The Second Try

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

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The @hippiepixie333 #Escapril2026 Challenge
Prompt for April 8th : the day after

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

The Classic Mountains and Seas Tarot - Page of Swords

Today’s draw is the Page of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of a receptive omega energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s thoughts, intellect, logic, ambitions, and communication. This often translates into themes that have to do with learning new ways to communicate with others, beginning new educational pursuits, exploring new ideas. and seeking to sate one’s curiosity.

In some ways, the Page of Swords is a card of recovery. The Ten of Swords such a painful an ending that when we reach the Page and pick ourselves up off the ground from the Ten, there is a touch of the phoenix in the progression between these two cards.

In the progression of the Swords suit, on the day after the Ten of Swords, we land upon the Page of Swords realizing that we don’t know everything after all and we have so much more still to learn.

The message in today’s Page of Swords and “the day after” prompt for today is a reminder that the endings we experience aren’t “the end”, no matter how painful they may be. In time, we move past them, and we take with us what we learned from the past to apply to our new efforts and endeavors. That doesn’t mean we know everything, it just means we’re better off this time around than we were on our first try.

DECK USED:  THE CLASSIC OF MOUNTAINS AND SEAS TAROT

@lightningwildflower‘s April Energetic Shifts Challenge

Mars sextile Uranus Prompt for April 8th : Where am I ready to take bold, innovative action?

Oracle Reading using the Betrayal Deck of Lost Souls Game Cards

Reading Summary: If you want to “make it rain” (two blood cards and rain) you’re going to need to make bold and innovative action (Action = Athame) that lead you in that direction (Lost Prophet’s Coffer). It’s not going to happen on its own.

Take Away: These cards are essentially saying that age old adage, “you have to spend money to make money”. And, in this case, “spending money” might mean the blood, sweat, and tears of your own effort.

Financially speaking, you can’t just sit back on your laurels and expect your finances to work themselves out on their own. You have to be involved and make good choices that have you actively working toward your goals.

Bring the money in, and be smart with what you do with it. Lack of forethought will only force you to work harder and expend more blood, sweat, and tears to get to where you want to be.

And get your damned taxes done.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Oak Branch with Moss and Lichen for Perseverance
Carnelian Agate for Inner Drive and Focusing On Aspirations
Picture Jasper for Sense of Proportion and Grounding
Rainforest Rhyolite for Facilitating Calm Transitions
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: BETRAYAL DECK OF LOST SOULS GAME CARDS

@Lionharts #TheAprilTarot Root & Rise Challenge

The Roots Prompt for April 8th : What becomes clear when I focus fully on what is in front or me?

Tarot Reading with The Classic Mountains and Seas Tarot

Reading Summary: The potential addictions that you choose to indulge in (The Fool actively moving toward The Devil), and thus end up ensnared by (The Devil figure welcoming The Fool), are a choice you make and not something that just happens to you (The Chariot).

Take Away: It’s very easy to pass the blame for any number of sticky situations we get into when it comes to addiction (whether it’s adrenaline, dopamine, sugar, caffeine, or any of the myriad of illicit drugs out there). It’s always easier for it to be somebody else’s fault or due to circumstances, rather than to take onus upon ourselves.

Real responsibility, though, comes in claiming ownership of the choices we’ve made. Including the bad ones.

Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Cedar Bundle for Protection from Negative Influences
Conch Shell Knot for Concentration, Clarity, and Determination
Gneiss Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Carnelian Agate Mushroom for Focusing On Aspirations
Onyx Stone Fox for Identifying and Connecting to Truth
Desert Rose for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED:  THE CLASSIC OF MOUNTAINS AND SEAS TAROT
Daily Self Kindness

I tried to keep on top of my pain management today by taking a couple extra ibuprofen interspersed through the day.

Gideon’s Challenge – Peaceful

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Forest Floor Pine Needles

Peaceful

Soft and squishy
a fragrant
carpet of needles
muffles every step
and makes
the world
seem quieter
than it has
any right to be
as the soft patter
of raindrops
sound off
like a very lazy
ticking clock

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Heed the Warning Signs

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Today’s meditation was a ten minute long #DailyTrip session from the @Calm app.

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The @hippiepixie333 #Escapril2026 Challenge

Prompt for April 7th : smoke signals

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

Hundred-Acre Arcana - The Devil card

Today’s draw is The Devil card, which is traditionally a representation of temptation, struggles with moderation, harmful excesses, addiction, and self-harm.

Look at that… the card even has a campfire.

The “oh shit” moment of falling into old habits or allowing oneself to fall into the grip of an addiction doesn’t just come upon us all of a sudden. There are warning signs that build up to that “oh shit” moment.

Whether or not we watch for and/or listen to those warning signs directly influences not just whether or not that “oh shit” moment arrives, but in what manner it does if it’s too late to stop it entirely.

The message in today’s Devil card and “smoke signals” prompt as a reminder that warning signs are not there to be ignored. When you ignore them, you give what’s building up permission to do what it will to you and your life. Today’s message encourages us to not ignore these warning signs and smoke signals when they appear, but take them to heart and be proactive in acting on them.

DECK USED:  THE HUNDRED ACRE ARCANA

@Lionharts #TheAprilTarot Root & Rise Challenge

The Roots Prompt for April 7th : In what area of my life does progress unfold without force?

Tarot Reading with the Hundred-Acre Arcana and Cloud Rune Legend Lenormand

Reading Summary: Conversation (Center Card) is often the best form of support (Man) you can give to the grieving (Coffin).

Take Away: Grief moves at its own pace, and no amount of nudging or manipulation can push it to do so any faster. It’s not -meant- to be convenient.

The grieving widow in your life needs you to hold space for her more than anything else you could provide. You don’t even have to take over the conversation for this to happen. Just listen as she tells her stories, even if you’ve heard them a million times before.

These discussions and the walks down memory lane that they often contain are her way of grieving. When you sit with her and listen it gives her an anchor in the storm.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Oak Branch with Moss and Lichen for Perseverance
Goat Figure as Sympathetic Representation of Amalthea
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Desert Rose for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED:  THE HUNDRED ACRE ARCANA BONUS CARDS AND CLOUD RUNE LEGEND LENORMAND

@lightningwildflower‘s April Energetic Shifts Challenge

Listen Prompt for April 7th : What inner wisdom is emerging?

Tarot Reading with the Hundred-Acre Arcana

Reading Summary: You attract more bees (Four of Pentacles) with honey (Three of Cups) than vinegar (Knight of Wands Rx).

Take Away: You draw more good things into your life by taking life on through a lens of positive perspectives than you will by being negative all the time.

This includes positivity in the form of being considerate of yourself and considerate of others, instead of just trying to plow on through to the point of it being unhealthy.

Honestly, when you started the whole “instill more positivity and optimism into my life” endeavor, you really had no faith in it helping. Not with your outlook, not with your depression, and not with any of the aspects of your life that you felt were important to you.

You’ve come to discover, though, that this is not the case. The effort does make a difference. A difference that you sometimes barely notice, but others notice all the time. They then, in turn, enjoy being around you more often.

Other elements included in this reading:
Japanese Cherry Leaf as a Reminder of Life’s Fleeting Moments
Pressed Pansy Flowers for Hearing the Heart More Clearly
Dried Rhododendron Leaf for Fostering Confidence
Gneiss Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED:  THE HUNDRED ACRE ARCANA
Daily Self Kindness

I started early on orders in order to make sure I got done with them at a decent time.

Gideon’s Challenge – Pre-Dawn

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Perfect Brew Cup of Chamomile Tea

Pre-Dawn

A moment
of quiet peace
sitting still
with steam
slowly rising
to fill the air
with the scent
of chamomile
as the sun
rises
on a new day
that I’m
not at all
ready for

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Looking Back for Personal Growth

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

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The @hippiepixie333 #Escapril2026 Challenge
Prompt for April 6th : where you used to be

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

The Green Witchery Tarot - Six of Pentacles

Today’s draw is the Six of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of charity, generosity, sharing the wealth, asking for or accepting help, and balancing the scales between the “haves” and the “have nots” in life.

Once upon a time many years ago, I was a different man than the man I am today. Sure, many things carried over through the years. The fact remains, though, that I treat myself far differently now than I did before. I have grown and changed and learned to be better to myself overtime.

This growth changes everything from the way I see the world to the way that I do things. It changes how I pursue success, and in fact how I see success. I am no longer polluting my psyche by burying my emotions and ignoring them, and I recognize that need for rest is not a weakness any more than the need for food is.

The message in today’s Six of Pentacles card and the “where you used to be” prompt is a reminder to look back at where (and who) you once were every once in a while, and recognize the growth you have accomplished between then and now.

Things have changed and maybe your life is better or maybe your life is worse in this moment, but regardless of these value judgments on your present and your past, where have you grown and improved over time? Where have you bloomed despite adversity?

Perhaps it’s time to spend some time looking at and appreciating the personal growth you have accomplished.

DECK USED: THE GREEN WITCHERY TAROT

@Lionharts #TheAprilTarot Root & Rise Challenge
The Roots Prompts for April 5th and 6th

Tarot Reading with the Japanese Art Nouveau Tarot and Birdy Oracle

What actively restores my energy when I give it my attention?

Wryneck, Page of Coins, Junco

Your work toward a more positive and optimistic outlook is an endeavor that requires a good amount of your attention. This isn’t something you can just “set it and forget it”, but a daily effort you need to focus on and put your attention into.

When you give it the attention it requires, you receive undeniable rewards that include a greater cache of energy and brighter outlook on life as a whole.

Where do I trust myself to follow through without needing reassurance?

The Magician, Whinchat, The Fool atop Strength

Empowerment is only half the battle. You often also need to feel a sense of enthusiasm in order to convince yourself to “go for it”.

If you can’t enjoy it and there’s no reward waiting for you that you are able to use to motivate yourself, then there’s a good chance that there’s no amount of poking and prodding that’s going to get you moving; no matter how capable you are of accomplishing what needs to be done.

Therefore, it’s in those things that you find a sense of empowerment and excitement where you trust yourself to follow through without need for reassurances or other bolstering and/or supportive measures.

Other elements included in this reading:
Japanese Cherry Leaf as a Reminder of Life’s Fleeting Moments
Pressed Pansy Flowers for Hearing the Heart More Clearly
Carnelian Agate for Inner Drive and Focusing On Aspirations
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: JAPANESE ART NOUVEAU TAROT AND BIRDY ORACLE

@lightningwildflower‘s April Energetic Shifts Challenge

Adjust Prompt for April 6th : What expectations do I need to adjust today?

Tarot Reading with The Green Witchery Tarot

Reading Summary: Be generous with yourself (Six of Pentacles). You’re just not going to get as much done as you think you are today (King of Wands), nor that think you can get done either (The Magician).

Take Away: There’s no need to pressure yourself or put undo stress upon getting certain things done today. Take a breath and give yourself a little generosity and grace.

Remember that not everything is under your control, no matter how much you’d like it to be.

Nothing in today’s plans is imperative. Just because you make it feel like it is important or essential doesn’t mean that it actually is. Back off and get done what you can without pushing yourself to the edge of your limits. The rest will wait.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Dried Rosebuds for Potential and Beauty Waiting to Unfold
Dried Purple Heather Sprigs for Independence and Luck
Foraged Oak Branch with Moss and Lichen for Perseverance
Turtle Figurine for encouraging Slow and Steady Progress
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: THE GREEN WITCHERY TAROT
Daily Self Kindness

I did my best to take it easy today, and not allow myself to feel guilty about it.

Gideon’s Challenge – Grumpy Bear

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California Blackberry (Rubus ursinus)

Grumpy Bear

Hidden anger
smolders
in early
morning hours
waiting
to find purchase
on something
that will allow
for that spark
to turn
into a blaze
but as morning
slips to day
the spark eases
instead of
consuming all
in its path

Photo © ZenStatePhotography