Month: November 2019

Not Later… Now

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Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long, and was the next installment of the “how to” series I’ve been listening to.  The topic of today’s guided meditation was about the phrase “you are what you repeatedly do” and how that relates to meditation.

It went into the importance of filling your life with the habits, thoughts, and feelings that you want to perpetuate in your life, including making meditation a habit in order to bring the positive qualities into your life and incorporate them into a part of who you are.

Slow TarotToday’s draw is the Seven of Wands with the Knight of Swords as a jumper.  This is all about motivation and drive and being proactive about my goals.

This week my orders doubled, which is the beginning of the rush to come.  The Seven of Wands on its own is an indication of encouragement that now’s the time to amp myself up, get my ducks in a row, and start moving.   The fact that the Knight of Swords jumped out is a reinforcement not just of these things I need to do, but of the immediacy of it all.

This is not a “get ready” message.  It is a “get your ass moving” message.

Deck Used:  Slow Tarot

Bonus Reading – #TarotForGrowthNovember

Question: What can I do to better deal with emotional pain?

Sasuraibito TarotReading Summary: (There’s that Knight of Cups again.)  In the throes of emotional pain, I need to think first of grounding (The Empress), then seek a new more positive perspective of the situation (Ace of Swords).  Use my need to feel emotionally connected with those I love (Knight of Cups) as motivation to keep myself from closing off and building up my inner walls (Nine of Wands).

Side note on the above cards… just adding in: I like how the Knight and the Empress look IN on the two center cards. It feels…. good to me. Supportive. And I like the Nine of Wands in this deck in this instance, as I feel that the imagery fits well with what it represents in this reading, because to me it looks like ribs and a spine.

Take Away:  When I am hurt emotionally, my initial defense mechanism is to close myself off and bring up the walls that I learned to build so well during my childhood.  This doesn’t serve to heal anything, or help me in any way other than to make me “feel” a bit safe.  The pain is still there, and the wounds fester behind those walls instead of healing.   The cards are indicating that that discarding this pattern to seek out the comfort that my loved ones can provide while I ground myself and look for the silver lining is a far healthier way to deal with emotional pain.

Deck Used:  The Sasuraibito Tarot

 

Down Time is a Good Thing

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Today’s meditation was just over eleven minutes long, which is Day 4 in the ‘how to’ series, and focused on what the narrator called inner smoothness.  I’ve never really seen it that way, and I view “smooth” as being something solid with a surface that does not contain irregularities.    What he was speaking of in his narration is, to me, not smoothness, but rather transparency… like a window screen.  There, but transparent.

Essentially what this meditation was about was concerning how we react to the world around us.  Do we react and cringe from everything?  Or do we practice acceptance and allow the sensations (such as sound, for example) to flow around us and through us as we become part of the environment rather than separated from it?

In meditation, this sense of being “at one” is a key part of the practice.  Instead of being reactionary, you focus on being calm and at ease, no matter the distractions that may be present at the time.

Two of Cups - Tarot of the Unknown Today’s draw is the Two of Cups, which is in direct relation to me scolding myself for loafing off yesterday.  I just plain didn’t work at all once I got home yesterday, which means that I didn’t work in my home business for two days in a row.   Instead, I spent them playing with you.

This is really unheard of for me, as even when we play I often multitask and work on the side.  Today’s card is a reminder that it’s OKAY to need to spend time with you.  It’s OKAY to want to direct all of my energy and time and focus on you now and then.  There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, and it builds good energy and good relationship by doing so.   It’s good for me, and it’s good for us as a couple.

So I need to take a breath and just relax and stop being so hard on myself for not being as productive as I absolutely, positively could be.

Deck Used:  Tarot of the Unknown

Bonus Reading – #TarotForGrowthNovember

Question: How can I be more decisive?

The Distant Past Tarot

Reading Summary:  Use a more stable energy (Queen of Cups) in reaction to my struggles (Five of Pentacles), and keep in mind when I’m dealing with uncertainty (The Moon), that turning inward isn’t always the answer (The Hermit).  Sometimes you have to remember to ask for help (back to the Five of Pentacles) and let other people’s input influence your decision (Four of Cups).

Take Away:  If I want to be more decisive, it helps to look outward rather than always depending upon the self alone. These cards are a reminder that there are an infinite amount of other perspectives out there to consider when making a decision, and the more information you have, the easier it is to make the right choices for yourself and the situation.

Deck Used:  The Distant Past Tarot

The #LunaAndOwlAndBones Challenge for November

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deck01

I think that I need to precursor this post by saying that these are my answers at this moment.  Many of the questions are about favorites and preferred decks for different things.  These types of answers can easily change over time.

1. First Deck – Gypsy Witch Fortune Cards
2. Newest Deck – The Circle Lenormand
3. Deck You Want To Know Better – Rust Belt Arcana (I’m still familiarizing myself with the imagery and symbolism.)
4. Deck Gifted To You – Mystical Shaman Oracle
5. Deck You’d Gift to A Beginner – Borderless Smith-Waite Tarot
6. Deck with the Deepest Connection – Tarot of the Hidden Realm
7. Favorite Majors Deck – Sad Story Tarot
8. Favorite Animal Deck – Anima Mundi Tarot
9. Favorite Deck for Artwork – Stolen Child Tarot
10. Most Unique Deck – Again, the Stolen Child Tarot
11. Most Whimsical Deck – Annnnnnd again, the Stolen Child Tarot
12. Full Moon – I like using the Anima Mundi for full moon readings.
13. Deck for Reading for Others – I actually love using my Dixit decks for reading to others. That’s my favorite.
14. Deck for Personal Readings – Tarot of the Hidden Realm
15. Deck for Clarity – Dixit Deck v.6 Memories Edition
16. Deck for Decision Making – Herbal Tarot
18. Deck for Career Readings – 1889 Lenormand
19. Most Blunt Deck – Visions of Life Tarot
20. Most Positive Deck – Skele-Tarot for advice. Guardian Angel Tarot for a gentle, positive feel for others.
21. Favorite Oracle – Brian Froud’s Faeries’ Oracle
22. Deck for Meditation – Again, the Stolen Child Tarot
23. Deck for Spiritual Work – Cheimonette Tarot (or the Ghosts & Spirits Tarot)
24. Deck for Shadow Work – Tarocchi di Connessione
25. Deck on your Altar – At the moment, the Slow Tarot and the Tarot of the Unknown.
26. New Moon – I also like using the Anima Mundi for new moon readings.
27. Deck to Travel With – Any of the Dixit decks and/or the Morgan Greer in a Tin
28. Deck for Thanksgiving Ritual – I don’t have one, but I think the Slow Tarot would work really well for this.
29. Deck You Learned the Most With – Herbal Tarot
30. Deck Used – Ok, so I’m going to take this one as the decks used/am using this month, which I already have set out. Those are (and will be)… Herbal Healing Tarot, Distant Past Tarot, Children of Litha Tarot, Chelsea Lenormand (red), Herbcrafters Tarot, Bottanical Deck, Delos Tarot, Tarot of Pagan Cats, Heart of Faerie Oracle, Illuminated Earth Oracle, Dixit #8 Harmonies Ed, Oracle of Mystical Moments, Lenormand Wahrsagekarten Mit Astrologischen Symbolen, L’oracle des Murmures, Rust Belt Arcana, Dixit #4 Origins Ed, Wooden Tarot, Pagan Otherworlds Tarot, Tarot of the Unknown, Slow Tarot, Sasuraibito Tarot, Badger’s Forest Tarot, Pam’s Vintage Tarot, Earthbound Oracle, The Moon Deck, Brian Froud’s Faeries’ Oracle, and the Gravity Tattoo Tarot.

 

Resilience and Making Good Choices

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Today’s meditation was a little over ten minutes long, and  I took a break from the “how to” series to just do a quiet, relaxing body scan with extra focus and attention settled on my solar plexus and my soul beneath it.

Three of Wands - Slow TarotToday’s draw is the Three of Wands, which in the imagery of this card is a representation of collaboration, harmony, and cooperation in the area of one’s ambitions, passions, and drive.  This manifests in progress and planning towards one’s goals and ideals.

What really stands out to me is the busyness of the bees buzzing around the Eschscholzia californica in the foreground of this card.  California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) are a symbol of resiliency, and when combined with the meaning of this card, this message is one of strength and motivation.   It speaks of working toward your goals, even when roadblocks may make you have need to pause, regroup, and plot a new course to get there.

Deck Used:  Slow Tarot

Bonus Reading – #TarotForGrowthNovember

Question: Where do I need to stop stalling and just make a decision?

Tarot De Aux ArcsReading Summary:  This is about my decision on whether I want to speak to my employer or not about his new manager and her performance issues at one of my part time jobs.  I have been weighing whether I want to have a discussion with the owner which may allow me to stay in a job that I enjoy (Two of Wands), or just detach emotionally from the job as a whole and walk away (Eight of Cups).  The judgement card in the center encourages taking a close look at the actual results of both actions and use that perspective in making the decision.

Take Away:   I need to talk to the owner.   Emotionally speaking, my first instinct is to just walk away.  The fact is, though, that I have been working for him for a very long time and we have built up a trust between us.  I may dislike confrontation in the workplace, but the relationship of trust I’ve built with the owner combined with the comfort and enjoyment I find in the work means that I would regret walking away if i don’t try to talk with him about the issue first.

Deck Used:  Tarot de Aux Arcs

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 – Ace of Pentacles and Air – I feel like this is a carry over from yesterday’s meditation and cards. It speaks of using my head and finding perspectives in order to avoid stumbling and advance financially during the week ahead.

Air – Six of Wands and Vision – The Aesculus glabra (pictured on the card) is considered a “seed of good fortune”. Clarity of thought is going going to be on my side this week, be sure to use it towards progress and success in my endeavors.

Water – Six of Cups and Sleep – Rudbeckia hirta (pictured on the card) is considered a symbol of encouragement. I’ve had a lot of struggle over the past week with my family history and memories concerning my father. In the week ahead, it’s time to give rest to those feelings involved with that trip down memory lane, and seek out a better place for my emotions to settle into.

Fire – Ten of Cups and Permanence – Solidago ohioensis (pictured on the card) is considered a symbol of both good luck as well as encouragement and growth. Look at fostering my positivity in the week ahead as now is a time ripe for some of it to stick and hold on through the near future.

Waning – Taitin the Slyph and Lys of the Shadows – The time to explore the shadows and act upon what is there is at an end for the time being. It’s time to move quickly past that and focus on getting my mind and heart on a path of clarity that will foster quick thinking.

Waxing – Iris of the Rainbows – Light breaks through the darkness this week and there is good reason to allow hope to flourish and grow. Let the light dissipate the shadows you’ve been dealing with and ease the burden that they’ve created.

Decks Used: Rust Belt Arcana Tarot, Earthbound Oracle, Brian Froud’s Faeries’ Oracle

 

Taking In Perspectives

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Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long and focused on the technique of ‘taking a step back’ from your thoughts during meditation, rather than trying to squelch them.   This is very similar to how I used to deal with my emotions, and I can see how while in meditation, taking that step back to view your thoughts from the outside can help, as it would keep you from getting wrapped up in them and carried away by them.

I forgot to mention yesterday, but I really liked the part of the meditation where he likened the act of bringing your mind back to the breath (or whatever your focus is) to lifting weights.   That the act of meditation and that bringing your focus back to the now is the “reps” that meditation is all about.

Tarot of the Unknown Today’s draw is a double without a jumper, meaning that they both fell out of the deck together.  The cards in today’s draw are the Nine of Axes (Swords) and the Page of Wands.

The message in this draw is that sometimes shit hits the fan and you feel like the world is coming to an end, but if you just take a step back to gain a bit of perspective and sort out the big picture, a lot of times what seems like the end of the world isn’t as bad as it seems.

Like most people, when things start to fall apart, sometimes I get so focused on the problem I forget to take that step back and look in from the outside.  This approach to gaining  different perspectives was also the focus of my meditation today, and it repeats again in the Tarot for Growth read I did today as well.

Deck Used: Tarot of the Unknown

Bonus Reading – #TarotForGrowthNovember

Question: What insight does the universe want to reveal to me at this time?

Wooden TarotReading Summary:  If I want success (Six of Stones) in finding a different way to organize my finances (Page of Bones), I’m going to have to keep my eye on the ball (Knight of Plumes) in dealing with the fires of conflict and struggle that are lit along the way (Five of Stones).

Take Away:  With L about to walk out on her job any day now, and me considering shifting around my part time jobs as well, there’s a fair bit of uncertainty going on in my finances right now.  The message in these cards is that there is definitely going to be some conflict and disruption, but if I stay focused and proactive about the hurdles that come up, it’ll work itself out.

Deck Used:  Wooden Tarot