Month: November 2022

Healthy Alone Time

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

Tarot of the Hidden Realm - The HermitToday’s draw is the Hermit card, which is traditionally a representation of alone time, introspection, self-discovery, and seeking one’s inner truth. Like all Major Arcana cards, the Hermit often deals with an overall outlook rather than any one aspect of the human experience.

Healthy alone time is a goal of mine, as I’m often tempted by self destructive tendencies that whisper lies about unhealthy alone time being just as good.   It’s not, and the keep intelligence of the wizened woman in today’s card looks on in that reminder.  Her gaze asks… is the time you spend alone healthy?  Or is it self-destructive in nature?

Always a good reminder on days when things are quiet and you can take a few minutes to yourself, yes?

The message in today’s card is a reminder to ensure that when you indulge in a bit of alone time, you make sure that you are doing so in healthy ways, and not using that alone time to feed into bad habits or unhealthy choices.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE HIDDEN REALM

Daily Self Kindness

I chose to not pull cards today, and to pull my self-care Saturday cards tomorrow as a “catch up” instead of dealing with it today.

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_8793Seeking Support

Delicate
and fractured
I reach out
to you
in the dark
seeking the touch
of your skin
against mine
and in that moment
instead
of shattering
into tiny pieces
I find the strength
to continue on
another day

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

The Inner Tyrant

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

Baroque TarotToday’s draw is the Queen of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of a receptive alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s knowledge, education, logic, ambitions, or communication. This often translates into themes that have to do with the people that foster you through tough love and sharp-tongued advice.

Today’s card popped out reversed, and that holds significance to me in this draw, as it speaks of the harder and harsher sides of the Queen and that sharp-tongued advice she is so prone to offering… with good intentions, of course.

The message in today’s card is a reminder not to let your inner tyrant be a dictator. Keep an eye on just how hard you’re pushing yourself, and make sure you’re getting the care and rest you need instead of allowing your ambitions steal away the self-care that you need.

DECK USED:  BAROQUE TAROT

Mr Lionhart’s The Suits: Revisited #TheNovemberTarot Prompt
Questions for November 11th and 12th

Carte Postale TarotSuit of Cups – In what area or in what way am I asked to honor my current feelings?

Ace of Cups and Four of Wands – It’s okay to enjoy this time at home. As long as it doesn’t take an unhealthy turn, being a homebody can be a wonderful change of pace for a bit, and definitely something to enjoy.

Suit of Cups – What is my intuition trying to tell me, or help me with, right now?

Four of Cups and Seven of Swords – Don’t let dishonest people be the reason for your retreat from the world. Make sure you are engaging so that you can watch out for them instead.

DECK USED: CARTE POSTALE TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsNov2022 Challenge Prompt
Question for November 11th: Advice I need to hear at this time concerning my ambitions.

Baroque TarotReading Summary: Follow the plan that you’ve put in place (Three of Wands) to foster your business and your goals (Queen of Wands), but make sure that you are being flexible enough to adapt when needed along the way (Page of Swords).

Take Away: Don’t take on the attitude that you’ve “got this” and that nothing can trip you up.  Such rigid thinking will stand in your way when you need to adapt to any unexpected developments that might crop up along the way.   Instead, look at the journey through these seven weeks as a learning adventure and it will help you to encourage your business to thrive through this holiday season as well as those to come in the future.

DECK USED: BAROQUE TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I got in some time playing with Gideon today, which felt really good.

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_8911The Scapegoat

Boundaries broken
and the guilt
eats away
at the edges
that have been torn
and refuse
to scab over
so they
instead
corrode away
a little at a time
like rust
as blame is assigned
and accepted
without contest

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

What Is a Shuffle Plate?

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This was asked recently in my Discord’s DMs, but I thought it might be helpful to show others. So… a shuffle plate is essentially a plate you use to shuffle on that protects the table underneath. I don’t like reading cloths for regular use because they shift and wrinkle. Instead, I prefer bare wood. But… well. This is what happens when you shuffle on bare wood over time:

Board01

As you can see, shuffling creates a good deal of wear on wood over time. You can also see that when the wear got pretty extensive, I tried to turn the table around and use the other side for a bit. I clearly needed a better solution, though.  No matter how gentle I am with the cards, they begin to wear on the wood as time goes on.

So, while I was at a friend’s house, I noticed a sample piece of granite from the store sitting cast aside on the windowsill that they had considered doing their countertops in. They no longer needed it, and I asked if I could have it.

IMG_E6894

I took it home, put little fuzzy feet on the underside, and began using it to shuffle my cards on in order to preserve the table top (which it has done spectacularly since acquiring it). Since then, I also found a similarly sized tile in selenite, which I did the same with.

Yes, selenite is soft and, at some point, it will have to be replaced. It does include a cleansing benefit that the granite doesn’t, though.

And, there you have it. A “shuffle plate” is a piece of tile/wood/stone used to shuffle on that protects your table from the wear and tear of shuffling. Soft, fuzzy feet on the bottom are recommended, or the plate will cause it’s own damage to the table’s surface.

Respecting Traditions and Inclusion

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

Broken Mirror Tarot 5th Edition Green BoxToday’s draw is the Hierophant card, which is traditionally a representation of tradition, spiritual guidance, long standing institutions, teachers and guides, and themes that deal with conformity and social norms.

This card makes me think of Christmas. It could be all the red and the pale blue hues that look like snow and ice.  It brings to mind social expectations.  For example… I am Pagan, and I celebrate the eight holidays on the “wheel of the year” rather than traditional Christian holidays. But– I also take part in a number of Christmas traditions.

I have family and friends that are Christian, and I enjoy taking part in their traditions, and being included in these traditions.  No… I don’t go to church, and none of them would expect me to. Yet they do expect me to be at Christmas dinner, to spend time with them over the Christmas season (or rather, just after it due to my holiday rush) and in the case of a few people in my life, do greeting card and/or gift exchanges.

I am fine with all of this, because it is all important to them, and because I enjoy being included.  Today’s card is a reminder that it’s okay to enjoy being included… and to enjoy others traditions! As long as it comes from a respectful place and you’re welcome by others to participate, that’s what matters.

DECK USED:  BROKEN MIRROR TAROT 5th EDITION GREEN BOX

@The.Journey.Well ‘s Friendship & Community Challenge Prompt
Questions for November 9th and 10th

Become An Oracle DeckWhat energy turns you off to friendships?

Toxic “high vibration” (Archangel Christiel) know-it-all bullshit (Archangel Jophiel), and proselytization (The Seraphims).

You are fine with others having their own beliefs and are an advocate for finding the spiritual path that’s the right fit for each individual… but you don’t appreciate when it turns someone into a toxic thinker, makes them act as if they feel they are better than others, or they begin trying to push their believes upon you and your path.

How can meeting new people help you?

It can introduce into your life more trust and unconditional love in your life (Hathor). To invite these things in, though, requires opening yourself up to vulnerability and possible disappointments (Open the Gates).

DECK USED: BECOME AN ORACLE DECK

#DiscordTarotholicsNov2022 Challenge Prompt
Question for November 10th: Think of a problem that needs solving and pull cards in relation to…
Problem: Sustaining healthy energy levels through the holiday rush.

Broken Mirror Tarot 5th Edition Green BoxWhere To Begin – The Fool – Enthusiasm is your friend! Jump out the gate with eagerness and try to have some fun.

What Half Way Looks Like – Queen of Swords – Get a little cut-throat to make sure everything moves forward as planned.

How to End Things – Wheel of Fortune atop Six of Swords Rx – There will be a lot of ups and downs along the path that gets you to this point. Just make sure you are sticking it out til the very end.

Long Term Ramifications – Page of Swords – More lessons learned to foster further future ambitions. Each year you learn new skills and methods that you then carry forward to make the next year go just a little bit smoother.

DECK USED: BROKEN MIRROR TAROT 5th EDITION GREEN BOX

Daily Self Kindness

I called all hands on deck to help get the 102 orders that needed to be finished done and ready to go.  We even managed to finish earlier than expected as a result.