The Good Shit Archives - Literally Tired AF

Tarot 101: Numbers in Tarot

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When it comes to learning Tarot, something every beginner needs to take into account is how numbers play into a reading.

Now, I know, I know; you don’t want to have to learn math or formulas! But you just have to bear with me. The numbers in Tarot don’t relate to math, which is a good thing most of the time. Mostly, the numbers relate to the cycle of the story.

Every suit follows a kind of story, broken down into chapters represented by the numbers of the suits. So the Aces are chapter 1 and Tens are the last chapter. Unless you get further into Numerology, for most beginner Tarot readers should focus just on how the story progresses through each suit. Then, after you get a little more comfortable with reading the cards, you should dive into Numerology and see if it fits with how you read.

So what do the numbers mean then?

Aces

Aces represent the beginning. Simple, right? They’re the first card in the Minor Arcana suits, therefore kicking off our Tarot numbers. Of course, between different suits, Aces can represent more; such as new business ventures in Pentacles or potential actions in Wands.

Twos

Twos represent either choices or balance. Twos are where we can start to see the multiple aspects of the numbers in Tarot. If we look at a Two of Swords and Two of Cups, we can see how the Twos in Tarot can differ; the Two of Swords represents choices and the Two of Cups represents romantic emotion.

Threes

Threes represent growth and relationships. Most Threes represent growth in either your wallet, your thoughts, or your social circle. With the exception of the Three of Swords, which depicts three swords through a heart, these cards are mostly positive and celebrate growth and friendships. But this is also where the story takes a turn.

Fours

Fours are where the story plateaus for just a moment. It’s as though we take a step back from the action to see the characters happy and stable. Which is what Fours represent; stability and structure. But the stability and structure see throughout the Fours is only leading up to the drama Fives bring to the table.

Fives

Fives are where the stories take a turn; Fives are conflict and loss, change. Five of Wands represent conflict and Five of Pentacles represent poverty. So the stability, celebration, and wealth seen earlier in the cards are now gone.

Sixes

But don’t get depressed over this story quite yet! Sixes are were things begin getting good again! Sixes represent problem-solving and compassion. So the issues that Fives have brought up, are now getting solved! Six of Cups shows fertility and celebration and the Six of Wands show victory! But the story isn’t over yet!

Sevens

Sevens are where we can see some of the personal growth that has come from the Fives’ conflicts. Sevens represent wisdom, faith, and understanding. Although not every Seven represents an immediate resolution of the conflicts beforehand, it does show personal growth in the characters and how conflict brings changes for the better.

Eights

Eights represent movement and change. Now, I know what you’re thinking; omg, more change, haven’t we had enough yet! But hold your horses, it’s a different kind of change! The Five of Wands represents conflict and fighting, and the changes that come with that, whereas the Eight of Wands represents the growth from change and how things have changed since conflict.

I think of the difference between Fives and Eights are Fives represent external change: changes brought about by forces you cannot control. Eights represent internal change: the change you can do in response to your life changing, the changes you can make to your own actions or thoughts.

Nines

Nines are where the story starts to come to an end. Nines represent fulfillment and completion. Now I know what you’re thinking; If Nines are the end then what do Tens have to do with anything! Slow down, kiddo! I’m getting there! Nines show the completion of the cycle, how everything ends up immediately after the changes and growth.

Tens

Now, how do Tens play into all of this? While Tens represent completion and transformation, there is a difference between Nines’ completion and Tens’ completion.

I like to think that Tens are the epilogue to the story, whereas Nines are the final chapter that finishes up the action of the story. If you compare the difference in the Nine of Pentacles and Ten of Pentacles, you’ll see that the Nine represents personal wealth and Ten shows community wealth; so in the short term, personally, you will experience wealth, and in the long-term, your community will experience wealth.

Now I can see your wheels turning; what about court cards? What about the Major arcana? What about-

Slow down and take a breath! We’ll get into the court cards soon and the Major arcana and the story of the Major arcana. There’s time to learn and there’s time to discover. Just be patient until I get everything written!

Aces	Beginnings, Potential
Twos	Balance, Choices
Threes	Growth, Relationships
Fours	Foundations, Stability, Structure
Fives	Conflict, Loss, Change
Sixes	Compassion, Problem-Solving, Harmony
Sevens	Faith, Wisdom, Understanding
Eights	Movement, Change
Nines	Fulfillment, Completion
Tens	Completion, Transformation

Witchcraft 101: Candle Correspondences and Magic

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For all my baby witchlings, candles are some of the easiest to come-by witch supplies.

Candles are easily found at most stores, affordable, and good to keep around for emergencies (power outages, for instance). And good news, if you begin hoarding candles, no one will judge you because a lot people hoard candles. For instance, my mother loves receiving candles for any occasion, and has a half of a coat closet full of them.

So let’s go over the basics of candles, candle magic, and spells involving candles.

Candle colors and scents can correspond with the type of spell or intention you have in mind.

Red	Courage, Love, Passion,
Orange	Success, legal actions, concentration
Yellow	Happiness, travel, intelligence
Green	Growth, wealth, prosperity, fertility
Blue	healing, peace, loyalty, spirituatlity
Purple	meditation, psychic abilities, connecting to higher self and higher beings
Pink	femininity, beauty, compassion, innocent or romantic love
Brown	abundance, stability, gardening, family and friends
Grey	Loneliness, wisdom, neutralizing energies and spells
Black	Absorbing energy, banishing, protection, self-defense
White	cleansing, purification, reflecting energy, can be used as substitute for all other colors

Colors and Correspondences

Below, I’ve listed some of the more common candle scents that you’re bound.

Cinnamon	Protection, inflame passion, counter love spells, can be used in place of sage for cleansing when sage is unavailable
Citrus	Lemon is good for confidence, good luck and adding extra energy for spells Orange is good for joy, good fortune, and prosperity
Evergreen	Wisdom, cleansing, protection, and money spells
Lavender	healing, meditation, and cleansing and refreshing the body, soul, and mind (use with caution around cats)
Rain	cleansing, healing, and relaxing, calming anger, and bringing about new begingings
Sandlewood	Can only be used in benevolent magics. use for consecrating, healing, wishes, peace, removing negativity, and blessing ritual space and altars
Vanilla	calming, promoting mental and physical arousal, good luck, happiness, prosperity and knowledge seeking
Fresh Linen	Can be used in place of Rain scent

Scents and Correspondences

So depending on the color of your candle, as well as the scent, you can craft a spell to suite all of your needs.

And sometimes the spell calls for something other than a scented candle. Sometimes, you have to ANOINT!

I know, big steps in our spellwork here, but just stay with me here.

So what does it mean when you anoint a candle?

Anointing a candle means giving the candle the intention you need for the spell. When you anoint a candle you use oils, herbs, and symbols to give a blank candle your intention.

Oils that can be used can be things like essential oils, which will give plain candles a nice scent as you burn them, or ‘natural’ oils, like olive oil and such. Dilute your essential oils in natural oils to use more of them.

Some natural oils that have the highest smoke point (how hot they can get before burning) are avocado oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, coconut oil, canola oil, then olive oil (in order of highest to lowest smoke point).

Anoint your candles by massaging them with oils, herbs and inscribing symbols or sigils. Rub your candles in one direction, depending on what your spells is doing; personally, I feel that rubbing from bottom to top banishes, and top to bottom attracts.

When burning anointed candles, ad regular candles too, just be careful and remember fire safety. Especially with hot oils near open flames.

So candles are the vectors of setting things in motions for spells. the energy from the flame interacts with your intentions and set your intentions into motion.

Tarot: What to do when you Break the ‘Cardinal’ Rules…

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So you’re brand new to Tarot. You’ve done your research, you’ve memorized this and that for all the rules.

You start practicing, and reading for yourself, maybe a friend or family member… until.

Oh no.

You broke one of the Rules.

What do you do now? Are the Tarot police going to come for you? Are your ancestors and spirit guides going to kick your ass from the spirit plane?

No, probably not, (depending on who your ancestors are).

So I’ll break down the ins and outs of the Rules.

Someone touched your deck.

If someone else touches your deck, it’s not something to get crazy about. Unless they touched it without permission, it’s a fixable issue. While everyone and their mother will preach about not letting someone touch your deck, it is up to you. I personally don’t mind, especially if it’s a reading for someone because you need their energy in the reading to get a good answer for the question. And shuffling will dispel all the energy from a reading.

If it is an issue where someone handled your deck, maybe unintentionally, such as, your mother-in-law moves your deck in the office to look for some documents, then a heavy shuffle and a moon bathe won’t hurt.

This is also why many preach about crystals in addition to your reading, to help balance energies, as well as storing decks with crystals to help recharge the deck and ward off unwanted energies.

You dropped your deck on the ground

It’s okay, take a second. Now pick up your cards one by one and brush each one off and give each dropped card a quick cleanse. Then shuffle the whole deck together again.

If you drop a couple cards on the ground during a shuffle, it’s no big deal. Some say that those cards that fly out of your hand even have a message for you. And when you’re still learning how to handle the size of a Tarot deck, both in card volume and size of the deck itself, you will inevitably drop a few here and there.

If some of the cards get damaged, then that’s okay too. Things happen, and decks will come and go in your life. If you’re not ready to give up the deck, or can’t afford a new deck yet, use this deck as your home-copy until you can get a new deck. Then you can re-purpose the damaged deck into art work, a show deck (you know, you leave it out on the coffee table for those more conservative relatives to bitch about), or as a reference deck if you get lost in your Tarot studies.

You have to get up in the middle a reading/meditation.

It’s okay. Tarot is a gentle tool; you won’t be penalized if something happens and you have to move away from the reading for a moment.

If you have to get up because the weather suddenly changes (during an outdoor read), an urgent call comes through on your or your client’s phone, an emergency like a fire or earthquake, or your pet/familiar/child is being naughty and you have to step in immediately to prevent loss or injury, then get up.

After the issue is dealt with, if an issue that can be rectified like moving inside from the rain or preventing your baby from eating your crystals, then just take a moment to meditate and reset the energy of the reading. Clear your mind and return to the reading.

If this is an issue where you cannot immediately return to the reading, such as a life emergency you or the client must attend to, a fire destroyed the cards, or another emergency where the reading must be abandoned, then don’t worry. If possible, shuffle the cards together and store properly. If the cards are gone, then meditate for a moment and let go of the energy from the reading.

If there is a client and an emergency occurs, make every effort to help the client let go of the reading energy, then attempt to either reschedule with the client, or send good energy to the client.

You asked a bad question and got a weird answer.

When you’re learning still, you’re going to make mistakes. It’s okay, as long as you’re willing to learn how to do it the right way. Think of all the things you couldn’t do as a child, but can now because you asked questions.

So maybe, you asked a bad question, but didn’t think it was a bad question. And I’m not talking about one of the questions like ‘will I win the lotto’ bs. I’m talking about the ‘what can you tell me about this too-specific topic’ questions.

When you get weird answers, sometimes you need to analyze the question. Think about how many times you asked Google what you thought was a good question, only for Google to give you all sorts of weird and unrelated topics in response.

So take a moment and analyze whether the question is too specific or if you have something else on your mind when you think about the question.

For first-timers, think about writing down your question first to help you focus on it.

Don’t stress so much about if you mix things up when you’re learning. Don’t worry about it too much. You’re learning, and honestly, if you get lost there are so many people out in the witchy community that are willing to help and guide.

Good luck!

Daily Tarot Draw November 4th

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Today is a special day! It’s a two card day!

During my shuffle, an extra card popped out, so I figured, why not put it to side and see what we can divine.

For our two cards today, the actual draw was the Knight of Swords and our extra card that has some message is the Four of Swords.

Knight of Swords, Four of Swords

Let’s start with the Knight of Swords. Swords coincide with thought and the mind. Knights usually refer to young adults.

The knight is a soldier, sitting on his horse. He is pulling his sword from his own throat, or maybe he’s sheathing the sword in his throat? However, there doesn’t seem to be anything volatile or provoking, so he, must be sheathing his sword. The background is actually bright and cheery, with bright yellow flowers and a bright background.

So what is he trying to say, or maybe convey, since there’s a sword hindering his mouth?

Knowing myself, and how sharp-tounged I can be, I think this is saying I need to quit being so quick to anger and snap at others and ‘sheathe’ the sword I usually wield. And maybe this is a warning to not speak to myself so harshly.

But what about our second card, the Four of Swords?

Fours can represent stability. For this card, we can see a figure with a coffin, carving away with a chisel. Nails rest on the top of the coffin. It is dark, as though it was late at night, the scene illuminated by a single lit candle, the other three waiting to be used.

So what does this mean?

Coffins usually refer to the final resting spot, to being dead and resting after a long life. I’m drawn to the nails, like the phrase, ‘the last nail in the coffin’, which usually refers to the fact that ends an argument or a piece of evidence which disproves or proves something.

Traditionally, the Four of Swords also represents resting and recuperation.

So maybe this card is trying to urge me to rest, considering the stress load I’m putting on myself between working and school. But I also feel a strong pull towards the coffin and the final rest; I feel that this card is urging me to take the time and acknowledge a recent passing in my family, and acknowledge they are resting, peaceful now.

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Daily Draw November 2nd

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Today, for those who are in a part of the world that is not North, Central, or South America, today is Dia de los Muertos.

Growing up in a region of the US where it’s not uncommon to see or hear about Dia do los Muertos, it makes the spooky season stretch just a little bit longer and provides a nice contrast to the usual spooky. For those unfamiliar with this holiday, it’s a holiday that revolves around honoring your dead relatives and ancestors by leaving gifts and offerings, reminiscing about their time on this plane with you, and celebrating life.

This deck is the Santa Muerte deck by Fabio Listrani.

So what card do we have today?

Page of Wands Reversed

The Page of Wands Reversed. This one is a bit of a doozy. Wands coincide with action. The Page card relates to youth, or a young person.

However, the thing sticking with me right this second, and I will probably get too stuck on it, is the Page is holding a scroll. To me, it looks like it could be a diploma, but that’s probably me just projecting, being a college student.

The Page is dressed in red, sitting on a swing. He is barefoot. There is something almost carefree about how he is sitting on the swing, barefoot like a child, while also holding this scroll or diploma. He is gazing right at you.

Maybe this card is trying to tell me to balance my life better, the balance between my goals and my youth. To enjoy life and slow down. That could be the reason why the card is reversed; you can’t really swing upside down.

But what does this have to do with actions? Red coincides with power, courage, and health in witchcraft. The action I feel I need to take based off what is hitting me is that I need to take the time to analyze my own actions and decide what will be more beneficial for my health, youth, and goals.

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Witchcraft: full moon spellwork…

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With the full moon, so much should be done. As a new witch, it’s overwhelming how much you hear about what needs to be done on the night of the full moon. Crystals this, moon water that, charging this, spellwork that…

So how do you actually get anything done on the night of a full moon? Especially if you’re a closeted witch?

When I know a full moon is coming, I set a reminder in my phone. If you’re following a couple witchy accounts on any form of social media, they will definitely remind you as well when a full moon is coming.

So, now that a full moon is coming, what are you supposed to do? There’s so much that everyone else is telling you to do and you’re honestly a little lost. Take a deep breath. Depending on what kind of witch you’ve aligned yourself to be, that can help narrow down what you’ll want to do a full moon night.

Three things you’ll want to do, no matter what kind of witchcraft you practice are…

Leave things out to charge. Anything you can’t leave in sunlight, like certain crystals, or tools, sigils,Tarot cards, etc.
Leave out water to charge for some moon water.
Appreciate the full moon and meditate underneath it’s light (outside is recommended but not required, if conditions are not feasible)

See? You’ve already done three things of what everyone is freaking out about. Personally, I leave what I can out all night. However, my cats do like to cause mischief, so if I’m charging water, Tarot, or crystals (if I had any), I leave them out for just a few hours under the moonlight on a windowsill where the cats can’t bother them, then pack them up before I go to bed so I don’t end up with a pool of water on my kitchen floor in the morning or playing 78-Tarot-card pick-up.

So what else can you do on a full moon night? Well, look into what other kinds of witches in your field of witchiness do.

If you perform mostly fire magic, maybe you’ll anoint and light some candles to supercharge a spell under the full moon.

If you do divination, maybe tonight is a good night to just charge your crystals in advance for a new moon divination spell.

Maybe you’re a kitchen witch, so you can do something special like make a moon-themed dish or recharge your cooking tools, or charge oils (cooking kind, not essential) for future recipes. I know there are a couple awesome moon cookie recipes out there and I’m if you ask, someone will share.

Maybe you’re so new you don’t know what you are witch-wise, or maybe you’re an eclectic/grey/hedge witch and have no idea what else you can do on a full moon night.

Some things I do that no body talks about…

Write in my Book of Shadows/Grimoire about upcoming works or things I tried earlier that week that I’m waiting for it to manifest
Shuffle through all my Tarot decks and shift their energy to release the old energy and take in the full moon energy
Clean up my space; the full moon works wonders for my energy and I use that energy to clean all the weird nooks and crannies that I normally ignore, like the old cobwebs in the corner of my laundry room, or scrubbing that weird stain in the bottom of my sink in my bathroom.
Sometimes I dye my hair or just try a new makeup look, just to see what it looks like.
Self-care bitches! Do a face mask, take a bath (with or without moon water), treat yourself to a special treat for making it through the month, paint your nails, moisturize, pop that back pimple, knock over your ex’s mailbox, watch a rom-com, get laid… Just treat yourself.
Dance naked under the moon light. Can’t go wrong there. Not only are you honoring those who came before but damn, who doesn’t want to be a stereotypical witch every now and then.
Go gather some supplies. Full moon light is great for nightly excursions. Find some cool rocks or sticks, or gather stuff from your garden.
Have a cup of tea. Whether made with moon water or not, just relax with a cup of tea (or a glass of iced tea if its too hot outside).
Prepare things you need to get rid up in the coming waning moon, like old clothes and documents that need to be shredded.
Prepare anything coming in your life like laundry, dishes, finances, appointments. Use the full moon energy to make sure you have everything on track.

Don’t be afraid to look into all the neat stuff you can do during the full moon. If nothing else, just chill in the moon light for 10 minutes and appreciate your place in the world.

If you are new at witchcraft and wickedry, then don’t sweat trying to do a big spell or whatever. You have time to get there and right now, you just need to work on yourself before diving into a prosperity spell for your aunt’s coworker’s niece.

Full moons are meant to be a time to recharge and be thankful for all around you. So charge yourself and your charms and your sigils and your spells to make it through the month.

If you still feel overwhelmed, then remember to use this time to chill. Soak in some moonlight and breathe. You’ll figure it all out before you know it.

Tarot: Questions to ask at a reading…

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This is probably the most important step when consulting a deck.

What the hell do I ask?

First things first, are you asking for yourself, or are you reading for someone?

I think the easiest way to determine what questions you can or cannot (more like shouldn’t) ask is based off of what kind of reading is happening?

If you are the one doing the reading, then I would say, you can ask any question TO YOUR OWN DECK THAT YOU ARE READING FROM IF YOU ARE READING FOR YOURSELF.

If you’re the reader and asking for a client or someone else, then ask only questions you are comfortable asking.

Think of Tarot like a spiritual Google. You can ask Google whatever you want. However, there are some things you won’t get any answers for (like winning lotto numbers or when you’ll die). There are some things you don’t want to know from Google (like cheaters and such). So how do you know what kind of questions to ask then?

Easy. Ask questions about…

where is my career headed
is my life balanced between family and aspirations
what needs to happen from me for a certain result
what am I not seeing about a situation
what aspect am I not seeing in this relationship (can be romantic, familial, or platonic)
what do I need to move on from
yes or no questions (not in depth answers but easy enough to read)
where is my life going
what options should I consider
out of my options which is better
what do I need to focus on in my life
is this option a good option for me

The most important thing about a Tarot reading is that you’re not trying to get all the answers to the universe. You’re working on getting answers about yourself.

Remember that some things are left up to chance and shouldn’t be rushed. If you’re worried about meeting someone or if your wife is going to leave you or if you’re going to lose your job, should you really be getting a Tarot reading instead of fixing the problems you already know about?

How to: Whiskey Hot Toddy…

Recipe

You know those days when it’s cold af out and you just want to crawl under 20 blankets to escape the cold that has seeped into your bones. Well do I have the cure for you. It’s easy and delicious and alcoholic. The best of all worlds.

Prep time: approximately 10 minutes (however long it takes for water to boil in your area with your preferred method)

What you need:

A mug of some kind
Some whiskey, 1 shot
Some hot water
honey, however much you want to make this shit taste good
a touch of lemon, either fresh-squeezed if that’s your thing or do what I do and buy the bottle of lemon juice at the store for other recipes

Directions

Heat up the water. Whether you do this in your microwave, in a kettle, in pot, just heat that shit up so it’s hot.
Put your shot your cup. Pour the water in the cup.
Put in a smidge of lemon juice.
Pour honey and stir until it is to your liking.
Done! Enjoy!

Super easy. Uses shit you got in your pantry. Warms you up inside out. And who doesn’t love a little something extra for those bland drinks you usually have to live with.

How to: Vodka Gummy Bears…

Recipe

So here’s how to make my personal favorite drinking snack.

It’s really easy, but does take some set up time.

So all you need:

A quart-sized mason jar or a reusable food storage container (any size will really do)
big bag of gummy bears (whichever brand you prefer, I always get the biggest bag possible for multiple batches)
a big bottle of regular vodka (whichever brand you prefer, I always just get the cheapest, biggest bottle I can find)

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 12 hours

Step 1: Fill container 2/3 with gummy bears

Step 2: Pour vodka over gummy bears until just covered

Step 3: Put lid on container and put in fridge overnight

This is the best make-ahead party treat (for adults, duh) and it stays in the fridge pretty well until you want/need them. I usually just keep a jar in the fridge for a fun little something on Friday nights to treat myself for getting through the week. Because nothing says happiness like gummy bears and alcohol.