Month: November 2019

Perspective On Change

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and was again done in the shower.  Mostly, I’ve just felt really drawn to needing a touch of quiet and the shower meditation allows me to find that space of quiet so much easier.

I know that you worry when I do my shower meditation that I’m sinking into that dark pit again, but sometimes…. it just feels good.   A balm of calm to ease the nerves for a bit.  That’s what it feels like.   And sometimes… I just need it.

Six of Swords - Slow TarotToday’s draw is the Six of Swords, which (among other things) is a representation of transitions and letting go in the areas of intellect and communication.  This often expresses itself in themes to do with moving on to greener pastures and leaving difficulties behind in the past.

The appearance of the Six of Swords today is a reminder that it is important to not always look at change with doom and gloom and dread, because sometimes change is a good thing and can lead to a better place.

Like most people, I have an aversion to change, as I expect it to always be a change for the worse, but the fact is that there is just as much positive transition going on in our lives as there is negative.  We simply do not acknowledge the positive change as change, because in the case of positive transitions there is a sense of seeking and welcome involved.  Imagine just how amazingly freeing would it feel if we could look at all change in that way.

Deck Used: Slow Tarot

Bonus Reading – #TarotForGrowthNovember

Question: How can I better release my anxieties?

Distant Past TarotReading Summary: When my anxieties are getting the best of me, sometimes it is best to step away (Eight of Cups) and seek out the high road (Queen of Coins).  This is especially true when I’m in the middle of making important decisions (Seven of Cups), in which case a step away (Eight of Cups) and some time to find that place of stability and strength (Queen of Coins) can assist me in getting a better view on all of the choices available and making the right decisions for me (Seven of Cups) as well as give me the space I need to plan the next steps forward (Three of Wands).

Take Away: I kind of talked myself in a loop up there, but yeah.  Essentially this is indicating that when I’m feeling anxiety, it can often mean I am just too close to the problem and it’s inhibiting my ability to make choices and create a stable plan. If I want to release that anxiety, I need to give it some space and approach from a place of inner stability and strength.

Deck Used: Distant Past Tarot

Self Care Saturday (on Sunday)

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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?

SCS

Earth – Seven of Cups and Abracadabra – I am the creator of my own destiny. When I seek to look into the future and see the opportunities available to me, tap into my inner knowledge and take the path that feels right, rather than following my intellect.

Air – Four of Cups and Under My Umbrella – In the week ahead, I need to focus on allowing myself time to process my feelings rather than using my intellect to push them aside. Instead, foster my personal growth by being kind to that vibrant inner emotional self that I’m usually so eager to shove in a box and ignore.

Water – King of Cups and The Gift – Don’t forget that that emotional inner self is a gift. Be curious about it instead of disregarding it as useless and shoving it away. By allowing myself a chance to visit with this side, it will allow growth and development that will allow me to better integrate that part of myself into my life and find balance with that aspect included.

Fire – Strength and Transformation – This is the only position in the spread that did not come up with cups, which feels it is saying that this message is unrelated to what is going on in the other three positions. At the same time, it does relate in, in a way. As with the topic of these cards resting in the fire position, there will always be an emotional response involved. This is indicated in the fact that the card that came up is a majors card, rather than a card from the minors.

With what’s been going on with my online shop at the moment, these cards are a message to remind me that I am strong, and that change happens. Even when change looks bad, it can be good in the end.

Waning – Vision and The Maze – I need to focus on seeing things in a light of unity rather than allowing the drop and the solitude that comes with the rush sucking me into feeling as if I am all alone and without support. This is a call for a change of perception… and stepping away from that darker place into a lighter, softer viewpoint.

Waxing – The Moon and Community – Step forward into my more social nature and allow others to help me. The holiday rush is a time of great struggle for me, and I need to get in touch with my inner self and make sure I’m paying attention to when I feel I am floundering and need help… then GET that help from others rather than biting the bullet and trudging onward on my own.

Decks Used: Tarot of the Little Prince, Oracle of Mystical Moments, L’oracle des Murmures

 

Gratitude, Not Attitude

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Today’s meditation was twelve minutes long and took place in the bath tub, submerged to just my nose and mouth (well, and knees).  It was not a guided meditation, but rather a time spent in that suspension state that I can often find when in water.  It was very refreshing, but left me feeling a bit sleepy by the end.

Three of Cups - Tarot of the Unknown Today’s draw is the Three of Cups, which is a representation of collaboration, small gains, and even smaller groups in the area of one’s emotions, intuition, relationships, and creativity.

The appearance of the Three of Cups today is a reminder to put a check on my resentment concerning having my helper in my space.  I don’t know why I can’t seem to get completely comfortable with her being here in my home when she comes to do her job, but it’s always an irritant that she’s here.   Always.

That said… I need the assistance with my business that she provides, especially at this time of year.   Today’s card is a reminder to look on the bright side of the relationship and collaboration that I have with her, rather than doing the internal “fuss and grump” that her presence seems to always inspire.

Deck Used:  Tarot of the Unknown

Bonus Reading – #TarotForGrowthNovember

Question: What can I do to quiet my inner critic?

Delos TarotReading Summary: Keep in mind how far I have come and all that I have (Ten of Pentacles), while emotionally focusing less on how much further I could have gone.  Instead, find that inner quiet needed to assure myself I am making the best decisions possible in the moment.

Take Away: My inner critic is something that I struggle with quite a lot.  It always has something to say, and what it has to say is usually not all that useful other than to push me harder (which, honestly, is something I do in spades already).  The cards indicate that to silence my inner critic, I need to focus more on gratitude for the now rather than focusing so intently on where I’m going and what I could do better. And that I need to remember that hindsight is 20/20, but that decisions I have made were the absolute best decisions accessible to me in the moment.

Deck Used:  Delos Tarot 2nd Edition

The Salamander and The Seeds

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Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long and was not a part of the ‘how to’ series I’ve been working my way through. Instead I spent a bit of time in the bottom of the shower following the water drops as they made their way down the side of the tub.

As you know, this is a very soothing activity for me, and is hands-down my easiest meditation. There’s just something about the warm water raining down and the trailing of those drops that allows me to sink into that space in a way that meditating elsewhere does not.

Ace of Wands - Slow TarotToday’s draw is the Ace of Wands, which is a representation of the seed of new beginnings in the area of one’s inner spark including their ambitions, passions, and drive.

When I look at this card I see the seeds.  So many seeds.  All those dandelions are ready to scatter their seeds, and the salamander clings with apparent pleasure to a wand that’s on fire. This speaks to me of the need to sometimes go through the flames to obtain what you seek.

After yesterday’s occurrence concerning my business, this card is a message of hope and encouragement.  It speaks of having the resilience and strength to start anew if needed, and encourages looking into spreading my “eggs” out into more than one basket.  I already do this, but I think maybe I need to do some research on this again… just in case a new start ends up being needed.

Deck Used: Slow Tarot

Bonus Reading – #TarotForGrowthNovember

Question: How can I break free when I’m feeling trapped?

Tarot of Pagan CatsReading Summary:  Move quickly (Eight of Wands) to explore new opportunities (Ace of Pentacles) that allows me to find a sense of stability that fits me best (Four of Pentacles).

Take Away:  When I first read this question prior to doing the reading, I thought this was about emotions.  You know, you always hear those people that feel “trapped” in their relationships with either their significant other, or family, or friends.   But I don’t really feel that way emotionally so I didn’t really see how this question would apply to me.

I should have known, though, that the cards would dig out just exactly how this question does apply to me.  And, they’re right. When it comes to my work and my finances, I do occasionally feel trapped.  Usually I just ride it out until it passes, or make small adjustments to what I’m doing until I find that “sweet spot” of contentment again.

The cards in today’s reading suggest that sometimes to break free of that feeling, it’s better to allow new opportunities a chance, and move quickly to explore them when they present themselves.  That, by doing this, in the end although it might spur change (as new opportunities so often do) it can lead to an even better place of stability in the end.

Deck Used: Tarot of Pagan Cats

 

SocioEconomics and Eco-Justice

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This week’s question from the Pagan Perspective YouTube channel is about how socioeconomics and eco-justice tie into our beliefs and path.

field

Topic for the Week of 11/11:

from soul seeker:
“I am wondering if and how your path supports socioeconomic justice and eco-justice?”

from Rebekah Getchell:
“…in reading the book ‘For Earths Sake’ I found the argument and perspective that the domination of nature and women go hand in hand in our patriarchal society. it submits as evidence pointing to this fact, that we refer to nature in a feminist view, mother nature, mother earth, the now stopped practice of naming hurricanes after women. It supposes that we cannot fix one without fixing the other. Curious your thoughts and beliefs about this idea and argument.”

Okay so honestly?  I’m kind of confused by this question.  I did some research on the topic and it sounds to me like this is primarily a question on how my personal path supports equality and outreach to assist and lift up into equality those that qualify as minorities and the less fortunate.  (The word “eco-justice” confused me as well, because I was thinking ecology… but it’s in reference to economy.)

The thing is?  I am very disconnected from my community.  Aside from supporting balance and minorities through the way that I vote, supporting public services and small businesses in struggling areas,  etc. I don’t really have a lot of contact with others.

I do enjoy spending time sharing my path through online to those that can reach out through that medium, and providing ideas and perspectives in those areas online where I share such information.   These include places like Discord, where I often run into people new to the path that are unable to find learning resources through their local environment.

As for no longer naming hurricanes after women.  This is incorrect.  They have simply begun including the names of men into the practice as well.

As for the “mother” nature view.   I am devout to the energies of creation, evolution, and balance.  These energies are neither male or female.   I lately got myself nipped by a woman in a chat that justified the fact that there are hundreds of exclusively “sacred feminine” tarot decks out there and no “sacred masculine” tarot out there by the fact that women have been suppressed for centuries.

I disagree with this viewpoint, because if we are seeking balance in these things, then at this point we have swung out of balance far and beyond rectifying the imbalance between how the two genders are treated and the equality that is lacking.    So yes, maybe “mother” nature is not fostering balance in this area…. but I think that there are a lot of women out there that are very much pushing for what is not balance, but restitution and atonement for those hundreds of years in the past.

I may be male, but I as a Korean man in America?  I am also very much a minority.  (Not to mention I looked like a tall twelve year old until in my 20s, which means that I dealt with that issue as well.)  I know how that feels, and I know it can breed resentment.   But I do feel that there needs to be less of an expectation of being “owed” recompense, and more of a focus on balance and equality.

It feels like I’ve gotten off topic, but I have a little confusion as to the topic as a whole to begin with, I think.  I guess because I never considered my faith and practice as something that was a part of this particular topic.   I hope that my answer made some sense, though.

Composure Among Chaos

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Today’s meditation was just over eleven minutes long, and a revisit of yesterday’s meditation on the “how to” series that I’ve been working my way through.  Since I was interrupted yesterday, I felt I should return to do it a second time, and I’m glad that I did.

There was a quote by J Krishnamurti used in the meditation’s narration that I really connected with. “The ability to observe without evaluating is the highest form of intelligence.”

That is what today’s meditation was all about, observing the self and how our mind works without evaluation or judgement.

Five of Wands - Tarot of the Unknown Today’s draw is the Five of Wands, which is a representation of tests, trials, and conflict in the area of one’s passions, drive, and ambitions.   This is a really apt card for today, and when I drew it this morning, I did not fully understand where it was coming from, but I knew that it was not just a “positive message” but an indication of something to come.

It turns out that this evening, I discovered exactly what that has to do with.   I have a shop on Etsy with well over 5000 sales and 1200 reviews.   I have never had an unresolved case filed against my shop, and have a five star rating.   BUT, for some reason because I got ONE negative review and ONE case (that was thrown out by Etsy incidentally) in the past 50 sales?  They sent me a letter threatening to shut me down.

I mean… wtf.   Anyway… there you go.

The fact is, though?   I will find a way through this too.  So the card was not just a warning of what was coming, but is also an encouragement. It is a message of strength, and perseverance, and acknowledging that even when things feel like they’re falling to shit, there IS something else on the horizon if you can first just get through the crowd of jackasses swinging their clubs at your balls.

Deck Used:  Tarot of the Unknown

Bonus Reading – #TarotForGrowthNovember

Question: Where would I benefit from gathering more information before reacting?

Pagan Otherworlds Tarot Reading Summary:  When I’m feeling uncertain of where to place my feet (The Moon) and the world feels like it’s falling apart around me (Five of Pentacles), remember to have faith in that inner spark of passion that drives me forward (King of Wands) as my real strength lies within the determination that lives there (the Lion in the King of Wands).

Take Away:  Fitting that this question and the answers provided today fit into the issue mentioned in my daily draw.   The cards indicate situations where I feel blindsided and uncertain of how to move forward, and like my financial security and stability is at risk.  That is a very accurate description of the emotions that are roiling around within after that email I received.   The encouragement in these cards has to do with keeping in mind my determination, my strengths, and where my passions lie… and using composure and that sense of strength to bolster myself as I move to gather more information about the situation and how to either resolve it or move past it.

Deck Used:  The Pagan Otherworlds Tarot