Faith
Your belief in me
is a beacon
in the darkness.
Your care for me
wind underneath
wings.
With you
at my side,
your encouragement
there to guide…
I soar.
You speak of loving me like it is the simplest thing in the world, but I know I am not the easiest person to love. You speak of supporting me like it is lifting a feather, and yet I know the strength of your arms. Thank you for always being there, for always believing in me, and for helping me to become the man that I am today.
Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and was focused primarily on breathing in cleansing energy, and breathing out pain as I stretched and worked on a few stiff spots in my mobility. This type of meditation can be extremely relaxing when muscles and pain levels cooperate, but today was not one of those cooperative days. I did manage to get a little more range of motion going, though, so it wasn’t a total loss.
Today’s draw is is the Ten of Water (Ten of Cups) which is traditionally a representation of fulfillment and completion in the areas of one’s emotions, relationships, and intuitive gifts.
There were a couple of different things that stuck out to me in the imagery of this card today, the first of which was one of the key words at the bottom of the card. Although I absolutely see the sense in “marriage” as an interpretation of the Ten of Cups, I’ve personally never had marriage come up in relation to this card and it took me a moment’s pause to consider and… eventually, agree.
Also in the imagery of this card it was that the woman here has her eyes closed. This speaks to me of turning inward, and in doing so, becoming more aware of the emotions you are feeling in the moment. The slight curve on her lips indicates that she feels both peaceful and positive in this moment captured on the card.
The message in today’s card is to take time and acknowledge your emotions, and savor the good and positive pieces of your life that lift those positive emotions to the surface.
#TarotForGrowthJuly Challenge Prompt
Topic: I’m struggling with self-worth.
Question: How can I learn to measure my worth exclusively in comparison to my past self?
Reading Summary: Don’t close yourself off and hunker down, becoming so focused on stability and security (Four of Coins) that you forget to look around. Opportunities lie in opening your eyes (Two of Swords). Instead make the choice to stay aware and to roll with the punches (The Wheel).
Take Away: In order to measure my worth exclusively in comparison to my past instead of on my present or future contributional abilities, I need to remember all of the times in the past when life has knocked me on my ass and how I have managed to get up again and again regardless of what has been thrown at me along the way.
#DiscordTarotholicsJul2020 Challenge Prompt
Topic: Write something free form inspired by the cards.
Knight of Cups – Andrew’s worth had always been measured in his ability to get on well with his comrades and strangers alike. He was known to be a boisterous man filled with stories that made others laugh and a lover that captured the hearts of many women.
Strength – One day Andrew met a woman that he could not sway so easily as all the others. This intrigued him and drew him to her again and again like a moth to the flame. And with each visit to her bed he became more enamored with her, admiring her wiles and her wisdom.
Death – Through these many visits she opened Andrew up to a whole new world, and soon he had eyes for no one but her. Frivolous trysts and clandestine encounters no longer appealed, as it was the strength of Cassandra’s mind he admired most of all and he found that none other could shine as bright as she.
His life forever changed, he committed himself to her and they lived long lives together, challenging each other to grow, their fates entwined like the roots of an oak tree.
#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: When am I most creative?
Reading Summary: When I am regulating (Temperance) my responsibilities properly (Two of Pentacles) and leaving room for endeavors away from my obligations (King of Cups).
Take Away: I am most creative when I allow myself some time and space to do things that have nothing to do with my obligations and responsibilities. Exploring creativity in this free environment, without the pressures of money or business or obligation to weigh down the process, allows my creativity to truly be set free.
Bright
Your love
shines
line sunlight
on my soul
and I bathe
in its radiance
as it
warms me
from the
inside
out.
I can feel the tangled knots of the drop now rising in my gut, seeking out a place to stick and stay, hide and rest. Your love is the shining light, bright and ever present, that helps keep that bundle of knots for lingering too long. Thank you for always being there for me during these times… even the ones where reaching for you becomes a challenge all its own.
I love you.
Pull the Knights from a deck of your choice. Do you have someone in your life that fits with one of these cards? Do you have people in your life that would fit with each of them? Tell us about the connection you see between each Knight card and the person in your life it represents.
Knight of Wands (Explorer of Candles) – Idealistic and demanding, she visits the protests each night after work. With a mask over her face she holds her sign high, she shouts her passions loud and strong as she joins the mass in the streets again and again. She stands up for her beliefs and for what’s right. She stands up for what she feels is important, protesting and demanding change as she helps the protestors to drive home what is important and what needs done.
Knight of Swords (Explorer of Bells) – What had once been a spark of an idea has become a burning need to succeed. She built this business from the ground up and now constantly pushes forward, ever onward, to guide the business towards growth and encourage it to flourish. Sometimes she takes risks that seem reckless in this need to advance her cause.
Knight of Cups (Explorer of Vials) – Such a charmer, he hits the bars each night with his frat brothers and always comes home with a giggling and happy girl. He leaves them as happy as he finds them, if not happier, but he does this naturally in pursuit of his own fulfillment. After all? How can he wrangle the very best experience out of them without giving them the very best in turn? Sometimes this means they fall for him, but he’s the love’em and leave’em type. He does his best to let them down easy, because there’s new depths to explore around the corner with another in the wings.
Knight of Pentacles (Explorer of Tomes) – Five days a week he sits at a desk in a pleated suit and tie. He meets with clients and guides them forward, showing them how to invest, and what to invest in, sharing strategies for paying off their debts, for financing their mortgage, for creating a fund for their retirement. His passion in this work, in helping others find their own stability, brings him to work each day and he takes his own advice to build his own future as well.
Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and took place out on the balcony. I needed some fresh air and distance, so I closed myself out there and laid out along the plants and pots to chill for a bit. I took a lazy amount of time out there, even after the breathing exercises I rolled over to spend some time chilling with the overflowing of thyme I have out there this year, picking buds and cleaning things up.
Today’s draw is the Three of Air (Three of Wands) which is traditionally interpreted as representing themes of heartbreak, disappointment, emotional pain, and depression. These “emotions” do not live in the heart, but within the mind, and this is why although the card appears to be about the emotions, it resides within the Swords suit which is the suit of the mind.
In this card, my eyes are irresistibly drawn to the Echinacea flowers reaching for the sky today, as well as the hint of a rusted roof in the distance of the background. Echinacea is an immune system booster, and is used in spellcraft as a plant that lends an energy boost to your intent as well as an herb used to promote inner strength. This makes the presence of the plant represented on the Three of Swords card especially relevant, as it transforms the card from a representation of desolation and despair to one of growth and support during difficult times.
The roof holds its own meaning to me when I see it in the imagery of this card today. It speaks to me of a long stretch of time. It takes time to weather a corrugated roof and create those streaks of rust and weathering you see in that small peek you see in the lower left corner of the card. Blended with the Echinacea, it speaks of the fact that sometimes it takes time to heal from disappointments and heartache. Not everything can be immediate.
This message today is in reference to my journey of healing from “the letter”. It’s been months and months since the letter first arrived, and over six months now since I started confronting the fear and fog that swallowed me whole in response to that letter. It feels like this climb out of that place of fear and desolating doubt. Today’s card is a message of encouragement and patience. A reminder that true healing takes time, and that’s okay.
#TarotForGrowthJuly Challenge Prompt
Topic: I’m struggling with self-worth.
Question: What three qualities do I associate with what it means to be “a good person”?
Reading Summary: The ability to stay on the straight and narrow despite the shit that tries to tear you down.
I can’t quite break this one down as neatly as I usually do to display how I came to the bare bones of the reading. What I see here is that the Three of Swords is the topic. It is what “happens to you” and the basis of this reading. The King then represents the strength to “stay the course” and the Eight of Wands reinforces single minded purpose towards the direction I wish to go in seen in the Two of Wands.
Usually when I break apart my reading to display how I get there, I’m able to break it into pieces that fit together into a succinct sentence. Something about how the Lumina Tarot communicates makes this process a lot more difficult. I’m not sure why.
Take Away: So in breaking this down, three of the qualities I associate with being a good person include the strength of will to “stay the course” of one’s beliefs and standards through through times of struggle and heartache, the ability to perceive the direction you want to go in through these times, and the determination to stay on that course. This is about one’s moral compass and life goals, and about not allowing negativity to steer you away from those values.
#DiscordTarotholicsJul2020 Challenge Prompt
Topic: Banish This / Attract This
Banish This – Taurus – It’s time to let go of your bullheaded stubbornness and rigidity. There is a great deal of inflexibility in you and in order for the growth you want to happen to flourish and really take off, you need to find a way to let go of some of that rigidity.
Attract This – The Grand Duke – Androgyny and a hint of mastery yet to come. The message here is about adaptability, versatility, and growth. I need to invite these qualities in and allow them to ease the rigidity that is holding me back. It is possible to hold on to who you are and your moral compass, even as you move through the changes taking place and grow into a better person.
#OwlandBonesJuly Challenge by Owl and Bones Tarot
Topic: let in // let out // let go // let rest
King of Cups – Let in Gideon, for he is your support and knows you better than all others (except perhaps L). Sometimes, especially when I’m dealing with subdrop, it can be hard to open up. Feeling so vulnerable makes being so open especially a struggle, but that is what he is there for, to block out the danger so that he and he alone has access to those tender moments and inner knots, and can help me through.
The Empress – Let out into the world my ability to nurture and encourage others. Remember that the creations you make and send out in to the world have power to influence others in positive, nurturing ways. They foster positivity and spread joy, bringing this warmth and energy into the lives of others, sometimes when they need it most, but always with the ability to then spread out from that person to the next and the next.
The Sun – Let go and allow the sun to shine. Don’t allow pessimism to win out. You’ve made he conscious choice to try and move in a more positive direction, to foster positivity and joy in your life. In order for this to happen, you have to allow it.
Ace of Swords – Let rest my harsher nature. That inner critic and the inner dialog that goes on with myself is not healthy. Pushing it away is not the only path to easing up on this. Letting it rest is another method worth exploring.
#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How can I capture my best ideas?
Reading Summary: Take time to examine them from all angles (The Hanged Man), pick them apart and judge them harshly (Queen of Swords) in order to challenge their worth (Five of Wands).
Take Away: This is more about how to sort out the best ideas from the not as great ones. It’s one of those times where that shrewd judgement and harsh sight comes in handy as it allows me to pick apart an idea down to its bare bones and look at all the drawbacks and other pitfalls it might have. If it can make it through that process and come out the other side, it is truly worthy of exploring further.
Calm and Quiet
First she comes
tentative
and wild
one quiet step
and then another.
Shhh… stay still
and watch
they say,
and next
comes the surprise.
Twins with wobbly legs and curiously twitching noses follow their mother out of the trees and into the open. They stay close, but still they come. Their mother is skittish, but she brings them forward to show them off in a gift built through years of cultivating trust.
Twisting the Leaf 