Broom Closet Witch - Tumblr Posts

Mom: You should stop that weird voodoo stuff.

Me: huh...? *secretly thinking back to my hidden BoS, Wands, Secret Tarot/playing card deck, my low-key altar, Jars with herbs, and hidden jar with eggshell powder.* Naaaaaah I ain't a witch

Pshh, hey. If you are in a budget or if you have to hide your practice, I have some witchy tips for you.

• You don’t need to have an altar. But if you want to, creating an altar on a wooden box is great; you can collect stuff to put in there and you can hide it under your bed.

• You don’t need crystals. Common rocks can be energised to act with a certain intention and they work just as well. You can also associate the place you got the stone/rock from with an intention, such as: a rock from a river or sea can be used for cleansing, purifying, taking energies away from you. A stone found at the property of a hospital can be used for health spells. These are vague examples, so I might make a list later on of all kinds of things you can do with mineral founding.

• Energised water is a great offering to most entities. Water holds memory and it’s easy to energise it with a certain intention if you concentrate.

• You don’t actually need candles. For many deities, an object that remembers you of them works as a taglock, an identification of the deity you’re worshipping. Besides, many spells do not need candles to work, such as: ritual baths, petitions, etc.

Have fun, and remember that your practice isn’t meant to look the same as other practitioners’. We are supposed to do things our own way, as long as it doesn’t harm anyone or anything.

Trying to get into divination but being in the broom closet

How to Read Playing Cards: Suits, Jokers & Numerology

For the standard French-suited playing cards there are typically 54 total cards in one deck. These cards are split between four suits (spades, diamonds, clubs and hearts) and then the two jokers (the red joker and the black joker). In this post I will be going over the general meanings of the four suits, discussing why I prefer to use the joker cards and how numerology can play a part in your interpretations.

The Suits

There are four suits in playing cards: spades, diamonds, clubs and hearts. Spades and clubs are considered black suits. Diamonds and hearts are considered red suits. This may be different depending on the deck you get, but this is how standard decks work. Each suit is represented by a symbol and has some general topics associated with them.

♤ Spades: Challenges, Struggles, Obstacles, Conflicts, Setbacks

♢ Diamonds: Finances, Material Value, Success, Rewards, Growth

♧ Clubs: Accomplishments, Luck, Social Status, Communication, Transactions

♡ Hearts: Emotions, Love, Relationships, Partnerships, Family

One method of reading playing cards that can help you with your interpretations is by paying attention to the suits and what order they're pulled. Paying attention to this can help you get a better idea on what the reading is talking about. So, let's say you're doing a three card reading. Here are a few ways to interpret the general topic of the reading based on the suits.

[ ♤ ♤ ♤ ] - Three spades being pulled means there is trouble ahead, and it may not be getting better any time soon.

[ ♤ ♡ ♤ ] - A heart surrounded by two spades can indicate trouble in relationships or with the self, depending on the reading.

[ ♢ ♤ ♢ ] - A spade surrounded by two diamonds can indicate that a financial problem will eventually improve.

[ ♢ ♧ ♢ ] - A club surrounded by two diamonds can indicate that new business opportunities will be presented.

[ ♧ ♢ ♤ ] - A club followed by a diamond and then a spade can indicate that the person is heading towards a financial problem.

Onto the topic of reversals... Some people read them, some don't. That's your choice to make. Personally, I read reversals with all cards except the kings, queens and jacks.

My reason for this is because the kings, queens and jacks all represent people. My way of interpreting these cards describes their physical appearances more than who they are, although each are also associated with a general description of that person's essence for that reading. A person is not simply one thing or the other. Humans are complex beings, and we can show multiple faces depending on who we're with. You'll understand this better once we get to discussing each card's individual meanings.

The Jokers

Some people choose not to use the jokers in their readings. Some do, but describe the jokers as being the equivalent the the fool in tarot. I've even seen some try to fill in the entire major arcana of tarot into the jokers. My opinions here are that not using the jokers leaves out important cards that can help further clarify a reading, and that trying to use the jokers as a "fill in" for tarot's major arcana cards is inefficient.

You can choose to not use joker cards in your reading. That is your decision to make. I use them, though, and therefore I will be talking about their meanings here. I use Jake Richard's (an Appalachian practitioner and author of multiple books about Appalachian folk magic) interpretations of the jokers, which is described as the following.

🃏 Red Joker: The red joker is a witch or other conjurer, a person working against you in some way whether supernatural or not. Enemies can be tricky. But the cards know almost all, and it is hard to hide from them. If this card shows upright there is a threat from such a one, whether supernatural or not. Other cards can determine that, such as the nine of spades showing witchcraft. If reversed, there is either no threat or the threat doesn't walk this earth.

🃏 Black Joker: This card shows the presence of evil spirits, demons, haints, whatever you want to call them. Their intentions ain't good. If it shows with the red joker behind it, the spirit has been employed by another to do their bidding. If the red joker shows before it, someone is knowingly or unknowingly doing the spirit's work. Ghosts and spirits can work your mind to do, say or think things you've never thought of. Nothing good comes of this card unless it is reversed. Then there is no direct threat. The devil's not about.

Numerology

Numerology is used in a variety of different divination systems, including playing cards. It can help you begin to develop a general idea of the individual card's meaning. Here is a list of numerology meanings in playing card divination so that you can refer to it later, if you must.

Ace: Beginning, Independence, Individuality

Two: Pairings, Balance, Exchanges

Three: Growth, Improvement, Connection

Four: Stability, Security, Practicality

Five: Flexibility, Adaptability, Change

Six: Responsibility, Support, Leadership

Seven: Luck, Intuition, Analyzing

Eight: Ambition, Power, Endurance

Nine: Resolution, Release, Awakening

Ten: Cycles, Transitions, Shifts

Friendly Reminder:

If you have nothing planned for this Samhain or you are unable to do anything at all, you are still a valid witch. ♡ Don’t beat yourself up over it.