Card Deck Overview

ORIGIN OF THE MANIFESTATION AND INCARNATIONAL CARD DECKS
by David Spangler

I have long been an admirer of the Tarot, as much for the visual imagery of the cards as for its oracular uses. My own communication with non-physical beings upon the worlds of spirit is often through imagery and symbols that speak directly to my intuition. The Tarot does likewise.

At the same time, as a teacher, I'm always looking for simple and fun ways to communicate complex ideas, something the Tarot does very well. In my classes, I experimented with a way to use two types of cards—one to create a state of attunement and a field of energy around the desire to manifest something, and the second to play off the first in an oracular way. It wasn't exactly a Tarot, but it was a very practical tool using cards to both illustrate and teach a technique and to provide intuitive and creative insights into whatever particular manifestation project the user of the cards was undertaking.

With the help of my friend and colleague Jeremy Berg, the publisher of Lorian Press, and his talented daughter, Deva, who is not only a fine artist but someone very attuned to the spiritual insights of Incarnational Spirituality, the Manifestation Card Deck was born. Since then it has been used successfully by hundreds of people and even incorporated by some counselors as a counseling tool in their practices.

Observing the way this deck was accepted and used, I envisioned another card deck that would illustrate the basic cosmology of Incarnational Spirituality and also provide an oracular function. Such a card deck would not only be a valuable teaching tool but it would provide an intuitive tool for attuning to the deep forces of life within the incarnational process; as such it would also be a complement to the Manifestation Deck, for all manifestation is really a form of incarnation. Again, Jeremy and Deva contributed their talents with ideas and with even more stunning artwork, and the Incarnational Card Deck was born.

Although these decks are not Tarots, they continue the tradition of using cards for oracular purposes as ways of tapping the resources of the intuition and the deeper spiritual levels within us. They are unique and powerful practical tools for spiritual discernment and growth. I continue to discover just how powerful these two card decks are as tools to enhance our lives and deepen our intuitions as people write to me to share their stories of using the cards.

David Spangler

 

Card Stories

There is a growing community of practitioners with the Manifestation and Incarnational Card Decks.  I would like this section of the website to be a place where we can tell our stories about how we’re using the cards, what works for us and what doesn’t, new tableaus, new possibilities, and success stories.  I don’t want simply testimonials to how great the cards are or how you manifested your heart’s desire using them, though such testimonials are wonderful and can be inspiring to others. If you have such a success story, don’t hesitate to send it to us for sharing here.

     But what I most want to encourage is a kind of professional “peer” exchange between people using the cards to better their lives in one way or another.  Something that worked for you might be just what someone else is looking for to help their card deck come alive for them.  A new interpretation, a new tableau, even a new card could make all the difference to someone else.  And as we share these things, the card decks truly come alive and grow in their power to bless us all.

     Send your ideas, stories, insights, and whatever else you’d like to share to info@lorian.org.  We will have to choose what goes onto the website as we have limited space, but we can create a file of contributions that interested users can download if they want to explore what others have said or are doing.

David Spangler

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ASHA’S MANIFESTATION STORY

by Asha Houssain

My husband and I were house hunting during the peak of the market. We had been searching for about a year and were becoming disheartened by what was availablewithin our price range and also by how much competition there was for what existed in our range. After getting outbid, having a few potential homes fall through and feeling like we wouldn't find a place, a friend of mine offered to guide me through a reading from the Manifestation Deck.

     Through the process, I was able to get really clear on what we were looking for in a home.   The deck helped me put a clear message out to the universe. It helped me define and frame it in terms (using the feedback from the deck) that would allow me to ask for what I wanted. A big ah-ha message that also came up, was that the home was looking for us, rather than just us looking for it. The signs in the card spread informed me that there weren’t barriers but that I needed to be patient.  All messages from the deck were encouraging and I felt more hopeful.

     Basically, using the deck helped me frame what I was asking for in a way where I could more successfully manifest it.  About a week later we found a place that was perfect for us (I still can't believe we found this place as I sit here at home typing this), in our price range and being sold by a couple that did not want to play games with the bidding wars. Other aspects also "came together" and were aligned just right during that week to help bring our home to us.

     So, the deck answered my question (be patient), gave me more confidence (no barriers), and provided me with a means to think through my home search more deeply (define what I was needing/wanting).

     It makes me smile when I think about it. I’m glad you decided to create the manifestation deck. :-) Thank you. :)

Card Essays

COMBINING THE INCARNATIONAL CARD DECK AND
THE MANIFESTATION CARD DECK
by David Spangler
The Incarnational Card Deck and the Manifestation Card Deck both emerge from the teachings of incarnation theory and its practical application, Incarnational Spirituality.  Therefore, there are philosophical and practical connections between the two decks that allow them to combine and reinforce each other in interesting ways.
Click here to read more.

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Incarnational Card Deck Essays

TIME AND KARMA
By David Spangler
The Time card represents a person’s relationship to time itself as a shaping influence. In a reading, this can mean appropriateness or timing. From an incarnational standpoint, it reflects attunement to the spirit of the age in which one is living. But from both an oracular and an incarnational standpoint, there is another meaning which the manual doesn’t discuss. That is the idea of karma.

Karma represents consequence. It is an obligation to time, generally to the past, but potentially to the future as well. In an incarnational context, it usually means some debt that is owed due to past actions, a debt that will shape the direction and experiences in a person’s life. But it can also mean good effects that come to the individual because of selfless or beneficial actions taken in the past. 
Click here to read more.