Daily Meditation

Healthy and Happy Home

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Four of Wands from the Into the Woods TarotThe @GlitterbyInk #JulyJoy25 Challenge
Celebration of Joy Prompt for July 10 : Growth
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Four of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of one’s passionate love for the security and welcoming energies of home. This often translates into themes that have to do with homecoming, celebrating home and stability, as well as relaxation in comfortable spaces.

Once upon a time? My home was immaculate. Clean and organized to the point where everything was always put away and you could safely eat off any floor in my place.

Then? I started my home business. I became more busy. I hired a housekeeper who is not able to clean to the same standards I did myself; which I forgive because I don’t have the time or inclination to do these things myself anymore. My home, which was so perfectly organized became more cluttered as one work space turned into two work spaces and then into three, and sometimes things just didn’t get put away as they should. A new organization was worn where it looks a lot like chaos, yet I still know where everything is.

My house is clean enough to be healthy, and dirty enough to be happy.Still dusted and vacuumed with clean kitchen and clean bathrooms, my home is no longer a place with a pristine look of organization. Sometimes this appearance of chaos stresses me out. And yet, for now? It is what it is. And I can’t help but wonder if that stress I feel has more to do with how I feel my home should look… and just who it was that decided that’s how I should keep it.

The message today is about how our home evolves with us… and how that’s okay. It’s your home, your sanctuary; and as long as you’re comfortable, safe, and happy? It doesn’t matter if it’s not someone else’s estimation of “perfect”.

DECK USED:  INTO THE WOODS TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJul2025 Challenge
Prompt for July 10 : What do you need to focus on for self-care for this month’s full moon?

Oracle Reading with the Mysteries of the Sea OracleReading Summary: Connecting to your softer side can create fertile ground for you to be pleasantly surprised by abundance. That is the reward that is born from times of struggle (Oyster). Don’t allow your defense mechanisms to close yourself off from these surprises (Southern Blue Devil). Take it easy, stay soft and open to the world around you, and go with the flow (Whale Shark).

Take Away: When recovering from subdrop, it’s difficult to “stay open” as you feel a desperate need to protect yourself during these times.  For you? This often means closing down and shutting others out.

These cards are a reminder that as the lingering traces of the drop fade during this full moon, you need to focus on that openness and letting go of that habit to close yourself off from others. Only when you allow yourself to connect with them and the world around you will you experience the good things life is eager to offer you.

Other elements included in this reading:
Amazonite for Self Awareness and Facing Truths
Gneiss Wishing Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort

DECK USED: MYSTERIES OF THE SEA ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

I took the time to do some non-work stuff that I enjoy today.

Where True Value Lies

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Today’s meditation was twenty minutes long, and was one of the #DailyCalm sessions in the @Calm app. The session for today addressed how when we seek to better understand others better, it creates common ground and fosters connection.

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Traditional Korean Tarot - The World cardThe @GlitterbyInk #JulyJoy25 Challenge
Celebration of Joy Prompt for July 9 : Laughter
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is The World card, which is traditionally a representation of the end of a journey, the completion of a time of growth, accomplishment, and transitioning from one path in life to another.

At the end of the day, what matters most? How about at the end of your journey? Will it really be all those things that you stress over and push and shove for? Or will it be the moments in life that brought a smile to your lips and laughter to the surface?

I think it will be the latter.

Today’s card combined with the “laughter” prompt is a reminder to ground yourself in the moments where smiles and laughter live. The rest? It may all be important in the moment, but it won’t be what truly matters in the end. Savor life’s moments of laughter, and store them away to remember.

DECK USED:  BANA’S TRADITIONAL KOREAN TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJul2025 Challenge
Philosophical Question for July 2 : Who are the most valuable members in any society? Why?

Bana 24 Jeolgi Terms Oracle aka. Oracle Coréen / 24 Seasons OracleReading Summary: The children.

Children are the beginning of what comes next (Daehan). In their youth, we celebrate them. As they age, sometimes we grieve that youth now gone (Chunbun), but they become who we teach them to be. Does that mean we are grieving our own failures? (Daeseo)

Take Away: This was an unexpected answer, as my brain when considering this question prior to pulling cards was going in an entirely different direction.

I think this is true, though.  Children are our future. What we teach them is what they carry forward into the future with them, so their value? Is very much built into how we raise them and what they learn from us and society.

Other elements included in this reading:
Fuchsia Flowers for Stability in the Face of External Disruption
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Clear Quartz for a boost of Intentional Energies
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: BANA 24 JEOLGI TERMS ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

I did my meditation session twice today.

Changing Course

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Qurky Tarot's Ten of SwordsThe @GlitterbyInk #JulyJoy25 Challenge
Celebration of Joy Prompt for July 8 : Creativity
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Ten of Swords, which is traditionally a representation long journeys coming to an end, painful endings, lessons learned the hard way, deep wounds, and sometimes can indicate loss or betrayal.

Just because it’s what you’ve always done doesn’t mean it’s what you always have to do. Sometimes our interests and those things we are inspired by or are passionate about run their course, and that’s okay.

Creativity isn’t meant to be stagnant. It’s an act of inspiration and curiosity. That means that when your interest in a creative pursuit runs its course? It’s not just okay, but healthy to leave it behind for another one.

Maybe after some time away, you’re interest in it will re-kindle. Maybe not. But, by “sticking with it” when it’s no longer inspiring, you will just add an ugly tinge to something that once brought you joy.

So instead, let it lie for a time and start a new adventure. Even if you don’t return to it, nothing has been wasted, as it’s all a part of you and the experiences that make you unique.

DECK USED:  QUIRKY TAROT

@LightningWildflower‘s July Tarot Challenge
Observe Prompts for July 7 – 9

Tarot Reading with the Tarot Terry Deck and Deck of PlantsWhat will I notice if I take a step back and observe?

The Fool Rx and King Anthurium – People who have successfully managed to cut loose without it damaging their lives and livelihood do so by making sure that certain conditions and criteria are met first. They aren’t just “winging it” without any backup plan or stable base to come back to.

Where am I invited to look more deeply? 

The Hermit atop Page of Swords; Swiss Cheese Vine – You can’t fill those empty spots in your life by sitting at home and letting your inner thoughts cannibalize your self-esteem. Even if outside observers think that your needs are high maintenance, those that love you are eager to give you that extra attention.

What is a truth I have been avoiding?

Strength and Snake Plant – You’ve been holding yourself back in ways that are beginning to feel like they are smothering you. The self restraint involved is not healthy. Give yourself a more room to grow and explore beyond your boundaries, instead of trying to hold yourself in so tightly.

Other elements included in this reading:
Pressed Pansy Flower for Hearing the Heart More Clearly
Foraged Wood Fern for Exorcising Negative Influences
Rainforest Rhyolite for Facilitating Calm Transitions
Desert Rose for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: TAROT TERRY DECK AND DECK OF PLANTS

Daily Self Kindness

I rescheduled my time off instead of putting an extreme amount of pressure on myself to get everything done tonight.

Let the Healing Begin

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Today’s meditation was nine minutes long, and one of the #DailyTrip sessions from the @Calm app.

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The @GlitterbyInk #JulyJoy25 Challenge
Celebration of Joy Prompt for July 7 : Healing
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

The Radiant Beings Tarot - The High PriestessToday’s draw is The High Priestess card, which is traditionally a representation of intuition, secrets, sacred knowledge, mystery, the subconscious mind.

Wellness involves much more than just the body and mind. It goes deeper, into those secret, nooks and crannies of the spirit or soul. It involves energy and emotion, and at times, requires soul-searching.

That’s not to say that our bodies don’t need taking care of as well. It’s our vessel, after all. It just means that when we look at health and healing, there’s more to it than the physical.

Today’s card is an encouragement to take a good look into those hidden aspects within ourselves and seek out what we are in need of. A hug. Better food/fuel. Time outside. A bit of silence. Some time dealing with a past experience. These are all things only you can suss out, see, and once identified, provide for yourself.

Be proactive and seeking them out and fulfilling those needs, and let the healing begin.

DECK USED:  THE RADIANT BEINGS TAROT

@LightningWildflower‘s July Tarot Challenge
Focus Prompts for July 4 – 6

Oracle Reading with the Forest of Enchantment Oracle and Elements of Recovery CardsWhat is worthy of my full attention?

The Questing Beast and Inventory – Make sure all your ducks are in a row before you begin. They may not stay that way, but life’s a little easier when you start out organized.

What is scattering my energy and focus?

Treasure atop You Are Here; Compassion and Kindness – You’re trying to give yourself what you really need, which is some time to rest and recover while appreciating the present. You don’t feel like it’s time to move on yet, and you’re trying to allow yourself that space instead of racing forward to the next goal.

How can I return to focused attention with self-compassion?

A Lonely Gnome and Discernment – Make sure that you are focusing on your needs, and pick your battles wisely. Moderation is needed at this time. Pick and choose what you put your energy into so that you’re still getting the rest and recovery that you need. Even moving slow is forward movement; just at a slower than usual pace.

Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Rhododendron Leaf for Fostering Confidence
Fuchsia Flowers for Stability in the Face of External Disruption
Aragonite for Truth and Understanding
Clear Quartz Crescent for Amplification of Lunar Energies
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: FOREST OF ENCHANTMENT ORACLE AND ELEMENTS OF RECOVERY CARDS

Daily Self Kindness

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

Rationing the Spoons

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and one of the #DailyCalm sessions from the @Calm app.

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1928 Steamboat Arcana's Six of CupsThe @GlitterbyInk #JulyJoy25 Challenge
Celebration of Joy Prompt for July 6 : Playfulness
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Six of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of nostalgia, joyful memories, childhood experiences, and revisiting the past in some way.

You only have so many spoons. Choose wisely what you want to spend them on.

Spoons refers to how many “spoonfuls of energy” your body allows you in a day, and is from the “spoon theory” which has become a commonly used way to quantify personal energy output in those with chronic illness that limits their energy. [ LINK ]

The mouse in this card daydreams about beer steins, wanting to try them all. Common sense says that she will probably only be able to drink two… or at most three. She’s going to have to pick the ones she wants to try now, and try the others another time.

Like the mouse, we have lots and lots of things that we need and want to do running around in our heads. We can’t fit get them all done at once, though.

The prompt for “playfulness” combined with this Six of Cups is a reminder that we need to be realistic about how much expectation to get things done we are putting on ourselves, and make sure that among all the “should do” tasks and responsibilities, we also leave a little room to cut loose and have some fun.

DECK USED:  1928 STEAMBOAT ARCANA TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJul2025 Challenge
Prompt for July 6th : Do Spread 1

Tarot Reading with the Steamboat Arcana 1928 Tarot and Zodiac Circle Game Cards

What needs to be left behind as I focus on further growth?

The Empress and Capricornus – Set aside the tendency to see your care of others as an expression of your own self-worth. You are allowed to be vulnerable, and that you need caring for sometimes does not reflect negatively on your worth.

What is in full bloom for me right now?

Page of Wands Rx, Pisces atop Singing Bird – You are doing well at giving yourself the breaks that you need. This is allowing you the opportunity to savor what feels good, as well as more time with Gideon. In this time together, he helps you connect to your emotions more deeply, yet at a moderate pace instead of your normal push to dive in head first.

Where do I need to direct my focus for further growth?

The High Priestess Rx and Cancer – Being capricious in your spirituality will only get you so far. It’s fine for a time, but you need to buckle down when you run into obstacles and plateaus instead of falling back on trying to wait it out.

Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Rhododendron Leaf for Fostering Confidence
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECKS USED: 1928 STEAMBOAT ARCANA TAROT AND ZODIAC CIRCLE GAME CARDS

Daily Self Kindness

I did my best to take it easy today and not push myself to try and fulfill unreasonable expectations. Instead, I focused on rest and restoration.

Finding the Positive for July 3 – 5

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Medieval Feathers Tarot's Five of Cups, Agni Roerich Tarot's The Moon card, and Royal Animals Tarot's Ace of Wands

July 3 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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The @GlitterbyInk #JulyJoy25 Challenge
Celebration of Joy Prompt for July 3 : Freedom
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Five of Cups (Eastern Meadowlark Feather), which is traditionally a representation of pessimism, regrets, doomsday thinking, disappointments, and occasionally, failure (or at the very least, the perception of failure).

It takes a village to raise a child, or so they say. The thing is? That’s not all that it takes a village to do.

I’m an introvert and a pessimist. This means that in general, I’m not a fan of society and often to look at humanity with an overly critical eye.

To me? I feel people should “live by example”, and I very often feel that people don’t do this anymore. More and more we see people behaving badly with entitlement as their excuse. Even those in power that should be setting an example for others seem to have lost that “live by example” creed that used to be integral to good leadership.

Today’s message is a shift in perspective on this pessimistic viewpoint, and encourages considering that freedom allows us to act as we see fit and feel is right. This freedom allows us to make mistakes, and like a child raised by an addict that will never touch drugs themselves as a result, teaches us by a different type of example. These days, more and more, it appears that we are being shown the consequences of acting foolishly, rather than the shining example of what good looks like. Regardless, the lessons are still there.

DECK USED: THE MEDIEVAL FEATHERS TAROT

July 4 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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The @GlitterbyInk #JulyJoy25 Challenge
Celebration of Joy Prompt for July 4 : Happiness
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Moon card, which is traditionally a representation of uncertainty, illusion, anxiety, fear, the unknown, and the subconscious.

What is happiness? I have a hard time answering this question, whether it’s for myself, or in an “in general” sense.

Inability to answer this question in a general sense is not surprising, as I think that happiness is subjective. But, I’ve often wondered why I’m unable to answer this question for myself. Is it the issues within my upbringing? Is it my pessimistic tendencies? Is it my battle with depression? Maybe uncertainty plays a role? What is it that creates the disconnect in being able to identify what happiness means for me?

I don’t know. And, I don’t know what happiness looks like for me. Or maybe I do… and just I’m unable to identify it as happiness in the same way I struggle to learn to identify so many of my emotions.

This meander through uncertainty is brought to you by The Moon card, which encourages us to bring our uncertainties “out into the light” now and then to observe and consider… even when doing so leaves is as “in the dark” as ever in the end.

DECK USED: AGNI ROERICH TAROT

July 5 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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The @GlitterbyInk #JulyJoy25 Challenge
Celebration of Joy Prompt for July 5 : Inspiration
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Ace of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of the seed, start, or new beginnings in the area of one’s passion projects, inspiration, drive, willpower, and determination. This often translates into themes that have to do with budding new interests and new passion projects.

I am not a big fan of structure. Which honestly, is a bit odd because I often seek it out and thrive under it.

In my conversation with my shrink the other day, we were discussing how I feel a great deal of guilt over times when I languish. You know, just relax and do nothing but play on the phone or what not.

In our conversation, she reminded me (and not for the first time) that everyone needs downtime. That is, time to not be productive. Even me. She encouraged me to try combating the guilt I feel with a greater show of intention. Specifically, by scheduling my languishing, rather than just “squeezing it in” at the expense of all those other things my brain says needs to be done.

I’ve never looked at languishing as something you might intentionally schedule (instead of time stolen from other pursuits). I’m going to give it a try, though. Maybe in doing so, I’ll find myself feeling a little less guilty about doing something that feels good and I enjoy. Or… that’s the hope at least.

DECK USED: ROYAL ANIMALS TAROT