Today’s meditation was a ten minute self-guided session based upon a quote by Thich Nhat Hanh that says, “To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.”

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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 Queen of Wands (Flames), which is traditionally a representation of a receptive alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s passion, drive, willpower, determination, values, and principles. This often translates into themes that have to do with being supportive of others projects and passions, or searching for inner truth within your own values and principles.

The card has then been combined with a card from the deck, which says, “Be patient with yourself. Even the moon needs time to be full.”

Stop being so hard on yourself for being in a slump… even a long slump. You’ve been in (and are still in) a depressive episode. Allow yourself the time you need to claw yourself back to the surface. At the moment that is where your focus needs to be. Not on beating the hell out of yourself for not meeting unreasonable expectations.

The message in today’s Queen of Flames and affirmation card is that your passions aren’t dead, you’re just experiencing a power outage. Be patient. It’s taken you a while to realize that you’ve been struggling in the dark. It’ll take still more time to pull yourself out of the pit so that you can once more reach the light switch.

DECKS USED:  HOPELESS MAINE TAROT AND LIGHTS IN DARK PLACES AFFIRMATION DECK

October Spooky Season Challenge by @MercuryTarot
Prompt for October 21st : What kind of magic works best for me?

Reading Summary: The kinds of magic that work best for you are solitary, nature infused magic (The Outsider and the green in the background of the card) where you don’t have to worry about external interference from other people (Anne Wilkes / Misery) or other entities (The Monkey).

Take Away: You are at heart a solitary witch. Your spiritual practice and your magic are uniquely your own, and you don’t work well with others very often as a result.

It isn’t that you aren’t happy to help others understand your practice, it’s that your mores, values, ethics, and practices don’t always match up with that of others, and you find that when working with others their intent sometimes doesn’t match your own in the workings.

This weakens the magic and makes it disharmonous, and for you that makes the magic not worth doing in the first place.

Other elements included in this reading:
Staghorn Sumac for Connecting with Nature and the Wild Within
Foraged Purple Heather Sprigs for Independence and Luck
Conch Shell Knot for Concentration, Clarity, and Determination
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED:  STEPHEN KING VILLAIN CLANS PACK I & II

October Prompts by @forgotten.dumpling & @ml.mecham
Prompt for October 21st : if Autumn was a life coach

get your act together now
winter is on the way
find you coat and gloves
and put the shorts away
(Three of Clubs and Seven of Spades)

make sure the gutters
allow water to flow through
for the chances are quite high
torrential rains are coming to you
(Eight of Hearts and King of Clubs)

take some time to go outside
and breathe some fresh clean air
because once winter is here
there will be no more warm days to spare
(Queen of Diamonds and Ten of Spades)

Other elements included in this reading:
Staghorn Sumac for Connecting with Nature and the Wild Within
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Japanese Cherry Leaf as a Reminder of Life’s Fleeting Moments
Flower Agate for Opening the Mind to New Possibilities
Carnelian Agate for Inner Drive and Focusing On Aspirations
Desert Rose for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED:  VINTAGE HALLOWEEN PLAYING CARDS

@owlandbonestarot #OctoberinBetween Challenge
Prompts for October 21st

Remember – Knight of Crows (Swords) – To bring your clever mind into the equation when making decisions.

Acting impulsively won’t serve you well, but a little strategy mixed in definitely will. It’s not so much about whether you act quickly or not, but whether or not you’re taking a moment to think things through first before you act.

That pause may only need to be a moment, or may require stepping away and coming back later. The key is in taking it to get in a bit of forethought before you take action.

Forget – Seven of Flames (Wands) – Forget those that don’t share your values and are violently opposed to your point of view. You don’t need them.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Foraged Acorns for Protection during New Beginnings
Carnelian Agate for Inner Drive and Focusing On Aspirations
Desert Rose for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED:  HOPELESS MAINE TAROT

I spent some time crawling around on the floor pulling a few decks from the bottom shelves today.