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

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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 Death card, which is traditionally a representation of gradual organic changes, loss, slow moving transitions, and letting go.

The Death has then been combined with an affirmation from the Pass Around the Smile Positive Guidance Oracle Deck, which says, “Recognition: Your efforts in your career are being recognized. The universe and your angels are standing by ready to help you achieve your goals. Call on them.”

Life changes inherently make you feel alone, because there is a sense of uncertainty, and uncertainty has a tendency to isolate those that are experiencing it.

It’s important during these transitions in life that we lean into the trust we have that we will survive these changes and that, one way or another, everything is going to work out.

Anything and everything beyond that trust that we do within this phase of change and uncertainty can help guide us towards whichever direction we want to go as we come out of this part of life and step into the next. The key is in the trust, though, that no matter how these efforts go? It’s still going to be okay in the end.

The message in today’s Death card and affirmation is a reminder that whether it’s your career, or a relationship, or anything else in life that you find yourself caught in the middle of transition, and the changes feel uncertain; it’s through trust, combined with even small efforts to go in the direction that you want to go from here, that are the deciding factor in where things end up in the end. Allow yourself to trust things will turn okay and work towards that result.

DECK USED: TINY TINAS WONDERLAND’S TREASURE TROVE TAROT AND PASS AROUND THE SMILE POSITIVE GUIDANCE ORACLE CARDS

One Card Tarot Journal Activity by @mariasofia_astro
Chapter 5 | Entry 14 – Health and Body
Affirmation : “I surround myself with positivity.”
Prompt : Think about the last show you watched, song or podcast you listened to, or book you read. Did it leave you feeling happy and inspired, or scared and/or pessimistic? Draw a card to better understand how your interactions with these mediums impact your mental health.

What feelings came up when I pulled this card?

I felt a hint of surprise at the Hermit’s appearance before a sense of agreement followed.

There was also a soothing hint of pleasure created by the card’s aesthetic and color use.

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

The Hermit card is all about inner exploration, solitude for the sake of self reflection, and healthy alone time.

My first reaction to the Hermit card when it came up was more of an internal reflection on whether or not I needed alone time to process the book in question.

In this case, it was a yes. There was a lot going on in the book that, although not necessarily triggering, was hovering on the borderline of discomfort. I think it was important to explore why I felt this way about those things and what my reactions said about me as a person.

What in the artwork spoke to me?

It’s interesting me that it’s the star at the top of the Hermit’s staff that shines brightly instead of the lantern he carries. The lantern itself also creates light, but it is of a more muted glow. This speaks to me of how sometimes it’s through the unexpected that we find the greatest amount of understanding and realization.

This was something that I experienced in this particular book as I chose the book out of its being recommended to me due to my like of botanical horror. Not that this book was botanical horror, mind you, but that’s how I ended up with the recommendation.

Instead of being caught up in the horror of the book, though, it instead inspired a good deal of reflection and new understanding concerning areas of life where I have a little experience.

My prompt response and reflections.

Although not the last book that I read, this is the most recent book that has impacted me to the point where it has lingered long after I have read it.

You Weren’t Meant to Be Human by Andrew Joseph White is a pretty brutal book with a lot of well-warranted trigger warnings.

As a horror book, it was a decent read that edged along a number of topics I was uncomfortable with. What I really stood out for me, though, was the understanding I gained concerning gender dysphoria and body dysmorphia.

It caused me to confront some of my own misunderstandings (and unrealized assumptions) and gave me a lot of food for thought on a topic I only understood in the most superficial and basic of ways prior to this.

This depth required time and inner reflection to process, and I think that I’m still working on it a bit on a subconscious level in my moments of solitude and reflection.

Other elements included in this reading:
Green Aventurine D20 and D6 Gemstone Dice

DECK USED: TAROT RESOM

The @lightningwildflower June Inner Journey Challenge
Prompts for June 16th through 19th

Venus trine Neptune: What will help me have a more compassionate heart?

Queen of Cups – Allow yourself to connect with others from a place of understanding and support. When you support others and their emotional experiences, you also learn from that experience yourself.

Venus opposite Pluto: What deep desire is rising to the surface?

Seven of Swords – You have become very territorial when it comes to food of late. Instead of just giving into the impulse, consider taking some time to reflect on why you are feeling the need to hoard food away from others.

Reclaim: How can I reclaim my personal power?

Knight of Cups Rx – Pause to reflect instead of acting impulsively off of your emotional impulses. Take a moment to consider what emotion you’re feeling, and why it is pushing you in the direction it is, prior to taking action.

Learn: What am I learning about my emotional patterns this month?

The Magus – Your emotions can be a motivation when applied strategically, or they can be what holds you back when action is needed. You are learning that they can be used as a tool rather than just something you experience and are powerless concerning.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Pressed Pansy Flower for Hearing the Heart More Clearly
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: TINY TINAS WONDERLAND’S TREASURE TROVE TAROT

I took some alone time outside at Ms B’s today to sit watching the hummingbirds on the front porch.