Explorations In Hope

Today’s meditation was fourteen minutes long, and was one of the #DailyTrip sessions from the @Calm app.

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Supernova Tarot - The StarThe @GlitterbyInk #SeptemberSoul25 Challenge
Seeds of Intention Prompt for September 6th
: Origin
Daily Mental Health Prompt
: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is The Star card, which is traditionally a representation of hope, faith, and the connecting of spirituality to the various aspects of our lives.

Where does hope come from? Is it just a part of being human? Is it hereditary? Is it taught and learned?

Hope comes from within. That I know. External forces may spark it to life or dampen its flame, but it’s something within us all. But… how did it get there in the first place? After all, even the most severe of pessimists, who squash their own feelings of hope at every turn, have to have hope in order to squash it.

Maybe where it comes from isn’t important, and what truly is important is learning how to fan its flames within us. Still, the question stands; possibly unanswerable, but there all the same.

The message in today’s card is that hope it is universal, but what we do with it varies from person to person. Today’s message encourages us to look at what you’re doing with yours, and if you don’t like how it’s going? Maybe consider why it’s there in the first place and do a little exploring with it.

DECK USED:  SUPERNOVA TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsSep2025 Challenge
Prompt for September 6th
: What do you need to focus on for self-care for this month’s full moon?

Quiet Rebel OracleReading Summary: Those that betrayed you when you thought them your friends (Tribe of Rebels) are long gone. It’s time to address these wounds (Embrace the Scars) and begin moving away from the defence mechanisms that this experience created within you (The Quiet Rebellion Starts With You).

Take Away: The wounds created by these people were struck upon your insides over a decade ago.  It’s time to confront those wounds and begin to break down the scar tissue left behind.

That experience was extremely painful, and it tore away a huge swath of your naivety, but it’s in the past.  Allowing it to still hurt you for so very long means you are punishing yourself far more than the lesson learned warranted.

Other elements included in this reading:
Carved Bamboo for Positive Outcomes
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others

DECK USED: QUIET REBEL ORACLE

@de_tarotjuf Time for Yourself
#detarotjufseptembertarotchallenge
Prompt for September 6th thru 8th

Tarot Reading with the Supernova Tarot and Valmor Roaring 20s Fortune Telling CardsWhat can I take a fresh look at?

Six of Wands and The Cross – Whose regard are you holding above your own? It’s time to take a look at the negative influences that others opinions are having on you, and why you are allowing their words and opinions to hold such weight and importance.

What’s holding me back from truly starting with good intentions today?

The Tower Rx and The Gentleman – Your fear is holding you back. Current transitions taking place in your life and the chaos involved are stirring up fears. These fears have the ability to force you into stagnancy if you let them. You need to work at stepping past them so that you stay active in other ways during this time.

Which dream do I want to take seriously?

The World and The Lady – You wish to emerge from this time of struggle and uncertainty into a time of grace and abundance. You want a “soft landing” after the trials and tribulations. Instead of daydreaming about it, and telling yourself it’s not going to happen, hold faith that you have the inner strength to bring this dream into fruition.

Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Rhododendron Leaf for Fostering Confidence
Aragonite for Truth and Understanding
Black Tourmaline for Grounding and Protection
Carnelian Agate for Inner Drive and Focusing On One’s Aspirations
Desert Rose for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: SUPERNOVA TAROT AND VALMOR ROARING ’20s FORTUNE TELLING CARDS

Daily Self Kindness

It took me three tries to actually manage to get through my meditation today, but I didn’t give up on it.

Gideon’s Challenge – Blood Moon Coming

Full Blood MoonBlood Moon Coming

Wildfire smoke
fills the air
tinging
the light
with an
amber hue
while turning
sunsets
an angry red
and moon rises
in shades
of pink
upon blue

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

🌕 Full Moon & Lunar Eclipse in Pisces – September 2025

Tomorrow is the full moon, and like all new moons and full moons, I did a spread aligned to the moon’s current themes as a part of my recognition of the moon’s cycle and influences upon us. Today’s spread is courtesy of @katie_belleame

Full Moon Tarot Reading with the Love and Lust Tarot and Close to Home Cards

Aquamarine – What in life helps to soothe my emotional overwhelm, encouraging calm and clarity?

Seven of Swords and Beauty – Hold up and take a moment to appreciate fleeting moments of beauty. Just because you can’t capture them all on film doesn’t mean they don’t live in your heart and heal you from the inside. These moments create positive feedback that helps to lift you up and combat your pessimism, just like seeking out positivity and optimism.

Amethyst – How can I deepen my intuition, supporting mindfulness and strengthening my spiritual connections?

Nine of Swords and Time – Don’t worry so much about what’s coming. Instead, focus on mindfulness and living in the moment for the time being. There’s too much uncertainty ahead, and the what-if thinking going on in your head is getting in the way of everything else.

Rose Quartz – What can I do during this full moon cycle to soften my heart and encourage more compassion, forgiveness, and self-love?

The World and Compassion – Remember that getting to the end of a journey is never perfect. It’s messy and there’s lots of mistakes and lessons along the way. When you get to the end and look back, it’s important to remember that the journey was never meant to be perfect in the first place.

Labradorite – What protections are needed at this time to protect myself and my dreams?

Six of Pentacles and A Retreat – Work on seeing this forced time off as a vacation, instead of treating it as a punishment. Give yourself permission to enjoy it.

Lepidolite – How can I ease my anxiety and support myself in letting go during times of transition?

Three of Swords Rx and A Locked Portal – Work on remembering that you aren’t in this alone. You might hold the reins, but you have others there to support you and advise you in these times of transition… if you’re willing to listen.

Full Moon advice from the Minoan Goddess Amalthea.

The Chariot and A Beautiful Key – Don’t despair. Everything is going to work out. You may not be able to see it at the moment, as the path forward is currently blocked… but you have everything you’ll need to get going when the time is right.

DECK USED: LOVE AND LUST TAROT AND CLOSE TO HOME CARDS

The Virtue of Patience

Today’s meditation was a self-directed ten minute session, focused upon the “Give It a Minute” card from The Az Oracle (shown) by @Sunni_Chapman and the guidance that came with that card.

That guidance says, “That thing you’re worrying about, or think has gone wrong, or that you have done wrong… give it a minute. Sometimes more can be solved by just going out to play or doing something else than could be with all of your tinkering. Relax child. All will be well. You’ll see.”

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Camena Tarot's The Sun Card and The Az Oracle ReadingThe @GlitterbyInk #SeptemberSoul25 Challenge
Seeds of Intention Prompt for September 5th
: Whisper
Daily Mental Health Prompt
: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is The Sun card, which is traditionally a representation of success, optimism, positivity, fun and frivolity. In my path, the Sun is also a symbol of male vitality, virility, and warmth.

Sometimes, “all things (really do) come to those that wait”. I’m not saying that this is a rule to live by for every occasion, but there are definitely times when it aptly applies.

Patience is considered a virtue for a reason, though. We are so inundated with instant gratification that it has become the new norm… and patience, a quality that has always been a struggle for humanity to begin with, has now become an enigma.

But sometimes? Patience is what’s needed most.

I’m currently in a situation where I’m stuck in a holding pattern, and I find myself struggling with the lack of action and agency. What hangs in the balance is, quite literally, my livelihood.

The message in the Sun card for today is a reminder that maybe we should work more at turning these times of waiting into times of enjoyment by doing things to take our mind off of it. Have a little fun and let the impatience and worry sit on the back burner for a while. Then, when we come back to it, we’ll be able to do so with a lighter heart and clearer mind; those nasty little impatient whispers in our head not quite as loud as before.

DECK USED:  CAMENA TAROT AND THE AZ ORACLE

#DiscordTarotholicsSep2025 Challenge
Prompts for September 4th and 5th

Tarot Reading with the Camena Tarot, New Orleans Tarot Cats, and Grain CardsWhat are you ignoring that needs rooted out and dealt with?

Wheel of Fortune – You are not handling uncertainty and the concept of idle time well. That uncertainty spread out before you, and the lack of predictability involved, makes it feel like you’re spiralling out of control and that there’s no safe place to land.

Your Personal Pain

Australian White Cedar and Queen of Cups – Now that you are so much more open to your emotions, they are trying to have more say, and even step in to lead the way. This is causing a conflict to arise at times between you emotional self and your moral compass. (ie: There are things you could do to make your situation better and create more stability during this time of uncertainty, but they are illegal, unacceptable to your moral compass, or both.)

A Healing Action to Take

Walnut and Nine of Cups – Place your focus into staying positive. Things are in flux right now, and sometimes that makes an optimistic viewpoint hard to hold onto. Don’t let the negative creep in, but instead stay on top of developing that positive outlook and optimism you’ve been working towards. This continues to combat your pessimism and the influences of your negative inner narratives.

Possible Positive Outcome

Elm and The Hierophant – By being patient and learning how to do things the “proper way” by the book instead of taking shortcuts, you are then able to help others learn and guide them through it, too. This is a comfortable position for you that helps you feel more stable and secure, even during times of transition.

Take Away – Stop twisting in the wind. Use your work with positivity to help keep yourself calm and your hope alive. You can’t learn the right way to do things if you’re too busy with your focus on getting away with doing the wrong things. Not to mention, going against your moral compass has never worked well for you and the chances of it doing so this time are low.

Other elements included in this reading:
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECKS USED: CAMENA TAROT, NEW ORLEANS TAROT CATS, AND GRAIN CARDS

Daily Self Kindness

I didn’t cancel my shrink appointment, even though I really didn’t want to do it and had a feeling it was going to throw off my equilibrium (which, in fact, it did).

Gideon’s Challenge – Reclaimed

Rural MailboxReclaimed

The fort sits high
with a view
of the sky
among brambles
and briar
and if you sit
very close
and stay
very quiet
you can hear
the shuffle
of movement
and
playful laughter
from inside

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

The Happy Place

Today’s meditation was a self-directed ten minute session, focused upon the “Take It Easy” card from The Az 2 Oracle (shown) by @Sunni_Chapman and a quote from guidance that came with that card.

That guidance says, “You know what you’re doing babes, take it easy on you.”

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The Unofficial Shel Silverstein Tarot and The Az 2 Oracle The @GlitterbyInk #SeptemberSoul25 Challenge
Seeds of Intention Prompt for September 4th
: Stillness
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 Cups, which is traditionally a representation of themes that have to do with contentment, accomplishment, and satisfaction in the area of one’s emotions, relationships, creativity, and intuition.

One of the things I find particularly appealing about meditation and mindfulness is that you can take it with you anywhere. You can quite literally do it everywhere.

This means that the potential to find some kind of peace and contentment is possible anywhere and in any situation. This is why combat soldiers are taught box breathing. This is how snipers stay so calm and focused. This is how free divers are able to be so effective with their breath control.

Yes. A cushy mat and some silence is an absolutely delightful way to practice. We practice in the spaces, though, so that we can then bring the skills learned there with us to be utilized in the busy and chaotic world where they can do the most good.

The message for today is that any place has the potential to be our happy place. If we learn how to bring that inner stillness and peace with us, we can bring our happy place with us wherever we go.

DECK USED:  THE UNOFFICIAL SHEL SILVERSTEIN TAROT AND THE AZ 2 ORACLE

@de_tarotjuf Time for Yourself
#detarotjufseptembertarotchallenge
Prompts for September 4th and 5th

The Unofficial Shel Silverstein Tarot and Kitten Oracle ReadingWhat can I do to increase my self-confidence?

The World and The Loaf – Don’t worry so much about the end of things and what you’re losing in moving past it. Instead, remember how far you’ve come, and that what you’ve built gives you a sense of security that will last beyond this ending and onto the next beginning. Relax and enjoy the ride, tuck away your defences, and put away your fears concerning what you can’t see and don’t yet know.

What new habit can help me flourish?

The Sun and The Storm – Take comfort in the fact that your current struggles and fears are temporary, and you will get the chance to start climbing toward your goals and aspirations again once everything has settled down. For now, just snuggle in with those things and people that give you comfort and wait out the storm.

Other elements included in this reading:
Black Spruce Needles to Boost Self-Confidence and Positive Thinking
Dried Purple Heather Flowers for Independence and Luck
Aragonite for Truth and Understanding
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: THE UNOFFICIAL SHEL SILVERSTEIN TAROT AND KITTEN ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

I bought myself a box of chocolate muffins while at the store today.