Month: October 2021

People Need People

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Today’s meditation was skipped, although I did take a couple of “pause and breathe” breaks throughout the day today.

Tarot del Toro and How to Be a Wildflower DeckToday’s draw is the Queen of Goblets (Cups), which is traditionally a representation of a receptive alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s emotions, relationships, creativity, and intuition. This often translates into themes that have to do with compassion and emotional support.

This sentiment is echoed in the How to Be a Wildflower card for today, which speaks of the shelter that we find in each other through their presence and support in our lives.

In turn, we also provide this support to others. Even introverts need people. They not need as much social contact as an extrovert, but they still need people. People to love, and people to love them in turn.  People to support, and people to support them in turn.

Sometimes I dream of going up into the forest and never returning.  A cabin by a river, a tree with a rope swing.  Solitude.   And yet I know that as introverted as I am?  Even I need people.

DECK USED:  TAROT DEL TORO AND HOW TO BE A WILDFLOWER DECK

Mr Lionharts’ #TheOctoberTarot #SeasonoftheWitchChallenge Prompt
Questions for October 29th thru 31st

Tarot de Marseille par Pole KaAncestors hear, come far, come all, I now call you forth, how do you answer my call?

L’Étoile – With eagerness and wisdom, the ancestors come forward to be heard. They wish to instill hope, to connect and communicate through that connection, to support and to guide you forward on your path from one day to the next.

Cards on the table, ancestors respond, show me your guidance from somewhere beyond…

Le Fou atop Le Pape – Be positive. Don’t lose hope. Begin piecing together your inner spirit. You don’t have to be so rigid in your expectations of yourself.  Loosen up and let yourself have a bit more fun.

Thank you for your guidance, through highs and through lows, before you depart, tell me, what should I know?

Deux de Denier – You need to focus on balance. Everything else will fall into place.

DECK USED: TAROT DE MARSEILLE PAR POLE KA

PatriciaWestonWitch’s #wwpwHalloweenLenormand Prompt
Questions for October 28th and 29th

Tarot del ToroWhat will I surrender today?
Six of Cups and Eight of Wands

It’s time to begin releasing the guilt.  You were raised to be a workhorse and you know that “training” from an early age is why you feel guilty now.  That guilt is preventing you from getting the rest you need.

Release the guilt.  Do it now.  It’s much easier to find balance without that static playing loudly in your head and heart.

What wisdom does bat have for me today?
Nine of Wands and The Magician

You’re going to end up going into the customs office today.  Stay friendly, but distant.  You have everything you need to get through the checkpoint as needed, so just relax and do the process.  It takes time, but it doesn’t have to be stressful.

DECK USED: TAROT DEL TORO

Daily Self Kindness

I stopped to eat at Denny’s instead of trying to hold out until I made it home.

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_8019Strength

Battered and bruised
delicate bits show
wear and tear
wounds and scars
scattered over
soft surfaces
from weathering
life’s rough
treatment
and yet…
we still bloom
for there is
strength
in the scars

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Last Harvest 2021 – Samhain

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Coming up on October 31st is the third and Last Harvest of the 2021 autumn season.  Although this holiday (which is also known by most as Halloween and by many as Samhain) is celebrated around the world by those that embrace the rich history of many traditions that originated in Paganism, most don’t realize that is what they are doing… or that this holiday carries special significance as the eve of the Day of the Dead when the veil is at its thinnest between our world and those that have passed.

Solstice Art Card, Pagan Underworlds Tarot, Compendium of Witches Oracle, Healing Herbal Cards Vol 1 & 2

Like with new moons and full moons, I usually do a spread to check in with myself and give myself some direction for the next couple of months for each solstice, equinox, and other Sabbats. This spread is an adaptation of my Self Care Saturday spread, so there are sure to be  some similarities in how it is read. The focus of this spread, though, is not about Self Care, but rather about progress and my path. The time period is also longer, reaching through the next handful of weeks until the celebration of the upcoming Winter Solstice (aka. Yule) in December.

Theme of the Season – Samhain, Waning Crescent Moon, Berberis vulgaris (Barberry) – In my path, Samhain is not just a time to remember and pay our respects to our loved ones that have passed on, as well as reach out to them more easily… it is also a day that marks the end of the harvest season as well as the year’s cycle of seasons as a whole. The earth has gifted us with her abundance throughout the spring, summer, and fall and now settles in to rest throughout the colder months ahead.

Magically speaking, the moon’s waning crescent phase is a time of purging, severing, or otherwise cutting free things that need released and let go. This theme carries over into farming and gardening, where the waning crescent is a time of pruning and trimming, weeding, cutting timber, and other purging practices. This is the phase that the moon will be on during the night of Samhain, and as children reap in candies and treats, the magical and spiritual worlds will be in a phase of letting go and saying goodbye to those things that are no longer serving us.

Barberry (Berberis vulgaris) is primarily a digestive herb that is used to treat a wide variety of ailments that have to do with purging waste and toxins from the body.  This includes not just treatments of the gastrointestinal tract, but also the liver and kidneys. In magic, it is used in spellwork that has to do with release, creating barriers, protection, and atonement.

When looking at these three cards together, the overarching theme that I see here is that this Samhain’s theme is all about releasing what isn’t working and letting go of the things that are holding you back.

Earth – Queen of Pentacles – The queen is a nurturing soul at heart, and is here as a reminder that you don’t need to beat yourself up over your mistakes.  Just fix them.  So you slipped on your self care.  It happens. Now it is time to get back on track. Self flagellation will only exacerbate the problem.

Air – Knight of Wands – A breath of revitalizing fresh air is needed.  Take some time before you leap forward into the fray, to ascertain what you want out of the next few months.  Sit with it and work it out in your head before charge into action. Things pan out better when there’s strategy involved.

Water – King of Cups atop Seven of Pentacles – Seek out help from Gideon to help you better deal with slow growth as you move forward. Your patience sucks, but with his encouragement, you are better able to weather the “long game” a great deal better than you do on your own.  Whether it’s his encouragement, or his providing you with a bit of distraction, in either both cases, it makes the slower growth of… well damned near all of your goals and desires… far more tolerable.

Fire – Seven of Wands – Once you’ve taken the time to figure out where you want to go and how you’re going to get there, stand strong on those goals. It’s hard to not get distracted, especially when there’s mental health issues involved like what you’ve been dealing with recently.  Push back against obstacles instead of letting them trip you up.

Waning – Familiar – Stop ignoring the advice coming your way from your loved ones and spirit guides.

Waxing – Rest – You are going to have to take some time to get some true rest. Not the restless rest that you’ve been getting, but actual guiltless rest that will help recharge and recover before the holiday rush really swings into gear.

Take Away – It’s time to let go of self abuse and self sabotage.  It’s time to allow yourself true rest, as well as the recuperation  you need.  Stewing and spinning  your wheels is getting you nowhere and will tank everything you have been working for and want to happen. Use the tools and help that you have at your disposal to get you back on track.

DECKS USED:  SOLSTICE ART CARD, PAGAN UNDERWORLDS TAROT, COMPENDIUM OF WITCHES ORACLE, HEALING HERBAL CARDS VOL 1 & 2

Adaptation and Balance

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Today’s meditation was skipped yet again.  I did have intentions, but they didn’t pan out.  Too many orders to get done and not enough time in the day.

Черное Таро and How to Be a Wildflower DeckToday’s draw is the Justice card, which is traditionally a representation of balance, cause and effect, consequences, and can often indicates a theme of law or justice system involvement.

When I think of balance, I think of Maat’s scales.  The weighing of a heart on one side, and the feather on the other, and the symbolism of finding balance… perhaps only in death.

The reason I feel this way about it is because in life, the world is ever-changing. That means the “scales” that each of us carry with us that weigh and balance the different priorities in our lives and the things we have done, or conscience, and well… everything really.  These scales must be in constant motion, constantly adjusting as the world around us changes, and as we grow and change.

Only in death do the scales still entirely. Only then to we have the possibility of perfect balance.  The cards here today speak to me of that.  Of the fact that although we strive for balance in our lives, that goal is always going to be just out of reach.  Sometimes closer, sometimes further away, but never perfect. Because here in life?  We are meant to grow and change, we are meant to learn and expand.  And with every moment of growth, every shift in priorities, every change in our lives, our minds, our emotions… that balance must shift.  Embracing the changes helps us in making those adjustments go more smoothly.

DECK USED:  ЧЕРНОЕ ТАРО AND HOW TO BE A WILDFLOWER DECK

#DiscordTarotholicsOct2021 Challenge Prompt
Questions for October 28th and 29th

Orphic TarotWhat healing lesson is waiting for me to realize and accept it?

Nine of Swords (Melas Oneiros) – Your perceptions when you are in a mental health crisis are warped. Reality is not as bleak as it appears to be during these times. Find a better way to tell when you’re in real trouble than just guessing blindly in the dark. 

How can I work on accepting this lesson?

Four of Cups (Echo) atop Death Rx (Hades) – Instead of always looking forward and charging ahead, take time to sit with where you are and more fully explore it.

Your Strength – The Moon (Pan Selene) – You are good at moving forward with surety, even when things are feeling uncertain. As mentioned above though, you need to remember that sometimes moving forward is not the answer.

Your Weakness – Judgment (Dionysus) – You are too hard on yourself and set your expectations far too high.

Advice – Five of Cups (Mourning Orpheus) – Stop retreating. Stop hiding. All it is doing is making things worse. Don’t allow your emotions to control your actions… or more specifically, your inaction and stagnancy. It’s taking up too much control of what’s going on in your life.

DECK USED: ORPHIC TAROT

The #EmbraceYourAlterEgo2021 Challenge for Sacred Grounds Tarot Club
Questions for October 28th and 29th

Черное ТароHow will the dark half of the year help me grow?
Ten of Pentacles and Wheel of Fortune

It will be a reminder that there are good and bad times, and nothing last forever. It will help you to see that even when things feel like they’re going bad, your stability will not be threatened by the whims of these minor up and downs in life… no matter how major they may feel in the moment.

How will this growth help me love and appreciate myself?
Queen of Swords and The Chariot

It will remind you of your strengths and adaptability, allowing you to see that you can continue to move forward with purpose regardless of how you’re feeling by reconnecting with that logical side of your nature that is a part of your history and heritage.

DECK USED: ЧЕРНОЕ ТАРО

Daily Self Kindness

Let’s see… I took a nap that I probably shouldn’t have taken.  I also had my smoothie, which was really good today for some reason (as if it’s not made the same way every day or something), as well as my vitamins, tea, collagen peptides, and muffin.

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_7301Seeking Serenity

Sweet smelling smoke
swirls
in languid seduction
to dance in the air
on gentle currents
kissing the senses
with
ephemeral tendrils
and promise
a moment of serenity

pause and watch
breathe deep

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Samhain Tarot Reading with the Old Whispers Tarot

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Old Whispers Tarot - Samhain Tarot Reading

Death: What is coming to an end in your life?

Ten of Swords – A cycle is coming to an end and the beat to fuck feeling of being unable to move is coming with it.  You will not be stagnant and struggling forever.

Death: What aspect of yourself you no longer are.

Knight of Swords – The time in your life when you foolishly go flying forward into battle with impulsivity at the tip of your blade has come to an end.  You have tasted the forbidden fruit of rest and recuperation, and found a liking for the taste.

Trick: Negative influences getting in your way of letting go.

Five of Wands – The principles of your past and the new ones your establishing are clashing against each other.  Rest vs motivation. Self care vs delving into your work. These conflicting passions are getting in your way.  There is no balance here, only a struggle for dominance. Is balance even possible? Or will you need to pick a side and stand firm?

Treat: Positive influences. Blessings in disguise.

Three of Pentacles atop Five of Cups – You disinterest and dissatisfaction is creating more opportunity for you to work with others instead of taking everything upon your own shoulders. Because you’re not so gung-ho about work, you are less willing to take the full weight of the work and the business on your own.  You reach out to others more, involve them more, and allow them to help rather than pushing them away to do it all yourself.

Cat: Your inner wisdom. The biggest lesson learned this year.

Four of Swords – Rest is important. Recuperation is important.  You need it.  In interspersing time off into each month, you have successfully managed to avoid even a single bout of catastrophic burnout for a full year.

Ghost: What is still haunting you.

Nine of Swords – Your mental health is not at its best. You’re struggling with the edges of cloying depression and can’t seem to shake the clinging tendrils of it.  Perhaps you cut back to your normal dose of meds a little too early when heading off the onset of that last MDE.  Next time try three weeks instead of two.

Spider: The road ahead. The life you are weaving for yourself.

Eight of Wands atop Nine of Cups Rx – The road you are currently on is not a good one. You’ve been neglecting yourself for the past couple of weeks.  Self care has gone down the toilet, and your running on autopilot with the business instead of getting ahead of things a little at a time as you’d planned to do. Continuing on this course will only lead (very quickly) to unhappiness.

Bat: The fear that remains.

Knight of Pentacles – That slow progress is no progress.  Not that you’re making any particular progress at the moment, you’re backsliding. But, as always, you struggle with the concept of slow progress. You need to stop looking at slow progress as having your wings clipped.

DECK USED:  OLD WHISPERS TAROT