The Promise
Earth
and water
meet
in the reeds
as dark clouds
cast shadows
to trick
the eye
into believing
gray days
with
blue skies
are possible.
Month: November 2020
Find The Boon
I’ve managed to fall behind yet again… and I can’t remember whether I meditated on the 23rd or not. So I’ll leave this empty this time around as I finish up these posts that got started… but never published on the blog.
Today’s draw is the Strength card, which traditionally is more about inner strength than physical strength, and is a representation of persuasion and influence, an inner core of compassion, and the ability to bend others to one’s will.
What stood out to me in this card today is the expressions on the faces of both the boy and the fox. The holiday rush is in full swing and the message here is that even though it’s going to be a hard and busy day, it’s important to make sure that I’m finding some joy in it as well.
Don’t sink so deep into the work that you turn into a robot. Breathe deep and find the pleasure. The comfort. And the joy in what you do.
DECK USED: TAROT OF THE LITTLE PRINCE
#DiscordTarotolicsNov2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Pick a topic and pull a card for… Tomorrow / Next Week / Next Month
Topic: My financial health…
Tomorrow – Death – In the present, my finances are in the process of going through a natural shift. This is not news, as with the holiday rush upon me, the money is flowing in freely and (sometimes) feels like it’s sifting through my fingers like sand as I spend on postage and supplies almost as quickly as the money comes in.
Next Week – King of Cups – In the week ahead, you will find that you will come to a place of ease and security. Knowing that the money is there, knowing that bills are being paid and things are going well will give you an emotional boost and confidence.
Next Month – Five of Wands – By this time next month, you will be struggling with the slow down from the holiday rush. Anxiety over the drop off of sales is natural, as is the struggle to push it forward and keep it going. Inner conflict and the need to push will be burning wild in your chest, conflicting with the slowdown and need to back off and ease up.
DECK USED: MARY EL TAROT 1ST EDITION
Gideon’s Challenge
Sourpuss
A little nap
is all I wanted
but there’s no
peace
to be had
not even once
I’ve started
God forbid
I’m allowed
some sleep
or even a
little bit
of peace.
Photo © ZenStatePhotography
Positive Transformations
Today’s meditation was just over twelve minutes long and was a guided meditation with interval timer for my piriformis stretches. The thing is, though? I have no idea what the guided part of the meditation was about.
I mean, I was listening I think… and part of the reason I save the little graphics that come with my meditation is so that it can prompt my memory of the guided topic. And yet…. even the graphic doesn’t prompt up a memory of the meditation’s topic really. Not even a vague memory remains. Maybe I was deeper into my meditation than I thought?
I suppose that the important part is that I actually did the meditation at all, though. Which I did. So… yeah.
Today’s draw is the Ace of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of the seed of new beginnings in the area of one’s drive, inspiration, motivation, and inner spark. This often translates into themes that have to do with new passion projects, sparks of curiosity, and things that strike your interest and kindle an inspired passion within you.
What really stands out to me in the imagery of this card today is the dress that the woman wears in the image. She looks like she’s draped in malachite and surrounded in crazy lace agate.
Malachite holds within it the energy of transformation to ease struggles and foster insight. Crazy lace agate is a stone used to foster and flourish joy in one’s life. This feels like a good omen, and I’m going to take it as such.
The message here today is to continue to transform those negative inner dialogues into positivity and optimism.
DECK USED: TRADITIONAL MANGA TAROT
#DiscordTarotolicsNov2020 Challenge Prompt
Topic: Do Spread #2
Question: I am struggling with incorporating self care into my day. What advice do I need to hear right now that will help me with this struggle over the next few weeks?
Reading Summary: Have patience (Temperance), because change takes time (Death). And it can hurt (white is you, red is change) so be prepared for that.
There are connections here in the colors that reinforce the message at hand. In the Death card, the staff that death holds relates to the hair of the woman in the Five of Swords, and the gown the angel wears relates to the dress of the caught woman in the Five of Swords.
Connecting the figures in the imagery in this way, you can see that the red haired woman (connected through color to Death/Change) is inflicting pain upon the caught woman in the Five of Swords card (who is reflected in the angel in the Death card drained of color).
Take Away: These cards are a reminder that it’s okay to miss self care now and then, because the effort to find balance after the changes made in my life (both by me in my effort to find better balance, and by the holiday rush) are going to cause a bit of imbalance and that imbalance naturally involves dropping the ball now and then. And honestly? Better to drop the ball just a bit on self care than on the business you’re trying to run during the holiday rush. Thus…. it’s gonna hurt a bit because growing pains suck. Instead of being hard on yourself, be kind and forgiving in those moments you slip up.
DECK USED: DARK WOOD TAROT
#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: When have I felt emotionally rich?
Reading Summary: This summer when I was resting (Four of Swords) after having experienced burnout (Ten of Wands), and was spending time ignoring much of the stressful crap (Eight of Swords).
Take Away: The cards here are referring to the time off that I allowed myself each month over the summer. I’ve never really taken time off before, not even when going to my mother’s or out east. I mean… yeah, I did… but not really. What I found from that time is that when I’m able to step away from my responsibilities for a few days and breath, I find myself not just rejuvenated inside and out, but when I’m able to step away from the guilt of not working I’m also then able to focus on other things I enjoy as well…. and that I really like that.
DECK USED: GOLDEN TAROT BY KAT BLACK
Gideon’s Challenge
Musing on Wealth
Tiny ripples
leading
into the distance
where stately walls
stand strong
and windows
gleam
in the light of a
low slung sun
“Who loves there?”
you wonder
“What worries
keep them up
at night?”
Are they just like me?
Sometimes when we look at people that are better off than we are, we wonder if their life is better… or in many cases assume that it is. We assume that their worries can’t possibly be as big as ours, or that their life surely has to be so much easier.
The truth is? Every tax bracket has their own worries, every fortune has it’s own misfortunes, and every gleaming bright white cloud has a shadow. We trade worries for different worries, struggles for different struggles, and stresses for different stresses. Each looks at the other and thinks their own troubles are heavier or harder… but no one ever considers that perhaps that’s not the case at all and that in truth, they are simply different… but equal.
Photo © ZenStatePhotography
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?
Earth – The Fferyllt (Temperance) and Horse – Not a time of pause or stillness, but a time of peace and motion. There is a difference. This week is a time of gathering when the energies of home and hearth, finance and resources are swirling within and around each other and building. Make sure that you ride this energy by gathering up what needs to be stocked up on, and preparing what needs prepared.
Air – Nine of Cups and Meadowsweet – Focus on the good stuff this week and let that negative inner dialogue fade back into the background until it is less than a whisper. You don’t have time for that nonsense right now, and there’s too much going right at the moment to worry about it. You are feeling good, and good things are coming your way this week. Be sure to appreciate it to the fullest.
Water – Two of Pentacles and Wolf – This week will bring a little discomfort as you work at keeping that balance and sustaining room for your emotions to have a place in the holiday rush process. This is a learning process, and that discomfort is natural. Don’t wall off just because it feels different or uncomfortable. Instead, stay open to the lessons that need to be learned.
Fire – Prince of Pentacles and Hare – Even through moments of fear you have slowly plodded forward toward the goals you wish to reach. Now is a fast paced time of year, but that doesn’t mean that you have to allow your heart to race or push your plans forward any faster than you want to. Allow your intuition to guide your direction. And remember… filling orders quickly doesn’t mean everything else has to speed up too.
Waning – Fox – Set aside strategizing for the week ahead and instead use this time to try settle into the new rhythms that you’ll be working with for the next few weeks. Now is not the time to plot and plan but rather to adjust and adapt.
Waxing – Frog – Abundance is coming and it’s coming fast and hard. One of the themes of the frog is fecundity and the appearance of the frog in this position is an indication of encouragement and a continued ramping up of creative endeavors, sales, and business over the next week.
Take Away – Things are getting busy and it’s time to let go of some of the more administrative and strategic tasks of running a business to dive headlong into the creative process and production aspects. You’ve begun to feel the energy and rhythm of the busy season, and it’s natural to ride that wave. Just don’t lose track along the way of the balance you’ve managed to achieve. Don’t forsake your emotions or your self care, and be sure that you are turning your mind and attention towards positive themes and optimistic views.
Twisting the Leaf 