This Artisan Life

Some say magic isn't something you do, it's something you are. Others say that their entire life is magical. While this might be correct for them, I would respectfully disagree that this doesn't work for me. I want my magic to be magical; I don't want to have to bring leaky faucets and flat tires into my magical realm. Having said that, there is a chance every moment to do something mystical, to connect with the nature spirits and the ancestors, to honor the old ways, and to walk the crooked path. This blog is about my journey, and how I celebrate the magic in the mundane.

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The Hour That Never Existed

Tonight is the night where the clocks fall back for most of North America. It's a fabulous time for ritual, because you can use the time change to your advantage to 'eat' something that you want banished from your life, and then recreate things the way that you would like to see them unfold. The fact that this happens over Samhain makes the work even more powerful! All you need is a deck of tarot cards, and some staying power, as you're going to be up late!

Preparation for this is easy. Before the appointed time--02:00--determine what you would like to rid from your life (I already have mine planned, I celebrated it's demise last night). Choose a card that represents that. For instance, if you are holding on too tightly to something that needs to be surrendered, you might want to choose the four of pentacles. Maybe you've got a personality trait of being too stubborn, and you want to learn to be more flexible; the king or queen of swords might be an appropriate card for that. You're going to have to know your cards a bit, but really, any card that resonates with what you want to see leave your life can be used. 

You're also going to want to select another tarot card that represents what you wish to welcome into your life. For example, the lovers card could represent a new romance, or the mending of a tattered relationship; the queen or king of pentacles could represent security or stability; the nine of cups a wish fulfilled, that sort of thing. Keep this card in the deck for now.

If spell work is your thing, you could design a ritual around this exercise, too. For example, at 01:00 you could write down what you wish to get rid of, and then at 02:00 when the clocks go back you could burn what you wrote in the flame of a candle or ceremonial fire, or bury it in the earth. I want to stress that there's no wrong or right way to do this; just go with what feels good to you, yes?

So, before the time that the clocks change, perform your ritual and select the tarot card that represents what you wish to banish from your life. Set that card apart from the deck, isolate it--you can put it in a magic circle, if you like. The thing is that you're separating it from the deck, in the way that you wish to separate it from your life, make sense?

At the right time, turn your clocks back. I like to keep a wind-up clock just for this purpose, so that I can physically move the hands backwards, but however you do this is up to you--no right or wrong way, remember? Once you've turned your clock back, replace the card you selected to represent what you wanted to banish, and select the card that you chose to represent what you want to see manifest in your life. Place this card face up on the top of the deck of cards. 

That's all there is to it! You isolated what you wished to change, and the time change ate that, making it no longer a part of your life. The new hour replaced that with what you wish to see happen. Pretty nifty, yes? You can go to sleep now, and in the morning, just put your wish card back in your tarot deck. You may like to do what I have done in the past, and print a picture of that card out and place it where you see it often, to remind you of what you're embracing. 

Of course, just doing this with the cards isn't going to miraculously change things! You have to do your part, too! However, knowing that you have literally turned back time to create what you wish to see in your life has to be a step in the right direction!

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Charlie Rainbow Wolf is an author, artist, alchemist and astrologer. She is happiest when she is creating something, especially if it can be made from items that others have cast aside. Pottery, writing, knitting, gardening, and tarot are her deepest interests, but she happily confesses that she’s easily distracted, because life offers so many wonderful things to explore. Charlie has been doing readings and writing about divination for nearly three decades, so much so that it has become a way of life. She is a keen astroherbologist, an advocate of organic gardening and cooking, and lives in the Midwest with her husband and beloved Great Danes.

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