Pop of Color
A smile radiant
in a world
of gray
as raindrops fall
and drip
from the tips
of long strands
beading
upon skin
and yet all
that can be heard
is joy and laughter
Author: Twist the Leaf
Seize the Day!
Today’s meditation was skipped.
• • • ◈ • 🎃 • ◈ • • •
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.
Today’s draw is the Three of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of the first active step in a journey, progress towards a goal, and the seizing of opportunities.
The Three of Wands has then been combined with an affirmation card from the Sinister Affirmations deck, which says, “People will always tell you what you can’t do. You can’t move to a forgotten ghost town to study the dark arts. You can’t enthrall a horde of undead scorpions. You can’t open a portal to another world in an abandoned quarry. Ignore those people. You don’t need their negativity.”
Why are you holding back? It’s time to move, not stand still.
The negative narratives in your head that tell you that you can’t are the voices of others that have sunk deep into your psyche and whisper to you from those dark places.
It’s time to stop listening to them. Take a leap. Sometimes that first step can’t be a small one, and instead you just have to let go and jump.
The message in today’s cards is an encouragement to get moving on something that you’ve been hesitating and procrastinating on. Don’t let other’s negativity hold you back from what you really want.
DECK USED: HALLOWEEN MAGICK TAROT AND SINISTER AFFIRMATIONS
@thetruthinstory #embracethemagical2025 Challenge
Prompt for Offering (exchange) : What am I ready to give?
Reading Summary: Your friends (Three of Cups) want to help you create balance (Two of Pentacles), and you are finally ready to do what is healthy for you and work together (The Lovers).
Take Away: It’s difficult for you to let go of the reins and allow responsibility to be more evenly dispersed between you and others. You’re used to taking everything on your own shoulders, and not doing so feels like everything is out of your control.
You’ve come to a point in your life, though, where you realize you can’t do it all yourself and you need their help to create balance in your life for a healthier future. You are now ready and willing to sacrifice some of that control in order to achieve that goal.
Other elements included in this reading:
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
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
DECK USED: X THE TAROT
#DiscordTarotholicsOct2025 Challenge
Samhain Prompt for October 27th : As the last harvest approaches, what needs be discarded from your life?
Reading Summary: You’ve worked so hard (Seven of Pentacles) trying to understand your emotions and learn about them and how to deal with them (Ace of Cups). Let go of your hesitancy where new emotions are concerned (Temperance Rx beside Ace of Cups). It’s not caution at this point, just procrastination to not deal with the unpleasantness of something new (Ace of Cups Rx).
Take Away: The answer here is in the reversed Temperance card. These cards are saying it’s time to stop procrastinating and setting things aside that are uncomfortable just because you don’t want to deal with them.
That procrastination comes in a lot of different forms and can often look like healthy hesitation. You’ve spent enough time working with your emotions and how to greet them and deal with them, though, that you shouldn’t need that extra hesitation at this time. That means that you’re just hesitating to create space because you’re uncomfortable.
Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Scotch Pine Cone for Purging Negative Influences
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Gneiss Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
DECK USED: HALLOWEEN MAGICK TAROT
I allowed myself to not finish this blog post on time, and instead went to bed to get some sleep.
Gideon’s Challenge – Indecision
Indecision
Rain promised
and sunshine
delivered
as clouds skate
across
an expanse
of blue
and indecision
reigns
to offer
sweeping views
in an evening sky
Photo © ZenStatePhotography
Not a Sell Out
Today’s meditation was skipped.
• • • ◈ • 🎃 • ◈ • • •
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.
Today’s draw is the Three of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of the first active step in a journey, progress towards a goal, and the seizing of opportunities.
The Three of Wands has then been combined with a Halloween Affirmation card that says, “I am full of laughter, not just spooky sounds.”
Instilling positivity into your life is a choice. When I started on this journey of pulling a daily mental health card to provide a positive message for the day, I was skeptical at best. In fact, I think when it was brought up by my therapist that I might’ve rolled my eyes.
I felt stupid, and like a sellout to the whole “toxic positivity” thing.
What I found, though, is that my shrink was right. You can use a tool like this to help balance out your negativity, instead of take it over. And that is the goal here in this daily exercise.
It didn’t get rid of my depression and it sure as hell didn’t get rid of my pessimism or negative inner narrative. It doesn’t allow me to ignore the bad or dangerous things in life, or pretend that they’re not there. It just gives a little tip to the scales to even things up so that everything isn’t negative or pessimistic all the time.
The key?
I had to take the first step. I had to take that first step even though I felt it was stupid, and had absolutely no confidence whatsoever that it was going to work.
The message in today’s cards is a reminder that when you want to do something to better your life, sometimes it takes a leap of faith. Or… maybe it just takes taking that first step even when you have no faith that it’s going to work. Sometimes, in these instances, the results can surprise you.
DECKS USED: OF FOLK & FABLE TAROT AND TWIST’S HALLOWEEN AFFIRMATION CARDS
@thetruthinstory #embracethemagical2025 Challenge
Prompt for Watcher (awareness) : What watches me from the edges, asking for acknowledgement?
Reading Summary: A figure filled with judgment (Judgement) and negative feedback (Queen of Air Rx). You can choose to acknowledge them at your peril, but remember that this is always a choice (Ten of Earth Rx atop Two of Air).
Take Away: Your abuser.
He has been gone for a number of years now, but he’s still looking for a way in.
This is where the additional protections come in for you at this time of year, and where asking your ancestors and guides can assist you in staying safe and healthy during this time when the veil is thinning.
Other elements included in this reading:
Pressed Yew Tips for Ancestral Connections
Black Tourmaline for Grounding and Protection
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
DECK USED: OF FOLK & FABLE TAROT
This post is a catch-up post, and I can’t remember what my self-kindness might have been for this day.
Gideon’s Challenge – In the Garden
In the Garden
So many
nooks and crannies
beneath leaves
and between
swaying stalks
where a heavy head
can settle
for just
a little while
and eyes close
for just a bit
of bathing in
Autumn sunlight
Photo © ZenStatePhotography
❤️ Self Care Saturday (On a Sunday)
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?
Earth – Six of Pentacles – Make sure you are focusing on being generous this week. Generous to yourself. Generous to others as well. Give people the benefit of the doubt, and be kind to yourself.
Air – Ten of Wands – Ambition is a healthy thing until you get too far in and become overloaded. Make sure that your thoughts and actions, plans, and strategizing all allow you for time to rest. If you overwhelm yourself, it’s going to force you to rest anyway, so make sure that you give yourself the space to do it on your own before you’re forced into it at a more inconvenient time.
Water – Ace of Swords – Don’t get so much in your head that it starts to screw with your emotions. This also reflects back to the Ten of Wands in the Air position, in that if you are too much in your head, you will also quickly become overwhelmed. New ideas are great, but give yourself a break by writing them down instead of jumping on them right away.
Fire – Death – Changes are coming with your business yet again. You saw a preview of what might be to come just last night, which is giving you the heads up to prepare for what’s coming. Don’t ignore it. Instead face it head on.
Waning – Child and Clover – The faith that everything is going to turn out great has its place, but right now what you need is empowerment, not faith. This week is not the time to just sit back and hope everything works itself out.
Waxing – Lady and House – Mind your heart at home this week and cherish the time you have there. Take this time to put things in order to suit you and your comfort zone.
Take Away – It sounds like you’re going to have some pretty great new ideas this week. Too many of them to act on all of them at once, definitely. So make sure you’re writing everything down to act on later, which will allow you to be kind to yourself by giving yourself more space and time.
That space is going to allow you room for changes, as well. Because when you get too many things going at the same time, your “wiggle room” diminishes and you’re less able to pivot when you need to.
Twisting the Leaf 