Daniel Shipp shot a photography series, Botanical Inquiry, by creating a analogue machine and technique that reminds me of Viewmaster 3-D .  These photographs are like dioramas.  The colors and beauty of the flowers become richer when juxtaposed to the urban and darker backgrounds.  It looks like a visual representation of an urban witch’s grimoire. A Grimoire is a book of knowledge and spells that each “witch” creates or can be passed down and added to.  It is just another form of a recipe book.  My grandmother passed down her The White House Cook book, 1887, which she wrote her changes and additions not only to the food recipes but also to the last 60 pages of medicinal teas and tinctures.

Grimoire, the word, is believed to be born from the Frankish word grima, mask or sorcerer, or come from the Italian word rimario, book of rhymes.  Either way or both it ended up morphing into the Old French word grammaire, which originally meant any book written in Latin.  This word sprouted from ancient Greece grammatikos meaning knowing how to read and write.  So like any good word the people took it and made it into  Grimoire, French  slang for any book that was hard to understand.

By the 1700’s it became associated with only books of magic.  It didn’t come in to the English language until the early 1800’s with the increasing interest in occultism  and the publishing of Frances Barrett’s The Magus. This was a popular book that complied magical lore from a variety of ancient books of magic.  Art, words, recipes, and Grimoires are all things made richer as they are passed down through  history and morphed with experimentation.

P.S. Remember signs with an * it’s a big week for you.  Halloween ia a great time for a reading.  Please share.

Aries – Three of Pentacles

The Three of Pentacles foretells you will need help from others if you want to accomplish what you need to do.  This week cooperation and collaboration are key.

 

*Taurus – Lovers

Last week, the World wanted you to finish up old projects to create room for new projects. And now here comes the Lovers card wanting you to start creating, though this creation period is about working with others to create something new.  In its simplest form this can look like making dinner with your love ones.  In its more complex form this can be you sharing the creation process on a new project.  Either way this week you will need to cooperate and collaborate if you really want to create something out of the ordinary.

 

Gemini – Ace of Swords

The Ace of Swords heralds a new beginning like all aces, but this new start begins in your mind and/or your mouth. New ways of thought or communication will carry you far this week.  Also, it will be easy to focus as long as you focus on one thing at a time.

 

*Cancer – Fool

The Fool is the Alpha and the Omega of the tarot deck.  This week will feel like both a beginning and an end. Your challenge is figuring out what do you want to carry into this new portion of your journey.  This is a week to let go of the excess and pack lighter for the road ahead.

 

*Leo – Empress

The Empress is the card of creativity, growth, and grand scale making.  This week finds something that you truly love doing and do it bigger and better.  The Empress challenges you to grow in what you love to do and to embrace life.  This can look as simple as taking a bath while reading a good book, or as complicated as starting a new business or making a baby.

 

*Virgo – Magician

The Magician continues last week’s King of Pentacles’ mission of building.  The Magician also is a creator though last week is was about building on what was already there.  This week, the Magician calls in new ideas and processes to continue building on what you started. This can look as simple as checking out a new you-tube video to help expand your knowledge or as complex as signing up for a class to expand skills you already have.

 

Libra – Knight of Cups

The Knight of Cups is the card of practicing your emotional muscles.  This is card can be hard for Libras because you like a more balanced emotional state, and the Knight of Cups likes to rock the boat.  If you can see this week as an experiment with the borders of your emotions it will be a less stressful.  Don’t worry, things will balance out again, so try to experience this as an amusement ride.

 

Scorpio – Seven of Wands

This week you might feel defensive.  The Seven of Wands warns you not to act on those feelings.  The challenge with this card is to be vigilant but not cynical.  There is information from these encounters that is useful, but you will need the circumstances to run their course without interfering.

 

Sagittarius – Seven of Cups

The Seven of Cups is the card of illusion and dreams.  The challenge with this card is in how you use your ability to do so.  Maybe you are not dreaming big enough, or you are dreaming but not doing.  This week takes time to daydream but also find ways to make your dreams come true.

 

Capricorn – Queen of Pentacles

The Queen of Pentacle is the lady of luxury. She challenges you to indulge your senses, whether that is with silk, cashmere, sudsy baths, delicious and comfort foods or even buying something just for you.  Live life to the fullest this week.

 

Aquarius – Six of Swords

The Six of Swords challenges you to explore your immediate surroundings.  There is booty out there for you to find this week.

 

 

*Pisces – High Priestess

The High Priestess comes when you need to conjure something up in your life.  This is time for you to work with your inner witch or warlock.  The challenge with this card is to pull into your inner-scape and plug into your intuition.  The more you get in touch with your intuition the more your will be able to sync yourself with your life path.

 

May light be on you, around you, and within you,

Nina