The Thaw
Drips and dribbles
pat and patter
as ice melts away
and snow disipates
overnight
so that the morning
dawns
with a combination
of wet sheen
rippling puddles
and dripping bits
of icy remnants
of frozen rain
and heavy snow
Month: December 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 – Knight of Pentacles – It’s time to slow down. You can still keep you eye on your goals, but the slower pace is needed. It might feel like stagnancy, but if you’re still moving toward your goals? It’s not.
Air – Knight of Cups – You need to make sure you keep in mind what it is you want in your life. Don’t lose sight of what’s truly important to you and will make you happy. Orient yourself towards those things.
Water – Eight of Swords Rx – Now that the holiday rush is over, it’s time to remove the bindings on your emotions so that they can flow freely once again. Keep this in mind moving forward through the week and remain conscious of this goal as you move out of emotional stagnation.
Fire – Ace of Wands – Find other passions to pour your excess energy and anxiety into. That excess will taper off over time, but it needs redirecting into new and different interests in the meantime.
Waning – Birds and Anchor – Don’t depend on family and friends for the stability you crave. You have to create that for yourself.
Waxing – Rider and Garden – That doesn’t mean avoid them, though. Enjoy their company and companionship as you visit with them over the next week.
Take Away – It’s time to ease up on that tight grip of control you have had over your emotions and intuition throughout the past seven weeks. Allow your softer side to stretch from the shell you’ve built around it and begin to find the fresh air and freedom it needs to return happy and healthy once more.
DECKS USED: WINTER MAGIC TAROT AND YULETIDE TALES LENORMAND
Think First… Then Act
Today’s meditation was skipped.
Today’s draw is the “Harmey the Elf” card from the Fearsome Weirdos Ghouls of Yule deck.
Harmey the Elf says… make sure the solution isn’t worse than the problem! For example, trying to use clumping litter as traction would cause more problems than it fixes. Breaking the ice above the gutter without a ladder to make sure you don’t damage anything would cause more problems than it fixes. Trying to force the screen door back onto its tract without a butter knife and a little patience would cause more problems than it will fix.
Pay attention to the things you do today and make sure that the ingenuity and solutions you reach for are solid and grounded. The potential for causing more problems than you fix is high if you don’t take care to do things right the first time around or think prior to acting.
DECK USED: FEARSOME WEIRDOS GHOULS OF YULE CARDS
#DiscordTarotholicsDec2022 Challenge Prompt
Spread: Tarotholics Spread 1 from December 4th
Bear – Introspection / Healing: How can a period of introspection help with healing the past year’s pain?
Two of Swords – Think before you act. Think before you speak. Remember that it’s okay to pause and contemplate before you say something that might make things worse or choose a direction you’re not prepared or interested in going in.
Robin – Compassion / Patience: Where can I express more compassion and patience with others?
Four of Cups – Take a moment to consider why people are being difficult instead of just assuming it’s manipulation. People balk for many reasons, and it’s not always to get their own way, inconvenience you, or make things more difficult for others.
Deer – Gentleness / Intuition: How can I use my intuition to encourage more gentleness and caring this holiday?
The Moon atop The Chariot – Allow your intuition to chariot you through moments of uncertainty. It’s okay to give your intuition reign and let it steer. The holiday rush caused you to pull back, but that’s no longer needed.
Squirrel – Preparation / Resourcefulness: How can prep and resourcefulness help me through the holidays?
The Star – Being prepared will help you in seeing the possibilities, making your outlook more positive and allowing you to be more hopeful. This positivity and optimism is key to enjoying what’s left of the holidays.
Wren – Inspiration / Enthusiasm: Where can I find inspiration to help me be enthusiastic about the holidays this year?
Six of Pentacles – Giving and receiving is a huge theme of the holidays. You enjoy people receiving the thoughtful gifts you have picked out for them, and in receiving those you’ve picked out for you. You enjoy witnessing the generosity that is so readily apparent during the holidays.
Boar – Stubborn Persistence: In what way can stubborn persistence help me through the rest of this year?
Five of Pentacles – Don’t let your scarcity issues get the best of you. Things are not as bad as they seem, and there is help of you truly need it.
Owl – Trust / Knowledge: How can the knowledge I’ve gained this year help me to trust myself better?
Eight of Pentacles – Integrate the lessons that you have learned into your life and use it to become better at those things you struggled with throughout the past year.
DECK USED: WINTER WAITE TAROT 2019 REVISED EDITION
I waited to take off for Ms B’s until the roads had a bit of time to thaw, leaving in the afternoon instead of first thing in the morning.
Gideon’s Challenge
Winter Temptation
Frozen paths
and thigh deep snow
keeps us inside
when the desire
we know
digs in deep
to tell us to play
but it’s
too damned cold
to go out today
maybe tomorrow
we can play
and have
a fit of fun
before the snow
melts away
Photo © ZenStatePhotography
Longest Night Cartomancy Reading
The prompt for this reading came from one of my Discord servers and is as follows: “As today is the Winter Solstice/Yule, let’s talk to our divination tool of choice about how we should spend this longest night, or what we can best do to get the rest as if every night was the longest night of the year.”
What is preventing me from getting the best rest that I could during the longest nights of the year?
Three of Diamonds and Nine of Diamonds – You’re driving motivation to finish the project that you have started, and do the best that you can with them to make them a success right up to the end. This motivation is currently in overdrive and is preventing you from getting the best rest possible at this time.
What can I do to resolve those issues and rest better as a result?
Three of Clubs atop Two of Hearts – There is only a few days left in the holiday rush (cards were pulled on December 22nd). Look forward to when you can spend your time with others instead of worrying about what’s left to do in the next couple of days. Focus on further plans beyond the holiday rush instead of allowing your focus to linger on what is coming to an end.
How can I best carry this solution forward with me into the future?
Two of Diamonds and Five of Diamonds – Make sure whenever there is a choice to be made on your path forward that you always choose to look beyond your scarcity issues, instead of sinking into them.
DECK USED: FROSTY THE SNOWMAN PLAYING CARDS
A New Day Approaches
Today’s meditation was skipped.
Today’s draw is the World card, which is traditionally a representation of a long journey coming to its end, accomplishment, and completion.
Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your life. Yeah, it’s sort of cliche, and yet with this specific card landing on the last day of my holiday rush responsibilities? That is exactly what this card is saying.
Tomorrow is a new adventure. A new day. A new journey. The holiday rush was long and exhausting and tough as hell… but it’s done. You survived and succeeded yet again! And tomorrow you will wake up to a day with NO business responsibilities other than correspondence, and be able to think about other things beside filling orders.
DECK USED: GNOME TAROT
I wrapped up the last of the holiday orders a bit early so I could just relax a bit before bed.
Twisting the Leaf 