In Your Arms
I am warmed
as you wrap yourself
around me
with strong arms
and solid energy
steady… sure…
comforting
and as the world
freezes
beyond the panes
you untie
my knots
and soothe away
the ache
Month: January 2022
❤️ Self Care Saturday (On a Sunday)
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 Tower, Hiking Cat atop Elk – Time to get Lin on board with getting a new job. It’s going to cause a bit of conflict and she’s not going to be thrilled, but you have the reasoning and motivation she needs ready to help get her on board.
This is something that I was thinking about back in the fall before the holiday rush started and had meant to bring up after it was over. Somehow it slipped my mind, but the cards here indicate that this week is a good time to get the ball rolling where this is concerned.
Air – Seven of Swords and Lodge – Don’t let unpleasantness from outside sources spoil your comfortable and contented mindset.
Water – Nine of Wands and Poisoned – These cards are a carry over from the Air position above. They are a reminder not to allow yourself to become overburdened, as it will poison your emotional well-being in the same way that the outside influences have the potential to spoil your mental well-being.
Fire – Six of Pentacles, Duck Hunter atop Kingfisher – Give yourself time to make solid plans for a more long lasting success. This isn’t so much about look before you leap, but it’s time to write down the things you want to accomplish so that you can plot them out more firmly and get moving on them in a more orderly fashion.
Waning – Betrayal – Entering last week in the Water position, here we see potential for feelings of betrayal in departure. No need to keep standing guard for this, you’ve managed to circumvent the potential problems and the potential for it to happen is now on the way out.
Waxing – Shinrin-yoku – Get your ass outside. Forest bathing is not just a pleasurable experience for you, but a part of your spiritual path and gives you a refresh on your overall well-being and energy. It’s something you haven’t done much of since coming home from your holiday visit and it’s time to return to spending time among the trees again.
Take Away – Self care this week requires confronting problems and taking some time for doing some planning and getting your ducks in a row. At the same time, there’s an important external factor that you need to consider. Make sure you aren’t allowing other’s moods and actions to affect your own, and don’t overwhelm yourself with work… or anything else either.
DECKS USED: TRANSPARENT OWL TAROT, THE OUTDOORS ORACLE, YORU NO SUMI-E ORACLE
Pulling Out Thorns
Today’s meditation was skipped… although I did make the effort today. It just didn’t work out.
Today’s draw is the King of Cups, which is a representation of a projective 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 strong leaders with understanding and emotionally supportive qualities.
When doing readings for myself, the King of Cups often comes up as a representation of Gideon. He is very much one of those strong, dominant types with an emotionally supportive core. He draws people in with that core of understanding and support, and leads them with an integral ease. In most cases, people don’t even realize they yield to his guidance, because it’s so natural to do so.
This card today is absolutely about him, and the sharp edges are a reminder that even when I am out of sorts, I still need to communicate this with him.
Today’s card says “Share your sharp edges with him and let him help you pull out life’s thorns”.
DECK USED: ABSTRACT FUTURES TAROT
GroundedInMagic’s #Lovers2022TarotChallenge Challenge Prompt
Questions for January 14th and 15th
How can I be more open to clearly communicating my needs to others?
Find common ground (Three of Pentacles) and take your time (Temperance) to use your tools most effectively (The Magician).
Don’t go overboard. You don’t need to wax poetic to get your point across and doing so often can feel like “too much”. This isn’t saying that you’re asking too much, but more that you need to find ways to communicate your needs so that -they- understand them better. Speak their language instead of your own.
How can saying no (setting boundaries) be an act of love to myself?
Queen of Wands and Two of Cups
Tough love is still love, and it opens you up to things more aligned with your personal vision and values by removing avoidable obstacles.
DECK USED: ABSTRACT FUTURES TAROT
I had play time with Gid today. I had been feeling a lot of tension in my gut, and the play time has helped untie those knots. I feel better now.
Gideon’s Challenge
Pristine
Soft and fluffy
friendly flakes
float down
like feathers
to somehow
gather
until branches
hang low
and the world
is whitewashed
clean
How do such
tiny things
collect so quickly?
Photo © ZenStatePhotography
Family and Friends
Today’s meditation was skipped.
Today’s draw is the Three of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of togetherness, revelry, celebration, and the bonds of friendship.
A few days ago, I had a reading that focused on what I need to work on balancing in my life for a positive year. In that reading, it indicated that I needed to balance a greater sense of motivation with more focus on enjoying quality family connections.
The Three of Cups in this deck reminds me of that reading, and of how the reading indicated that the motivation would take care of itself down the road as long as I started out with focusing on the family and friends aspect of my life first.
The thing is? Family and friends make life better. Sometimes? It can be hard to let ourselves make time for them or focus on them when there’s so much else going on in our lives. But, as that reading indicated, and as I’m reminded now? In giving them that time, we receive in return the energy and motivation to do more and be better.
DECK USED: MEOWHOLIC TAROT
Mr Lionharts’ #TheJanuaryTarot Wheel of 22 Challenge Prompt
Questions for January 14th through 16th
Something I should avoid or try to focus on less this year.
Judgement and Five of Cups – Don’t judge yourself so harshly for your down times and moments when you fall back into pessimism. It isn’t a failure, and it isn’t a setback. It’s just moving at your own pace. The pace you go at should be the one that is happy and healthy for you… not whatever expectations you set for yourself to set yourself up for failure.
How can I best move past problems as they arise in 2022?
Page of Pentacles and The Hanged Man – With a thorough and methodical effort to see things from a different perspective. Patience is important. There’s no rush to get through things or solve problems quickly, so don’t put that extra pressure on yourself. Instead, take time to really explore the issue from all angles and find the best solution instead of the quickest one.
What am I to remind myself of when times get rough this year?
Page of Swords and The Chariot Rx – Slow down and look closer. Lean into logic and find a better way.
DECK USED: MEOWHOLIC TAROT
I took a nap, which was amazing.
Carefree Moments Allowed
Today’s meditation was
Today’s draw is The Fool, which is traditionally a representation of new beginnings, naivety, an adventurous perspective, and not looking before you leap.
The Fool in this card… is a mess. They go about their way with great enthusiasm and a good dose of obliviousness, with a missing shoe, tattered clothes, and their eyes firmly closed. Ignorance is bliss, and like a drunkard can fall without getting hurt…. so too can the oblivious fool pull through unscathed. Well, at least most of the time.
The card here is a reminder to have fun and not worry quite so much about sequences when doing so. As a recent reading can contest, I have a hard time throwing caution to the wind and letting my inner child free to frolic and explore. Today’s card is a reminder that it’s okay to play and there is a certain amount of protection that comes in the joy and enjoyment you can find in these type of blissful moments and pursuits.
DECK USED: ASK THE WITCH TAROT
#DiscordTarotholicsJan2022 Challenge Prompt
Question: Pull your most favorite and least favorite cards from your deck, and explain why you feel that way.
Most Favorite – The Hanged Man – I connect strongly with the Hanged Man and always have. When I was ten years old, a family friend did a 78-card life-path reading for me, and the Hanged Man turned up as the significator card (not chosen, but drawn) at the center of that reading. When she did the reading again ten years later, it did so again, and then a third time yet again when she did the reading for me when I turned thirty. Clearly, this is my card, and although when I was younger I wasn’t always thrilled about it, I’ve come to develop a deep connection with it.
The Hanged Man is a reminder that no matter what trials in life may come my way, there is always something to be gained… some boon to be found. Even if I have to sit with it a while to find its value. It reminds me to pause and look at things from more than my own perspective, and to strive for a more rounded view of the world and those in it.
Least Favorite – Temperance – A huge majority of the time that Temperance shows up in a reading for me? It’s telling me that I need more moderation in my life. I have an addictive tendency and am proof something does -not- need to be a narcotic to become addictive. Anything (yes, absolutely anything) that feels good in one way or another can become addictive.
Temperance shows up to help remind me to stay on the straight and narrow and not fall into the traps of addiction. This can often be a huge struggle of constant diligence for me, and and there are times when Temperance can begin to feel like the nag that is constantly reminding me to do better and more diligent in this area. (Not to mention there to kick me in the ass when I slip up).
DECK USED: RIDER WAITE TAROT
GroundedInMagic’s #Lovers2022TarotChallenge Challenge Prompt
Question: What beliefs or values will I fiercely defend?
So… I have to precursor this by saying that there are a -lot- of beliefs and values I will fiercely defend. I could have pulled two values… four… eight… even more, and had plenty to share. I chose to pull for two.
Page of Wands and The Fool – The creative spark. Look how the Fool leaps towards the Page of Wands. All bright energy and enthusiasm, blind trust and eagerness. This is about enthusiasm, and personal inspiration. It’s about having the freedom to go after one’s interests. It’s about learning new things, exploring, and finding excitement in the pursuit of what makes you light up on the inside.
The Hermit – Independence… and the importance of knowing oneself, and being honest with oneself. I am fiercely independent. Even as Gideon’s submissive, I have boundaries in place that protect and defend that independence.
I am also a fierce advocate of being honest with oneself. Knowing yourself is important, for unless you are willing to look at yourself with truth and honesty, see the bad parts of yourself and accept them… how can you grow? It is only through acknowledging when someone is wrong that you can then work on it and improve… and become better than you are in the present.
DECK USED: ASK THE WITCH TAROT
I had chocolate truffles from Fran’s Chocolates. So good.
Twisting the Leaf 