Month: December 2019

Timing Isn’t Always Necessary

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and focused on planning for the future.   A lot of times it seems we wait for the perfect time to start things.   The “perfect time” to find a new job, the “perfect time” to take a vacation, or the “perfect time” to fall in love.

The thing is?   There’s never a perfect time.   There’s always going to be stress going on and distractions that can get in the way.   Today’s meditation focused on this fact, and that if there’s something you want to do that might enrich your life, or something you want to experience that you are holding back on while waiting for the “perfect time”, maybe it’s time to consider that the perfect time is now.

We can always think up roadblocks and other issues to hold us back, but sometimes? It’s worth it to just take a leap and do whatever it is.  Life will continue and adjust to fit in whatever it is, and you can adapt to accommodate it as well.

Six of Swords - Tarot of the Little Prince Today’s draw is the Six of Swords, which traditionally is a representation of harmony, cooperation and vitality, as well as humanity issues and limitations in the area of the mind, intellect, and communication.  Because it comes after the conflict of the Five in this suit, it also holds representation for transitions and letting go of the bad to move on to something better.

As the young man in the card’s imagery and his trusty fox have trudged through the maze of sharp swords to get to a better place (the well), I have trudged through a lot of difficulty over the past year, and struggled a lot with being overwhelmed and over-burdened.   This is a self-caused issue, as I am the one that filled my plate to overflowing, but that didn’t make it any less overwhelming.

As I move past the holiday rush and towards the new year, the appearance of the Six of Swords is an expression of the transition that I am making.  Not just from the busiest time of year to one that is slower and more manageable, but concerning the restructuring of how I deal with the business over the next year in an effort to try something new and more manageable than I’ve been doing thus far.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE LITTLE PRINCE

Bonus Reading – #TarotForGrowthDecember

Question: What parting message does 2019 have for me?

Darkness of Light Tarot

Reading Summary:  Learn from the lessons this year has taught me (The Hierophant) and move forward into the new year (The Universe) with a sense of optimism and hope (The Star) as well as a focus on finding a stable path forward (Four of Coins).

Take Away:  The center card is the focus in this reading, speaking of stability in the area of finances, and a need to be a bit more miserly in the upcoming year than I have been in 2019.  The cards surrounding the central theme speak of learning from the lessons I’ve picked up along the path, and remembering to stay open and optimistic in my path forward into the new year and new start it brings with it.

DECK USED:  DARKNESS OF LIGHT TAROT

 

#IAmAFortuneTeller (non) VR to Mary-Grace Fahrun

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Okay, so the Pagan Perspective is definitely on a holiday break.  So, I decided to do one of my (non)VRs today in place of a response to their regular videos.

One of my favorite content creators, Mary-Grace Fahrun, did a video on YouTube at the end of November about how she uses tarot and about the stigma behind the use of cartomancy for predictive readings. She included a tag for responses, and I very much enjoyed her video and wanted to do a response.

glass

Like Mary-Grace, I grew up with cartomancy. In my case it was Lenormand cards, then playing cards, and then tarot. In my experience, Lenormand in particular is all about handing you a roadmap of potholes along your path.

I don’t know where the judgement against predictive readings stemmed from, or why it is so prevalent among modern day readers, but it is very prevalent and highly frowned upon by a large majority of card readers out there.

Somewhere in my teens was when I ran into this issue.  I was told that 3rd party readings and predictive readings are ethically wrong, and for a while I fought against using the cards in that way… but honestly? I gave up on that rather quickly.

Interestingly, I am not as strong at reading the past as I am at reading the present and future.

Intuition is intuition, and that information is going to come through whether I want it to or not. So I had a good look at my own moral compass and values and decided that for me? Both 3rd party and predictive aspects are a part of it, or I don’t read cards… because it just comes naturally. And I sure as hell am not hanging up my decks!!

I honestly do not understand why it is considered taboo or why people look down their noses at readers that do fortune telling (predictive readings, telling the future, etc).  I’ve had people say it’s about clients seeing the predictions as written in stone, or taking away choice, etc.  But the fact is?   That is in the presentation, NOT in the predictive aspect.

Doing predictive readings requires the responsibility and sensitivity to make sure those you read for are aware of the fluidity of the future, and how even just having the reading can have the possibility of changing the results, because knowledge is power.  It requires empowering people, so that they can build the future that they want, and be prepared for what is coming.

Any tarot reader, no matter the type of readings they do, has the ability to take away people’s choices and diminish their power.  Not just during predictive readings.  You are tapping into their needs and wants, desires, fears, and the depths of their psyche.  And that requires sensitivity and respect and a sense of responsibility.

So yes… I am a fortuneteller.  I am not ashamed of that.  It’s how my intuition works and fighting against my intuition or ignoring my intuition’s voice is just… not the path for me.

 

Stepping Out of the Cycle

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Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long and focused on looking beyond the self.  In this case, it was about how we can at times get lost in our thoughts and allow them to create anxiety, discomfort, or negativity.

When you are lost in a thought and experiencing these things, sometimes it can help to take a step back emotionally and realize that they really are just thoughts. Often?  They are predictive thought that is baseless other than being created by riding on our worries or anxieties.

As our thoughts are often cyclical, once thoughts like this settle in, they begin to repeat and repeat, building on themselves again and again. In doing so, they can build on worries, stress, and anxiety as well, which can become overwhelming.  In stepping back and acknowledging that these thoughts are not reality but just thoughts, it allows us to set those thoughts aside, and eases those feelings of stress and negativity.

The Moon - Ostara Tarot Today’s draw is the Moon card, which is the eighteenth card of the Major Arcana, and deals with topics in in the areas of uncertainty and fear, anxieties and the unknown, the subconscious, and confusion.

The topic goes really well with today’s meditation. Sometimes uncertainty is a good thing because it gives you time to pause, think, and reassess.  Today’s meditation is about taking that pause, assessing what is real and what is just thoughts as a projection of what’s in your heart and head instead of reality, and reassessing the situation to find a better outlook.

I think that everyone falls into this habit of “doom day” type thought cycles now and then. I’m no different.  Today’s draw is a good reminder not to let myself get carried away by the unknown.

DECK USED:  OSTARA TAROT

Bonus Reading – #TarotForGrowthDecember

Question:  What can I do to create better focus on the topic of yesterday’s read without overburdening myself?

Wayhome Tarot

Reading Summary:  To avoid burnout (Ten of Wands) I need to plot a course (Three of Wands) and stick to it (The Chariot) or I’ll have to pay the consequences (Justice).

Take Away:  (Just sayin’… but I really love this deck.)  Essentially if I don’t want to upset the apple cart and have my responsibilities and interests all come toppling into a mess on the floor, I need to make a plan on how I want to move forward.  One that will help me avoid giving myself burnout, which I am very good at doing.  And then, once that plan is made?  Stick to it.

DECK USED:  WAYHOME TAROT

 

Surprise Divination Activity

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I would like you to follow along and do this one in comments.

Intuition Exercise:   Let’s see how the new year will go. Set a music playlist to shuffle then select the 4th song. Listen to it, and use your intuition to pick up on any messages or imagery that sticks out. What song did you get and how do you think your new year will be based on what you picked up from the song?

https://youtu.be/K1FQeUXn_sc

Interpretation:  Nostalgic and conflicted. I have a lot of restructuring of methods and practices to do over the New Year. Changing gears is hard and it’s difficult not to fall back on old habits. The lessons I’ve learned over the past year have made it clear I need to change up how I’m doing things, though. It’s just not going to be easy.

This style of divination is called Shufflemancy.

Exercise Source: Discord (Server name withheld due to server rules.)

Learning from New Experiences

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and focused on making the best out of difficult situations.  It was a good theme for Christmas day, as it mentioned gatherings where you can’t always get along with everyone, and times when people are being difficult, and how it’s better to step beyond these experiences and focus on the positive, rather than allowing these negative influences to drag you down and make you miserable.

I don’t have to worry about that as much this year, as I am going to  a friend’s family home for Christmas dinner rather than spending time with my own family, who can be quite abusive even at the best of times.   But, it was still a very good reminder to focus on the good rather than letting the bad niggle in and have a destructive influence on your mood, attitude, or day.

The Hierophant - Tarot of the Little Prince Today’s draw is the Hierophant, which is traditionally a representation of wisdom, institutions, the status quo, and tradition.  It is also a card that represents the dynamics between teacher and student…. and is my birth card.

The appearance of the Hierophant in today’s draw is an indication of the experiences I shared with J’s family.  This is the second year (not in a row) that I’ve attended Christmas dinner at his house, and for me it really is a learning experience.   Their traditions are beautiful, and they are so warm and loving to each other… and to me.

It’s interesting and different and… wonderful.  It is an amazing experience to be a part of something so full of love, warmth, and acceptance.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE LITTLE PRINCE

Bonus Reading – #TarotForGrowthDecember

Question:  Where should I focus my energy over the next year?

Forest of Enchantment Tarot

Reading Summary:  Gratitude and comfort (Ten of Visions), a new approach to business matters (Ace of Boons), and balancing instead of overburdening myself (Ten of Spells).

Take Away:  I need to continue to increase my self care and gratitude practice, allowing myself time to explore the emotional aspects of life rather than ignoring them.  I also need to commit to the new approach to working with the business that I’ve been considering, and focus on balancing the different aspects of my life rather than allowing myself to “overfill my plate” to the point where I’m overwhelmed.

DECK USED:  FOREST OF ENCHANTMENT TAROT

 

Guarded, but No Smothering

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and focused on stepping outside yourself.  It was not about “stepping outside yourself” during meditation, but rather about when you are interacting with others in the day-to-day.

Sometimes we all get wrapped up in our own lives, experiences, history, and future plans that we forget everyone else is also their own little universe as well, and their universe is completely different than ours.

We can’t know what they are thinking, or feeling, or going through unless we are willing to step outside of our own personal reality and listen to them and theirs.  Even then, it is more like looking in through a window than an actual experience of our own.

The reminder in today’s meditation is not just that everyone’s life and experiences are subjective and different, but that when we run into difficulty concerning interaction with them, we need to remember this and practice tolerance and understanding, rather than impatience, irritation, or negativity.

Ostara Tarot Today’s draw is a double without a jumper, which means that both cards dropped out of the deck together.  The cards in today’s draw are the Ace of Wands and the Seven of Swords.

Back in the fall during one of my Self-Care reads, I was given a warning to be on my guard concerning sharing my inspiration and creative spark with others.  I was warned that by sharing my ideas without a care for who I shared them with, I could end up getting screwed over in the long run.

The appearance of the Ace of Wands over the Seven of Swords in today’s draw is a reminder not to let that caution overshadow and consequently smothering my creative spark.  It’s good to take care and protect yourself, but not so much that you end up snuffing out the creativity and ideas that you are trying to protect in the first place.

DECK USED:  OSTARA TAROT

Bonus Reading – #TarotForGrowthDecember

Question: What should I leave behind as this year comes to a close?

Spooky Cat Tarot

Reading Summary:  Making good choices (The Lovers) includes accepting that if I want to protect my business (Seven of Wands), I need to set aside my “play time” (Ace of Wands and The Fool) and focus on the more grounded parts of the job.

Take Away:  Okay so, the administrative aspects of my business are NOT my favorite part of things.  In fact, they’re really near the very bottom of the list. So it’s not surprising that I have a habit of trying to ignore those tasks as much as possible and focus on the part I enjoy, which is the creative side of things.  The cards are telling me that it’s time to bite the bullet and deal with the administrative tasks as this year comes to a close, and start off the new year on this foundational footing that needs to be dealt with.

DECK USED:  SPOOKY CAT TAROT