Itsy Bitsy Spider

This time of year spiders start multiplying in the greenery of our canal, and naturally, spiderwebs soon follow. In no time at all there will be sticky webbing across windows, doorways and pretty much anywhere hospitable to our arachnids’ architectural efforts. And it’s this time of year therefor that the spider's sticky web gets incorporated into various areas of client work.

The spiderweb holds powerful magical sympathies that are especially well suited to tying and trapping magics. Consider for a moment how spiderweb has tensile strength approaching that of steel and you will begin to understand how it is that enchantments wrought with its aid are exceedingly difficult to break.  And by virtue of its metaphorical associations I have found it especially useful for tangling up liars and enemies in their own tricks. Similarly, men and women hoping to snatch a lover (especially if that person is already involved) might find the small eight legged predator’s ancient trap amenable to their questionable desires.

Example:

To tangle a manipulator in their own lies proceed by wrapping a black figural candle (baptised and dressed in reversal oil) in a large mess of spiders webbing while calling for their own words to tangle and tie them. Set it facing a mirror and sit back and watch as they get twisted up in their own schemes .

Weasel Readings

Receiving a reading of any sort infers a power relationship; one in which the giver of a reading assumes the authority to make some sort of proclamation or psychic diagnosis about the receiver of the reading. There is always some vulnerability in this for the recipient. When the setup is legitimate any authority the reader assumes ultimately derives from their authentic connection to a benign spiritual source of information. Even if the delivery is sometimes imperfect the intention is always to benefit the recipient. When the situation is contaminated by ulterior motives that authority is snatched for its own sake and the aim is mainly the benefit of the dodgy reader, not the recipient.

You may have found yourself at a group event minding your own business only to have an intrusive psychic, ’shaman’ or medium pounce. Before you know it you have been ambushed with an unexpected - and most importantly - unwelcome pronouncement about your life, relationships or practice.

I refer to these as weasel readings.

I’m not talking about the garden variety scam reader, mind you. No, the weasel reader is an interloper who graces you with their ‘gift’ gratis. Frequently a pier or some sort. Which is why the weasel reader often strikes at spiritual festivals, workshops, classes, rituals and other public events. In my experience this happens in group settings but it can occur anywhere; online, in the street or even over the phone. The weasel reader will sidle up to you either casually or more dramatically (in order to grand stand) and launch into a misty-eyed pronouncement; spewing out something troubling or manipulative dressed up in the language of a reading.

This information might be coated with a thin veneer of concern but contains a poisonous kernel meant to set doubt or fear into your mind about your health, work or spiritual life. Sometimes the intention is to belittle your spiritual practice in a roundabout way.  Other times it is intended to sow a seed of discord between you and another person, or otherwise manipulate you. This is someone who wants to impose themselves. Someone who doesn’t care for your well-being at all. 

The defining features of a weasel reading are: 

• you didn’t ask for it
• it is delivered by someone you distrust 
• it’s absolute baloney 
• it leaves you feeling soiled. 

You see, the weasel reading is a subtle combination of psychological warfare, put-down and spiritual attack and if you are active in spiritual/occult/esoteric groups of any sort you should be as aware of this phenomenon as you are of psychic attacks. And if the content of the weasel reading were to take hold in your consciousness the effects can be quite similar.

Narcissistic or sociopathic personality types are especially fond of using the platform that a psychic reading offers them to manipulate, undermine or harm others. Not every weasel reader is a sociopath however. Most weasel readers are simply motivated by unconscious envy, ego inflation or some other of deluded state of mind that tempts them to use the ‘psychic’ routine as a platform to voice their unresolved feelings. 

Similarly, not all unsolicited readings with troubling content are necessarily weasel readings. Sometimes these kinds of unexpected readings are valid messages from the OtherWorld, so discretion needs to be applied. You can tell the difference by your state of mind after receiving the impromptu reading. A weasel reading will leave you feeling soiled, or stepped-on in some way. A valid warning will bring an ‘aha’ of recognition since you most likely have been getting the message in other ways already (dreams, omens and so forth). The OtherWorld uses repetition to get a message through - making sure you have plenty of confirmation. This very thing, in fact, is another strong indicator of a weasel reading. There will be a glaring absence of signs or intuitions that support what this psychic weasel is saying.

Suggestions for handling a weasel reading:

Avoid

Often you can see or sense a weasel reading coming a mile a way. The weasel will begin setting up the situation in some way, and if you see it coming you can evade it. Excuse yourself and go to the bathroom, or wave at someone across the room, take a pretend phone call. Do whatever you can to evade it. The idea is to remove yourself from the situation cleanly and with least amount of confrontation. This will take the steam out of most weasel readers and they will let it go.

Interrupt

When you cannot evade you must block. It’s more confrontational, but really, you will feel better for it. If the weasel launches into it before you can get away quickly put up your hand making a clear stopping gesture and say “excuse me”. For the interrupt move you will need your weasel reading policy ready. Decide on it before hand and stick to it; for example: “I’m very sorry but the rules in my tradition/house/lodge/coven bar me from receiving readings from anyone other than my highpriestess/godparent/minister/guru etc”. You might get a startled reaction from the weasel but if you stick to your guns there isn't much more to say about it. 

Dismiss 

If you can neither evade or interrupt the weasel before finish the weasel reading you are perfectly entitled to speak up and dismiss its content.  It is the most confrontational but it will feel better than the alternative. As with the interrupt you should have a dismissal statement ready and rehearsed so you don’t miss a beat. As soon as they have finished - set your jaw, fold your arms firmly and say something such as: “I’m sorry but I cannot relate to anything you have just said. It makes no sense at all. I also want to tell you that the rules in my tradition/house/lodge/coven bar me from getting readings from anyone other than my highpriestess/godparent/minister etc”. Most weasels will apologise and back off. Nobody wants the platform kicked out from under them. A truly obnoxious weasel however will get stubborn and insist on shoving the psychic doodoo down your throat.

Turn your back and walk away.

Reversals Without Tears

An issue that many people run into when reading with tarot reversals is the confusion that happens when interpreting distinctly negative or distinctly positive cards when they are reversed. Is the negativity in a difficult card such as the Tower worsened or improved by the reversal, for example? There are a lot of opinions and approaches. Some will read the negativity as diminished while others will increase the negativity in the meaning, and some even have rules for individual cards that are applied on a case by case basis. The same confusion happens with positive cards. Are otherwise happy cards to be read using flipped meanings, or merely weakened?

Add to this the tension of an emotionally charged topic and it becomes all to easy to begin spinning the reversal in a certain way based on what you would like to have it mean.

This is one of the reasons some readers maintain that tarot reversals are unnecessary since the tarot already expresses the whole range of human experience - good and bad. No need to add that additional twist.

Personally, I think reversals can be very useful provided they are approached in the right way.

My Approach

When we decide to use reversals we are inviting the cards to speak in distinctly dualistic terms - and therein lies the key to rationally interpreting reversals. All the cards have so called ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ meanings contained within them; reversals then allow as to clearly define when and where we are going to apply these meanings.

My approach therefor is as simple as it is intuitive. When reading with reversals, upright cards are always read as positive and reversed cards are always read as negative. The Tower, for example, only means "ruin, calamity or destruction" when reversed. When the Tower is upright it is read something along the lines of "breakthrough, inspiration, fertilising jolt, explosive joy" etc.  Like this all negative and positive meanings are parsed by the upright or reversed positions without exception. To give another example; upright the Lovers only talks about unions, relating and harmony and reversed only signifies discord, splitting up and so forth.

You get the idea.

The ALL POWERFUL TRIANGLE OF MANIFESTATION

This spell is particularly well suited to conjuring up a material item such as a new car or home. Or a lump sum of money. Something that you can own and touch. This has to do with the secret geometrical properties of the ALL POWERFUL TRIANGLE OF MANIFESTATION. You can however use it to manifest more abstract qualities such as strength or love, should you choose.

You will need:

1 vigil light of appropriate colour
X number of taper candles of appropriate colour
suitable condition oil
magnet oil
petition paper
herb

Preparing

First you will need to decide on a word that describes what you want to conjure into existence. If you want a new house, for example, your word will be HOUSE. If you need new employment then your word might be JOB. If you need five thousand dollars then your ‘word’ is $5000.

Let us assume for the sake of this example that I intend to manifest a motorcycle. I will opt for the word BIKE. The longer the word the more candles you will need. The ideal range is four or five letters, but as low as 3 and as high as 6 is workable.

You should select a suitable condition oil. If for example you are trying to conjure up a quick sum of money then you might opt for something like Fast Luck, or another money drawing oil. Another approach is to work astrologically and to use a planetary oil. You will also select the colour of your candles based on your goal - green for money etc. Lastly, you will want to select an appropriate herbal component to grind and sprinkle on the candles to add some botanical power.

The Petition Paper

B

BI

BIK

BIKE

Write your word using the ALL POWERFUL TRIANGLE FORMULA. In order to succesfully call upon the awesome geometrical and occult properties of the ALL POWERFUL TRIANGLE, start on the first line with the first letter of the word adding letters on subsequent lines until at the base of the triangle you have the entire word.

Remember, the full word should be at the base of the triangle.

Beneath this you should write your full name. Dress the paper with oil, place a hair from the crown of your head in the centre of ALL POWERFUL TRIANGLE and fold it towards you.

The Candles

As mentioned the quantity of taper candles is dependent on the length of your word.

3 letters = 6 tapers
4 letters = 10 tapers
5 letters = 15 tapers

Start by dressing and fixing the vigil. Place the petition paper under the vigil light. Next, taking into careful consideration the letters of the ALL POWERFUL TRIANGLE FORMULA, use a pin to carve each letter into a candle. One letter per candle. That means in my example I will have four candles with the letter B; three with I; two with K; and one with E.

(B)

(B)(I)

(B)(I)(K)

(B)(I)(K)(E)

Once you have done this you will dress the candles with condition oil, sprinkle with your chosen powdered botanical - and finally arrange the candles standing in the form of the ALL POWERFUL TRIANGLE OF MANIFESTATION; making sure that it corresponds to the formula used in the petition.

The Work

Activate your incense.

Light the vigil in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost and then recite Psalm 23.

Close your eyes and formulate a clear image of the thing you desire. Do not attempt at this point to animate it in your mind yet however. Merely hold it as a still image. When you feel ready light the apex candle declaring: “Through the All Powerful Triangle do I manifest my hearts desire!”

Meditate upon the flame for a while, seeing if you receive any impressions and then leave it to burn.

The following day return to the spell, recite Psalm 23 twice. Visualise your desire but this time begin to animate it. Bring movement into scene. In the case of the example, I might see myself turning the key and starting up the motor of my new bike. When the moment feels right light the next two candles declaring: “ Through the All Powerful Triangle do I manifest my hearts desire!”

On the third day return to the spell and recite Psalm 23 three times. Close your eyes and visualise your desire bringing yet more detail into the visualisation. For example I might feel the vibration of the bike and wind in my face as I zoom down the freeway. When the moment feels right light the next three candles declaring: “ Through the All Powerful Triangle do manifest my hearts desire!”

Continue like this each day adding an additional recitation of the Psalm and more details to the visualisation - until you feel, see, hear, touch and know it to be manifest. Each time light the next row of increasing number candles declaring: “ Through the All Powerful Triangle do manifest my hearts desire!”

Continue like this until all the candles have burned then collect the wax remains, herbal remnants and petition and tie these into a packet to keep until your desire has manifest.

Closing Comments

Those adept in the mysterious geometrical properties of the ALL POWERFUL TRIANGLE will recognise that its formula can, with some modification, be altered so as to produce a TRIANGLE OF VANISHING.

But let us not speak of such things here.

Balthazar’s Heart Card Technique

The following Lenormand technique requires only three cards: the Lord, Lady and Heart. It provides a quick and accurate snapshot of a romantic relationship. I use it as the springboard for a relationship reading.

Where the heart falls in each combination is the key to interpreting the combination.

First find the heart, lord and lady cards - putting the rest of pack aside for moment. You will need to use a deck where the Lord and Lady face opposite directions since their facings form part of the technique.

For this example let us assume we are reading on John’s romantic relationship with Mary. Shuffle the Heart, Lady and Lord cards while focusing on their relationship, and then lay them out in a strip.

There are six possible combinations - each with its own twist:

This is the best combination. The heart connects the Lord and Lady and they are facing. The affection is mutual and they are both interested in the relationship. This bodes well for the relationship since both parties are on board.

The combination is more troubling but holds hope. The heart connects the Lord and Lady but they are not facing as before. The feelings are mutual but there are issues. They do not see eye to eye. Often this indicates a relationship where the couple is fighting but still remain attracted to each another. Otherwise it can show circumstances pulling them apart.

This is somewhat more negative since there is no heart connecting the Lord and Lady. It does however reveal on whose side the problem lies. The Lord and Lady face each other but the heart falls on the side of Lady. Mary and John appear to be trying but Mary is either consciously or unconsciously doing something to mess it up. This can indicate that Mary is emotionally unavailable in some way (her heart is not in it). If Mary is the client I might tell her that this combination is a clue that she is doing something to sabotage the relationship. Playing games, blowing hot and cold, or otherwise withholding in some way are all possibilities. If John were the client I would be concerned that despite Mary's apparent interest in him her affections lay elsewhere.

This is the least fortunate, especially for John. The Lord and Lady are facing apart. The heart does not join them. The lady faces the heart. Mary is pulling away and is withdrawing her love. Mary most probably wants things to end, or is otherwise not interested. She wants out. 

(The final two combinations are the same as the previous two but are of application to the Lord instead of the Lady and are therefor interpreted in the same way.)

Now that you have the snapshot of what is going on your can can use the rest of the pack and lay three cards above and three below to create a 3x3 for details.