Lazy
lazy days
deserve
cuddles
complete with
soft purrs,
the scrape of
a rough tongue
in greeting,
and warm fur
nuzzled into
that somehow
always smells
of sunshine
and home
Gideon’s Challenge – Lazy
Month: July 2026
Seeking Pearls In the Mud
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 Five of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of tests, trials, struggles, and setbacks in the area of one’s finances, resources, health, home, work, or manifestations. This often translates into themes that have to do with scarcity and times in life when one needs to seek out help from others instead of suffering through alone.
The Five of Pentacles has then been combined with the Pearls of Gratitude card from The Life Navigator deck, which says, “It’s easy to feel thankful when the seas of life are calm. But storms have their uses, too. They clear the air and often bring up treasure from the deep. Look for the pearl beneath the storm.“
I am a major advocate of “finding the silver lining”, which is what these cards are all about today.
What would we appreciate less (or not at all) if we hadn’t survived some trial or tribulation in our past. The sunshine and warmth of summer wouldn’t be as sweet without the winter’s bite that came before, and the cold of winter not such a pleasure if it wasn’t relieving us from the swelter of summer heat. Same can be said for being able to walk after experiencing having been in a wheelchair for a time, or having money for necessities after having experienced having none.
The message in today’s Five of Pentacles and affirmation card is a reminder that the trials and tribulations we go through have value. It doesn’t mean they don’t suck, but they also don’t have to be a waste as long as we can find and appreciate the value they’ve also added to our lives.
DECK USED: TAROT OF THE GRAND HOURS OF ROHAN AND THE LIFE NAVIGATOR DECK
The @ambitiouslyalexa July Journal Prompts
Prompt for July 16th : A “should” you’re dropping
Reading Summary: Don’t force yourself to go slow and wait for change (Death atop Knight of Pentacles) when it comes to those things that truly matter to you (Seven of Wands). Instead, lead the charge (King of Wands).
Take Away: Write to your building manager about what is bothering you concerning the last owners meeting. Your values concerning right and wrong are raging. Be proactive instead of sitting back and watching how things unfold.
This advice can be taken for a lot of situations where your inner voice is up in arms about something, it just so happens that -my- inner voice is up in arms about the misuse of proxy votes during the last owner’s meeting.
The cards are right. I need to sit down and write a letter to the building management company about it. Even if it doesn’t change anything about what’s already happened, it can make a difference in what happens in the future if the behavior is called out now and brought to the attention of all involved.
Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Red Maple Leaf for Adaptability and Connection
Staghorn Sumac for Connecting with Nature and the Wild Within
Conch Shell Knot for Concentration, Clarity, and Determination
Orthoceras Fossil for Supporting Transformation and Growth
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
DECK USED: TAROT OF THE GRAND HOURS OF ROHAN
This is a catch up post, and I’m not entirely sure what the self kindness was for this day.
Gideon’s Challenge – Refreshed
Refreshed
Rise up
and stretch tall
within the
golden embrace
of evening
as sunlight
kisses the skin
and warms
the soul
as we prepare
to ease
into the dark
of twilight
soon to come
Photo © ZenStatePhotography
Tripping Over the Line In the Sand
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 Four of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of dejection, refusal of assistance, contemplative moments, meditation, and feelings of apathy.
The Four of Cups has then been combined with the Shame card from the Box of Emotions deck, which says, “While guilt is an emotion associated with hearing the wheedling voice of conscience, shame is usually associated with wanting to (and) about who we are… It might be that to forge identity in the face of disapproval, the existence of shame must be recognised – even celebrated.“
Don’t hold yourself apart from others due to shame you may be feeling. Instead, consider looking more closely at your shame and why it’s there in the first place.
Delve into its source and pick it apart. Shame isn’t something to hide from, nor hide ourselves away from others because of. It’s an emotion that tells us something about ourselves and our values, teaching us where our own mores and ethics lie and where the line is when overstepping has happened or is near.
The message in today’s Four of Cups and Shame card is about approaching our shame with understanding and acceptance, not to make whatever it is we’re ashamed about okay, but to embrace it as a lesson on when our internal moral compass says we’ve gone too far so we can course correct as needed moving forward.
DECKS USED: VICTORIA REGINA TAROT AND BOX OF EMOTIONS
The @ambitiouslyalexa July Journal Prompts
Prompt for July 15th : A tension you’re softening
Reading Summary: Instead of allowing your nearly obsessive need for stability (Nyki) to get in the way of life’s joys (Hazel), you are beginning to seek out the source of these anxieties that drive your need for stability and tend to them (Na’este).
Take Away: That death grip on the concept of stability and security is easing a bit as you work to explore its roots and give yourself the understanding and kindness that has been lacking in this area.
It’s difficult for you to see stability in perspectives that don’t have to do with stillness and even stagnancy. As you explore your fears, you are coming to find that you can discover and build stability through other means than bracing for impact and unhealthy stillness. This relaxing of your personal definition then allows for more opportunities for joy in your life rather than allowing everything to be ran by your fear and anxieties.
Other elements included in this reading:
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Wood Burned Rabbit Disk for Approaching Life with Gentle Awareness
Wooden Bird on Branch for the Stillness Needed to Approach Fear with Kindness
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
DECKS USED: THE INNER CHILD ORACLE DECK
#DiscordTarotholicsJul2026 Challenge
Philosophical Questions for July 15th
What is courage?
The Star and Ten of Pentacles Rx
Courage is continuing to hope, even in the face of failure.
Courage is the indomitable spirit that allows us to continue on, even when things seem hopeless, and to start over after everything has fallen apart.
Where does courage come from?
Eight of Cups Rx atop Two of Swords
Courage comes from within, in that moment where we choose to stay instead of walking away. It’s born from our values and how we choose to prioritize those values in the day-to-day of our lives.
Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Foraged Wood Fern for Exorcising Negative Influences
Moon Pendant as Sympathetic Representation of Uncertainty
Quill Jasper for Nurturing Comfort through Grounded Stability
Citrine for Energy Lift (easing the weight of heavy energies)
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
DECK USED: VICTORIA REGINA TAROT
This is a catch up post, and I’m not entirely sure what the self kindness was for this day.
Gideon’s Challenge – Rainy Season
Rainy Season
fed up
and tired
to the bone
he lifts
his home
above
the flood line
so he won’t
have to wear
waders
indoors
anymore
and now lives
among
the clouds
Photo © ZenStatePhotography
Lucid Dreaming and Control
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 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.
The Justice card has then been combined with the A Good Dream card from the Happy Little Things deck, which says, “In case you haven’t heard, there are entire universes inside you. Every day, humans spend 6 to 8 hours sleeping. And they sleep every day of their life. And every time they sleep they create wonderful universes. If you scrub the bad things from your brain before going to sleep, with any luck – sleep will bring out something magical.”
I often experience what I would consider to be “the cusp” of lucid dreaming. That is to say that often when I dream, I am fully aware that I am dreaming, and can even control certain aspects of that dream. I cannot, however, control the dreams theme or its atmosphere.
I suppose this is fair since my dreams seem to often be helping in processing traumatic experiences, but I have to admit it’s also irritating because a lot of the themes of my dreams that are not focused around my traumas are actually themed after frustration.
If I could take a greater control of my dreams, would that make for better sleep? Or would it stunt my growth in processing my trauma?
I have a feeling that the answer to that question is neither, and both. I think that there’s always going to be repercussions to every action we take, and that is how the world, and in fact the universe, creates balance.
Today’s Justice card and affirmation card ask us to consider what things in our life we desire to change but can’t, and what repercussions changing these things could create as a possible reason for why we can’t change them in the first place. Perhaps this can help us in accepting that we just can’t always have control over everything because we don’t always know what’s best, even sometimes when we think we do.
DECKS USED: TRANSPARENT WISDOM TAROT AND HAPPY LITTLE THINGS DECK
The @ambitiouslyalexa July Journal Prompts
Prompt for July 14th : A goal you’re reframing
Reading Summary: You are spending less time on the defensive (The Watchtower) as you delve into explorations (Green Sea Turtle) of your self (‘Ōpe’ape’a).
Take Away: Dipping into an exploration of self can be a daunting experience rife with vulnerability and triggers to trip over. It’s natural when you commit to this type of exploration that your defenses rise up in an effort to mitigate uncertainty and protect you.
As you continue on this path, though, you are finding less need to brace and defend. This is allowing for curiosity to flourish in this journey of self discovery, and making it easier to stretch into growth instead of flinching away from it in moments of uncertainty.
Not that the flinching still doesn’t happen from time to time, but you’re getting there in developing a new perception and response in those moments.
Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Red Oak Leaf for Fostering Unconditional Love
Foraged Wood Fern for Exorcising Negative Influences
Clear Quartz for boosting Mental Clarity
Moss Agate for Attracting Opportunities for Growth
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
DECK USED: NATIONAL PARKS ORACLE
#DiscordTarotholicsJul2026 Challenge
3-Card Spread Prompt for July 14th : About life…
My life’s purpose
Ace of Pentacles / Rabbit – To connect with the earth and explore the concept of potential, while learning to connect with opportunities that are right for you instead of jumping at every opportunity that presents itself.
How this looks in the day-to-day
Nine of Wands / Turtle – Regulation of the speed needed to do what needs done and the determination to connect authentically with those things that “fit” no matter the speed at which they move. Earning the wisdom needed to understand when to move faster, when to slow down, when to put up defenses, and when to allow for vulnerability.
How this looks at the end of my life
Nine of Pentacles / Bobcat – Independent, but satisfied. Wise enough to know your own strengths and weaknesses. Illusive to others at times. Able to choose your battles wisely with the understanding and skills gained by previous experience.
Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Oak Branch with Moss and Lichen for Perseverance
Staghorn Sumac for Connecting Deeper with Nature and the Wild
Foraged Acorn for Protection during New Beginnings
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Foraged Wood Fern for Exorcising Negative Influences
Conch Shell Knots for Concentration, Clarity, and Determination
Gray Agate Druzy Slab for Stabilizing Energies and Expectations
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
DECK USED: TRANSPARENT WISDOM TAROT
This is a catch up post, and I’m not entirely sure what the self kindness was for this day.
