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| Tarot Magic by Paul Hughes-Barlow |
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| (Page 1) | | The beauty of the Tarot is its ability to assimilate just about every magickal system in one way or another into the structure of the cards. The magical aspects of the Tarot is not as well known or appreciated as much as it should be. My own experience is that used properly, the Tarot is unequalled as a magickal tool, and the means to develop new techniques.
Why do you need to know magickal Tarot? Quite simply, in a divination, the Tarot can indicate that magic is influencing a person, the outcome, or the querent having the reading. Not only that, but the 'cure' for such a problem can also be determined. The details of how to do this are found in my book Tarot and the Magus.
Trying to work out the magician, magical system or spirit behind black magic is like finding a needle in a haystack, but the Tarot is such a good forensic system that magicians ignore it at their peril.
Atbash
Atbash is known as a simple transposition code in kabbalism, but it hides a powerful magickal system. My book, Tarot and the Magus is based upon the pairing of the Major Arcana, which is the basis of the system. Small wonder that the Goetic and Liber 231 spirits appeared while I was writing the book.
Shamanism
There seems to be a belief that Ceremonial Magic is the only way to perform magic. This is fine if you work in a Lodge structure as found in the Golden Dawn, or in Wicca, (whose rituals are GD based), but what if you do not or you work alone? Despite not having been a member of any magical organization, I have been performing magic successfully for many years - and without performing any rituals.
My preferred method for working magick is a mixture of visualization, intention and Shamanism. Shamanism involves working in an altered state of consciousness or trance. There are various methods of inducing trance, and with practice, the trance state can be achieved in seconds. Contemplating the Tarot cards can invoke a trance state, which assists in developing seeing visualizations. The best method for developing trance and visionary states is to use the Counting Technique of the Opening of the Key Spread. Developing Will is closely related to the ability to maintain a trance state. Alcohol and other drugs have been used to develop trance states, and while some drugs will undoubtedly assist in developing concentration and will, you have to ask the question: what do you do if you have to enter a trance state to perform magic, and you have none of the drugs (apart from alcohol almost all of them are illegal), you normally use available? Unless you have practiced getting into the state using natural means, you will have a problem! While not being approved of by the authorities, the possession of Tarot is usually legal, if charging for a reading is not, so if you practice with the Tarot you will always be ready.
Goetia and the Minor Cards
The Goetic spirits are notorious in the occult world. The 72 Goetic spirits are probably the most misunderstood of all magical systems. The Goetia are discussed in the Abramelin rituals as part of the magician attaining his or her Holy Guardian Angel. The best example in recent times is Aleister Crowley's attempt while at Boleskin, Scotland. The Abramelin book is mediaeval, and so all spirits are portrayed as demonic in some form. The rituals used by magicians to invoke the Goetia have barely changed for centuries, and are unsophisticated at best, and barbaric at worst. The dangers of Goetic ritual are such that the Magician is more likely to harm himself than the intended victim. The nature of the Goetia are coloured by such perceptions. Treat spirits as demonic, and they will appear demonic, and act demonically.
All is not lost since there are divination techniques using the Tarot that will, with practice create a rapport with the Goetic spirits, who will appear voluntarily, and are very friendly and helpful, which is a marked contrast to traditional methods. My own experiences of the Goetia are found in Tarot and the Magus.
The method used to associate the Goetia with Tarot is rather contrived. Instead of trying to associate them with 72 of the cards, they were instead doubled up as a Night and Day spirit, and associated with the decanates and the Minor cards from the 2's through to the 10's.
Liber 231 and the Major Cards
Liber 231 by Aleister Crowley details two sets of 22 spirits associated with the Major Arcana. The Mercurial set are discussed in the Book of Thoth, while the Imprisoned spirits are not mentioned. Liber 231 itself is very short, since it contains the full set of sigils for each of the spirits, and 22 verses. Kenneth Grant in Nightside of Eden describes his experiences after invoking the spirits using ritual magick (which presupposes a demonic nature - and that is what he found!). Linda Falorio was inspired by Grant's work to create the Shadow Tarot of 22 Major cards, and soon to be published as a full deck of 78 cards. Until recently, Grant and Falorio were the the only published sources, but while I was writing Tarot and the Magus they appeared, and guided me to write many of the sections of the book.
Enochian Magic
Enochian Magic is quite possibly the most powerful magical system, but it requires great technical ability and talent. However, Enochian is intimately related to the Tarot, so any magician who is adept at the Tarot will have a head start.
Eastern Systems
Vedic philosophies have been analysing the four elements in terms of cosmology. The interaction of the four elements is alchemical in nature, so we can use the insights for Tarot. The Reiki system of healing is based on the four elements and spirit. | | | (Page 1) |
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