Togetherness
Twilight hours
bring quiet moments
and peaceful sits
at the shore
where reeds and weeds
sway in the breeze
and water laps
against stones
when chill creeps in
with a blaze of pink
slide your arm
around me tight
Hold me close
and soft kisses are sure
to lead me through
the night
Today’s meditation was about fifteen minutes long and was not a guided meditation, nor did it include my piriformis stretching (which I did separately). Instead it was a quiet meditation with breathing exercise, and an experiment with meditating with a large piece of garnet while focusing on the piece of artwork and writing by Glen Martin Taylor that is displayed to the right.
This piece and connected text really touched me deeply, as it speaks to me of my own personal struggles at the moment with letting go of the habits and methods that aren’t working for me in order to begin something better. I’m struggling with letting go, even though I know I need to and even want to.
It speaks to me of the fear that I can’t quite articulate. The fear that once I let go, nothing will fill the void and I will be left floating and untethered.
Today’s draw is the Ten of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of overwhelm and potential burnout. The card is an indication of being overworked or carrying too much burden and the need to redistribute responsibility to ease these issues.
I really like the colors in this Ten of Wands. I’m not always all that excited about vibrant colors, but for some reason this particular color scheme really speaks to me of that approaching moment of burnout and the heavy weight that responsibilities can often impose upon us.
Combined with the affirmation card for today, what we see here is a reminder that there’s only so much we can do. We can only go so far, take on so much, before we break. And when we break? We’re no good to anyone, including ourselves. Better to pace yourself, pick and choose your obligations, and make sure that there is time in your schedule to take care of yourself. After all, if you don’t take care of yourself, you’ll soon no longer have the ability to take care of anyone else either.
#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Questions for June 12th thru 14th
What do I need to start?
Marshmallow (Water) and Cascara Sagrada (Metal)
When you stand strong for what you believe in, it doesn’t always have to be an active thing. Remember that there doesn’t always have to be a fight involved to get your point across. Sometimes? Just a look is enough to convey all that needs to be said, and can touch people just as deeply or deeper than any words that you may want to share.
What do I need to stop?
Marshmallow (Metal) and Parsley (Fire)
You have so much inspiration and enthusiasm for so many things that it can at time cause you to stew and spin rather than move forward. Although standing still to find your bearings is good, there’s another step that you’ve been neglecting. Make sure you’re picking and choosing your pursuits instead of trying to do everything at once. Too many interests at once can cause things to break down and fall apart.
What do I need to change?
Chaparral (Earth) and Yellow Dock (Wood)
I need to stop clinging to the things that are familiar just because they’re familiar. If something is no longer serving me or is unhealthy for me, I need to make sure I’m letting it go instead of trying to hold on. Without letting go of the stuff that doesn’t work, there’s no room for the stuff that will. By holding back, I’m stirring up feelings of resentment that I’m then trying to ignore. Stop ignoring the problem and start working on releasing those things and mentalities that I’m feeling such a desperate need to cling to.
#DiscordTarotolicsJun2021 Challenge Prompt
Topic: Do Spread #2
Question: Concerning her happiness and send of security, how is Miss Luna feeling these days?
Reading Summary: The Tower and Justice are connected through darkness in color combinations and the way that the bodies tilt into each other. The Nine of Cups and Page of Wands connect through vibrancy and body language. Their opened armed stance for each figure, combined with both being in dance poses with one leg lifted. Together, the dance poses combined with open arms depicts a sense of safety and freedom.
Take Away: She’s feeling engaged and very happy, satisfied and content (Page of Wands atop Ten of Cups). There’s a bit of stress and uncertainty going on with her right now because of the construction next-door (The Tower), but I’ve been able to mitigate that (Justice) a bit by making sure that the sliding glass door is closed when they are working and minimizing the disruption and noise within the condo as best I can.
I got some cuddle time with Gideon yesterday before bed and… I didn’t realize how tight I was until I was snuggled up and the knots started to relax.
Loud and Proud
Your heart lives
on your sleeve
like delicate leaves
opened wide
and flourishing
at the end of a
delicate stem
for all to see
as you do not hide
but shout loudly
for everyone to hear
with your eyes
only for me…
I love you
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?
Earth – The Magician and Water · Flow – Take this week to get yourself back on track with your health and well-being. There is absolutely nothing that has to be done this week. Nothing at all. Use what’s at your disposal to set yourself back on a healthy path. Get out in nature, take people with you along with the tools needed for your safety. Do your meditation and allow it to sink you into a better, less jagged place.
Air – The Star and Rest – Let go of that negative headspace and put yourself in a mental space of rest and rejoicing. You have the ability to be filled with hope and give yourself the joy and enjoyment that will allow you to truly rest and recover this week, but you’re going to have to actually spend some time in nature instead of just thinking about it.
Water – Justice, Radiate, Nurture – Again we see an encouragement to get out into nature and allow it to not just heal but nurture you. Taking the steps needed to care for yourself this week will allow you to not just recover from the stress and abuse of working so much, but will allow you to find new energy and a better balance you’ve been seeking. Treat yourself good, and you will feel good. Treat yourself badly, and you will reap the consequences of that.
Fire – Seven of Pentacles, Wisdom, Earth · Roots – Annnnnnnd again we see an encouragement to get out into nature. Here, the guidance is to pour my enthusiasm into the long standing connection I have with the earth and the forest. Take some time to visit the long standing older forest land you love so much, and do some deep rooting meditation while out there. It can’t be always about the business and work… so give yourself some of what you really need right now.
Waning – Monkey – Flighty thoughts and juggling too much. Overthinking and too much multitasking. It’s time to let go of the clouded scatter. This is under your control to change.
Waxing – Crane – Make time to interject more spirituality and peace into your life. Graceful elegance and the quiet calm that comes with it is important this week, as ins fostering your connection to the spiritual world and liminal spaces.
Take Away – This week’s reading is all about getting my ass out into nature and doing some wallowing and meditation. it’s about setting to right my spiritual practices and self care. Heavy emphasis is put on my connection with nature, my gratitude practices, and meditation. Sometimes rest isn’t about lying down and taking a nap. Sometimes you can get more out of a trip into the trees than any number of naps.
Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and was a guided meditation from the Calm app with added interval timer for my pirifomis stretching.
The focus of today’s meditation was about consistency in one’s practice. This is something that I really struggle with and I don’t think it has anything to do with the time it takes to do the meditation. The meditation went through the benefits of a regular meditation practice, as well as time management techniques on how to help fitting a regular practice into your every day.
The thing is? I don’t think that my recalcitrance has anything to do with time. I think it has to do with my self-destructive tendencies. I think that like so many other things such as my occasional disenchantment with food, my occasional risk taking behavior, and temptations to harm myself stretched out over the length of my life… the avoidance is another way to neglect myself and otherwise hurt myself.
Today’s draw is the Ace of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of the seed of new beginnings and awakening opportunities in the area of one’s finances, resources, work, home, health, and other manifestation abilities.
Sometimes it can be hard when toiling away at our job or starting a new project, or even just working to support ourselves or our loved ones, to remember that there are opportunities all around us all the time. The thing is? Even those that are good at spotting those opportunities can’t jump on every single one of them. We have to pick and choose.
Today’s cards are a reminder of that process of making choices. We choose what happens in our lives, and we choose where we go. When opportunities arrive, we choose whether to jump on them, or let them slide by. One of the keys to a healthy and happy life is making absolutely certain that we don’t jump on so many of those opportunities that we run out of the space and time to give ourselves the rest and self care we need along the way.
CoffeexTarot’s Self Love For The Summer Prompt
Questions for June 12th & 13th
How can I be kinder to myself?
The Flamingo and The Crab – Let go of your recalcitrance when it comes to allowing others to work with you. Remember that others are there to support you and you don’t have to do it alone.
Pay attention to opportunities to do things in an unusual way. Don’t get so stuck in the mud did she miss out on something that should be much easier than it is when doing it the old way.
How am I limiting my self-love?
The Seahorse and Sunrise – Let go of doubts and just trust. Your intuition has never served you wrong, so twisting in the wind instead of just allowing it to lead is useless.
Also, you need to start doing your daily devotion and gratitude practice again and making sure that you’re fitting in your meditation in the morning. Stop putting it off.
#DiscordTarotolicsJun2021 Challenge Prompt
Topic: About peace…
Question: How can I best foster a healthy peace in my life during my time of rest this week?
Reading Summary: You’re spending too much time stressing (Nine of Swords) over not advancing as fast as you want and getting where you want to go (Knight of Pentacles) instead of celebrating your achievements so far (Six of Wands).
Take Away: More celebration and less stressing is very important. You can’t go into a restful week with your brain filled with “should have done” and “should do” thoughts.
Let go of these thoughts and the stress that they create. Get out of your head and stop worrying so much about where you’re going. Look, instead, at how far you’ve come. If you need help with that? Gideon would probably be more than happy to rehash all your accomplishments from the past couple of years in order to show you just how far you’ve come.
I went through a number of Witches’ Box subscription boxes that I’d been putting off opening up and going through, and included Gideon in the process. It was really nice doing it with him and far more fun than doing it alone.
Shelter and Shade
Not my favorite
by any means
not a cloud in the sky
a little shade
under green leaves
gives shelter from the sun
another day
too bright, too warm
but beautiful all the same
a few more days
to give relief
I can’t wait for it to rain
Twisting the Leaf 