Month: April 2021

Support Systems and Strength

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Today’s meditation was skipped.  I had planned to feed Luna then go on into the other room and meditate, but as soon as I was moving around the apartment apparently I was fair game for every little thing that everyone needed to talk to me about.  It just didn’t get done because by the time I got a few minutes to myself?  It was time to get online and spend some time with Gideon.  SO yeah.  No meditation today.

Cute Cat Tarot and Thera-Pets Emotional Support Animal CardsToday’s draw is the Ten of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of emotional satiety that goes beyond just self satisfaction and spreads to a harmony with others.

The key to this card and what moves it beyond the solitary satisfaction of the Nine of Cups, is that it is about how your satisfaction and positive emotions are shared with others.  Just as what we see here in the card is three cats… instead of one.

When combined with the Thera-Pets card for today, what I see here is a reminder that no man is an island unto themselves.

Being strong isn’t just about you.  It’s about who you choose to surround yourself in, and the choice to allow these people in your life to have an active part in helping achieve happiness, harmony, and enjoyment in the every day.  It’s about letting them in and allowing them to help when you need help.   It’s the support system that you build for yourself that helps create the happiness and resilience needed to stand tall in even the biggest of storms.

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

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question:  What energy am I attracting in my life at this time?

Marziano Tarot

Reading Summary:  Consumerism over gratitude (Nine of Phoenixes), hedonism (Bacco), and sorting things out in your head (Five of Eagles).

Take Away:  Reevaluation of my more “freewheeling” tendencies (which are all consumerism based).   The energy that I’m attracting into my life at this time is all about looking at what I’m doing and weighing its value.  Where am I placing my energy, my attention, and my money?  What is diverting my attention away from a mindset of gratitude.  What am  I hiding from that I am using these things to distract myself?  It’s time to start digging and find the answers to these questions.

DECK USED:  MARZIANO TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsApr2021 Challenge Prompt
Question: What kind of person do you truly want to become?

Cute Cat TarotReading Summary:  Capable (Magician). Serene and comfortably wise in the area of my personal emotions and those of others (King of Cups atop The World).  Well balanced (Two of Pentacles).

Take Away:  This is a glimpse of what I hope to accomplish through the emotional growth that I am exploring in myself at this time and have been working to foster in  myself over the past year or so.

With this growth I hope to become more confident in my ability to understand and accept my emotions, and understand and react to the emotions of others.  I also hope to find a better way to balance the softer sides of myself and the harder more cutthroat sides of my nature.

DECK USED:  CUTE CAT TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

Gid and I had a talk today about our balance between the Dominance and submission and other aspects of our intimate relationship.  It felt… really good. I’m not sure if he feels the same, but I feel like we aired some stuff that hadn’t been aired before and that I’m really glad to have heard and now know.

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_6818Window Musings

A circular room
full of light
with paint splatter
on the floor
and in mind’s eye
you can see
the ghost
of a long gone
easel
sitting in the center
as the whisper
of hours
cast shadows
like a sundial
on aged wood

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Morning Bonus Read – Future Self

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Anna K LenormandMy Present Self

Bear – Large and in charge, you feel like you have everything (or the things that matter anyway) under control.  You accept that not every aspect of the world is yours to control, but the parts of it that are your responsibility are feeling well in hand.

My future self will thank me for…

Tower – Keeping an eye out for trouble and anything that might require foreknowledge in order to defend against. Be prepared.  Make sure that you’re wards and other protections are in order, including those of the physical variety.

My future self tells me to focus on…

Fox – The day to day mechanics of making sure everything is running smoothly and will continue to do so. Now isn’t a time to drop the ball. Stay on top of things and settle into a steady routine that’ll keep everything moving at a comfortable pace from one day to the next. This is about what allows you to provide for yourself and those that depend upon you, and finding a balance and routine in that area that’s not overwhelming or going to flirt with burnout, which will then disrupt that “steady as you go” rhythm.

My future self tells me to cut off…

Coffin – Cut off the pessimism and negative inner narrative that can drag you down and cause you to lose your stride on life’s path.  When you feel it sneaking up, cut it off immediately. Don’t allow it to wreck changes that will be unhealthy for you in the end.

Advice from my future self

Child – Have a little fun.  This is advice you recently received in another reading as well.  Don’t be so damned serious and aloof all the time.  It’s okay to invest yourself in the things you like and enjoy, and it’s okay to smile and laugh more. Working on incorporating more of this attitude in your life will breath fresh air into your life and refresh the energy that surrounds you.

DECK USED:  ANNA K LENORMAND

What We Pass On

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Today’s meditation was just under ten minutes long and was a guided meditation that I had saved on my phone from the Calm app that is from last winter.  Along with the guided meditation, I included an interval timer for my piriformis stretches.

I really liked this meditation the first time I did it, and so I decided to do it again.  The topic of today’s meditation was about silence and stillness, and how even when we don’t feel like meditation does anything for us, it quietly works behind the scenes and makes changes in not just how we see and deal with life, but also with our health.

This is something that I relate to a lot.  When I do my meditation, whether it’s hit-or-miss or done regularly every day, I don’t really feel a difference in myself.  I don’t feel any different, or see any differences just on the surface level.  But other people notice the differences.  They notice I am a bit more relaxed and a bit less high strung.  They notice that I smile more and react more noticeably to music and songs that I enjoy. And my Fitbit notices as well, for doing meditation regularly significantly changes my resting heart rate by over ten bpm.  I have a feeling that if I had a blood pressure cuff, that I would see a noticeable difference there as well.

Queer Witch Tarot and Thera-Pets Emotional Support Animal CardsToday’s draw is the Three of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of heartbreak, disappointments, and hurt feelings. The key to remember in this card is that it is in the Swords suit, which is about the mind.  We are not in the Cups suit.  These emotions are about being stuck in your head, they are produced by the thoughts, opinions, and inner narrative going on up in the mind.  Thus, they live in the Swords suit instead of in the Cups.

The thing is?  People fear this card regardless of where the pain comes from.  This is because people fear pain.  Whether it’s created from out mind or not, it hurts… and that is (understandably) something that can instill fear.

The reminder here is about this card, and about life in general. It’s about realizing pain is coming, seeing or feeling a warning of what’s to come… and not flinching or shirking away from it.  It’s about understanding and accepting pain, and separating yourself from it internally so that you do not lash out at others and spread that pain onward.   Smiles are not the only thing that can be contagious, and it’s important to make sure that we spread love; not pain and not fear.

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

The Sacred Grounds Tarot Club Prompt
Question: How can I deepen my connection with my intuition?

Rabbit Tarot

Reading Summary: Lean into grounded empathy and nurturing (The Empress) instead of aggression (Seven of Sticks). Be generous in sharing your time and attention with others you connect strongly with (Six of Daisies atop Two of Tulips).

Take Away: Pause and pick your battles.  Make sure what you’re fighting for is really worth it, and if it really needs that rise of aggression that comes to “save the day”.  Would empathy and understanding work better?  Would working to find common ground and making a connection be a better path?   Removing aggression from the equation will help in that intuitive connection, as you will no longer be stepping into habitual behavior.

DECK USED:  RABBIT TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsApr2021 Challenge Prompt
Question: What do you need to focus on for self-care for this full moon?

Queer Witch TarotReading Summary: Slow down in the addictions (The Devil) that are scarcity driven (Five of Pentacles)… or else (The Tower).

Take Away: This is something that I have been doing over the past month or so, the slowing down on those addictions that tap into my finances.  With this full moon we are looking at a lot of things that need to be paid for.  Insurance,  the accountant, more than likely the IRS, etc.  Extra expenditures that I don’t usually need to deal with on the regular. 

This extra precaution right now is necessary, but temporary and will ease off as the month moves closer to the new moon in a couple of weeks.

DECK USED:  QUEER WITCH TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I tried to give myself plenty of small breaks today without it getting to a point where it negatively affected my work or my bed time.  I think I did pretty good.

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_7129The Last Dusting

Late spring
and a last dusting
of snow
on elevated peaks
like powdered sugar
sifted fine and white
over sweet beignets
lets go for a drive
and find a bit
of winter’s bite
still alive
in the warmth
of spring’s
soft breezes

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Full Moon in Scorpio – April 2021

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Today is the full moon, and like all new moons and full moons, I did a spread aligned to the moon’s current themes as a part of my recognition of the moon’s cycle and influences upon us. Today’s spread is about delving into shadow alchemy, and brought to you by Sharron Basanti of Seeds of Shakti.

Seasons of the Arcana Tarot

1. Scorpio is extremely intense, emotional, and highly intuitive. As a water sign, what old wounds will be illuminated for cleansing and healing with this full moon?

Seven of Swords – Feelings of betrayal that have been buried and left to fester beneath the surface will be given the opportunity to rise to the surface and be dealt with. There have been a number of these instances in your life, and although you cannot heal them all at once, remember to take the opportunity when it is offered instead of shirking away from the old pain that might still be lingering there.

2. What aspect of my life is undergoing a potent transformation?

King of Swords – How you view your business and deal with the constant drive to demand more from yourself. In order to bring about new transformations, the old must be shed and allowed to fall away. Remember not to try to hold onto both.  You can only have one, and will have to choose between the “feathers” you are shedding or the progress towards something better.

3. How can I magnify my sense of pleasure?

Nine of Cups – Saturate yourself in it when it happens.  Allow yourself to sink in and wallow in your pleasure rather than giving in to the need to stay “composed” and aloof.  It’s okay to let yourself go and really embrace and enjoy the things that bring you pleasure without inhibition.

Seasons of the Arcana Tarot4. What illusions do I need to break through?

Knight of Cups (combined with the adoring gaze from the card to the right) – Not every “Knight of Cups” is a user that’s completely out for themselves. That outreached hand isn’t always going to bite you if you reach for it.  It’s okay to reach for the things you want, and offering to help others can be rewarding in and of itself.

5. What suppressed feelings will surface to provide insight this full moon?

Page of Pentacles – You long to be more like the Knight of Cups.  Withdrawn and watching from afar, you see others seeking their joys and enjoyment with abandon, freely going after their hearts desires, while you sit back and hesitate, seeking instead to take your time learning and taking things slow.  You long for the freedom from these restraints and to be able to just go with the flow of your curiosity without restraint.

6. Message from the Ancestors and Guides.

The World – Life is about balance between gentleness and ferocity, between dominance and submission, between responsibility and unrestrained freedom. If you lean too far one way or the other, everything tips off kilter and things start to fall apart.  You are learning how to open up to the softer side, the more impulsive side, the more hedonistic side.  This takes time, but you are making progress.

DECK USED: SEASONS OF THE ARCANA TAROT