Self Care Saturday (On a Sunday)

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?

New Palladini Tarot, Soulflower Plant Spirit Oracle, Tree Angel Oracle

EarthThe Hanged Man and Bleeding Heart (Independence) – It’s time to take a look at your inner workings and start seeing them from a different perspective. This softer side of you where emotions come from and where the heart rules, are not weak or as vulnerable as they feel.  They are simply under developed and need time to grow.  Do not forsake them for the hard outer shell of logic just because logic is the more comfortable and familiar fit.

AirThe Hierophant and Borage (Optimism) – Lighten up.  You don’t have to be so serious all the time.  People will still take you seriously even if you let loose and allow yourself to have some fun.   A little fun and some expressions of joy will also refresh your enthusiasm for teaching at those times when it feels like you’re dragging a bit in those areas of your life.

WaterThe Empress and Campanula (Alignment) – This is an echo of yesterday’s Tarotholics reading.  It is an encouragement to be kind and supportive of yourself by looking at all that you have accomplished, and allowing yourself to take pride in your capabilities and the rewards of your hard work.  Let the knowledge of your accomplishments be a balm for the wounds your inner critic has wrought.

FireFour of Pentacles and Iris (Inspiration) – You are well entrenched within a place of stability right now.  Take this time to wallow in your creative spark and let your inspiration fly free. The business is slow but steady, your finances are in-hand.  Now’s the time to do some creative exploration and have a little fun.

WaningBeech – You may have some trouble with concentration this week and struggle with distractions and memory.  It’s okay, just remember that this time is temporary and look at it as a time to set big decisions and heavy responsibilities to the side until things are back in balance again.

WaxingElm – Although concentration may not be your strong suit over the next week, communication will be. Not the inane conversations of small talk and passing conversations, but deep and connected communication is possible this week, including some of those profound word drops that seem to pop into conversations with people out of nowhere and change lives.  So make sure that you pay attention to what you say, and how you say it… be sure that you speak with empathy as well as an open heart and open mind.

Take Away – This week is an ideal time to distance yourself a little more than usual from your responsibilities and obligations.  Fill that time with endeavors that allow that inner spark within you to shine, and with people that are conducive to true depth of communication. Take some time for yourself this week… everything else will take care of itself.

DECKS USED: NEW PALLADINI TAROT, SOULFLOWER PLANT SPIRIT ORACLE, TREE ANGEL ORACLE

Brain Shuffle

Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long, and I did something a little different today (which I’m surprised my phone cooperated with me and it worked).  Essentially I overlaid my harp meditation with the incremental chimes over-top the guided meditation.  So I got both the guide’s voice doing her guided meditation thing, and the harp in the background, and the occasional charms that tell me when to change positions in my stretch.   It sounds complicated, but it was really great and definitely something I’ll be doing again.

Cosmos Tarot and OracleToday’s draw is the Page of Air (Page of Swords) which is traditionally interpreted as a receptive omega energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s thoughts, intellect, logic, and the realm of communication.

What stood out to me the strongest in the imagery of this card today was the swirling of the fish around the central figure.   This swirling reminds me of the confusion that I sometimes go through when my brain has one of it’s “moments”.

This got me to thinking about why sometimes I’ll get in the habit of doing something (like messaging you as soon as I get home from work, for instance) and I’ll do that for a while and then suddenly I just stop. I know this is something that confuses you when it has something to do with how I interact with you specifically. But I want you to know that it’s not just you, and in truth?  I don’t even realize when it happens.  It’s sort of as if my brain goes through some sort of cyclical reshuffling on a periodic basis. At these times, some small things get lost in the shuffle, and then when things re-shuffle again (or you remind me)… they resurface.

I don’t know if this is natural and something that everyone goes through… or if it’s part of the results of the head injury that I experienced when I was younger that still at times screws with my memory. Either way, the fish in today’s card brought this to mind, and I think that the message here isn’t so much a “moral of the story” message as it is an encouragement for me to think about this in general and let it become something I’m more conscious of as a whole, even if I don’t realize it’s happening in the moment.

DECK USED:  COSMOS TAROT AND ORACLE

#TarotForGrowthJuly Challenge Prompt
Topic: 
I’m struggling to find my purpose.
Question
:  How are fear and shame playing into my refusal to acknowledge my purpose?

Dixit Cards v4 Origins Expansion Pack

Reading Summary: There is a continuation of color in these cards that indicates a building from one card to the next.  In the first card, you have a moose among men and he swings with them without fear of condemnation or reprisal… shameless.   In the center card, the knight stands in the mouth of the monster without fear or either falling or being eaten alive… fearless.  In the last card, the owl eats fruit from its own brain tree, indicating self sufficiency.

Take Away:  I am shameless and fearless in this area. I am centered in my purpose and know my path well as it is the path I chose for myself.

This has always been the case for me, and I honestly have no idea where the confidence to walk my own path came from.  It’s just always been there.  I know what I like and no amount of fear or shame can sway me from it.  I know what’s right for me, whether that’s something I like or some moral dilemma, or the steps taken along my spiritual path or my life path.

I honestly have struggled with the Tarot for Growth questions for the past few days, because struggling to find my purpose is just not something that I personally have an issue with, so the questions that focus upon that issue are really not something I relate well to.

DECK USED:  DIXIT CARDS v4 ORIGINS EXPANSION PACK

#DiscordTarotholicsJul2020 Challenge Prompt
Question
:  What do I need to focus on for self-care for this upcoming full moon?

Numinous TarotReading Summary:  Take some time to appreciate all that you’ve accomplished (Ten of Tomes), with extra emphasis placed upon the fact that you have accomplished these things by being the capable and resourceful individual that you are (The Magician).  Use this knowledge to push back against (Explorer of Bells) that inner critic that keeps trying to beat you into submission lately (Three of Bells).

Take Away:  My inner critic is a son of a bitch.  It’s no secret that this is something that I struggle with a lot. It works hard to convince me that nothing I do is ever good enough or ever enough at all. It pushes me forward, driving me to always give my all to every little thing… and the thing is?  It’s not just exhausting, but it’s impossible to give your all to every little thing.  With this upcoming full moon, the cards remind me to not give that inner critic credence, but instead look at all that I have done and how capable these accomplishments prove that I am… no matter what that inner critic says to the contrary.

DECK USED:  NUMINOUS TAROT

#OwlandBonesJuly Challenge by Owl and Bones Tarot
Topic:
  stop // use caution // go

Women of Science Tarot

Stop – Three of Astro – Don’t allow your thoughts to pick apart at your inner confidence. It’s important to take what that inner critic says with a grain of salt.

Use Caution – Three of Macro and Justice – Pay attention to what tasks you are farming out to others.  You have exacting standards, and you don’t want to hand out tasks to others that will lower the quality of the end results.

Go – Ten of Astro – As a previous reading I did earlier in the week stated, it’s time to move forward with the transition and growth that I’m going through.  I’ve spent time gathering wool and exploring, but I can’t stay still forever.  It’s time to consciously work on letting go of the old and stepping into the new.

DECK USED:  WOMEN OF SCIENCE TAROT

Gideon’s Challenge

IMG_6049Independence

Standing strong
isn’t easy
but independence
doesn’t mean
you never lean
upon others
or ask for help.
It means that
even when you do
those things
you continue to walk
your own path.

When we first got together, I was terrified that our relationship would decimate my independence.  I did not want to be under the thumb of another, nor controlled by someone… anyone other than myself.   I have come to learn, though, that it is still very much possible to be both fiercely independent and in a loving and supportive relationship.  I’ve learned this because you were patient enough to not just teach me it can happen… but show me it is possible.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Soothing Warmth

Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long and was one of the harp tone meditations where I sink into the sounds of the harp while chimes mark position changes for my piriformis stretching. It was easy and relaxing, and went by really quickly for some reason.  It’s odd how some days, that ten minutes can feel like an hour… and other days it feels like just a few minutes instead of a whole ten.

Herbcrafter's Tarot - Madre of Fire - ThymeToday’s draw is the Madre of Fire (Queen of Wands) which is traditionally interpreted as a receptive alpha energy, personality, or person in the areas of one’s drive, passionate endeavors, interests, and inner spark.

What stood out to me the strongest in the imagery of this card today (besides the huge harvest of thyme) was the honey pot. Thymus vulgaris and honey are used to make natural cough syrup that has a warming and soothing effect on both wet and dry coughs as well as bronchitis.

The message I hear from this card today is that I need to focus on some self soothing.  There’s been a bit of irritation going on lately that flares up then eases and flares up again over the past couple of weeks.   I’ve not been able to really find an underlying source, and the card here indicates maybe the goal shouldn’t be so much about digging in the dirt, but in easing the blisters on my fingertips.

DECK USED:  THE HERBCRAFTER’S TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJul2020 Challenge Prompt
Question:
What does my subconscious want to say that I’m ignoring?

Student Tarot 4 Godard's BirdsReading Summary: Instant gratification (Queen of Swords) is all well and good, but you need to seize control of yourself (King of Swords) now so that you don’t lose sight of the long-term growth (Seven of Pentacles) that is your ultimate goal.

Side Note:  Instant gratification indicated in the Queen of Swords is in reference to me relating the Queen of Swords to my mother, and my mother’s nearly universal attitude of “I want what I want, and I want it NOW”.  This is a personal correlation and “instant gratification” is not normally associated with the Queen of Swords.

Take Away:  It’s time to slow down on my spending a bit and take a more measured approach so that I don’t find myself in hot water down the road.  I did a bit of splurging on playing card decks over the past month, and while those decks are pretty inexpensive (compared to tarot), they still add up over time.   Add to that a bit of carelessness in my grocery spending, and I’m at that point where I need to get things back in hand again.

DECK USED:  STUDENT TAROT 4 GODARD’S BIRDS

Gideon’s Challenge

IMG_6115Cozy

Soft and comfy
like a fuzzy blanket
time with you
soothes my soul
comforts my heart
and wraps me
in a sense of
peace
I can find nowhere else

I’m so glad that we’ve gotten some time together the last few days.  I hadn’t realized how much I was needing that warm and cozy feeling you provide in these hours spent together, or how much that time creates a soothing balm on my soul and helps me find that place in my heart where everything feels just a bit more right in the world.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Most Used Crystals and Stones

Today’s prompt is brought to you by one of the Discord servers that I am a member of.  Just as a side note that I usually include with these discord questions… The reason I do not link these Discord servers is because each server has their own rules about if you’re allowed to share them publicly and how, and it’s a pain in the ass to look it up for each one so I just don’t share them.

On to the question… “What are your favorite crystals for your different practices/uses?

IMG_5079-2

So first, I need to explain about crystals and stones, I think. This is a very bare-bones and layman’s explanation, but essentially, crystals hold vibrations, which is a scientific fact.  Different crystals vibrate at different frequencies. These frequencies are then used in different ways to act upon energy.

Some of the ways these vibrational frequencies are used includes healing both one’s energy and/or body, enhancing your own personal vibrational frequencies that exist in our cellular make up as well as on the metaphysical plane, using these frequencies in spellcraft and ritual to enhance the energies created or stirred up in these activities, or reinforce the intentions brought forth in those practices, etc.

When working with crystals, many find they are more sensitive to the energy / vibrations / frequency of some crystals over others.  For example, I find Labrodorite extremely pleasant and soothing… some people don’t.  This means that the frequencies that labradorite emits are frequencies that mesh well with my personal energy.

So, the question here is essentially asking, what stones are you drawn to use most often in your different practices.  In reply I’ve made a short list… in alphabetical order. I was actually surprised that the short list is so long. Although, I guess that I shouldn’t be since I incorporate stones into not just my meditation and jewelry designs, but also in spellwork, ritual, tarot readings for my clients, as well as everyday purposes.

Amazonite – courage, self-awareness, integrity and truth
Black Tourmaline – protection
Blue Lace Agate – emotional truths
Calcedony – encouraging kindness and generosity
Carnelian – fostering pragmatism
Citrine – lift (sort of lightening the “weight” of other energies)
Clear Quartz – all types of general energy boosting
Amethyst – used much the same as clear quartz, but on a specifically spiritual level
Desert Rose – emotional clarity
Fresh Water Pearls – clearing the path to wisdom and enhancing integrity
Garnet – Ancestral connections and enhancing feelings of devotion
Green Calcite – encouraging compassion
Honey Calcite – optimism and a motivational boost
Labradorite – meditation (solar plexus) for calming
Larvikite – cleanse and balance the aura, and healing energy leaks
Mangano Calcite – fostering peace and a sense of well-being
Moonstone – emotional stability
Moss Agate – grounding and clarity
Opal – self expression and fostering creativity
Rose Quartz – warmth towards self and others and the softening of jagged energies
Selenite – energy purification and cleansing
Smokey Quartz – meditation (forehead) for crisp thought
Snowflake Obsidian – fosters surrender to meditative states and appreciation of beauty

These are, of course, not all of the uses for each of the crystals and stones mentioned above, but they are what I personally use them for most often. They are also not the only crystals and stones I use in my practice (whether that be my spiritual, magical, or tarot practice).  It’s simply a “short” list of the ones that I use most often.