Month: September 2019

Self Care Saturday (on Sunday)

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SCS

As I’ve mentioned before, these 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 are not meant as a predictive reading.

The question is… What do I need to focus for self-care through the week ahead?

Earth – Seven of Cups – There will be a variety of paths and choices opening up before you. Be conscious of those that offer the potential for manifestation and growth.

Air – Four of Swords – If you don’t allow yourself the time and space to vent, you will not get the rest and restoration that is need out of this week.

Water – Knight of Pentacles – Don’t bottle up emotions or run from the unpleasantness.  Instead, stand tall and strong.  Tend to your own values with focus and steadfast resolve.

Fire – Six of Cups – Time spent revising the past will not serve you well this week.  It’s time for a new perspective, as the old one is only weighing you down.

Waning – The Sorcerer – Self destruction through self centered behavior.  Beliefs and ideas that foster separation, conflict, and scarcity.

Waxing – The Owl – Catching sight of what has been hidden that others cannot see. Truth seeking. Intuition.

Moral of the Story – It’s time to seek out new perspectives. Keep an eye out for what has changed and what is different.  Seek your outlet to let things out when needed so that you can get the rest and restoration you need out of this week ahead, and stay true to your values.

Decks Used: Crow Tarot, Dixit Pack #6 Memories, Mystical Shaman Oracle

 

Traveling with Items of Faith

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Okay, so I’ve mentioned before that I do not normally travel with items of my faith.  I leave my tarot cards at home, and instead take a deck of playing cards.  I leave my crystals and other items at home other than those set into the (very innocuous) jewelry that I wear.

Travel AltarThis is how I was taught, and it’s the practice I have followed throughout my entire life.  But, I’ve been feeling a need this time around to bring some things with me.  This is different, and unusual for me, and yet it’s a nagging niggle in the back of my mind that I’m having a hard time silencing.

So… I made myself a ‘kit’ of sorts.   A sort of ‘travel altar’ that I have packed to take with me on my trip.   I thought you’d like to see it and what’s in it.

Above, you can see how it looks all packed up and ready to go.  I’m using a book bandolier to hold it all together, and what you see there are two small hand-made notebooks for taking notes on any readings I do while I’m gone so that I can bring them back and transfer them into my journal when I get home.  I need to be able to hand-write my notes, as this connects to a different part of the brain than typing (no matter what device I’m typing on).   For example, all of my self-care spreads are hand written prior to being added to this blog, as are some of my other personal readings that I’ve shared.

Also included is my favorite type of pen for this type of writing (thank you Sharpie).  Then above that is my tin with all my supplies, and above that, the tin containing the deck I’ve decided to bring along with me on this trip.   I chose a tinned deck for protection of the cards, and that deck in particular because 1) it’s very easy to read and 2) it’s very inexpensive to replace if something happens to it.

Travel Altar

Okay, so in the picture above, you see everything taken out of their tins.  Starting with the deck of tarot cards on the left and working clockwise, we have….

  • The Morgan Greer Tarot deck (in a tin version)
  • A small spray bottle of homemade purification spray consisting of alcohol, distilled water, sweet grass, garden sage, lavender, clove, bergamot, rosehips, allspice, rosemary, and cedar shavings.  These ingredients are put in alcohol (this batch was made with vodka, although rubbing alcohol will also work) and set to age for several months before being strained and diluted with distilled water.
  • One tealight candle
  • An incense holder
  • A small sample of soil from the Olympic Rainforest, and beside it, a small sample of rain water from the Olympic Rainforest as well.
  • My black Sharpie 0.8 fine point pen
  • Two 18 page handmade notebooks (passport size) that came as a free gifts with past bandolier orders (made by CleverHands on Etsy)
  • A selenite thumb stone, and above it, a crystal quartz thumb stone
  • A flourite heart
  • Two small sticks (each) of Nag Champa and Frankincense
  • A small baggie of crystals and stones including labradorite, rose quartz, smoky quartz, amethyst, malachite, nuummite, tigers eye, apatite, citrine, moonstone, amazonite, green calcite, and a few others
  • A strand I made to signify the four elements.  It is created out of amazonite, citrine, carnelian agate, and amethyst, with crystal quartz positioned between each and on either end.
  • A mini Bic lighter

Travel AltarAs you can see in the picture on the left, it all fits nice and neat inside the little tin, and the tin closes tightly.  I will carry it on the plane, except for the lighter, which will have to go in my suitcase (because no way they’re going to let me take a lighter on the plane when they won’t even let me board with a pair of jeweler’s pliers).

So…. there you have it.   Something new I’ve never done before.  And yet…. maybe it’s time, yeah?

 

 

Wasting Time and Energy

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes and ten seconds long, and focused on opening up the heart to others.

The basis of the topic and premise is that one doesn’t have to be romantically involved, or have a close relationship with someone, in order to feel love for others.

The guided meditation spoke on how when you approach others from a place of love, you have a better chance of improving not just your life but the lives of those around you as well.

I very much enjoyed the breathing exercise included in the meditation, which involved focusing on Breathing in love on the inhale, and exhaling tension to foster peace with the exhale.

Today’s draw is a pair of Dixit cards from the sixth Dixit expansion pack named memories. These are two cards without a jumper, as they both came out of the deck together.

What I see in these cards as a reminder that freaking out is a waste of time. The chaos and color of the top card speaks to me of anxiety and the chaotic mindset that I’ve been residing in for the last couple of days. When I am in this mindset, everything is scattered and confused, and almost violent on the inside of my mind and body.

The second card speaks to me of wasting time and effort. What else are you doing when you’re trying to water a plant in the middle of a rainstorm when the ground is already flooded?

Today’s draw as a reminder that I need to do you things from a dispassionate perspective of logic rather than the heart while I’m here.

Deck Used: Dixit Pack #6 Memories

Picking Favorites

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This week’s question from the Pagan Perspective YouTube channel is about one’s talents and preferences.

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Topic for the Week of 8/19:  “Which areas of magic do you excel in or enjoy most?”

One of the hosts spoke on the word “excel” in their video, mentioning that they believed you cannot really say for yourself what you excel at, and that it’s up to others to decide that and inform you.

I disagree with this, as when I’m good at something?  I know it.  Granted, there are certain things I don’t realize I’m good at and I’m told by others at some point.   But, there are other things that I don’t need external input to know I’m good at.  Personally, I don’t think anyone should need external input to tell them what they’re good at.   Those things that I am so good at that I excel at?  You can bet I know what they are, and in many cases I have worked very, very hard to earn that level of skill.

So, on to the areas of magic that I excel in or enjoy most.  For me, these answers are the same whether it is one of the other.  I know that sometimes that isn’t the case and you can greatly enjoy things you are just no good at, or be really good at things you don’t enjoy, but when it comes to my practice… they align well.

These areas are…

Nature Magic –  Specifically, magickal workings that incorporate spellcrafting with herbs and plants, the elements of the earth, and the gifts that nature gives to us. This type of Nature Magic is my favorite type of spellcrafting, and considering my connection with the element of earth and my studies in botany, it is not surprising this is where my talents and joy lies when it comes to magic and spell craft.  Although some people do, I do NOT include celestial influences or astrology, etc into my definition of Nature Magic, as to me, these are a different thing.

Lunar Rhythms – I have already promised you a post about the lunar cycles and how I incorporate them into my life and practice.  In Lunar Rhythms, that is what I am referring to.  It is the following of the moon’s cycle and timing my magickal endeavors and rituals to fit into that cycle.

Cartomancy – For me, my magickal practice and my faith are deeply intertwined with each other, and so, too, is the addition of cartomancy.   This can be Lenormand, Playing Cards, Tarot, Oracle, or just whatever other cards that speak to me (such as Dixit cards).  They are a connection to my inner voice, and a connection to that energy that is at the center of my beliefs and practice.  I enjoy them immensely, and if cartomancy disappeared off the planet tomorrow?  I’d be reading playing cards and immediately begin drawing on them to make my own deck out of them, because it’s just not something I’d want to be without.

Spending time (and savoring that time) within Liminal Spaces – We spoke about liminal spaces the other day.   That space between the plane of Faerie and our own reality.  That space between sleep and wake.  That place you find when you sink to the bottom of a lake and find the moments between heart beats where the world shifts and time stretches.  Those in-between spaces where mystery and potential and a kind of sacred awareness reside. I know that many people find these spaces uncomfortable, and feel uneasy within them or even find them frightening.   But for me?  They are like coming home.  I love them. I linger in them.  I am respectful of them, but yet they are where I feel as if I am… whole.

Forest Bathing – I’m not sure I would consider this magic so much as a part of my spirituality, but it feels like magic to me.  Walking in nature, soaking in the atmosphere and the energy, and practicing a time of gratitude within these spaces?  To me?  That is the absolute best type of magic there is.

 

Take Your Time

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and I had a little bit of an issue focusing during the last couple of minutes, so it was really something like seven minutes long.

I did manage a decent first seven minutes though, and the discussion for the guided meditation was about setting intentions at the end of your meditation practice that you carry with you into the rest of your day.

I do this through the card that I draw prior to lying down for my meditation.  The daily draw posted here on my blog becomes my intention for the day.  It is the positive message to focus on throughout my day and help me in fostering perspective.

Today’s draw is the Ace of Zephyrs (Ace of Swords) which is a representation of new beginnings, opportunity, potential, and “the seed” of a start in the area of the mind, intellect, thoughts, logic, communication, and instinct.  This can often be expressed within the theme of new ideas and potential success, breakthroughs that create opportunity for growth, and mental clarity.

When I look at the artwork on today’s card, what I see is not just the brain in the center and the wings that, to me, symbolize the taking flight of new ideas, but the eye above in the center of the crescent moon speaks to me of intuition.  I do not usually associate intuition with the suit of swords, as to me it is more of a water element.   But  here in -this- card, I see intuition.  I see intuition bleeding into the mind, creating inspiration.

The snail in the lower left hand corner of the card also speaks to me.  It indicates that although intuition blends into intellect to create inspiration, sometimes that inspiration is going to need time to percolate and coalesce in order to become something of use.

Sometimes, you have to sit on your budding ideas for a bit and let them grow before you can act on them.

Deck Used: Stolen Child Tarot

#TarotForGrowthSeptember prompt 19 … Purpose

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For the hell of it, I did the #TarotForGrowthSeptember prompt today from Instagram.   I know this is actually a 3rd post for the day, but I’d actually intended on including this in my card for the day post that I made this morning.  I just forgot.

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Question: What message does my spirit have for me about my purpose?

Reading Summary: In times of worry, troubles, or strife, my creativity and the joy that I take in it will guide the way from darkness into the light.

Take Away: Sometimes when I am in the midst of personal struggles, I forget the spiritual value of what I do in my business.  There is a reason behind why I decided to sell my artwork, and that reason goes beyond the making of money.

The creation of the jewelry I make involves the gifting of a part of my soul.  In the creation, a small bit of me that  I share with the world is put into each of the pieces I make and sent out into the world, one small bit at a time.  When I make these pieces, each is made with the intention of bringing the recipient pleasure or joy.  It makes me feel good to contribute this to the world, and in doing so, improve the lives of others in some small way.

Decks Used: Dixit Quest Expansion Pack #2