Introducing the new calendar featuring the imagery developed from the Tarot Amulets and Casters of Amulets by Merlin. In the original creation of these pieces, I had envisioned this as a break from the traditional “card” presenting a scene. The Amulets are focused into an almost Iconic form so it may be used in a very tangible “casting forth” if the pieces – “Roll the bones” as it were.
These tarot images are from the MetaPlace experiment of 2009. This was original a virtual reality game engine which enabled us to do an on-line “walk through” providing a way to immerse oneself into the concepts. For the Calender I have enhanced the images and added writings from my Tarot Archives and included images from my Zodiac pieces.
Each month presents the corresponding Tarot Amulet, the Astrological association, and a meditation on the Tarot’s meaning in relation to the Hebrew letter.
Additional assistance in the imagery developed in MetaPlace by Allyn McElrath and Michael Woody.
As a present,
The Fool may appear like a gag-gift,
but not necessarily.
The Fool represented in the Tarot suggests the “beginning of things”..
This is why I selected the shape of an egg.
It’s primal shape holds many possibilities.
The “Alph” embossed on the shell suggests a sense of the inhalation before a long tale.
This could be a gift to a graduate or on a birthday.
If you are “starting over” within your life,
this could be a fresh,
Spring-like step in a healthier direction.
In the book “Stranger in a Strange Land”,
Robert Heinlein wrote for his character Michael
(a human rescued from Mars and raised by Martians): “I am only an Egg”, meaning “I am new at this, I am Young and willing to learn”.
Mistakes happen when one takes a chance and throws caution to the wind,
or perhaps attempts something that is (indeed) imposable,
but that is how we learn.
(Don’t do That again!).
Sometimes The Fool is unaware that something could be impossible;
attempts it and succeeds;
it is then the Fool becomes a Hero
– unaware that the transformation has taken place.
(I did what?)
Wearing the Fool as an amulet
may be a constant reminder to “Listen carefully, as if you have never heard it before”,
celebrating Life as a Child,
Embracing new experiences as we begin a new adventure.
For many years I was on the road, attending conventions and festivals and two of the most common questions was “How do you make this?” and “How did you start out?”
I started off as a child…
My first reach into jewelry was wanting something that I could not find. When I was seven years old I had asked Santa clause to gift me two badges: I pains taking developed sketches of that I wanted and offered it to him days before Christmas. The odd thing to me at the time was the careful “handing off” of the sketches to my parents while I was “being distracted” by a very tall elf.
After not getting the badges I asked for, my suspicions grew and I though about making the pieces myself. Fortunately my parents later gifted me with a copper enameling kit. I developed a technique of enameling by mixing color and design in the powder, however in the tiny kit the control over design was a bit hap hazard.
As with all things in our childhood, the kit was “over used” and eventually when the hot plate was borrowed and burnt up, I returned to other forms of art. My Mother was a professional artist and trained me in painting, sculpture and many other forms of artistic media and technique. Coupled with music (Piano and Guitar) I began to develop a way to reproduce and interpret what I saw, felt and thought.
I cannot remember a time when I was not sculpting, yet when the opportunity to take a jewelry class, I went into fabrication: working directly in the metal rather than casting. I will always be grateful for this because the broader the education in the field.
It was not until I was going through a rough patch in my life and found myself back in my parent’s home and access to a jewelry bench again that I went to an exhibit of Lalique at the LA county art museum that I found I was on the right track. In combination with my studies in metaphysics, (focusing on the art) I decided to bend the boundaries of my work to include esoteric imagery and use of my art.
For years I had attempted to develop a Tarot Deck, however these adventures into the project kept solidifying into “logo” like pictures rather than paintings. Seeking the work of a master who bent the rules as to what was to be jewelry and what was art, I was inspired.
In order to work on the project, I started to create custom jewelry for folks, building my bench of tools and honing my skills, I began to work out of a shop: the Crystal Cave, at the time in Santa Anna, California. Karen, the owner of the shop was extremely supportive and began to display my work in her cases; all the while I was driving a truck.
In 1992 I went full time into jewelry, moved to Newport News, Virginia and completed the Tarot Caster Set: the first (and only) three dimensional Tarot Deck of it’s kind. Yes, each of the Major Arcana may be used almost pharmaceutical, however when used together the set is a deck which may be dropped and read as they fall. I developed the name “Tarot Casters” because the process is much like casting a net. In some of the more esoteric writing, Tzaddii (the Hebrew letter attributed to the Star Card) is the fish hook: one drops one’s mind into the great waters of the unconscious to see what would bite. By using the entire major arcana, one is using a much broader casting for ideas, inspiration and (perhaps) answers on one’s troubles.
Within a few months of being on the East Coast, I was introduced to a more esoteric community which appreciated what I had accomplished and rewarded me with praise and commissions for more work. I began with creating jewelry for circles, covens and groves as well as Churches and other religious organizations, focusing on Serving Spirit rather a specific religious trend. The only criteria I’ve maintained is that all is focused on Good Intent.
Thanks to a commission by my land lord, I developed a Tap Handle for his private reserve, thus I returned to sculpting, one of the first steps in training in my youth. I sculpted in in pieces, then assembled them after casting – a technique used in much larger pieces, however when casting with a jewelry centrifuge you are limited in how large one can go. For several decades, I focused on tiny pieces rather than the large ones, however after working so small, the larger pieces came easy, but they required me to look to a foundry rather than relying on my tiny set up for rings and pendants.
It was when I sculpted a pair of motor cycle mirrors that I turned to a local artist for help. He (who as asked me to omit his name0 taught me the gaps I had in casting larger pieces, then introduced me to his buddy who had a foundry at his disposal.
At this point, I have the ability to cast at any size: even life size (and bigger). I continue to serve those who want jewelry through my website. I do not have a “store” but rather I do show my work at the Mystic Moon in Norfolk , Virginia, should anyone wish to drop in and see it . As always, I have a full catalog for your review and a gallery of some of my work. Most of the images of the pieces made in the past are “lost” in that I have not had a digital camera the entire time, so only in the pat ten years do I have pictures worthy of display.
If you wish to have something made for you, please view my website and don’t hesitate to email me with any questions.
Over the years I have been often asked about making larger pentacles. As you can see from my selection of Stars, I do have a fair number of them, however they are more detailed, accenting a certain motif, design or purpose. However I have recently steeped forward and made a large pentacle: simple basic and bold. The star itself is not woven, no defining marks denoting a purpose; just a simple star as you would find in the Pentacle Suit of the Tarot.
This two inch piece is flat on the back, the ring around the star is shaped with a good reflective curve.
This piece may be modified should you wish to have sigils, signs or signets, I can modify this basic piece to suit your needs, simply email me (or call) for specifics before ordering.
This is the Eighth of a series, an introduction is found in First Resonance.
The Grand Spread
The cycle of the seven Resonances:
The MagicianThe Ability to Focus on the Now The High PriestessThe Depth of Memory; The Empress Visualize the Future The EmperorLogic and Perception, Activation
The Heirophant: Intuition, the Inner Authority The Lovers: The Dynamic Balance between the Aspects of Being Chariot: The Containment of all of these things; the Sacred Circle
These “first tones” of the Major Arcana are augmented with the second cycle:
The DevilInversion, Humor and Stagnation The Tower Realization and it’s Consequences The StarMeditation as a way of perception The MoonOne’s Life Path The SunStretching beyond One’s Limitation JudgmentAmalgamation of the Self The UniverseAll things perceivable and Beyond
Each of the Major Arcana are extremely complex
giving them simple definitions alludes to a shallow view of them.
In truth, each card represents concepts best described in stories.
For example,
the Lovers Card
is often illustrated by the story of Perseus and Andromeda
(the more recent movie “Clash of the Titans”
actually changes the ancient story with a very different outcome).
Each step of the story is a description of the alchemical formula
to Unite the Self: the Sacred Marriage of One’s Being.
Knowing that One could argue each card is a mix of various “tones”,
each describing an aspect of the self in detail.
However, to describe the Resonances,
let us consider each of the Major Arcana as a Unique Tone unto itself.
In the Second Resonance,
the three tones are The High Priestess, The Hermit and The Tower.
These three tones form a Resonance or chord of concepts.
When played together,
they describe a mode of being.
In this case the High Priestess
helps us recall our personal experience as well as the lore
(history)
of both people and our planet.
This Knowledge base is harnessed by The Hermit
(Consciousness set into Action: the Hand of God).
Note: The Hermit acts independently from the crowd, influence from movements,
culture and other Human perspectives do not recruit him;
thus the Hermit is “independent” in his actions.
Finally: the third tone is The Tower.
Action inspires re-action and brings Realization:
consequences.
This pulls together everything before it and provides
a better perspective of the world One lives in.
It implies such lessons like “don’t build huge structures on sand”
which applies to metaphorical scenarios
as well as actual physical situations.
It also demonstrates what happens when you build a structure on a bedrock of lies;
hence the card’s relation to Peh
(the Hebrew letter related to “the mouth”).
When viewed together,
this and the other Resonances or Chords
teach us valuable lessons about how to live,
it weeds out unnecessary, unwanted and self destructive patterns.
When viewed this way it is the Foundation of Ethics: How One Lives.
In the Second Resonance,
we learn the importance of making Truth a way of life,
how telling and living lies will undermine everything you do,
turn others against you and pull the material world on your head. Resonance offers a solution to the problem and provides a Way of Being
which will avoid such problems,
offering you growth and development.
Knowing the History and Lore (the High Priestess)
gives you a guideline of what others have done and the consequences which follow.
Walking the Path of these lessons places you on a narrow,
yet extremity long and full-fulling journey of life.
Nothing is without it’s pitfalls,
thus The Tower continually reminds One of any short sightedness
and destroys preconceptions that are erroneous,
providing us with a new start to re-build a stronger perspective,
closer to the Truth.
This resonance holds all three together into one triad,
each supporting the other.
When studying the series,
it is best to take them in sequence: One’s Self being the Fool in this journey of life,
taking them one at a time we may master the lessons and benefit from them.
Once One understands the concepts and set them into motion in life,
we discover they are being presented all at once or in clusters
and to Come Correct is as natural step forward.
I encourage you to set the cards in the Grand Spread
and review each of the Seven Resonances
see how each of these Card Combinations revel The Truth.
This is the Seventh of a series of articles examining the Major Arcana
using the Grand Spread
(three groups of seven, the Fool being separate)
to better understand and harness ourselves,
our talent, intelligence, experience and gifts.
The Grand Spread The Tarot Casters of Amulets by Merlin
The Chariot
From the single point of consciousness of The Magician
(the ability to focus on the Now)
to The High Priestess
(the depth of Memory);
to The Empress
(visualize the future)
to The Emperor
(logic and perception, activation)
to The Heirophant:
(Intuition, the Inner Authority)
to The Lovers:
The Dynamic Balance between the Aspects of Being
manifests The Chariot:
the containment of all of these things;
the Sacred Circle that is everywhere at once.
This defines what Is so one may harness it,
grow with it.
This represents the Discipline needed to undertake anything of value.
Temperance Sagittarius
In the second line underneath The Lovers we find
Temperance
This is the Art of Life itself.
Here we combine portions of Being into something new:
aspects that appear opposite to each other combining into objects,
music, thoughts and feelings the very way we live our lives.
The Universe Saturn
In the third row under Temperance is
The Universe
All at once both the finite and infinite:
the limits of what we know and then some.
It is the Great Dance of All Things of which we are all a part.
This is the sum total of all the cards brought to realization so that which we “know”
is always expanding.
The first level reveals the position (The Chariot)
for the personal,
the second position (Temperance)
reveals the environment in which we work
and the third position (the Universe)
demonstrates how we may apply what we have learned.
It is in this Final Resonance.
In The Chariot we define our purpose,
in Temperance we Manifest the Vision,
in the Universe we Connect with All Things.
The Three Keys together create the Great Work of our lives.
Once going through a deep understanding of each of the Resonances,
the Seventh becomes a natural step on one’s life.
This resonance holds all three together into one triad,
each supporting the other.
Place these three cards together and observe the delicate balance produced.
Set these cards on your alter,
use them as meditations,
place them in your pocket or wear the combination as amulets.
This is the Sixth of a series of articles examining the Major Arcana
using the Grand Spread
(three groups of seven, the Fool being separate)
to better understand and harness ourselves,
our talent, intelligence, experience and gifts.
The Grand Spread The Tarot Casters of Amulets by Merlin
The Lovers
From the single point of consciousness of The Magician
(the ability to focus on the Now)
to The High Priestess
(the depth of Memory);
to the Empress
(visualize the future)
to the Emperor (logic and perception, activation)
to the Heirophant:
(Intuition, the Inner Authority)
manifests the Lovers:
The Dynamic Balance between the conscious, sub-conscious and super-conscious.
The active point of focus relying on the sub- to act as both a conduit for the super-;
and as a medium to explore possibilities, equipped with the imagination.
In the second line underneath the Lovers we find
Death Scorpio
Death.
This is the point of transition.
Death brings a finality to things and provides the beginning of something else.
Death implies re-birth,
but it also brings an end to unnecessary or unwanted patterns.
Death is both grievous and transcendent,
inspiring new ways of perception and activity.
In the third row under Death is
Judgement ~Baptismal Fire~
Judgment Baptismal Fire.
This card is the Philosophers Stone:
transforming Lead (as we Are) into Gold (what we Will Be).
Heating the facets of our being:
physical, emotional, mental and spiritual,
pushing the envelope with effort and stress,
building endurance.
Then combining into One Being.
The first level reveals the position (The Lovers) for the personal,
the second position (Death) reveals the environment in which we work
and the third position (Judgment)
demonstrates how we may apply what we have learned.
Knowing what One is,
the possibilities of what May One Become is Revealed
requiring the rooting out and discarding of unwanted habits,
environment, relation ships (etc.)
become apparent and the uncomfortable but necessary process
of cleaning and disposing of these unhealthy influences and activities commences.
Then the Burning away the final unwanted wood
provides an amalgamation of the Self into a New Being.
This resonance holds all three together into one triad,
each supporting the other.
Place these three cards together and observe the delicate balance produced.
Set these cards on your alter,
use them as meditations, place them in your pocket or wear the combination as amulets.
This is the Fifth of a series of articles examining the Major Arcana
using the Grand Spread
(three groups of seven, the Fool being separate)
to better understand and harness ourselves, our talent, intelligence,
experience and gifts.
The Grand Spread The Tarot Casters of Amulets by Merlin
The Heirophant
From the single point of consciousness of The Magician
(the ability to focus on the Now)
to The High Priestess
(the depth of Memory: personal and ancestral);
to the Empress
(visualize the future)
to the Emperor
(logic and reason, knowing how things are; sets things in motion)
manifests the Heirophant:
Intuition: the Inner Authority, the connection between one Self and the Greater Unconsciousness.
The Hanged Man Baptismal Water
In the second line underneath the Heirophant we find
The Hanged Man.
The suspension of consciousness
amid the Akashic waters of the Great Unconsciousness:
the sum total of all things living.
Like floating in the ocean,
One has a very thin membrane between the inner “waters”
of our flesh and blood and the outer Sea.
It is easy to become lost in this vast expanse of consciousness,
but only Here may one truly know the Totality of Being.
The Sun
In the third row under the Hanged Man is
The Sun
The Face of God.
With perception limited to physical brains and the language
we use to describe something so vast,
we can only grasp what is familiar to us.
As the sun is too bright to look at directly,
and we describe it as a “face”,
so too the attempt to understand the thoughts of the Almighty
may only be described with words we already know.
Comprehending our limitation
opens the possibility of understanding
more than we are capable of describing.
The first level reveals the position
(the Heirophant) for the personal,
the second position
(The Hanged Man)
reveals the environment in which we work
and the third position
(The Sun)
demonstrates how we may apply what we have learned.
Knowing who and what One is,
all of the facts available,
the ability to understand possibilities
and implement a logical response,
One’s Intuition makes all the connections
based on what is Real
and produces perception normally unassailable.
Suspending disbelief,
examining possibilities,
discarding erroneous supposition
we observe the Unknown
and see it without preconceptions,
allowing the Truth to become evident.
This resonance holds all three together into one triad,
each supporting the other.
Place these three cards together
and observe the delicate balance produced.
Set these cards on your alter,
use them as meditations,
place them in your pocket
or wear the combination as amulets.
This is the Fourth of a series of articles examining the Major Arcana using the Grand Spread
(three groups of seven, the Fool being separate)
to better understand and harness ourselves,
our talent, intelligence, experience and gifts. An introduction is found in First Resonance.
Next to the Empress is the Fourth card:
The Emperor Aries
The Emperor
From the single point of consciousness of The Magician
(the ability to focus on the Now)
to The High Priestess
(the depth of Memory: personal and ancestral);
to the Empress
(the ability to visualize the future)
manifests the Emperor:
comprehension of process provides the power of logic and reason
(the ability to see from past to future)
knowing how things are and how they work he then sets things in motion.
In the second line underneath the Emperor we find
Justice Libra
Justice: the Law
as it applies to the individual and to all of creation.
Again, this is not human Justice,
rather the interaction we have with the laws of physics: Karma. Karma in it’s literal sense means doing:
the result of a basic physical reaction to one’s actions; Karma is the result of what one does.
“Good” Karma (in the classical sense)
is when one learns from one’s mistakes:
one recognizes how the situation manifests
and understand the process of cause and effect on one’s life.
In the third row under Justice is the
The Moon Pisces
Moon: One’s Life Path.
It’s source is where we climb out of the primordial soup,
evolve beyond the most basic drives of sex and dominance,
territory and narcissism to a better understanding of one’s self and the world.
We learn how at times the path is clear and we rejoice;
other times the path is obscured and we must rely on our understanding
of what Is and keep our faith in the path we walk.
The first level reveals the position
(the Emperor) for the personal,
the second position (Justice) reveals the environment in which we work
and the third position (the Moon)
demonstrates how we may apply what we have learned.
Aligned with the Emperor,
Justice and the Moon,
the Fool is placed directly above them.
This is no accident.
It infers the necessary open mind this column requires.
The Emperor need to see “truly” in order for him to function at his optimum.
Justice must not lean too heavily on unrelated concepts to offer a balanced result.
The path offered by the Moon requires a clear head
and no misconceptions or prejudice
in order to move forward in one’s life.
Now that we know the process of cause and effect,
understand the parameters of how to manifest the future,
we activate our Will to make it so.
Tending and carefully monitoring our progress
we develop fail-safes to keep things in motion
and avoid the mistakes of short-sightedness.
Each action and response creates another step on our path of life.
This resonance holds all three together into one triad,
each supporting the other.
Place these three cards together and observe the delicate balance produced.
Set these cards on your alter,
use them as meditations,
place them in your pocket
or wear the combination as amulets.
This is the Third of a series of articles
examining the Major Arcana using the Grand Spread
(three groups of seven, the Fool being separate)
to better understand and harness ourselves, our talent,
intelligence, experience and gifts. An introduction is found in First Resonance.
From the single point of consciousness of The Magician
(the ability to focus on the Now)
to The High Priestess
(the depth of the Past, Memory: personal and ancestral);
manifests the Empress combining the single pointed consciousness with the depth of memory:
the ability to visualize the future.
This is not human law,
rather it is the framework on how reality manifests.
The image is that of a wheel turning amid the elements,
causing a blending of all of it’s permutation.
In the center I have placed an eye,
giving the wheel a steady point in which one may be able to examine the process
without being caught up in it.
Most of us are on the edge of the wheel experiencing the ups and downs of material possession,
mood, health and so on.
By centering one’s Self ( a meditation often taught in Martial arts)
one may calm the heart and mind
and allow one’s perception to reveal things as they are
rather than how one wants it to be.
The Star Aquarius
In the third row we find the Star:
the process of meditation itself. Tzaddi is a pictorial representation of a fish hook:
the single point of consciousness we drop into the pool of the “great unconsciousness”
to see what is down there.
Like fishing,
we suspend ourselves in the great waters of the unconsciousness,
allowing the Akashic waters to surround us and flow through.
This concept is a reflection from the center of the Wheel,
only this time the boundaries of chaos are no longer there.
It is replaced by unlimited possibilities that reach beyond perception.
The first level reveals the position (the Empress) for the personal,
the second position (the Wheel) reveals the environment in which we work
and the third position demonstrates how we may apply what we have learned.
Knowing the present and past,
now visualize the future (the Empress).
The Wheel of Fortune defines the parameters of what is possible and what is not. The Star aides us with inspiration
and the ability to think beyond the parameters of normal thought.
The resonance between these three levels
provide a Visionary with the tools needed to imagine the future:
knowing what is appropriate and how to stretch boundaries.
Place these three cards together and observe the delicate balance produced.
Set these cards on your alter,
use them as meditations,
place them in your pocket
or wear the combination as amulets.
