Month: June 2019

Use Your Intuition

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and focused on pausing to allow for space within yourself.

This is in reference to when you have a moment where your emotions spark either because you were triggered or for some other reason. Our first instinct is to react and respond immediately. But sometimes, it is better to take a pause and step away, give yourself time and space, and then come back.

I use this practice often when dealing with customers in my business. Sometimes people can be aggravating, frustrating, or just downright rude. By pausing and taking a step away before I respond to these types of people, it allows me to respond in a kind and courteous manner instead of simply reacting to what they are putting out there.

Today’s draw is the Two of Swords, which is a representation of division, duality, and openings in the area of the mind, thought, reason, logic, and communication.

The Two of Swords is all about choices and intuition. It represents not just that there are choices that will be present to decide upon, but that you need to trust more than just reason and logic in making them.

This is why the woman is blindfolded, as she is unable to clearly see the choices before her and make an informed decision. Instead she must trust her intuition to choose wisely.

The thing about intuition is that the more you use it, the more it will speak up. Whereas, the more that you ignore it or discount its input, the quieter it will become.

The appearance of this card today is a reminder to stay in touch with my intuition, and to not always depend so strongly upon logic and reason alone. Sometimes I feel I’m at the cusp of falling into that trap, and this is a good reminder that my decision making process is more than just an activity of the mind.

Eminent Burnout

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes and fifty seconds, and focused on fostering curiosity by using the question “what is this?” during the practice.

The idea was to stay in the mindset of the questioning. To not seek answers, but instead to hold yourself in the experience of inquiry without an expectation of an answer.

Not surprisingly, I had a difficult time with this meditation. My mind is constantly seeking and constantly curious, but demands the reward of knowing that comes when you find the answer. To sit and stew in the curiosity all by his self with no drive to find answers was a place that was nearly impossible for me to hold myself in. I did try though.

I may actually return to this meditation again at a later date and try again.

Today’s draw is the Ten of Swords, which which is a representation of endings and the hope of new beginnings on the horizon in the area of thoughts, logic, reason, and communication.

Although the above is the “official” interpretation of the Ten of Swords, when I saw this card today it was read entirely by intuition.

My intuition says… burn out.

The swords in this man’s back in the image represent all of the “need to do’s” and “want to do’s” that can create a cacophony in the mind and end up overwhelming an individual. They all stick out of his back as he lays up on the ground, representing burn out at its peak.

What the card’s appearance today is telling me is that I need to slow down and pull a couple of those ‘blades out of my back’, so to speak. Not everything has to be done right now now now now now. I need to give myself permission to take my time, relax, and do things at an easier pace.

As you know, sometimes I get overwhelmed by the bombardment of my responsibilities combined with the drive of my creativity. I’ve been feeling this a bit just lately, and today’s card is an offer of guidance on how to deal with that and the impending burn out that it can create if ignored, as well as a reminder to cut myself a little slack.

Outward, Not Inward

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes and seven seconds, and focused upon the butterfly effect of how your moods and actions can cause a ripple that moves outward through the lives and others, and about how meditation can help in the process of altering how you respond to stress and aggravation.  These positive alterations then create less negative ripples and more positive ones, bettering not just your own life, but the lives of others as well.

This is a tenant of Buddhism.   That is, to be aware of these ‘ripples’, and be compassionately mindful of the ripples that you create and their influence upon others.  In other words, to be kind, careful, and mindful of what you put out into the world.

Today’s draw is the Queen of Wands, which is a representation of a “feminine” alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s passions, drive, spirit, and soul.  This is a card filled with vitality and determination, confidence, respect, and goal oriented focus.  She is bold and confident, and self aware.

Today’s message from the Queen of Wands is to focus on myself and the things I love.  Share my passion for these things with others, and enjoy them to the fullest.

Entering this post at the end of the day, I also have the perspective to understand that today is not the day for journaling and introspection, but instead a day of action and purpose.  I had originally planned to use some of my free time today to catch up on some journaling that I need to do, but it turns out that today was far more about actions and outward expressions than inward contemplation and quietude.

 

What is a Deck Interview Spread?

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As I mentioned in a previous post, I recently did a re-create on my personal deck interview spread. It’s a ten-card spread with room for jumper cards to add additional input when they show up. I’m so happy with it, in fact, that I’ve recently begun the process of re-interviewing all my decks. This, of course, is going to take a good deal of time.

In your reply, you asked me what a deck interview spread is, and it inspired me to make this post.

GypsyFirst, I have to explain what a “spread” is. Essentially, in the tarot (or any fortune telling that involves cards) there are two “basic” methods for using the cards. (I’m sure there are a variety of other more esoteric ways as well, but I’m only covering the two basic methods.)

There is the “free style” method, which involves having an inquiry in mind and drawing a card. Then, from the response of the card you then develop another related query that is brought forward and a new card is drawn. In this way, it is like having a conversation. You ask, the cards answer, and you continue the discussion until you feel it is time to stop. The “one card draw” is essentially of this ilk, as there is simply a single draw in response to one’s inquiry.

Then you have the second method, which is using a spread. This is a pre-planned pattern in which you put the cards down, like a seating chart. Each “seat” has a question, topic, or person assigned to it, and a card is drawn and placed in that spot, essentially then representing (or answering) whatever that spot is supposed to signify.

I use both of these methods, depending on what I’m using the cards for and my mood.

So, then we come to a Deck Interview spread.

This is a spread used to communicate directly with the deck to assist in getting familiar with the deck and its energy and personality.

DeckInterviewSpread

You can see the spread above, where I have positions 1 thru 10, plus secondary positions behind each card for if I come upon extra “jumper cards” in the process of pulling cards for the interview. These secondary positions are not necessary to fill, but are there more because some decks just have a lot to say and an extra card or two will “jump” out of the deck during a card pull in a demand to be included.

When doing an interview spread, you are bonding with your deck and “feeling it out” for how it feels and what types of tasks it will be happiest performing. The questions for my spread are…

  1. What is your most important characteristic?
    This may include the deck’s personality or energy, what makes it unique, or how the deck will deliver advice.
  2. What are you here to teach me?
    Provides insight into what to expect from the deck and what the deck can teach you through working with it.
  3. What kind of readings will you excel at?
    Indicates what type of readings the deck is most comfortable with.
  4. What is your greatest strength?
    Indicates what the deck is absolute best at.
  5. What other strengths would you like to share?
    Provides a more well-rounded understanding of the deck’s strengths as a whole.
  6. What is your greatest weakness?
    Indicates what the deck will be terrible at, or types of readings it can’t do.
  7. What other limitations would you like to share?
    Will provide a more well-rounded understanding of the deck’s limitations and weaknesses as a whole.
  8. How can I best learn from and collaborate with you?
    Provides guidance on how to best handle and work with the deck.
  9. What do you see as the potential outcome of our relationship?
  10. Is there any additional information you would like to share about yourself?

There are books that can be purchased that are filled with spreads to try, and many decks also come with a suggested spread or two in their “Little White Book” (or other guidebook). You can also find a multitude of spreads on the internet by doing simple searches.

Although I am the author of this specific Deck Interview spread, the practice of deck interview as a whole is not a new concept, and neither are the questions I’ve chosen to ask.

Balance and Releasing Negativity

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and focused on the release you can create in your mind and body during your exhale. This is a practice I am very familiar with through both my pain management techniques, and my yoga practice. It was not a big leap to use this to mindfully release negative emotions and bad habits.

Today’s draw is the Two of Pentacles, which is a representation of duality, balance, division, and “opening” in the areas of money, resources, and the physical world.

The image on this card really speaks to me today. The juggler in an eternal juggle of different aspects, always seeking balance, and looking just slightly overwhelmed.

The message of the Two of Cups today is that balance is important, as without it comes recklessness, danger, and irresponsibility. The appearance of this card is a reminder to go slow, take my time, and focus on fostering balance in all aspects of my life.

Ethony’s 31 Days of Tarot 2019 (Part 5)

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Tarot cards mystical background. Senior card lovers.

Returning again today to Ethony’s 31 Days of Tarot challenge.   I’m having a bit of trouble with question #18, so I’m going to skip it for the moment, and move on to the next, then revisit the one I’m struggling with at a later date.

  1. If you were shipwrecked on an desert island, which five tarot or oracle decks would you want to have with you and why.
    Well, the Tarot of the Hidden Realm is a given. The way I connected with that deck is just remarkable and I wouldn’t want to leave it behind.
    My very newly modified Sacred Circle Tarot, as well, is now (after the modifications) one that I’ve found myself really connected to and would like to bring along.
    Any one of my “classic” Waite/Smith decks (Radiant Rider Waite, Universal Waite, Original Rider, Smith-Waite Centennial) because the versatility is a must.
    The Blue Owl Lenormand because of our history and familiarity (using this deck is just like coming home).
    And… hm. The Roots and Wings Oracle, I think. It’s pretty new to my collection, but it works well with every deck that I’ve paired it with thus far.
  2. What is your favorite Tarot Spread at the moment?
    I just recently did a re-create on my deck interview spread, and I’m very happy with it. It’s a nine-card spread with room for jumper cards to add additional input when they show up. I’m so happy with it, in fact, that I’ve recently begun the process of re-interviewing all my decks. This, of course, is going to take a good deal of time.
  3. Do you use the Tarot for mediumship readings? Why or why not? If no, would you like to?
    No. I’m very much of the mind that this isn’t the kind of thing I would like to open myself up to, even with a intermediary (the cards) there as a buffer. Whether or not I even have the ability is not something I have an interest in exploring.
  4. Where is one place in the world you would love to read the Tarot and why? It could be a sacred site, event, mystical shop, anything.
    I never really thought of tarot as a travel companion for reasons explained in my previous post. My answer to this would be in the depths of the Olympic Rainforest… in the rain. Obviously, tarot cards are not water proof so that would be a bad idea, although I did recently find a couple decks that are so it may be a possibility in the future.
  5. What is your most sassy Tarot deck, what is your most gentle Tarot deck? Why did you pick these decks?
    My Eight Coins Tattoo Tarot has a mouth on her. She’s very blunt and snippy, and very picky about how she’s used. For the most gentle deck, it’s a tie between the Mesquite Tarot and the MoonChild Tarot. Both are equally gentle, but the moon child is a better communicator where as the Mesquite has more of a “shy” voice. The gentlest deck I’ve ever handled, though, isn’t a part of my collection. It belongs to my sister. That would be the Soul Cards Tarot.
  6. What Tarot card do you feel is the most misunderstood and why?
    I imagine my answer is pretty standard for most tarot readers, but it’s the Death card. It seems whenever it comes up people that are unfamiliar with the tarot always immediately have that “oh shit” reaction. The death card is so much more about organic change than some horrible omen from beyond, but you can’t convince a lot of people of that it seems.
    Another, I’ve found, is the Tower card. This one, a lot of people even familiar with seem to not fully appreciate the Tower. It’s not all doom and gloom, and much good can come from the chaos the card indicates. I see people often given pause, though, when it appears. As if its presence jerks them out of their flow.
  7. Do you have any Tarot self-care rituals that are only for your personal practice?
    Yes. I have a Saturday check-in spread that I do each week to help in reconnecting myself to… myself. It includes ritual bathing and meditation, followed by a time bonding with the deck I’m using at the moment and then drawing the spread and journaling it afterward.

So far, this is Part 5 of the series. Here is Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 for easy reference.

I’ll make another post in a few days to continue on with more questions in the challenge.