Fooling with the Deck: Week Three to Six: The Four Aces (1)

This blog is part of a series on the historical and metaphysical tarot, Fooling with the Deck:  A DIY Journey through the Tarot. Before reading about the four aces, you may want to read the introduction to the pip cards. As discussed previously in the Magician card, the number 1 paradoxically represents the lowest and […]

Fooling with the Deck: An Introduction to the Pip Cards

This blog is part of a series on the historical and metaphysical tarot, Fooling with the Deck:  A DIY Journey through the Tarot. What are the pip cards? The tarot consists of three distinct types of cards. The first two are similar to those in a standard playing deck in the United States: 1: 40 […]

Fooling with the Deck: Week Two: The Magician (1)

This blog is part of a series on the historical and metaphysical tarot, Fooling with the Deck:  A DIY Journey through the Tarot. (18th century Magician card, from the Jean Dodal version of the Tarot de Marseille, after which most 19th century esoteric decks were based.) The Magician depicts a colorfully dressed street performer, holding a […]

Fooling with the Deck: Week One: The Fool (0)

(A 15th century Fool card, from the Jean Dodal version of the Tarot de Marseille, after which most 19th century decks were based.) Much of the Fool’s symbolism originates in its name and imagery, directly related to its original function in the game of tarot. The tarot began as a deck for a trick taking […]

Fooling with the Deck: The Sequence of the Cards for Study

(The Fool in the Minchiate deck. A cousin to the Tarot with additional trump cards.) The following article gives instructions on the sequence of cards covered for this free, self-study tarot series, “Fooling with the Deck”, by Christopher Lee Matthews of Enter the Earth. Where does the symbolism of the Tarot cards come from? Most […]

Fooling with the Deck: A DIY Journey Through the Tarot

(The Fool card on a split ammonite fossil.  Both are symbols of the spiritual journey.) Join us each week as we attune to a different Tarot card, exploring both its traditional meanings and insights from your own guidance.  The cards will be grouped by their number, helping us understand the 19th century models of Tarot […]

How to Use a Body Layout on the Chakras

Hello, everyone! Our workshop this past weekend on body layouts was very popular.  For those of you unable to make it, here is a summary of the basics: how to use a body layout on the chakras. Sarva mangalam (Sanskrit, “May all be blessed”), Christopher What are the chakras? The subtle body is believed to […]

The Metaphysical Properties of Salt (Halite)

Salt is the common name for the mineral halite (NaCl, sodium chloride), a combination of the metal sodium and chloride, an ion related to the gas chlorine.  The name comes from the Greek halos “salt, sea” and the suffix “ite”, derived from the Greek lithos, “stone”  It is pronounced “hay-light”. The main metaphysical properties of […]

He Said: My Top Five Stones for Crystal Grids

This blog is part of our “She Said, He Said…” series, where both Stacie and I explore the same topic at the same time.  We write without the input of the other, believing where our opinions overlap and differ can both give their own insight.  My guesses for her choices are at the bottom, along […]