I have recently heard from Jo, my friend and wandmaker, that my wand is almost finished. Since she took this picture, she has sealed it with cypress oil (cypress is another tree associated with Hades) and is braiding the handle as I write. You will notice that the top of the handle end with the jet cabochon is detachable. It actually screws open to reveal a secret compartment in which four pomegranate seeds will be kept. This is by far the most meaningful piece of ritual tool I have invested in.
What my wand looks like so far
What I admire most about Jo is that she crafts these stunning pieces for passion rather than profit. Click here for samples of her work. While I understand some witches and magicians need and/or desire a supplementary income for their well-honed skills and talents, it nevertheless thrills me when I meet some one as gifted and adept as she and yet asks no more than the cost price of her materials for her work. She has really inspired me to do more with my skills, whatever little I have right now, and expect only the joy of sharing it in return.
A good friend of mine called me on Monday with a fascinating experience. Has anyone heard of the Old Hag syndrome? Well, my friend awoke in the middle of the night and he found himself paralysed. He then distinctively heard a woman whisper in his right hear, “I think you should know” again and again. I conducted a tarot reading for him to try and uncover what that message could have meant, assuming it was a real experience, and together we interpreted and discussed my free-form spread.
My tarot readings are more often than not “freakishly accurate” in the words of my past read-ees. Most importantly, they are usually a hoot to do, especially seeing the looks of shocked disbelief on faces, and then getting to find out about their reactions and laugh about it later! I would love to start doing tarot readings for people on a more regular basis…
What about the practising witches and magicians among you? What are your thoughts on charging for your magic-related skills and knowledge and is there anything you feel you give back for no monetary profit?
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It’s a tricky one firstly because there are SO MANY tarot readers out there offering their services which range from abysmal to good. Would you be offering your services to friends or through the internet/at fairs etc.? I wonder if it wouldn’t be more useful to offer to teach others tarot rather than doing readings per se.
I don’t have a problem with the concept of offering my skills or “services” for a fee … but I never have done, so the idea is purely theoretical. Everything I offer to friends is given freely. I used to do tarot readings when I was younger but was put off by the blind faith that people put in ME. They just didn’t understand the idea behind fortune telling, that you are showing them one path of many. People will take what you say as fact and mould their lives accordingly (in some cases) that is a tremendous responsibility for YOU to take on. I was not happy with that responsibility, and so now only do readings for those who truly understand the concept of future prediction … and the only way I can really know they understand is because they are friends and we have spoken, and then what I do is free…
I like the idea of like-for-like exchanges: a massage for a meal, one tarot reading for an I Ching reading. I prefer to have a relationship with the people I apply my skills for, you never know the motivations or intentions of a stranger, and working magick or fortune-telling for them could be the equivalent of giving a stranger a sharp knife: they may cut themselves or others, and ultimately you are partially responsible for handing over the knife …
Blessings
Seshat
And you still haven’t done a tarot reading for me (probably mostly because I haven’t asked when you’ve been doing them hehe
)
I keep forgetting to ask, what are the pomegranate seeds for?
LOL a quick search on wiki probably gave me the answer.
About the Old Hag – many years ago, in mid-May, I believe, my daughter of 4 months was sleeping peacefully when, about midnight, I finally fell asleep, and, upon what I supposed at the time was dreaming, rose to the roof of our house, found a black presence entering through the roof, and became agitated as this creature moved past me. What seemed like just a few seconds later, my daughter started screaming in terror, and my wife and I both levitated out of bed to grab and comfort our child. It took about 15-20 minutes to calm her down, but we were successful, finally.
A few minutes after she calmed down, and while feeding, I took our daughter’s favorite rattle, shook it at the corners of her crib, and asked the spirits of the North, East, West and South to protect our house and daughter. She was quickly back asleep, and that was the only occurrence of this sort we’ve had. I performed substantially the same ritual when we moved to another house.
I have read Fate Magazine for decades, having picked up the habit from my grandmother and mother, and that was my first source for the Old Hag, which I believe this event to have been. I have searched occasionally, and have asked a couple of friends, who are best described as ritual magicians, and have heard no better explanation for this event.