Today’s meditation was skipped.

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The @GlitterbyInk #FebYOUary26 Moments & Memories Challenge
Prompt for February 5th : Belonging
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is The Fool card, which is traditionally a representation of innocence, carelessness, carefree enthusiasm, and new beginnings.

Holding yourself apart from the adventures and the “good stuff” in life connects you to your inner child and your enthusiasm doesn’t help you feel like you belong, but instead only keeps you isolated from others.

It’s only when you’re open to new experiences, and give yourself permission to be more of a free spirit, that you get out there and actually interact with others instead of hiding away by yourself in the dark.

The message in today’s Fool card and “belonging” prompt is a reminder that it’s through adventure that we discover life’s greatest rewards. If we’re too focused on protecting ourselves from every little thing that might happen, we lose out on a lot of the good stuff that life has to offer us… including the connections and relationships that help support us along the way.

DECK USED: IAQVES VIEVIL TAROT

One Card Tarot Journal Activity by @mariasofia_astro
Chapter 6 | Entry 14 – Spiritual Development
Affirmation : “I am optimistic about the future.”
Prompt : Journal about the following question: “What do I believe would make the world a better place?” Use the card you draw to determine the active role you can play in creating that reality.

What feelings came up when I pulled this card?

My first reaction to this card was “yes, change, that’s what we’re talking about” with just a touch of impatience.

The fact that this card came out out of the deck to land on the table reversed, though, makes me wonder if the answer is more about what not to do… rather than what there is to do.

What elements of the card’s meaning resonate with me and this prompt?

The Death card is about gradual organic change, rather than something sudden or unexpected.

Combined with what I mention (below) about the artwork, this speaks to me about a need to be patient and consistent in my efforts. Don’t wave shit in people’s faces, as it just irritates them and shuts them down. Sneak the stuff in from the side a little at a time, so that they slowly start to realize what they’re seeing on their own.

What in the artwork spoke to me?

That over the shoulder eye roll that the figure in the card is displaying indicates to me a touch of passive-aggressiveness. This hints that if I want to make a change, perhaps the direct approach is not necessarily the best approach I could take in this particular situation.

My prompt response and reflections.

I was just thinking earlier today about how the world seems to be operating in alternate realities. It’s about perspective. Some people see one thing, and other people see another thing entirely that is completely opposite of what the first people are seeing.

We see this again and again lately as politics bleed over into day-to-day life in blatant ways.

I recognize that there are two different versions of reality being seen here, and that each side of the coin is so extreme from the other that it’s hard to believe that they both exist in the same world and the same locations and the same experiences. (ex: We have people who rail against what’s happening in Minnesota right now and around the entire United States, and people who see what’s going on and support it.) And yet, here we are.

Depending on which side of the coin you are on, it’s extremely difficult to see that other side of the coin at all in any meaningful way. And, lots and lots of people aren’t even trying to because they think that -their- side of the coin isn’t just right, but undeniably obvious.

My desire to make the world a better place is for people to see beyond their side of the coin and find a place within themselves where they can work to understand and empathize with the other side of that same coin. Sometimes things aren’t about who is right and who is wrong, but about being able to see things from more than your own perspective in order to understand the situation better as a whole.

I am trying to do this in my own mind, and this card is a reminder that in order to encourage those in my life to do the same, I need to use methods that take time to show results, instead of just shoving things in their face and expecting them to “get it”. That latter behavior just entrenches them deeper in their own perspective and makes them less likely to want to explore anything else.

Other elements included in this reading:
Moss and Gold Flake Encapsulated Resin D20 and D6 Dice

DECK USED: OMENS TAROT

@ambitiouslyalexa’s February Journal Prompts
Prompt for February 5th : A version of rest that actually works for me

Reading Summary – When you’ve worked hard and done your all, and you’re tired and bedraggled (Nine of Wands), you are then able to give yourself permission to finally sit down, think, and consider your options (Two of Swords). This time allows you to rest by not actively engaging in what’s going on around you, but still allows you to consider different perspectives and ideas (The Hanged Man).

Take Away – A version of rest that works for you does not include a complete shutdown of everything. That type of rest feels like stagnancy to you.

Instead, you often feel like you need to earn your times of rest, and then during those times of rest, be plotting, preparing, observing, and making choices about what comes next.

Because you’ve worked hard, and because you’re not abandoning things entirely during this time while you are sedentary, you are able to better accept this version of rest.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Oak Branch with Moss and Lichen for Perseverance
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Gneiss Wish Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: IAQVES VIEVIL TAROT

I went out and had a steak dinner on someone else’s dime just to sit there and listen to what they had to say… you know, instead of blowing it off to stay home.