Today’s meditation was skipped.

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The @GlitterbyInk #JuneMessenger26 Challenge
Message From My Spirit Guide Prompt for June 5th : Instinct
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 Swords, which is traditionally a representation of taking time to rest, recuperation after a trying time, and stillness for restoration and meditation on the events that have brought you to this place as well as where to go from here.

It’s a proven fact that your senses are dulled when you’re tired. If you’re not getting the rest that you need, your reaction times are lowered and your cognitive function decreases. Even when you feel like you’re firing on all cylinders, if you’re tired, then you’re missing out on providing an even better performance than the one you already are.

The thing is, sometimes getting all the rest we need isn’t easy. A part of that is because sometimes rest doesn’t have anything to do with actual sleep. The recreational activities that make you feel invigorated are also a type of rest. These activities, like sleep, take you away from your stresses and worries and allow you to focus on something that is completely pleasure based instead of anchored in responsibilities and obligations.

I think sometimes we forget that, and as a result when we feel that we need more rest, instead of following our instinct to do something we enjoy that lets us step away from our obligations for a bit, we lay down and try to take a nap or get some sleep.

Today’s Four of Swords card and the “instinct” prompt is a reminder that although sleep and naps are all well and good, we need to follow our instincts to fulfill what we truly need when we need rest and recuperation. Sometimes it’s not a nap at all, but something else entirely.

DECK USED:  SUNLIT SPROUT TAROT

One Card Tarot Journal Activity by @mariasofia_astro
Chapter 1 | Entry 2 – Self-Care and Personal Development
Affirmation : “Although I strive to do my best in every situation, I acknowledge and accept where I have let myself down.”
Prompt : Forgiveness, especially of yourself, is an important step in healing. What is the card you draw saying that you can release in order to forgive yourself for a past mistake?

What feelings came up when I pulled this card?

Shame and embarrassment were the first emotions to come up when The World card showed itself in relation to this question. That dog’s eyes looking at me from the imagery just seemed like a whole lot of expectation that I have failed to live up to.

What elements of the card’s meaning resonate with me and this prompt?

I have tried many times to release my feelings around having never completed my education. I got so very close, and then life got in the way, and I was unable to finish.

This wasn’t because of money issues or work issues, all of which I feel I would’ve found a way around, but rather issues that have to do with experiences I was forced into and the trauma that I was trapped into by those experiences.

The World card is all about completion, and that judgemental dog face on the card feels like it’s all about the completion that didn’t get finished.

What in the artwork spoke to me?

I’ve already mentioned to the face of the dog and how judgmental it looks in the imagery here. This is perhaps because it kind of reminds me of my late father’s judgmental stare.

That head and stare stand out from the rest of the imagery on this card so strongly that it’s like there’s nothing else on the card except that and only that.

The thing is, though, in the background beyond the head on this card, what we see is a world of beauty and music and enjoyment. This speaks to me of what I’m missing by holding onto this judgmental viewpoint concerning my education.

My prompt response and reflections.

I find it interesting that I still judge myself so harshly for this issue, when I’ve already accepted to myself that even if I had finished my education, chances are very slim that I would’ve stepped into a career based in either of the degrees I was working toward. In fact, I’d probably be exactly where I am right now, regardless of whether or not I have those degrees under my belt.

Although the areas of study that I chose to follow in my educational career were a good fit for my interests, they weren’t a good fit career-wise. I have a feeling I would’ve been much more suited to an education and ecology, forestry, or something along those lines instead of the botany and horticulture that I pursued.

I have found a bit of closure in these realizations as I have gotten older, but I’m still working on the full forgiveness of having let go of the degrees that I had worked so hard to obtain.

Other elements included in this reading:
Amethyst D20 and D6 Gemstone Dice

DECK USED: EL TAROT DE KATRINA

The @lightningwildflower June Inner Journey Challenge

Prompts for June 1st through 5th

Mercury enters Cancer: What truth do I need to speak from the heart?

Five of Pentacles – Share with those who care what’s actually wrong instead of trying to deal with the burden on your own. Those things you’re worried about and are dragging you down don’t have to be a solo struggle. Sharing with others that care allows you to ease the burden on your own shoulders.

Remember that other people do not perceive burdens in the same way that you do, just like Gideon shoulders being the dominant in your relationship as if it weighs no more than a feather, whereas you struggle under the weight of that type of responsibility. Just because you share your struggles with others doesn’t mean that they will be weighted down by them as you are.

Sun sextile Saturn: What structures will support my growth?

Six of Wands – Just because it’s unhealthy to allow others to be your validation, doesn’t mean that you can’t still enjoy their praise. Allow those around you to bolster your spirits with their input and admiration. It’s okay to enjoy being liked, as long as you’re not trying to transform yourself in order to garner that admiration or depending on it for your self-worth.

Mercury square Neptune: Where might I be confusing intuition with fear?

The Magician – You are more than capable of manifesting for yourself whatever it is that you desire. There’s no need to “fake it till you make it”. Just leap forward and do what needs done, and you’ll be happy with the results.

Pause: When am I being asked to pause before acting?

Two of Cups – When you are inviting new people into your life, even your online life, make sure that you are discussing it with others closest to you so that you are getting more perspectives than just your own. Those who love you also care about your well-being, and may see red flags that you miss.

Practice: How can I practice greater patience with myself?

Four of Cups – Resuming a regular meditation practice is a good place to start fostering a greater level of patience with yourself. As is ensuring that you are not secluding yourself away from those who care about you.

Other elements included in this reading:
Pressed Pansy Flowers for Hearing the Heart More Clearly
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED:  SUNLIT SPROUT TAROT

I contacted my bank and put in a dispute for a charge from a tarot deck creator who was a dick to me and then cancelled/refunded my purchase, but for some reason decided they could keep the $32USD shipping charge.