As a tarot reader, I practice with my decks every day--like working out a muscle. I work with my manifesting gift every day too. Sometimes I combine the two activities to create a spread that works exactly the way I wish my life to be.
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This exercise is especially nice if you have more than one deck. Some decks, like those with very generic minor arcanas, are hard to read without memorization--but perfect for manifesting.

Do you want more money? Love? An adventure? Go through your deck face up and choose all the best cards that if they turned up in a reading would mean your dreams will come true. However, be sure to pick at least one card that reflects where you are now.
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Next, arrange them in a spread. Place the card that represents where you are now in the "past" position and your best cards in the future. Tap each card three times to signal that you want this spread to become your reality. 

If possible, leave this spread out for a few days. You can even take a picture of it to be your desktop or screensaver. Finally, you can light candles, put crystals on the best cards, or simply smile at it every day as you manifest your desires into the world!

​As above, so below; as within, so without.

I'm going to share a particularly interesting and useful connection I made through my weight loss process. I have brought everything I've learned to the table through the years. I have used both science and sorcery to achieve my goals.

I had one phenomenon in particular occur through the years. During my yo yo weight loss years, I would successfully lose ten or twenty pounds, encounter some emotional difficulties, and gain them right back. This happened a few times, but I really recognized the pattern around the time I took an anatomy class. 

In the class, we studied tissues. Fat is called Adipose tissue (like in Doctor Who's Partner's in Crime episode, Adipose Industries; "The Fat Just Walks Away!"). Adipose tissue is a connective tissue that runs throughout the body. Its job is to store, cushion, and protect.

As above, so below; as within, so without. If adipocytes are supposed to store, cushion, and protect on a physical level, then that is also their function on a spiritual level. Here is really the key; when we are going through emotional imbalances that lead to overeating, we create fat tissue to protect and cushion us from it. However, these cells not only store the calories we eat, but they also store all the negative emotions we were feeling when we formed them.

This, I realized, was the underlying cause of the emotional difficulties I experienced during the yo yo years. Whenever I lost the weight, the fat cells released all the negativity they had stored away to cushion me against. Suddenly I had to deal with these stored emotions in addition to my day-to-day life. No wonder I was having trouble!

So if you have ever experienced anything like this, you can now learn how to deal with it. When losing weight, it is imperative to constantly remove the negative charge from the cells as you shrink them. So here is my advice, and I hope it works as amazingly well for you as it does for me. If you smudge, use crystals, take cleansing baths, or uncross yourself consistently, you'll have a lot more success in your weight loss goals! 

This article may seem a little pretentious, but it is actually a very useful exercise that can strengthen you as you strengthen others. Once in a while I like to send healing to the Earth and those who live there too. I am not alone; many people include the world in their daily spiritual practice. You can too; you could say a prayer, send healing energy, send love, or even just send a few happy thoughts. 

While this is an excellent humanitarian exercise, there are several additional spiritual benefits.

• Healing the world is the number one fastest way to expand your healing abilities. The more you heal, the wider your channel becomes, and the more powerful you become. 
• Which also means that healing the world makes you more powerful. You strengthen your energetic muscles when you undertake large projects. 
• Healing the world racks up good Karma like a jackpot. 
• The more good you bring to the world. the more good the world brings to you. The Universe has a lot to do. If you help the Divine by making the world a better place, then you become a good investment. The Universe knows that by helping you, it helps all the people you help!

Those are just a few of the reasons to heal the world. So when you have time or even a few minutes, say in line at a supermarket, or waiting for a light to turn green, send the world some healing energy. In no time at all, your own personal world will become a healthier, happier, and more empowered place!

Smile your way to success! This easy spell only requires some mint gum or toothpaste. Chant the spell aloud before you brush or chew, or think it in your mind as you use them. Then when you smile, you activate the spell! To use for toothpaste instead of gum, substitute "paste" for "gum." 

Glamour Spells are a little like beauty spells. They emphasize the best parts of us so that everyone can see. But it is about more than simple beauty. On a deeper level, a glamour spell amps up the volume on the frequency of our best aspects. So whatever your best qualities are, both physical, and non physical are heightened. Your hair will shine brighter in the sunlight, the twinkle in your eye becomes a dazzling sparkle, your smile lights up a room, your skin glows, and that is all really good. The truly great part though, is what happens inside. The love in your heart gets stronger, your willpower increases, your mind lights up with ideas and happy thoughts, and your soul shines brighter in response to all of this.

When our best qualities are magically emphasized, it doesn't just affect the people around us. We are right next to our own speaker, so not only do other people notice the best in us, but we can see the best in ourselves too!

So we get to feel fantastic about our best qualities, and at the same time, our best qualities are systematically outshining our negative qualites. This can weaken our negativity to the point of non-existence! This is a very empowering experience. 

I photographed glitter as a way to illustrate a glamour spell. People might be tempted to think that the spell adds glitter, but that's not it. You already have glitter-parts of your being that are capable of shining! What the glamour spell adds is the spotlight. So prepare to shine your finest!

I wrote this glamour spell in 2004. May it serve you as well as it has served me. 

First take a deep breath and think about your best qualities. What are things about yourself that you like even on a bad day. Are you loving? Helpful? Smart? Honest? Wise? Your eyes are beautiful! Your smile could light up a room! Your hair can shine so brightly that you may as well have a halo. Your soul is strong enough to live on planet Earth, so you know you are shiny at a spirit level!

Now lets kick it up a notch. As you think about your positive qualities, read the following to yourself, or say it out loud. Repeat as often as you wish.

Sparkle, sparkle, glimmer bright!
Attract the eye of those with sight!

That's all.

I told you it was quick and clean!

Now prepare to be amazed, super shiny person! Wherever you are in your life, your day gets better from here!

If living was easy, everybody would do it. 

Sometimes whatever power you believe in likes to test you. Earth is sort of like a college for souls. We are all majoring in different subjects, for example, Self Improvement, Love, Service, Family, Environment, or even just Life on Earth 101.
 
Occasionally, before we can advance to the next course, we get tested on what we've learned so far. If you've ever had a time in your life when it feels like an onslaught of difficult days, then you know exactly what a spiritual finals week feels like.

You don't have to like it, but if you don't want to have the same problems (retake the same course), then you do have to buckle down and ace the sucker! 

If acing it is too much, then take the pressure off, and just pass the test. Cs get degrees, after all. 

The good news is that the Universe wouldn't give you anything you couldn't handle. The better news is when  you get through it, there are usually lots of serendipitous rewards waiting to make you proud of your accomplishment! Sometimes you even get your best wishes granted, and you appreciate them more for earning them!

Still, some subjects are harder than others. Sometimes it can feel like you're drowning. Other times, it can feel like you're at the bottom of a very deep chasm that drains you every time you try to climb out of it.

So here's a thought--don't climb out all at once! No one said you had to climb out overnight. One of the nice things about Spiritual tests is that they seldom come with time limits--some souls take several lifetimes to pass a test. The Universe doesn't care when you pass the test--it only matters that you pass it!

So if you're running a spiritual gauntlet, pace yourself. Instead of setting out to climb every mountain in a single day, simply make progress. Gain Ground!

Carpe diem, and then, carpe noctem. Set out to end each day in a slightly better position than you started. Allow yourself to enjoy small victories. If you do, then before you know it, you'll have won it all!

So now, whatever you're being tested on, take a deep breath. You can do this. One step at a time, hand over hand, one foot in front of the other, you will do this! Can't you see it? You're getting closer to your goal every day. I mean, you've already come this far right? Fall down seven times, get up eight. Don't look back. Don't look down. Just keep your eyes on the light at the end of the tunnel, and keep moving forward.

When you are trying to manifest something big, waiting for it to show up can be frustrating. You might even be tempted to give up or lose faith in yourself. However, there is a simple workaround to test your manifesting ability. 

While you're waiting for the BIG all-important something to show up, ask for something small. You are allowed to manifest more than one thing at a time! Do you have a favorite kind of flower, or a symbol that means a lot to you? You could easily manifest an image so many times  that the sheer volume of its appearance, would prove that your wishes can come true!

I, for example, adore butterflies, and I would not mind a bunch of them turning up in my immediate future. So, I will close my eyes and visualize hundreds of colorful butterflies flying to me. I will smile and feel happy as the vibrant butterflies dance in my mind's eye. Some of them will land on me, and I will feel their tiny feet tickling my skin. Now I will visualize the butterflies sparkling with magic and bringing joy to my life... 
Soooo beautiful!

Now I bet you dollars to doughnuts that a kaleidoscope of butterflies will turn up in my path! They might be real live butterflies. They could be in greeting cards, advertisements, or maybe butterflies will turn up in a song. They might even be gummy butterflies! But wherever I see my sign, I'll know that the powers that be are listening.

Your turn!

1. Pick something that would be significant to you. 
2. Now see lots of them in your mind, attracted to you. 
3. Make your symbol as real as possible. 
4. Smile, and feel happy as you visualize your chosen sign from the universe, dancing in your mind! 
   
5. Now relax and keep your eyes open for a few days. Soon, you will have proof that the powers above listen to you too!

Dear Life,

I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you!

I have wonderful family members, and amazing friends.

I am grateful to have a job that I love with all my heart.

I am grateful that I have a warm home, good food to eat, and a comfortable bed to sleep in. 

When I ask for help from above, I get it. Thank you for always listening to me. Also, thank you for sending me stories in reply, I learn so much from them!

Sometimes you even send me extra blessings along the way to let me know you care. Other times, you show me marvelous and beautiful things so that I will never take you for granted.

Even when I have a challenging day, I know that I will be fine, because you have taught me how to learn and grow through my experiences.

I could go on and on, thanking you for all that has happened and has yet to happen. There are so many people to meet, so many lessons to learn, and so many places to go. So far, the journey has been fulfilling.

All in all, Life, you are magickal, and I feel blessed to know it!

Keep up the good work!

Lia