Author: Twist the Leaf

Invite In Vibrancy

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Daily Jay on the Calm appToday’s meditation was eight minutes long, and was a “Daily Jay” session in the Calm app. The session today encourages celebrating the good things in life instead of letting them pass you by.  Sometimes, celebration comes in moments of gratitude instead of parties and fun.  Sometimes, it comes in just acknowledging that something good happened.

Doing this will allow you to lighten each of your day by minuscule amounts, that just like pennies in a fountain, will add up over time until there’s a fortune of goodness to help with your day to day perspectives.

Student Tarot No. 6 - The FoolToday’s draw is the Fool card of the Major Arcana, which is traditionally read as a card representing innocence, new beginnings, naivete, and boundless enthusiasm.

There is a novice and untried air to the Fool, as he has yet to have tripped over a single pebble or stubbed his toe on a single root yet on his journey. There is also a hint of anticipation, as adventures await the Fool, and he’s eager to begin.

The message in today’s card with its vibrant colors and the hint of determination on the features of the Fool, is to make sure you are leaning into open minded exploration rather than just wandering along without focus. Don’t close yourself off. Your life can be so much more vibrant and colorful if you put a little effort into enthusiastic exploration.

DECK USED:  STUDENT TAROT n6

#DiscordTarotholicsMar2023 Challenge Prompt
Question for March 6th: What do you need to focus on for self-care for this full moon?

Infinity Tarot - Nine of Coins, Seven of Cups, TemperanceReading Summary: Prioritize gratitude (Nine of Coins) and self care (The Empress) over everything else (Seven of Cups).

Take Away: You’re not yet out of the weeds when it comes to your depression.

You need to make sure that you continue to lean into gratitude and self-care.  Don’t set aside these pursuits and think all will be well.  You need to continue to push toward positivity and optimism, and take care of yourself.

If it comes down to choosing between responsibility and self-care?  Make sure that you choose the self-care option for once.

DECK USED: INFINITY TAROT

@Lionharts #TheMarchTarot Wander Lust Challenge Prompt
Questions for March 6th

Student Tarot No. 6 - Page of Swords, The Hierophant, Ten of Swords, Knight of SwordsWhat can I use, or do, to ground myself?

Page of Swords and The Hierophant – Accept that sometimes the tried and true methods are the best suited for your needs. You don’t have to approach it with a “reinventing the wheel” mindset.

What can I use, or do, to focus my energy?

Ten of Swords and Knight of Swords – Accept that down time is not just important, but necessary, and you can always pick up your sword and charge forward again later when you’re feeling better. There is no race here and taking a breather is not just important, but necessary.

DECK USED: STUDENT TAROT n6

@lucet.in.aurora.tarot’s #lucetinauroraMaartTarotChallenge Prompt
Prompt for March 6th: These cards are enemies of each other.

Original 1901 Tarot and Book of Thoth Tarot Golden Edition

The tarot deck created by A. E. Waite and Pamela Coleman Smith, then published by Rider Publishing in 1909 was a revolution in tarot. The cards were heavy with imagery and symbolism, with a full deck of 78 cards with scenic illustrations on each and every one.

My understanding is that Aleister Crowley had a bit of a contentious relationship with A. E. Waite, and he was not happy with the end product when Waite’s deck was done.  He worked on a revamp of that deck from 1938 through 1943 with Lady Freida Harris.  The Book of Thoth was then published in 1944 alongside a companion book of the same name. This deck holds the same structure and a large number of similarities with Waite’s tarot with a number of meanings changed as well as a handful of the card names in the Major Arcana.

In many ways, the contention between these two men carried forward into the present between the decks themselves. Many readers see using one or the other as an “either / or” situation, feeling that they are incompatible in one’s path and practice.

DECK USED: 1901 ORIGINAL TAROT AND THE BOOK OF THOTH GOLDEN EDITION

Daily Self Kindness

I took some time today to play with Gideon even though it was an orders day.  I just needed some time with him.

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_1600Promise of Spring

Snow melts
to crystalline bits
of water and ice
and reveals
delicate traces
of what
came before
hardy remnants
that remind us
that spring
will come again
as the world warms
with its
colorful blossoms
and silky petals

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

🌕 Full Moon in Virgo – March 2023

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Early tomorrow morning (in my time zone anyway) is the full moon, and like all new moons and full moons, I did a spread aligned to the moon’s current themes as a part of my recognition of the moon’s cycle and influences upon us.

Full Moon in Virgo Tarot Reading with the Chibi Tarot

Anchor Card: Hermit – “An invitation to seek wisdom within from the space of solitude. Light your own lantern, and let it be a guiding light for others on the path.”

How can I access the most intuitive version of myself?

Four of Cups – You can access the most intuitive version of yourself by giving yourself the time and space for reflection and meditation. You need that connection made through meditation, which is an important step in deepening the bond with your intuition.

Where can I pull back from society in order to better hear my inner voice?

Two of Pentacles Rx – Like everything else, engagement with society requires balance. Look at those places where you’re feeling the discomfort of imbalance when engaged in these activities.. If you are feeling put upon… then there it is.

What energy can I embody that will bring me closer to a position of faith?

Two of Wands – If you want to get more connected with your spirituality than you already are, then you need to go ahead and add time to your day for it. Plan out time in your day set aside to include these pursuits so that it’s there for you dependably, instead of always just doing it whenever the mood strikes.

What energy can I release that is holding me back?

King of Swords atop Nine of Pentacles Rx – Stop being so demanding with yourself all the time and berating yourself whenever you aren’t working at top efficiency. It steals away from your sense of stability, diminishes your sense of satisfaction, and keeps you from appreciating your accomplishments.

Full Moon advice from the Minoan Goddess Amalthea.

Three of Cups atop The Emperor Rx – Take a break from being the one “in charge” all the time. You’re allowed to have some fun too.

DECK USED: CHIBI TAROT

Watch For the Quiet Ones

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

The Likely Tarot - Five of SwordsToday’s draw is the Five of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of conflict, tests, and trials in the areas of communication, intellect, education, thought, and logic. This often translates into things that have to do with arguments and misunderstandings.

What stands out to me in the imagery for this card is not the feathers hanging in the sky, but the flowers that gather at the bottom and the promise of danger that they pose.   It feels that they are a reminder that there are two different types of people when their angry.  There’s the type full of flash and fire that will confront you head on, and the quiet type that will simmer in silence but is far more toxic and dangerous in the end.

The message in today’s card is a reminder that when it comes to conflict, make sure that you pay attention to the quiet ones.  Everything is not as okay as it might seem, and when they go quiet? It’s time to put in a little more effort to finding common ground.

DECK USED:  THE LIKELY TAROT

@Lionharts #TheMarchTarot Wander Lust Challenge Prompt
Question for March 5th: How can I embrace and use my natural environment to help me with my current journey?

L'oracle des MurmuresReading Summary: Balance in life (center card) requires a balance of both work (left card) and play (right card).

Take Away: Not allowing yourself enough balance between play and work creates an imbalance in your life that makes it harder for you to communicate with others, and also harder for you to connect with your intuition.

You need to get out in the green, even when there might not be as much green around as you’d like. Take an easy path through the forest, if needed.

Just making sure you’re getting out there at all will help you in balancing out your life so that you can enjoy your work more, and other elements in your life will feel less disjointed as a result.

DECK USED: L’ORACLE DES MURMURES

#DiscordTarotholicsMar2023 Challenge Prompt
Prompt for March 5th: Do Spread 1 – With spring approaching, it’s time to start cleaning out the old energies of hibernation and stagnation that winter can often bring. In this spread look for those thoughts and things that need to be let go in order to allow you to flourish this spring.

The Likely TarotWhat do I need to let go of to…

Ease My Mind – Ace if Swords and Two of Wands – New plans and new aspirations need to take a backseat as you move into spring this year. Let yourself just live in the moment and enjoy yourself instead of always looking forward to what new opportunities may be just around the corner.

Lighten My Heart – Justice Rx and The Hanged Man – You have a choice when you make a decision on how you look at things. You can look at them from a balanced and more forgiving perspective, or as a punisher meting out consequences. Choose the former and allow an attitude of forgiveness to rise up the spring, rather than leaning into harsher viewpoints.

Free My Creative Spark – King of Wands and Knight of Pentacles – You don’t always have to be top dog on every passion project. Allow yourself to drop the ball every once in a while, and see how quickly others move to pick it up.

DECK USED: THE LIKELY TAROT

@lucet.in.aurora.tarot’s #lucetinauroraMaartTarotChallenge Prompt
Prompt for March 5th: These cards were “besties”.

Hanson Roberts Tarot and The Herbal TarotAlthough not my first deck (which was a complete disaster and only worth mentioning in discussions about owning decks that don’t work for the reader and/or are unsuitable for learning), these two were the second and third decks I ever owned, and the first that I ever connected strongly with.

The Hanson Roberts Tarot (left) and Herbal Tarot (right) traveled together from living situation to living situation, from shelter to couch to car to cardboard box, and eventually from home to home throughout my mid-to-late teens.

They are the best of friends, and will always be connected in my mind through the bond from those years in my life.

DECK USED: HANSON ROBERTS TAROT AND HERBAL TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I ordered pizza and made chocolate chip cookies for myself today.

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_0676Winter Warmth

The ground
is frozen
and as
snowflakes drift
tiny and light
you warm
my heart,
and as clouds
linger among
mountain tops
and your lips
brush mine
I find that it’s
no longer cold
and my soul
smiles

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

❤️ Self Care Saturday (On a Sunday)

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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 Tanya Teibtner's Tarot de Marseille and the Green Glyphs Lenormand

Earth – The Hanged Man – Sometimes it’s okay to hang back and see what everybody else is doing before you make up your mind. It doesn’t make you one of the sheep to do this, but rather allows you to have a larger scope of perspectives to be informed by.

Air – Page of Cups – Make sure you’re using your words to express your emotions this week. Now is not the time to keep things pent up and to yourself.

Water – Judgment – Keep your judgments and negativity to yourself. Be the man you want yourself to be instead of the man that’s trying to “escape out your mouth”.

Fire – The Sun – Smooth sailing and success are easily in your grasp this week. Play it to your greatest advantage and have some fun in the process.

Waning – Lady and Letter – Let go of the shit she says that she doesn’t really mean. Even if she does mean it, it really doesn’t matter.

Waxing – Key and Garden – Jer’s going to be back to his social self again this week. Have some patience, and he’ll come to you.

Take Away -DECKS USED: TANYA TEIBTNER’S TAROT DE MARSEILLE AND GREEN GLYPHS LENORMAND