Sick Day
Can’t we stay
in bed
she says
and cuddle
under the covers
as the hours
slip away
as she’s not
feeling her best
but the cuddles
help everything
be just a little
better
Gideon’s Challenge – Sick Day
❤️ Self Care Saturday (On a Sunday)
These Saturday 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 is not meant as a predictive reading… although that, too, happens on occasion.
The question is… What do I need to focus for self-care through the week ahead?
Earth – Maniac – Take extra care with the unpredictable this week. The unexpected has a way of rearing its head when you least expected… that’s why it’s called the unexpected. Make sure that you are taking measures to protect yourself, especially physically and financially, at this time. Be aware of your surroundings, and make sure you’re taking people with you when you go out. High alert modus operandi for stalker situations is needed right now. If there are precautions that can be taken, don’t brush them off this week. Take those extra precautions and stay alert.
Air – Narcissism – There is no such thing as too much self-love right now. Hold yourself in high regard during the week ahead, and allow your opinions to hold weight above those of others whose opinions might be harmful if internalized, as well as above those negative interjections from your inner narrative.
Water – Embryo – You are feeling small and vulnerable right now. Allow yourself to be cared before by those that love you, rather than trying to deal with everything yourself. Regardless of what you were told in your youth, sometimes it’s okay to sit back and let other people carry the load and the stress.
Fire – Happiness – Get wrapped up and doing the things that make you happy. It’s okay to now and then close out the outside world and focus on these things that bring you joy. This intense sort of focus you excel at can allow you to really sink into these joyous moments if you’re willing to allow it.
Waning – Key and Stork – Remember that you don’t have to have all the answers all the time, and that it’s perfectly all right to send people off to find their own answers instead of providing those answers for them.
Waxing – Ring and Fox – Make sure that you are sharing your vulnerabilities and soft side with those that are committed to being a healthy and positive part of your life. Look at everyone else looking for commitments from you with a heavy dose of suspicion this week. Hidden agendas abound.
Take Away – There’s a pretty significant warning here about commitments, sneaky shit, and staying on alert to protect what keeps life stable for you. Don’t ignore warning signs, and make sure you are doing your due diligence in protecting yourself and what’s important to you. Lean on those you trust to help in this endeavor… as well as in supporting you during moments of emotional vulnerability.
Seek out joy and sink into those things that you enjoy. Let the world (but not your safety) take a back seat to this focus in the week ahead.
DECKS USED: МАГИЯ СЕРДЦА OРАКУЛ (Buy Ukrainian!) AND ROMANTIC LENORMAND
Childish Temptations
Today’s meditation was skipped.
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The @GlitterbyInk #FebYOUary26 Moments & Memories Challenge
Prompt for February 7th : Conflict
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.
Today’s draw is The Magician card, which is traditionally a representation of capability, potential, resourcefulness, action, and manifestation. This often translates into themes having to do with being in possession of all of the skills, abilities, and tools necessary to reach one’s goals and accomplish one’s ends. It’s about being capable and skilled, resourceful and gifted with what is needed to get the job done.
I don’t know about other people, but sometimes when I’m faced with conflict, I have the very obvious opportunity to make a conscious choice between engaging in a negative way, or keeping my calm and engaging in a way that will facilitate resolution. And sometimes it is remarkably difficult to choose the latter.
The fact is that when we are irritated or otherwise agitated by a situation, it can at times be hard to be the adult. You want to lash out and express your own emotions, even if they are not going to do a lick of good for the situation at hand.
The message in today’s Magician card and the “conflict” prompt is a reminder that chaos and disturbance does not get resolved by adding in more chaos and disturbance. You have the tools to resolve these situations of conflict if you’re willing to use them wisely instead of going with your first reaction.
DECK USED: TAROT OF TIDES
#DiscordTarotholicsFeb2026 Challenge
Prompt for February 6th and 7th
A small piece of comfort you can gift yourself this season.
King Protea and King of Cups – Remember whenever you are craving new things or explore new themes, that your partner is your safe space in which to do this. Especially if you are feeling vulnerable.
Even if there’s no one else you feel safe enough to fully open up to and share all aspects of your true self with, in him you will always be able to do so. He’s not going to judge you, reject you, nor laugh at you… no matter what it is.
(Adding a note here for Gideon: No, I don’t currently have anything in mind. This is about the sense of security and safety I feel with you, with your love, and concerning our relationship.)
Something you can do to bring comfort to those close to you.
Page of Swords and Belladonna – Share more of what you know with those closest to you, a little at a time. They are eager to learn from you whatever you’re willing to share. You have a lot of knowledge and experience to share, but you often hold back out of fear of being seen as a know-it-all, braggart, or in some other negative context.
The fact is, though. Those close to you never see you in this light, and they love it when you share your knowledge and experience with them. It’s okay to not hold back with them and allow yourself to share more freely.
Other elements included in this reading:
Scotch Pine Cone for Purging Negative Influences
Holy Leaves for fostering Strength, Endurance, and Boundaries
Conch Shell Knot for Concentration, Clarity, and Determination
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
DECKS USED: CHAOS BLOSSOM TAROT AND FLOWER FOLKLORE ORACLE
@ambitiouslyalexa’s February Journal Prompts
Prompt for February 7th : What helps me feel emotionally safe
Reading Summary – Allowing yourself slow progress and a level of nurturing understanding (The Empress) on your journey to learning about your emotions and how to process them (Page of Cups); especially when new emotions pop up that you don’t recognize or have an easy time identifying (Ace of Cups).
Take Away – Most people learn to process and understand their emotions beginning as children. You’re starting this journey late in life, and it’s often confusing and frustrating. It’s difficult to not beat yourself up over slow progress and moments when you have a setback or feel confusion.
Being able to apply the words “I don’t know what this emotion is” seems so obvious in these moments, and yet often alludes you until much later when rehashing an experience.
Remember that it’s okay not to know all the answers, nor be able to identify all the emotions, and that you can still acknowledge them even without putting a name to them.
Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Red Maple Leaf for Adaptability and Connection
Pressed Pansy Flower for Hearing the Heart More Clearly
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Desert Rose for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
DECK USED: TAROT OF TIDES
I chose to gift my newly trimmed Llewellyn tarot to Gid instead of keeping it for myself. I just wasn’t 100% happy with the trim job. I feel like the art needs -some- kind of border left on it, even if it’s just a thin one. So I’m sending the trimmed deck off to him, and ordering another copy of the deck for myself to try again.
Gideon’s Challenge – The Watchers
The Watchers
Lets curl up
before the hearth
and let
the spirits
of the passed
watch over
and protect us
as we
enjoy the fire
and listen
to the crackle
and pop
of firewood
licked by flames
Photo © ZenStatePhotography
Wearing Blinders
Today’s meditation was skipped.
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The @GlitterbyInk #FebYOUary26 Moments & Memories Challenge
Prompt for February 6th : Desire
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.
Today’s draw is the Seven of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of themes having to do with having a plethora of options to choose from, all of opportunity’s doors being open upon one’s path, and at times being overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices available in the moment.
What options and opportunities are you missing by focusing so hard on one thing and one thing only?
It’s so easy, at times, to get hyper focused on one particular thing that we want to the point that we end up with blinders on to the rest of the world and any other options or opportunities that are out there for us. And, sometimes these other options and opportunities are much better for us in the long run than the one we’re hyper-focused on.
Today’s message is a reminder that the things that we desire are not always the best things for us, and that sometimes we get so hyper-focused on these desires that we forget to look at what else is out there.
An example of this would be someone that is stuck in an abusive relationship. They’re so focused on making things work with this abusive person and fixing this person or fixing the relationship, putting their all into this and hyper-focusing on that direction, that they never realize that there are other people out there they would be much happier with (not to mention safer). Perhaps there’s even someone out there that’s already interested in them, but is keeping their distance specifically because of that hyper-focus and where it’s directed.
The Seven of Cups combined with the “desire” prompt reminds us not to get so focused on what we want that we lose sight of the possibility of what might be out there that could be much better for us in the end.
DECKS USED: EVERY MOMENT MATTERS TAROT
@ambitiouslyalexa’s February Journal Prompts
Prompt for February 6th
What drains me emotionally
Four of Pentacles, Daisy, The Tower Rx – Your upbringing has taught you that it’s important to always be prepared, and has spurred you to take that to extremes. Due to this, hoarding and other miserly efforts tend to be pretty intense in an effort to build stability in your life so great that it cannot be toppled by even the most destructive levels of chaos.
This constant effort towards that greater sense of stability is draining for you, especially because it means you are constantly stuck in a “what if” mentality.
How to create better boundaries and/or balance in this area
Seven of Cups Rx, Snowdrop, Four of Cups – Make efforts to trust that no matter which direction things go, and whether or not you’re in control of the situation, you will always survive and thrive. Remind yourself that the hardships and trials you have faced thus far have been significant, and yet you have always managed to not just survive them, but come out kicking on the other side of them again and again.
You may need to take a step back and regroup, pause, and reflect… and possibly even accept some help that you really don’t want to accept. But in the end? You will come back to full strength once more. Just as you have before.
Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Purple Heather Sprigs for Independence and Luck
Gneiss Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
DECK USED: MODERN MANGA TAROT AND SNOWDROP ORACLE
#DiscordTarotholicsFeb2026 Challenge
Prompt for February 5th : A physical action you can take to help you relax and unwind
Reading Summary – Get out into (Knight of Pentacles) the world (The World), a little at a time (Knight of Pentacles and the dripping faucet in The Hermit).
Even if alone time (The Hermit) isn’t possible or safe right now, getting out into the world (The World) and specifically out into nature (background of the Knight of Pentacles), can help you find the grounding you need (staring at the drop in The Hermit card is reminiscent of meditating by watching water dripped down the side of the shower wall), allowing you to unwind and relax a bit.
Those who you would take with you out on these excursions want you to enjoy things (cat in the basket with a comfy blanket in the Knight of Pentacles), and they will give you the space you need when you need it (the presence of The Hermit card combined with thecardboard box in The World card).
Take Away – Stop allowing your distaste for doing things with others keep you from getting out in nature and taking advantage of that healing and grounding connection you have with the earth and the things that grow from it. Yes, it’s important to take others with you on these visits out into the world, but they know when and how to step back to give you the space you need when you need it, and don’t mind doing so. So stop avoiding these activities and get your ass outside more.
Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Oak Branch with Moss and Lichen for Perseverance
Foraged Lodgepole Pine for Resilience, Growth, and Renewal
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
DECKS USED: EVERY MOMENT MATTERS TAROT
I ordered myself a back-up set of Shokz Open Run Pros, because I’ve noticed that the battery seems to be draining on my current pair a bit faster than usual of late.
Gideon’s Challenge – Temperate
Temperate
The winter
has no bite this year
as rain clouds
come and go
but no snow
is offered
nor do frozen temps
visit in the night
but only raindrops
and clouds
and the soft song
of the sea breeze
through
evergreen boughs
Twisting the Leaf 