Leaning In
Your light
falls upon me
like warmth
in winter time
and rain
in the spring
and the kiss
of dappled
summer sun
through leaves
and all I can do
is lean in
and bask
under your glow
Month: January 2024
The Salmon Run
Today’s meditation was skipped.
Today’s draw is the Two of Swords combined with the affirmation “I don’t know if I will make it, but I will still try.”
I know the fish in this affirmation card is a koi, but with the affirmation that was used with it, it reminds me of salmon. Each year they strive to swim upstream under what seems like insurmountable odds to lay their eggs in the safe streams of their youth (as opposed to the treacherous oceans they come from as an adult). The species lives on because they beat those insurmountable odds again and again, year after year.
Today’s cards are a reminder that we all have to make hard choices and survive the trials and tribulations of life. Just because something feels difficult or impossible doesn’t mean it’s not worth choosing. In fact, those are usually the things that reap the greatest rewards in the end if you put your all into the effort.
Funny enough, at the end of my day I stumbled across someone online who was bitching about not wanting to have to go through “trials and tribulations” in order to reap the reward of good stuff at the end. I was far more irritated and offended by that (what I interpreted to be an extremely) entitled attitude than I expected I would be.
DECK USED: SLAVIC LEGENDS TAROT AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN
@Lionharts #TheJanuaryTarot 2024 January Initiation Prompt
Questions for January 19th thru 22nd
How can I further stoke my fires of creativity and innovation to propel my plans or projects forward? (draw a Wands card)
Eight of Wands Rx – Keep moving, but do it slowly. Don’t get so wrapped up in too many things at once and try to push them all forward at top speed.
What actions or practices can I integrate to enhance my emotional well-being and fulfillment? (draw a Cups card)
Five of Cups – Stay aware of how your negative inner narratives and pessimistic tendencies affect your mood. Take care to counterbalance their effects instead of sinking into the negative emotions they stir up.
How can I integrate fresh perspectives or mindset shifts into my current state of being (draw a Swords card)
Four of Swords – Don’t be lazy in your times of rest. Use down times to rest and recover, absolutely… but while doing so, take that time to consider and ruminate rather than going brain dead and numb.
How can I practically integrate steps into my daily life to bring these aspirations into reality? (draw a Pentacles card)
Ten of Pentacles – Remember that you are not alone. Allow others to join you in your journey and share in your success. It doesn’t have to be a one-man show.
DECK USED: SLAVIC LEGENDS TAROT
When I woke up this morning, I took an ibuprofen and then went back to bed for an hour instead of forcing myself to power through the pain.
Gideon’s Challenge
Train Spotting
Taz riding the
Burlington Northern
Santa Fe Rail
was just too good
and so much fun
he was larger
than life
hanging out there
with his tongue
hanging out
and a wicked smile
as he rides
down the rails
mile by mile.
Photo © ZenStatePhotography
Passing Storms
Today’s meditation was skipped.
Today’s draw is the Strength card combined with the affirmation “You are doing enough. It’s going to be okay.”
This is another encouragement telling you that you are going to weather the storm just fine. These worries you’re dealing with and all the stress involved with your current challenges are temporary. You will ride them out, and you are doing enough to work your way through them.
There’s no need to push. Just stand strong like the lighthouse in the card and wait for the weather to change.
DECK USED: GREAT LAKES TAROT
#DiscordTarotholicsJan2024 Challenge Prompt
Questions for January 18th and 19th
What do you feel you deserve?
Knowledge and The Emperor – You feel that you deserve no rest, just growth, so that you can better support yourself and others and reach your goals and show them all that you are deserving of their attention, time, and respect.
What do you actually deserve?
Luna and Page of Swords – You deserve time to process and move naturally through the learning process instead of rushing it all the time. You deserve to not always feel as if everything you do is pivotal to your success and/or how others perceive you.
DECKS USED: TALISMAN ORACLE AND MONOCHROMATICA TAROT
@Lionharts #TheJanuaryTarot 2024 January Initiation Prompt
Question for January 18th : How can I better approach challenges during my 2024 journey as opportunities for growth and learning?
King of Cups – Share your worries with Gideon and let him help you with the emotional side of things. He is far more experienced in this area, and eager to lead you into understanding your emotions better if you let him.
Nine of Pentacles atop Seven of Swords – Stick it out even when your anxiety is running high and the “what ifs” are running amok. It can be hard not to buckle and give up during those times, but if you stick with it you can rise above those worries in the end.
Knight of Swords – Take challenges as an opportunity to level up your strategy and adaptability game. You are being given the opportunity to advance through strategic changes. Look back at what you have done wrong in the past, and use that knowledge to defeat the current challenge.
Additional Note: The Knight of Swords is looking directly at the Nine of Pentacles. He is saying, “You cannot fly without wings.” Don’t allow yourself to be grounded by lack of confidence. Instead, look at all you have accomplished and allow it to lend you the wings to fly.
DECK USED: GREAT LAKES TAROT
Gideon and I played today even though it was an order day. It helped keep the anxiety down a bit about how slow business is at the moment.
Gideon’s Challenge
Brief Then Gone
A little snow
is better than none
with frozen temps
and feathery frost
and tiny snowflakes
mean and sharp
they sting the skin
as they land
and in the night
it’ll freeze hard
the sidewalks slick
for half a day
until the rain comes
and melts it away
Photo © ZenStatePhotography
Good Enough
Today’s meditation was skipped.
Today’s draw is the Hierophant card combined with the affirmation “it’s okay to just muddle through right now. Good enough is, in fact, good enough.”
Let’s be clear. I struggle with the “good enough” thing on a daily basis. I -never- feel “good enough” and I never feel that anything I do or produce is “good enough”.
When the chips are down, as they are for me right now in my business? This “good enough” issue swells and expands, and can become a massive and all encompassing issue.
The Hierophant combined with this “good enough” affirmation is a reminder that the tried and true methods are always there for me to fall back on. That it’s okay to fall back on them, as that’s what they’re there for. It’s a reminder to keep going… work with what you know… and things will work out fine.
DECK USED: VIKING VALOR TAROT AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN
@Lionharts #TheJanuaryTarot 2024 January Initiation Prompt
Question for January 17th : How can I balance structured planning with the freedom to roam, creating a harmonious exploration of my path?
Reading Summary: Remember that you don’t have to stay grounded all the time (panda spends a but amount of time in the trees instead of on the ground and both the other two are birds), just be judicial (the parrot is not flying) as to when and where are you soar (Hawk in flight).
Take Away: These cards are about incorporating what you interpret as being “less grounded” (having fun, exploration, etc) throughout your journey and process, instead of saving it up to only experience when you set aside special time for it. They are telling you that fun and adventure should be a day-to-day thing and not something that you are only experiencing when planned out.
DECK USED: THE TERRESTRIAL FAUNA ORACLE
#DiscordTarotholicsJan2024 Challenge Prompt
Philosophical Question for January 17th : Is it always better to have more choices?
Reading Summary: Vying for multiple directions (Two of Wands) can make you feel bereft and like there’s more struggle than there actually is involved (Five of Pentacles). This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad thing to have multiple choices, just that you need to remember not all journeys are a travel of instant gratification (Seven of Pentacles), and you need to use your inner wisdom (High Priestess) to make choices during that time instead of listening to your impatience.
Take Away: You know how sometimes when you have a lot on your plate, you end up frozen and unable to do anything… and you end up procrastinating instead of getting anything done? That is what the Two of Wand and Five of Pentacles are indicating here.
The High Priestess atop the Seven of Pentacles is then saying that in order to get through these times, it’s better to move slowly with small steps rather than not move at all, and that using your inner knowledge and intuition can help you best decide which small thing to focus on first.
DECK USED: VIKING VALOR TAROT
I ate cookies. A lot of really good cookies. Almost too many cookies, if that’s possible.
Twisting the Leaf 