The Serpent and The Cauldron is a game created by myself, and a close friend of mine, about 16 years ago. It is very fun, entertaining, and has a multitude of uses and applications, limited only to your imagination. This is a thinkers game, to further intelligence, knowledge, and understanding of the world you live in, and your relationship to it.

What You Will Need:

  • Paper
  • Scissors
  • A empty coffee can, or some other such containment
  • Dictionaries, the older the better. Mid to pre fifties are the best.
  • Thesaurus
  • Oxford English Dictionary/etymological guides
  • Any reference material related to your cauldron’s words(will describe this in a moment).
  • A notebook
  • A ruler or straight edge
  • A pen

As you can see, it can be a pretty low cost game. The majority of the books can be gotten at yard sales, and used stores. Now for

How to Create It:

  1. Take about 4 to 10 pieces of standard sized paper, and graph out lines a quarter inch apart going down the page. Going vertical across the page, create 3 or 4 equally spaced lines.
  2. In each little box you have created, write a word that has meaning in your life. You can use names of people, places, things, concepts, beliefs, etc. . Then write down all of the words you have an interest in, or maybe wonder about. Write down words related to your professions, hobbies, the society around you, or anything that catches your fancy.
  3. If using a coffee can or other such container, remove whatever labeling there is. If you are the artistic type, or want to have some fun, create a label for your can. I cover the whole can in something artistic looking, with ‘The Serpent and the Cauldron’ written on it.
  4. Cut along the lines, and free your words from the page. Place words in the can. If you like, you can fold each word in halves, or double halves.

If you are playing this game with others, be sure you all contribute your words together. You can play someone else’s cauldron, but it is more of a sharing related to the other person. Regardless, you will never fail to learn quite a bit!

How to Play:

This game as I mentioned before, has a number of possible applications. I am going to cover the main two that I personally use.

Method One:

  • Get your reference material together, and if you are near a computer, keep it running. Rummage through the words without looking into the can, and pick out three pieces of paper. If you are playing with others, take turns. However you create your games rules, is up to you.
  • Take each word, and research whatever you can find out about it. Old dictionaries from the mid fifties and before, were not censored. For this reason you can find the origins to words, that are no longer listed in the typical dictionary. Some words have been removed altogether. Look also into the etymological meanings on the Internet, or The Oxford Dictionary. Some library systems have access to The English Oxford Dictionary, and this I highly suggest. Online Etymology Dictionary is also a good source. Use whatever resources you have available to you.
  • In learning the roots and origins of words, we learn the truth about reality. Our entire language is a record of our past, and I think you will be surprised where that past leads to, once you start looking. Understanding the concepts, and ideas behind words can be very fascinating.
  • Do this with each word, and write down your findings. Now, take all three of the words, and try and relate them together. This can be very entertaining, and often amazing, at the correspondences you will find between words. You can do more research, to interrelate each concept together.

Method two is fairly the same as method one, however, it adds another level.

Method Two:

  • Before picking your three words, focus on a question you have about something, personal or otherwise. Think or say something like “What would be a good profession for me?”, or “What is life about?”, etc. Just see your question in your mind’s eye, going out into the universe, and bringing back your answer from within the cauldron.
  • Once you are very clear in your intentioning, pick out whatever number of pieces you feel guided toward pulling. Lay them out in the order they were pulled, placed in a horizontal position. Quite often, they will actually form sentences of sorts, and spell out clear ideas and concepts. I actually add words to my can like *or*, *and*, *to*, etc., to add to the possibilities.
  • Study the words as you usually would, and see what deeper messages there are for you.

Eventually you will begin to know the words in your can, and will come across repeats. If so, just move on to a word you have not studied amongst the three words. You will still want to see how used words interconnect, in the new pattern.

You will most likely want to add words along life’s road. Once you start playing, words can become very addictive. The idea that words are power, is very real, and their knowledge can leave you feeling empowered. Carry around with you a little notebook, to keep track of words that peak your interests. you can add them to the cauldron when you get the opportunity. It is also a good idea to keep a batch of pre cut out word slips available, so that you can add words on a moment’s notice.

Why did we name it The Serpent and the Cauldron? The serpent is an ancient symbol of knowledge, and the masculine force. The Cauldron is the ancient symbol of creative birth, and the feminine principle. So, it basically is something that gives birth to creative knowledge. Aren’t words great?

[tags]game, diy, diy games, serpent, cauldron, knowledge, learning, words, etymology, oxford dictionary, computer, reference, ancient symbols, divination, divination system, ancient knowledge,shadowmyth, lockergnome[/tags]

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