Oops! I thought I had posted the remainder of March’s Domagick Divination challenge readings, but it seems that I didn’t. I am extremely late in doing so, as you can see. The next one is nearly ready to begin. Anyway, here they are. As with the rest, I chose the type of divination to use based on dice roll. I also changed from reading a single card to triplets on the eighteenth day due to switch things up a little.
Although I have not been posting recently on Instagram due to sheer business, I continue to read daily – mostly Lenormand. I was gifted with the Vintage Shadow Lenormand Deck, and am greatly enjoying it elegant silhouette and clean lines. It shuffles beautifully too, much like a playing card deck, which is what I prefer. I highly recommend it for these things alone. I’m also getting straight forward, no nonsense readings out of the deck, which I love. The Vintage Shadow Lenormand Deck is a big hit so far, and I greatly recommend it!
The Domagick Divination challenge is half over, and so is April. For the last two weeks, my daily method has been determined by a roll of the dice. Adding chance to the mix has freshened up my routine a little, at the very least. It’s also helped me determine that, while I may prefer certain divination systems and styles over others, I can read just about anything with which I’m presented. Some systems, like Ogham, were a bit like riding a bike. After a few moments of awkwardness, it felt natural again. Continue reading #Domagick #Divination Challenge Days 1 – 14
February is nearly upon us, with all the possibilities it holds. It can be a busy month for magicians!
Those looking for romance may feel the pressure of Valentine’s Day fast approaching on the 14th and turn to love spells and divination to foretell their prospects. To help alleviate some of those fears, I’m offering all love and romance readings at a 25% discount for the entire month of February. Simply mention this entry when arranging your reading. You can find more information on my available services here.
Those not concerned with romance this month may choose to work on themselves instead through the DoMagick meditation challenge. Classic forms of meditation are suggested but not 100% required, so I’ll be using artistic meditations to help jumpstart my creativity each day in February. In short, I’ll be meditating on the Daemonic Divine with some sort of art supply in hand, trying to capture a representation of their essence visually. Like trying to force a genie into a bottle, I don’t believe you can actually trap a spirit in a piece of art. If anything, I would describe artistic meditation as freeing. It often helps remove blocks I have, not only warming me up before I begin writing for the day but also working through misconceptions about the Daemon in question and breaking through to new levels of understanding. Overall, this challenge aligns nicely with my current goals in February, so I thought I would participate and share my work on social media as per usual.
Many Pagans plan to celebrate Imbolc this February 1-2. Also known as Candlemas or Brigid, this holiday honors the return of the light after the longest night of the year and marks the halfway point between winter solstice and spring equinox. Although the tradition I practice does not typically observe this cross-border day, I explored Wicca and other pagan paths for many years before choosing Demonolatry, and now my calendar feels empty without a ritual scheduled in early February. Who to venerate instead of the goddess Brigid at this time was never a tough question for me, however. Even if Unsere were not the Daemon who corresponds with February, she is known as the Daemoness of motherhood, growth, and protection. It makes sense to me to worship her during the time of year once strongly connected to childbirth and pregnancy. Originally, the word Imbolc meant “in the belly” and referred to the pregnant and nursing sheep that would be prevalent during this season in the ancient Celtic Isles.
I like to spend this day with my family, playing games and eating some sort of feast – a decadent treat shared together at the very least. My days of having and raising children are now over, so fine food is the only thing getting “in my belly” on this particular holiday. That isn’t to say that those still planning a family couldn’t work fertility magick on Imbolc. After all, not only is Unsere known for nurturing children but February is the month of romantic love – and that can help produce children too!
Personally, I tend to incorporate hearth magick into my Rite to Unsere, preparing as much of the feast as I can with my own hands and making sure to leave her portion in offering. I generally do this right at the dinner table, setting aside the best part of my own plate and saying a prayer either aloud or silently, depending on the acceptance level of those present. In this way, Unsere is included at the table as part of the family, with her blessing and protection requested in that same moment. Afterward, I dispose of the offering with the same reverence I do all others.
Beyond that, I spend some time on divination that night, as I do on all holy days. On the Rite to Unsere, I lean towards using an “in the belly” card spread I developed especially for Imbolc celebrations before I became a Daemonolater. It’s meant to help you check on any personal work you may have been doing thus far in the year and see what you need to do next. The cards are laid out like this:
What’s in The Belly – What You Are Digesting
Potential
Obstacles
What Brings You Joy
What Brings You Dread
What Needs Nurturing
What You Feed Instead
In the Belly card spread.
Hopefully, this reading will make your February a little smoother.
Most of my creative and magickal efforts this week were focused on my next Dalliances with Demons novella. The time I’ve been putting into writing my daily morning pages and generating ideas through the Inner Demons Challenge has really paid off. I have filled a notebook in the last month. Most of it is trash – as it supposed to be – but the bones of the story are starting to line up into a recognizable skeleton. There are definite gaps and the flesh is missing, but I can nearly see the shape of it. I have hope, after spinning in circles for what felt like months. I’m even starting to smile at the synchronicities, at the start of the Daemonic Divine having its way with the piece – precisely as it should. It has a long way to go, but I’m no longer afraid that it will never happen. I’m relaxing into it and realizing it will come as it wishes.
Here are the cards that have helped me generate character ideas this week:
At the point when many people have already broken their New Year’s resolutions, I’m finally ready to discuss mine! Like another magician mentioned, it can be more useful to map out a list of goals for the year ahead, which I prefer to do. That way I can track my progress towards those goals while still cutting myself some slack when I need to switch gears or have a break.
My Tarot card for this year is the Chariot, representing direction, willpower, and balanced forces. That’s a perfect representation of what I have in mind for 2019. Although I accomplished quite a bit in 2018, I often felt as if I was fulfilling other people’s agendas or acting in a support role while others chased their dreams. There’s a time and place for that, but I’m glad that chapter’s coming to a close and I can focus on forging my own destiny this year. With that in mind, I’ll be limiting the number of challenges I participate in to those that genuinely interest me and support the work I already plan to be doing at that time. I feel I’ll grow faster as a magician and blogger if I stop shoehorning my practice into challenge criteria or my posts into what I can share publicly. You’ll find weekly updates here on Fridays from now on – or as close as I can get, barring disasters.
This month, I’m working through the Inner Demon Challenge on Instagram, hosted by purefield.healing. It’s rare to find anyone other than a Daemonolater who looks at daemons in a positive light, much less views them a way to improve your life, so I had to give this shadow-work challenge a try. While in keeping my personal analysis private, I am posting the results for the characters of my next Dalliances with Demons novel. As with Altar of Belphegore, I excavate this story a little more each day, sweeping away debris to get closer and closer to the core ideas. So far, I’ve discovered this much:
No one else is using the challenge to explore fiction this way, but I need to follow my own path for a while, even if that means going alone. From these efforts, I hope to produce three more books this year, most likely two pieces of fiction and one nonfiction. I always hate to name titles and topics because that locks me into what I have to write, so I’ve scheduled working blocks into my calendar just as I have in years before. It may seem like a woeful amount of output compared some authors – but this is also the year where I need to stop comparing. Again, I need to follow my own path this year no matter where it takes me.
Part of that is working through The Artist’s Way, which I’m starting officially on Sunday, January 6. I’ve started the morning pages back on Christmas Day, and I’m finding them both challenging and freeing. This process will take at least twelve weeks, but apparently morning pages are a habit you can keep for life if you dedicate yourself to them. We’ll see!
I continue my study of the Major Arcana this week and meditated on the Hanged Man through the Tower. I would have to say that, with the exception of Temperance, every one of these cards has earned a negative reaction from my clients more than once during readings. Their names and images can be shocks to the system, especially to those unfamiliar with their meaning. The truth is that all Tarot cards have the potential to mean something “negative” depending on the question asked and where they fall in the reading. It all depends on context. It also has a lot to do with attitude, and whether one can turn lemons into lemonade.
This week, I worked my way from the Lovers through to Justice of the Major Arcana. I used the same technique I did the last time around. Nothing varied in that respect. However, I did miss my target and end up studying my last card of the week, Justice, a day late.
I found it harder to connect with the Major Arcana this week simply due to life events outside my studies. My meditations just weren’t as deep due to how distracted I was. The exception to this was the time I spent with in the Hermit’s cave. He appeared to me in the form of an old friend, which made his archetype and lessons engaging no matter how scattered I felt. Strangely enough, when I stopped to reflect on this today, and pondered what the week ahead might bring, the card that I turned over for guidance was once again the Hermit. He’s also come up frequently in my one-card draws this week, so perhaps I am needing some time to myself after all the stress. That or I need to buckle down and study!
It’s been a good week (and a bit) studying the Major Arcana. So far, I have meditated on the Fool through to the Hierophant, spending between an hour to an hour and a half on each card. This is a lot of time, but if you concentrated only on visiting the card and journalling afterward could conceivably do this is approximately 20 to 30 minutes. I’ve detailed my full technique below. Continue reading #MajorArcana Study – Week One – #decembermajors
After consulting with my fellow mages (THANK YOU), I’ve decided to sit the Domagick Talisman challenge out. They’re eager to participate, but I feel called to concentrate on my seminary studies instead. I plan to finish of the divination portion of my training by returning to my first love, the Tarot, and delving deeply into the Major Arcana. Over the month, I’ll meditate on and study each card, as well as confine my personal readings to only the Major Arcana. I’ll be using the prompts from 3am.tarot to keep me on track, and I’ll post my daily progress on Instagram. I’ll cross-post daily to Facebook and Twitter, with updates here on Sunday starting December 9. See you then!
Happy Rite to Flereous! Happy Summer Solstice! To celebrate, I am offering 25% off all of my card readings until July 15, 2018. For example:
3 Card Lenormand Quickie – Now only $7 until July 15!
For and Against – Now only $15 until July 15!
As Above, So Below – Now only $15 until July 15!
As Above, So Below for Magicians – Now only $15 until July 15!
Two Choices – Now only $25 until July 15!
Celtic Cross – Now only $25 until July 15!
Wheel of the Year – Now only $30 until July 15!
Wheel of the Year with Animal Helpers or Fallen Angels / Daemons – Now only $30 until July 15!
You can find more information about card reading services here.
As I mention on that page, first come, first served. You will generally receive your reading within 48 hours after you have made your payment via PayPal. Book now! This sale ends July 15, 2018. No rainchecks.
Email willbriar at gmail dot com (remove spaces) to arrange a reading.
