Spirits of Arcanus

Recently, we conducted a seance at Arcanus and it has inspired me to write a bit about the experience and spirits in general. Over the years I have performed many "callings" of those departed and those that never were corporeal and have always come away with a deeper understanding of the worlds around us and how everything is connected in one way or another.

Arcanus, our tarot parlor, is also my temple and I commune with entities and the dead on a regular basis and therefore we thought it would be perfect for a seance operation. With many spirits already present in the building it would be somewhat easier to get a manifestation. We were right on that count. The spirits did appear and gave us a bit of a show. Quite a good time it was.

But exactly what did we call in? I, acting as the medium, made contact with a being that appears to have been corporeal, or alive, at one time. She had the look of someone of impoverished surroundings and disease. Along with her came another being. One of non-corporeal origin. This being was of a different sort in that it was not of a kind nature. Almost malicious. It gave me a bit of a problem, but with the use of a spirit trap we were able to contain it for a short while.

So these things that were called were of seemingly different natures, but still spirits. We think of the dead as happily floating ghosts that haunt old hotels and the like, but are they more? And what influence can they have upon us? In many traditions throughout the world many give offerings to the ancestors in order to glean some blessings, good luck, healing, and much much more. So it would seem they can touch us with their power. This is all well and good if they are helping us in some way, but what if they are not of the kindhearted and benevolent Casper kin? Then you could be in for quite a night.

Both I and my associate Dennis have encountered entities and spirits that were of the latter disposition and they were none too happy about desisting there mischief and need to be forcibly ejected and the place cleaned. This is always a consideration when dealing the "things from the other side". There is always some level of danger which must be taken into consideration. However, if one is careful and observes the rules, then it can be quite an enlightening experience.

So what is the difference between spirits and entities? Well, it is a mixed bag really. Spirits can be the remnants of a corporeal being, such as your dearly departed, or they can be beings that are of a higher vibration that have never lived as you and I do. There is an HP Lovecraft story that speaks of a lad that manufactured a device which could allow us to see these beings that were all around us but were of such a vibrational nature that we couldn't perceive them. These, in my own mind, are similar to the beings we call up in ritual. Instead of using some device, we use meditation and ritual to raise our vibrational rate in order to commune with them.

Of course in the Lovecraft story it didn't turn out so well. Much like the story of Icarus who flew too high and was dashed by the sun to the earth below. The lesson fly too high too fast and you are in for one perilous ride back down. This is a consideration when dealing with anything in the occult. Spirits can help, but they can also harm if one doesn't have their wits about them.

Luckily Arcanus has been utilized as a temple and consecrated to such so there are many safeguards in place, however there are those that wish to dabble and end up with a bunch of nasties slogging around in the dark places of their home. My advice to those who wish to touch the other side is this. Read, study, learn, and practice. Observe precautions. Leave out nothing in preparation. Respect the power and delve into the nightside. Come in, the water is quite warm.

Skrying - Mirrors and More

Skrying is one of the oldest forms of foretelling. The image of the Gypsy gazing deeply into a crystal ball is what usually comes to mind, but skrying is so much more. Through the ages sorcerers and psychics have utilized everything from ink to black mirrors to fire to gain entry to the mysteries. I, myself, utilize a black mirror specially prepared at the Arcanus Tarot Parlor. Peering into the lands of spirits and worlds that exist paralel to our own, I have brought back to this plane information to fortell the future, find lost objects, or receive instruction on practices to ply my will upon the world. I have conducted rituals utilizing this tool to commune with entities at Arcanus and the possibilies are endless.

With the ready availability of tarot cards, this tradition has practically faded into the past. There are some books on the subject, but they are severely lacking. Only instructing on the use of an empty surface, but they leave out the other uses. Such as opening gateways to spirits and other planes by skrying sigils, or magick squares. One can even use the same techniques to combine skrying and psychometry to gain information from ordinary objects. I use this in my practice quite often. I've even skried clients during sittings to gain a better image of the energies surrounding them.

Though steeped in the mysteries of the past, the practice is actually quite simple. It is merely getting into a relaxed state and when looking at your object, square, etc, you let your sight move out of focus and allow visions to come. Sometimes these are third eye impressions, and sometimes they are visual. It depends on the skill of the individual.

If you wish to try skrying for yourself, it is quite easy. First get something to use for skrying. I would recommend a black surface to start and then once you are capable with this move onto other objects. In a pinch you can use the turned off monitor of a computer. Or, if you are a bit more crafty, you can make a mirror from an old picture frame with the glass intact. There are more advanced ways to make one using condensors made from oils, herbs, and other mystical substances, which I make and sell at Arcanus, but that is beyond the scope of this particular article.

Once you have obtained your mirror, in a darkened room place it on a table where you can easily look into it. Place two candles on each side and slightly behind and begin your gazing. Let yourself relax and look into the blackness. Before long you will notice a mist appearing. This will eventually clear and your visions will come.
Practice this for a few weeks until it is second nature to you and then expand your abilities by skrying a magick square. I think you may be amazed at the information that you can obtain by this simple bit of sorcery.

That is it for now. Until next time.

Tarot, Tools of Sorcery

Many are familiar with Tarot for psychic divination, but few have delved into the wider, deeper world that is assailable via the mystical cards. For centuries readers have told of past, present, and future things displayed before them, but only those of a more commanding nature have utilized the Tarot or magick, or, as some have termed it, sorcery. The cards are a book of occult knowledge and great power. As you lay the cards in a reading you see before you the secrets surrounding your querent, but consider this. What if you could choose cards representing your desired future and laid them out in such a way as to bring that desire to fruition? The Tarot can be used to that end very effectively. At the Arcanus Tarot Parlor I have performed healings, cursings, prosperity magick, and a host of other workings with naught but the familiar deck of cards.
Lets go down that road for a moment. Think of a spread that displays your future, or the energies surrounding you. Choose the cards that contain the energies you wish to bring into your life, or those you wish to banish, and upon an altar, just a table out of the way of normal traffic, lay out that spread. Light a candle, incense, and take a few minutes to call upon the spirits to witness and assist in this spell. If you are Christian, you can call upon God, or whomever in your faith to assist.
Take a moment to follow the story you have lain and then extinguish the candle and let the incense burn out as an offering to the powers called.
Repeat over three days or nights and watch the energies manifest.
That is how simple a Tarot spell can be. One doesn't need an elaborate setup, nor a large number of tools. Just a deck of cards, a candle, and incense and away you go. Granted you can make the ritual into a large drawn out play, but sorcery is about spontaneity so none of the normal trappings are necessary.
Give it a go and see what magicks you can enliven in your life with your trusty book of ancient knowledge. If you would like more knowledge on this subject, give us a call at the tarot parlor in Longmont, Co. I think you may be surprised at just how much you can do with so simple a tool.
Until next time........

Arcanus Tarot Parlor - Longmont, CO (720) 253-9050

Divination. It's not just for Tarot.

I've been practicing tarot divination for over 30 years and have been witness to some extraordinary things. From forecasting ones marriage, to determining if a legal issue would resolve favorably. The act of laying ones life out in a tableau of cards can be quite cathartic.
However, over those many years, I have practiced other forms of divination that gave as accurate an account as the beloved paste boards.
Many forget that the mechanics of divination can be applied to most anything. All one needs is focus and intent.
As an example, one can take an old key and in a circle divided by an X and ascribing each section to the 4 compass directions can get quite an accurate reading by casting the key three times upon the circle and see which way the business end of the key points.
I do bone casting which includes various bones and other objects to which I have associated meanings and a casting cloth upon which I cast and accurately read ones past, present, and future. The same technique that I use for Tarot, I use for the bones. I focus upon the meanings of the bones and how the fall and the energy of the client. Then I interpret the meanings in relation to all.
Once one has the basics of divination a whole world opens up and you will never be left unawares if you are caught without your beloved deck.

So try to construct a simple reading method utilizing something from around the house, or in your pocket. I think you will be amazed how something ordinary can be turned into the extraordinary just by your focus and intent.

What IS the Tarot? . . . Part 2

Yet it wasn't until the late 1700s that Tarot cards became strongly connected to fortune telling, psychic powers, or the occult. The writings of Antoine Court de Gebelin in 1781 were hugely influential on the public image of the Tarot deck. An amateur scholar, Gebelin suggested that the pictures on the Tarot deck were related to occult Egyptian hieroglyphics. As mentioned before though, this was pure romantic history being written.

                Tarot divination really gained popularity during the 19th century, spurred on by a growing interest in psychic spiritualism. Everyone was holding séances, Houdini was busy debunking the Mediums, and ghosts and fairies were everywhere. People became very interested in the Tarot, Runes, Pendulums, Ouija Boards, and everything related to metaphysics.

This is about the time that the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot deck was produced (created in 1909 to be exact). If you are vaguely aware of this deck, you will notice that I called it “Rider-Waite=Smith” instead of simply “Rider-Waite” as it is commonly known. The reason for this is that Pamela Smith is the lady who produced the artwork for this deck, but because of the culture of the times, only the man involved in the project, A.E. Waite, and the publisher, the Rider Card Company, were credited in the name of the deck. This is now often considered the "standard" deck in the English world. It is certainly the one that most people are familiar with, and can be purchased at any major book store or metaphysical shop, or even on Amazon!

Denver Tarot - What IS the Tarot? Part 1

The Tarot's origins are perhaps as misunderstood as the mystical symbols on the cards themselves. One of the earliest decks of Tarot cards to be documented was a hand-painted set created around 1440 for the Duke of Milan. However, these cards were not used for intuitive or ‘reading’ purposes as the Tarot cards of today are. They were used for a card game similar to bridge, and as a muse to inspire and create entertaining poetry. 

Lots of people through the ages have promoted the images and text on some of the early decks as having really ancient origins or gypsy ancestry. We have all seen the movies about the early gypsies traveling around in their wagons reading peoples fortunes with Tarot cards, and several ‘scholars’ even claimed to have ‘proven’ that the Tarot was developed by the priests in ancient Egypt!  While these tall tales are all very nice, and some are even convincing, they are all romanticized versions of how the cards came to be in the form that we now know them. Most serious sources agree that the roots of these symbolic cards can be traced to traditional playing type cards, developed for traditional card games popular at the time.

The Tarot deck itself is actually made up of two decks, which are called Arcana’s. The “Minor” Arcana has fifty six cards that fall into four suits, and is likely the predecessor of the modern deck of cards that we are familiar with. These cards are numbered one through ten, and the reason that it has fifty six cards instead of fifty two is that each set of court cards has the usual Knight (Jack), King, and Queen, plus an additional card called the ‘Page’, who is the messenger to the court. This deck was used to play games that would be recognizable even today. The ‘Major’ Arcana is a deck of twenty two cards numbered zero through twenty one that carry images such as ‘The Fool’, ‘The Magician’, ‘The Lovers’, etc. This deck was created later and added into the larger deck to be used as trump cards in games that require that.

Now you may ask, if this was a deck of cards used for playing games, when did it turn into a deck of cards used for divination? I will explain that, but be warned, there are a few references coming up to writings and people with very long and possibly funny names, but we’ll get through it quickly!

Divination using playing cards is documented as early as 1540 in a book entitled “The Oracles of Francesco Marcolino da Forli”. Manuscripts from 1735 (The Square of Sevens) and 1750 (Pratesi Cartomancer) document simple divinatory meanings for the cards, as well as a system for laying out the cards. Giacomo Casanova wrote in his diary in 1765 that his Russian mistress frequently used a deck of playing cards for divination; but that tale has far more interest to it than what applies to just the cards!

"Intoduction to the Tarot" class is now forming!

Intuitive Reading Parlor & Paranormal Events Co.
Serving Denver, Longmont & Boulder, CO

Contact Arcanus Web Form

Beginning Tarot Introduction Class now forming!

 "Beginning Tarot Introduction" - Saturday Nov. 3rd 10 A.M. to NOON! 

Mr. Perez and Mr. MacKenzie lead the group through the beginning areas of the Tarot. This includes history, usage, and an introduction to both the cards and a complete system on how to begin using them. There is plenty of one on one time and practice sessions. Everyone receives a course book and study material. Either bring your own favorite deck or one can be purchased or borrowed for the class. This is a fun and educational 2 hour class at only $35 per person and is limited to eight students so that everyone receives the individual attention they deserve. Use the link below to sign up! Arcanus will contact you to confirm!

http://www.arcanusmagickus.com/Classes.html 

Photos From Arcanus - Longmont

Here are some great photos from inside the Arcanus Intuitive Tarot Reading Parlor:

Denver Tarot! Longmont Tarot! Boulder Tarot!

1430 Nelson Road Longmont CO 80501

www.arcanusmagickus.com

David MacKenzie (720) 253-0950

Dennis Perez (303) 803-3219

David MacKenzie's Reading Room

David MacKenzie

David MacKenzie & Dennis Perez

Dennis Perez Reading Room