Gideon’s Challenge – Defensive

Common Holly (Ilex aquifolium) in Spring

Defensive

Sharp edges
promise
bloody wounds
should
tender bits
be touched
too eagerly
and only
a careful
delicate touch
will do
to coax buds
of uncertainty
to open

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Gideon’s Challenge – Tender

Red Huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium)

Tender

A touch
of tenderness
breaks through
paper thin
shell
to stir to life
what lies
beneath
and the next
inhale is
ragged and shaky
as insides
wobble
unpredictably

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Choosing Authenticity

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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The @GlitterbyInk #MayMoon26 Rise Root Return Challenge
So Below Prompt for May 11th
: Rhythm
Daily Mental Health Prompt
: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

The Bohemian Cats Theatre Tarot - The Fool

Today’s draw is The Fool card, which is traditionally a representation of innocence, carelessness, carefree enthusiasm, and new beginnings.

I have a tendency to do my own thing, write my own rules, and March to the beat of my own drum. This means that I’m often out of sync with the people around me, because they expect me to act, react, or respond in certain ways. Often oblivious to these expectations, I respond naturally, and they are set off kilter.

When I’m not oblivious to these expectations, sometimes I try to adapt my actions, reactions, or responses to meet them. In these moments, I always feel out of sync with myself, though. It’s uncomfortable and disingenuous, and I don’t like how it feels.

The message in today’s Fool card and the “rhythm” prompt is a reminder that we all have our own drum and our own rhythm to dance to. We don’t have to lead our lives trying to fulfill other people’s expectations of us… and the discomfort that we feel in doing so is because we are being disingenuous to ourselves. Today’s message encourages us to keep this in mind, and to worry less about meeting others expectations, and more about being true to ourselves instead.

DECK USED:  THE BOHEMIAN CATS THEATRE TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsMay2026 Challenge
Prompt for May 11th and 12th

Tarot Reading with the Tarocchi Fini Montecchi Anima Antiqua and Hedgewitch Oracle

In what ways are you unhappy with who you are now?

Elderberry and Hare; Knight of Pentacles atop The Devil

You worry about how many of your bad habits and addictions, as well as your addictive personality as a whole, developed from the negative experiences of your youth.

After all, everything that you are now is a product of your past, your experiences, and the growth you have accomplished throughout your life. What you’re unhappy about is in regards to those places where you don’t seem to have grown at all, or where an unhealthy trait has grown in a place that could’ve been fertile soil for something healthier.

This is especially true when it comes to that addictive personality that you work so hard to mitigate in your day-to-day life.

How can you improve upon the person you are now?

Yarrow and Beaver; Three of Cups atop King of Wands

Remember that you can allow emotion to be a part of your healing journey as well as a part of your “leadership model” when dealing with others.

By allowing others in your life to come with you on your journey, you welcome healing of the wounds that people in your past have created within you.

This is because having these people along with you in the present helps to repair the damage from your past, and in the process also helps you to grow into a better person.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Oak Branch with Moss and Lichen for Perseverance
Gneiss Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Aragonite for Truth and Understanding
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: TAROCCHI FINI MONTECCHI ANIMA ANTIQUA AND HEDGEWITCH ORACLE

@ambitiouslyalexa May Journal Prompts
Prompt for May 13th
: What I’m not giving myself enough credit for

Tarot Reading with The Bohemian Cats Theatre Tarot

Reading Summary: Learning and adapting (Page of Swords) as the world falls apart (The Tower) and you don’t really want to give a shit about any of it (Four of Cups).

Take Away: Although it’s not true apathy, you have a tendency to try to appear as unaffected as possible when things start to fall apart. You don’t want people to know you’re struggling, let alone how much you’re struggling.

The truth is, though, that even when you hide your struggles, they’re still real and they’re still there. Through it all you continue to fight to learn and adapt and keep going… usually alone because you don’t want to show that you’re struggling in the first place.

This resilience and persistence is something you rarely acknowledge or give yourself credit for, and yet it’s a backbone of strength that you lean into again and again.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Red Oak Leaf for Fostering Unconditional Love
Gneiss Wishing Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Carnelian Agate for Inner Drive and Focusing On Aspirations
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED:  THE BOHEMIAN CATS THEATRE TAROT
Daily Self Kindness

I caught myself up on orders today. It wasn’t really what I wanted to do with my day, but it needed done and instead of procrastinating, I got my ass in gear and did it.

Gideon’s Challenge – Soul Breathing

Parmeliaceae Lichen

Soul Breathing

Gather close
energy and focus
and sink in
with closed eyes
and deep breaths
until the world
falls away
in a slow decent
and attention
centers upon
the tender spot
hidden
deep within
touched only
by him
then exhale
as tension
is let go

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Seeking Validation

Today’s meditation was skipped

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The @GlitterbyInk #MayMoon26 Rise Root Return Challenge
So Below Prompt for May 10th
: Nourish
Daily Mental Health Prompt
: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

The Winding Tarot - Six of Wands

Today’s draw is the Six of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of public accolades, societal expectations, people pleasing, and peer pressure.

It’s okay to enjoy praise and admiration from others, as long as it does not become your soul focus for validation.

This is the struggle that comes with people pleasing, and my opinion. You want to please others, you want to feel that validation of their being pleased, but how much are you willing to sacrifice for it?

I think that’s where the line lies between healthy acceptance of admiration and praise, and the unhealthy need for it.

The message in today’s Six of Wands and the “nourish” card is a reminder that we need to find validation in other ways than just through others. We need to be able to nourish and nurture ourselves, instead of depending upon others to always fill that need. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of leaning more and more heavily on others for validation; today’s message reminds us that it’s extremely important to also validate ourselves instead of leaving it up to others alone.

DECK USED:  THE WINDING (TAROT)

One Card Tarot Journal Activity by @mariasofia_astro
Chapter 5 | Entry 8 – Health and Body
Affirmation : “I release stressful situations I cannot control.”
Prompt : When you think about what stresses you out mentally or physically, what energy does the card you draw offered for you to tap in to when you are starting to feel overwhelmed?

Tarot Activity from The One Card a Day Journal by Maria Sofia Marmanides - Sea and Sky Tarot - Death card

What feelings came up when I pulled this card?

One of the things that stresses me out the most recently is the amount of clutter I have in my home. It’s always there, piled up here and there.

Yes, I know where everything is, and yes, a good portion of why it’s like this is because I’m running a business out of my home… a home that is not quite large enough to handle the amount of work I’m doing here. That doesn’t change the fact that it looks like a mess.

When I pulled this card, there was a feeling of hopelessness in seeing it and the image upon it, for it feels like a warning that if I don’t get this in hand, it’s going to inevitably come tumbling down on top of me.

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

Inevitability is a huge part of the Death card. There is no other thing in life that is absolutely guaranteed to happen in the future than the fact that sooner or later we die. It can happen in all different ways and at all different times, but we’re all guaranteed to experience it eventually.

What in the artwork spoke to me?

The towering “death goddess” looming over the woman below with her sword and shield. The dragon that looks like it might be in mid-fall from the skies.

This figure may fight the good fight, but one way or the other she’s going to be crushed. She may be taking into her own hands how things play out, but the end result is going to be the same either way because she’s too damn close to the fray to avoid it.

My prompt response and reflections.

This card says that whether I take control and take care of these things myself, or leave them to crush me when they become so out of hand that they can no longer be ignored… sooner or later I’m going to have to confront and deal with the fallout.

The energy this card offers to me is not to just give up and lay down and wait for my eventual downfall, though. Instead, it offers the hope that I can stave off this eventual downfall by trying to take control not of the situation, but of my actions concerning it. Much in the same way that someone who eats healthy can help prolong their life. It’s not guaranteed, but it can help.

If I want to solve this problem, I need to back up and take a look at it from a more objective viewpoint, instead of from the center of the chaos where it all already feels far too overwhelming.

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

DECK USED: SEA AND SKY TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsMay2026 Challenge
Prompt for May 10th
: Do Spread 2
Philosophical Question for May 13th
: What is the point of life?

Tarot Reading with The Winding Tarot

Reading Summary: Inspired creation (Ace of Wands) through movement and doing (The Knight), no matter how slow (Knight of Pentacles).

Take Away: The universe was not created in a day. Yes, they call it the “Big Bang”, but that explosion didn’t happen all at once (nor was it actually a single explosion, but more of an expansion). It happened over the stretch of 3.8 billion years and continues on, even today.

Whether we feel the spark to create as a flash in the pan, or as a slow burn over a lifetime, these cards indicate that the purpose of life lies in creation.

Creation comes in all forms from art and science to life itself. It can be quick sometimes, it can take a lifetime, or it can take much longer than that. The crux, though, is in the energy of creation itself.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Wood Fern for Exorcising Negative Influences
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED:  THE WINDING (TAROT)
Daily Self Kindness

I made myself a post-it note in the wee hours of the morning and stuck it to my monitor, right in the center, to remind me that today is Mothers Day and I have phone calls to make.

Gideon’s Challenge – Daydream

Sailboat Waiting

Daydream

Let’s sale away
together
and see
the world
from a distance
its troubles
muffled
by water
and time
spent alone
just you and I

Photo © ZenStatePhotography