Author: Twist the Leaf

Emotional Influences

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment

Today’s meditation was an eleven minute long #DailyTrip session from the @Calm app.

•    •    •    ◈    •    🌱    •    ◈    •    •    •

The @GlitterbyInk #MarchMoments26 Challenge
The Edge of Wonder Prompt for March 14th : Disorientation
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

The Blue Tarot - Strength card

Today’s draw is the Strength card, which is traditionally a representation of inner strength, persuasion usually through means of compassion, influence and/or manipulation, and courage.

Don’t allow moments of disorientation to turn you into a reactionary mess. Instead, use the calming tools and other methods you’ve learned to help keep yourself in a place of calm and quiet.

It is -so- easy to allow our emotions to take the lead. That’s where the speed of reaction comes from, that’s where the snippy comments, flashes of anger, and moments of snark usually live. It can be hard to -not- allow those things to have free reign. This is something I didn’t fully realize until I started on the journey of learning about my emotions and actually feeling them instead of burying them.

When you stay calm, though, instead of reacting, you allow yourself the space to think, tap into inner wisdom, hear intuition’s input, and make better choices.

The message in today’s Strength card and “disorientation” prompt is a reminder that emotions are fleeting and not dependable for gauging a situation or what you should do in reaction. This messages encourages a pause and a deep breath first. It’s not that you shouldn’t feel your feelings, only that you want to make sure they aren’t pushing you into reacting before you have a moment to process and think.

DECK USED:  THE BLUE TAROT

@silkandsonder’s Journal Prompts to Feel Like Yourself Again 
Prompts No. 4

Cartomancy Playing Card Reading with The Fortune-Teller's Deck

What has been taking up most of my mental space lately? 

Seven of Clubs and Nine of Spades – Imbalances and fears; the lack of harmony in your life that these two influences are creating.

Although you are trying to break free, there is a good deal of fear weighing on you, and the worries that come along with that have been keeping your mental space full and chaotic of late. There’s just a lot going on to worry about right now.

Is it actually important to me?

Ace of Spades and Two of Clubs – These fears and worries are only important to you in that you can’t move forward until you’ve sorted out how to solve the problem that’s causing all this imbalance. So… yes.

Although, from these cards it looks like your approach is flawed (interpreted from all those jagged edges in the Ace of Spades combined with the theme of plans and direction in the Two of Clubs).

Other elements included in this reading:
Scotch Pine Cone for Purging Negative Influences
Foraged Lodgepole Pine for Resilience, Growth, and Renewal
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: THE FORTUNE TELLER’S DECK

@recoverytrauma_’s Know Myself Questions for Self-Discovery
What Do I Need to Heal? Prompts (Part 1)

Tarot Reading with The Blue Tarot

What am I still holding onto that no longer serves me?

Strength atop The Star – There is no substitute for the positivity work you need to do in order to stay balanced. Skipping your medication, skipping your meditation, not giving yourself the room to pause and think before you react, entertaining your self-destructive tendencies and unhealthy habits…

All of these things defeat the effort that you are making towards a more positive and optimistic outlook, and the better life that this pursuit can provide for you.

When have I felt most hurt-and what did I learn from that pain?

Page of Wands Rx – Nay sayers are always going to try to shit on your parade. When you’re really enthusiastic about something that you want to try, this reaction from others can really hurt and cause you to lose enthusiasm as a result.

Seven of Wands – It’s better to prove them wrong than it is to listen to them and let them influence you away from what feels right for you. Just because they think it won’t work doesn’t mean that it won’t work for you.

What habits or patterns are keeping me stuck?

Staying at home and wallowing in your time there (Four of Wands) is holding you back from the success and stability you seek (Ten of Pentacles Rx) by stifling your innovative and creative spirit as a result (Ace of Wands Rx).

A lot of your inspiration comes from your time in nature. The less time in nature that you have, the more dormant your inspiration becomes. If you step outside more, you will spark your inspiration more.

Other elements included in this reading:
Pressed Pansy Flowers for Hearing the Heart More Clearly
Foraged Oak Branch with Moss and Lichen for Perseverance
Foraged Wood Fern for Exorcising Negative Influences
Gneiss Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED:  THE BLUE TAROT
Daily Self Kindness

This is a catch up post, and I’m not entirely sure what the self kindness was for this day.

Gideon’s Challenge – Seek Peace

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment

Seek Peace

A reminder
tucked away
colorful
but forgotten
on the counter
in the corner
catching the eye
and I reach
to dust them off
and set them
a little more
prominently
to touch others
as they
touched me

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Keep Going, Keep Growing

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment

Today’s meditation was skipped.

•    •    •    ◈    •    🌱    •    ◈    •    •    •

The @GlitterbyInk #MarchMoments26 Challenge
The Edge of Wonder Prompt for March 13th : Melancholy
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Sefirot Tarot - Seven of Wands

Today’s draw is the Seven of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of strategic thinking, “sneaky shit”, or getting away with something. It can also often be about taking only what one can carry.

Find a way to get where you need to go. That is how you fight against the melancholy.

I struggle with clinical depression. The kind that comes in waves (called episodes) and brings you to your knees for weeks or sometime months at a time. And, with every episode you have, you have a greater risk of having another. At this point in my adult life, I’ve lost count of how many I’ve had.

Aside from this clinical depression that comes in waves, even during the time when I am out side of a major depressive episode I deal with something called dysthymia (or, at least that’s what it was called when I was diagnosed). This is a second type of depression that is essentially an “ever present low”. A mild depression that never goes away, putting a pall upon life and everything in it, and making it difficult to experience life in pleasurable or satisfying ways.

The word melancholy (today’s prompt) draws my mind to these things. The Seven of Wands then pulled for the day reminds me that I have learned that there are things I can do to ease the hold that these two conditions have upon me.

One of them being this daily practice. Another being getting out in nature whenever possible.

These things (and others as well) are tools that help. They may not be a cure, but they help.

The message in today’s Seven of Wands and “Melancholy” prompt is a reminder not to give up on yourself. No matter the struggles, keep fighting. Use the tools that work to give you the strength to continue on and keep going. That’s what those tools are there for, to help you keep going and growing.

DECK USAED:  SEFIROT TAROT

@lightningwildflower‘s March Reflection to Action Challenge
Prompts for March 12th and 13th

Tarot Reading with the Simplicities Tarot and Feline Mystique Oracle

Emotional: What emotions from the past few days need space to settle?

Page of Pentacles and Memories – Your current predicament with your business puts you in a place of learning. This feels precarious and vulnerable to you.

You need to focus upon memories on how you have survived and thrived in the past in order to create a sense of confidence and empowerment in the present, rather than allowing memories of hardships long passed to strike fear into your heart.

Mars Conjunct Node: What fear must I move through in order to grow?

Nine of Pentacles Rx and Liminal – The fear of losing all that you’ve worked for and having to begin again.

The thing is? The journey wasn’t always easy and didn’t always feel rewarding. Sometimes, it was just exhausting and miserable. You fear having to go through those experiences again to reach stability once more. It isn’t doubt on whether you can do it, but rather fear of the discomfort that’s built into the process.

Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Red Maple Leaf for Adaptability and Connection
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Carved Rhyolite Leaf for Facilitating Calm Transitions
Bloodstone for Encouraging Fearlessness
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: SIMPLICITIES TAROT AND FELINE MYSTIQUE ORACLE

@silkandsonder’s Journal Prompts to Feel Like Yourself Again 
Prompt No. 3 : Where in my life do currently feel most natural or at ease?

Tarot Reading with the Sefirot Tarot

Reading Summary: When helping others (The Hermit Rx) solve their problems (The Magician) instead of acknowledging and dealing with your own (Five of Wands).

Take Away: It’s not surprising that you would feel most at ease when dealing with problems that aren’t your own. It allows you to procrastinate on your worries and fears instead of dealing with them, after all.

This ease is false, though, as you can see in the Five of Wands. What happens is that this habit of procrastination allows you to -pretend- ease and comfort while internally there’s a war raging in that dark corner where you’ve tucked away your worries and fears.

This is one of the situations where “fake it ’til you make it” isn’t going to work, as you’re in the process of learning the hard way.

Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Rhododendron Leaf for Fostering Confidence
Black Spruce Needles to Boost Self-Confidence and Positive Thinking
Dried Rosebuds for Potential and Beauty Waiting to Unfold
Dried Purple Heather Flowers for Independence and Luck
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: SEFIROT TAROT
Daily Self Kindness

This is a catch up post, and I’m not entirely sure what the self kindness was for this day.

Gideon’s Challenge – Husk

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment

Husk

Wrecked and ruined
fallen and forgotten
the sky above
a plane of gray
as the soil
beneath
draws in too much
stealing away
all that I am
and all
that I could be
as raindrops
hang heavy
in clouds above
but do not
drop

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Leaning Into Good Memories

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was a ten minute #DailyCalm session from the @Calm app.

•    •    •    ◈    •    🌱    •    ◈    •    •    •

The @GlitterbyInk #MarchMoments26 Challenge
The Edge of Wonder Prompt for March 12th : Nostalgia
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Tarot One - Eight of Wands

Today’s draw is the Eight of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of action, speed, alacrity, fast paced events or change, or having a target goal in your sights that you are charging towards.

Memories are a tricky thing. They transport us to either good places or bad places, and allow us to bring those places into the present with us through our emotions.

That means that somewhere within us? We actually relive those experiences, going through the emotions and pain of the bad ones, and the joy of the good ones when we replay them in our memories.

The key here, then, would be to spend more time sinking into the good memories, and letting the bad ones go.

The message in today’s Eight of Wands and “Nostalgia” prompt is to focus on those memories you -want- to relive. When bad memories rise up, choose to swiftly turn away from them and seek out positive ones instead. Allow yourself to -enjoy- your past and the memories there, instead of focusing on the bad and forcing yourself to find nostalgia as a practice in pain instead of the pleasure that it could be.

DECK USED:  TAROT ONE

#DiscordTarotholicsMar2026 Challenge
Prompts for March 12th and 13th

Oracle Reading with the 50 Plants That Heal deck

What is your greatest weakness at this time?

Poppy (Papaver rhoeas) – Your addictive tendencies are valiantly trying to get the better of you and bring you to your knees.

You’ve noticed this in both small and large ways, and have felt overwhelmed by the effort to keep an eye on all the myriad of small ways that these tendencies are trying to break loose.

How can you improve in the area of this weakness?

Oregano (Origanum vulgare) – Focus on flow instead of balking and stagnancy. You need to let fresh air in and take the time to spend some time outdoors where the fresh air and spring’s spark can infect your spirit.

All this stagnancy just makes you feel as if you’re losing out on the things your addictive traits try to reach for. When you allow yourself to go with the flow instead of digging in your heels, the world and your experiences distract you from the discontentment that the addictions try to feed off of to grow stronger.

Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Purple Heather Sprigs for Independence and Luck
Gneiss Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: 50 PLANTS THAT HEAL CARDS

@silkandsonder’s Journal Prompts to Feel Like Yourself Again 
Prompt No.2 : What activities or routines used to make me feel energized that I’ve drifted away from?

Tarot Reading with the Tarot One deck

Reading Summary: Actively going after those things that make you happy (Knight of Cups), even against the opposition or opinions of others (Five of Wands), instead of holding back and/or procrastinating (Hanged Man).

Take Away: You spend a great deal of time procrastinating on the things that help to light you up inside. More often than not, this is due to your efforts to please or placate others.

That didn’t necessarily become a problem until you were no longer able to get out and enjoy time in nature alone anymore. Once you needed an escort to go with you on your excursions, you began procrastinating them more often.

Consider, though, that whether or not your escorts enjoy these excursions, the time in nature is still good for them. The unpredictability of -you- in these places and in doing these activities is good for them. So by indulging, even if they bitch? You’re still giving them something they need… not just giving it to yourself or being selfish.

Other elements included in this reading:
Staghorn Sumac for Connecting with Nature and the Wild Within
Japanese Cherry Leaf as a Reminder of Life’s Fleeting Moments
Carnelian Agate for Inner Drive and Focusing On Aspirations
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: TAROT ONE
Daily Self Kindness

This is a catch up post, and I’m not entirely sure what the self kindness was for this day.

Gideon’s Challenge – True Rest

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment

True Rest

You can’t see
the cold
it lingers
beneath
the surface
waiting
to take you
by surprise
and as the shock
sinks under skin
it drags you
down
into the deep

Photo © ZenStatePhotography