Daily Focus

Beltane

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Today’s meditation was fifteen minutes. Instead of using a guided meditation, as I have been doing recently, today’s meditation was self guided and focused on the significance of the holiday at hand and incorporating its theme into my day and my life.

BeltaneLike my meditation, my daily focus activity is a bit different today. I am not using the cards, because today I have Beltane to focus on as my theme for the day.  Beltane is a holiday for me, and is all about abundance and warmth.

Where Ostara (aka. the spring equinox) is a whisper of spring to come, Beltane is a trumpet that announces it is here in all its glory. Beltane is about that spark of warmth that Ostara whispers about now coming to fruition.

It is a time of vitality and virility, with life and promise around every corner and under every leaf.

I think this holiday has a lot to teach about welcoming warmth, positivity, and hope into my life.

Today is also, of course, Linette and I’s birthday.

Seeking Emotional Stability

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Today’s meditation was done in a quiet room at Ms B’s and… I almost fell asleep. (Oops!)

The meditation today was fourteen minutes and thirty seven seconds, and focused addiction to thought.

That is, how we try to always give each thought that wanders through our head “it’s due” rather than sometimes just letting them go. This is especially relevant and noticeable during meditation, as it is during this time when the thoughts that intrude can be like the temptation of a curious path in the forest that leads away from the one you are already on.

People (myself included) follow their thoughts without even realizing it, addicted to the random paths, to fixing or resolving, to… thinking. Today’s meditation brings this tendency to light as a reminder that during one’s meditation practice (and other times when overwhelmed) setting aside thoughts, rather than following them, is healthy and beneficial.

The first card in today’s draw was the Six of Hearts. Hearts is a suit seated in emotions, family, relationships, and creativity. The six in this suit represents seeking answers and truths.

The second card in today’s draw is the Four of Hearts. This card…. is you. It is an indication of stability and shelter. Comfort. Home.

The cards are telling me that this lost and seeking feeling in my gut this morning is all about you. It’s time to come home. To my shelter. To my anchor. To you.

The cards are directing me to you.

Forgiveness

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Today’s meditation was 14 minutes and 35 seconds and focused on compassion.

The meditation was about not just creating compassion and a sense of non-judgment and one’s practice during meditation, but also in one’s life as a whole.

This is something that I personally struggle with as I constantly feel that I am monitoring myself, and judging myself in order to improve upon myself and my actions from day today, our tower, and minute to minute.

When it comes to myself, I’m a harsh taskmaster. Today’s meditation is a reminder that I need to be a little bit kinder and more compassionate to myself.

When reading from a playing card deck, it is a different kind of conversation than when using a tarot deck.

The way I was taught, the least amount of cards needed for a reading with a playing card deck is two (as opposed to one, when using a tarot deck).

The first card indicates the subject while the second card is for guidance.

The first card in today’s draw is the Queen of Diamonds. Diamonds indicate the area of money, resources, power, education, or success. The Queen of this suit represents an energy, personality, or person related to those topics.

The second card in today’s draw is the Queen of Hearts. Hearts deal with the areas of emotions, family, relationships. The Queen in this suit represents a mothering, empathetic, and healing energy.

I believe that this reading is a direct reflection on yesterday’s, where I wasn’t being quite so kind to myself concerning my finances, and my current financial situation.

The cards are telling me that as harsh as I was about my spending, I also need to be kind to myself and forgiving.

I haven’t broken the bank. I’m not destitute. I’m not going to be losing my home, or even miss mortgage payment or fall behind on my bills. So it’s time to be forgiving and cut myself a little slack for my recent past behavior in this area.

Temptation and Distraction

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Today’s meditation was 14 minutes and 11 seconds, and focused on observing your emotions without reacting to them.

This is not a new concept for me, as I do this quite often. Possibly as a part of my disassociation. I was often far more of an observer rather than a “experiencer” when it came to my emotions before you came along into my life. It was you that actually taught me to experience my emotions instead of just observing them from a distance.

I had a hard time staying focused in meditation today. Probably because I’m heading to moms this afternoon. Thoughts on preparation to get going kept intruding. I did set them aside and go back to my breath each time, but I feel like they held me back from getting the ease I needed today. I woke up with that knot of anxiety under my diaphragm again, and it’s still there.

Today’s draw is the 15th card of the Major Arcana, which is the Devil card… or the Shadowdance card, as it is called in the current deck.

Incidentally, I really like the re-title of this card in this deck. I think it really fits into the card as a whole, as well as the meaning behind it. That meaning, of course, is the temptation to go off-track.

This card is a representation of the distracting quality of things such as addiction, temporary pleasures, hedonistic pursuits, and pretty much all the things that just don’t really matter “in the long run” and pull you away from life’s responsibilities.

Today, this card is a warning.

During the past month of my depression, especially the last three weeks of it, I’ve been a little lax in my finances.

I’ve spent more on things than I should have because I was too lazy or distracted to find the better price. I’ve bought things that I could have waited on until I was more flush.

This card is a warning that it’s time to pay attention and get myself back in line concerning these issues. It’s telling me not to let a few mistakes tumble me off track into the seductive distraction of the dark woods, but rather keep in mind my responsibilities and act accordingly.

Transcendence

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Today’s meditation was twelve minutes and ten seconds, and focused on intruding thoughts during meditation and one’s reactions to them.

In this meditation you’re encouraged to notice the thoughts as they meander in and acknowledge them without reacting to them.

In my acknowledgment of my thoughts that wander into my brain while I’m in the middle of meditation, I notice that most of them are neutral daydream-type thoughts. Things like a mental image of the metal foot of a park bench resting against its concrete slab. Or a smiling face of someone I don’t recognize. They are nearly always visual in some way.

You are then encouraged to return your focus to the breath once you’ve acknowledged that the thought is there and set it aside.

Today’s meditation reminds me that this should be an accepted part of meditation. A part of the process. In the beginning, when I first started meditating, I used to get really frustrated with those thoughts that came in while I was trying to find my moment of peace. Sometimes, I still do. The subject of today’s meditation is a good reminder to look at these thoughts not as intrusions, but simply as a normal part of the experience.

Today’s draw is the Ten of Cups, which I find interesting because I’m drawing a lot of cups lately. Not just in my morning meditations, but also in my personal readings. This is fitting though, since I’m dealing with emotional issues and the suit of Cups is all about emotions, relationships, and creativity. The tenth card is a representation of endings, transcendence, or excess.

This card is telling me that I’m at the end, and that it’s time to rise above. It’s time to transcend back to the norm of every day life rather than clinging to the cloying tendrils of the depression.

I think sometimes I do that. Cling to the end as if somehow there is some sort of a surety there. A comfort there in the misery. Perhaps that is my self-destructive urges whispering in my ear? I’m not sure.

The Ten of Cups is telling me that I should not cling to those last subtle yet present vestiges, but instead let them go.

As is the nature of all endings, this card is also an indication that the promise of a new beginning is at hand just at the tips of my toes and waiting for my next step. I believe that with depression at my back that the new beginning is almost guaranteed to be brighter than where I am coming from.

Wrapping Things Up

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Today’s meditation was 13 minutes and 53 seconds, and it focused on dealing with sounds during one’s meditation.

As you know, my crossed wires due to synesthesia often turn sounds into other sensations. This actually made today’s meditation quite interesting, because in meditation how do you focusing on the sounds around you. Not to judge them, or figure out what they are, or any of that. But rather, just to experience them and accept them as a part of your environment.

I enjoyed the experience. Like putting my earphones in and listening to music, It is like going on a journey of the senses filled with rich scents, flavors, and sensations without taking a single step.

That said, I’m not sure that it was really the meditation focused that I needed today. I woke up with a bit of anxiety, as I have for the past three days now. It’s this tight knot under my diaphragm that I can’t quite breathe away. Granted the last two days of meditation hadn’t really helped it either, so I don’t think trying something different really hurts anything.

Today’s draw is the Nine of Swords, which represents culmination, end results, and consequences in the area of thoughts, logic, communication, and challenges.

This card feels like it arrived a little early, and yet perhaps that’s why it’s here. It commiserate with the fact that I’ve been through the ringer, and tells me that things are starting to wrap up. It tells me that it’s time to take a deep breath and let the dust settle.

Sometimes things can’t end until you look through them one more time to learn lessons you would otherwise leave behind. It feels like this card is telling me it’s time to end my negative and self depreciating thoughts, and look back at my depression with compassion and acceptance. It’s time to prepare for stepping forward and past it.

So, perhaps this card is right on time after all. I am at the cusp of that deep dark hole and climbing out into the light. I can smell the fresh air. I can feel the light on my face.

I’m almost there and it’s time to be kind to myself, stop my self-recriminations, and set my mind to getting things back on track.