Tarot 101 Circle from TBW

/begin shameless promotion

In case anyone is interested...

Beginning on April 1st, the Tarot 101 Circle will be working through the 22 lessons in "Tarot 101: Mastering the Art of Reading the Cards" by Kim Huggens.  We plan on taking it one week at a time, but participants may move at whatever speed is comfortable for them.  Anyone interested in learning to read the cards and experienced readers of all levels are welcome to participate and share their knowledge!

To join, become a member the Tarot 101 Circle on the Circle of Balanced Witches. Participants will need to have a journal to do the homework in and acquire a copy of the book before the class begins (or soon after).  They will also need a Tarot deck by Week 3.

/end shameless promotion

And The Winner Is....

I will be honest and say that I am not too fond of number generators as a method of choosing a winner for my giveaways.  I know that it is fast and easy and of course fair yet I like to write each name down and place them all in a bucket then rumage my hand down inside it until I am led to the one who is destined to win.  Of course this is what I done this morning to choose the winner for the Guilded Tarot giveaway. 

And the winner is...............

Tracy Deluca @ Witch Path to Take

Congrats Tracy!!  Send me your shipping info and I will send your package of goodies out asap.  I already have them all wrapped up and ready to go.  Until next time folks.

Blessings to you and yours and thank all of you for commenting.

Tarot - The Cards of Triumphs

The actual origin of the tarot is unclear to say the least. It has been lost in the fog and legends of distant past. As in all issues where solid facts are scarce there are many views and much debate.

Originally it was a card game for the elite and eccentric. Lavishly hand painted cards were designed to be used in the courts of kings and nobles. Carte Da Trionfi or the Cards of Triumphs as they were known was the deck of choice. The introduction of the game seems to date back to the second half of the thirteenth century. It is still debated as to what the actual origin of the game was yet most believe it to be Arab.

The first complete deck (at least believed by some) is the Italian Vis-Contideck dating back to the 1400s. It is thought that the deck was created after the wedding of Philip and Mary Maria of Savoy, daughter of Amadeus VIII. The intricacy of each card is exquisite and hard to believe that they retained themselves after so many years. This deck has been reproduced somewhat and can still be obtained in replication.

After some time, thought to be in the early 1500, the cards began to be known as tarochhi or tarock and later tarot. The standard deck numbers seventy eight. There are four standard suits with 14 representations in each suit. Much like the standard card deck of club, spades, hearts, and diamonds, the tarot deck is made up of wands/staves, cups, swords, and pentacles/coins. This is known as the minor arcana. Twenty two trump cards make up the major arcana. Examples of these cards are the fool, the world, strength, the sun, the lovers, and so on. The card game of triumphs is still played in Europe to this day yet it seems that we Americans tend to lean more to the use of the tarot for divination.

There have been a multitude of decks designed over the years. I think I can be safe when saying that a deck to fit absolutely anyone could be found if one was to look hard enough. The most commonly known is the Rider Waite deck at least in the English speaking countries. It was originally produced in December of 1909. Academic mystic A.E.Waite was instrumental in the instructional book and bares at least half of the name of the deck. The other half is the Rider Publishing Company. Illustrator and artist Pamela Colman Smith was commissioned by Waite to lend her talents to the creation of the visual aspect of each interpretation. Simplistic is a word often used by many to describe this deck yet it has withstood the test of time and become one if not the most popular deck.

Among the many modern artist today that have had a hand in creating the elaborate and colorful modern decks we see is Ciro Marchetti. His use of broad imagination and brilliance of color has made his decks one of the most admired today. His first deck, The Guilded Tarot released in 2004, is a perfect example of this. Transporting one to a realm of knights and fair maidens the imagery is breathtaking. Among his other decks are the Legacy tarot and his Tarot of Dreams. As tried and true as some are to the Rider Waite, there are others who prefer the opportunity to derive their intuition from a deck that lends itself to a larger variety of imagery and messages.

The deck which I prefer most is neither of the ones mentioned above. I will be honest and say that I have a few decks in my possession. I have always been one who enjoys the different interpretation that each new deck seems to offer. There are those decks that honestly do nothing for me yet there are those who swear by their use and gift which they give. Likewise I am sure that some of the decks I enjoy are equally viewed the same.

My favorite deck is the Druidcraft deck which was created and designed by Stephanie and Philip Carr-Gomm of the Order of the Bards, Ovates and Druids in England. Released in 2005 it combines my likes and interests perfectly. A combination of nature based spiritualism of the druid life coupled with pagan beliefs makes this deck a perfect fit.  As is in many modern decks there are some cards (especially in the Major arcana) with different names or references.  An example of this is the card pictured above (The Lady).  The four suits, although the same, have a deeper representation bringing about a more nature based message.

In closing, just a brief reminder that tomorrow I will be drawing the winner of the Guilded Tarot Deck by Marchetti.  You can enter for a chance to win by clicking the link.  Blessings

Magical Twilight Realms and Timeless Wisdom - A Giveaway

Myths, fairy tales, and legends of times past have always been something that has held a special place in my heart of hearts. Who hasn’t in some form or another lost themselves into this genre and/or belief? Tarot likewise is a practice all its own. An insight into what is and what could be. A rendering of intuitive messages given to us from beyond.

I invite you to enter into a place that is between fantasy and reality. A magical twilight realm of timeless wisdom coupled with ageless symbols and archetypal themes. I speak of the Gilded Tarot. Renowned tarot artist Ciro Machetti uses the traditional structure of the Rider Waite tarot yet in his own mannerism creates a deeply rich colorful translation that is all his own. It is a world of fair maidens, knights and kings It is a place where one can find the wisdom of a mystic sage as well as the strength and beauty of the reigning queen.

Today’s giveaway is a chance to do just that. The winner will receive the Gilded Tarot deck along with the Gilded Tarot companion book by Barbara Moore. Also included is a handmade tarot bag of silver and purple.

All you have to do to be considered in the drawing is to leave a comment and be a follower of Ewitch. The drawing will be open through September 8th with the winner being drawn on September 9th.  Good luck to all of you!!

The Hanged One

This being human is a guest house.
Every moring is a new arrival.


A joy, a depressoin, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.


Welcome them and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrow,
who violently sweep your house
empty of it's furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably,
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.


The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.


Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
~Rumi~

It's hard to feel magickal, much less wanting to blog when I'm feeling disappointed, angry or hurt. I'm one of those people who, yes is attached to the very things that the Buddha warned us against, wordly goods, people, circumstances, etc...I'm not sure how to break that way of being either, other than to be conscious of it. I've also learned from some different Buddhist paths, that we need to be present with whatever we're feeling and experiencing for true "enlightenment." I'm involved with a project that I was really excited about when it first started and now it's falling apart. And I'm only doing what I can to maintain my own integrity and responsibility.

So, how do you feel magickal the once beautiful rose you saw first bloom is now sadly wilting, losing all its petals one by one?

I'm not just asking this as a rhetorical question, but I really want to know how each of you, push past this gloom and still emotionally acknowledge that much like the hanged man in the tarot cards, sometimes, the best we can do is surrender to the forces that be. I hate that thought, it sounds like a parent saying either, "Well, this is going to hurt me more than it will hurt you" or "It may not seem like it, but it's for your own good." I mean isn't that why we believe and practice magick? To give life a little nudge so that we can somehow request from our Gods, what we want and ask for their blessings?

I wrestle with the non-attachment to an outcome and letting go og the situation that is frustrating me so much right now.

I'll end this post, with some of my favorite quotes by Carl G. Jung who I've blogged about many times before. His wisdom and insight keeps me a bit more grounded and sane when life just sucks sometimes. I'm writing his quotes here, partly to remind  myself I'm not alone in this struggle and also maybe some of you might benefit from them too as you wrestle with your own demons and angels. And if any of you would like to tell me about how you balance believing in the magic of life when you're facing a less than desirable situation, I'd love to hear it.

"Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. It is far better take things as they come along with patience and equanimity."


"In all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order."

"The greatest and most important problems of life are all fundamentally insoluble. They can never be solved but only outgrown." 


"There is no coming to consciousness without pain."

"Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes." ~Carl G. Jung~