[JMI_Tarot]

I am adding an "Occult" page to my website, mainly looking at the rise of a huge variety of occult practices, groups and publications in the 1920s.

I've been really surprised to learn about so many different ones.

Myself, I have practiced meditation for years and incorporate it into my tarot practice. I know many would not consider meditation "Occult" but I disagree. It is a gateway to a different consciousness which is open to all things not of the temporal plane. The past, present and future become one to me in a good meditative state. I sense doors opening.

I am wondering if any of you could share what other practices you engage in outside of Tarot.

I'm interested in what draws people to different things. What kind of connections people are looking for. Anything at all you'd like to share about your interest in the Occult.

Thank you.

[Barleywine]

I'm always interested in methods that tie back to the "old ways." In addition to horary astrology, tarot and Lenormand, I picked up geomancy a few years ago, and practice Israel Regardie's approach of using a bowl of small stones for the odd-even outcome rather than a box of soil and a wand. I also explored lithomancy (casting of stones or lots), and have poked around some in druidry (still more to come on that front). I have just about zero interest in "New Age-y" modernizations, or anything with a religious tone to it. I was exposed to kabbalah and the Golden Dawn back in 1972, and that's been the inspiration for most of my occult work.

I often spend time looking for insights in Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy, Manly P. Hall's Secret Teaching of All Ages, and even the Aleister-Crowley-referenced Sir James George Frazer's The Golden Bough, which I've tried to read through on several occasions but it always exhausts me with its "piling-on" style of fact presentation.

[JMI_Tarot]

Originally Posted by Barleywine

I'm always interested in methods that tie back to the "old ways."

So I don't s'pose you're doing emoticon sigils?

Sounds like you practice some very nature-based rituals. I think the world needs more Druids right now.

[JMI_Tarot]

Anyone else?
Magnetism? Mirror Magic? Pharaonic Architecture? (yes, that's a thing) Dance? Hypnotism? Pendulums? Palmistry? Seance? Theosophy? Chakras?

Anything you've tried and just couldn't get into?

For me that was palmistry. I'm fascinated and would love to be able to do it but I just couldn't click with it. At least not so far.

[Onaorkal]

I have in interest in many of the most commonly known occult practices, but I wouldn't call myself very knowledgeable in any of them (yet).
I want to deepen my knowledge of astrology, especially analysis of birth charts and elective astrology.
I know a bit about palmistry and physiognomy.
I think hypnosis, telepathy, mediumnity, energy healing, etc are really interesting.
Then you have divination. I really really love to read about historic and modern methods of divination and I want to learn more about many of them. Cartomancy, geomancy, runes, astragalomancy, zodiac degrees, lithomancy, Mah Jong, pendulum...those are the ones I started to learn about.

I know I might be better off learning about one thing at a time but can't help it!

[JMI_Tarot]

Originally Posted by Onaorkal

I have in interest in many of the most commonly known occult practices, but I wouldn't call myself very knowledgeable in any of them (yet).
I want to deepen my knowledge of astrology, especially analysis of birth charts and elective astrology.
I know a bit about palmistry and physiognomy.
I think hypnosis, telepathy, mediumnity, energy healing, etc are really interesting.
Then you have divination. I really really love to read about historic and modern methods of divination and I want to learn more about many of them. Cartomancy, geomancy, runes, astragalomancy, zodiac degrees, lithomancy, Mah Jong, pendulum...those are the ones I started to learn about.

I know I might be better off learning about one thing at a time but can't help it!

Nice list! I had to google a couple of those.

I had no idea Mah Jong had any esoteric/occult connection. I play it all the time online to kind of "warm up my brain". hmmmm

[Onaorkal]

Originally Posted by JMI_Tarot

Nice list! I had to google a couple of those.

I had no idea Mah Jong had any esoteric/occult connection. I play it all the time online to kind of "warm up my brain". hmmmm

I never even played actual Mah Jong, only Mah Jong Solitaire, where you need to pair up tiles.

I learned about Mah Jong divination when I saw someone selling their Mah Jongg Fortune Telling cards on Facebook. I thought the images looked lovely so I was tempted to buy the cards for a while, but finally I decided I'd rather use the 'real thing' and I bought a Mah Jong set! There is not a lot of information that can be found on how to use Mah Jong for divination. Until now, I found a couple of divination books that were mentioning it, one of them even had a chapter on it. I haven't tried yet, I want to make sure I have enough time to go through everything hehe.

Also I forgot to mention tasseomancy in my earlier post! I was finally able to get my hands on good tea cups! It's a very calming activity and a good exercise for the imaginative side of the brain!

[Morwenna]

I've been learning astrology for something like 50 years by now. And there's always so much more to learn. I consider myself knowing just enough to be dangerous.

I've been a runic student for about 30 years now too. I started learning that shortly before getting into Tarot.

I've dabbled at palmistry off and on for many years too. I also learned something of grain casting. My husband has developed his own method of stone casting, but his is a very individual thing and to do what he has done I would have to find my own stones and decide what each one means.

But for many years I have collected various books about Paganism, hermeticism, ceremonial magic, the western mystery tradition, and so on. I never tire of reading these things, but much of it I haven't studied in depth, despite feeling that I should.

As for practice, well, that entails actually working with those divination materials, and imbuing foods with energy, and sending healing energy to those in need, and invoking aid, but now we're getting into the edges of religion. And my religion is really a mixture.