Tension
Muscles flexed
without realization
tight and aching
but unacknowledged
until they
start to scream
and realization
comes
that a deep breath
is needed
slow in
and slow out
then again
to help the knots
let go
Today’s meditation was skipped.
The @hippiepixie333 #Escapril2026 Challenge
Prompt for April 18th : distant trains
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.
Today’s draw is the Ten of Swords, which is traditionally a representation long journeys coming to an end, painful endings, lessons learned the hard way, deep wounds, and sometimes can indicate loss or betrayal.
I live in a condo on a hill with train tracks that run along the bottom of the hill through the “valley”. Trains run along these tracks all day and all night, their sound rolling upward over the hill where I live, carrying and amplifying the sound as it goes.
Because of this, although I live a few blocks from those train tracks, it sounds as if I live right next to them. Well, on the other side of the building at least, because the side of the building that faces the train tracks actually feels like you might be living 2 feet from the tracks.
When I moved in here, it took a really long time for me to get used to the noise of the trains, especially at night. Back then I was only getting about 3 to 4 hours of sleep per night, and this ungodly racket of trains moving through the night was not helping me get even that much sleep.
At one point, I even considered whether it was worth staying here, or if I should move.
I did stay, though, and over time I became used to the sound of the trains. I barely even hear them anymore.
The message in today’s Ten of Swords combined with the “distant trains” is a reminder that we can’t always choose the things we can live with, and those that we can’t. Sometimes the most excruciating things (like chronic pain) are things we have to live with rather than choosing, while other things (like the sound of trains that keep you up all night) you can choose whether or not to accept in your life.
In the end, we can “live with” a lot of things we don’t want to live with. We are all stronger than we realize, after all. The reminder here is that when we have a choice, make good choices. Pick yourself up from the “knockdown” blow given to you, and make the best choices you can in that moment. It may not be the perfect choice of your dreams, but if you make the best choice you can, you will get the best results from the experience you’re in the process of picking yourself up from.
#DiscordTarotholicsApr2026 Challenge
Philosophical Questions for April 22nd and 29th
What does it mean to live a good life?
Ten of Swords, American Plum, Queen of Swords
These cards indicate that living a good life involves protecting those you love (American Plum) from the hardships that life has to offer (Ten of Swords Rx), and guiding them through the ones that you can’t protect them from (Queen of Swords).
The truth is that we all have to live through hardships, and life is going to hand out to us a wide variety of them to go through in our lives. In these cards, we see that living a good life involves connection with and support from others as each of us traverses through these hardships and learns how to deal with them, survive them, and move on from them.
Is personal growth required to live a good life?
Knight of Pentacles, Southern Crab Apple, Ace of Swords
You can’t move forward, not even slowly (Knight of Pentacles Rx), without some kind of growth (Ace of Swords). Stagnancy creates a stunted experience (Southern Crab Apple).
Yes, personal growth is a requirement for living a good life. Or at least, the good life that is described above in the answer to the previous question. Without personal growth, there is nothing to share, and nothing to give. That means there’s no reciprocity, and nothing to be shared with you.
Through growth we provide for others… and through growth they provide for us.
Other elements included in this reading:
Conch Shell Knot for Concentration, Clarity, and Determination
Green Jasper and Tiger Eye Turtle for Confidence within Progress
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
@lightningwildflower‘s April Energetic Shifts Challenge
Mercury sextile Pluto Prompt for April 18th : How can I use my voice to empower myself?
Reading Summary: Remember that you can’t have everything all at once (The World blocked by Knight of Pentacles), and you wouldn’t want to (Justice). Take the things you want and need a little at a time instead (Seven of Swords).
Take Away: There are unhealthy results involved in leaning into a mindset of immediate gratification. Empower yourself by knowing your limits and working within them instead.
You will garner more success that way than you will by pushing yourself for more than you can healthily handle at once. Might want to keep in mind that there’s a massive difference between “more than you can handle” and “more than you can healthily handle” as well.
In other words? Saying “no” is empowering, not diminishing. Say it more often.
Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Oak Branch with Moss and Lichen for Perseverance
Turtle Figurine for encouraging Slow and Steady Progress
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
I avoided speaking politics even when it was brought up a few times today. It’s not that I don’t want to share my personal perspectives on those issues, but it’s like talking to a brick wall and only creates a chasm of distance when I’ve tried in the past.
Comforted
A little cuddle
a tight
close hug
with softness
squished
in close
to the chest
familiar scents
in unfamiliar places
help wakefulness
drift
into sleep
as inner knots
release
Today’s meditation was skipped.
The @hippiepixie333 #Escapril2026 Challenge
Prompt for April 17th : left unsaid
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.
Today’s draw is the Death card, which is traditionally a representation of gradual organic changes, loss, slow moving transitions, and letting go.
Take a moment to consider those that are important to you. Not just those you love or even those you like, but those who were formative in your life in others ways as well.
If you were never be able to see or speak to them again, what would you regret having never said? What would you regret not having said more often?
In the Peita (depicted in the art in the card) there has always been an impression of regret for me. A lament of not just loss, but also the loss of opportunity to express oneself to that who you’ve lost.
The message in today’s Death card and the “quote “left unsaid” prompt is a reminder that the people in your life won’t be there forever. If there are things that you want to say or things that you need to say, but haven’t gotten up to to do it yet… there’s no time like the present. Don’t wait until it’s too late. If you do, that regret will live within you you, carried on your shoulders for the rest of your life.
@Lionharts #TheAprilTarot Root & Rise Challenge
The Rise Prompts for April 16th through 18th
What am I ready to begin without waiting for the perfect moment?
Nine of Pentacles and Patience is a Virtue – Only appreciation, satisfaction, and gratitude. Everything else requires patience and timing.
Where is my energy naturally leading me next?
Eight of Wands and The Importance of Routine – Reign in your energy to find the routines you need. You have the energy and capability right now of getting things organized. Take that spark of energy that spring is eager to offer you, and use it to create the foundation you need for what comes next.
What is already in motion that I can actively support?
Knight of Swords and Stretch Regularly – Continue to expand your mind beyond it’s current limits. Seek outside the box solutions and ideas. The more you learn, the more flexible your mind will become.
Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Purple Heather Sprigs for Independence and Luck
Dried Hoya Leaf for Inward Exploration
Dried Lavender Bundle for Calming and Comfort
Foraged Lodgepole Pine for Resilience, Growth, and Renewal
Conch Shell Knot for Concentration, Clarity, and Determination
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
@lightningwildflower‘s April Energetic Shifts Challenge
New Moon in Aries Prompt for April 17 : Where do I need to act rather than wait?
Reading Summary: You can only move in the direction (Six of Swords) of future success (The Sun) by letting go (Six of Swords) of the control you constantly seek over every little thing in your life (Four of Pentacles atop Queen of Swords).
Take Away: You’re strangling everything and smothering yourself with that tight-fisted grip of control you insist on. When things start to strangle, instead of loosening that grip, you just continue to tighten more and more.
You’re not truly in control anyway. It’s just an illusion.
So stop buying into the illusion of control and you will be able to flow more smoothly towards the successes you want to achieve.
Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Silver Maple Key for Bouncing Back to Thrive
Foraged Red Pine Cone for Inner Strength and Rejuvenation
Citrine for Energy Lift (easing the weight of heavy energies)
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
I talked out my worried feelings with Gid instead of going to bed with them still eating at me.
Pleased
Artistry
in the design
is something
that isn’t seen
all that often
anymore
and yet
in the dirtiest
of places
is artistry
ignored
by many
and yet there
to be appreciated
Today’s meditation was skipped.
The @hippiepixie333 #Escapril2026 Challenge
Prompt for April 16th : spring again
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.
Today’s draw is the Four of Wands (Product 4), which is traditionally a representation of one’s passionate love for the security and welcoming energies of home. This often translates into themes that have to do with homecoming, celebrating home and stability, as well as relaxation in comfortable spaces.
We’re all searching for “home”, and every new thing is a hopeful possibility that that perfect fit might’ve been found. When you think you find it, is it really perfect, though, or is it just better than where you came from and so it seems that way in the moment?
Relationships aren’t the only thing in life that goes through a “honeymoon phase”. Finding the fit that feels like home is almost always about leveling up or upgrading from what you had before… but not always.
To find that fit, we have to look beyond the rose-colored glasses of newness. Sometimes that can be harder said than done. Sadly, those rose-colored glasses usually only wear off after you’re already stuck.
The message in today’s Four of Wands card and the “spring again” prompt is a reminder that new is exciting and it’s okay to indulge in that excitement, but also make sure to stay aware that you’re looking at the situation through rose-colored glasses which sooner or later are going to wear off. Make smart decisions (even during that time when you’re immersed in the happy glow of newness) that help to protect that comfortable fit you think you have found.
One Card Tarot Journal Activity by @mariasofia_astro
Chapter 6 | Entry 12 – Spiritual Development
Affirmation : “I trust my instinct when something doesn’t feel true.”
Prompt : It’s said that most advice people give his autobiographical (learned through personal experience). Consider the possible autobiography of the card you draw, then think about the worst advice this card could give you. Reflect on why it feels untrue and where you store that feeling in your body. This exercise is a good lesson and trust in your instincts and knowing when something being said to you is not aligned with your inner truth.
What feelings came up when I pulled this card?
My first reaction was, “Ohhhh that looks like a bad idea.”
I found it interesting that they used sushi for the Death card. This immediately brought up lots of different ideas about how those two elements could connect, stirring my curiosity and creative thoughts.
What elements of the card’s meaning resonate with me and this prompt?
Sushi is one of those foods that has to be served fresh. Very, very fresh. It loses it ability to be safely eaten quickly. First the smell shifts, then the taste turns, and within moments after that it can cause severe food poisoning.
It’s a balance of time and temperature. There is no set time limit for how long it will stay good, because the temperature drastically changes the window of time for food safety.
What do you know for sure, is that it is going to go bad… you just don’t know exactly when. Just like death. We all know it’s coming for us, we just don’t know when.
What in the artwork spoke to me?
Actually. The artwork made me hungry. This, in turn, make me think of all of those different places that I have tried over the years for sushi, and how many of them have been failures.
There’s a reason I don’t eat sushi anymore, other than from one place that I found that seems to be consistent in their freshness. It doesn’t mean that I don’t like it… it just means that I don’t trust the establishments that are serving it.
My prompt response and reflections.
The worst advice this card could provide is, “Go ahead and eat. It’s fresh! It might smell a little like fish, but it’s supposed to smell that way.”
I feel a rejection of this advice through a slightly backward tug in the area of my chest as if my body wants to lean away, as well as in the feeling of an eyebrow wanting to rise in skepticism even though I don’t allow it to.
Other elements included in this reading:
Agate D20 and D6 Stone Dice
@lightningwildflower‘s April Energetic Shifts Challenge
Mars sextile Pluto, Mercury conjunct Neptune Prompt for April 16th : What deep inner strength is being activated for me?
Reading Summary: You are feeling the need to stand guard over (Product 9) what you feel creates the stability and security you and others depend upon (Money Assistant) from others who may try to out-do your efforts with their own (Product 5 Rx).
Take Away: There is such a thing as healthy competition. The problem is, what you’re feeling right now doesn’t feel like healthy competition.
It feels like an attack. Thus you have put up your defenses in response, in order to protect the stability and security you have built in your life.
This defensive reaction is a deep inner strength that rose up to the fore without you realizing it. It might be worth taking some time to figure out what triggered it in the first place.
Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Oak Branch with Moss and Lichen for Perseverance
Dried Cedar Bundle for Protection from Negative Influences
Black Tourmaline for Grounding and Protection
Carnelian Agate for Inner Drive and Focusing On Aspirations
Calcite for Gently Calming the Mind and Stimulating Insights
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
I didn’t really have the time for it, but I took a short nap anyway. I was just too tired.
Twisting the Leaf 