Growing Outside the Box

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Today’s meditation was just over eleven minutes long and was a guided meditation that focused on envy.  This isn’t usually an issue I deal with all that often.  I’m pretty damned content with my life, all things considered.   I have people who love me, steady work and steady income, a mortgage that is about five years from being paid off, a good car, and my health.   I have a partner that worships the ground I walk on as well, which is honestly something I never thought I would want, let alone have…. until you came along and taught me differently.

So, envy isn’t really something I deal with all that often.  I understood the message, though.  It was speaking of how when we envy what others have, we are spending too much time focusing down on the little things, instead of opening up to the bigger picture and all that we have to be grateful for.

The High Priestess - Efflorescent Tarot (Color Edition)Today’s draw is the High Priestess, which interestingly enough, was also the focus of the Weekly Card Study in one of the Discord servers I’m very active on.

The thing is?   In this card the High Priestess really doesn’t look all that happy at all. Neither is there any water in the background.  Instead, the landscape looks jagged and sparse, her expression feels like sadness to me, and the moon feels as if it is too far away.

This is interesting, as I’ve never had this reaction to the imagery in this card before, but what I see in this card today is someone that is dissatisfied with their lot in life and feels… stuck.

The pomegranate vines in the lower left corner speaks to me of breaking free, and I feel that the appearance of this card in today’s draw is less about traditional meanings and more about intuitive nuances.  The card is saying that when you feel dissatisfaction and are feeling stuck, it’s time to start branching out and looking for new soil and striving for “outside the box” growth.

DECK USED: THE EFFLORESCENT TAROT (COLOR EDITION)

#TarotForGrowthJanuary Challenge Prompt
Question: What simple way can I  show I value myself this year?

Ember + Aura Tarot

Reading Summary: Foster those relationships that have value and potential for longevity (Seven of Coins), and set good boundaries (Nine of Wands) with new friends (Ace of Wands).

Take Away:  These cards are essentially reminding me to not waste time on relationships that aren’t going to go anywhere or have no value.  Sometimes I feel like I want to befriend and help everyone, and that simply isn’t possible.   In order to avoid burning myself out or over-burdening myself with too much, I need to pick and choose where I spend my energy, and make good choices concerning boundaries so that I don’t get spread too thin.

DECK USED:  EMBER + AURA TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What in your life needs started now for it to be ready when you need it?

Cat's Eye Tarot

Reading Summary: Get your ducks in a row now (Seven of Wands) concerning your responsibilities (Two of Pentacles), because a shit storm is coming (Wheel of Fortune).

Take Away:  I think the reading summary pretty much clearly outlines what this reading is saying without a lot of extra interpretation.  (Hello again btw, Wheel of Fortune.)  These cards are essentially another kick in the butt, which has been happening quite a bit this last week as I work at getting my plans in order for the changes I’m making to how I deal with and run my business over the next year.

DECK USED:  CAT’S EYE TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt
Question: How can I stop procrastinating?

Prediction Tarot

Reading Summary:  Lean on what I’m good at (Eight of Coins) and remember to remain calm and collected (Temperance) through the changes taking place right now (Death).  Taking up the reigns on change is a process that takes time and steady, determined progress to accomplish (Knight of Coins).

Take Away:  This clearly has to do with my business and those changes I’m working on shifting into since the new year.  Appropriate, considering I have absolutely been procrastinating in that area.   The cards are encouraging me that it’s okay to take things slow in order to provide skillful precision to the situation, but I need to remember to stay calm and stir up that determination to push me forward when feeling uncertain.

DECK USED:  PREDICTION TAROT

Out With The Old

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and again incorporated into my yoga/physio practice at the end of the forty minute session I do daily. Moving from the ebb and flow of my yoga practice into the stillness of those ten minutes at the end of the practice feels really nice, and gives my body time to ease out of the stretching and exercise to a calm state.   I really like it.

Spacious TarotToday’s draw is a double without a jumper, meaning that the cards came out together as one from the deck.   The cards in today’s draw are the Ace of Pentacles atop the Death card.

When I see these two cards together today, the message that I get from this imagery is that in order for new things to happen, sometimes old things have to die off first.  Its a part of the ebb and flow of life that some things must fade in order to make room for new things to develop.    It’s a rhythm that fits into every facet of life, and it’s no different in mine.

The appearance of these cards is a reminder that you can only fit so much on your plate.  In order to fit in more, you have to let go of something, because only so much will manage to stay on the plate at once.

DECK USED:  SPACIOUS TAROT

#TarotForGrowthJanuary Challenge Prompt
Question: What simple way can I show my loved ones that I value them this year?

Field Tarot

Reading Summary:   Make sure I’m there for them (Prince of Discs) during times of change (Death), and willing to lend an ear without casting judgement (The swan consulting it’s reflection in the Judgement card), and help them find a way forward (Chariot) when they are having trouble seeing a their path through (Princess of Wands) those difficult times.

Take Away:  Sometimes what loved ones need most is an ear and a little help finding the path through the trees.  This is something that my loved ones come to me for now and then through the years and it sounds like this year will be another one of those years.

DECK USED:  THE FIELD TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt
Question: How can I overcome my weaknesses?

Tarot Cats

Reading Summary: Weaknesses are not meant to be overcome (The Moon), instead they are meant to be sat with and learned from (Four of Cups) so that you can move forward into personal growth and while learning how to utilize those weaknesses to your advantage (Seven of Pentacles) for the future.

Take Away:  This answer really makes sense to me, because I’ve never really understood how you “overcome” weaknesses.  To me, everyone has weaknesses and you learn to adapt to them and use them to your advantage.  That doesn’t mean they aren’t still a weakness, only that they have become a useful weakness.

DECK USED:  TAROT CATS

 

Using Visualization in Spellcraft

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This week’s question from the Pagan Perspective YouTube channel is about visualization and how it’s used in one’s practice and in everyday life.

visualization

Topic for the Week of 1/13: “Although the word makes us think only of vision and our sense of sight, the practice of visualization involves any and all senses, not just sight but also scent, sound, touch, and even taste…”

There are multiple questions included in the continuation of the topic for this week, so I am going to break those questions up below, because I think it’ll be easier to answer that way, rather than taking the whole thing on at once.   So…

1) Do you practice this skill or use it in your path?

Oh hell yes.  All the time.  Anyone that reads a book and imagines what’s going on in the book in your head, or writes fiction, or daydreams about this or that is doing visualization.

In spellcrafting, especially, it is an extremely valuable tool used to set intentions and direct energy into those intentions.

It is also an excellent method of meditation.  One of my favorite meditations when I was first starting out at meditation was to visualize peeling and eating an orange, as it is one that has a very distinctive and strong ability to incorporate all five senses.

2) What do you actually DO when you ‘visualize’ something?

Visualization triggers the parts of the brain that have to do with receptors for each of your senses.   So it’s not just “thinking” about doing something, but awakening those parts of the brain that register sensation and… well, playing with them.

3) Do you find that it comes easily to you, or do you struggle with it?

I’ve been doing visualization all my life, both in my practice and path, as well as in the day to day.  So it’s not really something I think about anymore, to be honest.

4) Are certain inner senses easier to use than others? For example some people may find inner sight difficult, but hear things easily, and so on.

Because of my synesthesia, the hearing one always feels a bit weird because with visualizations it doesn’t always kick in as it does with actual auditory input.   But other than that… not really.  I would say that visualization-wise, my sense of smell is the weakest.

5) What do your physical eyes ‘see’ when you visualize something?

They don’t.   I don’t hallucinate when visualizing.  Whatever I’m visualizing plays out in my mind, not in the physical world in front of me.

6) Do you have any tips for others working on this skill? For those who struggle, what are other things that can be done instead?

I think a lot of people don’t realize that creative writing is a type of visualization.  That reading a work of fiction is a type of visualization.   They think that it’s some esoteric skill they can’t tap into, but have been doing it all along and not realizing it.   Use those ways of visualizing that are familiar to you and take steps to begin reaching beyond them.

Instead of reading a book, make up a story in your head.  Pay attention to what you’re doing in your head beyond just producing words, yeah?  Do you see your character doing those things?   Can you feel what that character feels?   That is visualization.   Practice and pay attention, yeah?

7)  Does struggling with visualization prevent growth in our practice?

I believe it could.   Without visualization, the energy placed into intention setting wouldn’t have the same kind of -drive- behind it.  That drive is what pushes the energy forward into creating the results you seek, so I sort of wonder if spellcasting without it would even work?   I’m not sure, as this isn’t a problem I deal with personally.

 

Foundation Work

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and incorporated into my yoga/physio practice because I’ve been having a few days of difficulty with just sitting still. I haven’t been to the sports medicine doc for an adjustment on my ribs in almost four weeks now, which means that I have had a few things move out of place and then the time for the inflammation and irritation to ease enough to “cement” those misalignments out of place.    This means that when I lie still, my muscles spasm some, so I was hoping that incorporating the meditation into my yoga would help.

Long story short… It didn’t.  Not really.   So, hopefully I’ll see him on Tuesday next week and start to get things back to a more comfortable alignment.

Four of Pentacles - Efflorescent Tarot (Color Edition)Today’s draw is the Four of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of stability and steady structure in the area of resources, finances, manifestations, and the physical plane.

This card’s appearance today is an encouragement following yesterday’s nudge.   It reminds me that what I want to work at achieving with the changes I’m doing to my business this year are to increase the stability of the foundation that my business rests upon.

And the first step on building this foundation is to make a physical list of the changes I want to make. (Intuitive hit… wood paneling in the background and earthen tones.)

Creativity is a flighty and ever-shifting process in my experience, and I need a stronger base for what has grown into a thriving business so that it can carry forward into the future with not just strength and purpose, but also longevity.

DECK USED: THE EFFLORESCENT TAROT (COLOR EDITION)

#TarotForGrowthJanuary Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I best move into the risks that the universe wants me to take this year? (Build off of yesterday’s read.)

Wheel of Fortune Tarot by Ivy Feng

Reading Summary: Don’t let fear of failure hold you back (via the look on the Hierophant’s face and tension in his pose as he looks at the Five of Pentacles). Even though you feel a lurking darkness from outside influences that may cause some doubt (via the dark head of the lion looking down on the couple below and siphoning energy into their glasses), you have all the tools at your disposal to succeed and do well (The Magician facing and atop the Two of Cups card).

Take Away:  As I mentioned yesterday, I worry about the folly of pride whenever I try to appreciate my accomplishments.  The interaction between the Hierophant and the Five of Pentacles speaks of this fear.   The dark lion in the Two of Cups speaks to me of the doubts I struggle with concerning my emotions and learning how to better integrate them into my life (as opposed to burying them).  That energy siphons into the cups below, polluting and “poisoning the well” so to speak.   If i want to push through these risks and find the prize beyond, I need to look at the tools I have at my disposal and use them to help me along this path, rather than shirking from the risks altogether.

DECK USED:  WHEEL OF FORTUNE TAROT BY IVY FENG

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What does Miss Luna think about me?

Accurate AF TarotReading Summary: I am the provider of all good things (Six of Cups) … And some of the bad as well (Justice).  I am her safe harbor (Five of Pentacles), and where all the good stuff in life comes from even if she can’t always figure out why I do what I’m doing (Son of Cups).  She likes it when I am able to know what she needs and understand her even though she can’t talk human speak (The Priestess).

Take Away:  The cards pretty much lay out the life of a happy house cat.  She needs me.  She loves me.  She sees me as the provider of all good things, and punisher when she does something wrong cuz I’m the one that lays down the law.  Sometimes the stuff I do makes no sense to her, but she’s happy over all and is having her needs met.

DECK USED:  ACCURATE AF TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt
Question: How can I better utilize my strengths to achieve my goals?

Jeremy Miranda Oracle Cards

Reading Summary:  The cards on the left are crisp and filled with water, whereas the cards on the right (which overlay the left) are grounded in earth and carry the flavor of the forest in their coloring and depictions.   The cards on the left being the present, the cards on the right speak of what is needed to move forward.

Take Away:  I need to spend more time in liminal spaces.  The world is too crisp and cold.  Too in focus.  By stepping outside of that and finding where the lines are blurred, I will better be able to find the grounding I need to move on with solid footing, rather than feeling as if I’m treading water.

DECK USED:  JEREMY MIRANDA ORACLE CARDS

The Three Sisters – Story Time

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Pull at least three cards and use them to…
…tell a  story about an argument between siblings.

Fey Tarot

Annabelle, Beatrice, and Nora are three sisters living under the same roof with completely different goals.  Living together is stressful because they each have such different personalities.

Coming into the kitchen one morning, the ever impulsive Annabelle (Knave of Pentacles) announces, “I’m taking the car today.  None of you need it and I have a hot date with my boyfriend (Three of Pentacles) later to play DND with some friends (Ten of Pentacles).”

Beatrice, the benevolent older sister of the three (The Empress), looked over with a frown from where she was cooking at the stove, “You are going to need to wait until later.  I need the car to go to the grocery store and run some errands. You can have it when I’m done.” (The Chariot)

At that moment, soft spoken Nora lifts her head off the table where she’d appeared to be napping. (Four of Swords)  “I don’t feel very good,” she says, “Do you think someone could take me to see my counselor?” (Three of Swords)

Annabelle knows better than to argue with Beatrice, but she’s seething on the inside at this interruption in her plans today.   So it’s not a surprise that when the youngest sister, Nora, speaks up that the scowl on her face is supremely displeased and her glare in Nora’s direction is seething. (The Seer)

“You don’t need to go see the counselor,” snaps Annabelle, worried that now her plans are dashed and she won’t be able to have the car at all. “Stop being such a whiner!”

“Annabelle!” Scolds Beatrice with a glare at her selfish younger sister. “WHAT has gotten into you?   Why don’t you go study for that exam that you have to take on Friday. (Eight of Pentacles) You can have the car when I get back.”

Beatrice then turns to Nora and comes to sit down beside her.  Putting her arm around the youngest sister, she gives the girl a comforting hug.  “I think that the office is closed today, Nora.  But how about you come with me to run errands and I’ll take you to the pet shop to visit with all the animals. (The Magician)  You really like that.   Then you and I can come home and veg out in front of the tv and talk about what’s bothering you. (Two of Chalices) Okay?”

Nora leans her head on her sister’s shoulder and nods.  Beatrice always knows what to do to help make her feel better and keep Annabelle from getting too mean (Strength), and having some time alone with her without Annabelle’s chaotic energy always feels good (Four of Wands).

As Annabelle grouses under her breath and heads upstairs to study (Eight of Pentacles), Nora follows Beatrice to go get on her coat.  Beatrice’s promise to go see the animals has created a spark of excitement within her for the day of head that she’d been lacking just a short time earlier (Queen of Wands).

DECK USED: FEY TAROT

 

Nudge Nudge

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Today’s meditation was fifteen minutes long and was not particularly relaxing, although I really tried.  I think I was just too excited about the snow and couldn’t settle to get myself in the zone.  Even my yoga/physio was a bit restless and difficult to stick on track with today.

Three of Wands - Spacious TarotToday’s draw is the Three of Wands, which… seems to be what the Spacious tarot really wants me to see a lot of this month.  Out of the seven times I’ve drawn from this deck so far this month, five of them have given me wands.

The Three of Wands is about planning the path to one’s goals and ambitions, and beginning the execution of those plans.

It really feels like the deck is trying to tell me to get my ass in gear… which, has been difficult.  It’s definitely trying to light a fire under my ass, though…. or rather, prod me with a stick to get me moving.

Today’s guidance from this deck is that you can think about what you want all you want to, but at some point you have to start moving forward.   Now’s the time.

DECK USED:  SPACIOUS TAROT

#TarotForGrowthJanuary Challenge Prompt
Question: What risk does the universe want me to take this year?

Bohemian Animals Tarot

Reading Summary:  Learn to celebrate your accomplishments more (Four of Fire) and put yourself out there to help others discover theirs as well (The Shaman).  Also, seeking emotional stability through immersion (Queen of Water).

Take Away:  I’m very skilled at minimizing my accomplishments and/or discounting them as “nothing”.  It always feels awkward and a bit of a risk to me to not do that, as if I might fall into a pit of pridefulness (new word!) and become a jackass because of it… or something.  By the same turn, helping others requires accepting and being comfortable to put myself out there, and… I really hope I don’t come off as a prideful jerk doing so.  Just sayin’.

In the Queen of Water card, you can see the little seal in the far background submerged in water, yeah?   That is what stuck out to me in this card.  With weight put on that little figure’s presence, the card is telling me that if I want to find a stable balance with my emotions, I’m going to have to immerse myself into them and do the work at becoming familiar and comfortable with them, and that in doing that I will (over time) learn (and earn) that stability I seek.

DECK USED:  BOHEMIAN ANIMALS TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Do Spread #3  Will I have found a way to connect with and communicate with my spirit guide(s) by the end of the spring?

Vintage Oracle Tarot

Reading Summary:  Following uncertainty and darkness between the Moon and the Two of Swords, the darkness bleeds over from the moon into the card beside it.  This means there’s going to be a good deal of it throughout the spring on this issue.  There is also a color match between the girl’s dress and the ground upon which the Hermit treads, speaking of  a connection between her feelings of needing to work with intuition more rather than physical senses is going to be the foundation of my path forward.   In the sky, the light grows from utter darkness to moonlight glow, to a great full shine moving forward to the right in the Hermit card, which speaks of a progression but not of actual success, as the light is not in the foreground and bleeds off the card into the future beyond the time limit of the reading’s parameters.

Take Away:  The answer is no.  There will be a clusterfuck of confusion and uncertainty at first until I find a balance within myself that allows me to tap into the inner voice and intuition needed.  Once I find that balance, the path forward will lie before me.  I will make progress over this time period, but I won’t accomplish the reading’s goal by the end of spring. 

DECK USED:  VINTAGE ORACLE TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt
Question: How can I improve my time management?

Golden Art Nouveau Tarot

Reading Summary:  Get moving on my goals (Knight of Wands) and stop (Death) lollygagging (Six of Cups).  Take a different perspective (Hanged Man) on my addictions and interests (Devil), and turn them around into something more useful than their current state (the Hanged Man is on top).

Take Away:  This reading is about distractions and how I have been letting distractions do a lot more distracting lately than usual over the past couple of weeks.   The cards are telling me that it’s time to get back on track, and indicating the distractions that need the most work in order for time management to improve. 

The distractions represented here are the Six of Cups and the Devil, which speak to the childlike fun I’ve been having with some of the games on my phone, and the bit of overwhelmed distraction I’ve been experiencing concerning my deck collection.  The first I need to work more on.  The second is going to resolve itself now that I have a new bookshelf to work with and can begin sorting things out in a different manner for better organization.

DECK USED:  GOLDEN ART NOUVEAU TAROT

Hermit Crabs and Tortoise Shells

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Today’s meditation was… non-existent.  I’m running on about two and a half hours of sleep at the moment, and any lying down or inactively sitting still I do is going to result in me falling asleep.  Because of that, there was no way that I could do my meditation this morning, and I couldn’t do it in the car because the weather and roads were so bad today that even when I wasn’t driving, J needed the help in keeping an eye out for issues.

I will try to meditate when I lie down for bed tonight, though.  If I fall asleep then, at least it’ll be safe and that sleep won’t be cutting into anything important.

Efflorescent Tarot (Color Edition)Today’s draw is a double without a jumper, meaning that both cards came out together from the deck.  The cards in today’s draw are the Hermit card and the Eight of Cups.

This is 100% about how I feel today.  It’s about the drop, and it’s about our issues last night, and it’s about how I feel on the inside.

I don’t want anything to do with what happened yesterday.   And after last night?  I don’t want anything to do with the drop either.  Not that the drop is ever pleasant to begin with, but… yeah.

Today’s cards have appeared to force me to confront that want to hide away and retreat, and a reminder that what we have is worth fighting for and holding onto, even when all I really want to do is retreat into my shell and hunker down in there out of sight.

DECK USED: THE EFFLORESCENT TAROT (COLOR EDITION)

#TarotForGrowthJanuary Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I make space for that joy this year? (From yesterday’s cards.)

Arcana Tarot by Hydra-Nix

Reading Summary:  I need to better balance my needs (Justice card) with my constant quest to know more (Page of Swords) and doing better in those things that foster my sense of security (Page of Pentacles).

Take Away:  I always prioritize the whole “learning more and doing better” thing when it comes to how I manage my time, and that includes time spent in my relationship with you.  I work hard to obtain and hold onto security and stability in my life both financially and in my home, and that is where a huge amount of my focus lies.

Expressing dominance in our relationship (which is the joy that yesterday’s reading was about) takes a significant amount of energy and effort, even when that need rises to a point it can’t be ignored.  That energy and effort over the past year has been channeled into my work and fostering that stability instead of being expressed through our relationship.

Today’s cards indicate that I need to find a better balance between those material demands (and the knowledge gathering they require) and the facet of our relationship that allows me to express those more dominant urges.

DECK USED:  THE ARCANA TAROT BY HYDRA-NIX

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What concession can you make to provide for yesterday’s inner child craving?

Forest Creatures Tarot

Reading Summary:  I need to look into and explore (Page of Swords) a better way of getting to those natural places I crave (The Chariot) rather than dispairing that I can’t reach them (Nine of Swords).   If I make some changes (Death), I’ll find myself much happier with what I have afterward (Nine of Cups).

Take Away:  Yesterday’s read was about getting out in nature more, even when it’s frigidly cold, as it is right now.   The cards in today’s reading are about finding better ways to access nature so that I can spend the time I need there to feel good and right with the world.  I need to explore alternative ways to get where I want (and need) to be.  Maybe I should look into something like a snowmobile rental or some sort of ATV use for this time of year so that I can get out to those remote spots more easily when the temperatures are so low that hiking isn’t an option.

DECK USED:  FOREST CREATURES TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt
Question: What could help my daily organization?

Lighteater's Tarot

Reading Summary:  I need to be kinder to myself (Amicka) and stop presenting the image that I have it all together (Six of Staves) when in truth I’m a bit lost in the weeds (The Moon).

Take Away:  Okay so firstly?   This deck needs to be moved over into my shadow work decks.  Because… Jesus.  Just sayin’.  But this is the second time the imagery has jerked me into some pretty intense reactions…. and the second time I have used the deck.  (I just bought it earlier this month.)  I’m going to continue to use it through the end of the month as a regular deck, but I have a feeling it’s just too hard-hitting for “everyday” use.

So, that out of the way… I am very skilled at being extremely hard on myself.  I’ve had a lifetime of practice with a spectacular teacher who was very skilled at making you feel that you aren’t good enough.   This tendency means that I often present a “everything is perfectly fine” front even when it’s not.  If I want to find a better way of organizing my daily life?  I’m going to have to let go of both that tendency to tear myself apart and the tendency to pretend everything is okay, because I need to be able to let others in to help me when i start to feel lost and overwhelmed.

DECK USED:  LIGHTEATER’S TAROT

Balance in Boundaries

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Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long and, as with yesterday, I chose to do my meditation without a guide.  For today, I did a quiet breathing exercise and full body scan that started at the top of the head and traveled to the tips of the toes, then back up again.

This is one of my favorite meditations, as it allows for the systematic relaxation of muscles that sometimes I don’t even realize are holding tension.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to get rid of headaches, and I have had one since waking up for work this morning.

Nine of Wands - Spacious TarotToday’s draw is the Nine of Wands, and I’ve really noticed that this particular deck seems to really love throwing wand cards at me. And.. I do mean throwing.  This one hit me right in the face between the eyebrows.

The Nine of Wands is traditionally a representation of culminations, fulfillment, and consequences in the area of one’s ambitions, drive, and passions.  This often communicates itself through themes involving resilience, persistence, and setting good boundaries.

What really stands out to me in this card today is the rose, and the fact that the wand it rests upon is in front of the other wands in this card instead of tangled within them or concealed behind them.  It speaks to me of not just boundaries, but the fact that sometimes you need boundaries in order to achieve growth.

Boundaries can sometimes provide a safe place for growth and development to take place without that protection.  The card is a reminder that when setting boundaries you need to do so with balance.  If the boundaries are too tight, then there is no air to breathe and no light to nurture growth.   If the boundaries are too loose, the rose can end up trampled.

DECK USED:  SPACIOUS TAROT

#TarotForGrowthJanuary Challenge Prompt
Question: What does my spirit enjoy that it didn’t get enough of last year?

Ethereal Visions Tarot

Reading Summary:  Taking the reigns (Three of Wands) and allowing my inner strength to rise (Strength) within my relationship (Two of Cups) within a grounded and self possessed manner (Nine of Pentacles).

Take Away:  This is about Dominance.   I had my reasons for not going there over the past year.  One of the strongest being the burn-out that was caused by the time between us when you were dealing with your grief and the imbalance we went through during that time.  That said, there were a few times I felt the urge and pushed it away, mostly out of concern that I wasn’t ready yet to step back into those shoes.

DECK USED:  ETHEREAL VISIONS TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What does your inner child crave that you’ve been ignoring?

Jeremy Miranda Oracle Cards

Reading Summary:  All of the cards here are depicting shades of cold, and the layout is bracketed in ice.  It speaks of cold on so many levels, but with three of the four of the cards also depicting being on the inside and looking out, there is a very clear message to me of the need to get outside and enjoy nature.

Take Away:  Get your ass outside already.  Yes, it’s cold… but do it anyway.

DECK USED:  JEREMY MIRANDA ORACLE CARDS

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt
Question: What do I need in order to create a better evening routine?

The Prediction Tarot

Interpretation: Focus, organization, and intuition. Honestly?  This isn’t a read off the cards and their traditional meanings, but rather off of intuition from the imagery before me.   There is a lot of stress placed within these cards about new methods and finding a balance between the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual aspects in my life.  If I want a better evening routine, the cards indicate that I am going to need to focus on finding that balance.

DECK USED:  THE PREDICTION TAROT

Up And At ‘Em

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Today’s meditation was just under fifteen minutes long and was incorporated into some extra stretching during my physio/yoga time as I was quite sore this morning.  That was due to the furniture adventures yesterday, which I did while dehydrated and thus caused me to be unusually sore today.

It was relaxing, although not the norm.  Most of the focus during this time is on breathing, just as it is during regular meditation, but there is also a good amount of focus paid to body alignment and the release of muscle tension.

Four of Swords - Efflorescent Tarot (Color Edition)Today’s draw is the Four of Swords, which is a representation of reassessment, ease, stability, and shelter in the area of the mind, intellect, communication, and logic. This often presents itself with themes involving restoration, meditation, and recuperation, as well as potential stagnation.

What I see in today’s card is following along the same theme of a number of personal readings that I’ve done over the past few days.  That is to say, it deals with the stagnation that I have personally been feeling of late where I seem to be stewing in place rather than moving forward.

The card, to me, clearly communicates that in staying in one place too long, you run the risk of becoming tangled up and at risk.  Rest is only good for as long as you need it, then it can become something harmful.   This card’s appearance is further assertion (atop the recent readings) that it’s time to move forward instead of lingering in the murk and mire of indecision and hesitation.

DECK USED:  THE EFFLORESCENT TAROT (COLOR EDITION)

#TarotForGrowthJanuary Challenge Prompt
Question: What can I do to prepare myself to accept that gift? (Build off yesterday’s cards.)

Maregician Tarot (Sleeplessness Edition)

Reading Summary: Get your ass in gear (Justice atop the Nine of Diamonds), look at where you want to go (Judgement), and enlist others to assist you in getting there (Three of Hearts).

Take Away:  This is essentially a reiteration of my Self Care Saturday reading that I did yesterday.  The cards are saying that I need to take a good look at the amount of rest and recuperation I’ve been immersed in and begin the process of moving again in the direction of my goals.  The theme of bringing others in to help me is also pretty consistent, and being repeated again here as a reminder that I need to allow others to help me instead of forcing myself to take everything on by myself.

DECK USED:  MAREGICIAN TAROT (SLEEPLESSNESS EDITION)

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Why do you take what what came up in yesterday’s prompt so seriously?

Lo Scarabeo Tarot

Reading Summary: Because I feel that it makes me stronger (Strength), and more prepared for disaster and difficulty (Nine of Swords), which gives the impression that by pushing myself harder I then manage to somehow free myself up for exploration of new inspirations and creative endeavors (Page of Wands).

Take Away:  The answers in the cards explain why, but that why is an illusion.  It’s true that it does feel that by bearing down on myself and being harsh with myself I am somehow not just increasing the quality of my work but also my productivity as a whole, freeing up time and energy to later explore what I want to do rather than what I have to do… but in truth what ends up happening is I end up exhausting myself and don’t get to use that free time earned in the way I want, because I have to use it to recover instead.

DECK USED:  THE LO SCARABEO TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt
Question: What do I need in order to create a more dependable morning routine? (Question was rephrased for clarity.)

The Textured Tarot

Reading Summary: Stop binding myself up in useless extraneous crap (Eight of Swords) so that I can have a quicker turnaround and more control concerning what gets done and when (The Chariot). I also need to work with L to coordinate better so that we aren’t tripping over each other so much (Two of Cups).

Take Away:  When L and I are trying to get ready at the same time, we have a bit of a “dance” we do where we circle around each other like satellites.   But there are times when there is absolutely no rhythm to it and we collide and bounce off each other, trip over each other and get in each other’s way.    The two of cups with it’s four faces and two of them bloody?  That is a representation of this occasional lack of rhythm and symmetry.

The other two cards indicate a need to not dawdle so much in the checking of mail and messages and other such extraneous pursuits when trying to get my ass moving in my morning routines.

DECK USED:  THE TEXTURED TAROT

Self Care Saturday (on Sunday)

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

As I’ve mentioned before, these readings are (not usually) bearing in on any one thing or event in my life, as the question used is asking for a more general outlook. This is a self care exercise, and are not meant as a predictive reading.

The question is… What do I need to focus for self-care through the week ahead?

SCS

Earth – Ten of Swords, Seven of Cups, Taurus (The Lover) – The message here is about over-indulging and having been too much in my head lately. Over the next week it will be important to get back in touch with grounding myself and finding that steady center. Considering how stuck I have felt lately, these cards are right on the mark. I feel like I have been a little too lax with myself and need to tighten up the reigns. It will be important to do this one step at a time, but even that slow progress is better than stagnancy.

Air – Five of Pentacles, Waxing Crescent (Play), Waxing Gibbous (Manifest) – “Find the Fun” is the message here. I’ve spent too much time in my head (as mentioned previously) and not enough time creating the right kind of energy to spark my interest and get me moving. Changes for the better are coming, but in order to dig myself out of the slump? I need to find the fun.

Water – Three of Cups and Honey Moon (Productivity) – Building on the “find the fun” theme of things and finding my way forward out of this slump, the cards are indicating that enlisting the help of friends and love ones will not just make the work and transition I’m looking to manifest far more enjoyable, but also create a greater level of productivity without it feeling so much like work.

Fire – Queen of Wands, The Star, Pisces (The Psychic) – This is another call to reach for grounding energy and stay in the present. Looking too far ahead or too far behind can distract and overwhelm. By keeping focused on the present, though, the path forward can become illuminated one step at a time instead of seemingly being a tangle of “to do’s” and “what should I do’s”.

Waning – Waxing Crescent (Nourishment) – This card is a reiteration of the message above, especially in the earth position. It is about getting off my ass and taking the first steps instead of coddling myself and my indecision.

Waxing – Waxing Gibbous (Focus) – Combined with the message in the Waning position, this card is an indication that I need to train my focus on moving forward. Foster that focus moving through the next week and I will be able to begin digging myself out of the quagmire of inaction I’ve found myself in lately.

Take Away – Focusing upon the present is really important right now, as is tightening up the reigns on my self-indulgent behavior, and reaching out to others to help make moving forward with my plans not just productive but fun as well.

DECKS USED: WHEEL OF FORTUNE TAROT, SPIRIT DE LA LUNE ORACLE, QUEEN OF THE MOON ORACLE