The Warning
Startled still
a moment’s pause
you have
my full attention
a warning made
and ears prick
as frozen muscles
twitch
and senses expand
to seek out
what is
being missed
Protect
what’s yours
Month: May 2021
Morning Bonus Read – Soul Lessons
Card to describe my next soul lesson.
Harvest of Stones – A stronger sense of stability and leadership in the areas of health and home. This isn’t always about others but has to do with how you feel on the inside, including how secure you feel, as well as how you treat your body and take ownership of your health.
How this lesson will manifest itself.
Nine of Thunder – Through stress, worry, and fear. A tree does not gain strength without the challenges of the wind to test its mettle. It is through misfortune and struggle that we become stronger. The more the wind blows, the deeper our roots go and the stronger we must become in order to continue to stand tall.
A way that I can absorb this lesson gracefully.
Six of Wands – Look to others for suggestions on the best path forward and allow them to lift you up and ease your mind. This isn’t so much about seeking their approval, but allowing them to lift you up when you struggle and give you the assistance you need to keep going when your enthusiasm for the journey is flagging.
Why this lesson is in alignment with who I truly am.
Ten of Cups – It will help me to connect more emotionally with those I love, creating a greater sense of well-being. True happiness goes beyond simply satisfaction, but requires sharing and community. Fostering this happiness can help in finding a stronger sense of stability.
New opportunities that will arise from this lesson.
Four of Stones – More stability and better grounding. A more miserly outlook. The opportunities here coincide with the lesson being learned. It’s important to know when to hold tight to things, and when to let them go. Developing a slightly stronger urge to be a little more tight-fisted wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing when it comes to the financial aspects of life.
How can I follow my heart?
Flower of Wands – Do what makes you happy and help inspire others to do the same.
DECK USED: THE GENTLE TAROT
Look Before You Leap
Today’s meditation was skipped as I was in the middle of it when I got called in to go down to the salon and do a couple hours of work. By the time I got back, it was so very much nap time.
Today’s draw is the Temperance card, which is traditionally a representation of balance, interconnection, patience, and moderation.
What really stands out to me in the imagery of the card pulled today is that Isabel Snail’s third eye is open, when her other two eyes are closed. This speaks to me of listening to a “higher power” whether that be your intuition, your guides, the universe, a deity, or whatever your beliefs lead you to put into the role of being your divine connection.
Combined with the Flower Fortunes card, which states “Hate is never conquered by hate. Hate is only conquered by love”, what I see here is that when intense emotions are involved, sometimes we need to slow down. Slow down and step outside of ourselves and our reactions, seek a better understanding of the situation and those involved. Don’t just “jump on the hate train” but pause and listen to what isn’t being said.
DECK USED: ISABEL SNAIL: A TAROT LIFE AND FLOWER FORTUNE CARDS
LionHart’s Reap & Sow Tarot Challenge Prompt
Questions for May 25th and 26th
What potential path is not being explored?
King of Wands and Queen of Cups
Making your emotions more of an element in your creative entrepreneurship. You can give more of yourself and the connection to others through your work. You can uplift and support through your creative path.
How am I asked to explore this potential path?
Reconnect with the stuff that you already do (The World atop Ace of Wands Rx) and work at looking at it from a different angle (The Hanged Man). It doesn’t have to be sunshine and roses all the time, you can start adding in gradually instead of all at once (Temperance atop The Sun).
DECK USED: THE JOYSEEKER TAROT
#DiscordTarotolicsMay2021 Challenge Prompt
Philosophical Question: Is having a sense of humor natural or taught?
Reading Summary: It’s something that develops over time (Death). It’s learned slowly through experience (Eight of Wands Rx atop Page of Pentacles)) and reinforced by others you look up to (Hierophant).
Take Away: Just like we learn to smile by mimicry of other’s smiles, and learn to speak through mimicry of others speaking, so too do we learn our sense of humor from others over time with the added component of personal experience added into the mix to help us develop preferences along the way.
This explains why some people love practical jokes and pranks, and others hate them and find them hurtful, but might find other types of humor hilarious instead.
DECK USED: ISABEL SNAIL: A TAROT LIFE
After Gideon and I discovered earlier today that I had managed to essentially contract the slowly growing energetic equivalent of a tapeworm with an oily “old kitchen grease” cling, I did a cleansing and warding to make sure I severed off the energy and cleared away it’s remnants.
Gideon’s Challenge
The First Bundle
First harvests
are sparse
but healthy
with lush leaves
filled
with cleansing goodness
A gift
bestowed
upon the caretaker
that tends
to her needs
from one season
to the next
Photo © ZenStatePhotography
Weekly Creativity Prompt – Feeling Your Way
Prompt: “Draw a single random card from your favorite deck and share with us how the card makes you feel.”
Okay, so this isn’t perhaps my absolute most favorite deck, or even the most favorite deck I’m using this month. But, it is one of the favorite decks I’m using this month and I’ve really connected with it well and am enjoying it a great deal.
Two of Cups – Rosa Multiflora (aka. Rose) – Connection
Throughout history the rose has been revered as a flower of love and the connection between people. Whether the color is red for passion, yellow for friendship, white innocent love, or pink for admiration, the rose is all about the connections that we make with each other and the communion of energies and emotions that are a part of humanity’s makeup.
When I see this card and Rosa multiflora imagery, the clusters of pink roses speak to me of that inter-connectivity and how people need people. This isn’t a single long stemmed rose, but rather it is a variation of multiflora, which grows with clusters of flowers gathered together.
Whether we are an extrovert or an introvert, all people thrive in connection with others… some thrive in large groups, and others with just one or two close people. But, it is that connection between people that helps bring depth and breadth to life as a whole, and most suffer in some way when it is not present in their lives in some manner.
Root of Pentacles – Metrosideros excelsa (aka. Pohutukawa) – Nurture
The Pohutukawa is an evergreen of the myrtle family that is endemic to New Zealand. The kahika flowers that this tree produces offer sweet nectar, while the strong roots that can even cling to rocky cliffs to support the colorful tree that towers above.
This combination of strength and beauty speaks deeply to me of the Queen of Pentacles and her strength… and her beauty. She is supportive and warm, yet strong as iron. She supports… she is sweet… and she is hard.
This card speaks to me of all these qualities. It speaks to me of safety and stability. Of someone that isn’t afraid to let their strength and stable foundation show, and can radiate beauty even as they hold together all that matters to them. It is a card that depicts a delicate and beautiful hand with an iron grip that will be used to support itself and others.
DECK USED: THE ALCHEMIST’S GARDEN TAROT
Seeking Out The Good Stuff
Today’s meditation was skipped in preference for a 2 1/2 hour nap. I had really only planned on an hour, but it turned out to be more than double that. Which, since it’s Tuesday, is fine. It just meant that I got things done around the house a bit later than planned.
Today’s draw is the Five of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of apathy, boredom, pessimistic mentality, and discontent.
The image in this card is very relatable to me. Here we have a scene where snow is falling in the background, and the figure in the image is sitting there like “oh great, it’s snowing” in a very negative way.
The thing is? I love the snow. Yes, it’s inconvenient and can be dangerous, but it’s also beautiful and fresh and fun… and in this part of the world, quite unusual. I could understand the negative attitude coming from people that deal with snow for months on end. But here? I don’t understand those that can’t see the beauty through the fear or discomfort.
These people stay inside, refuse to even go out for a walk, let alone a drive, and generally just complain the entire time about the weather. But what is really holding them back from appreciating what’s going on around them? It’s fear. It’s the fact that some people can’t drive in the snow, and sometimes you slip and fall in the snow. They focus on the discomfort, on the fear, and on the negative aspects rather than sinking into the positive and joyful aspects of the experience.
As the Flower Fortune card says for today, “If you are afraid to shake the dice, you’ll never roll a six”. The “roll a six” for those that don’t know (since I had to look it up) is about the game of craps and lady luck helping you to win. The message in these cards is that if you spend too much time focusing on the negative in a situation or your fear, then you loose out on the opportunity to actually find something fun, beautiful, or good in the whole situation.
DECK USED: MOONROOT TAROT AND FLOWER FORTUNE CARDS
Raven Willow Tarot’s Emotional Exploration Prompt
Questions for May 25th and 26th
What role does relaxation play in my life?
It’s a healthier way forward (Six of Swords) into an entire new way of life (The World) where balance is the focus, and self-care and work are more evenly distributed (Two of Pentacles).
Over the past two years, I’ve been working hard at creating a new balance in life where I’m not constantly on a cycle of burnout and recovery.
In order to create this new balance, the key lies in the amount of rest and relaxation I allow myself to have, and in making sure that this relaxation is scattered throughout the day to day instead of “saved up” to use for recovery from burn out. Because if the relaxation is scattered throughout the day to day, you never end up hitting burnout in the first place.
How can I enhance relaxation in my life?
Gideon may be greedy, but he also has your best interests and welfare at heart (King of Cups). Look back at the things in your life (Six of Cups) that have breathed fresh air into your inspiration and enthusiasm (Page of Wands)… Do more of those.
Gideon is eager to help you find that balance, and works hard to make sure you treat yourself well. You need to listen to him and take these efforts to heart, as well as his suggestions to help you in finding and maintaining that balance. He watches over you, and watches everything you do with a keen eye, and can catch your slip ups often before you do.
Make sure that a part of your relaxation process includes those things you enjoy. It doesn’t always have to be about sleep, but it needs to be about distancing yourself through small acts of personal kindness from the stress and pressure of work… and the stress and pressure you put on yourself concerning your responsibilities.
DECK USED: SEVENTH SPHERE RWS TAROT
#DiscordTarotolicsMay2021 Challenge Prompt
Question: What do you need to focus on for self-care for this full moon?
Reading Summary: Those around you that you support (Six of Pentacles) are seeking new ways to return the favor (Page of Pentacles). Don’t turn them away in your stubbornness (Eight of Swords Rx).
Take Away: Although the relaxation mentioned in your previous reading is an important part of finding a new and healthier balance in your life, so is making sure that you are staying open to the help others are offering. Don’t reject out of pride or stubbornness. Allow them to try, teach them how to help you, and share the load instead of carrying it all on your own shoulders.
DECK USED: MOONROOT TAROT
I took a nice long nap today. I didn’t realize how badly I needed it until I woke up and felt so much better afterward.
Twisting the Leaf 