[eli-strange-occult]

14 Card Spread: The New Year

Last year I tried this spread for the coming year. I liked it, but this time I wanted to create a system of my own, focusing on the things I consider most important. This is the result:

1. Keyword: Core This card is the one below #2 in the picture. A keyword for the new year, a sort of headline of what your main focus will be, what your new year will be about at its core.

2. Keyword: Context A context for the core, providing further explanation as to what area(s) of your life will be affected or where/how this process will take place.

3. What do I take with me from the previous year? The most important thing - perhaps a new insight or an experience - that you will bring with you from the previous year into this new one. Something to learn from, or something that you still need to solve in order to make progress and evolve. Depending on the card you draw in this position, it could be something that holds you back, or something that will aid you in your progress. A symbol of the past.

4. Focus for my mundane life What you should or will focus on in your everyday life. This could be about your living situation, work, education, relationships - anything that occurs on the material plane.

5. Focus for my occult practice What you should or will focus on in your spiritual, magickal, occult - whatever you call it - work. Could be a clue as to where you should go next, if you don’t already know, or a hint of what you might learn this year.

6. January-March: What will hold me back? Any challenges or problems you might have to deal with during the first three months of the year. Something you have to work through, something that seems difficult.

7. January-March: What will help me move forward? Something that could make it easier to overcome the obstacles. Something that will feel easy, flow without troubles. Something that makes you feel good and helps you grow and develop.

8, 10 & 12. Same as #6 but for April-June, July-September, October-December, respectively.

9, 11 & 13. Same as #7 but for April-June, July-September, October-December, respectively.

14: What will I take with me into the next year? Same as #3 but from this new year into the following year.

General comments

The reason I picked even numbers for what’s holding you back, is that even numbers symbolize status quo to me, and status quo, to me, is stagnation. There is also a numerological significance behind the numbers 6 and 7 which I think suits this choice.

For the same reason, odd numbers signify movement for me, hence the choice to make them symbolize what helps you move forward - away from the status quo.

If you feel the opposite regarding the above, you can switch meaning of the even and odd numbers to make the spread suit your purposes.

Cards #4 and #5 are probably self-explanatory, with as above, so below.

Same goes for #3 and #14, which are past and future (if you read the spread from left to right) - if you read it from right to left, you might want to switch places for these cards.

Let me know what you think if you try this out!

[eli-strange-occult]

Reblogging my own post since it’s New Year’s once again, and people seemed to appreciate this one.

[eli-strange-occult]

Grimoire

... or a more serious kind of magical journal. I’ll only put the good stuff in this one.

[eli-strange-occult]

The Emerald Tablet

[eli-strange-occult]

Chestnut Pentacle

I desperately required a pentacle for a ritual and didn’t have any good material, so I made one out of a chestnut and gold marker. I have now replaced it with a proper one, but carry this in my pocket everywhere I go. It helps me ground.

[eli-strange-occult]

Hi! Do you do readings? 🤔

Sure! I do “smaller” readings for free, bigger stuff (like the Celtic Cross) I can’t afford to do for free atm unfortunately. But let me know if you want a reading on a specific topic/question(s) or a general/open reading!

[eli-strange-occult]

OMG! I just love your tumblr, really good, I read for me the "14 card spread" and everything that appeared for me in the cards was right, I mean, I'm not sure about my future, but about my past... was really right. Thank u for that.

Thank you so so much! This made me so happy!!

[eli-strange-occult]

Adjustment / Justice

My mother asked me if I could draw a picture for her, with the tarot card I think best represents her. It was an easy choice.

It’s heavily inspired by Thoth obviously, but not only. Not sure if it’s completely finished yet but close enough.

[eli-strange-occult]

I am sorry it was really late for me when I wrote that. I meant what do you do to make pictures of your speads. I hope that's clearer.

Ah I think so. I just take a pic of the spread and add the numbers in an app called Line Camera!

[eli-strange-occult]

Do you have a copy of what the live long and prosper spice mixes are? When I followed your link it said the blog was not found

That’s strange... I might have changed my url and not updated the links, thanks for telling me! Here you go:

2 SPICE MIXES FOR PROSPERITY

Live Long- Dried ginger- Finely chopped almonds- Dried Seville orange peel- Dried orange peel

Grind all ingredients using mortar and pestle. Put in a jar. Done!

Prosper (hehe yep I just did that)- Earl Grey tea leaves (for bergamot)- Cinnamon- Cloves- Nutmeg

Grind and put in jar.

[eli-strange-occult]

Where do you go to plan out your spreads for pictures?

Not sure what you mean by “go to”, but the best answer I can give you is: my mind.

I sit down and write a list of what info I want the spread to include (like what questions etc it’s supposed to answer). Then I create a spread from: 1. type of spread/theme, 2. number of questions (= number of cards), and 3. creativity. Usually I make a sketch first, to try out different ways of arranging the cards.

Does that answer your question? Feel free to tell me if not, I might have misunderstood what you’re asking.

[eli-strange-occult]

14 Card Spread: The New Year

Last year I tried this spread for the coming year. I liked it, but this time I wanted to create a system of my own, focusing on the things I consider most important. This is the result:

1. Keyword: Core This card is the one below #2 in the picture. A keyword for the new year, a sort of headline of what your main focus will be, what your new year will be about at its core.

2. Keyword: Context A context for the core, providing further explanation as to what area(s) of your life will be affected or where/how this process will take place.

3. What do I take with me from the previous year? The most important thing - perhaps a new insight or an experience - that you will bring with you from the previous year into this new one. Something to learn from, or something that you still need to solve in order to make progress and evolve. Depending on the card you draw in this position, it could be something that holds you back, or something that will aid you in your progress. A symbol of the past.

4. Focus for my mundane life What you should or will focus on in your everyday life. This could be about your living situation, work, education, relationships - anything that occurs on the material plane.

5. Focus for my occult practice What you should or will focus on in your spiritual, magickal, occult - whatever you call it - work. Could be a clue as to where you should go next, if you don’t already know, or a hint of what you might learn this year.

6. January-March: What will hold me back? Any challenges or problems you might have to deal with during the first three months of the year. Something you have to work through, something that seems difficult.

7. January-March: What will help me move forward? Something that could make it easier to overcome the obstacles. Something that will feel easy, flow without troubles. Something that makes you feel good and helps you grow and develop.

8, 10 & 12. Same as #6 but for April-June, July-September, October-December, respectively.

9, 11 & 13. Same as #7 but for April-June, July-September, October-December, respectively.

14: What will I take with me into the next year? Same as #3 but from this new year into the following year.

General comments

The reason I picked even numbers for what’s holding you back, is that even numbers symbolize status quo to me, and status quo, to me, is stagnation. There is also a numerological significance behind the numbers 6 and 7 which I think suits this choice.

For the same reason, odd numbers signify movement for me, hence the choice to make them symbolize what helps you move forward - away from the status quo.

If you feel the opposite regarding the above, you can switch meaning of the even and odd numbers to make the spread suit your purposes.

Cards #4 and #5 are probably self-explanatory, with as above, so below.

Same goes for #3 and #14, which are past and future (if you read the spread from left to right) - if you read it from right to left, you might want to switch places for these cards.

Let me know what you think if you try this out!

[eli-strange-occult]

10 Card Spread: Cross of the Current

OK so it’s not technically only focused on the current moment, but I like alliteration and it sounded nice.

Sometimes, especially when I’ve been caught up in “mundane” activities or feel stressed or like I’ve lost touch with myself, I like to do a spread that’s not meant to answer a specific, well-formulated question, but rather bring my focus back and sort of ground me in the current situation I’m in. Something to tell me what I should focus on, and where to go from here. I usually use spreads like the Celtic Cross for that type of situation, but this time I tweaked it a bit to focus on the aspects I find most important and digging deeper into them.

The spread turned out like a Celtic Cross minus the “right-hand row” plus some context. Some might feel it’s excessive to put a context to each card, but I feel like I get a deeper and much more detailed image of what’s going on. Of course, you could skip the context-cards and make a simpler cross, but I would advise to at least keep card number 2.

(Card #1 is the one beneath #2)

1. Core of the situation This card is a keyword for the situation as a whole. It tells you what to focus on, where you should spend your energy - what it’s all about. Call it a headline if you will.

2. Context of the situation Describes what area of your life is affected, where this “situation” takes place. Example: the first card could advise you to make more of an effort - then this card will tell you if that effort should be made in e.g. your love life, magickal work, career, home, or whatever.

3. Internal influences Energies within yourself that are important in this process.

4. Context of internal influences Describes "where” those internal energies are important. Example: the third card is about feeling drained and tired - then this card will tell you if that is emotionally, mentally or physically drained, or what is causing these energies to rise up, etc.

5. External influences Something that is affecting the process, e.g. other people, work, or more metaphysical energies. Anything that’s coming from sources outside yourself.

6. Context of external influences Same as with the fourth card, but explaining the external influences.

7. Past What has lead you to this point, what factors, experiences or events have happened that have put you in this process or on this path.

8. Context of past You get the drill by now I guess.

9. Future Where you should go from here, where to aim or strive. It could also tell you something of the result of this process, if the situation is something that has an “ending” or goal.

10. Context of future What area of your life will be affected in the future, or what sort of medium the results will be manifested in. Example: the ninth card tells you of prosperity - then this card will explain whether that prosperity is related to personal development, financial wealth, love or relationships, etc.

[eli-strange-occult]

Sigils: Post-op Healing

Had surgery a bit over 2 weeks ago. Plan to draw these thingies on my compression vest.

Used the D’ni alphabet for these.

[eli-strange-occult]

moon in leo: i rarely get mad at people

moon in leo: but when i do, i bite their heads off and eat their corpses to erase them from earth

[eli-strange-occult]

[eli-strange-occult]

Eli Riven Tarot: The Devil

The Devil of my deck is Ghen. Not a difficult choice. Ghen represents much of the same things the Devil represents in a tarot deck, at least to me.

Temptation, power, allure, materialism, wealth, manipulation, glory, science, earth, the dark side.

[eli-strange-occult]

Eli Riven Tarot: The Art

This card is usually called Temperance, but I like the name from the Thoth deck, and it seemed more appropriate for the Riven/Myst theme of my deck. In the game, the writing and creation of so called Linking Books is referred to as just that - The Art - much like The Art of magic and alchemy.

Apart from the imagery inspired by the game, the symbolism in the card is similar to that of Art in Thoth; the green clothing with flies, as well as the writing on the wall (which is the same alchemical motto as in the Thoth deck - Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem = Visit the interior of the Earth, and rectifying/purifying you shall find the hidden/secret Stone - but in the alphabet of D’ni).