SO “DIVINE” : A WEEKEND AT THE DENVER TAROT CONVENTION

 Welcome to The Divination Nation blog!
 We are Pleasant Gehman and Crystal Ravenwolf, a duo of divination divas, “spiritual sisters from another mister”. Both of us are life-long Tarotistas, obsessed with all things esoteric and paranormal. We’ve created this blog to share our knowledge and to connect with the vibrant worldwide metaphysical community. Aside from Tarot, we practice many other forms of divination and metaphysical disciplines, including Reiki and energy healing, pendulum divining, dousing, crystal work, mediumship, house cleansings, and more. We read for clients, write, lecture and teach together as well as working solo. For years, we’ve worked as professional belly dancers, and since 2009, we’ve been doing paranormal investigations, exploring public and private sites that are reputed to be haunted.  Currently, we’re working on our book, “ Walking The Tarot Path”.
We’d love for this blog to be relevant for metaphysically-inclined peeps at every stage of development from absolute beginners to seasoned professionals, our posts will range from basic concepts and info that many of you are undoubtedly familiar with, to interviews, how-to’s and reviews on events and products.
We hope this blog is as fun for you to read as it is for us to write…Enjoy!

The Tarosophy Tarot Association brought its moveable feast of knowledge to Denver, Colorado June 26-28, 2015, and what an event it was. TarotCon, produced in conjunction with the Denver Tarot MeetUp, and sponsored by Isis Books And Gifts, took place in the historic Althea Center For Engaged Spirituality. The gorgeous Belle Epoque building in the Congress Hill neighborhood was the perfect spot for a weekend devoted to the esoteric and the art of divination.  For 48 hours straight, the historic hall purred relentlessly with the sound of dozens of Tarot decks being shuffled simultaneously.

The theme Take Your Tarot To The Stars played out literally with a galaxy of legendary Tarot and divination stars including Mary K. Greer, Richard Hartnett, Austin Cappock, Lisa De San Croix, Joy Vernon, and   Tarot Association co-founders Marcus Katz and Tali Goodwin…among many more.  The weekend kicked off with a high-energy keynote speech by James Wanless Ph.D about the relevance-and possibilities for- Tarot in modern times.  The workshops and lectures went on all weekend with three scheduled in each time slot, making it really tough to decide which classes to take, because they were all so good.  The rounds of enthusiastic applause at the conclusion of every workshop attested to the expertise of the instructors.

Tali Goodwin and Marcus Katz

  

The workshops we opted for were each nothing short of brilliant- in fact, our brains were literally shattered in some of the classes!

 Author of ten books, scholar, teacher Mary K. Greer started off Saturday. Her class, informed by her nearly fifty years   of hands-on experience, “The Fool’s Progress” began with a pictorial history of The Fool through the centuries, went on to explore A.E. Waite’s secret traditions and imagery and culminated in a brilliant way to read   your own individual Soul’s Progress.

 The celebrated author of sixteen books on the occult and magick, Lon Milo DuQuette taught “The Lesser Arcana: Keys To Specific Dates And Geographic Locations”. Also a musician, he began the class by busting out his guitar and jovially singing to the students.   His teaching style is warm and often hilariously funny, tempering the intensity of his knowledge of the esoteric.   The focus, of course, was on Tarot, specifically his own system of divination, but DuQuette pulled info from his background in Hermetic Kabbalah, the I-Ching, and numerology. The class was so complex and multi-layered, it’s a safe bet to say that he officially blew the minds of every person in attendance!

 Another brain-twister / mind-blower was Austin Coppock’s “A Deck Of Faces: The Hidden History Of The Pip Cards”. The young, clean-cut Coppock is an intellectual and highly engaging speaker; a tarot reader, astrological consultant and writer.  For a full hour and a half, without once referring to notes, he lectured on archeo- astronomy, astrology and the Decans, the thirty-six “Faces Of Heaven”, which for many millennia were the often neglected invisible connection between ancient Egypt and contemporary Tarot.  There is no way in hell we could even start to describe how amazing his class was, but we suggest buying his informative book on the Decans, 36 Faces, which was published in 2014 on Three Hands Press.

Offerings from the Tarot Garden

 Thankfully, the workshops were scheduled with a half-hour break between each session, allowing our mental palates to be cleared by browsing the vending area. We had a grand time picking through the vintage, rare, collectable (and often extremely amusing) decks offered up by the Tarot Garden.

  Some of the workshops were a little less intense in…. ahem…spirit, while at the same time being incredibly informative. Carrie Paris taught “ Collection Oracles and Charm Casting With Tarot For Accurate Results”.  A Lenormand deck author, she also has an interactive website, Talking Tarot.com.  After a short history of ancient casting divination (bones, shells, dice) she handed out pre-made bags of charms and dice and taught divination with these articles in conjunction with Tarot.

 On Saturday and Sunday during the lunch break, the engaging Shaheen Miro hosted  “The Gypsy Tea Party: Exploring Tasseography”. Tassepgraphy, or cup divination, can be done with coffee, tealeaves or even wine sediment, but Shaheen focused on tea leaves.  The multi-talented Shaheen is Tarot reader, energy worker and fashion designer, as well as a blogger.  He had an incredibly detailed and visually pleasing information packet full of great graphics, and taught in a humorous, easy style. The week before the convention, TarotCon volunteers scoured Denver’s many thrift stores for a variety of vintage tea cups and saucers, which each attendee got to select for use in class as well as keep for a souvenir- and future readings. This class was so much fun, that Mary K. Greer even joined in, rolling up her sleeves and tipping her tea cup!

 

Erik C. Dunne and Pleasant at TarotCon

 On the first day of TarotCon, we met-and bonded with- a charming, witty guy. During the course of our first chat, we discovered that he was also involved with feral cat rescue, which made him all the more endearing.  After a little while- please imagine a teenage girl saying “Duh!” while rolling her eyes- we realized we were talking to none other than Erik C. Dunne, artist extraordinaire and creator of the absolutely exquisite Tarot Illuminati, one of the most coveted decks on the market today.

The beautiful Tarot Illuminati, created by Erik C. Dunne

Not only was Eric a delight to hang out with, he appeared on the immensely informative Deck Creators Panel. Along with   Erik, a number of artists discussed their varied creative processes, and the nuts and bolts of Tarot deck creation, from conceptualization to self-publishing vs. going with a major company.

 Appearing were Toney Brooks of Chrysalis Tarot fame; Jonathan Saiz, Jason Gruhl and Andi Torado, makers of The Fountain Tarot; Beth Seilonen, creator of The Blue Cat Tarot and many more decks, Lisa De St. Croix of the eponymously named Tarot De St. Croix, and   Darkana deck-meister Daniel Donche.  Everyone on the panel shared info freely, and there were quite a lot of laughs too.

Tali Goodwin and Marcus Katz moderating the Tarot Deck Creation Panel at TarotCon, Denver

 The weekend concluded with authors  &  event producers Marcus Katz and Tali Goodwin teaching a brand new workshop called  “Practical And Profound Tarot Reading”, jam-packed full of information on the Tarot and Kabalistic connections, plus in-class exercises as well as a great spread.

All in all, this was an amazingly well organized event- it ran like clockwork!

 The Tarosophy Association has two more up-coming events in 2015, one in the UK this September, and one in Miami in October.  If you’re interested in quality education- and a having a damn good time while you learn- check them out.

 Links to the Tarosophy Tarot Association, there worldwide events, plus the websites of   the instructors and artists mentioned here are below, please visit and support them.

 

The Tarosophy Association. www.tarotassociation.net/

 Info on upcoming Tarosophy  Tarot Conventions: http://www.tarotconvention.com/

Mary K. Greer’s wonderful blog: www.marygreer.wordpress.com

Lon Milo DuQuette’s website: www.londuquette.com

Austin Coppock’s website: www.austincoppock.com

 Carrie Paris’ websites; www.carrieParis.com , www.talkingtarot.com

 Shaheen Miro’s website: www.shaheenmiroinsights.com

Erik C. Dunne’s Tarot Illuminati  Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tarot-Illuminati/283151041725608

Purchase Tarot Illuminati: http://www.llewellyn.com/product.php?ean=9780738737904

 Rare and  collectable decks at The Tarot Garden:  www.tarotgarden.com 

The Denver Tarot Meetup:

http://www.meetup.com/DenverTarot/

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We’d love to connect with you!
Visit our website: www.thedivinationnation.com
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDivinationNation?fref=ts
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TarotAlimah
To find out more about Pleasant click here: http://www.pleasantgehman.com/
For more on Crystal, click here http://www.crystalravenwolf.com  
Send an email here: divinationnation@yahoo.com    

 LEARN TO CONDUCT YOUR OWN PARANORMAL INVESTIGATIONS.... AND COME ON A GHOST HUNT WITH US!
  SAT. AUGUST 8, 2015 IN THE FRESNO, CA.  AREA
 All info is here: 
https://www.facebook.com/events/933092746729155/

ALL HANDS ON DECK: TAROT, LENORMAND AND ORACLE CARDS

 Welcome to The Divination Nation blog!

 We are Pleasant Gehman and Crystal Ravenwolf, a duo of divination divas,

 “spiritual sisters from another mister”. Both of us are life-long Tarotistas, obsessed with all things esoteric and paranormal. We met and bonded in 2009 on a paranormal investigation onboard The Queen Mary.  We’ve created this blog to share our knowledge and to connect with the vibrant worldwide metaphysical community. Aside from Tarot, we practice many other forms of divination and metaphysical disciplines, including Reiki and energy healing, pendulum divining, dousing, crystal work, soul retrieval, mediumship, house cleansings, and more. We read for clients, write, lecture and teach together as well as working solo. For years, we’ve worked as professional belly dancers, and after our gigs we go on ghost hunts, exploring public and private sites that are reputed to be haunted.  Currently, we’re working on our book walking The Tarot Path.

Since we’d love for this blog to be relevant for metaphysically-inclined peeps at every stage of development from absolute beginners to seasoned professionals, our posts will range from basic concepts and info that many of you are undoubtedly familiar with, to stuff that just might make your head explode!

We hope this blog is as fun for you to read as it is for us to write…Enjoy!

 We get a lot of  questions from our clients and curious friends asking what the difference is between the various types of cards used in divination. Quite often, students attending one of our Tarot workshops will come in with an Oracle card deck, not realizing that they have little in common with Tarot…aside from the fact that they’re both printed on card stock! While it’s true that the many forms of divination cards have some similarities, they each have their own systems and traditions. And nowadays, there are so many different types of cards-and so many imaginative artists creating them- it almost adds to the confusion.  Perhaps the following will help you to comprehend the differences- and in some cases, consistencies-in each type of cards.

Rider Waite Smith Tarot Cards

TAROT CARDS

Undoubtedly the most well-known card divination system, Tarot is probably the oldest, too. Many believe that Tarot has its origins in Egypt, but the oldest remaining Tarot cards were hand painted, commissioned by the Visconti-Sforza family, nobility from Milan, Italy. Though there are many different types of Tarot cards and divinatory systems followed for cards to be considered a “true” Tarot deck, certain elements must be present.

A classic Tarot deck is made up of 78 cards, broken down into the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana. Composed of 22 cards, the Major Arcana usually signifies larger life events during readings.  It also tells the universal story of the Fool (the first card in a Tarot deck, or number zero) and his journey. The Minor Arcana, like regular playing cards, has four distinct suits: Pentacles, Cups, Swords and Wands. Although some artists get creative and assign different names to the suits,  (such as coins, discs, batons, rods, chalices, etc.) each suit correlates to a different element. Pentacles represent earth, Cups correspond to water, Swords are linked to air, and Wands to fire. Within each suit there are always 16 Court (or Pip) cards- Kings, Queens, Knights and Pages, as well as the  Ace and the numbered cards which follow it. 

Tarot cards can be read in both the upright and reversed positions, though some readers prefer not to interpret  the meanings of reversed cards. This seems to be more of stylistic debate, depending on  the preference of the card reader and/or the way they learned.

 Also worth noting: with the popularity of  Tarot and the vast amount of cards on the market today, some deck creators rename certain cards. For example: Knights and Pages might appear as Princes and Princesses…but the meaning of the card  still remains the same. Regardless of any artistic liberties, the structure of the Tarot deck remains unchanged. There are countless brands and variations of Tarot cards available these days, from beautiful reproductions of historical decks to wild, post-modern creations and even kitschy  decks and limited edition collectable decks.

LENORMAND CARDS

 German Lenormand card, The Scythe

Lenormand cards are named after the celebrated cartomancer Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand. Perhaps one of the most storied fortunetellers of all time, she practiced divination through reading playing cards. Born in 1772 in Alencon, France, Madame Lenormand gained recognition by advising Napoleon Bonaparte, among many prominent people, and also wrote a number of literary texts.

 Like Tarot, traditional Lenormand decks also have a certain structure, consisting of 36 cards, each with an allegorical image. Many Lenormand decks are imprinted with the pictures of regular playing cards in addition to their symbolic images, which are completely different than Tarot cards. In Lenormand, unlike Tarot, the cards are divided into positive, negative and neutral associations.  Also, in a  Lenormand spread,  divinatory interpretations are not assigned to the positions; instead, each card sort of adds onto other cards, to enhance one another and create a the full reading.

ORACLE CARDS

 In the past two decades or so, Oracle cards have become extremely popular, making them the newest or latest form of divination through cards. Oracle cards are unique beside their structured cousins Tarot and Lenormand in that there is no regulated form or number of cards to any deck- that all depends on the artist who created it. Oracle spreads can be laid out in any way that suits the individual card reader. As a matter of fact, it’s safe to say that Oracle cards pretty much don’t have any rules at all! They come in many themes that resonate with a number of disciplines, traditions and metaphysical practices.  For instance, some of the  popular Oracle decks include themes such angels, fairies, crystals and animal spirits.  Many decks also have the meaning of each card written on the face, making them easy for beginners to read in tandem or as a stand-alone single card pulls.

PLAYING CARDS

Cartomancy is the practice of reading regular playing cards. Though it’s believed that playing cards were first used in Central Asia, today’s standard four-suit apparently originates from Egypt, when the Mamluk Turks ruled it. The cards were imported to Europe in the 1400’s. The 52 card deck, including suits of hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades (and Pip cards, the royal or “face cards” within each suit) originated in France, eventually becoming standard in Europe, England and America. Aside from the standard 52 card deck, the 32-card French  Piquet deck is also commonly used for cartomancy.  Reading playing cards is similar  divination-wise to both to Tarot and Lenormand, in that each card has a meaning or correlation, but  the readings are not done in exactly the same manner.

 

Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Cards

GYPSY CARDS

 There are a few types of Gypsy cards on the market today. Some, like Svetlana Touchkoff’s Russian Gypsy Fortune Telling Cards, are their own entity. These beautifully reproduced cards, which the author says were passed down through her family, actually form a puzzle when laid out, and have their own distinct set of images and meanings. There are also a number of Eastern European Gypsy card decks, some with the divinatory meanings printed on the face of the card, often in a few different languages. The traditional Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Cards were first printed in America in 1903, and became so popular they’ve been through dozens of printings. These cards seem to be based pretty closely upon a combination of Lenormand and playing cards, though they do not use all of the same imagery as Lenormand cards- some pictures seem to be added while others have been left off. An often-heard comment about these cards is that the meanings are kind of macabre…but that goes hand in hand with the sentiments of the post-Victorian Edwardian period, the time these cards were first manufactured. In spite of this (or maybe because of it!) these cards are still in frequent use today.

 Some card readers practice just one type of card  divination, while others  dabble in – and master- reading a variety of different disciplines.  In Leonormand and Tarot decks,  the numbers assigned to the cards and their meanings are  considered important; in Oracle cards, they usually are not. Though everyone has their own personal preference,  it should be noted that no one type of card reading is superior to the others, they’re just different.

Remember- no matter what type of cards you select to use or choose to read, they are all valid forms of divination, and can help you connect to your inner psyche and intuition.

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We’d love to connect with you!
Visit our website: www.thedivinationnation.com
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDivinationNation?fref=ts
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TarotAlimah
To find out more about Pleasant click here: http://www.pleasantgehman.com/
For more on Crystal, click here http://www.crystalravenwolf.com  

Send an email here: divinationnation@yahoo.com    

A QUICK AND DIRTY GUIDE TO GHOST HUNTING EQUIPMENT

  

This photo was taken during a paranormal investigation in The Hollywood Hills on June 10, 2015. Pleasant is holding a K2 Meter and Crystal's using divining rods. This room  full of creepy dolls  had a lot of  energy- the K2 was spiking while the rods answered our Yes and No questions.

WELCOME TO OUR NEW  BLOG!

 We are Pleasant Gehman and Crystal Ravenwolf,  a duo of  divination divas, absolutely obsessed with all things esoteric and supernatural. We’re life-long Tarotistas and have been doing paranormal investigations together for years. We created this blog to share our knowledge and to connect with the vibrant worldwide metaphysical community. We met and bonded in 2009 and the affinity was so strong, we haven’t looked back since!  Both of us practice many forms of divination and metaphysical disciplines, including Reiki and energy healing, traditional magick, crystal work,  pendulum and rod  dousing,  soul retrieval, mediumship, and more. We read  cards for clients, write, lecture and teach together as well as working “solo”.  As cray-cray as it might sound, we both work “day jobs” as professional belly dancers’ after our gigs we moonlight as paranormal investigators. Right now, we’re in the process of working on our book Walking The Tarot Path and the accompanying Tarot Alimah deck.

Since we’d love for this blog to be relevant for metaphysically and paranormally inclined peeps at every stage of development from absolute beginners to seasoned professionals, our posts will range from basic concepts and info that many of you are undoubtedly familiar with, to stuff that just might make your head explode!

 In the past week, we did three paranormal investigations on three consecutive nights in Los Angeles. After posting footage  from our ghost hunts on our Facebook page, we've gotten a lot of questions about the equipment we use... so we thought a blog post was in order!

The following is a list of  some  commonly-used equipment for  paranormal investigations. By no means it is a comprehensive list of all the ghost hunting gadgets that are out there- that would probably fill an encyclopedia!  The items listed are what we consider “the basics”. We’ve used all of these  devices for years in our own paranormal investigations, and  though they work well on their own, they’re  even better when used  in  combination, providing more evidence of the supernatural.

EVP RECORDERS

 The term EVP stands for Electronic Voice Phenomena, or  the recording of anomalous voices coming from an unknown source.  EVP voices are often so subtle that they cannot be heard in real life, but by using an EVP recorder (or sometimes even a tape recorder, mobile phone or electronic voice memo) these voices can be captured.  During a paranormal investigation, the typical protocol is to turn on an EVP recorder or other recording device, ask a question, and leave a space to hear an  answer.  During an investigation, these  recordings are marked by the investigators with  the date and time. Also, it should be  noted on the recording whenever there is any audible background or ambient noise (such as wind, traffic sounds, or a dog barking) or noises made by the investigators themselves, such as footsteps- or even a growling stomach!

Our K2 meter lit up like a Christmas tree

EVP recordings do not register  during a taped or filmed recording while they are happening; they need to be listened to in playback, and often are not audible unless the recording is enhanced.  However, EVP recordings frequently yield intelligent responses to questions asked by parapsychologists.

K2 METERS/ EMF DETECTORS

EMF  stands for “Electromagnetic Field”.  EMF detectors show the fluctuations and changes in electromagnetic fields by lighting up. This is an essential device that every paranormal investigator should have because it functions as a visual representation of anomalous electromagnetic energies. The K2 Meter uses what is known as broadband pass technology, enabling it to be more sensitive to a wider range of frequencies and also to pick up  RF or radio frequencies. There are ranges of lights on the K2 meter that illuminate according to the power of the EMF or RF fields.

 Since these devices pick up electronic fields in a varied range of frequencies, we use them to scan the room or space we are investigating before we begin actually hunting for ghosts, because both the K2 and regular EMF detectors typically register higher near the common types of electronic equipment found in residences, such as computers, stereos, television sets, lighting fixtures or hidden  electrical wires within walls.   If we are getting high readings near those types of locations, we know to  take that into consideration when we are investigating.  Typically, when spirits are present, the electromagnetic field becomes disrupted, and if we’ve already swept the room or investigation space, once we get spikes on the EMF and/or K2 meter, we’ll know that we are probably dealing with a spirit as opposed to a field emanating from, say, a cell phone, iPod, lamp or power strip.  

 SPIRIT BOX

 The man credited with the creation of the Spirit Box ( sometimes called  “Frank’s Box) is the late Frank Sumption,  a modern  pioneer of  ITC or  Instrumental Transcommunication.  In 2002, Sumption rigged a radio to create his Spirit Box. Before Sumption, there were a variety of instruments or appliances that were altered by users to communicate with the dead, including vacuum tube radios, phonographs, reel-to-reel tape and even 78 RPM records…dating back to Thomas Edison, who was reputed to be obsessed with spirit communication!

 Basically, the Spirit Box is a radio receiver, picking up AM and FM radio stations, but with the scan-lock device disabled, so the operator can’t tune in to just one station, the device is constantly scanning.  When in use, snatches of music or announcers voices can be heard, but there are also long patches of static or white noise between them as the device continues scanning.  The voices of the spirits come in through  the the white noise  in the  “spaces” created while the spirit box is jumping from station to station.  They have a distinctly different sound, almost like a whisper. These voices are audible in real life -and on camera, film or sound equipment- but often they need to be bumped up sound wise to make them clear. There are computer enhancement programs available for this purpose.  What makes these voices different is that, unlike a radio station snippet,  they give intelligent responses to questions asked by a paranormal investigator, and often actually utter the names of people present during a paranormal investigation.

REM POD

The Rem Pod is a device which emanates it’s own electromagnetic field through a miniature antenna.  When the instrument’s field is entered by objects- or an energy source, such as an entity- the Rem Pod lights up.  For paranormal investigations, a Rem Pod can be left in a location along with an EVP recorder, both switched to “on”, while being filmed by a camera set up on a tripod. This technique allows investigators to explore another location and return at a later time to review data (both the film and whatever was registered on the EMF recorder) enabling a more comprehensive, multiple location ghost hunt.

OVILUS

 An Ovilus or Ghost Box is a machine that has a dictionary-like database of words programmed into it- depending on the model, the amount varies from 500 to over 2,000 different verbs, adjectives, nouns, adverbs, etc.  Like a GPS  or voicemail, the Oivilus is also programmed with a voice announcement system. Additionally,  the  device  has  the capacity to take  readings on electromagnetic frequencies and changes in temperature…which is often the way entities  manifest. The way  an Ovilus works is that  during an investigation, an intelligent spirit  will  make itself known in a way that  modifies the environment, and  can convert  these  alterations into  the words contained in the machine.

We have used an Ovilus on many investigations and the responses are absolutely uncanny…and often kind of hilarious, too. Once we did an investigation  that ran well into the wee hours. Our  team was getting so  over-tired that, we became  kinda slap-happy towards the end. Our Ovilus  got a little grumpy with our childish behavior,  loudly croaking out “Annoyed!” whenever we got a giggling fit…which of course lead to us laugh even  more!

 TRADITIONAL METAPHYSICAL  DIVINING  DEVICES

We like to use  traditional divination devices  for ghost hunting  in conjunction with our more modern gadgets  for two reasons…not only  do they provide corroborating  evidence of spirits, they’re a lot of fun to use! Plus, anytime something sticks around  for  hundreds-or thousands- of years, there’s gotta be a good reason!

PENDULUMS

Using a pendulum is one of the oldest forms of divination; there is evidence that pendulums were used for divination purposes in ancient Rome. Pendulum dousing picks up information and energy waves that are unseen, but emit from different locations, objects, and people. Apparently, Albert Einstein was   incredibly talented in pendulum dousing, and believed that pendulums and dousing or divining rods reacted to the Earth’s electromagnetic field. Many believe that   pendulum dousing is a link between the conscious and subconscious, the real world and the unseen, esoteric world. After being calibrated or tested, pendulums can divine Yes or No questions, but when they are being used in conjunction with a chart, they can also spell out names, point to numbers in order to give dates or amounts, and divine many other things as well.  We use pendulums on our paranormal investigations in conjunction with more hi-tech modern equipment.

With our divining rods, getting ready for a long night of ghost hunting

DOUSING RODS/DIVINING RODS

  Like pendulums, dousing is an ancient form of divination. It became very popular in 15^th century Germany to discover minerals and metal ore. A century later, dousing became associated with magic, and was considered “The Devil’s Tool”.  The use of a Y-shaped forked tree branch and later, the use of L-shaped metal rods to locate ground water has been called “water witching” for centuries. Used in the context of parapsychology, divining rods present accurately when pointing a living human in the investigation location. Like a pendulum,  the rods can answer Yes and No questions with intelligent responses, by opening and closing on their own while held by the querant.

“LO-FI” MODERN GEAR

FLASH LIGHTS

 Necessary for evening work, especially outside, or indoors where there is no available electricity- such as an abandoned building. But  they are also great for visual representation during a ghost hunt,  especially if it is being filmed. When we were investigating  on the extremely haunted ship, The RMS Queen Mary, and had  large groups with us, we had everyone  bring flashlights. We’d make the owners remove  the batteries and  re-insert them ( to show they hadn’t been tampered with) and when we started getting hits and spikes on our  electronic ghost hunting  equipment, we’d ask the spirits  to light up the flashlights, or blink them  two or three  times.   If they lit up-and usually  they did-we’d make the entities  repeat this, to show it wasn’t an anomaly.

COMPASS

Aside from showing  directions, we think that a  compass  serves as a great “low-fi” back up for an EMF detector. Compasses react to fluctuation in the Earth’s magnetic field, and  having one on  hand can help corroborate evidence of  any entities that are present.

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We’d love to connect with you!

Visit our website: www.thedivinationnation.com
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDivinationNation?fref=ts
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TarotAlimah
To find out more about Pleasant click here: http://www.pleasantgehman.com/
For more on Crystal,  click here  http://www.crystalravenwolf.com  
Send an  email here: divinationnation@yahoo.com  

 LEARN TO  CONDUCT YOUR OWN  PARANORMAL INVESTIGATIONS.... AND COME ON A GHOST HUNT WITH US!
  SAT. AUGUST  8, 2015 IN THE  FRESNO, CA.  AREA
 All info is here: 

https://www.facebook.com/events/933092746729155/   

MOONSTRUCK: LIVING IN HARMONY WITH LUNAR PHASES

  Welcome to The Divination Nation blog!

 We are a duo of  divination divas,  “ spiritual sisters from another mister”. Both of us are life-long Tarotistas, and absolutely obsessed with all things esoteric and paranormal. We’ve created this blog to share our knowledge and to connect with the vibrant worldwide metaphysical community.

 A little bit of background on us: we met and bonded in 2009 and the affinity was so strong, we haven’t looked back since! Crystal’s initial knowledge was handed down via family heritage; Pleasant began her journey independently at age thirteen, saving baby-sitting bucks to purchase her first Tarot deck via mail order. Aside from Tarot, we practice many other forms of divination and metaphysical disciplines, including Reiki and energy healing, traditional magick, crystal work,  pendulum, dousing,soul retrieval, mediumship, and more. We read for clients, write, lecture and teach together as well as working “solo”.  As cray-cray as it might sound, we both work “day jobs” as professional belly dancers, and after our gigs we moonlight as paranormal investigators. Right now, we’re in the process of a giant two-fold project, working on our book Walking The Tarot Path and the accompanying Tarot Alimah deck.

Since we’d love for this blog to be relevant for metaphysically-inclined peeps at every stage of development from absolute beginners to seasoned professionals, our posts will range from basic concepts and info that many of you are undoubtedly familiar with, to stuff that just might make your head explode!

We hope this blog is as fun for you to read as it is for us to write…Enjoy!

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Painting by Pleasant Gehman

  Ah, the Moon…Since the beginning of time, a myriad of myths, legends and superstitions  have surrounded it, because  the Moon is so very important to those of us on Earth.  It rules the tides, the female menstrual cycle, and has an influence on crops and planting.  The Moon has always been associated with mystery, intuition spell casting and magick, as well as with witches, sorcerers, werewolves and vampires. Many goddesses are connected to the Moon, including -but not limited to- Hecate, Artemis, Phoebe Fictional characters have also been linked to the Moon, like Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll, who turned into the murderous Mr. Hyde during the full moon. Typically, the energy of the Full Moon is palpable; it can be felt in the week leading up to it. Because it’s always been noted that people and animals behave in unusual ways during the full Moon, the term “lunatic” was lifted directly from the Latin word Luna.  Ask anyone whose worked as a first responder, in an emergency room, or even a bar if things get crazy during a full Moon, and they’ll let you know in no uncertain terms that traffic accidents, fights, irrational behavior and general mayhem occur much more often during a full Moon.

 On Tuesday, June 2, the Moon becomes full at 4:19 Universal time. All deviant behavior aside, there’s a number of constructive things you can do before or  during this full Moon, or every time the Moon is full. 

 Each Lunar phase is associated with  different types of rituals and intentions.

Full Moon

This is an optimal time for cleansing and recharging your tools of divination, such as Tarot, Lenormand or Oracle cards, dousing rods, crystal balls or pendulums. The energy of any of these can become somewhat weaker due to use, and by exposing any of these to direct moonlight, the Moon will recharge and re-balance them. You can place these objects outside for a Moon bath, or even on a windowsill or tabletop where they’ll get full exposure overnight.

The full Moon is also a potent time for magick, manifestation, and celebration.  If you have an altar set up, burn silver or white candles during the full Moon, making affirmations and setting your intentions. Write them down on a piece of paper and sleep with it  tucked under your pillow.

New Moon

The new Moon is ideal for new beginnings.  For centuries, crops and gardens are have been planted during new Moons, and it’s also a great time to plant the seeds of change in your life.  The new Moon will help you to successfully make a fresh start. Now is the time for setting goals and planning for the future, beginning work on a creative project, starting a new job or diet, taking a class, embarking on a trip or implementing a healthy fitness routine.

Waxing Moon

 This Lunar phase is a fantastic  for manifesting positive energy and abundance, concentrating on any and all things you’d like to bring to you. Whatever you’d like to welcome into your life- love, friendship, financial prosperity, a new job or house- will come to you much more easily if you set intentions during a waxing Moon.  Also, this phase  is a good  for doing work to protect yourself spiritually.

Waning Moon

During the waning Moon, concentrate on anything you’d like to let go. This time is right to clear negativity from your life, and a perfect period to end a relationship that is no longer serving you, to quit any habits,such as biting your nails, smoking, drinking alcohol or caffeine or engaging in negative self-talk. Whatever you kick to the curb during a waning Moon will likely stick, enabling you to release unwanted old habits and energies.

Dark Moon

 During this lunar phase, the absence of light creates a wonderful atmosphere for rest, reflection and self-assessment. Be still, connecting to your inner being and higher powers through meditation.  Many magick practitioners prefer to engage in banishing rituals at this time. Intuition is strong during this mysterious phase, and the information you gather from the depths of your unconscious can be profound. During a dark Moon, do some dream work, writing down whatever you remember , because your innermost voice is speaking to you.

Check the Lunar Phases by time zone & major cities here:

http://www.moongiant.com/moonphases/june/2015/

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