The Magician is asking us to integrate the energy of all four elements into our manifestation process this week, says Melinda Lee Holm …
The Magician
THE KEY TAROT CARDS FOR NOVEMBER 2017
In the season of decay and renewal, we’re asked to open ourselves wide for soul evolution, says Melinda Lee Holm. Let your deck guide the way towards the light with these tarot cards for November 2017 …
The theme for November is POWER. We start the month clearing out the debris impeding our ascension with the Death card, and then move into a series of expansions in our emotional lives, our inherent magical powers, and the courage to pursue our goals. It’s a big month!
So stay open, stay flexible, and keep your eye on the prize.
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:: 11/1 Day of the Dead—Death ::
Day of the Dead was celebrated in central and southern Mexico long before the Spanish invaded and matched the indigenous celebrations of the dead to their Catholic holidays of All Saints Day and All Souls Day. The holiday is a time to honor the dead, to celebrate their lives, and keep their memories alive by making shrines, picnicing at grave sites, and leaving trails of marigolds to lead the way back home.
While the teachings of the Death card can feel extremely difficult, the acceptance of Death as a natural part of life is one of the greatest lessons we can learn. This extends to the life and death of relationships, modes of thinking, patterns of behavior, and ways of being. The Death card reminds us that we are always evolving, always growing and expanding and, yes, dying. Embrace life to the fullest by embracing the wisdom of Death.
Calling in Death:
- Wear or carry Obsidian to release what is not serving you and open communication with the Spirit World
- Eat black sesame—a favorite of Shiva, the destroyer and transformer
- Draw out your demons—literally. Drawing can help exorcise what needs releasing without the pressure of naming that comes with using written words.
- Honor the dead through prayer, lighting a candle, visiting a marker, or simply telling their stories
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:: 11/13: Venus conjunct Jupiter in Scorpio—2 of Cups ::
Remember that awesome dose of expansion I talked about last month with Jupiter arriving to hang out in Scorpio for 13 months? Well, on the 13th, Venus will join Jupiter in Scorpio for just a couple weeks, steering this major expansion into the realm of beauty and L O V E. Keep your ears perked up and your eyes open for fresh waves of love energy in new or existing relationships and take a good look at any aspects of your personal beauty routine and/or concept that could use a tune-up.
To bring on a new day in the land of love, we look to the 2 of Cups. Cups represent Water, the element of emotion, and in the 2 we see the spark of what is possible in the emotional realm when 2 hearts come together. This card is all about the maagic of the initial attraction we feel when we meet someone new. This is of course sometimes a romantic attraction, but it can also be a spiritual attraction of friendship or mentorship. Love comes in many forms!
Calling in the 2 of Cups:
- Bathe with Rose Quartz—a stone or two in the tub will charge up the whole bath with heart opening energy
- Make a date with someone new
- Switch up your beauty routine with a new cosmetic—love the vessel you’re in!
- Wear pink or green, the colors of the heart center
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:: 11/18: Occult Day—The Magician ::
While there is very little information about the origins of this holiday, it is on every list of November holidays. And as a proud occultist, I will gladly take the invitation to celebrate! This Occult Day, get yourself in line for those downloads of secret wisdom by calling in The Magician.
The Magician is the Tarot’s master of manifestation. In almost every representation, he is shown with the power of all four suits (wands, cups, swords, pentacles) at his disposal. In this card, we see the figure of The Magician with one hand pointed up toward the Heavens and the other pointed down toward the Earth. When we recognize that we ourselves are beings of both the Earth and the Cosmos, we can begin to open up to our innate powers of manifestation and our Magician within.
Calling in The Magician:
- Eat Cinnamon to accelerate your innate magical powers
- Create a personal mantra and say it aloud daily—use your magic words!
- Meditate with Labradorite, stone of magic and self-mastery
- Finally get that Tarot deck (or palmistry book, or grimoire, etc) you’ve been wanting for so long
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:: 11/28 Red Planet Day—The Emperor ::
This celebration of the planet Mars and its association with both Scorpio and the cardinal fire sign, Aries, asks us to embrace passion, direction, and intense energy. Whether you have Aries planets or not, look to where Mars falls in your chart and celebrate and capitalize on its big dose of fiery action from the Red Planet.
The Emperor is the perfect embodiment of Mars energy in the Tarot. Energetically, The Emperor is single-minded in his determination to accomplish his goals and create the world around him that’s in exact alignment with his personal vision. While he sometimes gets a bad reputation for being cold, the true nature of The Emperor is simply to pursue his goals and ideals with an enviable purity of passion.
Calling in The Emperor:
- Wear or carry Carnelian, the warrior’s stone
- Practice The Power of No and save your energy for your own pursuits
- Power dress – suit? piles of jewelry? red lipstick? Get it.
- Make a vision board – you have to dream it to make it happen!
Want more tarot magic? Book a session with Melinda here, and make sure to follow her on Instagram and Facebook.
WHY THESE ARE THE PERFECT TAROT CARDS FOR MAY 2017
Stressing out about scheduling the month ahead? Put your planner aside & lay out the perfect tarot cards for May 2017, says Melinda Lee Holm.
May is a fertile season for embracing your power and exploring duality! Throughout this month, we will be asked to examine what kind of power we value, how we can expand our vision of our own power, and how to embrace, honor, and cherish aspects of ourselves that seem in opposition to one another.
Meet this month’s guides for creating, manifesting, and coming into balanced relationship with all that is …
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:: 5/01 International Workers Day—7 of Pentacles ::
The month kicks off with May Day or Beltane- a traditional northern European holiday celebrating the coming of Spring with rituals of fertility, abundance, and heaps of flowers and foliage. In 1904, it was also designated as a day to demonstrate for laborers’ rights.
The Rider-Waite image of a worker tending the vines is a perfect guide for honoring both the abundance of nature and the beauty of labor. Pentacles are the suit of Earth- that wonderful grounding element that connects us to the physical world and our animal natures. In the 7, the work has been done, the soil turned, the vines tended, and the result is a healthy crop of pentacles. Clad in marigold and sky blue, the figure revels in his power of creation in partnership with the Earth and the intuition that led his hand.
Calling in the 7 of Pentacles:
- Get your hands dirty! Gardening connects us to the fecundity of the Earth and to labor.
- Work hard, but don’t overdo it – end your work day at a reasonable time.
- Light a candle in an earthy scent like tomato vine or moss.
- Eat fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables.
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:: 5/03 Mercury Stations Direct- The Magician ::
Rejoice! Mercury stations direct on the 3rd, bringing to a close 3.5 weeks of (often unexpected) insights about the recent past (and a lot of panic about glitches in technology). Now, armed with all of the new information we’ve dredged up, we can get start pressing forward with newly laid plans by calling on the Tarot’s great manifestor- The Magician.
In Golden Dawn teachings, The Magician is associated with the planet Mercury, so there is a natural alignment here that can really help push things along if we listen closely to the messages received during retrograde. Drawing on the power of the Earth and the Heavens, The Magician taps into his natural attunement with the Universe to vibrate his vision into existence, opening infinite possibilities. With a little guidance, you can step into his enchanted shoes!
Calling in The Magician:
- Use your magic words! Write down goals in the present tense as if they have already been achieved.
- Wear Pyrite jewelry – the stone is a master of manifestation.
- Dress for your dream life.
- Eat foods seasoned with cinnamon – the spice accelerates mastery and magical abilities.
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:: 5/14 Mother’s Day- 6 of Cups ::
Whether you are a mom or share a connection with a biological or chosen maternal figure, this is a day for honoring and appreciating the feminine nurturers around and within us. We can often get stuck in a role of mothering or being mothered, and have trouble balancing our giving and receiving. This Mother’s Day, we call on the 6 of Cups to remind us to care for our care givers, and to take in the love we need to replenish ourselves as caregivers.
The 6 of Cups carries the energy of emotional harmony and balance. The figures in the card are out of balance proportionally, but the larger figure seeks to restore harmony by giving a flower-filled cup to the smaller figure. All of the cups bear a single white flower, which strongly resembles an enlarged jasmine blossom- the flower of purity and sensuality. The lesson here is that true and pure beauty is found through actively balancing the relationships in our lives.
Calling in the 6 of Cups:
- Perform random acts of kindness – and receive them gracefully from others!
- Carry a Chrysocolla, the Goddess stone, to replenish the energy of the Divine Feminine.
- Wear jasmine perfume.
- Care for your mom or moms, biological, legal, or chosen.
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:: 5/21 Sun Enters Gemini- The Lovers ::
Twin season! The Sun’s entry into Gemini brings openness and flexibility to any stale routines, and teaches us to see all sides of an issue and not to press too hard for a solution that isn’t working.
The myth of Gemini follows a pair of twins with the same mother, but different fathers. Since one has been fathered by the god Zeus, he is immortal. When his mortal brother dies, he begs his father to keep them together and Zeus obliges, making both twins immortal, living together for eternity in the constellation Gemini, separate but perfectly paired. In our mortal lives, Gemini teaches us to allow conflicting sides of ourselves to co-exist in harmony. We can be a business mogul AND a dreamy poet, a driven creator AND a grounded homemaker. To find how to live in this duality, we look to The Lovers.
The Lovers shows two figures standing beneath a bright angel. Early interpretations positioned this card as indicative of romantic love, but modern Tarot scholars view the card’s energy as one of perfect pairing and ideal relationship- whether romantic, professional, or creative. The core of the wisdom here is to see that excellence – in relationship or in ourselves – can only be achieved when each part is celebrated for its individuality and not consumed by the whole.
Calling in The Lovers:
- Wear contrasting colors.
- Make an exquisite corpse drawing or poem with a friend.
- Explore foods with savory/sweet combinations. You can start with cayenne spiced chocolate or prosciutto wrapped melon and go wild from there!
- Include others in activities you would normally do alone like reading with a friend, or walking with a group …
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Want more tarot magic? Book a session with Melinda here, and make sure to follow her on Instagram and Facebook.
DRESSING FOR THE DECK: A TAROT FASHION SERIES
How to fully embody the lessons of the Tarot? Play tarot fashion dress up of course, says Gabriela Herstik…Photography: Mary Decrescenzio
:: THE MAGICIAN ::
There’s a certain power that arises when you tap your own intuition, your spirit, and declare to the Universe that YOU are the one in charge of your own manifestations and actions. The Magician sings of this. She is inner strength, manifestation and power. And she uses all the elements at her disposal to create.
I wanted to feel alive, regal, and (my version of) colorful in this outfit. I wanted to feel cloaked, and protected and magickal. I wore the dress I wore for my 20th birthday layered under a big, knit sweater, and I added layered necklaces and a scarf I cinched around my waist. I wore two different mala beads around my wrist, wrapped my pentacle necklace into a bracelet.
I grabbed my skeleton hand chalice and figured I would find a wand in the forest and use my eyes as daggers to round up all the suites of the Tarot. I wanted to feel strong and powerful. I wanted to feel like I was magick manifested.
:: TEMPERANCE ::
Temperance speaks of working with opposing elements and using them to find balance. Battle water with fire, earth with air. Temperance is a card of healing, of renewal, a flowing stream promising something better, something easier.
I wanted to interpret this card surrounded by water, with pieces in sweet blue and just a touch of red (lipstick always counts). I picked up this wonderful vintage teddy from the place I work, Hip Wa Zee, and paired it with this sweet little robe I got from my friend Ivory who runs an incredibly curated vintage shop called Forgotten Feather Vintage.
I was feeling very “Secret Garden,” and I believe Temperance reminds us to find our own secret garden, our own place of peace. A safe haven to remind us that once we find balance, everything else will fall into place.
:: THE HERMIT ::
The Hermit speaks of vulnerability, of shedding your layers and moving inward. In the Wild Unknown Deck, the Hermit is represented by the turtle, and the symbolism is both obvious and profound – that underneath your shell, you are your own home.
My spiked leather jacket is like this shell, a barrier between me and the world. It gives me the confidence and strength to own my s***. Pieces like this are my protection as I move through this life, especially as someone who can be passed over as vulnerable or weak because of my small frame.
I wore a vintage nightgown from Forgotten Feather, something really delicate, to represent the journey inward. Embracing The Hermit means dealing with your own issues face on – finding them, learning from them and hopefully growing from them. It also means picking up your shell, and continuing along your own path as you explore what it means to tune into yourself.
:: THE HANGED MAN ::
The Hanged Man. This card reminds us to change our perspective, let go of ego, and embrace the sense of rebirth that’s available when we choose to see things in a new light. The Hanged Man is represented by a bat in the Wild Unknown deck, and just like the bat uses echolocation to see, we are reminded to use our intuition when our own sense of perspective is off.
I chose a floral shirt to represent growth and rebirth and a slick leather style skirt to represent how we must let judgments pass over us without resistance. The darker color pallet and oversize knit shawl were inspired by the aesthetic of the card, and the image of the bat itself. I was inspired by pieces that make me feel powerful, intuitive and strong.
You can check out Gariela’s full fashion tarot series at the link.
What card do you channel most often in your fashion choices? Comment below or tag us in your tarot fashion images on Instagram or Facebook!
TURNED ON: “TAKE A LOVER WHO LOOKS AT YOU LIKE MAYBE YOU ARE MAGIC”
“Take a lover who looks at you like maybe you are magic” – Ellie Burrows is inspired by the classic line behind our most popular Instagram post to date…. Portrait: Mikal Marie Photography
“Take a lover who looks at you like maybe you are magic…”
This quote is often incorrectly attributed to Frida Khalo, but it’s actually a line from a poem called Frida Khalo to Marty McConnell by Marty McConnell. I guess I can sort of see how that would be confusing. You can watch McConnell perform it beautifully here, and if you’re really listening it becomes clear this poem is a reflection on a break up, rather than an ode to mystical love.
But no matter who said it, taken out of context this line never ceases to inspire those who read it. It pushes our internal heart button and causes us to double-tap the external one too – there are thousands of likes associated with it across Instagramland, the Tumblrverse and the Twittersphere.
Magic…
One meaning of the word is “inexplicable things” and that’s the definition I want to focus on. But first, I need to clear a bit of smoke from the air, and throw out some mirrors.
Let’s pause for a throwback: When I was growing up and would get into trouble for hanging out with the fast crowd, my mother would say to me “you’re judged by the company you keep.” And although 15-year-old Ellie would call me a sellout for saying this, my mother was totally right.
So hey Magic, I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you have to stop hanging out with the word “trick.”
I can’t tell you how many people I know who are seeking meaningful relationships via suspect means. All around me I see people trying to conjure love, undoubtedly what feels like a rather tricky business of late. In the contemporary dating world, some of the newest tricks in the book are actually very old tricks called “illusions.”
She gives him the impression that she’s fine with an open relationship in order to make him stay.
He creates a mirage of interest and strings her along because it makes him feel less lonely while he gets all those oats out of his system.
And my favorite – she doesn’t respond to a text message right away because then it appears like she’s busy and indifferent. (The latter we call playing hard to get. Since playing is the operative word, it would indicate that she is just pretending and is in fact, easy to get. Just saying.)
While these tricks can deliver results, they actually involve zero magic. And they don’t usually add up to anything meaningful.
Friends, your act isn’t working. It is time to drop the top hat and the rabbit. If you are an adult and seriously looking for love, then why are you choosing to forget that tricks are for kids?
I’d like you to consider that the illusions listed above have nothing to do with magic. Instead, they involve another M word: manipulation. Definition: “control or falsification.” And when you think about it, a stage magician is really more of a master manipulator. He is highly skilled at fooling you, but no – that woman didn’t actually get sawed in half.
But a true magician? Well, that’s something else entirely…
According to the Tarot, the Magician, #1 in the Major Arcana, is considered the bridge between the spiritual and the material. With his right hand pointing a staff toward the sky and his left bringing our attention the ground, he can channel the power of the Universe and bring it into the physical plane.
You can see it on the table next to him, which holds all four suits of the Tarot (Pentacles, Wands, Cups, Swords), each of which corresponds to one of the four elements of the ancient alchemists (Earth, Fire, Water and Air). These symbolize the proper use of mind, heart, body and soul in the process of manifestation.
A real magician is not an illusionist, but a creator. This card is all about the best use of our highest self, turning ideas into actions with the power to make a difference in our own lives. This card begs questions like “Am I using my powers for good or evil?” and “Am I tapping into my fullest potential?”
We are the magicians responsible for taking our abstract, sometimes inexplicable, feelings and bringing them through to the material plane. This is unbelievably challenging, since it requires the full engagement of physical form to lay our souls’ desires on the proverbial table.
When I’m building a relationship, I can feel my entire system using its “powers” to do so. My mind must ground the fears of judgment, rejection, and loneliness. My heart must glow with unconditional self-love, trust, and honesty. My body must swim against the current of its biological predisposition to fight or fly in the face of vulnerability in order to genuinely communicate my wants and needs.
We are all magicians who must work daily to create clear unobstructed pathways within ourselves in order to travel more freely in the confusing world around us. We are the magicians who must understand that our internal worlds are so complicated that we must endeavor to create external simplicity wherever we can.
But if instead we focus on crafting trap doors and smoke screens that are just there for effect, then authentic relationships and clear outcomes will be center stage when it comes time for the disappearing act.
So if what you’re looking for is, in fact, a real relationship, leave your bags of tricks at home. Instead, put something like the following on the table next to your drinks:
“I am going to be super natural with you.”
“I am looking for something serious.”
“I am looking for love.”
Because then you would be the fucking unicorn of the dating world, and then I guarantee your lover will look at you like maybe you are magic.
