Hi guys! So, I'm wodering if anybody here practices or knows anything about this growing area of spirituality that, for the sake of discussion, I will throw into a box labeled "Spiritualism." As the title so overtly suggests, I want to talk a little bit about different spiritual venues such as Wicca, Shamanism, Paganism (in its numerous and varied forms), modern metaphysics, traditional ors of mysticism, and whatever else is out there. I am fascinated by things like crystals, tarot and runes, dream reading and divination, chakras and energy work, healing through meditation and hypnosis and all of that. But the more I learn, the more there is to learn (as is usually the case). For example, I recently finished crafting a nice cane out of a piece of wood my sister found for me at a lake. It wasnt until I was arranging my crystals in an energy grid that I realized that the same energy was pulsing through this walking stick as well. It struck me that, through shaping, naming, and inscribing it with various meaningful symbols, by ornamenting it with copper wire and a couple of crystals, I had made a pretty powerful tool for magick and energy work (something akin to a magick staff). But now that I have this tool, and another one just a bit longer, I feel I've only scratched the surface of what I could do with them. (I actually had a dream the other night wherein some malevolent spirit had followed me home from a cemetery I drove past, but my cane appeared to me and I used it to banish the entity. I take the dream to be largely symbolic of defeating inner demons and entering a new phase of life.) I also have two wands: one made entirely out of Rhutilated quartz that I use primarily for charging other stones, drawing energy grids and directing energy through the body and the other made of wood, with copper and clear quartz that I don't quite have a particular purpose for yet. I feel the energy in t as well, but I don't know what I could use it for that I don't already accomplish with my other tools. Anyway, I digress. If anyone else is into this sort of thing feel free to comment below. You don't have to know anything about it either. If you have questions too, we can talk about those too.
I'm really glad I saw this post. I've been a dedicated Pagan for almost ten years now, but I've been losing my faith in nearly everything. It's not that I don't believe in it. It's that I see the physical world, and my brain screams at me that that's all there is -- the physical. What you can see. But since I know that isn't true, since I've experienced the metaphysical before, I decided yesterday to actively work towards rebuilding my faith. I'm not entirely sure what that means, but I'll figure it out. Funny how the day I decide that, you post this literally hours later, huh? Anyway. Since my faith is shaken, I don't have as much experience with what you talked about. But I do work heavily with tarot still -- that is something that I'll never lose faith in. I have over ten decks of tarot and Oracle cards, and I'm about to buy a new tarot deck today (Golden Thread Tarot -- looks so beautiful). I need to get back into the habit of cleansing them regularly though. I can tell they're a little off. I think part of my problem comes from not having a good store to shop at. There's only one and it's downtown (where I hate going). Not even the bookstore has a large selection of information. So it's either use what I have or buy online. I've always been hesitant to buy online, but I guess I should probably start!
Well then you know there is no such thing as coincidece. We can help each other! But really though, I feel where uyou're coming from. IF it weren't for my break up I might have chosen to live life pretty mundanely and distracted. There isso much to the physical world as it is, the subtle and the hidden are easy to overlook. I was wondering, now that you mention it, what is the point of differnt decks? More specifically, wht is the difference between tarot cards and oracle cards? Is there one?
I've always wanted to learn tarot but the price of cards is a bit off-putting, but I've got my eye on a celtic mythology and symbol pack at the moment (I really like celtic designs and lore!). I also do believe that some stones do actually do things because hematite always gives me a headache if I hold it. Other than that I don't really know much, but I would love to learn more about this kind of thing.
I definitely don't believe in coincidences. I used to believe in signs more than anything. But I think I lost that belief a little when I started to go through difficult times and felt alone. But I've been noticing them more and more recently, so I'm trying to heed them. Oracle and tarot are very different. It's probably the equivalent of going to a counselor (Oracle) versus a psychiatrist (tarot). The counselor will tell you how to make yourself feel better. The psychiatrist will not only tell you how to feel better but also why you feel a certain way. Tarot offers a much better insight into situations and people that can help you decide the next path forward. But tarot is much more complicated than Oracle. It takes a lot longer to learn because each card has so many different meanings and interpretations. I've been reading for over three years now and still call myself a beginner, despite doing readings regularly. Oracle is pretty straight forward. So I'm glad I started with Oracle first. It helped me tap into my intuition to be able to read tarot better.
I'm still in the very beginner stages of tarot. My aunt just introduced me a little bit ago, but I don't practice like I should, which ends to be the case... but I'm trying to change that and commit to my practice. I have committed a lot of energy into work, and want to reinvest in myself so I can clarify and manifest the big visions I have for the future. Even so it can be really interesting because as @Lea`Brooks pointed out, tarot hold a ton of information. But that is exactly why I'm asking questions. It is sooo intene, it can take some time to learn everything that each card has to offer. But I dove right into the fire ha ha. @Lea`Brooks thanks for the distinction. I was thinking it might be the other way around. I might have to go ahead and buy an Oracle deck. My aunt introduced me to tarot so that is where I jumped in. I didn't realize it but I was doing a little bit of wand magic for a while. I am kinda drawn to it. Anything to do with energy work, I am attracted to. I know what you mean abut feeling alone and kinda giving up on signs and things. I felt that way a lot when I was more into Christianity. I was always waiting on a mystical savior. It wasn't until I realized that I am my own savior that I started taking matters into my own hands. And of course, now I pay attention to signs because I know they are messages from my higher self/subconscious. So dreams and symbols always attract me, which is why my aunt went with showing me tarot.
I'm starting to feel more connected. I don't know really know why. I think it's just the time of year. Fall has always felt like such a magical time for me, so it's easy for me to get back into my pagan ways. I took down my altar a while ago. It just didn't mean anything to me anymore. But now I think I'm ready to set it up again. Display my tarot decks, my statues, my crystals and random nature finds. It feels important now. Maybe this week. On another note, I bought a new tarot deck! The Golden Thread Tarot. Gold leaf details on matte black plastic cards. The photos don't do them justice -- they're stunning. The black is so smooth, it looks like coal. And the gold really pops, especially in dim lighting. And since they're made of plastic, they fold beautifully. None of the stiffness of new tarot cards. I'm about to do my deck interview with them, so hopefully it goes well.
I'm getting a free Oracle deck! Maybe. lol We'll see. Someone on Reddit created their own deck and asked for suggestions on what to name it. She liked my suggestion the best and offered to give me a deck for free! I gave her my shipping address and all my contact info, but we'll see if it ever comes. It'd be great if it did though!
My interests are more in buddhism and taoism, but from all the stuff ive read on paganism I find its all pretty much the same thing.
