Well I defiantly don't view any power as coming from me. We draw our power from the universal body and mind. (Call it God is you wish, we call it the universe.)

It comes through us but without it we are powerless.

We also communicate with friendly spirits and our higher self manifestations.

We get information and ideas from our group mind too.

Any ritual or meditation we do is for the purpose of creating a clear visual picture to present to the universe. We practice gratitude to make the connection.

JB

Then, according to most definitions I have ever heard, you would not be witches. Do you feel like you need or want to call yourselves witches?

Here is an excellent website explaining witchcraft without Wicca:

http://www.hecatescauldron.org/

All of your tarot cards are awesome. I was hoping to be able to click on the images to see them larger but alas you didn't post the larger versions to the site.

Also at the bottom of the page is says, "To see the the Minor Arcana". But there's no link. Are there more tarot cards?

The minor arcana are the swords, pentacles, cups and wands. Click on those links.

JB

Not particularly. Its just how this Bible belt town would view us.

JB

Ok, I understand now.

So how do I get a deck of tarot cards and how do I learn how to use them?

Is a tarot card deck standarized?

In other words if I bought a tarot card deck would it contain the same cards you have, only with different graphics?

Most Christians don't know the difference between Witchcraft, Ceremonial Magick, Chaos Magick or any of the other types of magick. It's all evil as far as they are concerned. The only times the label matters is when you are dealing with other Pagans. It helps them to understand what you practice.

Here is a partial list of what is out there:


Voodoo, Shamanism, Strega, Wicca, Enochian, Astru, Witchcraft, Druid, Ceremonial Magick, Chaos Magic, Qabalistic, Thelemic, Golden Dawn, Geomancy, Mysticism, Gnosticism, Celtic, Native American, Norse, Egyptian, Pagan, Sorcery, Gypsy, Tantric, Hoodoo, Santeria, Psychic, Tarot, Astrology, Runes, Energy work, Reiki, Karuna Ki, Seichim, Ritual Magic (Theurgy), Alchemy, Astrology, Divination, Invocation, Evocation Crystal Healing, Alternative and Holistic healing methods........you get the idea.

Yes classic cards are pretty standardized although there are many different decks out there in the tarot card community now. 22 major arcana and 4 suits with 14 in each suit is normal.

We added the Dark Priestess and the Dark magician as warning cards.

Ours is an 80 card deck.

JB

To start learning Tarot I would suggest purchasing the Rider Waite deck and a couple of beginner books that will walk you through the different layouts and give you definitions of the cards.

Different books will have different meanings for the cards. This is because Tarot eventually is a communication between the reader and the symbols and the symbols and pictures mean different things to different people.

But it is good to get a basic understanding of the traditional meanings.

Before I had a book, I used this site for learning on line:

http://www.learntarot.com/

Then I eventually got her book and a few other books. I began with a tarot deck that was a theme deck called "Mythic Tarot"

I never have done any reading from the Rider wait deck because after mythic tarot I began creating my own deck with my friend. She is a tarot card enthusiast and collector and she has all kinds of decks.

Rider wait is the traditional deck and many people start with that but it is not necessary. Personally I don't like it.

Rider wait is the one used on the site above, but the Rider Wait book does not tell you much itself.

JB

Wow thanks for this.

Here are a list of things we do:
Tarot, Runes, Divination, Invocation, Alternative and Holistic healing methods, and the creative techniques,
remote viewing, OBE, Law of Attraction techniques...

Ok, I just odered some books and cards from Amazon.

I'm seriously interested in looking into it. I'm not even concerned about any spiritual or magical connections with it. I make no judgments about that one way or another.

I'm just interested in seeing what it's all about and learning how to use and read the cards. From what I've seen thus far it appears that it could be useful if all it does is spark constructive ideas.

I think anything of this nature is only as 'powerful' as a person allows it to be. If we give it no merit or meaning, then we will get nothing from it. If we allow it to have meaning, then we can take this into our lives and it becomes meaningful.

I think much of what we call "magic" is truly what we create ourselves. And that in no way lessens the fact that it is magic because the human spirit itself is indeed magical.

Well i must say JB, I'm more than impressed to say the least, i know nothing of tarotist, but the fantasy art is > extraordinaire'<. if you ever decide to sell packs of them let me know ok? and keep me posted as to when you might finish your new ones, if there even better than these i'll definitely get them also if you allow me to.
I've heard you talk about them for quite awhile but now after actually seeing them i have a whole new respect for your and your freinds abilities goddess, thank you for sharing such a wonderful bit of your life -

JB I like your deck.

Thanks Tribo. We started out manipulating images on the computer just to get an idea of what we wanted to create for our deck. The art itself is not my art work. It belongs to other artists and we just changed it to fit our needs.

We were so excited about the result, we showed them around and everyone wanted to buy a deck from us, but we could not sell them or produce them because too much of the art is copyright protected and even using a piece of the art in the design is not allowed.

So we are in the process of creating an entire different deck using old master type art. The original plan was to create the design on the computer and then I was going to paint it on canvas. That was 80 paintings I was going to have to do.

I had done about ten of them and my partner started changing the designs around making improvements. I decided I was never going to get all those paintings done so I told her we would just use the computer designs. There was no reason for me to paint them, they looked good just printed from the computer.

Now I have a garage full of canvases that I will get to use for something else.

JB

Thanks!


JB

http://www.wisteria.org/manifest.htm
If anyone doesn't have any plans this weekend.

Large gatherings with strange people. Don't like em. Although I always wanted to go to the Ren Faire they have out here. And, Venice Beach is a trip. But, those are just day trips.

Thank you for posting the link. How are ya today?

Hanging in there at work. Waiting for the weekend to start.