Month: June 2019

Moderation is The Key

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes in length, and focused on enlightenment.  During the guided meditation, it discussed how when one seeks enlightenment, you will never find it, for you cannot “be complete” if you are still searching.  Ie: if you are always reaching for more than where you currently are, you are not fully in the moment of the present.

Today’s draw is the fourteenth card of the Major Arcana, the Temperance card.  As with all the cards of the Major Arcana, this card deals with “the big picture” rather than any one aspect of life.

The Temperance card is about balance.  It is about being rooted and patient, at one with the ebb and flow of life.  It is about balance and moderation.

I’m still having a small bit of a problem getting my “creature comfort spending” under control, and the Temperance card has appeared to let me know that a part of finding that control in this area involves finding balance in all areas.

Stop fighting.  Stop struggling.  Stop reaching.  There is no pitting one side against the other, as when they are in true balance, they are equal.  The Temperance card says that I can have my cake and eat it to, but only if I do so in moderation.

Ethony’s 31 Days of Tarot 2019 (Part 3)

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Returning again today to Ethony’s 31 Days of Tarot challenge. As previously discussed previous posts of this series, I’m doing these a bit at a time instead of one a day. That said? Today I am answering just one of the questions, as it was a pretty long answer and took a good deal of research for me to put together.

  1. From the Major Arcana Cards, what card correlates to your sun, moon and rising sign? How has that resonated or played out in your life?

    Okay… so this one took some research, as I’m not well versed in astrology. I actually ended up calling Z for some guidance, as she has a good deal more knowledge in this area than I do.Here is what I learned.A Sun Sign is the “basic” astrology that most people are familiar with and is indicated by the date of your birth. These dates around the wheel of the year are stagnant from year to year.

    TaurusSun signs are believed to be related to one’s personality. Mine is Taurus, which correlates to the Major Arcana’s fifth card, The Hierophant.

    I’m a stickler for “correctness”. I like it when there is precision and when things “fit together”. The Hierophant is a representation of tradition, convention, education, and guidance. I always seek to better knowledge in a vast variety of things, and I always strive to provide good counsel and guidance for those that seek it from me. All of this fits well under the “umbrella” of the Hierophant card.

    A moon sign refers to the position of the moon at the time of your birth. Moon signs do not change every day, but have much faster transition period than sun signs, and are not stagnant from year to year.

    ScorpioMoon signs are believed to be related to one’s emotions, habits, instincts, and inner moods. My moon sign is Scorpio, which correlates to the Major Arcana’s thirteenth card, Death.

    Since meeting you and your assistance in awakening my emotions, this fits me much better than it once had when I was younger. In my youth, I had closed myself off and was not in touch with my emotions. It was a box I tucked in a corner and never touched.

    These days, my emotions are far more volatile and ever changing. They run the gamut and fluctuate depending on external sources and internal dialogue. The Death card is a card of change and this can be taken two ways. It can relate to the change that you created in my life. Or it can relate to the constantly changing volatility of my spectrum of emotions found since then.

    The Ascendant sign, aka. rising sign is the zodiac constellation that was rising over the eastern horizon when you were born.

    GeminiAscendant signs are believed to represent the “outer you” including the way others see you, your general impression on people, your spontaneous reactions, and possibly even your appearance. My ascendant sign is Gemini, which corresponds to the sixth card in the Major Arcana, The Lovers.

    This card does not just represent relationships, but also choices, duality, commitments, and crossroads depending on its appearance in a spread or how it is being used. To be honest? I have NO clue how other people perceive me, and so I have very little input on how this card may relate to it.

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

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

The Harbinger of Change

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Today’s meditation was nineteen minutes and forty-three seconds, and was a four-stage yoga nidra by Sadhana over at Integrative Healing on Youtube.  The guide (Sadhana) walked the listener through a full body scan before reaching the awareness out to the surroundings, and then eventually back inward again. It was very relaxing.

Today’s draw is the thirteenth card in the Major Arcana, the Death card.

Death is the harbinger of change. Not the chaotic type of change that would be indicated by the Tower card, but more in the spirit natural progression wherein something comes to fruition and moves on.

Is there any chance that it could be the pain in my mouth and swelling in my jaw?? Just kidding. Although, that would be nice. The natural progression of that, though, probably won’t start making an appearance until tomorrow.

The presence of this card is a reminder that change is a natural part of life. Whether it’s small things, or large ones, everything changes over time. We get old. Seasons change. Life moves on. And that is what the Death card is all about.

I’ve been going through a wide righty of changes lately, from the return to my spiritual practices to even yesterday’s surgery. There’s a reassurance in knowing that sometimes changes happen just because it’s a natural progression of things, and not as some chaotic upset pouncing to throw everything out of whack.

The Death card’s appearance may also have to do with the fact that I am currently going through sugar withdrawal. I cut back sharply on my sugar intake two days ago, and with the surgery that I just had done I’m not allowed to eat anything solid for another 24 hours. This means that unless I want to binge on the Creamsicle ice cream in my freezer or apple juice in the fridge (which I don’t), I am SOL on resolving the withdrawal and will instead have to just ride it out.

This is actually a good change, I think, considering my recent cholesterol results. If I can get through the withdrawal before going back to solid foods, perhaps it’ll help me in staying away from things like packaged cookies and crackers and crap like that.

Reassuring Stability

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Today’s meditation was not guided or timed, and incorporated deep beating exercises with a mindful focus on the breath.

Today’s draw is the King of Pentacles, which represents a solid, fatherly energy, personality, or person in the area of money, resources, and the physical world.

Although the King of Pentacles is a strong alpha energy, it is the kind of energy that provides comfort and stability.

The King of Pentacles came to me this morning to reassure me. I go into surgery today, which is a bit stressful. His appearance is here today to tell me everything is going to be okay.

Don’t Get Sucked Into the Whirlpool

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes and fourteen seconds, and focused on the environment, and how we can care for the environment by focusing on the now and what we do in the present in order to foster a better future.

Oh look! It’s me. It’s funny because the original Rider/Waite/Smith artwork for this card has a woman sitting up in bed with the nine swords stacked on the wall, but her face is resting in her hands. The depiction in the deck, on the other hand, is a woman holding her head in her hands like she has a headache. And, that is exactly how I woke up this morning.

The Nine of Swords Is a representation of fruition and consequences In the area of the thoughts, communication, instinct, and logic.

I believe this ties into The Moon card from yesterday, and this cards aspect of consequences, as the Nine of Swords often indicates that you are letting your worries and anxieties get the best of you and cloud your judgment.

Yesterday’s card (The Moon) warned about taking action without seeing the full picture. Here today we have the Nine of Swords indicating that I don’t have the full picture, as well as pointing out to me that I am stressing out and worrying… and that as a result, I am creating a sense within myself of being overwhelmed.

This card message is to remind me that I need to take a breath. I need to sit back and separate my worries from the facts, and move forward only once I have the correct research in place.

Never having had high cholesterol before, this is a dietary issue I’ve never had to deal with. This means that I have quite a bit of research to accomplish in order to get back on the right track. With my surgery coming up tomorrow and my orders due to go out on Friday, this doesn’t leave me a lot of room for other interests and distractions.

The Nine of Swords is telling me that instead of sitting in my mind and stewing about what’s going on with my health, I should just move forward with the best, most healthy decisions I know of at the moment, and then deal with the research once the next couple of stressful days have passed.

Ethony’s 31 Days of Tarot 2019 (Part 2)

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Wheel

It’s time to return to Ethony’s 31 Days of Tarot challenge. As previously discussed in Part 1 of this series, I’m doing these a bit at a time instead of one a day.

  1. Top 5 decks on your wish list now
    Tyldwick Tarot, Delos Tarot,  Les Adorables Tarot, Liminal Tarot (2015 Version), Tarot of the Hidden Folk. These are in order, incidentally, although the Delos and Tyldwick sometimes change places with each other depending on my mood.
  2. Tarot goals 2019
    I really just want to get back on track with my spirituality. I feel a bit like a Christian that’s been “skipping church”. You know, they’re still a Christian, but not practicing? The last two years, that’s been me with my spirituality. Tarot is (and has always been) a part of that spirituality, and my goals for returning to practicing my faith and my tarot practice are intertwined.
  3. Tarot decks that you want to work with more in 2019
    I have a handful of new decks in my collection this year that I’m excited to work with and get to know better. I also have a few that I haven’t used in years that I would like to reconnect with. That list includes (but is not limited to) the Cucoloris Tarot, Alchemical Tarot, True Black Tarot, Anima Mundi Tarot, Crow Tarot, Anna K Tarot, Sacred Circle Tarot (which I recently did a major modification on), and Mary El Tarot.
  4. Oracle decks that you want to work with more in 2019
    Like with the tarot decks listed above, this list is not comprehensive but more of a sampling of decks from a longer list. They include the Moonology Oracle, Roots and Wings Oracle, Empty Cup Oracle, Hedgewitch Botanical Oracle, and the White Hare Wisdom Oracle.
  5. Have you ever dealt with Impostor Syndrome in your Tarot practice?
    I had to look this term up.

    Impostor syndrome is a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts his or her accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a “fraud”. Despite external evidence of their competence, those experiencing this phenomenon remain convinced that they are frauds, and do not deserve all they have achieved. Individuals with impostorism incorrectly attribute their success to luck, or as a result of deceiving others into thinking they are more intelligent than they perceive themselves to be. – Wikipedia

    I’ve had my fair share of times when my self confidence was at its worst and my insecurities were a torment I couldn’t seem to escape. That said? I don’t think I’ve ever experienced this particular issue. I work damn hard for what I have from my physical comforts to my education, and everything in between.

And there you have it, another handful of questions from Ethony’s 31 Days of tarot complete. Like last time, I’ll come back in a few days to make another post to continue the challenge.