Month: April 2021

Balancing Act

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Today’s meditation was skipped again.  Clearly accountability is not coming in the form of these blog posts, although I am definitely going to have to get back on track with this one way or another.

Dreaming Cat Tarot and Thera-Pets Emotional Support CardsToday’s draw is the Star card, which is traditionally about hope, positivity, and the inter-connectivity between ourselves, spirituality, and the world around us.

What stands out to me the strongest in the imagery of this card today is that there’s a good deal of fun and curiosity going on in this image.  The cat plays in the water, pats at the flitting fish, splashes the shore in its eagerness as the star shines down upon her and the shore.  I’ve seen my own cat do this in the sink and bathtub many, many times and it’s always a pursuit filled with both curiosity and joy.

Combined with the Thera-Pets card for today, what I see here is a message about taking a bit of time to feel free and happy, no matter how much you need to get done or how serious the day might need to be as a whole.  If that time bumps something that needs done to the next day?  Be okay with that.  It’s okay.  You need that lightheartedness in your day to help balance things out and keep things healthy.

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

LionHart’s Sacred Self Divination Challenge Prompt
Question: How, or where, can the lessons of my past help me make choices that are best for me today?

Wild Wolf Tarot

 Reading Summary:  Own your choices and strive for stability (Alpha of Hunters), even when you’re wrapped up in the enthusiasm of learning new things (Pup of Leaders) and feeling like a kid in a candy store (Six of Caretakers).

Take Away:  My past instilled within me a deep seated need for stability in my home life and security. Even when I get wrapped up in the joy of discovery and learning new things, I always stay focused on where these things might lead and how they might help foster more stability and security.   The cards here are saying that it’s okay to let go.  The lessons I learned when I was young about needing to be ever vigilant to that security and stability?  They’re flawed.  I don’t need to keep an eye on it every moment of every day.  It’s okay to enjoy the enthusiasm for enthusiasm’s sake without planning everything to be profitable in some way down the road.

DECK USED:  WILD WOLF TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsApr2021 Challenge Prompt
Question: What would this new perspective look like when applied to my life?

Dreaming Cat TarotReading Summary: More time to teach (The Hierophant) and connect with others with a more heart centered focus (Two of Cups atop Queen of Wands Rx) instead of constantly pushing ever forward toward my goals (Knight of Pentacles Rx atop Ten of Pentacles).

Take Away:  The new perspective was about not acting on my ideas right away, but rather stepping back and writing things down, then delving in later so that I don’t overwhelm myself.

The result of doing this will allow me to have the time and opportunity to make deeper connections with others so that I’m not just helping people in finding their path, but truly bonding with them in the process.  In other words, less standing on the outside and more immersive interaction.

DECK USED:  DREAMING CAT TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I went to bed instead of forcing myself to stay up when I was exhausted.  I really wanted more time with Gideon, but I was so tired and really needed the sleep.

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_6735The Frayed Edge

Frayed and fuzzed
bent and broken
some days
the pain
of life’s bumps
and bruises
feel like too much
and all
that is wanted
is a different kind
of fuzzed
not frayed
but faded.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Strengthening Principles

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Today’s meditation was… well, I had every intention of meditating today, but that didn’t happen.  I really need to get back into doing this on a regular basis. Hell, even on a semi regular basis would be better than just skipping it all the time.  I’m not sure why I struggle with this but I need to try harder.

Lunaria Tarot and Thera-Pets Emotional Support CardsToday’s draw is the Seven of Quills (Wands) which is traditionally a representation of standing one’s ground, standing up for what you believe in against all odds, and fighting for those things that are important to you.

Sometimes it’s not about the odds, but rather about one’s values and principles. There are hills you just have to stand, and possibly die on in life and it’s important to stand strong in these moments and be true to yourself.

Combined with the Thera-Pets card for today, what I see here is a reminder that standing up for your values and principles isn’t just about outside influences and external attacks. Sometimes it’s our own inner dialogues and judgements that attack what we know is right and try to whittle away at our principles.  Other times it’s peer pressure playing off our insecurities.   Either way, it’s important to remember that we have our values and our principles for a reason, and stay in touch with what they are and why they are what they are.

By keeping in touch with these things we strengthen them, and that strengthening then helps us when these core parts of who we are come under attack.

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

The Sacred Grounds Tarot Club Prompt
Question: Cards to guide me towards total self love and acceptance.

Fine Line Tarot

Color Notes: Take the essence of the Queen of Pentacles and the Death card, and blend them together into the Page of Pentacles.

Reading Summary: By remembering to focus on fostering a nurturing and balanced attitude towards yourself and others (Queen of Pentacles) during times of change (Death), you will learn to accept yourself as you are and things as they come instead of always pushing so hard and judging yourself harshly (Page of Pentacles).

Take Away: So essentially I could have been handed Temperance and the Empress.  *Chuckles*  Well, not necessarily as it would have lost some of it’s nuance but still.   The answer here in how to lean into self love and acceptance is to be kinder to myself.  Kinder in how I view myself, how I judge myself, and how I treat myself… and practice more patience with myself.   These are not really things that I excel at

DECK USED:  FINE LINE TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsApr2021 Challenge Prompt
Question: In what aspect of life do you need a new perspective?

Lunaria TarotReading Summary: You need to learn when to let go and move on (Three of Quills) from a plan that isn’t working (Three of Pens). Take control not by trying to force the plan to continue to work, but I stepping away and moving on to something else (The Chariot).

Take Away: Don’t hold on so tight.  There’s other ways to use my determination, energy, and intent than by plowing down a road that isn’t going anywhere or isn’t working.

Instead of being single focused on the path I think is the only right one, look around and seize control to change direction instead.  There’s always a better way if you’re willing to just ease up and take a minute to find it.

DECK USED:  LUNARIA TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

Instead of going to bed after I finished my orders as I had at first planned, I’m catching up on blog posts.  This self kindness is in the fact that I feel so much less weight, and so much better, when I don’t have a pile of posts to get through because of having put off posting for a few days.

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_6428Longing for Leisure

I want to go out
among tall trees
and open fields
and lie
among moss
and lichen
to look up at the sky
and make stories
from the cast
of shadows and light
upon fluffy tufts
of atmosphere

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Morning Bonus Read – Heart Center Energy

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Heart Energy Center - Sidewalk Chalk Tarot de Marseille

My heart center energy right now.

King of Swords – Ruthless practicality. Logic rules all. Future focused. This has to do with the fact that you’re working on your taxes this week, which is an activity that (in your case) creates stress and an intellectually grounded business mentality. Everything is about work, about the business, about your aspirations for the business, and the direction that you want to take it in.  The focus on how things have gone over the past year and the planning and plotting on how to move forward from here is heavy on the mind and rules your existence this week.

Tension I’m currently holding in this area.

Five of Swords – You damn well want to come out on top, but it was a bit of a rough year (as it has been for many and you’re certainly not as bad off as some). Taking a look at how things have gone, how the business has fared over the past year, and how to move forward to stay on top and keep things flush and running well is a form of battle… tension and strategy reign as you worry over what the final figures will say, and stew over the next steps to keep the business not just afloat but thriving.

How I can release this tension.

Three of Swords atop Page of Wands – Shrug off the negative emotions that come with this process and view it as an adventure instead.  By tapping into your passion for the business and the creativity that it fosters within you, you can help yourself in shrugging off the fear and tension, worry and possibility of disappointment.  Instead, you need to look at what you haven’t done right or well as a lesson to help you and the business to flourish, rather than something that could drag everything down.

A way that I can be more accepting of love.

The World – Open up.  Remember that you don’t have to wait for things to be perfect to open up and let people in, or be more accepting and welcoming of love and kindness from others.  Many times our journeys are layered as we move through life, and you can very much start a new path while still upon another lesson’s path as well.  Start again and let yourself be more open and welcoming.  Those walls are much thinner than they used to be, but they’re still there.

How I can practice compassion.

Strength atop The High Priestess – Deliver your wisdom with tact and care, tailoring the message to the audience. Although you often give good advice and your intuition is reliably on the mark, your delivery could use a bit of work.

How I can improve self-love for myself.

Six of Cups – An echo of the answer to the accepting love question above, the Eight of Cups indicates a need to let go of what isn’t working and shrug it off, leave it behind, and find a new way of doing things that is better for you.  Focus on where you want to go with your emotional growth and give that weight in the direction you head in as you work at leaving behind old frustrations and bad habits.

DECK USED:  SIDEWALK CHALK TAROT DE MARSEILLE

Kindness… Not Just For Others

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Today’s meditation was skipped and for once I have no excuse.  I just plain didn’t feel like it and ended up fucking around a bit on my phone instead watching videos and IG clips.

Ideal Soulmate Tarot and Thera-Pets Emotional Support Animal CardsToday’s draw is the Empress card, which is traditionally a representation of sacred feminine energies, nurturing themes, and abundance.

What stands out to me the strongest in the imagery of this card today is that the Empress in this card is barefoot.  I think that this is a very important aspect and including it here shows the connection that the Empress has to the natural world.  She is both grounded, and at ease, comforting and warm.

When combined with the Thera-Pets card for today, what I see here is a message about self-kindness and care.  It’s all well and good to direct kindness and care to others, and wonderful to be accepted as a kind and caring person.   But we need to remember that kindness and caring needs to be directed toward ourselves as well.   Even when you might feel like you don’t deserve it, or feel like punishing yourself is more apt and comfortable.

Try harder to be kind to yourself.  Work harder at silencing the negative inner dialogue that picks you apart and tears you down, puts you in your place and… quite frankly, abuses you.  If you wouldn’t treat others that way, why would you treat yourself like that?  Instead, work at replacing that inner dialogue with something kinder, more understanding, and more accepting.

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

The Sacred Grounds Tarot Club Prompt
Question: What beautiful aspect of myself am I ready to embrace?

Tarot of the Nymphs

Reading Summary: My ability to move through life’s winding pathways (Three of Mushrooms) with an attitude of gratitude (Nine of Sunflowers), and my willingness to show others the path to do the same (The Hierophant).

Take Away:  I’ve dealt with a crapload of pain and struggles in life. I make the conscious choice to walk that path with gratitude, and to see each experience I have (including the bad ones) as a lesson to help me become better in some way.  I choose not to live in the mentality of a victim, but rather I see these experiences are a type of wealth. That wealth is something that I both cherish as well as consciously practice gratitude for on a daily basis.

I want to share this with others, and help them through their own struggles by sharing this perspective.  Sadly, not everyone is ready or able to see things from that perspective, but I try anyway because I care and I want to help where I’m able to do so.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE NYMPHS

#DiscordTarotolicsApr2021 Challenge Prompt
Question: How can you break free of the illusion that acting on new ideas is the only way to suss out the best from them?

Ideal Soulmate TarotReading Summary:  Moderation is needed (Temperance), or you end up with so many things on your burner at once that your time becomes fleeting and stolen away in too many directions (Seven of Swords). Ignoring the help available to you (Two of Cups Rx) is foolhardy and unhealthy (The Fool Rx). Instead of thinking you know everything (Page of Swords Rx) remember to keep your mind and heart open to new perspectives (Ace of Cups and Hanged Man).

Take Away: Sometimes. I fall into the habit of becoming too rigid in my thinking.  The encouragement here is about being more adaptive, and allowing myself to take things in moderation.  I need to remember that help from others is a good thing, and I need to take a step back and look at why I feel so threatened by the idea of writing ideas down to save them for exploration at a later date.

I could explore more with more help from others, but with both of the center cards very definitely and clearly insistent on being Rx, what I see here is more about looking at things differently and cherishing my time rather than throwing it away by stubbornly repeating old patterns.  An open mind and open heart are needed to find a new path in this area.

DECK USED:  IDEAL SOULMATE TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

It wasn’t really a kindness in the traditional sense, but I sent the entire day today working on taxes, and with each of the tasks on my list that I checked off, I could feel the weight of the pressure to get them done easing.  I didn’t get finished, but I expect that I will be able to finish up on Friday.