Divination Space Station : DJ Martin

Last updated on: September 11, 2017 at 6:53 am By Lilith Dorsey

Author DJ Martin. Photo provided by Author. All rights reserved.

Divination Space Station is the place where we stop to interview authors, psychics, and diviners from around the world. This time I am so excited to feature Author DJ Martin. DJ’s books include: Herbs, Medicinal, Magical, Marvelous; A Green Witch’s Formulary; Baneful! 95 of the World’s Worst Herbs; and A Green Witch’s Cupboard as well as the Ogre’s Assistant urban fantasy series.

When did you start divining? With what method?

Oh, heavens. I don’t remember when. A teenager? I started out with something-hanging-from-a-string a very long time ago for yes/no questions (which is all I knew about then).

Perhaps 20 years ago, I was attracted to runes. (Don’t remember the impetus for it.) So, I bought a cheap set of runes and started learning by reading books, rote memorization of the figures and meanings, and casting the stones. Once I decided I liked the method and that it worked for me, I purchased stones and made my own.

Which method do you use most often now?

I still use a “pendulum” (which is actually just one of the necklaces I wear). My life is settled enough that yes/no is usually all I need. If it’s more complicated, or if I’m doing a reading for someone else, then I use runes.

How important is the choice/phrasing of the question?

I think it’s important to be as precise as possible when asking a question. The more vague the question, the more vague the answer. On the other hand, a quick “what do I need to know for today/this week/this month”, while vague, will give you something to think about.

Depending on the querent’s issue(s), sometimes it has to be one question at a time. Other times, the questions sort of lead into one another and you can rephrase them all into one.

Do you have a yes/no method of divining you recommend?

I still use my necklace. Or you can use a purchased pendulum that has been cleansed. Or, a small stone tied to a string. You just need something weighted that can dangle freely. Hold it over your palm, get it to still, then ask it which direction is ‘yes’ and which is ‘no’. If you feel it necessary, test it by asking a question you know the answer to. Then ask your question.

This method requires a steady hand. If you don’t have one, there are stands specifically made to hold a pendulum. Otherwise:

I know some people use tarot cards. They ask their question then draw a card from the deck. When they flip it face-up, if it’s upright, the answer is ‘yes’; if reversed, the answer is ‘no’. That would work, too. (Too many playing cards are identical either direction to make those an easy use.)

Is there any advice you have for newcomers when using divination?

Keep an open mind. A lot of time, you won’t get the answer you were expecting, or the answer you wanted. But isn’t that why we ask questions in the first place?

Also, the answers runes give aren’t as detailed as those of tarot. To me, they require more thought on the matter. But to my way of thinking, any divination method is a guide, not a step-by-step instruction manual. So, making you think about the situation is no bad thing.

Are there any new projects you are developing?

Divination-wise? No. I’m comfortable with what I have. (Although, it’s getting time to re-mark my stones. They’re getting worn.) Writing? I’m in the final stages of research for another herb book and have the third book of my urban fantasy series in the back of my mind. I hope to have both of those out sometime next year.

Herbs Medicinal, Magical, Marvelous ! cover photo provided by publisher. All rights reserved.

Deborah J. Martin has practiced magical and medicinal herbalism for over thirty years, earning her Master Herbalist diploma from the American College of Healthcare Sciences. DJ Martin’s next appearance will be at the Hoot Owl Attic Metaphysical store in Atlanta, Georgia on September 23, 2017. If you would like to learn more about DJ Martin please check out her website www.authordjmartin.com

Divination Space Station : Little Luna

Last updated on: August 21, 2017 at 5:10 am By Lilith Dorsey

Little Luna photo courtesy of Snake Oil Tarot & Apothecary. All rights reserved.

Over the years here at the Divination Space Station we have presented and profiled many of the top psychics and readers throughout the world. This week is no exception, as we showcase Little Luna from Snake Oil Tarot & Apothecary. Little Luna is an amazing reader, and someone I am very honored to call a friend.

When did you start divining? With what method?

I started reading cards and experimenting with different methods of divining about 11 years ago. Being Latina, I grew up in a very catholic environment where these types of things were very taboo but I have always had an intense interest in spirituality although I’m not religious and my degree which started in Psychology, is in Religious Studies. I had acquired my first deck before this time but really had no idea how any of it worked. One day, I decided to get my cards read by a local reader when I was living in Baltimore and the reading felt more like manipulation to get me visit her more. She had said just enough to make me uneasy but not enough to shed light on anything I was going through. I had just become friends with an artist, astrologer and card reader named Cheryl Fair, so I told her what happened and to put my mind at ease, she offered to read my cards. The deck she pulled out was a Mah Jong deck by Derek Walter, and for some reason, sitting with her reading those cards a lot of things just fell into place and I began practicing with both Mah Jong and Tarot and discovering that I was a natural at it. When my friend needed emotional support we would get together for lunch once a week and read each other’s cards, that time learning with a knowledgeable friend was so valuable.

Which method do you use most often now?

I use both Tarot and Mah Jong. It depends on the setting and the feeling I get from the person and that determines what I read for them. The Tarot is based on western esoteric concepts and imagery and of course the Mah Jong is Chinese, and contains eastern concepts and imagery which give a different feel to the reading. Although the results are the same the symbolic language is a little different. I also use a pendulum and other methods for dousing for answers to questions for clients and myself.

How important is the choice/phrasing of the question?

Personally, I don’t require my clients to ask any initial questions for readings or really say anything, sometimes they want to tell me and sometimes they don’t. I have them draw cards and then I read what I see.

Do you have a yes/no method of divining you recommend?

Usually the surprising accuracy of this method will lead us into other questions about their situation, if there is something that remains unanswered at the end of the session, I help them formulate a yes or know question, and use my pendulum for the answer.

Is there any advice you have for newcomers when using divination?

The purpose of using divination is to connect with your own intuition which is part of how we are wired to survive. My advice to people new at exploring this would be to approach it as an art not expect it to be a science. Looking at a deck of cards for the first time is like looking at a surrealist painting your imagination must be open. When you are learning these methods to divine you are essentially trying to become well versed in the language of the unconscious, so studying a little Jungian psychology might help.

You have your radio show on WHIV, which is wonderful, are there any new projects you are developing?

I’ve been doing my show The Major Arcana Music Show, here in New Orleans on WHIV FM for over a year now and I really enjoy doing it. For this show I draw a tarot card and divine a playlist about the meaning of this card using various methods and my ipod. It’s been a great way for me to go even deeper with the tarot and see how these symbols are reflected in popular culture. Other than that, I am working out of my shop Snake Oil Tarot and Apothecary as well as reading for various events around town.

Little Luna owns Snake Oil Tarot & Apothecary in Metairie, LA. She was born in Albuquerque, NM. She has Co-produced the Snake Oil Festival in New Orleans for the past three years, which is dedicated to showcasing sideshow & variety arts.

9 Things to Know About Eclipse Magic

Last updated on: August 18, 2017 at 11:26 am By Lilith Dorsey

Solar Eclipse photo by NASA. Courtesy of Wikimedia commons. Licensed under CC 2.0

Eclipse magic can be a strong and powerful thing. The energy of the sun and moon are condensed for a short period of time and your magickal working will most certainly benefit from this. This is a good time to get a tarot reading, set up an altar or shrine, or perform a ritual.

This year on August 21, 2017 North America will experience a visible solar eclipse. The NASA website tells us “Anyone within the path of totality can see one of nature’s most awe inspiring sights – a total solar eclipse. This path, where the moon will completely cover the sun and the sun’s tenuous atmosphere – the corona – can be seen, will stretch from Salem, Oregon to Charleston, South Carolina. Observers outside this path will still see a partial solar eclipse where the moon covers part of the sun’s disk. ” The site will also be live streaming the eclipse, and providing valuable scientific information for kids and adults alike.

But what about the magic of the Eclipse ?

How do these energies work for or against your spells and rituals? Let’s make a list.

You don’t need to witness the eclipse to harness it’s power. Just like other celestial bodies and events, you are still affected even if you can’t see them.
Many cultures view the Eclipse as an omen. According to Smithsonian Magazine the Chiqutoan Manasi people of eastern Bolivia, “The sun was a resplendent man and the moon was his sister. Eclipses were caused by celestial serpents which attacked these luminaries, threatening mankind with darkness. This catastrophe was to be followed by the transformation of men into hairy animals and by their mutual extermination.” Pay special attention to signs and omens in your own life now, not just the ones involving politics.
Some Jewish folklore says that there was an eclipse when Adam an Eve left the garden of Eden. This makes the eclipse a great time for serpent magic, and for rites and rituals involving the ancient Goddess Lilith. For herbs and other offerings for this Goddess please see my post Lilith Dark Goddess of your Dreams.
Since an eclipse takes place over a condensed period of time you can use this to amplify your magic. Because of the limited time period some have said that eclipse magic is only for advanced practitioners. Personally, I believe if you aren’t capable of raising and harnessing energy in a short period of time, you should be working on that. The eclipse is about focus, and this is a good time to use your focus, along with the energy from above to create positive change.
Both solar and lunar eclipses are a great time for charging your crystals and other ritual items. One of my fellow Patheos bloggers Aliza Einhorn wrote this week “light your candles and kiss your rose quartz and pray for what you want, wish upon a star, and believe.”
In accordance with the nature of an eclipse being about dark and light, this is a great time to perform rituals about getting rid of unwanted energy and influences and bringing positive change. On pangyrea.org High Priestess Dusty Dionne gives instructions for a just such a ritual. “When the entirety of the sun is eclipsed: The God and Goddess will have merged, creating at its center the void, a fertile womb created by the coupling of these two divine energies. The light of our current reality will have disappeared with the rays of the sun. In this moment, we will plant a new “Seed Reality” in the center of that womb-like void. Visualize placing this beautiful celestial seed made of light and love directly into the center of the eclipse to grow in place of the reality that has dissolved with the darkness. Set it here in this window that will close as the eclipse moves on, leaving the Seed Reality safe between the worlds to grow and flourish. “
Expect the unexpected. It has always been part of my personality to help myself and others come to terms with certain life lessons can can be called universals. When I was younger this manifested in my hiding around corners and jumping out at my little sister yelling “expect the unexpected,” sorry sis. During an eclipse things can seem mixed up, jumbled, or backwards. You can use this energy to bring about drastic change and innovation.
The days leading up to, and also following an eclipse are also very powerful. This is a great time to collect rain water, if possible. You can also use this time to carve candles, blend oils, etc.
What many people don’t know is you can also use eclipse magic to charge up ritual items with the energy of the eclipse to save for later. That way you can have the effect of this powerful phenomenon anytime of year.

Enjoy the eclipse magic ! And as always if you have enjoyed what you read here please remember to share, share, share !

Tarot Every Witch Way- Food : Workshop and Video Series

Last updated on: July 27, 2017 at 7:45 pm By Lilith Dorsey

Tarot every witch way food photo. All rights reserved.

The beauty of the Tarot is that is comes through every witch way. There are many different ways to experience the power and knowledge of Tarot. People use books, practice, meditation and more. I’m so excited to tell you about my new workshop and video series Tarot Every Witch Way . The first workshop and video series will focus around food.

Many years ago I had a client come to me for a reading about her autistic son. It quickly became clear to me during the session that she needed to be able to have a deeper, and more inclusive relationship with what the cards were saying about her and her family. Maybe her son would be able to eat some magickally charged foods and internalize the advice that cards were giving him. It was then I began studying the relationship between tarot and food.

The same way each card has a meaning, it also has a corresponding food that will help guide you towards your proper path. By cooking and eating these foods you can gain insight into their true meaning for you and your situation.

Tarot Every Witch Way Video Series

July 9th 6pm – The Fool. We will be making Fool’s deviled eggs and I will be answering all your questions. The fool teaches us that the end is the beginning, and the beginning is the end. We must greet all new endings and beginnings with folly, and joy, and a full openness to possibility.

July 16th 6pm – The Magician. This week will feature New Orleans style ritual coffee. Yes, it has liquor. The Magician tarot card focuses on the first manifestations of realized potential. The combination of coffee and alcohol will show us what is possible with this card.

July 24 7pm – The High Priestess. To many the High Priestess Tarot card is associated with pomegranates. The sacred energy of the High Priestess is complex. She is both maiden and crone. Then also she is both hot and cool. It’s summertime, and I thought it most appropriate to prepare a summer dish for this card, so we will be making Cucumber Pomegranate Salad.

and so on every Sunday night (Goddess and technology permitting) …. The videos will be streaming live on my Facebook Lilith Dorsey Author Page, and the later available on my youtube channel too. Please like and subscribe to these so you don’t miss a thing.

Tarot Every Witch Way Worskhops

July 29th Tarot Society Brooklyn, NY Click Here to get tickets ! *****(Update postponed until August 12)

One of the most beautiful and intriguing things about the tarot is that it can be interpreted and experienced in an infinite number of ways. There are foods, oils, herbs, music, crystals, and more that can be used to help you better understand the cards.
Join me for this series of workshops where we examine “tarot every witch way.” Take one or all the classes as we dive into the depths of an ancient medium where few have truly tread.

This workshop will give an in depth culinary exploration of the major arcana cards and their corresponding foods. Learn how to better understand the cards through recipes and tastings. We will sample Fool’s Deviled Eggs to help with beginnings, endings and transitions in our lives. A sensual chocolate dessert to explore the Strength/Lust card is being served, and will be discovering much more as we fully taste the rainbow of delight the Tarot has to offer.

$15 + $5 fee for food (payable to Lilith at the class)

4 Charles Place, Brooklyn

All tickets final. Limited to 12 people.

Tricks , Tarot, and Treats for April Fools Day

Last updated on: March 30, 2017 at 4:59 am By Lilith Dorsey

The Holy Mountain picture by Christopher Dombres. Licensed under CC 2.0

April 1st is the day reserved for April Fools Day. For a long time it has been a celebration of tricks and foolishness. No one is exactly sure how this celebration got started but there are a few theories. Let’s check them out.

Tricks are for Fish and Lions

In my post A Fool, A Fish, A First I explain some of the best customs surrounding the April Fools Day holiday. One comes from the French. The story goes that when the French adopted a new calendar with January 1st as the start of the year, some rural people still continued to celebrate April 1st as the beginning of the year. These people were often called ‘April fools.’ They were teased and mocked by having paper fish stuck to their backs and called ‘poisson d’avril,’ or April fish.

Playing tricks on April Fools Day is nothing new. Hoaxes.org tells us an “April 2, 1698 edition of Dawks’s News-Letter (a British newspaper) reported that ‘Yesterday being the first of April, several persons were sent to the Tower Ditch to see the Lions washed.’ Sending gullible victims to the Tower of London to see the “washing of the lions” (a non-existent ceremony) was a popular prank. It became traditional for this prank to be played on April Fool’s Day. Examples of it occur as late as the mid-nineteenth century. ”

Tarot Card Poem : The Fool Unplugged

While the Fool has a place in history, he also has a place in the Tarot, and that place is numbered zero. It comes before all the rest, outside and in-between just like fools themselves. The Fool card in a way is everything in the tarot, and nothing. It is the alpha and omega, and here anything is possible. The joy of the Fool is in the beginning. It is the number zero. This is quite fitting. This card is spiritual impulse, nonchalance, mania, and sacred sight all at once. Please watch this performance of my poem about the fool.

Cooking Up New Beginnings for April Fools Day

Deviled eggs for ritual photo by Lilith Dorsey. Copyright 2010.

My new book Love Magic includes my favorite recipe for saluting this energy is Fool’s Eggs. It is great for rituals and situations involving new beginnings.

Fool’s Eggs Recipe

12 eggs, hard-boiled

1/2 cup chipotle mayonnaise

1/4 cup sweet relish

1 tsp. Dill, dried

1 tsp. Garlic powder

1 tsp. Onion powder

1 tsp. Chives, minced

salt and pepper to taste

paprika for garnish

Peel and Slice eggs in half. Scoop out yolks into a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well and add salt and pepper. Spoon filling back into egg whites. Keep refrigerated until serving. Makes 24 halves.

How are you celebrating April fools day ? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. If you would like to book a tarot reading please check out my website lilithdorsey.com to make an appointment. As for me I’m off to wash the lions. Stay foolish people and don’t forget to share this post !

Love Crystals : Rose Quartz

Last updated on: February 1, 2017 at 5:31 am By Lilith Dorsey

Love Crystals Rose Quartz photo by Lilith Dorsey. All rights reserved.

When witches think love magick they think Rose Quartz. It is a standard crystal for accessing both personal and divine love, friendship, and healing. Often referred to as the heart stone, this has been prized as a talisman for love for thousands of years. Used everywhere on everything from Ancient Persia, Egyptian tombs, and Asian beauty spells, you can certainly use it’s great benefits today.

Rose Quartz and Aphrodite

Aphrodite is one of the most popular goddesses of love. She can be honored with pieces of Rose Quartz as an offering, or jewelry can be made from this stone to connect with her loving energy and blessings. The site thehealingchest.com gives a nice re-telling of the story of Aphrodite and this precious stone. “Aphrodite became trapped in a thorn bush while rushing to assist Adonis when Ares, the God of War, attacked him. Aphrodite arrived too late to save Adonis. Because of their powerful love, the blood of Aphrodite and Adonis spilled onto the quartz beneath them. From that point on, the quartz in the area had a rose quartz color. Their story of love is deeply tied to rose quartz meaning.”

Rose Quartz is also sacred to several other goddesses. The stone can be used as an offering for Freya, Yemaya, Venus, Isis, and Hathor. This ancient crystal is prized by many goddesses and is ultimately used to contact the divine feminine. You can use this stone to connect with the universal love energy of these deities. Do this by wearing jewelry, using it on their altar or shrine, placing the stone under you bed, or carrying it in your pocket.

Rose Quartz and Divination

Rose Quartz can be very useful in helping with divination. You can get a pendulum made of the stone and do readings about love and friendship with it. As an added benefit bless your pendulum with rose water and rose incense to cleans it between uses. A rose quartz pendulum can also be very helpful in Chakra re-balancing work. The stone vibrates with the heart chakra and can help to open you up to love healing and emotional breakthroughs.

The stone is also helpful for use in divination with tarot cards. You can keep the stone in your tarot bag, or on your divination altar when you are doing readings for love. Rose Quartz is associated with The Lovers card in the tarot. Use it to meditate with for better understanding of this card and its meaning.

Care and keeping of Rose Quartz

Let me start by saying don’t put this in the sun, doing so will cause it’s rosy pink color to fade. It order to clean the energy of this crystal you can wash it in rose water or spring water, bury it in the earth, or cover it with salt. This will help to ground and also recharge the natural energy of the stone.

Rose Quartz Water

In my new book Love Magic (now available everywhere books are sold,) I give a recipe for Rose Quartz Water. This type of quartz is traditionally a stone of great love and healing. This magickal water spell can be added to a bath, sprinkled about the home, or even placed in a spray bottle and used whenever necessary.

Ingredients:

1 cup Rose water

1 cup Spring water

1 piece Rose quartz

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl on the eve of the full moon. Place the bowl outside where the moon’s rays will touch and bless it. Leave it there overnight. The next morning it will be ready for use.

As always if you have enjoyed what you read here please remember to share, share, share the love !

Heritage Recipe: Pain Patate – Sweet Potato Pudding

Last updated on: December 28, 2016 at 7:42 pm By Lilith Dorsey

Pain patate photo by Lilith Dorsey. All rights reserved. — Pain patate recipe photo by Lilith Dorsey. All rights reserved.

In Haitian households a Pain Patate recipe is a time honored heritage tradition. The great thing about heritage recipes is that you can make them at anytime. You can cook them up for an ancestor or family celebration, or just to add a little bit of history to your everyday table. Obviously this is a great recipe to make for Kwanzaa, Samhain or Haitian Independence Day (January 1st.)

Even though Pain Patate is a traditional food, most people outside of Haiti are not familiar with it. The recipe combines white sweet potatoes (don’t use orange ones,) bananas, and coconut to make a delicious treat. It also makes use of tropical spices and flavors- like cinnamon and lime.

Pain Patate Recipe

2 lbs. White Sweet Potatoes (peeled and grated)

2 ripe bananas (peeled and sliced)

1/2 cup raisins

1 cup Brown sugar

1 tsp. grated ginger

1/2 tsp. grated lime zest

1/4 tsp. salt

12 oz. evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups coconut milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

3 tbs. melted butter

Heat your oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 by 13 inch pan with butter. Mash the bananas together in a large bowl with the grated sweet potato. Next add the raisins, brown sugar, and the remaining ingredients one at a time. Mix well after each new addition. Spread the mixture evenly in your pan and bake. Cook for 80-90 minutes. Test with a toothpick to make sure your Pain Patate is done. You can cool for 10 minutes and serve warm with whipped cream. But some people believe this only gets better with time, so you can also try cooling the recipe for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator and serving with ice cream and/or rum sauce.

Thanks for reading and enjoy ! Please let me know in the comments below if you try this recipe? Let me know if it’s different than the one your used to? Or just let me know your favorite Kwanzaa recipe for this time of year? And don’t forget to share this post, just like you share this food !