moving freely again, you need to let go of your feelings of scarcity. They aren’t helping you, but instead these feelings are gumming up the works.

What Lies Ahead – An ideal state or ideal self you are seeking at this time.

Knight of Wands / Ginseng (Panax ginseng) – Energetic focus on your passions and goals. You have felt less that your best over the past bit of time, and the zing of energy and clarity you have felt over the last few days is something you hope to carry forward with you into the future.

Limitations – Negative influences, opposition, or ill will.

Judgement / Giant Puffball (Calvatia gigantea) – Grudges get you nowhere and hold back your personal growth. Instead of holding onto past slights, it’s okay to let the emotions involved go. It doesn’t mean forgetting or being doomed to repeat the lesson again, just that you release the experience’s ability to control your emotions.

The Boon – Positive influences, higher guidance, or divine intervention.

King of Swords / Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) – There is stability in knowledge and experience. This stability is your friend, whether it’s your own that you are sharing with others, or that of an elder that they are sharing with you. In the latter case, take in all that they have to share, even if it may not be something you agree with at the time. That information will become useful to you later on.

The Wound – An unpleasant past experience or event that is ripe for some support and healing.

The Hermit / Agaricus (Agaricus blazei) – Healthy alone time is a wonderful thing, but keep in mind the damage that can be done by indulging in the unhealthy alone time that isolates you and lets you wallow in stagnancy. It’s time to explore healthy alone time again. Get out in the forest among the trees and revel in the solitude of quiet places under the canopy.

Nostalgia – A positive past experience or event to acknowledge, reflect upon, and enjoy.

Four of Swords / Moringa (Moringa oleifera) – Tying into the previous card, you are encouraged to focus on the healing energy that being in nature provides for you. Breathe it in. Stretch out in the moss and listen to the crunch of the pine needle and cedar carpet under your feet. Immerse yourself in the healing energy of nature.

A Warning – Something coming that can be prevented or overcome.

Four of Wands / Suma (Hebanthe eriantha) – Take care not to delve too deeply inward right now. You need to connect to the outside world and let its energy revitalize you, not linger in the energies of stagnation and stillness. Get out of the house and move your body.

Empowerment – A future opportunity to work toward.

The World / Fairy Ring (Marasmius oreades) – You currently have the opportunity to connect to a healthier cycle, leaving the unhealthy one you have been struggling with behind in the process. Seize this opportunity to step through to the other side.

Message from the Spirit World – Turn over a new leaf with your loved ones at home by embracing this energy of transition and stepping into it instead of retreating.

Message from the Mind’s World – A mindset of scarcity is keep you blinded to the exciting potential currently before you. Make sure you are looking beyond it instead of allowing it to put blinders on you.

Message from the Physical World – Get your ass outside and spend some alone time in nature without prying the eyes that tend to make you feel “off” about it all.

Take Away – The uplift of energy and clarity you have been feeling lately is an opportunity to move into a better place both emotionally and physically. Don’t let the chance to revel and enjoy life pass you by. Connect with others when needed, let go of grudges weighing you down, and get out in nature to really celebrate that connection and recharge.

DECKS USED: THE SPORE TAROT

Morning Bonus Read – Connection and Clarity

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The prompt for this reading came from one of my Discord servers and is as follows:
“I’m working my way through The Witching Way Of Hollow Hill and it’s amazing– so this week’s divination prompt is based off of where I’m at in that book. Please note that I’m not advocating for any one spiritual framework here– substitute in whatever words work best for you! Chat with your divination tools this week about connection and clarity.”

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In what ways do I experience connection and clarity within my spiritual reality?
Two of Clubs – Heartsease

The Wild Pansy is a gentle flower filled with love and luck. Combined with the Two of Clubs, it indicates that the ways in which I connect with my spiritual reality and find clarity there is through a sense of duality and direction upon my path.  By being aware of all of the options open to me and allowing my intuition to be my guide in this area, my path is always clearly stretched out before me, and there is no hesitation or confusion concerning if I’m headed in the right direction.

In what ways do I close myself off from, or am unaware of, that reality?
Seven of Spades – Wood Anemone

Wood Anemone is a flower of the duality between anticipation and relaxation.  In this card it is combined with the Seven of Spades, which indicates that I spend too much time pushing forward instead of meandering upon my chosen path and enjoying the journey.  This constant push steals away both my enjoyment of the journey and my anticipation of what each new step might bring, as long as the easy relaxation that such a journey could… and perhaps should include.

How should I go about becoming aware of that reality?
Three of Diamonds – Harebell

The Scottish Bluebell holds within it the qualities of humility and constancy, and is strongly associated with glen sprites and forest Fae.  Here, it is combined with the Three of Diamonds, which speaks of coming together in harmonious collaboration to reach a goal.  The suggestion here is to open myself up to working with others, and the use of the Harebell in this instance leads me to understand that those “others” are in reference to my spirit guides.

Is this a good time to go looking for greater spiritual connection?
Queen of Diamonds – Meadow Buttercup

The Meadow Buttercup is a flower filled with youthful energy and enthusiasm.  Combined as it is with the Queen of Diamonds, there is an encouragement here to seek out the earth and her nurturing embrace and allow her to renew my sense of optimism.  Be open to allowing a shift in view, and let the sunshine in.  It is a very good time to seek out that deeper connection.

Or should I focus on the mundane for right now?
Ten of Diamonds – Policeman’s Helmet

One of the strongest qualities of the Policeman’s Helmet is the energy of impatience that it possesses.  The Ten of Diamonds blends this meaning into a desire for stability and fulfillment through security.  It tells me that I am already focusing on the mundane more than enough at this time, and pushing more in this area is simply an expression of impatience that will get me nowhere.  These mundane goals I desire to accomplish are not easily or quickly gained.  Enjoy the path… don’t rush.

DECK USED: FAMOUS WILDFLOWERS PLAYING CARD

Systems of Correspondences

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Today’s prompt is brought to you by one of the Discord servers that I am a member of.  Just as a side note… the reason I do not link these Discord servers is because each server has their own rules about if you’re allowed to share them publicly and how, and it’s a pain in the ass to look it up for each one so I just don’t share them.

On to the question… “What systems of correspondences do you tend to work with most? How do they play a part in your practice? (Ie: the cardinal directions, elements, magickal herbs, etc)”

correspondances

The Elements – These are essentially the touchstones of my craft.  I do not have five points when I create a circle.  I have four.  This is because the representative for “spirit” resides inside the circle, not at one of the outer edges.  I (not surprisingly) connect most strongly to the element earth, with water following close behind.  Then air… and lastly fire, which is an element I’ve never had a very close affinity with.   The elements in spellcraft and my path align up with the same correspondences that you see for the elements in the tarot.  That is to say….

Fire (Wands) represents the inner spark of passion, willpower, and drive.
Water (Cups) represents the emotions, relationships, creativity, and intuition.
Air (Swords) represents the mind, intellect, and communication
Earth (Pentacles) represents the physical realm including health, resources, finances, etc.

Spirit/Divinity – As previously mentioned, for me spirit/divinity is not a point upon the circle’s perimeter (not that I cast circles all that often), but resides at the center of that circle. Spirit/Divinity (in my practice), is defined as the energies of creation, evolution, and balance.  Because of its distinction as being separate from “The Elements”, I gave it its own section in these correspondences.

Plants of All Kinds – I’ve always been very connected with plants and rich, moist soil. I have two green thumbs and eight green fingers, and I love plants of all kinds so much so that my university education was focused in the areas of botany and horticulture.  It is no surprise, then, that plants and soil would be something that I incorporate strongly into my spellcraft and practice both through their spiritual symbology, practical uses, medicinal uses, and otherwise.

Lunar Cycles – I depend on the cycles of the moon to lend energy to both my spellcraft and my gardening.  You can learn more about that latter part here:  Farmer’s Almanac – Why Garden By The Moon

Seasonal Cycles – My wheel of the year is built around seasonal cycles (as opposed to the god/goddess journey or whatnot).  My celebrations align with the solstices, equinoxes, and cross quarter points lined out by seasonal changes. Which, I suppose, means it could also be said that I work with weather cycles as well.

Stones and Minerals (esp. semiprecious stones and precious stones) – I’m a jeweler.  I make amulets and pendulums and other magically enhanced items.  It would be weird to me to do this without using the appropriate stones in the process.

Colors – This one is more rare, but there are magical correspondences that have to do with colors, especially when using candle magic, thread and knotting magic, etc.  I do occasionally incorporate this into my spellcraft, but not all that often.

I’m sure there are plenty more that I’ve not included, but this is a list of some of those I use most often.