Articles — symbols

Discover your Tarot birth card in the Major Arcana

Posted by Michelle Gruben on

Discover your Tarot birth card in the Major Arcana

If you have a birthday, then you have a birth card in the Tarot. (Actually, you have three—but this article focuses on the birth cards in the Major Arcana.) Learning your birth card(s) can provide insights about your personality and life's path and enhance any readings you perform for yourself. The twelve birth cards (the zodiacal Trumps), are distributed throughout the Major Arcana (interspersed with the planetary and elemental Trumps). They appear in the same order as the zodiac signs, beginning with Aries. These correspondences were inherited from the 19th century Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. But zodiacal images...

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All about wand woods: Magick and meaning from Alder to Zebrawood

Posted by Michelle Gruben on

All about wand woods: Magick and meaning from Alder to Zebrawood

Welcome to the world of woods! As a wand-maker (or wand purchaser), you may wish to know more about the different woods that lend their character to your magickal tools. This list is alphabetical and includes many of the most common wand woods. The woods on this list are drawn from three broad categories: The traditional Celtic (Ogham) trees, domestic trees that are more commonly found in American parks and backyards, and the exotic imported woods that are favored by luxury wandmakers. It’s not an exhaustive list, but it’s a start. I’ve included an overview of each tree, personal notes...

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Pennies, acorns, and cracks: The magickal truths behind 7 old superstitions

Posted by Michelle Gruben on

Pennies, acorns, and cracks: The magickal truths behind 7 old superstitions

"I don't really believe in it, but I'll do it just in case." That's the definition of a superstition. Even though such practices seem quaint or illogical, some part of you feels that you should heed them...just in case. Superstitions are remnants of old occult beliefs preserved in folklore for the rational age. If you practice magick, as I do, it's easy to see that many folk sayings conceal old truths about how magick works. Their core ideas are so old and so true that they cannot be erased. Though we may think of them as relics of a religious...

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What's up with the blank rune? How (and whether) to read it

Posted by Michelle Gruben on

What's up with the blank rune? How (and whether) to read it

The blank rune is a curious appendage to most rune tile sets. Called the “Wyrd rune” or “Odin’s rune,” this mute little tile is a topic of much debate among rune readers. The 24 Elder Futhark runes are—among other things—an archaic alphabet and a divinatory system. Each character has three broad levels of meaning: a phonetic sound, a worldly object or concept, and a spiritual/esoteric idea. The blank rune is no exception to this schema. It represents, respectively: The sound of silence (phonetic), the absence of things (material), and the unknown/unknowable hand of Fate (abstract). That’s why it’s associated with...

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Representing the Elements on a Pagan altar

Posted by Michelle Gruben on

Representing the Elements on a Pagan altar

Connecting to the powers of the Four Elements is a foundational practice for many Pagans. Earth, Air, Fire, and Water move through us and inspire us. As ideas, they help us to make sense of and to describe a complex world. Even the simplest of Pagan altars usually have some representation of the Elements. Some Pagans have specific ritual tools consecrated to each one of the Elements. (The Wand, Cup, Disk, and Sword are the canonical tools of the ceremonial magician.) Others take a more spontaneous approach, grabbing everyday items that symbolize the elemental powers. There are traditional and non-traditional...

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