Month: April 2021

Morning Bonus Read – DeCluttering

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The prompt for this reading came from one of my Discord servers and is as follows:
“This week, see where you need to do some Spring cleaning in your mind.”

Sakura Playing CardsWhat is cluttering up my mind and using up my resources unnecessarily?
Three of Hearts atop Six of Hearts blocking Two of Spades

You’re spending too much time begin weighted down by thoughts on how your choices effect others in your life instead of focusing on how the choices will affect your own life.  You need to remember your priorities and their order, and make decisions accordingly instead of letting sentimentality and outside influences sway your thoughts and decision making processes.

What is an area in my life where I could spend more energy in the short term in order to make it take up less energy in the long term??
Five of Spades atop Ace of Spades

If you want to be able to delve into new ideas with abandon, you need to make sure you’re getting the strategy done early.  Write shit down, plan things out, make sure you have a winning plan in place.  Lists are your friend. Use them to your advantage.  They will help you in knowing what you can achieve and what ideas are disposable.

In what areas should I learn to be okay with the mental mess??
Six of Spades and King of Hearts

Sometimes when transitioning from one state of being to another, as you are doing with your emotional growth over the past year or so, the mental chaos can sometimes be pretty intense.  The thing is, though, you’re learning to allow your emotions to rise up instead of denying them that freedom, and that is going to make things a bit chaotic all on it’s own, but it’s healthier than the alternative you’ve been doing in your past.  Better to accept the chaos as a part of change, the change as necessary and what you want, and go with the flow.

DECK USED:  SAKURA PLAYING CARDS

Cheerleaders In The Wings

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Today’s meditation was skipped today primarily because I was worried that I’d doze off, and thus not get on the road in a timely manner this morning.  When I got home, I was then too eager to sit down and spend time with Gideon.  So… meditation did not work out today.

Tarot of the Nymphs and Thera-Pets Emotional Support Animal CardsToday’s draw is the Seven of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of nefarious acts, clever and cunning deception, being sneaky, and other types of strategic acts, as well as getting away with something.

And… today’s message was just for me and specifically related to my day.  I planned to do something highly illegal (although not remotely triggering to my moral compass or ethics). There was a bit of nervousness about that coming up on the day’s events and my plans and the message here between the Seven of Swords and the “You can do the thing!” encouragement of today’s Thera-Pets card was just what I needed to hear to ease my anxiety and settle my nerves.

I won’t go into what that ‘thing’ was here, but suffice to say that everything went off without a single hitch, and the cheerleader encouragement from the cards this morning definitely helped my nerves and execution of said “thing”.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE NYMPHS AND THERA-PETS EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMAL CARDS

The Sacred Grounds Tarot Club Prompt
Question: What role does creativity hold in my life?

Seasons of the Arcana Tarot

Reading Summary: It is the foundation of stability in my life (King of Pentacles) and allows me something positive to focus on (Five of Cups Rx) during troubled times (Three of Swords).

Take Away:  Creativity plays many roles in my life.  It’s both my entertainment and my livelihood.  It is the basis of my business, and the place I retreat to when I need to relax or when my mind is racing and needs to slow down. It is threaded throughout most of my activities, both professional and personal. Without creativity, it would be harder to lift myself out of times of disillusionment, and I would not have the steady and stable foundation under my feet that I have built my life upon.

DECK USED:  IDEAL SOULMATE TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsApr2021 Challenge Prompt
Question: What is the most valuable thing you can do for others this month?

Tarot of the NymphsReading Summary: Lighten their load (imagery in the Ace of Pentacles) by taking charge (Emperor) and facilitating change (Death).

Take Away: Not everyone handles change as well as others do. The cards here indicate that one of the most valuable things I can do for others this month is helping in lightening their load by helping them in finding their direction and supporting them through the changes that need to take place.

Sometimes? People just need a guiding hand to help them figure it out and find their direction.  Sometimes doing that on their own is just too much.. too overwhelming.  Stepping in to help in these moments can assist them in finding their footing.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE NYMPHS

Daily Self Kindness

Gideon and I started a new realm today and played with brand new characters this evening, which is always exciting and I’ve been looking forward to all day long.

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_7528aFun and Games

Little giggles
and quiet titters
in the spot where
shadows
meet light
and moss drapes
while delicate tendrils
of vines and roots
tangle together

I hear you
I’m waiting
Come play

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

What is Centering and Grounding?

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Although a lot of people look upon the terms “grounding” and “centering” as one in the same, in truth they are two very different things that are often used in conjunction together.

Centering, which is usually done first (although not always), is about drawing in your chaotic energy. Imagine your energy as a sphere that surrounds you. When you are feeling chaotic, distracted, scattered, etc, the particles of energy in this sphere are agitated and disorganized.

In centering, you are taking these particles of your energy and drawing them from the sphere and in closer to yourself, even into yourself. Drawing these energies in, they condense and calm, ceasing their agitation and disorganized behavior. This is called Centering. It is bringing your energy “to center” in order to “piece yourself together” and calm your energy into a state of solid stability.

Grounding is usually done after centering, although some people do them simultaneously (or only do one or another depending on what works for them). Grounding is taking that stability within you and connecting it to “an anchor”. There are lots of things you can use as an anchor, but in my case it is always very literally… the ground.

Grounding helps preserve the centering that has been done, giving the stability found in the centering a more solid and long-lasting quality. It can also be used to help release excess energy that can build up when one is dealing with things like nervousness or anxiety, or otherwise balance out one’s energies.

My go-to way of grounding is through rooting. This is when you allow yourself to connect through your feet (or other part of your body touching the ground) and imagine your energy creating roots that dig down into the earth and spread beneath you. These energy roots create an anchor that helps cement stability in place, and allows a give-and-take of energy with the earth to level out any excess or depletion taking place.

I center and ground many, many times a day. It is a habit that takes a few second at a time, or can take a few minutes if done consciously and with intention for a stronger effect.

In spellcraft, these techniques are especially important as they are used to help condense and prepare your energy for use and direction. Casting a spell without centering and grounding would be like shooting an arrow out of a bow with the feathers loose. The energy (arrow) may get where its going, but it sheds a good deal of energy along the way (the feathers) making the spell less effective,

By centering and grounding first, you are essentially securing those feathers to the arrow (creating fletching) so that when the arrow flies, there is no loss of energy along the way and the arrow’s accuracy is greatly increased. Thus, your intention and energy in the spell is not wasted and flies true as well.

This is why you will find in the large majority of witchcrafting communities, when people ask why a spell didn’t work or why it went awry, the first question usually posed by those with experience is “Did you center and ground first?”

Chaos and Change

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Today’s meditation was skipped because I ended up falling asleep in the middle of it.  I’m not exactly how this shit works yeah?  Because I’m in a stretch position with my legs up on the headboard/against the wall.  And yet sometimes?  I doze off and wake up curled up and comfortable. How?

TPatch Tarot and Thera-Pets Emotional Support Animal Cardsoday’s draw is the Resurrection card of the Patch Tarot.  Normally this would be the Devil card.  The thing is?  This particular deck has a very unique perspective on a lot of the cards.  Sometimes, the imagery is completely different.  Other times, the imagery is almost classic based, but with some little odd twists that change the meaning.

In this particular card, what really stands out to me is the representation of all of the elements present and swirling around the central figure. There’s a lot of chaos in this card, although not necessarily any kind of negative chaos.  Just… a lot going on, yeah?  And that’s where the message lies here today.  It lies in the fact that not all chaos is a bad thing.  Sometimes, it’s the catalyst to some of the best things in life.

When combined with the Thera-Pets card for today, what I see here is a reminder not to get worked up and over anxious over change and chaos. This can be really hard to resist, but it’s important to remember that it’s just as often that good stuff emerges from change and chaos as bad, we just don’t fight against the good stuff.  Allow the chaos to swirl around you and reach out for the good within it and it will make the chaos more palatable and the changes it brings easier to accept.

DECK USED:  PATCH TAROT AND THERA-PETS EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMAL CARDS

LionHart’s Sacred Self Divination Challenge Prompt
Question: What personal theme am I asked to explore this month?

Seasons of the Arcana Tarot

 Reading Summary: Exploring my heart’s desires (Knight of Cups) through home related comforts (Four of Wands) and the pleasure of time spent with those nearest and dearest (Two of Cups).

Take Away:  This is a fitting message considering that I’m kicking this month off by taking some time off and plan on spending a lot of time with Gideon over the next week.  I also plan on cleaning out my storage locker in the basement as the first step (among many steps) in making space in my apartment for shelves. 

DECK USED:  SEASONS OF THE ARCANA TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsApr2021 Challenge Prompt
Question: What is the most valuable thing you can do for yourself this month?

Patch TarotReading Summary: Relax with those that make you happy (Six of Cups). Hydrate (Five of Cups). Enjoy the stuff that inspires you (Nine of Wands).

Take Away: The message here is that for the month of April I need to spend time savoring time with others spent relaxing and enjoying each other’s company, make sure that I’m taking care of myself and my body, and allowing myself to enjoy what I’m doing rather than holding myself back or feeling as if I don’t deserve to enjoy and should instead “buckle down” and be more “practical” with my time and attention.

It’s about self care… and about making sure I’m enjoying life instead of trudging forward.

DECK USED:  PATCH TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I gave myself a number of mini-breaks throughout the day today.  It set me back on time a bit, but I didn’t feel burnt out and ready to quit until a bit later in the night.  I’m not sure which is better, feeling fed up and wanting to quit sooner.. but getting done sooner.   Or feeling that feeling later, and but getting it all done taking more time.  Either way it still seems to show up right around the 85% finished mark.

Gideon’s Challenge

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Oxygen

Breathless moments
take a pause
rough bark
against resting hand
as head tilts back
and peace is found
in delicate needles
reaching overhead.

Exhale.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography