I’ve been writing my whole life, ever since I started journaling at 12 years old.  In my teens I naively sent off tedious poetry to a variety of magazines, and finally, in my early 30s, I actually received payment for a series of short stories that were published in literary magazines featuring fiction.  

This was an affirmation to me, an acknowledgment from the universe that, yes, I could write, and there were people who actually wanted to read what I have written — and they would pay me for this grand creative effort.

So, comes the year 2009.  I was getting dressed early one spring day.  I remember it as if it were yesterday.  I was standing in my bedroom, slipping on a pair of blue jeans.  I had just put one foot in one leg when I heard a voice in my head say:  “Write a book.”

So I did, and this book, Tarot: A Witch’s Journey, is the result.

It was published a year later, in October 2010, by Labyrinth House Publishing.

This book was republished as a 10th anniversary edition in February 2018, with Amazon and Pink Orchid Publishing…

Available @Amazon
in kindle, print, and hard cover

Follow author, Amythyst Raine, through the realm of Tarot, uncovering life’s mysteries along the way. Explore esoteric connections through the cards with astrology, numerology, and the Kabbalah. Delve into criminal cases explored intimately through the intricacies of the tarot and intuitive reading. Connect with and experience the human psyche through the court cards. Discover tarot’s power within the magick of the occult world. Begin your journey through the realm of Tarot today.

Table of Contents

The Tarot ~ 6

The Minor Arcana ~ 8

Court Cards ~ 34

The Major Arcana ~ 47

Frequently Asked Questions ~ 76

Deeper Tarot Connections ~ 91

Tarot Spreads ~ 104

Criminal Cases/Psychic Readings ~ 143

Astrological Correspondences ~ 167

The Zodiac/12 Houses ~ 178

Numerology & The Tarot ~ 195

The Kabbalah Connection ~ 215

Tarot Magic ~ 237

[I included in this book a very special section to the Table of Contents so you can easily find the tarot spells included in this book]

Spells

• Mojo Bag Spells

To Bring Justice ~ 243
The Bag of Retribution ~ 245
For Safe Travel ~ 247
For Safe Childbirth ~ 250
The Bag of Riches ~ 251
The Lovers Bag ~ 252
To Uncover the Truth ~ 253
The Personal Power Mojo Bag ~ 254
For Protection ~ 256

• Candle Spells

To Promote Fidelity ~ 257
To Catch a Thief ~ 260
To Gain Employment ~ 262
The Wish Spell ~ 264
To Regain Balance in Your Life ~ 266
To Summon Someone
From Your Past ~ 268
Reaching a Decision ~ 272
Achieving Victory ~ 274
Banishing Nightmares ~ 276

October 2010

My first book release.

Book Trailer…

to promote the 10th anniversary release of the second edition in July 2020.  This is an updated and illustrated edition that is available in print, hardcover (in color), and kindle.

[Excerpt:  Minor Arcana ~ In-depth]

The Two’s

The two’s involve pairs. These cards can revolve around couples, business, money, mental endeavors, and decisions, as depicted by cups, wands, pentacles, and swords. The two’s can predict compatibility and the need and direction of decisions. The two’s speak of balance—yin yang, black and white, left and right, etc.; they herald partnerships and validate relationships. This suit can also warn us when there are imbalances in our lives that may affect unpredictable areas.

Two of Pentacles

The figure on this card appears as a juggler, most often than not. In each hand he holds a golden disk, balanced precariously on their edges. As this card tells us, the trick of life, the most important thing, is to keep everything in it balanced out, on an even keel. Upright this card indicates that we have accomplished this task successfully. In deep concentration, we maintain an even equilibrium in our lives; and in doing so the paths before us will be smooth and easier to traverse. This card reminds us that maintaining balance is much like keeping a house clean, it is an ongoing thing.

When this card is reversed, it is a smack to our consciousness, telling us that something is off kilter, out of whack, with often tumultuous and chaotic consequences. There is an imbalance somewhere in our lives, and this imbalance will be like ripples on a pond, upsetting the smooth surface in all aspects of our existence. The surrounding cards will quickly point out the specific areas that are affected and will offer solutions to the dilemma.

Two of Swords

Crossed lances, a blindfolded figure…Conflict, inability to compromise, unwillingness to see that which we don’t want to face, not having all the information needed to arrive at a decision. This card tells us that the problem here in lies with us. It speaks to us of internal forces at work, creating within us indecision, stubbornness, blunders, and aloofness. This card tells us to open our eyes, take a clear look. The truth, the answer, the right path, all will be revealed in time.

Reversed, this card assures you that the answers, the solutions, the correct path are right before you, just open your eyes and you will see. This card, in conjunction with those around it, can also be pointing to very specific solutions, people, paths and answers. The reversed two of swords can also indicate that someone is not ready to see the light, make decisions, or decide on a direction.

Two of Wands

This card speaks of partnerships, pairings, a mutual benefit derived from working together. It can also point to the need for decisions based around issues of business, finance, and other practical mundane matters of life. Within this card, the figure, standing so his back is to us, seems deep in concentration, sort of wrapped up in his own thought process. At the same time, he’s also watching the horizon, facing a direction that allows him to see what’s coming, to avoid unpleasant surprises, to be prepared.

In some decks there are other figures in the distance, often a ship or an animal. This can indicate a second party who will have a direct effect on the decision made, on the partnership, or the business venture. Pay attention to your impressions about these figures.

Reversed, this card often warns us that now may not be the right time to undertake any new projects or in-depth endeavors. You may need more information, maybe something more from the mundane world such as funds, backing, or support. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the enterprise should be abandoned, merely that more time may be needed to work out any glitches.

Two of Cups

The suit of cups deals with emotions and relationships. This card often announces engagements, weddings, a union of some kind. Depending on the surrounding cards in the reading, this could be any sort of union that is steeped in strong emotions and a variety of relationship connections. Upright, this card reeks of a couple, a partnership, soul mates, a coming together. This often means a physical union, but it can also point out more intangible unions, such as a ‘meeting of the minds’. This is a celebratory card and strikes at the heart, the deep-seated center of love, strong emotions, and ethereal fantasies.

Reversed, the two of cups can sting a bit. It may be telling us to step back, slow down, and take a second look. This card can also indicate problems in a marriage or a relationship. Look closely at the surrounding cards for details. It can speak of imbalances in relationships and expose controlling behavior. In some of my readings, the two of cups have also foretold of cancelled engagements and weddings, and it has spoken of divorce.

[Excerpt: Major Arcana ~ In-depth]

18. The Moon

Mystery, esoteric knowledge, psychism, deceptions, mental illness, the dark side—the enlightened side…All meanings of The Moon, and all of these aspects for this beautiful and complicated card have come up in my readings.

This card, with its moonlit path always leading between two stalwart towers or mountains, has the feeling of wandering about it, an unsettled spirit and eternal quest. This quest may involve the search for something in our mundane world, and this card has indeed come up in readings for missing person cases. This quest can also involve the spiritual, the intangible search for knowledge, often occult knowledge. It speaks of ‘The Seeker”.

The sentinels on either side of this card, often portrayed as canines, reeks of inner initiation, of someone who has come through—or is about to enter—a new phase of self-awareness and inner enlightenment.

Reversed, this card often is a warning—someone close to you is not being truthful, perhaps it is you yourself, not being true to those around you, or being swallowed by self-deception. Occasionally The Moon has warned of an unbalanced mind, mental illness, or the dark side of yourself or someone close to you.

This is my favorite tarot card of the entire deck. I suppose part of this affinity stems from the Wiccan, Goddess oriented part of myself. I find comfort in the moon, in the subdued light it casts, and in its ever changing subtle energy and phases.

Yes, this card has a dark side, there’s no getting around that. But there are light and dark aspects to everything in our world, everything of nature. Sometimes we find ourselves stepping into these shadows, only to discover the light.

And that’s where this card will take you.

[Excerpt: The Querents]

• The Talker

One sunny afternoon when I was giving readings in an occult shop, a determined middle-aged lady plopped herself down in front of me and started to profusely proclaim how glad she was that I was there to read for her.  As I shuffled the cards, she began a one-woman soliloquy on her life, her late husband’s life, her children’s lives, and her grandchildren’s’ lives.  When I began to turn the cards and opened my mouth to give her the reading she was so ecstatic to be receiving, I thought she would stop talking.

She didn’t.

Every time I turned a card, before it was even all the way over, she would react, first with a sigh, a ‘tsk, tsk’, a dismayed ‘oh my’, or a squeal of approval.  And she would then proceed to read the cards in her own interpretation, chattering away at a hundred miles an hour.

I couldn’t get a word in.

Throughout the entirety of this reading, she persistently wanted to know if she would receive the money she needed for an upcoming bill, but she never stopped talking long enough for me to tell her anything.  She insisted that I draw another card, and another card, and another card, hoping to see the answer she desired.  After the last card was turned and she gave a final sigh, she said impatiently, “Well, do you see that money coming in on time or not?”

Quite frankly, I didn’t, and I told her so.

She looked at me with a condescending eye, thinly veiled contempt, and with a disappointed attitude she said, “Well, I guess you did the best you could.”

Then she pushed back her chair, stood up, and stormed off.

Try not to let this type of client rattle you.  Most likely she would never find favor with anything you had to say, even if you would’ve gotten the opportunity to say it.

[Excerpt: Using Psychic Tarot Readings to Solve Criminal Cases]

Tarot Case #4

September 17, 2005

Taylor Marie Behl,  Richmond, Virginia

Knight/cups ®

2/cups     5/cups     Knight/pentacles

The Moon     Lovers ®     High Priestess ®

4/Swords     3/pentacles     King/wands ®

General Reading:

There is a romantic relationship. 

There is someone Taylor was involved with—friend, lover.  She broke up with this person. Someone, something was lost.  There is a young man—appears to be solid type, good worker, serious student, goal oriented, and serious person in general.  She broke up with this person.  It was a sad ending, bad feelings.

There follows a period of trickery and deceit, emotional illness, jealousy, black thoughts…not Taylor, but someone she met.  Another lover comes into the picture. There are problems with this relationship.  This person becomes an ex-lover, boyfriend.  Taylor had misgivings about someone close to her, about this person— but she did not listen to her gut feelings that were warning her about this situation.

There is a possibility Taylor was drugged or poisoned.

Taylor may already be dead as of this date.  But I feel she may have been confined or held for a short period of time against her will before she was killed.  It may have been a very brief period. 

I feel she is already dead.  It’s too late to help her.

Taylor, or her body, may be hidden in, or near, a building.  The abductor may have had two other people help him conceal her body or her.  They know something about it, but I don’t think these people were a part of the actual murder. 

This man (the older man) is fair skinned, has light hair (maybe red), and is a control freak.  When Taylor brushed him off she upset the balance in his life.  He no longer felt in control.  To regain his feeling of control he physically overpowered Taylor.  He may be a few years older than Taylor.  An older man.  The situation was beyond Taylor’s control.  She was helpless.

Summary:

There may have been two men who were involved with Taylor—one of them, a young man, is innocent of any wrong doing—just an ex-beau.

The second, the older man, may have mental problems, is emotionally unstable, and is responsible for Taylor’s disappearance.

Key:

This was a case of a romantic encounter gone bad.

          Second reading

September 17, 2005

8/pentacles 6/pentacles® The Emperor® 
Queen/wands®

General Reading

Taylor was a generous person—to a fault.  People might have taken advantage of her in this respect.  There was an overwhelming negative male influence involved here—overpowering masculinity.  There is a woman—maybe jealous and mean spirited.  This woman may have wanted something from Taylor.  She is also controlling–  This card, The Queen of Wands, also strikes me as having a double meaning here:  It could be Taylor’s mother in mourning—a generous woman, a country woman or genteel lady.  She may also be a business woman.  She is kind and likes children and animals.  She’s the kind of woman who is comfortable being in charge.

Summary:

Authorities should check 1) Taylor’s place of work or study—someone she knows at school and 2) Someone she met at work.  (If not HER place of work, then HIS place of work.)

Facts/Information on this case:

•      September 18, 2005There is a “person of interest”, an older man.  He is a 38-year-old photographer who was working with

Taylor.  Taylor is seventeen.

•      September 19, 2005

Taylor’s cell phone was receiving calls for a week after she disappeared.  Her car—a white Ford Escort– was found 1 ½ miles from her college.  The license plates had been switched to Ohio plates. The person of interest, the photographer, is Ben Fawly.  The 38 year old man met Taylor at her college while visiting a young man there who is his friend and a student at the college.  Ben Fawly was visiting this young man in the dorm.

•      September 20, 2005

Ben Fawly—Taylor had met him some time ago and was having some sort of relationship with him.  He lived in the area.  Police have confiscated items from his home, such as his computer, photos of Taylor, etc.

At one time she had met a young man that she dated on and off but the relationship never grew into anything serious.  This young man is apparently NOT a “person of interest”.

•      September 21, 2005

A second car has been impounded by the police and is being searched.  Ben Fawly had photographs of Taylor posted on his website.  The police have gone to the home of a young man to question him, however, he is not considered to be a suspect.

•      September 26, 2005

There has been an arrest in this case.

•      September 28, 2005The man arrested was 38-year-old photographer, Ben

Fawly.  He was arrested on charges of child pornography.  A young man, Jessie Schulz, took and failed a polygraph test on two counts:  1. Did he know Taylor?  2. Was he in Taylor’s car? This young man lives within a mile or mile and half from Ben Fawly.  The police are looking for a stolen license plate:  GRN ERTH.

•      September 29, 2005

Ben Fawly—fair-skinned, dark hair dyed light reddish.  He has mental problems.  He’s bi-polar. A number of unusual items were removed from his home including a box of bones and sex toys.

Taylor, Jessie Schulz, and two other young men were going to go skate boarding the night she disappeared.

Taylor met Ben Fawly that night and had sex with him before she left to meet the guys for skateboarding.

•      October 6, 2005

Taylor’s body was found yesterday- October 5, 2005.  It was found in Virginia, off a dirt path on a private farm.  The body was buried in a shallow grave behind a barn.  Ben Fawly’s ex-girlfriend led the authorities to the body.  The farm belongs to her family.  Ben Fawly claims that he saw Taylor twice on the day she disappeared and had sex with her on that day.  He also claims that he was abducted that day by 3 or 4 men and then released.

Ben Fawly is on disability because of mental problems.  He is believed to have sexually deviant behavior and had a number of unusual sex toys, etc., removed from his home by the authorities.Police dogs followed a scent trail of Taylor from her abandoned vehicle which was discovered with stolen license plates to the home of Jessie Schulz.  Jessie 

Schulz was in court today on unrelated drug charges.

•      October 10, 2005

Ben Fawly is now officially a suspect in the murder of Taylor Behl.  He was living with a young man that Taylor knew from high school.  He has a long list of assault charges and a restraining order was put on him for one ex-girlfriend.  Cause of death has not been determined yet.  The body is “badly decomposed”.

You will find in this book tarot connected to a variety of other esoteric subjects including astrology, the kabbalah, and numerology.

[Excerpt: The Twelve Houses of the Zodiac]

First House

Self
Sun sign—Aries
Planet—Mars

Personality, temperament, appearance, characteristics, behavior, early life, likes/dislikes, outward persona, mannerisms

The first house is the most powerful and the most revealing, for it is “you”. In a tarot reading, this house will lay you open before the reader. It will tell her how you handle yourself with people and the day to day circumstances of life—Are you fair, temperamental, good-natured and friendly, crotchety, suspicious, affectionate or abusive? All and much more will be revealed. It will expose those things you dislike in life and the world, as well as people, animals, places, activities, or objects you love and cherish.

It will detail certain physical characteristics, as well as mental quirks and any other idiosyncrasies about your nature or habits. If there is anything about yourself that you don’t wish to have exposed, The Horoscope Spread is not a reading you would want to have done—or any tarot reading for that matter.

Anything we hide or hide behind will be stripped away with the turn of a card.

[Excerpt: Journey On the Pathways… There are 22 pathways between the ten sephiroths of the Tree of Life.  To each of these 22 pathways a major arcana card is assigned, as well as a Hebrew letter.  This creates a pathway of interconnected mysteries that can lead to incredibly deep and awe inspiring revelations when the various meanings and correspondences are all taken into consideration.]

Path 28

Tzadi

The Star

This is the path where we discover the mystical and revel in our fantasies—opening doors to these fantasies, making them accessible. This is where we wade through the odyssey that is our dreams and in doing so…find our true identity—the unpolished, raw and gorgeous being that we are.

The charm that is this part of our journey allows an inner world to unfold before us, an inner world filled with creatures created from the essence of our psyche, colors in brilliance and hues not of this world, sounds heard only with the sixth sense, and landscapes woven from the palette of our sub-conscious mind.

We travel in full circle upon this path—that is, in reality, going from one point to the next, but as travelers who are lost and wander in circles until they come to this realization on their own.

Upon this path we discover that the mystical, ethereal portion of our persona shapes our identity with a much larger sense of influence than expected.

[Excerpt: Mojo Bag Spells]

The Personal Power Mojo Bag

Personal Power Bag for Women:

For this mojo bag we’re going to draw on the energy of the High Priestess.  Within her lays the power of the Feminine Divine.  She will represent the inner core of all women, where magic resides, where the witch exists—“There’s a little witch in every woman.”, so goes the saying.  All of these archetypes—the priestess, the goddess, the witch—represents and emphasizes personal power.

Correspondences:

1.       Moon Phase:  full moon

2.       Day:  Monday

3.       Planet:  Moon

4.       Colors:  blue, silver, white

5.       Herbs:  moonwort, lotus, myrrh, gardenia, cardamom, belladonna, thyme, lilac, apple blossoms, violet, wormwood

6.       Stones:  moonstone, blue lace agate, clear quartz crystal

7.       Tarot Card:  The High Priestess

Personal Power Bag for Men:For the man we’re going to draw on the energy of The Magician.  Within him lays the power of the masculine, the Priest—the Elder, the Shaman, the Sorcerer, the Wizard.  The Magician holds the mysticism of the four elements within his hands and the will needed to create magic.  These archetypes represent personal power.

Correspondences:

1.       Moon Phase:  full moon

2.       Day:  Sunday

3.       Planet:  Sun

4.       Colors:  yellow, orange, white

5.       Herbs:  carnation, juniper, rowan, sunflower, St. John’s Wort, mistletoe

6.       Stones:  amber, carnelian, tiger’s eye

7.       Tarot Card:  The Magician

To this bag, add at least three of the herbs and one of the stones listed.  You could also add an image of the God/Goddess, such as a pendent or small statuary.  I’ve seen some very tiny and beautiful ones in new-age shops.  If you have a patron god/goddess, you could also add images, herbs, stones, objects, etc., that are special and unique to His/Her energy. 

Add to this bag images or objects that represent power to you—an object from your work place, if you feel this is where your power lays; a photo of your children; tokens of past success; slips of paper filled with personal affirmations; images of men or women who represent success and power to you, such as your mother or father, grandmother or grandfather, or a public figure. 

This book is jam-packed with so much information on such a variety of levels, I can’t begin to tell you.  And this book was, indeed, a journey, as the title states.  If you haven’t purchased your copy of this book you can do so with the link below at Amazon.  And if you already have a copy, you might want to gift a copy to a friend.  Spread the magick

Tarot: A Witch’s Journey

@Amazon