Month: May 2026

Seeing Only Half the Picture

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment

Today’s meditation was skipped.

•    •    •    ◈    •    🌷    •    ◈    •    •    •

Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Stolen Child Tarot's Eight of Swords (Eight of Zephyrs) and Pass Around the Smile Positive Guidance Cards for Kids

Today’s draw is the Eight of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of willful ignorance, self-imposed restrictions, turning a blind eye (especially when it can be harmful to self), and entertaining a victim mentality.

The Eight of Swords has then been combined with an affirmation card from the Pass Around the Smile Positive Guidance Cards For Kids deck, which says, “Your gifted. Think of all the things you admire about other people… they admire things about you too!”

Too often we are blind to our own positive traits, too busy focusing on our flaws that we forget there are good traits to be loved and admired.

In many, this becomes a continuous negative inner narrative, obliterating the good we could see in ourselves as well as the world around us. This litany of negative input drags us down and blinds us to the good we could be experiencing as well as the good within ourselves that we could be sharing with others.

The message in today’s Eight of Swords and affirmation card is a reminder that those negative inner narratives are not half as significant as they make themselves out to be, and are overshadowing the other half of the equation… which is the good side, the good traits, the positive attributes, and wonderful parts of you that you’re not acknowledging. Search out these qualities and give them a little bit of attention so that they can shine brightly, and in doing so dampen and defang that negative inner narrative’s voice.

DECKS USED: THE STOLEN CHILD TAROT AND PASS AROUND THE SMILE POSITIVE GUIDANCE CARDS FOR KIDS

#DiscordTarotholicsMay2026 Challenge
Prompts for May 25th thru 27th

Tarot Reading with the Lady Black Cat Tarot and Tuğçe's Cat Oracle

What are you ignoring that needs to be dealt with?

Queen of Swords and Balance

Mind your tongue. It’s far too sharp for your own good lately. Take care to balance out that sharpness with an extra bit of tenderness and a good dose of awareness.

How can you best begin dealing with what’s being ignored?

Knight of Cups and Justice

First admit you’re wrong to yourself, and then to others. Own your words and actions.

Then tap into emotional warmth and share what you enjoy with those around you in order to balance out that harsh and negative tone. Appeal to the love others feel for you and you for them in order to balance the scales.

Philosophical Question: Is mankind going in the right or wrong direction?

The Fool and Burden

Too much time spent playing the fool (self-centeredness, greed, lack of caution, etc) has heaped more and more burdens not just upon mankind, but upon the world is a whole.

I would personally consider this the wrong direction.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Scots Pine Cone for Purging Negative Influences
Pressed Pansy Flowers for Hearing the Heart More Clearly
Foraged Oak Branch with Moss and Lichen for Perseverance
Conch Shell Knot for Concentration, Clarity, and Determination
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: LADY BLACK CAT TAROT AND TUĞÇE’S CAT ORACLE

@ambitiouslyalexa May Journal Prompts
Prompt for May 27th : What I want to remember about this time

Tarot Reading with the Stolen Child Tarot and Enchanted Garden Oracle

Reading Summary: Boundaries (Onyx) are not meant to cut you off from your joys (Nine of Cups) or nor create obstacles between you and your goals (Ten of Pentacles).

Take Away: Boundaries are made in order to protect your health and happiness, ensuring you take good care of yourself and are able to instill joy into your life in healthy ways.

Boundaries are not meant to be used as punishment, nor as a way to inflict self-harm upon yourself or otherwise create unhealthy treatment that is harmful for your well-being.

When you are using boundaries in unhealthy ways, that means that it’s time to sit down and do some examining (and reorganizing) of your priorities. It won’t get better on its own.

Other elements included in this reading:
Pressed Pansy Flowers for Hearing the Heart More Clearly
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECKS USED: THE STOLEN CHILD TAROT AND ENCHANTED GARDEN ORACLE
Daily Self Kindness

I battled with my printer today to get it working again so that I can get my tax papers printed to take with me tomorrow and give to the accountant. It was frustrating and took about 2 hours, but it was worth it to not have to go buy another one (which was the other option).

Gideon’s Challenge – Pillows

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment
Persian Buttercup (Ranunculus asiaticus)

Pillows

Dappled light
illuminates
blooms with
feathered leaves
and petals
clustered
to mimic
the softness
of down pillows
offering
cheery comfort
to all
that pass

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Digging Deeper for Discovery

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment

Today’s meditation was skipped.

•    •    •    ◈    •    🌷    •    ◈    •    •    •

Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Solis Occasum Lux Bromalis - Ace of Wands and the Forest Bathing Cards

Today’s draw is the Ace of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of the seed, start, or new beginnings in the area of one’s passion projects, inspiration, drive, willpower, and determination. This often translates into themes that have to do with budding new interests and new passion projects.

The Ace of Wands has then been combined with a card from the Forest Bathing deck, which says, “As you stroll through the forest, I invite you to listen to nature’s musical tapestry. The big sounds usually overshadow the more subtle ones. I wonder what you will hear…”

What magic are you missing in the world around you by taking things at face value and not paying closer attention? What more can you see when you stop assuming, and instead truly listen and look deeper at what’s going on around you?

There is so much that is remarkable and passion inducing in the world that we pass by every day without even noticing. Worlds within worlds of sound and life we never see. Layers upon layers of depth within people that we never truly get to know.

The message in today’s Ace of Wands and affirmation card is a reminder of these layers, and an encouragement to look beyond just the surface level of not just other people, but of our experiences as well. In doing so, you never know what treasures you may uncover and what new passions you may discover.

DECKS USED:  SOLIS OCCASUM LUX BRUMALIS TAROT AND FOREST BATHING CARDS

One Card Tarot Journal Activity by @mariasofia_astro
Chapter 3 | Entry 18 – Family and Friends
Affirmation : “I welcome opportunities for fun.“
Prompt : Picture the card you draw as a friend you are going to spend the day with. What fun activities are you doing together? What are you talking about? Wearing? Feeling?

Tarot Activity from The One Card a Day Journal by Maria Sofia Marmanides - Gold Moon Major Arcana - The Moon card

What feelings came up when I pulled this card?

I felt myself slip into the “advocate” role that I am both familiar with and enjoy. I like to help people, and this Moon card gives me an opportunity to do that.

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

The Moon is about uncertainty and the unknown, and often about how fears can cause our perception of something to blow out of proportion.

What in the artwork spoke to me?

The figure in this card looks a lot like the High Priestess. It spoke to me of the fact that the fears are rooted in perception and perspective instead of solid logic and fact. That tells me what is needed here is a good dose of stability.

My prompt response and reflections.

We are going to go hiking. (While wearing appropriate hiking attire, of course.)

Frankly, we would be going hiking with any number of the cards I might have pulled, because it’s what I want to do. This card’s fear and uncertainty wouldn’t dissuade me in this activity. Instead, it would inspire me to assist them in getting over their fears.

As we hike, we would talk about their fears and worries, and I would help them to see that these things aren’t as huge and insurmountable as they seem.

I would show them through encouragement and the stability in my presence that they are safe and help them to find enjoyment in the activity so that when they think back in the future they will have a positive memory to bolster them.

Other elements included in this reading:
Honey Resin D20 Die
Banded Agate D6 Die

DECK USED: GOLD MOON MAJOR ARCANA

#DiscordTarotholicsMay2026 Challenge
Prompt for May 22nd : What can you do today to assist in getting more out of life?

Tarot Reading with the Solis Occasum Lux Bromalis Tarot and Fractals of Nature Oracle

Wheel of Fortune, Eight of Coins, Ace of Coins

Work on seeing the cyclical ups and downs of life by the opportunities they present instead of what you feel like you want to run away from. Change is not your enemy, so stop treating it like one and see it as the catalyst for growth and betterment that it’s meant to be.

Prompts for May 23rd and 24th : Do Spread 2
Question: How can you better utilize your free time with yesterday’s question in mind?

Anchor Card : The Celestial Bloom

“The internal dawn requires no battle against the dark; it asks only that the mist of uncertainty be allowed to lift.”

Reading Summary: The coins in the Ten of Pentacles and the Anchor card echo each other in shape and form. This speaks to the key to successes you seek lying in the disbursement of fears and anxieties surrounding change.

In The High Priestess card, she holds above her head a cloud that connects in its design to the frosty petals of the Celestial Bloom in the Anchor card. There is promise here that even when things fall apart, wither and fall away, or otherwise meet to be discarded, stability will live on.

The Two of Swords resembles scissors coming to snip the Celestial Bloom‘s unseen stem. Decide what to cut away, but don’t go overboard.

Take Away: Today is “trim the lilac tree” day, which comes but once a year. My balcony garden needs some tending, and today’s a good day to get out there and get some of it done.

DECK USED: SOLIS OCCASUM LUX BRUMALIS TAROT AND FRACTALS OF NATURE ORACLE
Daily Self Kindness

I actually did trim the lilac tree on my balcony today, as well as deadheading the flowers and the weeding.

Gideon’s Challenge – Whimsy

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment
Cloud Photography

Whimsy

I spy with
my little eye
someone
high in the sky
hooded in
a cloak of white
staring back
down at me
and I wonder
what they think
of what
they see
or do they
simply watch on
in curiosity

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

❤️ Self Care Saturday (On a Sunday)

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment

These Saturday readings are (not usually) bearing in on any one thing or event in my life, as the question used is asking for a more general outlook. This is a self care exercise, and is not meant as a predictive reading… although that, too, happens on occasion.

The question is… What do I need to focus for self-care through the week ahead?

Self Care Saturday Tarot Reading with the SHE Pioneers Tarot and The Cycle of Chaos Playing Cards

Earth – Three of Cups – Joy is sweeter when shared with others. You’re so close to finishing your taxes. Garner help from those around you to help get you to the end of the process, then celebrate with them when it’s over. The celebration will sweeter with all involved.

Air – The High Priestess – Look deeper for the answers you seek. Surface level observations aren’t enough.

Water – The Lovers – Make sure that you are consulting and prioritizing your heart’s needs this week. Connect to your emotions and to those around you that share in the tangle of heart’s threads with yours. Prioritize this above societal pressures.

Fire – The Hanged Man – When it comes to your personal pursuits and passions, step back this week, not forward. There is much to be garnered by observation, and much to be lost through impulse.

Waning – Nine of Spades and Seven of Spades – Fears and running away are not going to get you where you want to go. Instead of turning tail to run, pause and watch.

Waxing – Ace of Diamonds and King of Spades – There is great opportunity in practicality, just remember the advice in the Air position and be sure to look deeper than surface level to keep from being out-foxed.

Take Away – This week needs to focus on getting the practical things done and out of the way, with the help of those around you invested in the process as well as the end result. Take care with your impulses and lean into stepping back to treat new opportunities, ideas, and interests with caution instead of outright enthusiasm.

DECKS USED: S/H/E PIONEERS TAROT AND THE CYCLE OF CHAOS PLAYING CARDS COMPLETED EDITION

Finding the Positive for May 21 – 23

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment
The Fantasy Art Tarot's Page of Pentacles, The Fantasy Showcase Tarot's Knight of Pentacles, and Legends of Zelda Tarot's The Fool card

May 21 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was a ten minute #DailyCalm session in the @Calm app.

•    •    •    ◈    •    🌷    •    ◈    •    •    •

Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Page of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of a receptive “omega” energy in the area of one’s finances, resources, health, labors, home life, and manifestations. This often translates into themes that have to do with work apprenticeships and learning a new ability or skill.

The Page of Pentacles card has then been combined with a card from the Pass Around the Smile Positive Guidance Cards For Kids, which says, “Love: Name the special people you love.”

Building relationships takes time. Whether it’s friendships or romantic relationships, family bonds, or any other type of relationship between people. It takes time to develop trust. It takes time to figure out if you connect on merely a surface level, or something deeper.

These things take time because it takes us time to lose our preconceived notions of who these people are, and actually explore and discover who they truly are. This type of thing isn’t something that you just know right off the bat, no matter how much you think you can or how much your emotions try to tell you that you do.

The message in today’s Page of Pentacles and affirmation card is a reminder that flash-in-the-pan friendships and romances can be fun, but they can’t stand the test of time if both parties aren’t willing to put in the work to actually learn about and understand the other person involved.

DECKS USED: THE FANTASY ART TAROT AND PASS AROUND THE SMILE POSITIVE GUIDANCE CARDS – FOR KIDS!

May 22 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

•    •    •    ◈    •    🌷    •    ◈    •    •    •

Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Knight of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of an active, projective beta energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s finances, resources, health, home, labors, and manifestations. This often translates into a slow moving but determinedly forward moving energy, personality, or person that has their eye on the prize regardless of the slow and steady speed they may be moving at.

The card has then been combined with the Curious & Still card from from The Az Oracle, which says, “When you are curious and still you will see so much more of the story, in fact… you may even see your ability to change it, to re-write a more fun and playful script! And if you can’t, for any reason, or don’t feel that you can… then perhaps you can just re-write your *response* to the movie of life, and decide how you can alter *that* to how you want to feel. When your eyes are wide, and your heart is wide too, absolutely anything is possible.”.

Not everything has to be some big production that has to be completed right now. Sometimes the biggest difference we can make resides within the small things that are nudged along at a snail’s pace. Just as a kind word, or a smile, can turn around another person’s day from one of the worst in their lives to something far more able to be handled.

The message in today’s Knight of Pentacles and affirmation card is a reminder that grand gestures are not the only way to make changes in one’s life. Often, it’s the small things that matter most.

DECKS USED: THE FANTASY SHOWCASE TAROT AND THE AZ ORACLE

May 23 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was a seven minute #DailyTrip session from the @Calm app.

•    •    •    ◈    •    🌷    •    ◈    •    •    •

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.

The Fool card has then been combined with an affirmation from the LOBILAT Fluffy Advice Oracle, which says, “The best view comes after the hardest climb.”

It’s true that when we work hard for something, the prize tastes sweeter. Our blood, sweat, and tears make a difference in how much we value our accomplishments and successes. That said? There’s also something to be said for enjoying the journey.

Too much of life stuck striving for end goals leaves us feeling as if a good portion of our lives have been wasted, or have flow by. We end up with a deficit of joy and pleasure. A lack of fun and far too much stress take the place of those moments of enjoyment we discard in our ambition.

The message in today’s Fool card and affirmation is a reminder to make sure that no matter how high you aim or how hard you climb, you’re having fun along the way. The view at the top will never be worth it if you don’t enjoy yourself during the journey in getting there.

DECKS USED: LEGENDS OF ZELDA TAROT AND LOBILAT FLUFFY ADVICE ORACLE & AFFIRMATION CARDS