Month: June 2020

It’s More Fun Together

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and was a full body scan much like yesterdays, that focused on energy rather than physical sensation.  It was, essentially, energy play where I took my energy in a rippled wave through my body from head to toes and back up again.  Powerful waves at first moving from head to toe and back again, like water sloshing back and forth in a tub.  Slowly, the waves then slowed and eased until they were smaller and smaller, and then finally settled into a still and calm pool.

Herbal Tarot - Three of Cups - TrilliumToday’s draw is the Three of Cups, which traditionally is interpreted as a time of coming together, celebration, emotional bonding with others, friendship, and positive collaboration with others.  It can also represent a “third wheel” type of energy or emotion.

I barely noticed the Trillium in the imagery of this card today.  Instead, my focus was drawn to the three women and the fact that their feet are bare and they each wear a dress in a different jewel-tone color.

The bare feet speak to me of vulnerability in this card, and the different colored dresses communicate a sense of diversity. This speaks to me of the energy of collaboration that happens between very different people, and how satisfying it can be when each person contributes their own unique flair to a project… making it truly collaborative and something that could not be done solo or by any others but those personally involved.

Sometimes I forget that I’m not alone and I can lean on others to help me.  I forget that in that help that’s given?  Fun can be had and it becomes more than work but a celebration.  I need to remember this more often and allow others in to help me instead of thinking I have to do it all myself.

DECK USED:  HERBAL TAROT

#TarotForGrowthJune Challenge Prompt
Question: Where am I being invited to take back my power?

Linestrider Tarot

Reading Summary: Put some enthusiasm (Knight of Wands) into reclaiming your joy (The Sun) and learn a better way of thinking about things and communicating with yourself (Page of Swords).

Side Note: Just as an aside… The Knight of Wands is the only card in this entire deck that I do not like. I just cannot un-see the stubby penis riding a horse that I saw when I first looked at this card for the first time.

Take Away:  The message here is not just about encouraging growth, but embracing it.  It’s about remembering that as I move forward in the changes I’m making, I need to actively search for and participate in the things that bring me joy.  Savor them and enjoy them instead of disregarding them or avoiding them.

DECK USED:  LINESTRIDER TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJun2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Do Spread #2
How can I motivate myself to get my ass moving after meditation and get on with my day?

Sawyer's Path TarotReading Summary: The Queen of Swords and the Four of Swords have the same face… they are the same person and the same color scheme carries between the two cards including the background clouds.  Together they indicate that this change in my routine is new but not negative, and I need to take the time to wrap my mind around the fact that it’s good.

The outlier card in this reading is the center card.  It does not match or coincide with the other two in any way.  This discordance with the other cards indicates that if I follow the path my question is asking about, it’s not going to go well. It will create more hardship and cause a delay in getting where I want to go.

Take Away:  Don’t. You need this time of rest and recovery. As much as you want to get more done and fit more into your day… You need to understand that sometimes it’s okay to take a little time for yourself. That lounging about you’re doing is doing you good.

DECK USED:  SAWYER’S PATH TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How can I improve upon my self care?

Tarot of Metamorphosis

Reading Summary: It’s time to stop dragging my feet (Knight of Pentacles) upon my chosen path to instilling more happiness (Six of Cups) and joy in my life (The Sun).

There is a theme here in the imagery itself that speaks of getting back to nature. A transition from being trapped within the grip of the unnatural and material to finding pleasure in fostering nature’s growth to wallowing within nature’s embrace.

Take Away:  Between the theme seen in the cards and the initial interpretation of them, I am being encouraged to spend more time outside. Both in spending time in my garden on the balcony as well as hiking within the forests I love. More of both is needed in my self care routine.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF METAMORPHOSIS

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_6618Value

Even the smallest
of creatures
has its place
and purpose in life.
The key is to
understand
that just because
another
is vastly different
than you
does not reduce
their value.

This is what worries me the greatest when I think of all the species around the world in the throes of going extinct.  I worry because each life has value and purpose… and when a creature goes extinct, this purpose is snuffed out.  What happens when a purpose that holds within it the balance of the life we know and something else is then snuffed out… and that balance then shifts and the scales topple?

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Self Care Saturday (On a Sunday)

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These Saturday 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 is not meant as a predictive reading… although that, too, happens on occasion.

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

Tarot of the Animal Lords, Nature's Wisdom Oracle, Secret Language of Animals Oracle

Earth – The Devil and Daffodil (Serenity) – Make sure you are fully aware of where your addictions lie and what influence they have on your life this week. There is a chance of the scales tipping to unhealthy if you’re not careful, and you can’t be careful if you don’t have your eyes open wide and aren’t paying attention. Make sure you are being honest with yourself about where you are and what you’re doing, and use that self awareness and truth to keep your actions and addictions in balance. In other words… it’s time to slow down a bit.

Air – The World, Two of Wands, Fish (Fearlessness) – You know the direction you want to go in here concerning your inner critic and internal dialogue. Don’t worry so much and keep your eyes trained on where you want to go because there’s better things to come if you can stay on track. This is a healthy transition that should be a celebration, not a time of trepidation.

Water – Knight of Wands and Iris (Messenger) – Bound forward, intrepid traveler.  Now is the time to seize your opportunity and make the most of it. Make sure as you bound forward to find things that bring you pleasure and joy, though, that you’re not leaving behind the emotional growth you’ve worked so hard to achieve.  This opportunity is not meant to bury and ignore the awkwardness of change, but to insert a bit more joy into your life along the way.

Fire – The Tower Rx and Mushroom (Caution) – Fear of change does not mean that you avoid change.  It means that you take care and caution as it happens.  It’s okay to dive into and indulge in the things that bring you joy and spark your enthusiasm, just make sure you’re not diving into them as a method of avoidance concerning the personal transformation you are going through.

Waning – Tree Frog – The time for sitting still has come to an end.  Set aside your procrastination and hesitation, set aside the contemplation on what you want to do and where you want to go.  It’s time to start moving along your chosen path rather than sitting still and thinking about it.

Waxing – Fairy Wren –  As you move away from the stagnancy of sitting still, gather up your passions and inspirations, your enthusiasm and your joy.  Use these emotions to carry you in the direction you want to go.  These things will help breathe fresh air into your life and support your forward movement along the path you desire to tread.

Take Away – It’s time to get inspired and move forward.   I’ve sat still and hesitated long enough.  The way to do this is to reach out to those things that spark my creativity and my enthusiasm.  Just make sure that in the process you don’t fall into the pitfalls of addiction or avoidance along the way.   These things are there to bring joy, energy, and enthusiasm… not to hide within.

DECKS USED:  TAROT OF THE ANIMAL LORDS, NATURE’S WISDOM ORACLE, SECRET LANGUAGE OF ANIMALS ORACLE

Don’t Fight It

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Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long and was a self-guided meditation that went through a full body scan from top of the head down to toes and back up before allowing my energy to fill up my personal space, then expand beyond it in a long stretch outward to fill my home, then stretch beyond that.

All in all it was a nice and relaxing practice, but I think I need to get out into the forest again for another grounding.  I seem to be starving for those visits for the green now that I can get back out there again, as if each visit is just not enough.

Herbal Tarot - Death - Elder FlowerToday’s draw is the Death card, which is traditionally interpreted as a representation of gradual, organic change. Like all change, it indicates the end of something in order to make room for something new.  This isn’t the sudden chaotic change of the tarot’s Tower card, but rather the type of change that builds over time, slowly coming to fruition gradually.

What stood out the strongest to me in the imagery of this card today is the black hole serving as death’s face, and the sunrise that looks like a bonfire.   Both of these aspects speak to me of the need to pay attention.  Pay attention to what is unseen, and pay attention to what could be destructive if let to grow out of control.

Spiritually, the Sambucus nigra (Elder Flowers) is an herb of transmutation. Its energies in magical endeavors is one that encourages the shift of reality, the transformation of the soul.  The changes that result from the death of one thing and rebirth that creates something new and better in its place. Medically speaking, the theme is much the same, as it is used to clear out congestion from the onset of a cold, as well as an herb used in tease to cleanse and detoxify during those particular situations.

The message in today’s card is about letting go.  It’s about allowing change to come and create something better, instead of fighting it and resisting, which only slows things down further and can create unnecessary unpleasant experiences in the process.

DECK USED:  HERBAL TAROT

#TarotForGrowthJune Challenge Prompt
Question: What areas of my life could benefit from the placement of firm boundaries?

Tarot Sirene - Knight of Cups, Ace of Wands, Ace of Cups

Reading Summary: It’s easy to get carried away with the elation (Knight of Cups) that I experience when I am in the throes of a new creative (Ace of Cups) spark (Ace of Wands).

Side Note:  I love the imagery for the Ace of Wands in this deck.

Take Away:  Like all things, I have the ability to turn just about anything that I find pleasure in into an addiction. The cards here indicate that I need to make sure there are boundaries in place as I dive into exploring new creative endeavors, so that I don’t get carried away and begin to neglect other parts of my life and responsibilities as a result.  The goal is not to fill up to overflow so that I upset the apple cart in the other direction, but to find a balance that will fit both fun and responsibility into my life comfortable… together.

DECK USED:  TAROT SIRENE

#DiscordTarotholicsJun2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What sparks my interest and inspires a sense of joy in my life?

Tarot of Passing ShowersReading Summary:  New passions (Ace of Wands) allow me to leave the stress of the world behind (Seven of Swords) while giving me direction (Three of Wands).

Take Away: One of the things I love most about finding something creative to sink myself into is the sinking into it that happens.  That is to say that when I have something that captures my interest so completely and gives me a direction to work in concerning it, I am sometimes able to get so deep into the task that the rest of the world seems to just fall away for a while.  I find my own space, my own silent spot.  A place where nothing besides that task I am working on exists.    

Some people call this singular focus or hyper focus.  Some people call it “flow”.   Whatever you call it, it feels amazing and has a habit of feeding my passions while being intensely refreshing at the same time.   Anything that takes me to that place?  Absolutely is something that also creates an intense amount of interest and sense of joy for me.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF PASSING SHOWERS

#TheJuneTarot Challenge by Lionhart
Question: Draw a card and let it empower/motivate you today.

Happy Tarot - Seven of PentaclesReading Summary: Sustainable growth.  Don’t push today.  Sit back and enjoy the fruit of your labors and allow them to grow on their own for a day.  One day isn’t going to hurt anyone, and it won’t hurt your business either.  One day is simply one single day.   So take this day for yourself and leave the growth to flourish in the space you give it to do so.

Take Away:  I have tried my best to do just that.  I slept in and I did my self care.  I ate often, and I even took a nap.  I have not worked at all, but rather distracted myself with Instagram, Discord, and games on my phone, then with playing online with you.   I’ve done my best to try not to feel guilty, and just allow things to go at their own pace today rather than pushing and shoving both myself and the business forward… always forward.

DECK USED:  HAPPY TAROT

 

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_4610Trust…
is a thing
weighted and wet.
Dark and swirling
it ripples
around me.
Your hands
hold me under
and the world
beyond
disappears.
There is only you.

The greatest trust I have ever given to anyone, I have gave to you.  And I give to you again and again, each time I allow you to take me into those deep dark waters of the drown.  In that space, I am at my most vulnerable, and as you hold me there beneath the surface my light shines as my soul stretches and writhes.

Thank you for being who you are.  Thank you for being my anchor… my dominant… my love.  Thank you very every minute… every second we have together.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Creativity and Joy

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IMG_5033Today’s meditation was just under eleven minutes long and was a guided meditation that worked through connecting the heart and your emotions to first flesh, then muscle, then bone, before then turning it outward to radiate from you.

It was a really interesting progression that I’ve never tried before, and I found it relaxing, which is surprising considering how damn bad my back is hurting today.

Herbal Tarot - Eight of Pentacles - GingerToday’s draw is the Eight of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of hard earned expertise and hard work in the areas of one’s finances, resources, health, home, and manifestations.  This is a card about personal skills and strengths.

What stood out to me the strongest in the imagery on first seeing this card today is the new shoots on the ginger root, and the hammer in the man’s hand.

Zingiber officinale (aka Ginger) is a stimulant that gets the blood moving and, as a result, warms the body. Unlike with the Wild Ginger of yesterday, this herb has a full body effect instead of focusing directly upon the pelvic region.  The metaphysical properties are also about warmth and spark, as the herb is often used to stimulate one’s talents and spark one’s motivation.

The message in today’s card is about allowing my spark to combine with my talents to manifest something new.  It’s about developing one’s skills, and creating something new from that effort of development.  This is about working on the wood burning, and about making time to not just develop my skills, but to enjoy the process of creation.

DECK USED:  HERBAL TAROT

#TarotForGrowthJune Challenge Prompt
Question: Where have I grown that deserves more recognition from my conscious self?

Nicoletta Ceccoli Tarot

Reading Summary: Both figures in the outside cards face towards the center, giving me a sense of self-awareness, where in the center card the girl’s eyes are closed and it appears she has turned inward to find calm among the chaos of dark tangles around here which indicates having found an inner calm and centering.  This centering is not disrupted by outside influences (the movement and action going on in the two outer cards), nor by my own inner critic (indicated by the whip in the hand of the rider on the left card, and the lack of organization in the blocks and toys in the background of the card on the right).

Take Away: The growth that I’ve experienced that I need to give myself more credit for is that I’ve become better at centering myself and staying mindful in times of chaos and distraction.   I’m more aware of, and thus more able to tune out, the negative influences around me.   This isn’t to say I don’t have a long way to go… only that I’ve also come a long way already.

DECK USED:  NICOLETTA CECCOLI TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJun2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I go about lightening up in these areas? (Built off yesterday’s cards.)

Phantasmagoric Theater TarotReading Summary: I need to find more time for others (Three of Cups) and more joy in including them in my path (Two of Cups).  Allow them to take care of me sometimes, and allow myself to be nurtured not just by others, but by myself as well (The Empress).

Take Away: What I take myself too seriously on is my focus on stability.  The cards here indicate that I need to try to frame stability in a different way, and realize that there’s more to stability than hard work and finances.

Stability is also about my connection with others, and their connection with me.  The love they provide is a comfort and can take the place of some of that obsession I feel towards my current view of stability and need to push myself so hard to obtain it.

DECK USED:  PHANTASMAGORIC THEATER TAROT

#TheJuneTarot Challenge by Lionhart
Question: What can I embrace in support of my strengths?

Golden Girls Tarot

Reading Summary: Remember that starting over is okay (Ten of Swords) and it makes you stronger than you were the first time around (King of Swords). You need a little temptation , and the joy that comes from that temptation (The Devil), in order to obtain emotional fulfillment (Ten of Cups).

Take Away: Okay… so this one is a big one to unpack.  The thing is that how I view stability and security at the moment needs to be reevaluated.  This is indicated above in the Tarotholics reading, but it’s reinforced here in the mention of starting over through reassessment in order to become stronger… as well as the presence of the Ten of Cups, which indicates I need to try and ease my focus from the Ten of Pentacles as my goal to more of a Ten of Cups goal instead.

Both are fulfillment and both represent stability, but the Cups provides an emotional element that includes connecting to others and allowing their support, which is something I’m currently lacking in my Ten of Pentacles view of stability and security.   The Devil card in this reading is a reminder not to be ashamed of the things that bring you joy.  It’s okay to have those enjoyments and take pleasure in them as long as they are not becoming a detriment to your goals. 

DECK USED:  GOLDEN GIRLS TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How can I cut through the noise and get to what’s important?

Everyday Witch Tarot

Reading Summary: Take the first step beyond planning (Three of Wands). Choose a direction and step off the teeter totter (Two of Pentacles Rx). Follow what is stirring your interest at this time and claim these interests as yours (Queen of Wands).

Take Away: Stop waffling.  Stop screwing around and sitting on my ass thinking about what I need to do to make the changes I want to make. Take the first step and lose yourself in the process of passionate creation.  Wallow in the joy that comes from manifestation through creative expression.   In other words?  Stop focusing so damned much on work and allow yourself to ease up on that tight-ass grip of yours and have some damned fun already.

DECK USED:  EVERYDAY WITCH TAROT