Tarot Magick Anyone?

I was speaking more of the Portable Magic book, where as the cards are
laid out to construct the temple to project yourself into.

See also Chic and Tabatha Cicero's "Tarot Talismans", where the "Calling
of the corners" and the Lesser Banishing of the Pentagram are
featured.

Hi,

For the first one - personally using too many cards is too 'heavy' in my eyes
For the second one - I am not the 'angel' person

So, this is not the way I use tarot and magick

Greetings

Kangiska

Basic Newbie Question about Portable Magic

OK, this is an embarrassing question. Actually I have already posted something in the Portable Magic thread but that was a couple of days ago and I haven't had any answers so I'm asking you guys.

Essentially, I have no problem visualising myself in the astral realm, but only with my eyes closed. Tyson says that we should be looking at the Significator and visualising ourselves in the astral realm at the same time, but I'm finding that kind of tricky. This is probably a really lame question but... Is it ok to keep my eyes closed, or is it better to keep practicing with my eyes open? No innuendos intended, BTW.

Thanks in advance.

For me personally, I would probably do that with eyes closed so I could totally block out things that might inadvertently catch my attention and distract me. I have this book, as well, but haven't used it....just scanned through it.

Thanks, RunningWild,

I'm trying both to see what happens. There's a house being built next door and I live with 3 others (including 2 children) so there is little opportunity to get any silence or space at all! Maybe getting time for ritual practice should be the aim of my next ritual...

I lay tarot cards on my altar. I place crystals on them and light a candle. I think of my "tarot spells" as visual prayers.

Because of my severe trauma background my faith is so small it's nonexistent, and may never come back. All humans are spiritual beings though. So...I look for spiritual practices that I can engage in silently without needing to call on a specific diety.

Even if it is just placebo effect, laying cards out is calming. When I have been really in trouble, I lay new cards down as I take each step of my plan to deal with my problem. It helps. It helps a lot.

@Frindle. Yes, I do the "full GD" thing with the cards, as per Tyson/Portable magick. With some tweaks.

Having done the "GD" Lesser Banishing and Banishing ritual of the Hexagram several times a week for about 1 and a half years, i found this alternative very effective and refreshing; I think because of my deep and old connection with the tarot cards.

And to the person who's having trouble with the "bi-locating", i.e. keeping focus on the astral while having eyes open on the physical cards...nah don't worry about it. I don't really "look" at the cards, any more than i do physical tools/altar when I'm doing it that way. The physical cards are mere placeholders on the physical plane...which helps manifestation come thru, if you are even trying to manifest something.

So much of magick (ceremonial, at least) is like spiritual calesthenics...just growing stronger as a magical being, stretching your muscles, as it were; By visualizing, we grow in our ability to visualize. And I've learned that astral "seeing" is not at all the same as seeing with our physical eyes...not even like dreaming; though dreaming is astral seeing in the extreme degree. But astral vision can be more like "feeling" something is there, even if you can't see the extreme detail. And the less I worry and the less I TRY to see the detail, the more I see it with my feelings. Remember, IMAGINARY. The astral IS the imagination...quite literally...so if you can't see it, IMAGINE that you can, and you do; it's that simple.

But yes; I've done both the full out GD ceremonials, with the tools, and the Tarot version, and find the Tarot version to be quite sufficient. (Further, I've found the wicca/natural magic versions of tarot magic to be quite WAHOO too!) Just watch out and make sure you are very specific, because I've seen this kind of magic go very awry, too...much to my detriment. That's why I like the GD stuff...good banishings. But Now I always start with asking my guide/guardians to move my ritual for my highest good, and to add thier power unto my own, for my highest good only. I think that helps it go better.

I have also found certain rituals "supercharge" a reading. One reading I remember entailed several hours of meditation (among other things) before taking out a card. Although the reading ended up being only one card (I didn't feel the need for more) it ranks among the best I have ever given myself.

Somebody mentioned Michael Kraig's book. I found he can be too mechanical at times, telling you to do things without explanation, but I did like his books on Ceremonial and Sex magick though (two different books). He uses Tarot extensively in both.