#power magic

This June at Morrigan's Crows is themed around power specifically the kind of power that's about agency and solar energy rather than dominance or performance. And one of the most useful tools for that kind of examination is a tarot spread that actually asks hard questions instead of flattering ones.

The Solar Throne spread is five cards, with an optional sixth for anyone who wants to go deeper. It's built around a pretty simple premise: most of us have more power than we're currently using, and the reasons why tend to fall into a few predictable categories: we don't know where it actually is right now, something specific is draining it, or we've gotten so used to playing small that we've forgotten what the alternative looks like.

Tarot is useful here not because the cards have magic answers, but because a good question asked at the right moment has a way of surfacing what you already know. The first card in this spread, where is my power right now, sounds straightforward, but it tends to catch people off guard. We're good at knowing where we wish our power was, or where it used to be. Actually locating it in the present moment is a different exercise.

The second card names what's draining it. This is the one most people already have a suspicion about before they even pull. The card just makes it harder to keep politely ignoring.

Cards three through five move from honest assessment into possibility — what does your power look like when it's fully yours, what's the next right step, and what opens up when you stop shrinking.

You don't need to be an experienced tarot reader to use this spread. Read the questions, sit with whatever comes up, and trust that you already know more than you think you do.

A talisman is an object that has been imbued with power. It can also provide protection and has magical properties. A talisman can be any article or symbol that you believe has mystical qualities. As we know, many gems and crystals have special innate powers. With a talisman, the special powers can be naturally present or instilled during a ritual. People often confuse amulets with talismans, but they differ in this significant way: Amulets positively protect the wearer from harm, evil, and negativity. Talismans actively transform the wearer to have certain powers. For example, the supernatural sword Excalibur, imbued with supremacy by the Lady of the Lake, gave King Arthur magical powers.