The Masks of Tarot | Faceless

Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth. – Oscar Wilde

Recently, New York’s Enrique Enriquez and I were exchanging ideas and I shared with him some guided imagery scripting that naturally arose from my book, The Masks of Tarot. I decided that I wanted to share this with you, as well, as a further way to say Thank You and to celebrate the Kindle version release of Masks; a little guided imagery exercise that actually started out as a mnemonic device for remembering the main technique in the book. What I am about to unleash on you is a shortened version of something that quickly turned into a stand alone method on its own.

Let’s start with the belief that masks have majestic and magnificent power. They will fundamentally and forever change who you are. What you are learning today is a well-worn method for directing your own thoughts – or the waking dreams of others – so that the seeds of your imagination can give birth to some truly intuitive and penetrating understanding. I encourage you to work your way through the following steps in order and without skimming through the exercise or jumping ahead to the end. Why? Perhaps Carl Jung said it best: When you concentrate on a mental picture it begins to stir, the image becomes enriched by details. It moves and develops, and so when we concentrate on inner pictures and we are careful not to interrupt the natural flow of events, our unconscious will produce a series of images that makes a complete story. I want you to develop and wear your complete story without the interruption or overlay that skimming or skipping will cause.

So, grab a piece of paper and something to write with. Find a nice quiet place so that we can play together for a short while. And . . .

THE TECHNIQUE

STEP ONE: Imagine that you are in a costume shop. The store seems endless as you gaze about at the costumes that abound. Notice the collection of colors. Notice the different types of outfits. Then, you see the nearly boundless wall of masks. Every shape. Every size. Every type of character is there. You get to choose one that you would like to wear. That’s right. Take the one from the wall that calls out to you the most. Put it on. And notice how it fits and forms just perfectly to the contours of your face. It is as if your remarkable mask has finally found its home!

STEP TWO: With your mask still on, step outside the costume shop. Notice what it is like to look out from the mask’s eye openings. Be acutely aware that you are looking out from a disguise. You can feel the texture of your outer concealment against your face. Write down the details of the mask that you are wearing. Who do you appear to be? Then, write out three adjectives to describe your mask.

STEP THREE: As you look out from your singular disguise, you suddenly see an open and dark pit. There is a deep and disturbing rumbling coming from inside this hollow – it wants to make the ground shake . . . but it is only you that is disturbed. Soon, you see a beast, a demon, a monster start to emerge from the hole. As it comes into view, you get a clear and understandable look at it. Write down what you see becoming visible. Then, write down the three adjectives that best describe the beast.

STEP FOUR: Before the beast is able to take itself from the pit, something happens to weaken and discourage it. It almost appears to you that the beast has been blinded or has seen something that has disheartened it and stopped it in its tracks. Write out what has brought this beast to a standstill. Then, write out three adjectives to describe what you have seen.

STEP FIVE: With renewed conviction, you return to the costume shop and reverently place the mask that you have been wearing back on its place on the wall. You do so with gratitude and a sense that you have been left with some significant message to remember. You step back from the wall and almost start to leave. But . . . your eyes catch sight of one more mask – it is one that you would never want to wear. In fact, it is one that almost makes you want to shrink back in disgust at it – it is that disturbing. Write out the details of this mask that you detest so much. As before, you next write down three adjectives to describe it.

STEP SIX: Now, turn your attention back to the mask that you originally chose. Be content in your decision to have chosen this mask and thankful that you don’t have to wear any other mask, ever again, if you don’t choose to do so.

STEP SEVEN: Finally, you remember that there was a message you were given while you were wearing your mask. What is it your mask revealed to you? Write it down.

INTERPRETATION

The Mask – This is how you view yourself, what you are attracted to, what makes you who you are, or perhaps the quality that you take for granted in yourself.

The Beast – This represents what you resort to under stress, what you excuse in yourself, how others view you (as opposed to how you view yourself), or your instinctive motives.

The Light (what repelled the Beat) – The Light (as I call it) it what you need to gain balance in your life, what others wish you had more of, what you look at with wonder when other people demonstrate this trait, or what you desire to accomplish.

The Shadow (the mask you did not want to wear) – This represents what you see in others that you do not want to acknowledge in yourself, what you must still learn to control, what you become when all else fails, or what you just thought you had left behind (but still need to address).

You can use this technique for some grand self-exploration. You can also use this method for giving some truly inspiring and deeply stirring readings.

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© 2012 by Scott Grossberg. All Rights Reserved. thinkingmagically.com

Thinking Magically™ | The Fourth Dimension

Once one has experienced a few times what is it like to stand judgingly between the opposites, one begins to understand what is meant by the self. – Carl Jung

Today we are going to explore an almost out-of-this-world and nearly on-the-spot method for ending the negativity you might feel about something. This ritual is a combination of objective/silent/ideal observer psychoanalytic techniques  with Carl Jung’s concept of the fourfold functions of the Ego. It is as much about reflection on the past as it is about projecting yourself forward. It reads as an astonishingly easy observance. I can tell you that is is magnificently challenging. Be warned: most of you will not be able to complete the whole ceremony.

In the beginning, you need to understand what Jung described as the four functions of the Ego. These are:

Thinking

Feeling

Sensation

Intuition

Plotted along the cardinal points of compass, you would have:

Sensation = North

Thinking = East

Intuition = South

Feeling = West

You will notice that inherent oppositions are created:

Thinking and Feeling

Intuition and Sensation

For those of you familiar with Tarot symbolism you also have:

Sensation = Pentacles

Thinking = Swords

Intuition = Wands

Feeling = Cups

For those of you accustomed with The Vitruvian Square, you might like to explore the following commanding associations:

Sensation = Place of Power 2

Thinking = Place of Power 6

Intuition = Place of Power 7

Feeling = Place of Power 4

Now, I want you to consider these four functions as having the following correspondences to yourself:

Sensation = Your body

Thinking = Your mind (head)

Intuition = Your solar plexus

Feeling = Your heart

That’s really all you need to know to get started with The Fourth Dimension Ritual. I urge you to complete these steps in the order in which they are given. There’s a reason for this succession that will lead to a real breakthrough for you.

THE FOURTH DIMENSION RITUAL

STEP 1: Take a situation that you would like to change, an emotion that is not serving you well, or some concept that is troubling to you. Really think about it for a moment and briefly experience the negatively that it is causing you. I say briefly because you are not revisiting your worries in all their glory. Rather, you are simply calling on the badness to make certain you have connected with what really needs to be refined and reshaped.

STEP 2: Direct your attention to your body. Ask yourself what your body is saying to you about the situation, emotion, or concept you have just thought about. Put words to what you sense in your body. Now complete the following sentence: My body wants me to know . . . Complete this sentence two more times. Write down what you have discovered.

STEP 3: Now ask yourself: How does what I have learned from my body make a difference to the situation? Write down the answer to this question.

STEP 4: Direct your attention to your heart. Ask yourself what your heart is saying to you about the situation, emotion, or concept on which you have originally focused. As before, put words to what you feel in your heart. Now complete the following sentence: My heart wants me to know . . . Complete this sentence two more times. Write down what you have discovered.

STEP 5: Now ask yourself: How does what I have learned from my heart make a difference to the situation? Write down the answer to this question.

STEP 6: Direct your attention to your mind. Ask yourself what your mind – what it is you’re thinking – is saying to you about the situation, emotion, or concept on which you have originally focused. As before, put words to what you think. Now complete the following sentence: My mind wants me to know . . . Complete this sentence two more times. Write down what you have discovered.

STEP 7: Now ask yourself: How does what I have learned from my mind make a difference to the situation? Write down the answer to this question.

STEP 8: Finally, direct your attention to your solar plexus. Ask yourself what your gut instinct is saying to you about the situation, emotion, or concept on which you have originally focused. As before, put words to what you intuit. Now complete the following sentence: My intuition wants me to know . . . Complete this sentence two more times. Write down what you have discovered.

STEP 9: Now ask yourself: How does what I have learned from my intuition make a difference to the situation? Write down the answer to this question.

STEP 10: Notice how you feel now as compared to how you felt when you first focused on your challenge. Do you feel more free or are you able to breathe a little easier? Are you less tense in your body or are you sensing more confidence about yourself? Does the challenge you thought about seem a little less significant or does your difficultly just seem a little silly now?

STEP 11: Using your imagination, project yourself out into the future and conjure up a picture of the new you, with these new feels, sensations, intuitions, and beliefs boldly moving forward in a more powerful way! Really envision yourself as this new you!

The reason, by the way, that this ritual is so robust is that the order of the steps is constructed around an actual birth (rebirth) timeline.

I trust that The Fourth Dimension Ritual serves you mightily.

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© 2012 by Scott Grossberg. All Rights Reserved. thinkingmagically.com

The Deck of Shadows | Hands of Truth

Truth is what works. – William James

Here is a video tutorial for a fascinating and powerful technique that relies on the ideomotor responses of the person you are working with. (Hint: you can use this, yourself, for some spectacular changes and making new discoveries).

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© 2012 by Scott Grossberg. All Rights Reserved. thinkingmagically.com

The Deck of Shadows | The Start Over Spread – 7 Steps to Power

Well I know it wasn’t you who held me down
Heaven knows it wasn’t you who set me free
So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains
And we never even know we have the key

- The Eagles, Already Gone

Happy New Year! On this, the first day of January 2012, I want to share with you a terrific meditative technique and spread combination that can be effortlessly be used with The Deck of Shadows (or other oracle of your choice). The Start Over Spread can easily help you to clear away your negativity and give yourself a literal start over in the various areas of your life that are important. Whether you use this to strengthen your latest resolutions or simply to help carry your misery-making negativity away, The Start Over Spread is an unique way to wield your favorite see-ing tool in an intoxicating way.

Let’s begin with a quick understanding of what negativity accomplishes in the first place. For me, negativity is something that, in its counter-productive aspect, keeps us from doing what we know should be done or what we want to accomplish. It is an internal signaling that almost seems to plead with us to do nothing, change course, and even move backward from our chosen goals. Internally, it can be responsible for feelings of disappointment, annoyance, and anger. Externally, it can be accountable for making you disagreeable, gloomy, and unpleasant to the rest of the world.

So, let’s not waste any time and banish the negativity so that you can make amazing headway with your positive goals, instead . . .

THE START OVER SPREAD

STEP 1: Remove the following cards from The Deck of Shadows – War, Faith, Riddle, and Wretched Excess. If you look at the top of each of these cards you will see that these are the 9′s (9 of Spades, 9 of Clubs, 9 of Hearts, and 9 of Diamonds, respectively). The number 9 in The Vitruvian Square system represents endings, resolutions, and discontinuing what has been happening. These are the proper associations we want to bring to bear in order to scatter the negativity in our life.

STEP 2: Now, imagine there is a compass rose or medicine wheel in the casting space in front of you. Place War (9 of Spades) into the position on your right – this represents the East. Place Faith (9 of Clubs) in the position closest to you – this represents the South. Place Riddle (9 of Hearts) in the position on your left – this represents the West. And, finally, place Wretched Excess (9 of Diamonds) in the space furthest away from you – this represents the North. After you have laid these four cards down, you will have formed an equilateral cross. There are numerous associations you can use for these four fundamental points. For this technique, I recommend using the following connections:

EAST = Thinking, Ambition

SOUTH = Intuition, Health

WEST = Feeling, Love

NORTH = Sensation, Wealth

STEP 3: Now take as much time as you personally feel necessary to reflect upon each of these cards and bring to light all of the negative thoughts, negative things, and negative people that exist in your experience in each of these categories. Looking at the War card, you might start reviewing all the counterproductive conflicts, struggles, responsibilities you have taken on, and fatalistic thinking you experienced in the last year. In looking at the Faith card, you will likely begin your musing with a review of all those times when you have doubted yourself, lacked the courage to move forward with your dreams, failed to act, and allowed fear to rule you. In using the Riddle card, start assessing all those times when you have failed to follow your own heart because of self-imposed obstacles, a flawed belief that love – for you – is an unsolved mystery, and the notion that love just happens rather than you being at the helm of your passions and desires. Finally, for Wretched Excess, you can begin to consider all the literal baggage, unneeded extravagance, and temptations you have given into and which have not served you well. This is the most important stage of the technique, by the way; the time when you become brutally honest with yourself. After all, you cannot evict the bad stuff until you admit that it exists.

STEP 4: Turn over each of the four cardinal point cards. As you do so, imagine they are doors that you are closing on your prior negativity and less than fulfilling experiences. You are now ready to start over.

STEP 5: From a shuffled and cut Deck of Shadows, select three cards for each of the cardinal points. These cards, read together, represents a next step in your journey; what you might want to consider doing next in each of the four main areas of your life (thinking, feeling, intuition, and sensation) in order to exile your negatively forever. Be imaginative and truly visionary in your interpretations and make certain that you are putting a positive spin on what is revealed to you. These 12 cards (three in each of the four directions) will divulge the pivotal route you might consider in order to make your positive resolutions a reality.

[NOTE: The four cardinal point cards are shown face-up to orient you. These would normally be face-down.]

STEP 6: Resolve that you are now moving away from all the negativity and moving towards the solutions and insights that have been shown to you. Make these current intents a must!

STEP 7: Finally, thank yourself. That’s right, thank yourself for your own honesty and openness, and your strength of character to now take your life in a whole new and positive direction.

For those of you  who might want to take The Start Over Spread to an even higher level, you can use The Vitruvian Square Casting Cloth (or project The Vitruvian Square matrix onto your casting space). Please remember that, in using The Vitruvian Square, Place of Power 6 is West and Place of Power 3 is East.  This allows you to add another powerful level of associations to the cards you are using.

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© 2012 by Scott Grossberg. All Rights Reserved. thinkingmagically.com

The Vitruvian Square | A Slice of Life (Part 2)

In chess, as in life, a man is his own most dangerous opponent.  – Vasily Smyslov

Happy holidays, everyone! In the spirit of gift-giving, last week I showed you the basic technique for the Slice of Life reading. If you missed Part 1, you can easily find it here:

A Slice of Life (Part 1)

Now that you’ve had a chance to see the strength of this method and learn how powerful it really is, I’d like to give you some additional meanings and symbolism to consider when doing your interpretations.

THE VITRUVIAN SQUARE MATRIX

This 9 square board (with the “0″ resting above it all) embodies the world in which your spectator/querent plays their game of life.  Here you find your spectator’s domain (as it is currently recognized by your spectator). The Vitruvian Square is a very visual representation of the game of life in which we all find ourselves. Here you find all of the competitions, trials, journeys, excitements, and wonders that combine into our heavenly and earthly concerns. In other words, The Vitruvian Square replicates a person’s life journey.

As I explained in last week’s video, once my participant sees The Vitruvian Square Casting Cloth, I then move on to the use of the chess pieces. I do not explain the Casting Cloth nor what any of the positions mean until after all the pieces have been moved to their respective positions by the spectator and I have laid down any Deck of Shadows cards I wish to use.

Perhaps this doesn’t need repeating, but I will do so, anyway: The Slice of Life reading technique’s underlying potency rests in the fact that the spectator is intentionally placing the chess pieces (or other oracle device you might choose to use) on the board.

THE KING

The King and The Queen are the central figures in the symbolism we will be interpreting. They represent your spectator (or yourself if you are reading for yourself).  The King is generally used to represent a male spectator/querent and to show the response to the question, “Where are you now?” I believe you can readily see how, with such a question, the placement of The King or The Queen is vital and something to be cherished. This is the Present.

THE QUEEN

This is generally used to represent a female spectator/querent and to show the response to the question, “Where are you now?” As with The King, the placement of this piece undeniably shows you a person’s here and now.

THE KNIGHT

This chess piece is used to represent the Past and to show the response to the question, “Where have you just come from?” The Knight’s placement shows what someone did or experienced that launched them into their present place in life (the latter represented by the positioning of The King or The Queen). The Knight’s deployment embodies the very action that its placement foretells. Here you will find a complete story of your spectator’s determination, impulses, and passion. The landing point for The Knight can also represent your spectator’s world view; their comprehensive or overall perspective of the way things work or the way things are supposed to be.

THE CASTLE/ROOK

The Castle (Rook) is the token used to represent the Future and to show the response to the question, “Where are you going?” In its original form, this chess piece was actually a mobile tower or battlement; fitting for this technique as the Future is not fixed but continues to to be pliable and receptive to many things. The Castle personifies where your spectator wants to or believes they are going. This is their oasis, haven, or goal in the temporal world. From The Castle’s position, your spectator is able to have an objective and wide-ranging view of the way things are – as opposed to the way things are supposed to be (as indicated by The Knight).

SUMMARY

A Slice of Life allows your spectator to use their imagination and make-believe abilities to give a superb voice and visual depiction to life themes that they might not otherwise have been able to do. Essentially, you are helping them paint a literal picture of things that, in any other way, are unspeakable or unknowable to them.

To recap, the steps of the Slice of Life technique are:

1.  Lay out The Vitruvian Square Casting Cloth or use some other physical representation of The Vitruvian Square that you and your spectator can interact with. As I noted in the video, you can also lay out 9 cards from The Deck of Shadows or 9 Tarot cards to form your 3×3 matrix.

2.  Hand The King (if you are using a male spectator) or The Queen (if you are using a female spectator) to the person you are working with. Ask them to place the piece on the matrix with the question: Where are you now?

3.  Hand The Knight to the person you are working with. Ask them to place the piece on the matrix with the question: Where have you just come from?

4.  Hand The Castle to the person you are working with. Ask them to place the piece on the matrix with the question: Where are you going?

One more thing: there will be times when your spectator places more than one piece in the same Place of Power. That is perfectly fine. Such a sharing of the same space can represent the lack of forward movement (if The King/Queen and The Castle are used), a plateau that was reached before a major shift occurred (if The King/Queen and The Knight are used), and a return to where one first began or a coming home (if The Knight and The Castle are used). In those rare times when all three chess pieces are placed together in one square, you are likely dealing with some procrastination and obstructions.

Remember, your spectator, in placing their pieces, has unfolded a story that is waiting for you to give it a voice. Be a spellbinder and do their story proud!

If you would like to learn more, information about The Vitruvian Square and The Deck of Shadows can be found here:

The Vitruvian Square book

The Vitruvian Square Casting Cloth

The Deck of Shadows

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© 2011 by Scott Grossberg. All Rights Reserved. thinkingmagically.com

The Vitruvian Square | A Slice of Life (Part 1)

Life is a dream for the wise, a game for the fool, a comedy for the rich, a tragedy for the poor.

- Sholom Aleichem

Here is a video I put together for you that easily explains one of my favorite and most powerful ways to use The Vitruvian Square Casting Cloth! The really beautiful feature of this technique is that it is insanely hands-on and downright fun. Further, the person you are working with (even if you’re doing a reading for yourself) is providing the structure of the reading by the placement of specific items in specific locations on the Vitruvian matrix.

The person who is getting the reading, then, is actually the one who projects the design that your analysis will travel and sets in motion what will ultimately be said. I believe you will find that this is a truly effective projective technique that can be used with just about anything your own imagination contrives.

Enjoy the video. Next week, I will be posting specific meanings and associations to consider in using this technique, together with some nuances to take your reading skills to the next level.

If you don’t know about it already, more information about The Vitruvian Square can be found here:

The Vitruvian Square book

The Vitruvian Square Casting Cloth

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© 2011 by Scott Grossberg. All Rights Reserved. thinkingmagically.com

Thinking Magically™ | iPad Incantations (Part 3)

Ancient Magic | Modern Tools™ embodies a notion that I hold; that the ways of magic and spellbinding of long ago can be boosted by the gadgets of today. In fact, where others see contraptions, I see possibilities for enchanting, forming wonder, and captivating people! To that end, I previously posted two articles about something I call iPad Incantations. Today is the third in a continuing series in which we explore one of Apple’s latest ads and learn to turn it into a real tool for self-growth and empowerment. So . . . ready to create a compelling life?

First, here is the latest in the line of Apple’s amazing iPad 2 ads:

 

The script for the commercial is simple:

For some it’s a lifelong passion

For others, it’s something discovered yesterday

We all have things that speak to us

They drive us to get up early

And stay up late

Getting lost in the things we love has never felt quite like this

You may have easily noticed by now that Apple ads (as well as any other well-done and fascinating ads) are the perfect template to create a way to enhance your spiritual and physical well-being. These types of ads are so successful, I believe, because they naturally touch us and help us to understand, face, and affect our world. I’ll even offer to you that these types of ads are a form of contagious magic. They are undeniably effective because they presume the potency of the Principle of Contagion; once you and the ad reach each other, the ad continues to work on you even though that initial contact has been broken because it incredibly affects and touches you. Perhaps that’s why it’s called viral marketing and is so successful.

To use this in an intense and seductive way, take each of the Ad’s script lines and turn them into an impression to which you are compelled to respond. That’s right, take a piece of paper and pen or your computer, and write out the following headings:

My lifelong passions

What I discovered yesterday

What speaks to me

What drives me to get up early and stay up late

What I love getting lost in

After your headlines are written (perhaps each on a separate page), go back and start to fill in the white spaces on the page. Just write. Fill the page up! As I’ve urged you in other exercises, don’t censor how you are responding. Let your stream of consciousness take charge and let the ideas and feelings and thoughts pour forth!

Once you are done creating, put your writing aside for a little while. Give yourself a break, and go do something outdoors or engage in some activity that will take your mind away from this exercise. Then go back and read over what you have written. You will see some very obvious and powerful patterns emerge; messages from your heart and soul that are well worth paying attention to!

In case you missed the prior iPad Incantation articles, they can be found at the following links:

iPad Incantations (Part 1)

iPad Incantations (Part 2)

Just some thoughts. If you enjoyed this, please click below to share this with others.

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© 2011 by Scott Grossberg. All Rights Reserved. thinkingmagically.com

iPad is a registered trademark of Apple.

The Deck of Shadows | The Distressed Look

Now for a little something different. Here is a video tutorial on aging/distressing The Deck of Shadows.

Here is a group of aged/distressed cards.

And here’s a comparison of the same card before and after.

If you’re interested in finding out more about The Deck of Shadows, you can go to my website at the following link:

The Deck of Shadows

Just some thoughts. If you enjoyed this, please click below to share this with others.

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© 2011 by Scott Grossberg. All Rights Reserved. thinkingmagically.com

The Deck of Shadows | A Senisible Pendulum

The pendulum of the mind alternates between sense and nonsense, not between right and wrong. – Carl Jung

Many of you already know how to use a pendulum. For those times when you desire to convey the real power behind this divination, dowsing, and self-discovery tool or you wish to train someone else on how it can be used, The Deck of Shadows has a superb, built-in calibration and reading guide right on the back of each card! That’s right, the back design is a pendulum chart embedded in it that can be customized to meet the needs of any situation in which you find yourself. Obviously, there are many ways to use a pendulum with the cards. Here’s but one of those methods.

To begin, let’s see the back design for The Deck of Shadows:

To use this pattern, I suggest the following handling:

STEP 1: POSITION THE CARD

When you examine The Deck of Shadows‘ back design, you begin to notice there is a thin white that runs from the center of the card to the outer edge. Turn the card so that this line is now running from the center of the card towards the person who will be using the pendulum. The card back should look just like the diagram, above. The N (North) will be furthest away from you. The S (South) will be closest to you. E (East) will be on your right-hand side. W (West) will be on your left-hand side.

STEP 2: VISUALIZE A CONNECTION

Imagine what it would be like to have a distinctive and personal bond with the back design you are looking at. Imagine the white line that seems to flow from the center of the card now extending beyond the physical limits of the card. The line is actually gliding towards you and into your heart. There it has fastened a place for itself, and you can now see the line that exists between you and the back design growing brighter and easily carrying information back and forth between you and the card.

STEP 3: CALIBRATE THE PENDULUM (AND YOURSELF)

The use of a pendulum is idiosyncratic – it can speak to people in different ways. Whether you are reading for yourself or letting someone else use the device, it is best to check to see how your subconscious interacts with the pendulum. (As a side note, the pendulum works through ideomotor response – unconscious, reflexive motions.)

First, bring your attention to the concentric circles on the back of The Deck of Shadows‘ cards. Simply bring your pendulum over the back of the card and intend for the pendulum to start moving in a circular motion. When the pendulum circles – either clockwise or counter-clockwise – that is your ready position; the movement indicating that your subconscious is prepared and primed to give you an answer.

Now, if you look at the diagram, above, you will see the N and S points. When the pendulum moves up and down between those two cardinal places, that generally signifies a yes or positive response.

When the pendulum moves side to side between the E (East) and W (West) points, that generally represents a yes or negative response.

I use the NW/SE diagonal (upper left to lower right) to represent the subconscious’ message: I don’t know! (This can also arise when it’s simply not time for the answer to be brought to your conscious knowing.)

I use the NE/SW diagonal (upper right to lower left) to represent the subconscious’ message: Maybe.

Once you understand these settings, it’s time to test whether they are working for you (or the person how is using the pendulum). You do this by asking questions that you consciously know the answers to and watching how the pendulum responds. For example, if you’re a biological male and ask the question, Am I a biological female? the pendulum should swing side to side for a no  response. If the pendulum swings up and down (back and forth), that is an indication that your subconscious wants to use that movement as its yes movement.

Ask a number of questions like this so that you can clarify and make certain the types of responses your subconscious wants to work with.

STEP 4: EXPLORE!

Once your card, pendulum, and you are in-sync, it’s time to play. Using the calibration we have just established, you want to use yes/no questions. Don’t use questions that contain the word or. For example, you can frame your question like this: Have I done enough at work to deserve a raise? You don’t want to frame it like this: Am I going to get a raise at work or are things going to just stay the same?

Here are some tips in forming questions:

1.  Ask questions that you believe your subconscious has answers to.

2.  Ask questions that help you to make a choice.

3.  Ask questions that help illuminate how you really feel about things or people.

Finally, remember that the quality of your pendulum readings are equal to the quality of the questions you ask.

If you’d like to find out more about The Deck of Shadows you can click on the following link:

The Deck of Shadows

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© 2011 by Scott Grossberg. All Rights Reserved. thinkingmagically.com

Thinking Magically™ | A Place at the Table

Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action. – W.J. Cameron

Every year, at the same time, with the same declaration that 364 days have passed too quickly, and with the same promise that it’s still not too late to proclaim our gratitude, Thanksgiving arrives.

It can materialize quietly or with a dazzle of activity. Whether by way of a hushed and private moment or with the impressiveness of a parade and a large gathering of people, we all still reflect in the end upon the many blessings we have been given. Thanksgiving is a muse of sorts, you see; a whimsical and orchestrated social event that nevertheless inspires us to do better and act better and be better to each other.

This year, you have a special celebration in mind. It’s not something you can resist. Besides, who wants to fight against feeling thankful and admiring? So you take a piece of paper and sit down discreetly with just a pen and your innermost thoughts.

Staring at the spotless page in front of you, you imagine a holiday table is about to be set and adorned. The first plate is situated. It is yours. So, at the head of the table (wherever you imagine that to be on your paper), write your name and then draw a circle around it – a symbolic dish, of sorts. You take a moment to enjoy the solitude of sitting at an enormous table all by yourself. There is delight, at times, in an unescorted life, isn’t there?

But, then, your thoughts turn to the real magic of life; the excitement and charm of connecting with other people. All sorts of people. For it is the friendships and romances and relationships that bring vitality and energy to the world around you. It is the bond you share with others that gives you your edge and passion.

So you look at the paper in front of you – your as-of-yet unattended table (except for you) – and you start to wonder: Who else might show up for the celebration? And you pick up your pen, and you start to write . . .

Begin drawing 11 more circles/plates – one on either side of your setting, and then 3 plates on each of the remaining 3 sides of the table. Inside each of the circles, write down the names of 11 people you know and whom you’d like to have a good time with. When you are done, you will have a table with 12 place settings! There is no rush. You have all the time in the world to fill your festive table with guests.

Now, take a moment and really look at your table. John Donne was quite right – no man is an island. You are not friendless nor alone. There are people who care about you and love you.

So . . . take some time and conjure up the sounds, the smells, the look, and the tastes that your marvelous party bestows. Actually hear the conversations taking place. Savor the food that has been brought to your special get-together. See how everyone has dressed. Really imagine and enjoy the gathering as you call up all the joyous feelings you experience being around this outstanding and remarkable group that has assembled – just for you!

Soon, you start to notice that the center of the table is still bare. Alas, your party is hollow without nourishment and the sustenance of life. So you start to write some more . . .

Pick up your pen and, for each of your guests use the center space of your paper table to write down the 3 things that they are bringing to your party; the 3 personal qualities, traits, or characteristics that truly make them part of your feast of life! What is it about each of your guests that you are thankful for and respect? For example, someone may bring creativity, love, and a spectacular sense of humor to the affair. Another might bring wisdom, gallantry, and courage. Still another guest might bring intrigue, tenderness, and trust.

Finally, in the very center of your table, write down the 3 things that you bring to this holiday banquet! What 3 qualities, traits, or characteristics do you bring to the lives of your guests that makes their world more lavish, meaningful, and significant?

When you are done writing, examine all that you have noted; all those people who make your world a better place and life worth living. Notice, too, the notable blessings you pass on to others. You see, this table is now an inviolate place of grace and true thanksgiving, isn’t it? And, you have created a written celebration of life that can serve as a constant reminder of what you have, who you have, and what you offer.

If you’re an overachiever and want to take this celebration to the next level, write to each person whom you’ve invited to your private party and let them know the 3 things you are thankful for. And, don’t forget to share with them the 3 things you add to the relationship, as well. You won’t be sorry! I promise.

Have a Happy and Magical Thanksgiving!

Just some thoughts. If you enjoyed this, please click below to share this with others.

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© 2011 by Scott Grossberg. All Rights Reserved. thinkingmagically.com