Author: Twist the Leaf

Confidence and Caution

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_7630Today’s meditation was just over eighteen minutes long because I needed a little extra time in my piriformis stretching this morning.  The hike in the rain yesterday was just what I needed I wish I could have stayed out there for hours and hours on end.  But my muscles did not like the hard exertion in the cold rain, nor the sudden heat up of a shower that came after.  So… I’m a bit sore today.

The topic of the guided part of my meditation was about techniques in hearing criticism and dealing with being confronted with anger.  It was about finding a way (in this meditation it was about identifying instead of personalizing) to not soak in what is being said.  Not allowing it to be taken personally.

Tarot of the Little Prince - Page of WandsToday’s draw is the Page of Wands, which is traditionally a receptive omega energy in the area of one’s passion projects, drive, and inner spark.  Like all the wands, this isn’t about emotions or intelligence, nor eve where a person’s ambitions lie.  Instead, it is about the fiery spark of passion that creates your ambition.  That burning feeling of a spark within that drives us forward.   In the light of a receptive omega energy, this is often about learning something new that strikes your interest and passion, or exploring old passions that have come back into our lives for a breath of new life.

What stands out the strongest to me in the imagery of this card today is the walking stick and the approaching train. The figure in this image looks either highly distracted, or possibly blind considering that the walking stick looks an awful lot like one a blind man might use.  The train has steam billowing out of its chimney indicating it is moving full speed ahead.  The tilt of the man’s head indicates confidence in their progress, and yet the train is clearly coming.

The message in today’s card is about moving forward with confidence… and caution.  You need both in order to succeed.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE LITTLE PRINCE

LionHart’s As Above So Below Challenge Prompt
Moon Question: Where am I asked to listen to, or follow, my gut feeling?

Ride or Wait Tarot

I split this reading into two questions, because, at least for me? Listening to and actually following are two different things.  You can absolutely listen and decide to do things your own way while taking something else under advisement.  That is difference than actually following through on  information provided.

Where am I asked to listen to my gut feeling?

Queen of Wands and Four of Cups – Don’t allow your uncertainty over what’s going on with this holiday rush to dictate your actions and cause you to retreat into yourself. Instead lean into what you know and have experience with, and apply that to where you want to go.

Where am I asked to follow my gut feeling?

Two of Cups and Page of Swords – Learning new ways to connect with and communicate with others in a helpful way that creates unity and agreement. Expressing your emotions is not your greatest of skills, but there are other ways to build bonds and let people know that you care.

DECK USED:  RIDE OR WAIT TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsNov2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Cleanse This / Ground This / Release This

Druidcraft TarotCleanse – Seven of Pentacles – It’s time to declutter so that you can make sure that there is room for more sustainable long term growth. Mentally, this means keeping your expectations in check. Physically, this means pruning out a few things that are creating distraction.

Ground – Princess of Swords – Again, we look at your expectations. You need to make sure that you’re open to changes and open to new ideas, because things just can’t stay the same all of the time, no matter how much you’d like them to. Clever adaptation will serve you well.  Also, note that her feet are bare upon the ground, which is a reminder to make sure that you’re getting out to bond with nature.

Release – Four of Cups – Your lackadaisical attitude and lack of motivation to get on top of things needs to be let go. Don’t be so disenchanted by what’s not happening, but rather look for solutions and act upon them.

DECK USED:  DRUIDCRAFT TAROT

Heal & Transform November Challenge Prompt
Question: What blessings have I or am I blinding myself to?

Tarot of the Unknown

Reading Summary: The fact that I am bombarded with new ideas all the time (Ace of Wands) is not a bad habit or a disgrace and should not be viewed as a inconvenience (The Beast), but rather it is something I need to embrace (imagery in the Six of Cups).

Take Away: Writing down ideas so I didn’t feel like I’m losing them all one after another when I can’t act on them immediately was a brilliant idea that I can credit to Gid.  But the thing is?  I can write down ideas all damned day and STILL have more to go.  And more.  And more.  I want to do them all and it sometimes messes with me that I can’t.  It used to mess with me even more as I felt super bad when I couldn’t. 

The thing is?  I need to stop looking at this constant trickle of ideas as an inconvenience just because I can’t do them all right now, or might never get to all of them.  They’re still good and just think how drab and boring it would be without them.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE UNKNOWN 1ST EDITION

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What do I think makes a successful life?

Catharsis Tarot

Reading Summary: Trusted bonds with friends (Two of Cups) that help you through the uncertain times (The Moon), and the independence and autonomy (Chariot) to choose your own path forward (The World).

Take Away:  As much as a loner that I am most of the time?  Being alone… truly alone with no one to love or care about? Can be fucking miserable.  I don’t have this problem, and having those few people in my life that I cherish, and that cherish me in turn?  It makes life immeasurably better.

Independence and autonomy are something I feel extremely strongly about.  The ability to choose your own path and make your own decisions is important.  I really can’t imagine that a life could feel successful without this factor.

DECK USED:  CATHARSIS TAROT

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_3296Good Morning

Gray days
start with
heavy clouds
and
foggy mornings
that muffle
sounds
to a whisper
and wash away
color
to create
misty mysteries.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Paying Attention

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magnetostrictive ultrasonic scalerToday’s meditation was about forty minutes long, and took place at the dentist’s office. I have a really difficult time at the dentist’s office due to my synesthesia. So many of the sounds that take place in that chair are unpleasant on a level that goes far beyond sound.  Some of them aren’t bad, others I don’t have  a reaction to at all.  But there are a few that really make dental work difficult and painful.

For example, the sound of the magnetostrictive ultrasonic scaler, which causes muscle spasms in my left pec which combine with a sensation of a long, thin needle piercing between two of my ribs in the back at an angle to points to exactly where that muscle spasm takes place.   For a moment, this sensation is painful but might cause a gasp before you take a breath and move on.  Over a continuous length of time, it leaves a lasting soreness that carries beyond the drawn out intensity in the moment.

Traditional Manga Tarot - Five of SwordsToday’s draw is the Five of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of tests, trials, or conflict in the area of one’s thoughts, education, intellect, communication, or ambition.  This often comes across in the form of competition, arguments, or can communicate a determination to win no matter what.

What stands out to me the strongest in the imagery of this card is the person in the lower left side that is crying in the background, and the fact that the helmet of the main figure in the card covers their eyes.

There is a reminder here to pay attention to what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. Are you hurting people and ignoring it, or just ignorant to it?  Why are you not focusing on this aspect? What was the motivation behind whatever hurt this person?  Was there a better way to handle things?

This card’s message today is about being aware of what you’re doing, and those you affect with your actions (or inaction).

DECK USED:  TRADITIONAL MANGA TAROT

LionHart’s As Above So Below Challenge Prompt
Moon Question: How can I best work with, or work around, the current vibes?

Dark Wood Tarot

Reading Summary: Stay open to new opportunities (Ace of Pentacles) and reach out and grab them by the balls when they appear to you (Chariot).  Now is not a time to stay comfortable and safe in your nest (Four of Wands Rx).

Take Away:  There’s been a good deal of warning in the cards lately about business being a bit slow this holiday season. The cards here indicate that in order to counteract that, I need to be open to the possibilities and opportunities that may arise, and jump on them immediately rather than hemming and hawing about it as I often end up doing.

DECK USED:  DARK WOOD TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsNov2020 Challenge Prompt
Philosophical Question: Is it possible to truly experience anything objectively?

Puppet Theatre TarotReading Summary:  A king on his throne sees the world as his playground (The Emperor), a couple on a beach basking in the sun sees the world as a perfect slice of heaven (The Sun), and someone with the spark of inspiration nipping at their heels sees the world as filled with potential adventures (Knight of Wands).

Take Away: The cards here indicate that it is not possible to truly experience anything with complete objectivity. We can do our best to be objective, but our emotions, our relationships, our history, and our experiences all create a foundation for which other new experiences and perceptions are built on.  There is no such thing as a “clean slate” in humanity, as emotions flavor everything we do, even for amnesiacs.

I agree.

DECK USED:  PUPPET THEATRE TAROT

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_1875Mine Now

Did you need
in here?
But I’ve claimed
this spot
as my own.
Later,
after my nap
maybe
you’ll be able
to steal away
with the contents
of my new
treasure box.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Weekly Creativity Prompt – The Walk

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Prompt: Pull up to three cards use them as the inspiration to draw, craft, or describe a spooky nighttime walk outside.

Eldritch TarotDeath – On Halloween night, Fred took his little sister out trick or treating for the first time.  Their parents had divorced this year, something that had been coming for a long time, and he was the man of the house now.  That meant that even though he wasn’t really all that excited about trick or treating this year, he was in charge of keeping his sister safe.

Hand in hand he took Cassie from house to house in the unfamiliar neighborhood they’d moved into just two weeks before. At each house they chimed their “Trick or Treat!” after the door opened and held out their bags for the goodies to be dropped inside.

The Devil atop The Magician – When they reached the end of the street and the last house that sat there, they repeated he process again and the man that answered the door was friendly and boisterous.  He complimented their Robin Hood and Maid Marian costumes and gave them whole candy bars!

The man said that he had more inside, but he had to go all the way to the kitchen to get them.  He invited them both to come in, and Fred’s sister tugged on his hand to pull him forward toward the front door, eager for more of the good candy that the man was offering.

The Hierophant – But Fred had been given a talk by Dad that Cassie was too young to have gotten yet.  Dad had told him about the bad people.  People that seemed nice but wanted to hurt him or his sister, steal them away, and do bad things to them. Dad’s talk stuck with him when he and his sister walked to school every day, and it came back to him now as Cassie tried to pull him up the porch steps and into the stranger’s house.

Taking a strong, hard hold of his sister’s hand, he declined the man’s offer and hurried them away from the house at the end of the street. At home, he would pass on Dad’s talk to Cassie.  At home, he would make sure that Cassie knew to never, ever go down to the end of the street by herself… and that she could always depend on him to go with her if she wanted.

DECK USED: THE ELDRITCH TAROT (MAJORS ONLY)

Failures Are Lessons Too

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Today’s meditation was skipped because I ended up out at the farm way longer than normal and then decided to nap instead of do it later in the day.  I’ll do it before bed, though.

Tarot of the Little Prince - Page of SwordsToday’s draw is the Page of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of a receptive omega energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s intellect, education, thoughts and logic, communication, and ambition. This often translates itself into themes that have to do with the eager and diligent student, learning better communication skills or how to adapt your communication methods to others, or delving into one’s thirst for knowledge and curiosity.

What stands out to me in this card is that the guy has apparently cracked himself on the head… perhaps with the hand rake that is lying on the ground at his feet.

Sometimes when we’re learning new things, shit like this happens.  You smack your thumb with a hammer a few times when learning to pound nails.  You trip over roots a few times the first time you go out hiking. Learning new things inherently has a few mishaps involved in the process.

Just remember that that’s okay. It’s okay to try and fail, just keep trying again.  Each failure is a learning experience that can make you better at it the next time.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE LITTLE PRINCE

LionHart’s As Above So Below Challenge Prompt
Sun Question: Something that could support my creative flow or focus right now.

Global Fusion Intuitive Tarot

Reading Summary: Stop listening to the whispers that say you’re going to lose everything (Four of Pentacles) and instead try to see whatever comes as an adventure (The Fool).  This isn’t an easy choice for you (Two of Swords).

Take Away: Leaning into the perspective that everything is an adventure is not an easy thing for you.  It takes a conscious effort and diligence to remember to continue to lean that way hour after hour and day after day.  But by loosening up the reigns and easing your grip, it will foster your creative flow and focus in a way that this desperate grasp you try to keep on everything staying stable and the same just can’t provide you.

DECK USED:  GLOBAL FUSION INTUITIVE TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsNov2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What is… blocking my way / distracting my attention / tying my hands

Traditional Manga TarotWhat is blocking my way?

Two of Swords – “Either/or” thinking has been an issue for me a lot this fall and is something I’m still struggling with. It feels as if it has been blocking my way in moving forward through the holiday rush prep as smoothly as I’d have liked, as it keeps popping up again and again. I am aware of it and working at keeping it from taking over, but it just doesn’t seem to want to ease off.

What is distracting my attention?

King of Swords – Rigid thinking, unlike the “either/or” thinking is something that is more of a bad habit rather than a new development. It’s that whole “this must be done this way” mentality.  It is feeding into that “either/or” mentality tho, and causing a lot of conflict as a result.

What is tying my hands?

Ace of Pentacles atop Six of Cups – Old family values often hold me back, especially concerning work and money. I am aware of the fact that these values are a heavy influence in my life, and yet discarding them… even the ones that don’t really work for me or are unhealthy for me, is something I struggle with a great deal.  I’ve been able to loosen the grip of those ideals and judgements over time, but they still linger.

DECK USED:  TRADITIONAL MANGA TAROT

Heal & Transform November Challenge Prompt
Question: What previously unknown light aspect has presented itself this year?

The Ellis Deck 5th Edition

Reading Summary: Learning to think of things (Page of Swords) as more of a journey (The World) instead of a constantly repeating battle (Nine of Rods) has helped me in finding a more stable foundation (King of Pentacles).

Take Away: Over the spring and summer as I’d been exploring my emotional and spiritual sides more openly and fully, I was given a new perspective of the world besides the hard edged black and white version I’d once seen the world as the majority of the time.  I feel like this new, softer perspective has rounded out my perception of the world a bit, and thus provided me with a more grounded and stable foundation for my life as a whole as well as my path moving forward.

DECK USED:  THE ELLIS DECK 5TH EDITION