Tarot Cards, Crystals and Stones

A few weeks ago Brian bought me a beautiful set of Tarot cards. Being somewhat intimidated by them, I chose to take an introductory class offered at a local New Age shop. The class was given by Mari Powers who has had over 30 years of experience with Tarot and Oracle cards. She was a wealth of information and went through the deck explaining the meanings of the cards.

The four Minor Arcana and the Major Arcana.

Major Arcana (Fool's Journey).

I must admit, I'm still a bit intimidated (only because there is so much to learn), but I'm sure as I use the cards and learn more about them that I'll begin to feel more at ease and find them to be a powerful tool.

Swords and Wands.

Chalices and Pentacles.

The other wonderful things Brian and I have started to collect are crystals and stones. Brian has always been fascinated with crystals and stones and already has a small collection of them. My collection is much more recent, and I'm really enjoying learning about them and what each crystal or stone represents and its powers.

The first step in handling a new crystal is to cleanse it. This can be done by soaking the crystal in a salt water bath (if the crystal is able to tolerate salt) made by immersing the crystal in spring water and adding one tablespoon of sea salt and letting it soak for about seven hours. You can also smudge a crystal with sage, sweetgrass or an incense such as Frankincense if the crystal will not tolerate a salt water bath. Karen Ryan has a really great page that explains the processes here.

Once the crystal is cleansed it's time to charge it in the sun, which is where mine are at now . . .

Crystal and Stone Charging.

Brian's newest acquisitions: Lapis Lazuli and Black Jasper.

Brian selected this citrine crystal out of a basket full of them. If you look closely you can see the Goddess inside of it. It's really quite amazing!

This crystal is Tourmaline Citrine Quartz. I saw it on ebay and it just spoke to me so I had to have it. It's gorgeous . . . I love how it's refined into a point, but the bottom is left unrefined. It kind of reminds me of a life journey, starting out all unrefined and new working towards refinement, wisdom and knowledge. I love this crystal.

I purchased this stone at a New Age shop and will use it on my altar.

Brian surprised me with this rose marble incense burner in the shape of a leaf. It will also be used on my altar.

I thought I would leave you today with a picture of my favorite girl 'Bijou'. I caught this picture in one of her rare quiet moments . . . usually she's a whirlwind of activity! I hope you're able to enjoy some of your own quiet moments . . .

Dispelling Misconceptions . . .

Knowledge is like the morning sun shining through a window and bringing in light where once there was darkness. Once you know something you will carry that knowledge with you throughout your life. Knowledge is something that money can't buy, but it gives you unlimited potential and empowers you.

I've been doing a lot of reading and studying since deciding to follow my new path, and as I've been making my way through books and the internet I'm finding that my mind and heart are connecting. Just last night as I was studying, I was thinking that maybe I'm spreading myself too thin. I'm a student in the Sisters of the Goddess Tree (Level 1), I'm writing a book, and I've enrolled in Reiki and EMF classes starting in January. Not to mention my roles as wife, caregiver to our three dogs and three parrots, housekeeper, gardener, grocery shopper, daughter, sister and friend. And then the thought hit me . . . I'm not spreading myself too thin - I'm EXPANDING! My heart and mind are expanding out into the universe and as my husband says, I've become a sponge.

So with knowledge comes a responsibility to share with others what one has learned or experienced. And so from time to time I'll share with you what I've learned and how I've experienced what I'm learning. Bear with me . . . it's going to be a bumpy ride at times!

One of the things I wanted to share with you are the differences between a pentacle and a pentagram because I've discovered that there is no need to fear such a basic and powerful symbol. Now, these symbols have been feared because of their association with Satanic worship, but if you know what you're looking at there is no need to fear it. And that's another thing knowledge does for you, it erases fear of the unknown.

In Paganism or Wicca, the five points on the pentacle/pentagram relate to the Spirit and the elements of the earth (northeast), the air (southeast), water (southwest) and fire (northwest).

When casting a circle (a sacred space for ritual or spell casting), one would call on these elements for protection against outsiders (negativity).

Now here is the difference between a Pagan/Wiccan pentacle or pentagram and a Satanic pentacle or pentagram. The Pagan/Wiccan symbol is pointed with one star up (Spirit). Although, in some traditions the symbol is inverted to identify a second or third degree priestess, Pagans and Wiccans alike are turning away from this tradition because of its negative connotations with Satanism.

This is the same symbol but inverted with two stars pointing up indicating that it is a Satanic pentacle or pentagram. It's unfortunate that they choose this symbol as their own as it causes confusion amongst the masses and causes Pagans and Wiccans to be cast in with this lot. Which, if you know Wicca, isn't the case at all as we don't believe in Satan who is a Christian demon.

Now the difference between a pentacle and a pentagram is open to debate. Some people believe they are the same while others believe that a pentacle is the five pointed star with a circle around it representing the Goddess and God. A pentagram is just the star itself as is often seen on Pagan/Wiccan jewelry.

I hope this has helped dispel some of the fear surrounding this sacred symbol. In any case, now you know . . .