❤️ Self Care Saturday (On a Sunday)

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment

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?

Self Care Saturday Tarot Reading with The Herbcrafter's Tarot and Midsummer Whispers Lenormand

Earth – Seven of Water / Birch – “Open your heart to wisdom from the soul.”

Don’t depend solely upon logic, necessity, nor your moral compass when making choices this week. Dig deeper and seek input from that side of yourself where your intuition, emotions, and imagination reside. Seek a path that includes your wants and takes into consideration your feelings, rather than discounting input from these sources. They need to carry more weight in your decision making in the week ahead than you usually give them.

Air – Hija of Air / Catnip – “The first answer is the right answer.”

Your intuition, moral compass, and emotions all have a tendency to jump in and make their answer known first. It’s just that their voices are often quiet, while our brain’s voice is often overbearing and loud. Work on opening up and letting yourself hear and accept these first answers when they come this week, instead of letting the mind step in and convince you to ignore them.

Water – Eight of Air / Licorice – “Know your limits and respect them.”

Take responsibility for the overwhelm you feel and open your eyes to the solutions available to you. It’s okay to say no when you need to. You’re allowed to have boundaries. Closing your eyes to the sacrifices you make and the boundaries that have been crossed will only make the situation worse.

Fire – Nine of Air / Pomegranate – “Know love, know grief.”

Take care to be gentle to the grieving this week. It takes longer for some to heal than others, and impatience will stunt that healing process the same way harvesting a pomegranate before it is fully ripe will keep it from ever reaching ripeness. This doesn’t mean allowing them to walk all over your boundaries or that you can’t say no. It just means to do so with gentle care.

Waning – Stars and Lady – Hopeful thinking and going in soft will not be productive this week. Try a bit of tempered aggression and determination instead.

Waxing – Mice and Dog – Suss out the troublemakers in your friendships and those closest to you. Remember that everyone fucks up now and then, but nip in the bud persistent problems.

Take Away – Your intuition and emotions need to be given extra weight and consideration this week when making decisions. Use these tools to help you in deciding which boundaries in your life need reinforcing, and which are no longer serving you well. What you feel needs to outweigh what others expect from you, so don’t allow them to monopolize your time or consideration this week.

DECKS USED: THE HERBCRAFTER’S TAROT AND MIDSUMMER WHISPERS LENORMAND

Healthy Introversion

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment

Today’s meditation was skipped.

•    •    •    ◈    •    🍃    •    ◈    •    •    •

Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

The Alleyman Tarot

Today’s draw is the Three of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of friendships, revelry, celebration, and collaboration between those that are linked or alike not just in mind but also in heart.

The Three of Cups has then been combined with the It Tickles card from the Happy Little Things deck, which says, “Where words can’t reach, you can use hands. Or feathers. Tongues are allowed as well. One can bask in the moment and laugh with their body. And it could be helpful to remember that adults can be tickled, too. They have been kids, too, and not that long ago, if you ask them.”

Sometimes the best (and healthiest) fun you can have is the fun you have with others.

As a (primarily) introvert, I have a tendency to be drawn to, and even seek out, solitude. The issue with this is that no matter how comforting solitude is, it’s not always healthy for us.

Don’t get me wrong, sometimes it is. Sometimes alone time is the time you need to reflect or recover or de-stress. And yet, sometimes alone time is just time to stew in stagnancy and hide from the world in unhealthy ways.

The message in today’s Three of Cups and affirmation card is a reminder that even those who are fully and completely introverted need social contact in their lives now and then. It’s healthy, and if partaken of in ways that you enjoy, can also be a highlight in your day instead of a trial or tribulation.

DECK USED: THE ALLEYMAN TAROT w/ BOOSTERS 1-3 AND HAPPY LITTLE THINGS DECK

The @ambitiouslyalexa July Journal Prompts
Prompts for July 4th and 5th
Reading Note: I split The Alleyman into a 78 card tarot deck, a 22 card majors only deck, and the leftovers as an oracle deck. The cards used in this reading are the leftover “oracle” cards to be read not as a tarot, but off of the imagery instead.

Oracle Reading with The Alleyman Tarot

A truth you’re ready to name

Top Two Cards – The harsh judgments that you put upon yourself are cruelty and punishment rather than constructive feedback.

That negative inner voice insidious in its narratives in your head isn’t helpful or kind. It’s angry and mean, petty and cruel. Listening to it and absorbing what it has to say is not just habit, but a form of self abuse.

A version of you that’s emerging

Bottom Three Cards – You are learning not to dread change, but instead see it as an opportunity.

No matter how much you want to, change isn’t something that you can ignore and loss happens to everyone. Through these times of uncertainty, you are beginning to better understand the cycle of opportunity presented during these moments… instead of trying to hide away and/or brace for impact.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Foraged Purple Heather Sprigs for Independence and Luck
Dried Rhododendron Leaf for Fostering Confidence
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: THE ALLEYMAN TAROT w/ BOOSTERS 1-3

#DiscordTarotholicsJul2026 Challenge
3-Card Spread Prompt for July 4th : About opportunity…

Tarot Reading with The Alleyman Tarot

What opportunity is knocking on my door right now?

Six of Wands – Pay attention to what’s being offered to you by others where their expectations play a heavy role in the situation.

When considering these opportunities, make sure that you are also considering whether or not you want to take on those expectations that are attached to it, whether those expectations are reasonable or not, and whether or not those expectations will become overwhelming for you over time. Consider as well, whether or not you are even considering this opportunity simply as a way to please someone else.

Is this opportunity suited to me and where I am on my path at this time?

Five of Swords – This opportunity doesn’t particularly look good from the start and it’s not going to start looking any better the further you go on in your considerations mentioned above. It’s far too easy to find the pitfalls, and that should be a warning that it’s not a good opportunity for you.

What would change in my life if I were to jump on this opportunity?

Nine of Cups – Self satisfaction and contentment. The problem lies in the fact that due to the double-bulb nature of these cups, not only does the card offer the traditional meaning of self satisfaction and contentment, but also overwhelm.

Combined with the Five of Swords, this indicates that although this opportunity is not suited to you, and you won’t enjoy the journey it takes you on, there is still potential to find comfort and satisfaction at its end. This lies more in your ability to adapt, though, rather than whether or not this opportunity was suited for you in the first place

Other elements included in this reading:
Handcrafted Sigil for Healthy Sustainable Energy
Dried Cedar Bundle for Protection from Negative Influences
Black Spruce Needles to Boost Self-Confidence and Positive Thinking
Dried Rosebuds for Potential and Beauty Waiting to Unfold
Dried Purple Heather Flowers for Independence and Luck
Clear Quartz for boosting Mental Clarity
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: THE ALLEYMAN TAROT w/ BOOSTERS 1-3
Daily Self Kindness

I took a walk around Ms B’s neighborhood after dinner to get a little distance while she was watching the news.

Gideon’s Challenge – Phenomenon

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment
Rhododendron - Catawba Rosebay

Phenomenon

How can
something
so beautiful
look so cold
like icicles
and winter snow
crisp underfoot
at sunset
her rosy cheeks
don’t add
any warmth
to the scene
only color
and confusion

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Hollow Acts vs Enriching Activities

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment

Today’s meditation was skipped.

•    •    •    ◈    •    🍃    •    ◈    •    •    •

Tarot Murmure de la Forêt - Six of Wands

Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Six of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of public accolades, societal expectations, people pleasing, and peer pressure.

The Six of Wands has then been combined with an affirmation from the Miracle Mantras Affirmation deck, which says, “I am abundant in love, time, and possibility.”

If people pleasing for loved ones is something that you are drawn to, make sure that you are doing things that you enjoy in that endeavor. It should be pleasurable for both, not just for them.

These activities need to be more than just the pursuit of praise or another’s happiness. They need to also give something to you through the pleasure you take in the activity, the pride you feel in the results that stem from a job well done rather than another’s praise, or the joy such activities create within you.

Without these personal rewards, people pleasing becomes hollow and unhealthy.

The message in today’s Six of Wands and affirmation is a reminder that people pleasing doesn’t have to be unhealthy. By finding your own joy and pleasure in what you do, it can transform an unhealthy and hollow experience into something bonding and magical. These cards, therefore, encourage us to choose our people pleasing activities wisely based on our own interests and enjoyment rather than solely on the desire to please others.

DECKS USED: TAROT MURMURE DE LA FORÊT AND MIRACLE MANTRAS AFFIRMATION DECK

The @ambitiouslyalexa July Journal Prompts
Prompt for July 3rd : A need you’re finally honoring

Oracle Reading with the Faerie Pathways Oracle

Reading Summary: Instead of ignoring your weaknesses and trying to find ways to bypass them (Align), you are working on (Practice) utilizing your courage, and the confidence built from it (Confidence atop Courage), to acknowledge and accept them instead (Align).

Take Away: Confidence often follows in the steps of courage. When we allow ourselves to face our fears and acknowledge our weaknesses, it builds courage within us and with that courage? Confidence as well.

You are learning how to acknowledge and accept your weaknesses rather than trying to berate yourself for them or bury them out of sight. In honoring these weaknesses and the need to accept them, you foster space for new growth and fostering a greater strength within yourself that includes both courage and confidence to flourish.

Other elements included in this reading:
Staghorn Sumac for Connecting with Nature and the Wild Within
Foraged Wood Fern for Exorcising Negative Influences
Gneiss Wishing Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: FAERIE PATHWAYS ORACLE

#DiscordTarotholicsJul2026 Challenge
3-Card Spread Prompt for July 3rd : About comfort…

Tarot Reading with the Tarot Murmure de la Forêt

What key element of comfort are you refusing to provide for yourself?

Two of Swords – You aren’t making choices; you’re just sitting back and letting the choices make themselves or pass you by entirely. Without a proactive attitude, you end up languishing instead of doing the things you really need in order to help in “leveling up” your comfort.

Why are you withholding this comfort?

The Hermit – Your craving for alone time holds you back from participating in the needed activities that often have to involve others in one way or another. You’re avoiding social interaction and time with others, and as a result it is withholding from you this greater level of comfort you -could- be experiencing.

What is needed to release this blockage or pattern of neglect?

The Hierophant – If you incorporate teaching others into your time spent with them, you will enjoy these interactions more and be more open to doing them. This can both enrich their experiences with you, and create a greater sense of enjoyment and comfort for you in the social aspects of these activities.

Other elements included in this reading:
Pressed Pansy Flower for Hearing the Heart More Clearly
Dried Lavender Bundle for Calming and Comfort
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Calcite for Gently Calming the Mind and Stimulating Insights
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: TAROT MURMURE DE LA FORÊT
Daily Self Kindness

This is a catch up post, and I’m not entirely sure what the self kindness was for this day.

Gideon’s Challenge – Distractions

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment
Cluster of Muscles and Mollusks

Distractions

Lets lie down
on the pier
and hang
our torsos
over the edge
to play
with the critters
that cling
to the edges
where water laps
crisp and cold
against the
mussels and
barnacles
bathing
in the sun

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Transformations Through Trust

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment

Today’s meditation was a ten minute #DailyCalm session from the @Calm.

•    •    •    ◈    •    🍃    •    ◈    •    •    •

Storybook Tarot - Seven of Pentacles

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 Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of slow growth, sustainability, domestic harmony, hard work, and practicing patience while the fruits of your labors develop and take form.

The Seven of Pentacles has then been combined with a prompt card from the Animantras Chakra deck, which says, “Be Delicate.”

Accepting that it is okay to be vulnerable is one of those things that has been extremely difficult for me to process. It can be hard to let go of control…

[pauses for a moment of thought and reflection]

It just occurred to me why we may not be using violence as foreplay as much as we used to in my relationship with Gideon. These cards make me wonder if the reason we don’t need as much violence in our foreplay these days is because I am more willing and/or it has become easier for me to let go without it.

In the beginning of my relationship with Gideon, it often took violence to get me into a place of submission. Not because I didn’t want to be there, but because psychologically speaking, I had a hard time letting go of control. The violence helped with that (and was hot for both of us… really hot).

Overtime, though, it has become easier and easier for me to drop into the drown (subspace). I don’t need the violence as much to get there, and Gideon became hesitant in using it to get me there because my drowns were going so deep and the (sub)drop that came after was becoming more intense.

Over time, I allowed myself to be more vulnerable and more delicate around him. In response, he became more careful with me.

I mean, to be fair, I’m not complaining. I’ve just wondered sometimes where that violence had gone, and why it disappeared when it was something that we both enjoyed. I think that my mind was trying to find a way to “take the blame” for this change, and that I was depriving Gideon of something he wants or needs in the process.

The message in today’s cards speaks about vulnerabilities and how trust can make these vulnerabilities something far easier to expose and accept. This relates to to areas of life and ourselves that go far beyond sex and preferences in that area; trust takes time. You can’t expect people to just hand over that kind of trust… it has to be built.

DECK USED:  STORYBOOK TAROT AND ANIMANTRAS CHAKRA ORACLE

The @ambitiouslyalexa July Journal Prompts
Prompts for July 1st and 2nd

Oracle Reading with The Cat Witch Akashic Records Oracle

A feeling you’re leaning into

Fire – After your talk with your shrink the other day, you are feeling a new spark of your hope and creativity.

You feel like you have a bit of an idea on which direction you want to go in order to try and make things better with your business, and are feeling the motivation to get started in that area on those things that have been discussed.

A standard you’re releasing

Purpose and Diet – Expectations of perfection for perfection’s sake. Recently, you have been encouraged to look at your relationship with perfection and how it connects to self abuse.

Your third quarterly reading indicated that now is a good time to look at the options available to you and start weeding out the ones that don’t fit, aren’t suited, or aren’t healthy for you. This includes your attachment to perfection and the unreasonable expectations you put upon yourself in this area. With this relationship brought to light you are beginning to let go of these expectations and work on seeing your efforts in a different (more positive) light.

Other elements included in this reading:
Pressed Pansy Flower for Hearing the Heart More Clearly
Dried Cedar Bundle for Protection from Negative Influences
Gneiss Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Carnelian Agate for Inner Drive and Focusing On Aspirations
Citrine for Energy Lift (easing the weight of heavy energies)
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: THE WITCH CAT AKASHIC RECORDS ORACLE

#DiscordTarotholicsJul2026 Challenge
3-Card Spread Prompt for July 2nd : About fun…

Tarot Reading with the Storybook Tarot

Why does guilt plague your moments of carefree fun?

Nine of Cups – Guilt plagues your moments of carefree fun because you want to show measurable success in your happiness.

It often feels like it’s not enough to just be happy. Instead, you feel the need for there to be an actual measurable success to show for your efforts rather than just a feeling of happiness or contentedness in the moment.

How can you release this guilt to enjoy these moments more?

Seven of Cups – There was recently an article published about how newer generations are prioritizing experiences over possessions. They spend their money on things that they want to experience like live music, festivals, and travel, instead of on material expenditures that show your wealth or accomplishments. They live light and experience more.

Letting go of your guilt to enjoy more of these moments guilt-free is a matter of choice and priorities. You have to choose what you prioritize and choose what you value most. Do you actually value most the fact that you can amaze others with what you’ve accomplished? Or is your own enjoyment more important?

What would guilt-free fun look like?

King of Pentacles – It’s the stability you’ve been looking for all along, you’ve just been looking in the wrong places.

Other elements included in this reading:
Pressed Pansy Flower for Hearing the Heart More Clearly
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Shiva Shell Heart for Wisdom and Discernment
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others

DECK USED: STORYBOOK TAROT
Daily Self Kindness

This is a catch up post, and I’m not entirely sure what the self kindness was for this day.