[Cauldron and Candle Illo]

 

 
Cauldron and Candle
Issue #98 -- March 2009

A Publication of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum
website: http://www.ecauldron.com/
message board: http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/

 

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C A U L D R O N   A N D   C A N D L E #98 -- March 2009

           A Publication of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum
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In this Issue:

[00] Editorial Notes
[01] Cauldron News
   * New SIG: College Pagans SIG
   * New SIG: Pagan Parents SIG
   * Renamed Board: Teen Pagans SIG
   * Soon: Chavi Memorial Chronic Illness SIG
[02] Interesting Recent Cauldron Discussions
   * Ritual with Children
   * College School Work and Path Intersecting?
   * Latest on the Shape of Religious Belief in the US
   * Disposing of a Spell
   * Blending Divination Techniques
   * Working on Behalf of the Gods?
   * Wiccans, Do you Prefer Coven or Solitary?
   * Speaking/Singing in Tongues
   * Your Name, Your Avatar, and Your Sig?
   * Do You Believe in an "Ultimate God?"
[03] Phyllis Vega's Tarot Talk: The Fool's Journey
[04] Flamekeeping: Knowing, Truth, and Unknowable Reality
[05] Articles
   * A Quick Guide to Cartomancy Readings
[06] Support The Cauldron with Donations
[07] Support The Cauldron with Assistance
[08] Newsletter Information
(Including How To Subscribe/Unsubscribe)

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[00]
=========
========= EDITORIAL NOTES
=========

Welcome to the March 2009 issue of Cauldron and Candle. You
are receiving this issue because you subscribed. To learn how to
unsubscribe, see the last section of this newsletter

This is a another thin issue because I have had yet another very
busy real life month. Lyric and I have been painting and I've
been working on a few must-be-done-now non-Pagan projects. April
looks to be another very busy month.

Randall Sapphire
Editor and Publisher, Cauldron and Candle
Co-Host, The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum

[01]
=========
========= CAULDRON NEWS
========= by The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum Staff
=========

=====
===== New SIG: College Pagans SIG
=====

College Pagans often have a lot of issues to discuss that are
different from those of Pagans not attending college (like
dealing with non-Pagan dorm mates, forming Pagan college groups,
dealing with parents, living away from home for the first time,
etc.) and that people not attending college tend not to be
interested in. This Special Interest Group is the place to
discuss the issues Pagans face at college with other Pagans
attending college (and those who used to attend). SIG Boards are
available to all members of The Cauldron.

   http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?board=71.0

=====
===== New SIG: Pagan Parents SIG
=====

This Special Interest Group Board is for Pagan parents as well as
those planning to become Pagan parents. It's a place to discuss
both general child rearing issues and the specific religious
issues faces Pagan parents. SIG Boards are available to all
members of The Cauldron.

   http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?board=72.0

=====
===== Renamed Board: Teen Pagans SIG
=====

Our "Teen Place" board has been renamed as the "Teen Pagans SIG"
and moved to our SIG category. SIG Boards are available to all
members of The Cauldron.

   http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?board=16.0

=====
===== Coming Soon: Chavi Memorial Chronic Illness SIG
=====

If you were a member of The Cauldron any time from about 2003 to
early 2006, you will remember Chavi (aka Storyteller Cat and, in
offline life, Cathlene Patricia McKenna) and starting in early
2005, her ever positive reports on her battle with a rare form of
cancer. (You can read some of those posts on our slow 2005
Archive Board: http://www.ecauldron.net/ab/index.php?webtag=
CAULDRON&msg=3427.1) The odds were against her from the
beginning, but that did not stop her from fighting hard to turn
out to be one of the rare survivors. And for a time it looked
like she really might overcome those long odds. Unfortunately, it
wasn't to be so. Chavi lost her battle with cancer on April 1,
2006.

We've honored Chavi every year on this date with a "round the
world" 24 hour candle vigil. We'll be doing that this year, but
we will also be opeing a special SIG named after her for Pagans
and their friends who are fighting longterm or chronic illness
and for their family members, friends and caregivers. We plan to
have this new SIG open on or about April 1, 2009 -- the third
anniversary of Chavi's passing.

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[02]
=========
========= INTERESTING RECENT CAULDRON DISCUSSIONS
========= Recent Discussion Topics on our Message Board
=========

In an average month, over 200 new discussion topics are started
on The Cauldron's message board. Here are a few of the more
interesting recent discussions. It's not too late to join in.

Thanks to Feedburner, you can now receive an email every night on
days we post new site news items to the main page of The
Cauldron's web site. These emails contain a link to the new item
and the first couple of lines of the news text. You can sign up
for Feedburner's free news delivery via the form at the end of
the site "News and Updates" section of The Cauldron's main web
page.

=====
===== Ritual with Children
=====

How much do you include your children in ritual, worship, or
other aspects of your religious path? Do you have special rituals
or practices that are for the little ones, in addition to your
solitary or group ritual/worship? What are some ways you share
your religion with them?

I am not raising my children (ages 6, 4, 2, and 14 mos) to be any
particular religion; but I'm also not raising them with no
religion. We attend an awesome UU church and they are exposed to,
and free to explore, any and all paths. I've no interest in
indoctrinating them; it's not my path to convert anyone to
anything. there is a lot of value in what I believe (or I
wouldn't believe it, LOL) and I think that it can apply to - or
at least inform - their own unique paths.

I'm pretty adept at answering questions, and introducing
concepts, and having discussions with them. However, I've only
been Pagan for a year and a half... any kind of Pagan Smiley. So
while my children hear lots of discussion about different
theology and beliefs, and they have their questions answered, I
haven't really succeeded in building a practice that truly
includes them.

Starting out, I read a bit of Circle Round and it seemed good. I
wasn't at a place to even begin It's been a while now though, I
would have to borrow it again to see if it has ideas that are
relevant to my path now (which started out being "earth-based,
maybe Wiccan?" and has developed into something different.)

* Read (or join in) this discussion:
  http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=8575.0

=====
===== College School Work and Path Intersecting?
=====

Does anyone ever find the work or reading they need to do for
school intersecting with their path?

For example, I am taking Theatre History, so I've been doing some
reading on Dionysus, and now I'm thinking I'd like to start doing
devotions to Him (well, I am in theatre, so it would be logical
Wink -- but moreover I just think I should do so, which may be a
not-so-subtle hint).

This is probably because I have been trying to be as scholarly as
possible with regards to the Gods I honor and work with, and the
ways in which I do so. When I'm engrossed in academia (and have
access to such a lovely library) it just seems to be a logical
next step.

Anybody else find this?

Conversely, does your path enhance your school experience in any
way? Do you find it influencing the choices you make with regards
to classes or even majors/minors?

* Read (or join in) this discussion:
  http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=8562.0

=====
===== Latest on the Shape of Religious Belief in the US
=====

From today's (9 March 2009) USA Today:

Most religious groups in USA have lost ground, survey finds

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-03-09-american-
religion-ARIS_N.htm

"The percentage. of people who call themselves in some way
Christian has dropped more than 11% in a generation. The faithful
have scattered out of their traditional bases: The Bible Belt is
less Baptist. The Rust Belt is less Catholic. And everywhere,
more people are exploring spiritual frontiers ? or falling off
the faith map completely."

I think more people exploring--rather than thoughtlessly adhering
to what they've been brought up with--is probably good news.

* Read (or join in) this discussion:
  http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=8501.0

=====
===== Disposing of a Spell
=====

I often use tealights, and a few days ago I cast a tealight
petition spell. It was only a simple good luck spell, where I
added a little note and some spices to the tealight. The only
problem is I seem to be having a hard time throwing the now-burnt
out tealight into the trash.

I've never had this happen before, but for some reason it just
doesn't feel right- almost as though the spell isn't quite
finished or something. And so it's sat on my shelf up until I
feel able to throw it out.

Does anyone else ever feel a little funny about disgarding magic
items?

What do you usually do with your finished-with items?

* Read (or join in) this discussion:
  http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=8456.0

=====
===== Blending Divination Techniques
=====

Questions about divination:

* How do people feel about combining different types of
divination together in one reading?
* Why?
* If you do combine, what kinds of divination do you use together
and/or that you feel work especially well together?
* Is one kind your "primary" divination technique, and the other
used to check the accuracy of the first?
* How do you reconcile them if you get opposite answers?
* Do you use one type to expand on or clarify the reading
received with the other type?
* Are there any divination techniques you would NOT use
together?l information, as your
questions I will answer as best I can.

* Read (or join in) this discussion:
  http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=8392.0

=====
===== Working on Behalf of the Gods?
=====

Earlier today, I read an email from a friend who mentioned in
passing the idea that, if we need the Gods, it might also be true
that the Gods need *us*. This comment was in response to my
whining about feeling somewhat deserted by, or at least
disconnected from Brighid lately because some things in my life
have tanked (or it seems that way at the moment, anyway).

I've been thinking all evening about what She might need from me.
It doesn't seem like She particularly needs offerings (of food
anyway -- although I think offerings in the form of donations or
volunteer work for related causes might be a good thing).

What do you think? Do the gods need us, and if so, for what? I
know Shad, f'ex, has a theory that we are the eyes and hands of
the gods. What does that mean in practice? Are there specific
activities or things that you feel you are encouraged or even
required to do for your god/dess(es)? What happens if you don't
do them? How do you know what you're supposed to do?

For Cill members and others who have a relationship with Brighid:
Do you feel Brighid needs you/us to do specific things? If so,
what? Are they *required* or just encouraged?

* Read (or join in) this discussion:
  http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=8385.0

=====
===== Wiccans, Do you Prefer Coven or Solitary?
=====

Just curious... do you prefer solitary work or coven work if
you're Wiccan? Just curious what other people's experiences with
covens were. I've heard positive and negative, but I've always
been a little nervous about seeking out a coven. Plus I like the
freedom of solitary work. But I also feel a bit isolated, cause I
know no one who is pagan. If you are solitary, how do you keep
from being isolated? How have you found other pagans to associate
with in your areaded.

* Read (or join in) this discussion:
  http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=8351.0

=====
===== Speaking/Singing in Tongues
=====

I have some totally random questions about speaking in tongues in
a pagan context. (As opposed to the Pentecostal Christian
context) Specifically I'm talking about Glossolalia: speaking in
a "holy language" composed of what appear to be non-sense
syllables that nonetheless sound much like some sort of fluent
language and the sometimes incorporated Xenoglossy: spontaneously
speaking in a real language which is completely unknown to the
person speaking it.

I got curious about the topic after seeing a documentary that
discussed it recently and looked it up on Wikipedia (not the most
impressive of sources, I know). At the bottom of the entry, they
noted that this sometimes shows up in pagan and shamanistic
faiths (also possible in voodoo).

Have you ever had experiences with either? Is speaking in tongues
a part of your path? If so, how do you use it and why? Does it
have a historical basis in your tradition or is it a modern/UPG
add-on?

On a related note, if you do speak in tongues, do you consider
what you say a product of purely Glossolalia or do you suspect it
might be Xenoglossy, that is to say, do you believe the language
you are speaking is or was at one time a real language (such as
an unlearned or undiscovered language you cannot identify)?

If you don't speak in tongues, what do you think of the practice?
Have you ever encountered it outside the Christian faith? Do you
believe it can serve a purpose or do you see it as nonsense?

And although I'm not specifically talking about constructed
languages or "Conlangs" in this post, I could see how the topics
might be related and wanted to throw that out there too. Do you
think there is any relationship between speaking in tongues and
inventing fantasy languages? Why do humans feel the need to do
either?

* Read (or join in) this discussion:
  http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=8342.0

=====
===== Your Name, Your Avatar, and Your Sig?
=====

I see so many interesting names, avatars, and sigs. I'm just
wondering about the stories behind them. I would just like to
know why you chose what you did to help define you. Everyone has
a story!

* Read (or join in) this discussion:
  http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=8295.0

=====
===== Do You Believe in an "Ultimate God?"
=====

Ultimate God" is my son's term, but it works because I don't have
another workable term.

Do you believe that there is a Greater Power/Being than the
god/desses of your pantheon? Personally, I do believe in an
"Ultimate God," and the other god/desses are kumu, or teachers,
but they are manifestations of the Ultimate God, just as we are,
but to a greater degree. I believe everything is a kinolau (other
body) of God--rocks, trees, people, god/desses.

Because of this, I don't pray to Pele to grant me anything, but I
ask Her for guidance and to help me connect with God (Ultimate)
both within myself and without.

Pele's a harsh, but loving, mistress and reminds me of a Catholic
nun teacher--when She whacks you across the knuckles, by gum, you
know it! Ignore Her at your peril!

So, do you believe in an "Ultimate God?"

* Read (or join in) this discussion:
  http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=8287.0


[03]
=========
========= PHYLLIS VEGA'S TAROT TALK
========= The Fool's Journey
========= by Phyllis Vega
=========

In the language of the tarot, The Fool's Journey refers to the
metaphorical trip that The Fool takes through all the cards of
the major arcana on his way to enlightenment. By addressing each
card in sequence, the innocent Fool learns the lessons implicit
in that card. By the time he reaches the last card, The Fool is
no longer a fool.

The Fool in the tarot deck stands for each of us at the beginning
of any new venture; his journey represents the challenges and
opportunities we encounter and the qualities we acquire on the
road to knowledge and understanding.  The World card represents
the fulfillment of The Fool's quest, the cosmic consciousness to
which all the other cards have led.

We begin each new life phase as The Fool, nothing, the un-
manifest entity. We move through the lessons and trials of the
initiate or seeker, until tempered by the trials of experience we
emerge whole and complete as The World. Each of the trumps of the
major arcana cards stands for specific qualities or situations
that we meet along the way. The cards mirror our different stages
of development, and offer insight into our patterns of growth.
Together the cards of the major arcana form a cycle that
represents birth, life, death, and rebirth.

It is useful to study the major arcana in order to determine how
far along the path you have come. By using the cards for
meditation, and in readings, you can learn a lot about yourself
and your personal direction. Are you, like The Fool, just
starting out on a new path? Have you reached the halfway point of
some facet in your life? Are you just completing one phase and
getting ready to begin another? In understanding the journey of
The Fool through the major arcana, you begin to understand more
about yourself and your reason for being. As you become a more
complete person you are better able to discern your life purpose
and fulfill your individual potential.

The descriptions that follow show how each of the majors is
connected to The Fool's Journey and to the cards that come before
and after it in the sequence. The meanings of each card and its
relationship to The Fool's Journey are based on the keywords most
often used to describe the trump cards.

=== The Fool (Key 0):

The Fool is a card of beginnings, and stands for each one of us
at the beginning of life's journey. Actually The Fool is no fool,
but rather an inexperienced innocent. At the start of his trip,
The Fool is fresh, open, spontaneous, and ready to embrace
whatever comes his way. Seemingly oblivious to the cliff edge he
stands upon, The Fool is unaware of the possible hardships and
pitfalls that lay ahead as he ventures out to learn the lessons
of the world.

=== The Magician (Key 1):

Analogous to the legendary sorcerer Merlin, The Magician is both
teacher and wise man. As communicator and keeper of the ancient
mysteries, The Magician is The Fool's guide. He represents the
force of the creative impulse. He is also the conscious awareness
of the ego or outer self. The power of The Magician is his
ability to employ a dynamic combination of concentration and
creativity to manifest wishes and dreams. The Magician's message
to The Fool is that all the tools of life are at our fingertips,
and we can manipulate them at will to create the desired outcome.

=== The High Priestess (Key 2):

As chief feminine elder, The High Priestess corresponds to all
the virgin goddesses of the ancient world. Her primary
association is with The Moon and the concept of reflected or
borrowed light. Through her connection to occult, secret, and
esoteric matters she symbolizes potential, untapped talent, and
latent ability. She represents the nurturing and birth of
spiritual, creative, and artistic ideas that cross the threshold
from the unconscious to the conscious mind. The High Priestess is
The Fool's unrealized potential waiting passively for an active
principle to bring it to expression.

=== The Empress (Key 3):

The Empress is the Great Mother Goddess, the biological and
earthly mother of all living things. In her guise as
Ceres/Demeter who created the seasons, The Empress is mother-
nature herself. As the representative of fertility, art, and
beauty she is nurturing and seductive; like nature she symbolizes
the earth from which all life comes. For The Fool, The Empress
represents the loving mother who nourishes and cares for him, but
also Mother Earth, who nurtures and cares for us all.

=== The Emperor (Key 4):

Next, The Fool encounters the father in the figure of The
Emperor. He is the representative of structure and authority. As
he moves out from the safety of The Empress' arms, The Fool
begins to see that there are patterns to his world. Objects
respond in predictable ways that can be explored and understood.
He also learns that there are rules to follow, and that his will
is not always paramount. These restrictions can be frustrating,
but through the patient direction of his father The Emperor, The
Fool begins to understand their purpose.

=== The Hierophant (Key 5):

As keeper of the sacred keys and the religious authority in
society, The Hierophant is the other face of the paternal
principle represented by The Emperor. Together they share
responsibility for The Fool's material and spiritual needs. When
The Fool ventures out into the wider world, he is exposed to the
beliefs and traditions of his culture. Since The Hierophant is
the representative of society's organized belief systems, he is
the one who interprets arcane knowledge and sacred mysteries for
The Fool.

=== The Lovers (Key 6):

The Lovers represent the duality in life, particularly that
brought about by another person entering the individual's
personal sphere and awakening love and desire. Eventually, The
Fool faces the challenge of his urge for union with another
person. Up to this point, he was mainly self-centered. Now the
balancing tendency pictured in The Lovers impels him to reach out
and become half of a loving partnership. The Lovers duality can
also indicate a time of choice between two lovers, or the need to
decide whether or not to continue a relationship.

=== The Chariot (Key 7):

The Charioteer stands for ambition, action, change, and new
experience. Like the great classical heroes of mythology, this
trump represents victory, willpower, and the courage and heart of
a warrior. The modern meaning of this card has less to do with
war, battles, and victories, and more to do with work,
aspiration, self-control, and success in the world. The encounter
with The Chariot puts The Fool on notice that he is now an adult
and ready to take charge of his own life.

=== Strength (Key 8):

Originally numbered 11, A. E. Waite shifted the Strength card to
number 8. As a result, the card that relates to the energy and
resilience of the unconscious succeeds the representative of the
outer power of the ego's will. While The Chariot refers to the
male archetype of action in the world; Strength relates to the
female archetype of internal power. From them The Fool learns
that harmony is attained through the integration of inner and
outer consciousness. Instead of fighting the beast within, you
tame it and it becomes your source of strength.

=== The Hermit (Key 9):

The Hermit represents The Fool's inner teacher, higher self, or
spirit guide, that part of him that is continually searching for
the meaning of life. Connected astrologically to the planet
Saturn, The Hermit serves as the representative of Father Time.
He teaches The Fool about the passage of time and the
inevitability of change. As a result of this encounter, The Fool
begins to look inward, trying to understand his feelings and
motivations. He is now ready to seek out a teacher or guide who
can provide advice and direction.

=== The Wheel of Fortune (Key 10):

In many early decks, the image of this card was that of a
blindfolded woman representing the Goddess Fortuna in her guise
as fate or destiny. She's shown turning the wheel of life. When
the wheel turns, everything changes. Periods of happiness and
good fortune follow seasons and intervals of bad luck. From this
trump, The Fool learns about life's ups and downs. However, in
today's world many accept the idea that the fall of the wheel is
not so much determined by destiny, as it is the result of
individual thoughts, ideas, beliefs, feelings, and choices.

=== Justice (Key 11):

The astrological counterpart of Justice is Libra, the scales.
The double-edged sword depicted in most versions of this card
represents choice, and indicates that Justice is a two way
street. Its influence is impartial, objective, detached, and
nonjudgmental. The justice represented by this card is legal or
karmic justice, not social justice, which is in the realm of The
Emperor. The scales of justice refer to balance and harmony. From
his encounter with this key, The Fool learns to weigh all factors
in order to make informed choices and equitable decisions.

=== The Hanged Man (Key 12):

This card symbolizes the sacrifice of the god Odin, who hung
upside down from a tree. He suspended himself between the forces
of heaven and earth in order to learn the wisdom of the runes.
The Hanged Man denotes the transformation from ordinary
consciousness to spiritual consciousness. He introduces The Fool
to the need for letting go control of the ego, in order to
surrender to the intuitive knowledge of the inner self. This key
corresponds to a time when, with his life in suspension, The Fool
sees things from a new vantage point.

=== Death (Key 13):

Originally associated with the Grim Reaper, Cronos, and Kali, the
initial meaning of this card was physical death. However, the
modern meaning equates the Death card with Pluto, the
astrological planet of death, rebirth, and renewal. As such, it
does not signify physical death; but refers instead to
metaphorical death; something that transforms and changes you at
the deepest level of your being. At this point in the journey,
The Fool experiences many endings as he eliminates old habits and
tired approaches, putting the outgrown aspects of his life behind
him.

=== Temperance (Key 14):

The Temperance card connotes balance through moderation,
patience, and composure. Its task is to remind The Fool to always
keep one foot firmly planted on the ground. The word temperance
derives from the Latin temperare and means "to mix" or "to
combine." Symbolically this key represents the creativity and
empowerment of Alchemy, and refers to the combination of
opposites -- male and female, light and dark, spirit and matter.
By recombining and blending the many elements of life in new and
different ways, The Fool learns how to create something unique.

=== The Devil (Key 15):

This card personifies temptation, restriction, and misdirection.
It reflects belief in the surface rather than in the inner truth
of a situation. The Devil represents the individual's own fears.
When you believe you can't do anything, you're powerless to exert
control over your life. The Devil's purpose is to teach The Fool
to recognize and accept all sides of human nature. Because he
corresponds to our shadow part, The Devil knows all our shameful
secrets, forbidden desires, and taboo fantasies. Once The Fool
stops repressing his true feelings, he can start dealing with
them effectively.

=== The Tower (Key 16):

Because it denotes the breaking apart of old routines and
patterns that restrict growth and development, this key puts The
Fool on notice that changes are required. Although the sudden
catastrophes associated with The Tower generally appear as
external events that seem to come out of nowhere, they're
actually a wake up call that tells us everything is not as it
should be. Resist necessary change and events slam into your
life, forcing change upon you. However, with the smoke cleared
and the rubble removed you find that you're free to rebuild your
life along more personally satisfying lines.

=== The Star (Key 17):

Beyond the violence of The Tower's blinding flash of lightning,
The Fool encounters the peace and calm of The Star. Having passed
through the dark trials of The Tower, he now moves toward The
Star's gentle light. Bathed in its soft radiance, he is renewed
and restored to harmony and balance. Symbolic of faith, hope, and
inspiration, this trump reminds The Fool to trust to intuition
and his own inner voice. It prompts him to draw on all levels of
mind in an attempt to fulfill his highest potential. At last The
Fool is ready to follow his star, wherever it leads.

=== The Moon (Key 18):

Beneath The Moon's shimmering glow the familiar realities of
daytime and the conscious mind give way to the netherworld of
sleep, dreams, and the unconscious. Under The Moon's spell, The
Fool enters a labyrinth of illusion and mystery. The Moon's task
is to teach The Fool about the mysteries of the female spirit,
and the nurturing qualities of emotion and intuition. The Moon
stimulates the creative imagination, but she also introduces The
Fool to the seduction and paranoia implicit in the unknown. The
weird thoughts that bubble up from The Fool's unconscious may
provoke a sense of loss and bewilderment.

=== The Sun (Key 19):

With the coming of dawn The Sun is reborn, and the reawakened ego
consciousness emerges from the dark of night into the light of
day. This key's mythological correspondence is to ancient Sun
gods, like the Greek Apollo, who was born of Leto goddess of the
night. The Sun equates to wisdom and enlightenment, because in
its travels across the planet it sees everything. The Sun's
purpose is to teach The Fool to blend unconscious and conscious
material. Empowered by his passage through the trials of the
night, The Fool now feels strong, confident, and ready to
confront any challenge.

=== Judgement (Key 20):

The Fool is nearing the end of his journey. By the time he
reaches this point, he has learned how to integrate his everyday
awareness with higher consciousness. Moreover, he has changed
completely. The Fool now possesses all the qualities that he has
been seeking on his pilgrimage: enlightenment, truth, hidden
knowledge, and a sense of harmony and contentment. He feels
cleansed and refreshed, ready to start anew. He may regret past
mistakes, but he knows they were due to his ignorance of his true
nature.

=== The World (Key 21):

At last The Fool has come to the final card in the journey. The
World card signals the end of his tour of the major arcana.
Having attained the goal, he arrives at his destination totally
transformed. He is now ready to reenter the world, but this time
with a more complete understanding. His former naiveté has
combined with the wisdom he acquired along the way. He has
mastered the three planes of mind, body, and emotion, and all
elements of his existence blend together to form a synthesized
whole.

===
=== About Phyllis Vega
===

Phyllis Vega is a professional astrologer and tarot reader. She
is the author of two popular tarot books, Romancing the Tarot and
Power Tarot (with Trish MacGregor), with a third book,
TarotCraft: How to Use the Cards for Divination, Creative
Visualization, and Meditation currently in the works. Contact
Phyllis via email at pvega@bellsouth.net or through her website
at http://phyllisvega.geocities.com/. Tarot Tarot columns and
other works by Phyllis are archived at
http://tarottalk.ecauldron.net/.

Phyllis Vega's Tarot Talk copyright (c) 2009 by Phyllis Vega. All
rights reserved.


[04]
=========
========= FLAMEKEEPING
========= KNOWING, TRUTH, AND UNKNOWABLE REALITY
========= by HeartShadow
=========

HeartShadow is following her own religious path. She calls it
FlameKeeping. This regular column will present articles on
FlameKeeping, many taken from HeartShadow's FlameKeeping blog at:

http://flamekeeping.blogspot.com/

=====
===== Knowing, Truth, and Unknowable Reality
=====

We like to believe we know how the world works. We want to
understand and control everything we can, including religious
matters. And we want to be right.

But who's right? Religions directly contradict each other.
There's no way they can all be 100% correct. So how do we learn
what is right and what is not? And why do religions hold things
that aren't true in them?

Faith comes from contact with the Divine. Religion, however, is
when that contact is codified and rituals created for people to
find that same contact. The contacts themselves are True. But
everything we create around that contact is just as flawed as all
other human institutions. We place our own preconceptions, our
own desires and flaws inside the religion. Over time, some people
come to see the preconceptions and other human flaws as the
religion and ignore the actual faith aspects, causing schisms and
broken faiths.

We need to accept that we aren't capable of truly comprehending
the Divine. We don't have a box big enough to shove a person in
completely, much less a god or all of creation. The more we try
to hold all the answers in our hands, the more we're left with
smoke and straw. What we can hold is infinitely smaller than what
exists, and even what we can hold is larger than what we can
express. Humanity as a whole constantly tries to expand its
knowledge as to the functioning of the Universe. No religious box
can be smaller than our scientific knowledge. Everything that
exists needs to be acceptable to religion. The parts that do not
match are not Truths, but human preconceptions and flaws that we
create to make the world a little smaller and a little easier to
hold.

We need to accept that we cannot be 100% correct in how we think
the world works. The more we try to hold and shrink it, the more
it slips through our grasp.

=====
===== Questions:
=====

  * How do you try to hold the world smaller? How does that limit
    you?
  * Do you see a conflict between science and religion? Reality
    and religion? How do you resolve these conflicts?
  * Do you see faith as something that needs to be constrained or
    set free? Do you have the faith to let the Universe be what
    it is, instead of what you want it to be?


[05]
=========
========= ARTICLES
=========

=======
======= A QUICK GUIDE TO CARTOMANCY READINGS
======= by Giovanni Paolo Migliore
=======

Cartomancy refers to fortune-telling with the use of cards. This
form of divination emerged in the 14th century, right in the
heels of the emergence of the playing cards. Those who practice
this form of divination are called cartomancers or card readers.
Cartomancy is often the choice for some people who like the
familiarity brought by the common playing cards, compared with
the more alien-quality that the other tools for divination have.

===
=== History of cartomancy
===

It is believed that card reading initially was for the
entertainment of the concubines of the Chinese emperor in the
12th century. Tracing the origins of card reading back to China
seems logical enough since it was China that first invented
paper.

Other accounts place the origin of the first deck of playing
cards to 15th century in Italy. A total of 22 more cards were
added to the card deck during this time, and it was believed that
this is where the first tarot cards first came from.

Famous historical figures who used cartomancy to aid them in
decision making include Napoleon, the Empress Josephine, and Tsar
Alexander of Russia.

===
=== What you can learn from cartomancy readings
===

Cartomancy readings are useful in times when you need guidance in
making decisions, whether you are doing cartomancy readings
online or cartomancy tarot reading with the help of a reader. In
times of confusion, when we feel like we do not know what the
right answer is, or when we feel like we know the answer but
circumstances hinder us from making a choice, cartomancy readings
can help us put the final nail in the coffin and decide with
certainty. A cartomancy reading is also useful during times when
we are making decisions that we feel we cannot yet share with the
rest of the family. In this case, a professional card reader can
help us make those decision without the bias that family members
often bring with them. A professional card reader who has had
experience helping clients deal with sensitive problems can help
by giving an accurate, insightful and objective reading.

===
=== Cartomancy card spreads
===

Card reading can be done with an ordinary 52-card poker deck, but
a better alternative would be tarot cards. There are three
popular card spreads used by most card readers today. These are
the Celtic cross spread, the horse-shoe spread and the three card
spread. In a Celtic cross spread, the reader spread 10 cards on
the table, with five set into a cross and four cards placed
vertically beside the cross. The last card is placed horizontally
across of the central card of the cross, commonly referred to as
the significant card.

The cards are arranged in a V-shape or in a horse-shoe spread and
read from left to right in order to see the past, the present,
obstacles and problems, possible solutions, and outcomes in the
future.

Finally, the three card spread uses three cards, each of which
represent the past, the present, and the future.

===
=== Difference between Tarot cards and cartomancy cards
===

Cartomancy can use the standard deck of playing cards or Tarot
cards, which ever the client or the reader prefers.In most cases,
however, most readers prefer to use Tarot cards.A deck of Tarot
cards consists of the Major Arcana, 21 trump cards and one Fool
cards, and a Minor Arcana, composed of 56 conventional cards. Any
deck of cards that does not have this number and classification
of cards can be used for cartomancy.

=== About the Author

Giovanni Paolo Migliore is the author of various articles on
cartomancy (http://psychicreadingsonline.co.uk/cartomancy-
readings/) and card reading. He currently writes for online
psychic publications.


[06]
=========
========= Cauldron Info
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=========

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[07]
=========
========= Cauldron Info
========= SUPPORT THE CAULDRON BY VOLUNTEERING TO HELP
=========

The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum was founded in December 1997 to
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If you purchase a lot of books, CDs, and other items from
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If you are a regular user of the US version of Amazon, you can
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=====
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Are you an Ebay user? Ebay has a new program that pays
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To do this in Internet Explorer or Firefox, find ebay in your
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=====
===== Have Questions or Suggestions?
=====

If you have specific questions, proposals or other ideas we
haven't mentioned here, please email them to
rssapphire00@ecauldron.GETRIDOFEME.com. (Unfortunately, Randall
has to answer general "Tell me more?" type questions with a
request for a more specific question. He's not trying to be rude,
he just can't think of anything general and useful to say that
isn't said here.)


[08]
=========
========= NEWSLETTER INFORMATION
========= (Including how to subscribe and unsubscribe)
=========

Cauldron and Candle is a free publication of The Cauldron: A
Pagan Forum. The Cauldron intends to publish this newsletter once
a month and often actually succeeds in doing so. We tried to
publish it twice a month for a while, but real life interfered
too often.

This issue of Cauldron and Candle as a whole is copyright (c)
2008 by The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum. Copyrights on individual
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=====
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=====
===== SUGGESTIONS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME
=====

Don't forget that your suggestions for this newsletter are always
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LyricFox (lyricfox01@ecauldron.GETRIDOFME.com) or Randall
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usual, courtesy of the Goddess Eris.

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