Today’s meditation was skipped.

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The @GlitterbyInk #JulyJoy25 Challenge
Celebration of Joy Prompt for July 19 : Openness
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Five of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of pessimism, regrets, doomsday thinking, disappointments, and occasionally, failure (or at the very least, the perception of failure).

There have been times in my life where I could see nothing but the negative. Even when not in the grip of a depressive episode, I just couldn’t (and very possibly wouldn’t) look beyond my negative perceptions of the world around me or of myself.

This perspective makes life lackluster, and creates a situation where addictive behavior can become a problem; primarily because we’re so starved for any little shred of “feel good” that even the slightest taste of dopamine is worth chasing after.

I’m in a healthier place now. It took a lot of effort to get here, not to mention a good deal of feeling uncomfortably awkward and foolish. It’s so easy to slip back into those old tendencies, too, and yet I continue to work towards something better.

Today’s message is a reminder to be open to the positive, even when it might feel unrealistic or stupid. Look for the positive in negative situations. Find the boon, and accept it alongside the crap. I’m not saying that it’ll make the bad stuff disappear, but if you only focus on the negative, then it’s no surprise that the negative is all you see. Instead, allow yourself to be open to more than that. It’ll take some work, but it’s worth it.

DECK USED:  LULLABY TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJul2025 Challenge
Prompt for July 13 : Do Spread 2
Philosophical Question for July 23 : Do acts of kindness always have a motive?

Reading Summary: The first thing I note in these cards is the color correlation between the roses in the Heart card and the pink/red hues in the archway of the anchor card. Both surround a golden figure… the heart is golden, and so is the hair of the figure in the anchor card.

These correlations speak of warmth and love as a motivator. The hair of the woman in the anchor card also correlates with the hair of the woman in the Harp card and the large rose in the Wreath card. This connects the central figure to both melancholy and a sense of completeness.

Blue is also a central theme, as it is where the figure in the anchor card headed, and also in the background within the Harp card and in the middle ground of the Heart card. This connection and placement connects melancholy a bit deeper between these three, indicating that that is also a strong motivator.

Take Away: The answer presented in these cards is that even when there is no selfish motivation involved in acts of kindness,  there is still a motive involved. These kindnesses are spurred on by a sense of love and kindness that the people being kind need to spread to others.  Alternately a sense of sadness or pity at another’s situation can create a need to “solve” things for another in some cases. Thus, the motivation in these instances of kindness is either to share love, to help make things better, or a combination of both.

So, in this instance, the cards answer is no. There is no such thing as kindness without motive. It may be an altruistic motive spurred by love or pity, but there is always a motive involved.

Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Rhododendron Leaf for Fostering Confidence
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECKS USED: TEA LEAVES AND DREAMS ORACLE AND TWIST’S GRATITUDE CARDS

I left the room when politics came up today and turned on my audiobook so I couldn’t hear the discussion even from a distance.