Daily Focus

Keep Moving Forward

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment

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

•    •    •    ◈    •    ❄️    •    ◈    •    •    •

Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

The Illest Tarot - Death card

Today’s draw is the Death card, which is traditionally a representation of gradual organic changes, loss, slow moving transitions, and letting go.

The Death has then been combined with an affirmation card from The Language of Letting Go cards, which says, “ I will face discomfort, trusting that feelings of healing and release are on the other side… While I’m doing this, I trust that I’m cared for and protected by myself, my friends, …and the Universe.”

For Beyoncé, the 1990s were a time of great transitions. She started out her career at the beginning of this decade, and went through a number of trials and tribulations along the way in her career as she moved from a new novice on the scene to a member of one of the most popular girl groups at the end of the turn of the century.

This is why Beyoncé is on the Death card in this 90s themed deck, as an illustration of how we grow and improve through struggle. It is only through accepting change and moving with it into the next phase that comes that we are able to advance in our goals and in life.

Too often change is considered a horrible experience that is to be avoided at all costs. But in truth, changes in our life are how we develop and grow over time.

The message in today’s cards is a reminder that even when you are uncomfortable with change, it is healthier to keep moving forward than to balk and resist. In moving forward, we get past these moments of change more smoothly, and our growth takes on a healthier development through each step forward we take.

DECKS USED:  THE ILLEST TAROT AND THE LANGUAGE OF LETTING GO CARDS

One Card Tarot Journal Activity by @mariasofia_astro
Chapter 3 | Entry 5 – Friends and Family
Affirmation : “I honor my roots.”
Prompt : Traditions are key component of how family members relate to one another. Draw a tarot card and meditate on the artwork or the cards keywords to help describe a family tradition that holds a lot of meaning for you, and to better understand what underlying feelings are informing this tradition for you.

Tarot Activity from The One Card a Day Journal by Maria Sofia Marmanides - The Way Jodorowsky Explained Tarot to His Cat Cards - Temperance

What feelings came up when I pulled this card?

Considering that I drew this card while sitting here with a “food baby” in my belly from eating too much, I found a good deal of amusement in the commentary that this card holds for the situation.

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

As this card appears to be commenting on my “food baby”, I feel like the tradition that it is pointing to is that of food, and the abundance of special dishes and all that food related goodness that comes with different holidays and get-togethers between family.

There is a lot of gluttony that comes out of these days and activities, and because we are not really practicing moderation during these times, we always end up a little too full by the end of the day.

What in the artwork spoke to me?

I did note that the cat in this card also has a bit of a “food baby” going.

Also, the fluid being passed from one vessel to another looks an awful lot like honey taffy, which is something that my mother made a lot of over the holidays during my youth.

My prompt response and reflections.

This is why we all go on diets or vow to do better with our eating habits and self-restraint after the holiday season.

This is why there are birthday cakes and challah bread, Thanksgiving turkeys and Christmas feasts.

Even in families with very few traditions, most of the ones that do exist are centered around food. This is because food is something that we can share and enjoy together. It’s how we take care of each other.

With these sentiments in mind, it’s no wonder that during these times we aren’t as stringent with our diets and moderation goals. I think that’s perfectly healthy and acceptable, as long as it’s only happening a few times a year and not every day.

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

DECK USED: THE WAY JODOROWSKY EXPLAINED TAROT TO HIS CAT

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2026 Challenge
Prompts for January 29th and 30th

Tarot Reading with The Illest Tarot and Modern Life Oracle

What is something to consider leaving behind for 2026?

Seven of Cups and Impulse Buyer – A lot of times when you’re trying to make a decision between more than one thing that you want, you end up just saying “fuck it” and buying them both.

This choice to lean into impulse spending instead of decisive decision-making is a tendency that you might want to consider leaving behind as you move into 2026.

What is something you miss that you could bring back into your life?

The Moon and Gym Rat – You used to actually enjoy going to the gym. Not only did it bring you a sense of stability in your physical body, but it connected you with others through your endeavors as a physical trainer.

Even if you’re not going to the gym, getting more exercise could help you in better regulating yourself during moments of uncertainty. J could also benefit from this uptick in activity, for as you already know from being his personal trainer in college, he requires someone to push him to actually do these activities instead of sitting on his ass.

Other elements included in this reading:
Staghorn Sumac for Connecting with Nature and the Wild Within
Conch Shell Knot for Concentration, Clarity, and Determination
Gneiss Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Carnelian Agate for Inner Drive and Focusing On Aspirations
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: THE ILLEST TAROT AND MODERN LIFE ORACLE
Daily Self Kindness

I took the chance to take a nap today.

Spirit of Adventure

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was skipped.

•    •    •    ◈    •    ❄️    •    ◈    •    •    •

Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Witchling Academy Tarot - Knight of Wands and The Little Yogi Happy Notes

Today’s draw is the Knight of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of a projective beta energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s drive, passions, willpower, principles, inspiration, or enthusiasm. This often translates into themes that have to do with rash behavior and a go-get’em attitude toward the things that matter to that person.

The Knight of Wands has then been combined with an affirmation card from the Little Yogi Happy Notes deck, which says, “Promise me that you will never forget that you are more courageous than you believe, stronger than you appear, and smarter than you think.”

The courage to go after your dreams, often lies not in those things that you have already learned, but in the openness to explore new things and be wrong.

Being wrong as a major part of the learning process. It’s through being wrong that we discover new ideas and concepts, new methods, and principles.

The message in today’s cards is a reminder that discovery requires a spirit of adventure. That spirit of adventure allows you to be courageous and dive in to discover new things and bring to light new passions. It allows you to step past the fear of being wrong in order to dive in and explore.

DECKS USED:  THE WITCHLING ACADEMY TAROT AND LITTLE YOGI HAPPY NOTES

One Card Tarot Journal Activity by @mariasofia_astro
Chapter 2 | Entry 6 – Love and Relationships
Affirmation : “I attract love to me.”
Prompt : Use the card you draw to understand the qualities you most seek and desire in an ideal partner. Write a love letter to that person.

Tarot Activity from The One Card a Day Journal by Maria Sofia Marmanides - Astro Tarot - Justice Card

What feelings came up when I pulled this card?

Satisfaction. I have an excellent partner, and when I was shuffling the cards, I was wondering if the card pulled would tell me something that’s missing in my relationship with him… or give me a glimpse of what makes us work so well together.

It’s the latter, and I found that pleasurably satisfying.

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

The Justice card is about balance. Sometimes that translates into cause and effect, but often it also speaks of the world’s need for balance. That’s what creates cause and effect in the first place, after all.

Relationships also need balance. There’s a give and take to them that allows opposites to connect and work together. Gideon and I are very different, not just physically but also in how we think, how we were raised, our problem solving methods, our energies, leadership styles, and much more. It’s those differences that create balance in our relationship.

What in the artwork spoke to me?

What drew my eye first is that this planet depicted on the card has the scales balanced on top like a tree growing out of its earth. It’s fully attached. Which means if the scales go out of balance, the world will tip and spin out of balance in one direction or the other.

If -that- happens, those scales are going to swish through and disrupt the clouds, knock off kilter the sun and moon, and scatter the stars. The colors of daytime and night time will get mixed together in a miasma. A mess. Eventually? When the spinning stops, those scales will no longer be balanced at the top, but hang from the bottom.

This all speaks to me about just how delicate balance can be, and how hard it can be to not just achieve, but maintain.

My prompt response and reflections.

My Beloved,

I often feel like you love me -more- than I do you. I feel that you take on the lions share of making sure that our balance works, and that I’m often the one more cavalier and careless in our relationship.

I know that this isn’t true, but sometimes I feel that way regardless of this knowledge.

Today’s prompt and card are a reminder to me that even in these things like expressing our love for each other and the care taken in each other’s feelings and experiences? There’s a balance at play. One that works for us, and has worked for us going on eighteen years now.

What makes us different connects us the strongest. Just like puzzle pieces that fit together to create a beautiful picture, we fit, compensating for each other and filling in “the gaps” as we connect with each other year after year.

I love you. I love us, too.

– Yours

Other elements included in this reading:
Green Aventurine D20 and D6 Dice

DECK USED: ASTRO TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2026 Challenge
Prompts for January 26th and 27th

Tarot Reading with the Witchling Academy Tarot and De la Nuit Lenormand

What do you feel you deserve?

Rider, Ten of Swords, Mice – Degradation for your failures, and the opportunity to pick yourself up after them to try again.

It’s not enough to fail and pick yourself up afterward. You feel that its important to punish yourself for that failure, as if in doing so it will drive your to try harder the next time around.

(Yes, I know this is extremely unhealthy and I’m working on it.)

What do you actually deserve? 

Key, Seven of Wands, Birds – The opportunity to fight for what you believe in and for the cheerleading of others to be the key to your success.

You aren’t in life’s battles alone, and you deserve those that want to cheer you on to be there for you. You deserve their support, and the successes that their support can offer you if you’re willing to accept their help.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Lodgepole Pine for Resilience, Growth, and Renewal
Deodar Cedar Cones for Fostering Clarity and Spiritual Connection
Dried Red Maple Leaf for Adaptability and Connection
Aquamarine for fostering Wisdom and Clarity
Carved Rhyolite Leaf for Facilitating Calm Transitions
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: THE WITCHLING ACADEMY TAROT AND DE LA NUIT LENORMAND
Daily Self Kindness

I bought more apples. This is a daily kindness not only because I enjoy them, but because I’ve been avoiding buying them lately due to their current prices.

Misinterpretations

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment

Today’s meditation was skipped.

•    •    •    ◈    •    ❄️    •    ◈    •    •    •

Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Interim Tarot 1st Edition Beyond Borders - Five of Wands

Today’s draw is the Five of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of conflict, tests, trials, and struggle in the area of one’s passions, drive, determination, principles, values, and willpower.

The Five of Wands has then been combined with the Pearly Ammonite card from the Lavish Earth Crystal Affirmation deck, which quotes Anais Nin to say, “ Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”

Not all conflict is external. How many times do we misinterpret what we see in our head? Once a week? Once a day? Once an hour or a minute?

In tarot we have a thing called the “stalker card”. This is a card that repeats again and again throughout a person’s personal readings because we are missing the message. The card keeps coming over and over until we find a way to interpret the message that gets across what’s trying to be said. This is because just because you got “a message” doesn’t mean that you have gotten “the message”.

The mind does this too. It will repeat patterns of thought and bring up certain subjects over and over until we find what it is our brains are trying to tell us that we’re missing.

The message in today’s card is a reminder that sometimes those repetitive thoughts continue to play us because we haven’t found the meaning in them yet that’s waiting to be discovered. Don’t shove them away, but pause and listen instead. What is being said (or not said) that you’re missing? What message in a meeting is seeking getting your attention?

DECKS USED:  INTERIM TAROT AND LAVISH EARTH CRYSTAL AFFIRMATION DECK

One Card Tarot Journal Activity by @mariasofia_astro
Chapter 1 | Entry 16 – Self-Care and Personal Development
Affirmation : “I accept with grace that certain events have led to feelings of regret or disappointment.”
Prompt : Think about an event that didn’t turn out the way you wanted or expected. What does the card you draw say about why that event happened, the way it happened, and how you can release any negative associations you have with this outcome?

Tarot Activity from The One Card a Day Journal by Maria Sofia Marmanides - Hollow Knight Essence Tarot - Judgement Card

What feelings came up when I pulled this card?

I’m not sure what the name of this feeling is.

It’s when all eyes are on you and there’s a moment of surprise, and then something similar to shyness. Your head dips and your stomach stinks a little bit as you retreat slightly from all those gazes pointed your way. Trepidation, maybe, with a hint of embarrassment? That’s not quite right, but I don’t have the words for it.

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

The Judgement card is often about our lifelong path, as well as who we are and want to become. It can also, quite literally, be about judgements; our own or that of others.

The meaning of this card begs the question… Through whose eyes are you viewing this event, and through whose judgments are you perceiving it? Are you really disappointed in the outcome? Or is that disappointment because you feel someone else would be disappointed?

What in the artwork spoke to me?

The artwork for me (today, at least) is all about those big black open eyes, inscrutable and all staring out of the card in my direction. The figure on the throne looks out at me, but so does the throng below and around her.

My prompt response and reflections.

A lot of the harsh judgments and disappointments you direct toward yourself are bred through unreasonable expectations of your performance. These unreasonable expectations are not yours, but are usually spurred on by what you learned from others in your past to be “acceptable”.

When thinking of these disappointments and failures, then, it’s important to get in touch with and examine how you truly feel about them, rather than connecting with what you believe you’re supposed to feel about it.

Other elements included in this reading:
Metal and Enamel D20 Die
Banded Agate D6 Die

DECK USED: HOLLOW KNIGHT ESSENCE TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2026 Challenge
Philosophical Prompts for January 21st and 28th

Tarot Reading with the Interim Tarot 1st Edition Beyond Borders and Petit Lenormand Delvinia

Is it true that pleasure is the root of all true evil?

Mice, Four of Cups, Dog – Good and evil are counterbalances that often lie in subjective perspectives, rather than in grounded definitions.

Evil is its own entity, and although its roots are often fed by pleasure, evil does not originate from pleasure.

Are all emotions irrational?

Bear, Ace of Wands, Moon – Although often arbitrary and capricious, sometimes emotions are a rational response to what is going on around us and what we value.

This means that although our emotions can often be irrational, there are certain situations where they are rational as well.

Other elements included in this reading:
Scotch Pine Cone for Purging Negative Influences
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Bloodstone for Encouraging Fearlessness
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: INTERIM TAROT PETITE LENORMAND DELVINIA
Daily Self Kindness

I’m going to bed early tonight instead of fighting to stay awake, in the hopes that I can possibly catch up on a little sleep.

Finding the Positive for January 26 – 27

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment
Manga Tarot's Eight of Wands, and Luna's Sentimental Circus Tarot's Three of Wands

January 26 – Mental Health Card of 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 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.

The Eight of Wands has then been combined with an affirmation card from The Little Yogi Happy Notes deck, which says, “Go where your heart carries you.”

Follow your heart without reservation or hesitation.

A lot of times it happens that even when our intuition is trying to lead the way, and our heart is speaking up to say what it truly is that we need to be doing, our brain gets in the way. This is true whether it’s choosing a path in life or reading the cards or even deciding on dinner.

Our hearts (and our intuition as well) often don’t speak with a shout, fanfare, and neon signs. They whisper, and if we’re too busy listening to our brain tell us what we “should be” doing or saying, we can miss these whispers. Sometimes even when we hear them, our brain interjects after the message with something louder, causing us to hesitate on acting on that whisper we heard.

The message in today’s cards is a reminder that in spite of the fact it thinks it does, the brain doesn’t know everything. Sometimes you have to follow your heart no matter how loud the brain shouts otherwise.

Trust me, even if you prove the brain wrong, it’s not go to retaliate, nor is it going to shut up. The whispers of your heart, on the other hand, can get quieter and be harder to hear the more you ignore them. The encouragement in today’s message is to not ignore them, because those whispers are guidance upon your path to a happier life.

DECKS USED: MANGA TAROT AND THE LITTLE YOGI HAPPY NOTES

January 27 – Mental Health Card of 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 Language of Letting Go deck, which says, “Letting go of being right.”

I have met so many people in my life that I have a hard time admitting when they’re wrong. Even when there is empirical evidence right before them, they will continue to insist they are right or walk away rather than saying they’re wrong about something.

I can’t really say that this has ever been one of my struggles, at least not when interacting with others. I find it extremely easy to just turn around and say “oh, you’re right. I didn’t know that.” Or, “sorry, I was wrong.”

I get it, though, because admitting that you’re wrong means you’re admitting that you’re fallible, and a lot of people see this as a weakness. This is especially true if when you admit that you’re wrong, and the other person decides to gloat or be an ass about it, which also happens a lot.

The thing is, though, knowledge is something that we gain over time, and a part of that involves being wrong before we can be right.

Now, if only I could take that same mindset and apply it to myself, so that when I am wrong about something on my journey or in my life and I discover this, I don’t beat myself up over it. For you see, it isn’t my being wrong in front of others or admitting that I’m wrong in front of others that’s the problem… it’s when it comes to being wrong in the face of my own expectations and judgments.

The message in today’s card combo is a reminder that being wrong is a part of life and there’s nothing about it that can’t be fixed by just admitting you’re wrong and learning from your mistake. This is how we make traveling our path smoother, no matter if we’re traveling the journey side-by-side with others, or on our own with our personal self talk and treatment as the only one passing judgement.

DECKS USED: LUNA’S SENTIMENTAL CIRCUS TAROT AND THE LANGUAGE OF LETTING GO CARDS

Self Development In the Journey

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment

Today’s meditation was skipped.

•    •    •    ◈    •    ❄️    •    ◈    •    •    •

Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Llewellyn Tarot's Five of Swords and Lavish Earth Crystal Affirmation Cards

Today’s draw is the Five of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of tests, trials, and conflict in the area of one’s thoughts, intellect, ambitions, and communication. This can often translate into themes that have to do with winning at any cost, disagreements, and occasionally defeat if you end up on the wrong side of the conflict.

The Five of Swords has then been combined with the Third Eye Agate card from the Lavish Earth Crystal Affirmation Deck, which quotes Marcel Proust, “ discovery consist not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”

It’s not in the winning or the losing that makes the game worth playing, but in the game itself and what you discover about yourself while you’re in play.

Many challenges in life aren’t about the outcome, but rather about how you deal with these challenges and/or how you react to them.

Many of us miss this in our life’s journey because we are so focused on winning, or accomplishment, or success that we forget about the self-development aspect that comes with moving through challenges and our responses to them.

The message in today’s cards is a reminder that there’s far more to life than just winning or losing. If you ignore these other aspects of life, it can end up reflecting badly upon you and your character. Instead of focusing on winning or losing and success or failure, try focusing more closely upon how you can deal with these challenges and obstacles with honor, integrity, and character. Then, even if you fail at your task, you still win in the end.

DECKS USED:  THE LLEWELYN TAROT AND LAVISH EARTH CRYSTAL AFFIRMATION DECK

One Card Tarot Journal Activity by @mariasofia_astro
Chapter 2 | Entry 11 – Love and Relationships
Affirmation : “I accept love, especially unconditional love, in all the ways it comes to me.”
Prompt : Think about your concept of unconditional love. Do you take any of the love you received for granted? Based on the card you draw, how can you show more gratitude to a person who provides unconditional love to you?

Tarot Activity from The One Card a Day Journal by Maria Sofia Marmanides - Earth and Flame Tarot - The Hermit

What feelings came up when I pulled this card?

A sense of comfort and familiarity came first when this card came up, then quickly joined by a reminder that not all alone time is good for you. I may want to pretend that it is now and then, but sometimes I’m just hiding, and that can be unhealthy.

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

When things get difficult or uncertain, I have a tendency to retreat into myself instead of reaching out for other others.

The Hermit card is usually about healthy alone time spent in self-reflection. When you are hiding away from your problems instead of dealing with them, that is not healthy alone time.

My closest friends and loved ones know that I have a tendency to retreat when feeling overwhelmed, and are aware this is unhealthy for me. They accept that this behavior is a defense mechanism left over from my childhood, and are willing to be patient with me when it happens, rather than see it as rejection or that I am ignoring them over something that they may have done or said.

Instead, they try to reach for me and pull me back out of hiding in order to help me deal with what has caused me to retreat in the first place.

What in the artwork spoke to me?

The first thing I noticed in the imagery of this card is the coloring, which is dismal and grayish brown. This speaks to me of a bit of a “downtrodden” nature to the card, that is then reinforced by the junkyard in the background.

I then noticed that the figure in the card appears to be ill, with his tired baggy eyes, flushed cheeks, and bright red nose. When combined with the meaning of the Hermit card as solitude, it brings to mind times when we indulge in unhealthy alone time.

The seagull on the man’s shoulder also plays apart for me in the imagery and what I noticed in the artwork, for the seagull’s wing appears to be trying to shelter the man from the world of decay behind him, giving the impression that he is hiding rather than just retreating.

My prompt response and reflections.

When you retreat into yourself during times of struggle, you make it harder for people to love you, and much harder for those people to help you. That doesn’t mean that they don’t still love you and want to help. They love you regardless, and reach for you even when your defense mechanisms cause you to try to pull away.

The advice here is to be aware of your tendency to pull away from others when you’re feeling overwhelmed or otherwise challenged in uncomfortable ways. By being aware, you can catch yourself when these defense mechanisms trigger, and as a result be more receptive to allowing your loved ones to reach for you and help.

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

DECK USED: EARTH AND FLAME TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2026 Challenge
Prompt for January 25th : Do Spread 4
Sometimes we all need a little help discovering where we need improvement in our process. This spread is to help identify where we need a little more work to improve our reading skills.

Tarot Reading with The Llewellyn Tarot

How do you most commonly misinterpret reading the cards for yourself?

The Sun Rx – You have a tendency to take things too seriously.

What can you do to improve at reading for yourself so that it doesn’t keep happening?

The Empress – Make sure you are grounding before you do your readings, and place yourself in a nurturing and empowering headspace. Not everything is about progress and striving for success. Sometimes it’s about giving yourself a little space, grace, and kindness.

How do you most commonly misinterpret reading the cards for others?

Nine of Cups atop Three of Wands – You want to provide your clients with good news, actionable guidance, and empowering messages. Sometimes these things are just not there in the cards, and you struggle to deliver the message without looking for some sort of empowerment, message of hope, or silver lining attached.

What can you do to improve at reading for others so that it doesn’t keep happening?

Six of Wands Rx – Focus less on people pleasing. Disconnect yourself and what you (and they) want from the process more. Sometimes shock value and plain speaking are needed to get the message across to the person you’re reading for.

Other elements included in this reading:
Black Spruce Needles to Boost Self-Confidence and Positive Thinking
Foraged Oak Branch with Moss and Lichen for Perseverance
Dried Rosebuds for Potential and Beauty Waiting to Unfold
Dried Purple Heather Flowers for Independence and Luck
Conch Shell Knot for Concentration, Clarity, and Determination
Moss Agate for Attracting Opportunities for Growth
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: THE LEWELLYN TAROT
Daily Self Kindness

I took a break in my shift today to come home and shower and change, because someone spilled coffee on me. (You know, instead of just tolerating it and ending up with a rash.)

Eager Puppy Syndrome

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment

Today’s meditation was skipped.

•    •    •    ◈    •    ❄️    •    ◈    •    •    •

Spirit Tarot - Temperance

Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Temperance card, which is traditionally a representation of moderation, balance, slowing down, practicing patience, and can at times represent a connection between the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

The Temperance card has then been combined with an affirmation card from The Language of Letters Go deck, which says, “I will pay attention to my behaviors and actions as I form new friendships. I will notice whom I’m attracted to, and why, and not worry about whether the other person likes me or accepts me. If I make a mistake, it’s okay. I learned something valuable from every interaction with another person.”

Sometimes, especially for those that are introverted or not exposed to people on a regular basis, it can be hard to contain ourselves when we get among others. Especially if we feel comfortable enough to really interact.

This over eagerness can often be off-putting or come off as desperate to others.

It’s important, during these times, to make sure that we are paying attention to our behavior and self regulating when needed. It’s also important not to assume what other people are thinking and feeling in our presence, but rather be grounded and observant to their cues.

This is how we learn and adjust, and how we identify when people truly like us or are just pacifying us or pandering to us.

The message in today’s cards is a reminder that even introverts need a certain level of social interaction, and that it’s important to be self-aware during these times instead of just assuming what others are thinking or ignoring what’s going on around you. That extra little bit of anxiety that you feel as an introvert being exposed to people doesn’t help either. So take a breath when you notice yourself ramping up, and let the exhale out nice and slow. Then move forward with a little bit more calm.

DECKS USED:  SPIRIT TAROT AND THE LANGUAGE OF LETTING GO DECK

One Card Tarot Journal Activity by @mariasofia_astro
Chapter 6 | Entry 19 – Spiritual Development
Affirmation : “I value time with myself.”
Prompt : Do you believe there is a difference between loneliness and being alone? What does your heart truly desire in relation to this concept? Draw a tarot card to help you integrate feelings of loneliness or isolation into empowering moments of self-discovery and spiritual practice. Journal about your process and what advice the tarot card is directing you toward.

愛されガールの かいこつ タロット - The Star

What feelings came up when I pulled this card?

This card made me grin, because it feels like so very often the answers to our problems seem to be to just to have a little faith. To trust that things happen for a reason, and that what’s happening in the now when we are struggling is only temporary.

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

As mentioned above, The Star card is often about trust, hope, and faith. It’s also about the connection of earth and water, stability and emotions.

I think that this particular aspect of The Star card is relevant in this prompt, as it reminds us that emotions are temporary, and that it’s through grounding that we find stability when our emotions are out of sorts or flowing a little too freely.

What in the artwork spoke to me?

To me, the maid uniform in this imagery speaks of subjugation, while the tiara she wears on her head speaks of being lifted up from that subjugation. Add to that that she’s also smiling, together with the tiara, and it really gives a sense of hope.

Also, in the imagery of the card what stood out to me is the pitcher that is pouring into a body of water creates ripples (aka struggles and disruption) speaking of emotion on emotion creating more emotion; whereas the water from the pitcher that is pouring onto the soil runs off in different directions creating not just grounding, but also options. This speaks to me of needing that grounding influence in our emotions in order for them to be useful to us.

My prompt response and reflections.

There is absolutely a difference between loneliness and being alone. Loneliness is an emotional reaction and can be felt whether you are alone or are in a crowded room. Being alone, on the other hand, is an actual physical experience of having no one around. For some people, this experience is a comfortable, and for others it brings rise to the emotion of loneliness.

I am alone often, but I have very rarely ever experienced loneliness. I enjoy my alone time and tend to always be craving more. In those times that I have felt lonely it has been due to my depression, and a major part of my process when working with that depression is to remember that it is temporary.

No matter how eternal or endless it seems, it is always temporary. This allows me to see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, even when I can’t reach it at the moment. That glimmer, in turn, creates enough hope to keep me going.

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

DECK USED: 愛されガールの かいこつ タロット

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2026 Challenge
Prompts for January 22nd through 24th

Tarot Reading with the Spirit Tarot and The Wild Urban Animal Oracle

What is a vice of yours that you’re not consciously aware of?

Two of Cups and Duck – You have a tendency to be easily distracted and pivot away from those things that you should be focusing on when something of interest catches your eye.

What is a positive thing in your life that you’re overlooking?

The Chariot and Goose – When you are focused on what you’re doing and where you’re going, you’re a forced to be reckoned with.

What do you take too seriously?

Knight of Pentacles and Swan – Yourself and where you’re going. You feel like everything has to be done perfectly and appear as if it’s easy. You push yourself to always look as if everything is being dealt with gracefully, while on the inside you’re often struggling more than you allow others to see or know.

Why?

King of Wands and Grasshopper – You like to inspire others, and you worry that if they see how hard things are that it’ll turn them off from the example you set with your efforts.

Other elements included in this reading:
Staghorn Sumac for Connecting with Nature and the Wild Within
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

DECKS USED: SPIRIT TAROT AND THE WILD URBAN ANIMAL ORACLE
Daily Self Kindness

I spoke up about what I needed when talking to Gid… and he gave it to me.