Relief
leaves whisper
in excitement
as autumn slips
through the fingers
of summer’s grip
like sand
and color pops
from branches
until leaves
are released
to flutter away
finally free
Gideon’s Challenge – Relief
The Reset
Today’s meditation was a ten minute Daily Calm session from the @Calm app.
• • • ◈ • 🌾 • ◈ • • •
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.
Today’s draw is the Justice card, which is traditionally a representation of balance, cause and effect, repercussions and consequences, give and take, and can often indicate the law or legal system.
The card has then been combined with the Mountain Grounding Exercise card from the Self Care and Anxiety Relief Cards, which says, “Visualize yourself standing at the base of a grand mountain. In your mind begin to climb the mountain. With each step, let go of a worry or distraction, feeling lighter and more focused. Imagine the mountain air clearing your thoughts as the view becomes more expansive and breathtaking. At the summit, pause in the stillness. Let the profound tranquility fill every part of you, bringing you peace and grounding.”
If you don’t give yourself time to clear out your thoughts and find your footing, you begin to experience the repercussions of pushing yourself too hard and not giving your body, mind, and spirit what it needs.
One of those things that everyone needs from time to time is a bit of tranquility and solitude, where you allow your worries, concerns, overactive thoughts, and other anxiety to take a backseat. When you let them go, even for just a little while, it gives your nervous system a break from their influences. As a result, you can come back to these issues refreshed and no longer so harried or weighed down.
The message in today’s Justice card and grounding exercise as a reminder that we all need a break from our stress now and then, especially in times when we think we don’t have time to give ourselves that break. When we do, we come back refreshed and ready to tackle things head on once again.
DECKS USED: THREADBOUND DREAMS TAROT AND SELF-CARE & ANXIETY RELIEF CARDS
September Prompts by @forgotten.dumpling & @ml.mecham
Prompt for September 23rd : until I monsoon
my dearest love
please push and pick
and pull at teeth
to your hearts content
(King of Hearts and Jack of Hearts)
for as much as I fight
resisting with sharp words
and backlash
(Five of Clubs)
I need you to root out
the secrets hidden within
until tears fall
(Nine of Spades and Three of Spades)
and the broken pieces
I hide away
allow you to help
put me back together again
(Seven of Diamonds and Ace of Hearts)
Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Dried Red Maple Leaf for Adaptability and Connection
Foraged Acorns for Protection during New Beginnings
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
DECK USED: UNITY PLAYING CARDS
@lightningwildflower‘s September Self-Talk Challenge
Transparency Prompt for September 23rd : What conversation needs to be approached with honesty?
Reading Summary: New opportunities (Ace of Pentacles) for increased stability (Four of Pentacles) require thinking of more than just today’s results but also tomorrow’s repercussions (Judgement).
Take Away: This is an echo of something that was mentioned in my Self-Care Saturday reading for this week. That is to say that someone is going to be coming forward with opportunity that could influence the finances and stability in my life.
These cards are a reminder that it’s important to look past the surface and the enthusiastic presentation, to consider if this is really a good fit and worth pursuing… or if it’s just a case of getting caught up in the hype. Don’t be taken in by the bullshit.
Other elements included in this reading:
Black Spruce Needles to Boost Self-Confidence and Positive Thinking
Oregon White Oak Leaf for Strength, Stability, and Longevity
Dried Purple Heather Flowers for Independence and Luck
Clear Quartz for boosting Mental Clarity
Desert Rose for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
DECK USED: THREADBOUND DREAMS TAROT
I ordered myself a replacement pair of Shokz Open Run Pro to keep in the car. I forget mine too often at home and they’re extremely helpful in my daily activities.
Gideon’s Challenge – Aching
Aching
curled close
my face
nuzzles into
matted fur
as I coil around
the weighed body
in a hue
of autumn leaves
and swallow
back tears
as I struggle
with overwhelm
and the
lingering ache
of missing you
Photo © ZenStatePhotography
When the End Comes Calling
Today’s meditation was skipped.
• • • ◈ • 🌾 • ◈ • • •
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.
Today’s draw is the Judgement card, which is traditionally a representation of judgements, one’s inner calling and chosen life path, and looking back on one’s life to consider how they feel about the path they’ve taken and who they have become.
The Judgment card has then been combined with the Reassess card from the Create Brave Cards, which says, “I set aside time to gather more information. This guy’s new actions and direction.”
Have you considered lately who you want to be and become by the time you die?
I think this is an extremely important question to ask, and to check in on now and then. None of us, in my belief and opinion, are without room for improvement. This doesn’t mean that we’re not good people now, but rather that there’s always room to be better.
This, for me is what the Judgment card in the tarot is all about. It’s about being at the end of your life and looking back to see what you’ve done, the person you’ve become, and whether or not you are happy with your development.
The message in today’s Judgement card and affirmation speaks to us about how in looking at this concept now, and revisiting it from time to time, we have a better chance of reaching the end of our life happy with what we have done and who we have become along the way.
These cards ask us… When was the last time you considered your own personal growth and development? When was the last time you considered how you’re doing at developing into somebody you’ll be happy with at the end of your life? In reflecting on this now, what can you change to ensure that things are moving in the direction that you want them to go?
DECKS USED: GHOST BOY TAROT AND CREATE BRAVE CARDS
September Prompts by @forgotten.dumpling & @ml.mecham
Prompt for September 22nd : inhabiting my shadow
If I could have a day without consequences,
there would be no plotting and planning.
(Ace of Clubs atop Two of Clubs)
I know exactly what I want to do,
and the tasks that I’d want to complete.
(King of Clubs atop Seven of Hearts)
I would fill up my bank accounts and freezer,
and those of my loved ones as well.
(Ten of Diamonds)
Then I would grab my weapon of choice
and go to raise a bit of hell.
(Seven of Spades)
I’d visit those that hurt me deep,
and retribution is what I’d seek.
(Five of Spades)
Who better than me to take joy in the task?
It might be fun to make their blood splash.
(Nine of Hearts)
I’ll even get rid of the bodies, you see.
For they’ll make a good food for my garden and seeds.
(Queen of Diamonds)
Other elements included in this reading:
Staghorn Sumac for Connecting with Nature and the Wild Within
Japanese Cherry Leaf as a Reminder of Life’s Fleeting Moments
Desert Rose for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
DECK USED: SEQUEL PLAYING CARDS
@lightningwildflower‘s September Self-Talk Challenge
Sun enters Libra Prompt for September 22nd : What area of my life is calling for more balance and harmony?
Reading Summary: Over your recent past, you have learned how to slow down and take things at a more moderate pace while still progressing towards your goals (Knight of Pentacles in center position = present). This has been a great success for you, and you have broken free of the cycle of overwork and burnout that you had been experiencing for a good portion of your adult life (Yes, with moonbeams).
Although you would like to continue to slow down and take things, at an even slower pace than you do now (Knight of Pentacles), make sure that you don’t go so far in this direction that you start to lose progress or damage your current well-being in doing so (In Your Dreams).
Take Away: Make sure that you are not tipping into languishing in your efforts to slow down and take things at a more moderate pace. You don’t want to fall back into that pattern of stagnancy that you have experienced previously. Remember that movement is necessary, even if it’s slow movement.
Other elements included in this reading:
Norway Maple Key for Fostering Strength and Resilience
Dried Cedar Bundle for Protection from Negative Influences
Oregon White Oak Leaf for Strength, Stability, and Longevity
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Green Aventurine for Harmony and Balance of the Heart
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
DECK USED: GHOST BOY TAROT AND WISH FAIRIES ORACLE
September Prompts by @forgotten.dumpling & @ml.mecham
Prompt for September 21st : sunlight stained pages
Let’s go play in the park, and waste the day away.
We can have a picnic and stay all day.
(Ten of Hearts and Queen of Diamonds)
And beneath the oak tree, cradled among its roots,
you can put your head in my lap once you take off your boots.
(King of Hearts)
And I’ll read to you of fairies and kings,
and lots of wonderful magical things.
(Jack of Clubs)
Until you doze off to take a little nap
while I run fingers through your hair in my lap.
(Four of Spades)
And as I close my eyes to commune with the trees,
the book’s pages rustle lazily in the breeze
(King of Diamonds)
Other elements included in this reading:
Bird Figurine for Encouraging Hope, Positivity, and Renewal
Dried Red Maple Leaf for Adaptability and Connection
Foraged Acorns for Protection during New Beginnings
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
DECK USED: PÓKER PLAYING CARDS
@lightningwildflower‘s September Self-Talk Challenge
Mercury sextile Jupiter Prompt for September 21st : How might positive thinking help me plan for the future?
Reading Summary: Consider how often those around you help to lift your spirits and make your burdens easier to handle (Three of Pentacles) when you have fallen into the litany of your negative inner narratives (The Hermit and Come Back Later).
Take Away: If others were negative about helping you when you ask for help, you wouldn’t ask them for help anymore. Their positive attitude helps you, in that you are more easily able to ask for help when you need it.
By the same turn, when you are positive in these situations, you make it easier for them to accept your request and want to be a part of the process instead of leaving you to do it on your own.
Other elements included in this reading:
Japanese Cherry Leaf as a Reminder of Life’s Fleeting Moments
Calcite w/ Conichalcite for Amplifying Intuitive Messages
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
DECK USED: GHOST BOY TAROT AND WISH FAIRIES ORACLE
Probiotics are my friend! I ate the gross yogurt this morning.
Second Harvest 2026 – Autumn Equinox
Today is the Autumn Equinox. This is considered by many to be the first day of Autumn, and is one of only two moments in the year when the sun is exactly above the Equator, and thus day and night are of equal length. Like Halloween is a time when the veil between the land of the living and the realm of the dead is thin, this holiday (as well as its cross-point in the spring) are times when the veil between our world and that of the Fae is at is thinnest… and it is when I personally experience more interactions with them than any other time of year.
In my path, the Autumn Equinox is also known as the Second Harvest (also called Mabon), and is a day that marks the transition of the growing season into full harvest. After this day, the darkness of night begins to overtake the sun’s reign in the sky as the days continue to grow shorter and shorter, and the nights longer and longer. The earth is winding down its abundant generosity and beginning to close up shop for the year.
Like with new moons and full moons, I usually do a spread to check in with myself and give myself some direction for the next couple of months for each solstice, equinox, and other Sabbats. This reading’s focus is about progress and my path. The time period for this reading reaches through the next handful of weeks until the celebration of the upcoming third and Last Harvest of the year (aka. Samhain, Halloween) at the end of October. Spread by @onyerbroom
Area Ripening – Harvest Moon
You have done well at finding a more moderate pace for yourself and tamping down on your unreasonable expectations concerning performance and perfection. As the fall season progresses towards winter, these new self restraints and efforts towards moderation will come with extra challenges.
Notice how you are utilizing your mindset and time to create this balance, so that you can use these tools later on when they are needed most. Make sure that you are tapping into those tools and that part of yourself that is in need of a slower pace so that you don’t overdo it during these times.
Needs Gathering – Coven
Don’t forget that you are not alone. You are connected to others who are eager to be there for you and help when you need it.
Make sure that you are staying connected with these people and appreciative of their efforts and their offers. In doing so, you continue to hold them near you even when you don’t necessarily need the help… so that they are there when you actually do.
Must Tend To – Campfire
Communication is extremely important at this time of year, letting people know not only that you are going to need them in the season ahead that is coming, but building the connections needed to make sure that they will be available to you when you ask.
Make sure that you are expressing your needs, including the future ones to come. In doing so you are giving those you love a heads up. Do not look at this as demanding their time on or inconveniencing them. Instead, tap into your awareness that they actually -want- to help and are looking for an excuse to join you.
Season Ahead – Tea Magick
There are a lot of hidden “magics” in your life that help to keep you healthy and happy throughout the year. When you ignore these tools that are embedded into your life in the day to day, you neglect important parts of yourself that you don’t even notice are flagging until it’s too late.
Make sure that you are drinking your tea, doing your meditation, and otherwise taking care of yourself so that you will stay strong and healthy as you move forward.
Other elements included in this reading:
Goat Figure as Sympathetic Representation of Amalthea
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Japanese Cherry Leaf as a Reminder of Life’s Fleeting Moments
Desert Rose for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
DECKS USED: SEASONS OF THE WITCH MABON ORACLE
Gideon’s Challenge – Mellow
Mellow
lets sit
and watch
the eagles
circle
as they seek
their supper
and we share
the bottle
between us
as we wait
for the sun
to set.
