Month: December 2019

Art Upon the Path

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

This week’s question from the Pagan Perspective YouTube channel is about finding your path.

Topic for the Week of 12/2: “Do you do any art related to your path that you would like to share? Or is there art by others that is meaningful to you?”

Jewelry

Jewelry design and creation is one of my favorite hobbies, and one that I ended up turning into a business.

I use this creative outlet to express my love for nature and color and… symmetry.  I love creating beautiful things, and while doing so, filling them with positive intention.

Those pieces I create and the intentions set within them are then sent out into the world to bring a bit of joy, pleasure, and/or happiness to those that see, wear, and own these pieces.

With this hobby, I seek to spread out small touches of positivity out around the globe, one piece at a time.  I find a sense of peace and joy in doing so, and feel that in some small way I am contributing to a better world.  My creations are now spread across more than sixty countries, and I hope that with piece that I ship out, I send out just a little more positive energy into the world to be enjoyed and shared.

As for art from others that is meaningful to me… there is a reason that I own so many cartomancy decks.  I connect to the imagery in the cards, which means that there are many, many artists out there that create art that is meaningful to me.

I have also mentioned before the poem “The Dash” written by Linda Ellis.  This too is a type of art that I admire, and this one piece in particular really touched my soul.

 

Me and You and You and Me

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Today’s meditation was meant to be ten minutes long, but I doubled up today because it felt so good, so it was actually just over twenty minutes in length.   The focus of today’s guided meditation was how the bad can make the good feel so much more precious.  Whether this is difficult experiences, or even death.   When the bad is in focus, it makes the good feel that much more precious.

Hierophant - Ostara TarotToday’s draw is my birth card, the Hierophant card, which is a representation of authority, structure, and the essence of providing guidance to others.

Interestingly enough?  When I pulled this card, it brought to mind for me our tarot lessons.  I have been very much enjoying teaching you about my path, and especially teaching you tarot.  You teach me so much every day, and it brings me a huge amount of pleasure to give back to you, even in this small way.

Gideon… my love.  You are the message in today’s card. Your strength to provide guidance and stability, and your openness to learn from me in turn.  Your intelligence and your open-mindedness.  Your ability to allow me to take the lead, even while you are very much the more dominant party.

I love you.  Thank you for being you.

DECK USED:  OSTARA TAROT

Bonus Reading – #TarotForGrowthDecember

Question: How did I treat my spirit this year?

New Era Elements Tarot

Reading Summary: There is more to learn in the area of stability (Daughter of Earth) and in actively allowing my emotions to have a say in things (Son of Water), but overall I have learned a lot in how to better walk my path (Eight of Earth), especially in finding a better, stronger path through times when things are difficult (Seven of Fire).

Take Away: Delving back into a more active role in my path has benefited me greatly over the past year, and has taught me new skills to help me get through the hard times and scary moments.  That said, I still have a lot to learn, both in creating stability in myself and in learning to better incorporate my emotions into my life.

DECK USED:  NEW ERA ELEMENTS TAROT

Even Flow

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and focused on tolerance, which is a very fitting subject for today’s meditation considering the card I drew for today.   The meditation guided me through a breathing exercise while discussing how when you find that mindfulness of being centered in your practice, irritants in the environment cease to become disruptive aggravating irritants, and instead become simply another part of the environment around you, and you detached from an emotional response to them.

Temperance - Tarot of the Little Prince Today’s draw is the Temperance card of the Major Arcana. This card is a representation of…. well… temperance.  Duh, right?  Okay so what IS temperance then?  Temperance is moderation and self-restraint, and through those traits the creation of balance.

In order to create this balance, that self restraint requires a purpose, and that is the message of today’s card.  It is a reminder of my goals.  Not just of my goals, but of what I need to do (and not do) in order to achieve them. Sometimes my “addictions” can get the better of me.  Sometimes my emotions can get the better of me too. And, if I’m truthful, sometimes even my creativity and ambitions can get the better of me.

In all these cases, moderation is needed, and self restraint is required.  Otherwise, things fall out of balance, chaos reigns, and my world begins tumble out of control.

Funny side note?   Every time I see a Temperance card lately?   The chorus of the Pearl Jam song “Even Flow” starts playing in my head.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE LITTLE PRINCE

Bonus Reading – #TarotForGrowthDecember

Question: How can I improve my relationship with my body in the coming year?

The 5-Cent Tarot

Reading Summary: More exercise (Page of Buttons), preferably some of it outside (The Sun) is needed, but so is giving myself the rest that I need (Four of Needles). Take time to bond with others and take them on my journey (Three of Needles atop Three of Cups).

Take Away:  So, the thing that I have NOT been doing to up my self-care over the past year has been in the exercise department.   I know that to gain weight, I need to get back to the gym, because I need to build muscle in order to create that bulk I lack.

I don’t know why I’ve been so avoidant on this, but I do know that part of it is my discomfort with how lean I have become and…. a sort of self blame for all of that, even though I know a lot of it was from the cancer.   I need to forgive myself and involve others in my self-care to benefit from it the most.   And, as always… I need more rest.

DECK USED:  THE 5-CENT TAROT

 

 

Charity… It’s Okay to Let Go

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Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long, and entailed a thorough body scan from head to toe and then a brief guidance through the topic of self-competition and going a bit easier on  yourself when you are pushing for your best.

Tarot of the Little Prince Today’s draw is a double without jumper. The cards in today’s draw are the Seven of Swords and the Eight of Swords.   And isn’t it strange how they came out together like that?  But I have shuffled this particular deck a few hundred times now, so… it’s just meant to be.

What I see in the message of these cards is a fully intuitive hit based off the imagery and how the imagery of the two cards play of each other.   It speaks of the importance of leaving behind what no longer serves you in order to find a better place.  And, that leaving something behind means you are releasing your stakes in it entirely.  Who cares who comes along and picks up those things you have chosen to leave behind?  Perhaps those things will serve another better than they have you.

DECK USED:  OSTARA TAROT

Bonus Reading – #TarotForGrowthDecember

Question: How did I treat my body this year?

This Might Hurt Tarot

Reading Summary:  I got in touch with my inner self and found a new perspective (The Hanged Man), but I struggled with a lot of difficult choices as well (Seven of Cups) and might have made a few missteps along the way (Two of Swords).  All in all, though, I’ve done a spectacular job of caring for myself (King of Pentacles) and ensuring that I am nurturing and nourishing my body (Queen of Pentacles) this year.

Take Away: I stepped up things on the self-care front this year, and have stuck with it since I first started with it in the spring.  This has really paid off in keeping me healthy this year, even if I’ve occasionally “slipped up” in my self care here and there along the way.

DECK USED:  THIS MIGHT HURT TAROT

 

Don’t Break… Take Breaks Instead

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and focused on finding a pathway to peace in the middle of chaos.   Honestly, I’m writing this about fourteen hours later and I can’t remember a damn thing about what was said in the guided meditation, but I do know that my stress level felt better after those ten minutes than it did before.

Tarot of the Little Prince Today’s draw is a double without a jumper.  The cards in today’s draw are the Six of Cups and the Knight of Wands.   What I see here is a reminder to breathe.

I am the Knight of Wands right now, but you can only charge full speed ahead for so long before you need to breathe, eat, drink, ground, and center.

Although I know I need these things, it feels like it’s wasting time.   I feel like I am wasting time now, just writing this out. But, I also know that I need this time.  I need to step away and take a breath now and then.   I need to give myself space, no matter how swamped I am and how desperately I’m trying to catch up.

DECK USED: TAROT OF THE LITTLE PRINCE

Bonus Reading – #TarotForGrowthDecember

Question: What challenge did I overcome that I deserve to be proud of?

IMG_1075

Reading Summary:  PTSD (Eight of Swords), and the emotions that were spawned (Ace of Cups) by that and by the experiences with my ex and his influences.  Despite all of that, I continue to reach out to others, share my feelings and seek out others and include them as a part of my life (Three of Cups).

Take Away:  Rape is ugly.  Home invasions are ugly.  Dying on my kitchen floor was ugly.  The scars left behind are ugly. All of these things are ugly. Any of these things on their own could have been devastating to my life as a whole.  And yet, I survived them all and more, and I am stronger from them.  Not only did I survive, but I did not allow them to stop me from caring… from loving… or from reaching out to others and allowing people into my life.

DECK USED:  Ancestral Path Tarot

 

Healthy Roots Need Grounding

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Today’s meditation was a little over ten minutes long and focused upon directing warmth and kindness to the self, then loved ones, and then outward into the world.   It was nice to get back to the guided meditations and I found the practice very relaxing and a good way to start my day.

High Priestess - Slow TarotToday’s draw is the High Priestess card, which is usually an indication of intuition and the subconscious.   What I see in this card today is intuitive rather than traditional, though, because what really drew my eye in this card this morning was the tree that grows both apart from, and yet also through her.

I see a reminder that when things get chaotic, grounding yourself is important.  Too much chaos without that grounding must makes everything feel that much more cacophonous.

Grounding is good.  It’s a life skill that’s really important to my well being.  Today’s card is a reminder to do it regularly through this chaotic time of year.

(Interestingly?  The two figures in this card that are representing the High Priestess’ pillars make me think of the Gatekeepers in the Neverending Story. Remember those?)

DECK USED:  SLOW TAROT

Bonus Reading – #TarotForGrowthDecember

Question: What should I focus on as this year comes to a close?

Tarot of the Little Prince

Reading Summary: Staying centered, grounded, and self-possessed (Queen of Cups) will assist me in not just my own self-care, but in how I care for others (The Empress).  Remember that even when difficult choices are before me (Two of Swords), I have all the tools I need (The Magician) to make things work and make it through.

Take Away:  I managed to make (as in yes, actually make the jewelry pieces), process, and package 114 orders today as a part of catching up on what has piled up while I was away at mom’s house.   I’m only about 2/3rds of the way there, but I wouldn’t have made it as far as I have without that centered calm. I will get everything done, and I will keep up on orders… and I have what I need to do that, not just in the skills and supplies necessary, but also in the help (re: the red fox in the Two of Swords) I’m enlisting from L and J.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE LITTLE PRINCE