Resurrecting Hope
Sometimes
hopelessness
touches down
like a disease
spread through
momentary contact
and nothing
feels okay
until
a little note
catches your eye
and reminds you
to take a breath
and let muscles
relax
Month: August 2025
Preparedness Is Important
Today’s meditation was a ten minute long self-directed session that was based on a video I watched last night on YouTube about Critical Thinking vs Collective Stupidity.
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@FatMumSlim August #FMSPAD Challenge
Prompt for August 28th : A Sign of Newness | #FMS_NEWNESS25
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.
Today’s draw is the Nine of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of boundaries, defensive maneuvers, and protection of what you hold dear.
If you don’t wear the battle scars, how do you know you were part of the battle?
At times of conflict and violence, we have a tendency to rally around our young and protect them from harm. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it leaves “the last man standing” as someone without the scars of battle and experience needed to defend and protect what’s left.
Isn’t it perhaps better to prepare them for that role? They aren’t too young or inexperienced to learn… Isn’t it more accurate to say that we just don’t want them to learn these horrible truths that they need to know? When it comes to survival, though, shouldn’t they know? Knowledge is power after all, so by having these difficult discussions and involving them in preparation and defence from the start, You empower them for when said knowledge and experience is needed instead of leaving them to fumble around in the dark.
This isn’t just true about violence and conflict either. It’s about discussions on death, divorce, and sex; it’s about teaching them how to cook and work and use critical thinking. We won’t be there to shield them forever, so don’t you think we should be teaching them?
Today’s message is a reminder that the best defence is a good offence. Get out ahead of upcoming trouble by empowering those that will come after us in the ways that truly matter. Leaving them in the dark helps no one.
DECK USED: QUIET REBEL TAROT
@Lionharts #TheAugustTarot Leo Season Challenge
Nine of Wands – Resilience Prompts for August 26th thru 28th
What inner strength have I cultivated through consistent effort?
Ace of Swords and Foam – You have managed to take ideas and strategy that was ephemeral, insubstantial, and still under development in your mind, and by writing it down and then working with it on paper, you’ve turned it into the first steps of an action plan.
Where am I being asked to hold steady and keep showing up?
Page of Pentacles and Seaweed – It’s hard to trust that you’re going to get anywhere in your endeavors when it feels like you’re being put on hold. Remember that it’s not stagnancy that you’re experiencing, just a much slower pace than you’re used to. Continue to take your time and surrender to the slower pace, for at this time that’s the key to your future success.
How can I move forward now with trust in the strength I have earned throughout my challenges?
Four of Swords and Sailor – Remember that even if things weren’t up in the air at the moment, it would still be a time of rest for you. That’s what this part of the year is about for your business. In this time of rest, you are preparing for a more strenuous time ahead. Don’t lose sight of that in the chaos of this current challenge.
Other elements included in this reading:
Bind Rune on Cedar for a Protected Home
Dried Lavender Bundle for Calming and Comfort
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Aragonite for Truth and Understanding
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
DECK USED: THE GARDEN OF ENCHANTED CREATURES TAROT AND THE SEASHELL ORACLE
@empressofthenightslight Roll the Tarot August Challenge
Roll : 2 Prompt : What do I need to know today?
Reading Summary: You’re worried about the fate of your business (Begin Again). These worries are neither surprising or an over reaction to what’s going on right now (Blessed Unrest).
It’s in this worry you will find the path forward, as it will keep you on your toes so that you can adapt and change course quickly instead of being one step behind (Safe Passage).
Take Away: Keep moving. Even as the going is slow, and your anxieties are trying to push you into reacting by taking action.
Instead, focus on the things you already have to do instead of making more work for yourself. Use the energy generated by your anxiety to your advantage instead of allowing it to freeze you up in fear.
Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Rhododendron Leaf for Fostering Confidence
Black Spruce Needles to Boost Self-Confidence and Positive Thinking
Dried Purple Heather Flowers for Independence and Luck
Petrified Wood D20 Die for Making Solid Choices
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
DECK USED: WILD CHORUS ORACLE
I went to authorities for assistance instead of dealing with things on my own.
Gideon’s Challenge – Fragmented
Fragmented
Jigsaw puzzles
are supposed
to fit together
each piece
falling into place
until
it becomes whole
and the
full picture
visible.
Today
my brain
is not so uniform
as all that
Photo © ZenStatePhotography
Finding the Positive for August 25 – 27
August 25 – Mental Health Card of the Day
Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and was one of the #DailyTrip sessions in the @Calm app.
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@FatMumSlim August #FMSPAD Challenge
Prompt for August 25th : Something Starting With 8 | #FMS_825
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.
Today’s draw is the Two of Coins, which is traditionally a representation of juggling responsibilities, work/life balance, and prioritization.
[Note: The Eight of Cups was not a draw, but rather it was the first “8” card come to in the deck for the “Something Starting with 8” prompt.]
OK, let’s be clear. Nothing starts with eight. Even the Eight of Cups (or any 8 in the tarot); far more went on well before we ever get to the eight. This is true in just about anything (with the possible exception of the birth of octuplets).
Beginnings are births, and what comes after are lessons, trials, obstacles, imbalances, and experience; which eventually leads you to Eight.
You can’t get there without experience, and a massive part of that experience is all about balance. After all, you don’t just decide to walk away from something you’re invested in (which is what the Eight of Cups is all about) without having gone through some sort of imbalance that has built up to the point where the endeavor is no longer worth your while.
Today’s message asks us to examine those imbalances; before walking away if you can… or after if you need that distance to see things more clearly. In examining what has caused our reaction to bail on something that at one time was important to us, we can learn more about ourselves and how to possibly foster a better balance in future endeavors.
DECK USED: TAROT DE JACQUES VIEVILLE EDITIONS SIVILIXI FRANCE
August 26 – Mental Health Card of the Day
Today’s meditation was a ten minute self-directed session based upon the affirmation “You deserve the best. The foggiest of cemetery strolls. The silkiest coffin lining. The most haunted of castles. The fiercest of hellhounds. Don’t let anyone tell you you’re just a recluse the townsfolk tell stories about – you are an immortal countess with a horrifying secret.”
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@FatMumSlim August #FMSPAD Challenge
Prompt for August 26th : The Last Photo I Took | #FMS_LASTPHOTO25
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.
Today’s draw is the Justice card, which is traditionally a representation of balance, cause and effect, repercussions and consequences, give and take, and can often indicate the law or legal system.
If you don’t use it, you lose it. That’s what happens when you stop doing the things that you love. You lose them. (This includes riding a bike by the way. That skill is not universally, retained, regardless of the saying to the contrary. Take it from someone who had to do the relearning.)
Sometimes, I’ve let go of hobbies and the skills associated with them with the knowledge and acceptance that if I pick them back up later, I’ll have to relearn them. It happens. I do a lot of creative exploration and you just can’t keep up on all of them all the time.
One in particular that this is not the case for, though, is photography. My treasured SLR camera gathers dust more often than not these days; not out of a lack of interest or an intent to let it go… but due to the lure of convenience. My cellphone, after all, is already on my person and has a very good camera. As good as my SLR with a macro or telephoto lens? No. But a hell of a lot lighter and more convenient.
And… as this convenience, seduces, I fumble a bit more with the SLR; my skills with it becoming less adept as I sacrifice quality again and again for the convenience that the camera on my cellphone provides.
I’m not sure I’m happy with the trade-off.
Today’s message is a reminder that you get what you give. If you’re not willing to put in the extra work and put up with a little inconvenience, don’t be surprised when your skills grow rusty and quality starts to decline.
DECK USED: A GRIEVING TAROT AND SINISTER AFFIRMATIONS CARDS
August 27 – Mental Health Card of the Day
Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and was one of the #DailyCalm sessions in the @Calm app.
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@FatMumSlim August #FMSPAD Challenge
Prompt for August 27th : A Colour That Calms Me | #FMS_CALMCOLOUR25
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.
Today’s draw is the Four of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of one’s passionate love for the security and welcoming energies of home. This often translates into themes that have to do with homecoming, celebrating home and stability, as well as relaxation in comfortable spaces.
No. It’s not yellow! (ref: today’s “color that calms me” prompt). A “color” that calms me is home. Not just the home that provides a roof over my head, though, but the people that color my life with moments of joy. The trees that stand tall and the fallen nurse logs that I am welcomed by each time I step out into nature.
Speaking of…. when I travelled across the US back in my trusty (now gone) Jeep, there was one thing that stood out to me the most in every place I visited as determining how comfortable and “at home” I felt in each location.
It was how much wild green the locations had. Not the manicured lawns and landscaped gardens, but the wild green of forests and ferns and towering trees. I found that in the places without these wild green spaces, I never truly felt comfortable… comforted… or at home.
Today’s message (and the wild mental ride that got us here) is a reminder that “home” is not your house (although it could be). It’s a feeling of comfort, safety, and belonging. It’s those places and people for which you are the missing piece of the puzzle, and when you slip into place it’s a perfect fit worth celebrating.
DECK USED: TAROT OF THE HIDDEN REALM
Gideon’s Challenge – Ripe
Ripe
I want to
feel
your flesh
under my teeth
as I slick
my tongue
against
your skin
then
bite in deep
and
make you
mine
Photo © ZenStatePhotography
The Seeds We Plant
Today’s meditation was a ten minute EFT tapping session using The Tapping Solution Daily Guidance card pictured with my tarot card of the day, and the tapping guidance/affirmations provided on the back of the card.
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Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.
Today’s draw is the Ace of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of the seed of new beginnings in the area of one’s thoughts, intellect, education, logic and reason, ambition, or communication.
The self talk in your head is important. It is the seed in your mind that influences how you see the world and everything in it, also affecting your interactions with these things. It influences your perspectives on yourself as well as affecting your performance in everything from every day tasks to important endeavors.
Seeds, when planted, grow. That means if the self talk in your head is negative, it encourages growth in negative perceptions and experiences. If the self talk is positive, it then encourages positive growth and experiences.
Today’s message is a reminder to be aware of your inner narratives. Don’t just agree with the self talk out of hand, especially when it’s negative. Instead, when negative self talk arrives, argue with it. Advocate for a softer judgment and more positive viewpoint, and in doing so you also advocate for yourself. Plant new, healthier seeds, and encourage them to grow so that they can start to crowd out the unhealthy ones that try to find a foothold in your life.
DECK USED: TRASH PANDA & TAROT AND THE TAPPING SOLUTION’S DAILY GUIDANCE CARDS
#DiscordTarotholicsAug2025 Challenge
Prompt for August 24th : Do Spread 4 – Spiritual Aspects
Seeds Sown – What seeds for my spiritual health & growth planted in the Spring have flourished and grown strong?
Father of Earth and Double Caveman – You have managed to ground yourself spiritually, even against the odds that were against you. No matter that influences are trying to tug you in different directions, these tugs do not shift your foundation, which remains solid and strong.
The Chaff – What seeds have not flourished and need to be let go to encourage healthy growth in other areas?
Daughter of Earth and Big Sexy Satan – There are a few addictive behaviors that you are trying to cling to, continuing to flirt with even though they aren’t serving you. Don’t let them linger or they will poison the soil.
The Harvest – How can I best prepare now to reap the benefits of a positive and healthy harvest in the Fall?
Four of Air and Future Grandma – You are going to need all of the energy you can muster once things get moving again further into the harvest season. Work on shoring up your energy now in order to have energy to spare for later.
Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Silver Maple Key for Bouncing Back to Thrive
Gneiss Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Labradorite Sun and Moon for Mental and Emotional Healing
Banded Carnelian for Inner Drive and Focus On Aspirations
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
DECK USED: ELEMENTAL TAROT AND ARCANE BULLSHIT CARDS
I claimed top space.
Twisting the Leaf 