Month: January 2021

Finding What Works

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IMG_9019Today’s meditation was just over eleven minutes long and was a guided meditation via the Calm app with an added interval timer for my piriformis stretches. I nearly skipped again, but I managed to fight off the temptation and actually do the meditation instead.

The focus of today’s meditation was about perspective, and how important it is to listen to others and gain their input.  Sometimes when you are sure that your way is the right way, it’s difficult to remember that it may not be the only right way.  At times like that, it can be difficult to reach out for other’s input and perspectives, and yet with every time we do just that… we ourselves grow and become more than we were before. We learn and become better as a result.

Bonestone & Earthflesh Tarot - Ace of SwordsToday’s draw is the Ace of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of new ideas, new perspectives, and new ways of communicating with others.

This card is one of the cards in the deck that actually convinced me I had to have this deck.  I was one of those that didn’t manage to pick up the deck through kickstarter, but rather much later down the line when they were briefly (for a few hours) available through the creator’s Etsy shop. This was the first card I saw of this deck, and I was so enamored that I just had to have it.

The feathered quill here speaks of both the air element, which is the element of the Swords suit, but also of the themes that have to do with intellect and communication. The message I see in this card today is about finding new methods of communication, and is a topic that I am very familiar with.

When I was rendered mute, I had to seek out and experiment with many different new methods of communication.   Here online, not much changed.  I was able to communicate as normal and no one even realized anything had changed.  It was like “coming home” to return back to old and comfortable methods each day when the rest of my day was filled with the struggle of maneuvering the world by new and different ways of communicating.

That’s what this card made me think of today.  Sometimes?  We have to try something new whether we really want to or not. The point of doing this is to find what works for us… and discover what doesn’t. Experimentation and trying something new is not about succeeding or failing.  It’s about finding the shoes that fit best and are the most comfortable to wear.

DECK USED:  BONESTONE & EARTHFLESH TAROT

LionHart’s Elements Tarot Challenge Prompt
Questions:  I. II. and III.

Dark Days Tarot

I. What is the main theme of this Mercury Retrograde for me?

Page of Wands atop Two of Wands – This Mercury Rx for me will be about finding new ways to look at my plans and goals.  This could involve a new perspective in how I deal with planning things out, but will have an impact on how I do things in the future, and allow for me to learn a better method of working out those details.

II. How am I asked to honor my feelings or the current Rx vibes?

King of Pentacles Rx atop Two of Swords – Your vulnerable undersides are showing. Make sure that you’re not acting hastily and causing more damage as a result.  Sometimes, standing still and allowing the world to turn around you is a better choice than stepping blindly forward onto the ice and having it crack beneath your feet.

III. What am I asked to reflect on throughout Mercury Retrograde?

Knight of Wands atop The Chariot – Why are you rushing?  Why is it so important that you get things done at inhuman speeds?  Why do you force yourself into the stress of unreasonable deadlines when you are the one setting these deadlines in the first place?

DECK USED:  DARK DAYS TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicJan2021 Challenge Prompt
Topic: Do Spread 4 

5 Cent TarotHow do you most commonly misinterpret reading the cards for yourself?

Justice – I often judge myself too harshly and my feelings on needing to be punished for these things I am judging myself about sometimes comes out in my readings.   At these times (and when reading on these topics), my reading accuracy is often hindered by the fact that I see repercussions being dealt out to me that are unnecessary and never come to pass as a result.

How do you most commonly misinterpret reading the cards for others?

Ten of Wands – The answer is at the top of the card.  It has to do with failing to see the accomplishment within the message.  My focus during a reading is often honed in on what needs to be done, what needs to change, what needs fixing or adjusting or what help is needed.  This proactive approach often neglects to also take in what has been done or fixed or adjusted.

How can you improve at reading the cards so that it doesn’t keep happening?

Nine of Cups – Include more positivity in the readings. Empowerment is already there but there also needs to be an emotional connection.  Something that connects the emotions to positive feelings and a feeling of accomplishment instead of it all being about what’s needed or not been done or the more unpleasant aspects of the situation.

DECK USED:  5 CENT TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I’ve started using the MyNetDiary app on my phone again to keep track of my blood sugar readings, and I’m doing a bit of tracking of my sugar levels before and after eating as an update since I haven’t done this in a while.

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?

Ink Witch Tarot, Oracle of the Radiant Sun, Piatnik Art Deco Fortune Telling Cards

Earth – Eight of Wands Rx and Adaptability – Slow down and take your time. It’s okay that things are taking their time in getting back on track, and it’s okay that you need to take your time finding your balance.  Not everything can move quickly, and this is one of those times where you are along for the ride rather than in control. Go with the flow and in time you will find yourself back at a safe and healthy balance once more. The depression you deal with at the moment isn’t situational nor based in emotion or thought… it’s rooted in your mental health and it’s going to take time to find your way back out of it. Don’t be impatient and just “let it ride” for now.

Air – King of Wands and Harmony – Staying on top of things with the business will help you in finding a small sense of control during a time when everything else in the world feels out of sync and off kilter.  This isn’t about burying yourself in work, but rather about providing yourself a sense of empowerment by using your skills to keep things running smoothly.

Water – Knight of Wands and Vision – So much play… so much goodness coming from it. Your time with Gideon in play is helping you.  It gives you something to feel enthusiastic about in the midst of the weight of depression, and it allows you to see that there is good stuff out there for you, and people that love and cherish you, even when you are caught in darkness.  Make sure this week that you continue to find those things that give you that perspective… a perspective that is often sorely lacking when stuck in the depression’s grip.

Fire – Page of Wands and Patience – Take this time to make small steps.  Small progress.  Don’t push too hard and don’t take on too much.  Now is a time for being gentle with yourself and allowing yourself space to adjust.  Every small and little thing you do is an accomplishment, even the ones that feel silly or mediocre are still another small step forward.

Waning – Journey – You’re not gong to be getting anywhere fast this week. Just let go and let things take their own time as you move at a bit slower than your normal pace.

Waxing – Ardent Desire – Allow your passion for Gideon to help keep your spirits aloft. Temptation and longing are your friend… just don’t put yourself at risk of the drop or it could bring all those good feelings crashing down around you.

Take Away – The darkness marches on into the week and will be there as your companion through it, but there are things you can do to help keep yourself afloat so that you do not sink so far down into the muck that it becomes even harder to eventually pull yourself out. Have patience and focus on these positive things, allow yourself time and remember that it won’t last forever.

DECKS USED:  INK WITCH TAROT, ORACLE OF THE RADIANT SUN, PIATNIK ART DECO FORTUNE TELLING CARDS

When Everything Falls Apart

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Today’s meditation was skipped because I didn’t feel like it, which… at the time felt like a valid excuse to skip it for the day, but now I realize that it’s not and I should have realized it from the start.  I just felt such a heavy lack of enthusiasm and dread about it that I had a “fuck it” reaction and didn’t do it.

Heaven & Earth Tarot - Ten of WandsToday’s draw is the Ten of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of feeling overwhelmed and/or overburdened.  It is about struggling under the weight of one’s projects and responsibilities.  I often end up getting this card as a warning when I am approaching burnout.

What stands out to me the strongest in this card’s imagery to day is the upraised hands.  It’s as if we have caught this man in that single moment when what was a neatly stacked and bundled collection of wands decides to go awry and spread out.  The hands then raise up in an “oh shit” to try and catch what has clearly decided to split, separate, and break free.

We all have times when everything is neatly in a row and then suddenly one of the ducklings goes off track and chaos ensues. It’s not always about having overburdened yourself… but about losing control of that burden unexpectedly.     The thing is?   That is also a form of overburdening… as it’s important to leave some wriggle room for when that moment of “awry” happens so that you can deal with it instead of it overpowering you.

DECK USED:  HEAVEN & EARTH TAROT

LionHart’s Elements Tarot Challenge Prompt
Question: What am I asked to take with me moving forward?

Mundane Magick Tarot

Reading Summary: Let go of your perceived failings (Judgement atop Emergent of Coins Rx), while taking forward into the future your empowerment (The Magician) and hope (The Star).

Take Away:  It is hard to let go sometimes when you feel you’ve fucked up or suck at something. Or, at least it’s hard for me to let go of it.  Especially if the repercussions involve destabilizing my security or hurting someone else.  The key to a healthier future, though, is to remember that from these experiences you learn and obtain tools that help you in dealing with them better in the future, and do what you can to focus on the good you can do moving forward.

DECK USED:  MUNDANE MAGICK TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicJan2021 Challenge Prompt
Question: What is your greatest vice you’re not consciously aware of?

Guardian of the Night TarotReading Summary: When finding myself at the end of a journey (Ten of Swords) and thus the beginning of a new one (Ace of Cups), I often fail to pause and take stock (Four of Pentacles Rx) before moving forward.

Take Away: I’m so constantly going full bore from one thing to the next that I often forget that I need to take a break and find my footing again between one adventure and the next one.

Instead, I move on from what has been finished and dive enthusiastically into the next, allowing my pursuit if enjoyment and pleasure to carry me away into the new “thing”, whatever that thing might be, without that necessary pause to take stock, restock, and find my balance before continuing on.

DECK USED:  GUARDIAN OF THE NIGHT TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I turned the water off for the sink and decided not to fuck with it today.  It was really frustrating me, as it’s still leaking.  It didn’t at first.  Not for the first few hours after I’d taken it apart and put it back together.  Then it started leaking again while we were doing the dishes.  So obviously… it’s not fixed.  I needed to step away from it for a bit, so I have decided not to deal with it today or tomorrow since it’s the weekend anyway so if I need to get hold of Moen, it won’t be possible until Monday at the earliest.

Morning Bonus Read – Negative Patterns

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The prompt for this reading came from one of my Discord servers and is as follows:
“The very simplest, most basic premise of shadow work is that when our subconscious wants something different from our conscious, our conscious choices and magic are ineffective because they are being sabotaged by our unconscious. This book is pointing out that SOMETIMES (not always) when we see a repeating “negative” pattern in our lives, it is because that thing is fulfilling some subconscious desire. The only way forward is to drag that part of us out of the shadows and integrate or accept it so that we can consciously choose how to fulfill those desires instead of letting them drive our life. This is a very basic idea and there are obviously many facets to this, but this week, if you like, join me in exploring this most basic idea with one or more of these questions (or others if you so choose).”

Playing Politics 20/20 Vision Playing CardsAn area in your life with a recurring “negative” pattern.
Five of Diamonds

Scarcity issues. God fuck do I ever have scarcity issues.  It is a recurring problem in that it drives me constantly to try harder and do more, spurring my constant craving for security and stability to the point of near obsession.

What would I stand to lose if this negative pattern were to magically, suddenly disappear from my life?
Five of Spades

My fight. My push. As mentioned above, I use my scarcity issues as a motivational shove to get things done and stay on track with my plans, goals, and responsibilities.  Without those issues there to create drive, things like depressive episodes and mood swings as well as a variety of other situations and distractions would make staying focused on those goals and responsibilities nearly impossible.

What feeling does this negative pattern give me that I might, deep down, secretly enjoy?
Four of Spades

Exhaustion after a job well done. Honestly?  Burnout sucks ass, but it does occasionally create a perception of having done a lot and accomplished something.  Otherwise, why would you be so tired?

Am I experiencing pleasure in relation to the guilt I feel for having and using this negative pattern?
Seven of Clubs

Yes. I’m fighting the good fight… Or I feel like I’m fighting the good fight using this negative pattern as a weapon against laziness, failure, and distraction. It feels empowering.

If I let go of guilt about this negative pattern, What feeling would be left?
King of Clubs

More strength and security to support my business and my endeavors.  This last question was an interesting turn in perspective for me about this pattern of behavior.   So often my negative patterns and behaviors are things that I feel need to be resolved or healed.  Yet in this case, perhaps it is more about finding a balance of moderation instead.

DECK USED: PLAYING POLITICS 20/20 VISION PLAYING CARDS