Daily Meditation

Rooted by Fears

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Devil In the Details Tarot's The Emperor Card and Little Frog's Guide to Self-Care CardsToday’s draw is the Emperor card, which is traditionally a representation of taking charge, responsibility, authority, structure, and focusing on the greater good.

It’s time to look at what is holding you rooted in place instead of moving forward. Where in your life are you sitting stagnant, and what is it that is keeping you there?

You have the strength and ingenuity to move past this stagnancy… but have chosen not to. Why? Is there fear involved?

The only way to overcome one’s fears is to seize control and confront them. Inevitably, when we do, we find that they weren’t half as bad as we’d imagine them to be.

Today’s message is to do just that. These cards are an encouragement for us to seize control of our fears by breaking free of the bonds they hold on us and confronting them, instead of continuing to hide or avoid them.

DECK USED:  DEVIL IN THE DETAILS TAROT AND LITTLE FROG’S GUIDE TO SELF-CARE CARDS

#DiscordTarotholicsJun2025 Challenge
New Moon in Gemini Prompt for June 24th : What do you need to focus on for self-care for his month’s new moon?

Oracle Reading with the Animal Messages DeckRhinoceros and Tortoise – Sometimes “let’s just try this for shits and giggles” is an invitation to adventure and an open door to change. This type of change without a reason behind it isn’t necessarily bad.

Make sure you watch out for the type of change that is, though. Change just for the sake of restlessness or boredom, especially that is proposed by others to further their own agendas, but not yours, is the kind of change you need to watch out for and resist against.

Owl – When you run into these more self-serving types of game changers in your life, make sure you dig deeper. Don’t just go with the flow, or balk for no reason. Instead, dig into what’s going on and where this drive for change is coming from so you have the power to keep yourself on track even if they stray in another direction.

Take Away – It’s okay to put on the brakes if someone is trying to push for changes that you’re not necessarily on board with.  It’s okay to ask questions and dig for reasons. Don’t lust go along with it because you don’t want to cause waves.  Be a little suspicious, and protect your own interests.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Silver Maple Key for Bouncing Back to Thrive
Foraged Wood Fern for Exorcising Negative Influences
Moss Agate for Attracting Opportunity and Abundance
Picture Jasper for Sense of Proportion and Grounding
Desert Rose for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: ANIMAL MESSAGES ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

I turned back to return  home when I realized I forgot my Shokz at home today, instead of telling myself to suffer without them through the day’s stressful activities.

Gratitude Isn’t a Curse Word

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

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Headless Tarot's Eight of Pentacles and Happiness Chemicals CardsToday’s draw is the Eight of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of hard work, expertise through practice, honing a skill, quality craftsmanship, handicrafts, and manifestations through skill and hard work. The card is often the embodiment of the “practice makes perfect” adage.

That “practice makes perfect” phrase doesn’t just apply to learning a new craft or skill, but also to how we se ourselves and the world around us.

If we are always feeding ourselves negative feedback, then it becomes harder and harder to see and acknowledge the positives. That’s why practices such as the one mentioned in the “Thanking You” card make a difference.

When we stop each day to appreciate something we are grateful for, happy about, or have enjoyed, it helps to train the brain to acknowledge that there is good in the world. That, in turn, helps to counter-balance negative thoughts, pessimism, and our focus on the more unpleasant aspects of life.

The message in today’s cards is a reminder that we all need a little balancing out in this area sometimes. Some of us more than others. The cards here encourage us that even a small thing like a moment of reflection at the end of the day can help provide that balance we need.  Over time, we then become better and better at creating that balance in our day-to-day lives.

DECK USED:  HEADLESS TAROT AND HAPPINESS CHEMICALS DECK

@LightningWildflower‘s June Tarot Challenge
Release Prompts for June 22nd and 24th

Oracle Reading with the Magic Mushroom Oracle and Dreaming Girl Highway Inner Vision OracleWhat am I holding onto that needs to be released?

Ruby Shoes and Absorb – Remember when you were little, and when things became too much, you would curl up into yourself and repeat the mantra “I want to go home” in your head over and over?

This mantra was the same whether you were home or away, because “home” wasn’t the house you were living in. What you wanted was comfort and stability, feeling of belonging, and a sense of safety. You have that now, if you’re willing to open your eyes and actually let it in fully. Therefore there’s really no need for that mantra to still live in your head or heart, even as a whisper from your inner child.

What resistance do I feel about letting this go?

Applied Force atop Heavy; Creation – It sounds so easy, like you should be able to just do it and it’ll be done.  Just let go, and the weight will drop. That doesn’t take into account that there is a lot of recreation of perspective involved in letting go of that weight, though. You acknowledge it can be done, it’s just finding a path to how that’s creating struggle and resistance.

What will help me release what no longer serves?

Love and Vision – The first step on any new path is imagining going there. Take the time to imagine what it would be like to let this go, and while doing so, work on replacing what’s being released with a greater sense of self love and acceptance.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Silver Maple Key for Bouncing Back to Thrive
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: DREAMING GIRL HIGHWAY INNER VISION CARDS AND MAGIC MUSHROOM ORACLE MIDNIGHT EDITION

Daily Self Kindness

I have, multiple times today (and far more so than usual, it seems), worked at turning around self-depreciating thoughts and quieting inner narratives with positive opposition.

Authenticity vs Conformity

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Tarot of the Spirit's Fool Card and Little Frog's Guide to Self-Care CardsToday’s draw is The Fool card, which is traditionally a representation of innocence, carelessness, carefree enthusiasm, and new beginnings.

Sometimes being yourself takes a leap of faith. Rejection is hard and can be extremely painful. This makes it difficult to not try to conform oneself to other’s expectations.

The thing is, though? If you attract others by conforming to expectations, they really aren’t liking or accepting you; just the mask or show you’re putting on for them.

A better option is to show your true self and let the chips fall where they may. True, you might not be accepted by some… but you will draw to you those that will like you for you, instead of for whatever you’d otherwise be pretending to be.

So at least in this one area of life? Throw caution to the wind and be yourself. Life is much more fun and interesting when you do.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE SPIRIT AND LITTLE FROG’S GUIDE TO SELF-CARE CARDS

#DiscordTarotholicsJun2025 Challenge
Prompt for June 22nd : Do the Midsummer Spread

Summer Solstice Oracle Reading with the Seasons of the Witch Litha Oracle

Horse – What can I do to build up my inner courage to live life with more honesty and integrity?

Rot and Decay – Share. You need to share those things that need to come out into the open. Remember, willful omission is a form of deception. The longer you wait, the uglier it gets… not just the deception itself, but the fallout from it as well. So each moment you delay simply makes things that much worse.

Daisy – How can I insert more innocence and purity into how I view the world?

Hummingbird – If you want to insert more innocence and purity into how you view the world, try taking things as they come instead of trying to predict everything in advance. It’s easier to adapt on the fly than it is to prepare ahead of time and then be surprised when you’re wrong, not to mention you’re not left with all that wasted time put into preparation that’s never needed.

Lapis Lazuli – How can I be more honest with myself about my good and bad traits?

Sunset Dinner – Being more honest with yourself about your good and bad traits involves sitting down with yourself and take time to reflect. By bringing all aspects to the table (good and bad) instead of focusing on just one or two, or one side or the other, you allow yourself to appreciate how these traits play off each other.

Citrine – In what ways can I work at expressing my creativity more?

Peonies – Give yourself permission to play more, instead of having everything be about work and planning. Sometimes you just have to do things because you want to do them, or because they seem fun or interesting. By setting your curiosity free to explore, it allows your creativity to stretch and grow.

Snake – How can I use creativity to help foster fresh energies and a sense of rebirth?

Mulch and Manure – Every little creative thing you do feeds the creative spark that resides within you. Therefore, participating in little creative acts can encourage growth of that spark into a larger flame. Remember that sometimes the little things count just as much as (or even more than) the big ones.

Heather – How can I invite more good luck into my day to day life?

Clear Quartz – Keep on track with your efforts toward a more positive outlook and optimistic perspective in your day-to-day activities. This allows more openings for good luck to slip in when it’s able, as well as for you to spot it when it does and appreciate it more.

Other elements included in this reading:
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: SEASONS OF THE WITCH LITHA ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

I confessed my negative inner narratives to Gideon, instead of keeping them to myself.

Shifting the Narrative

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Vesper Tarot's Three of Swords and The Happiness Chemicals CardsToday’s draw is the Three of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of depression, grief, and disappointments. This theme often seems strange to people, being that it is seated in the Swords suit (which is often all about intellect and the mind), but it is important to remember that how we react emotionally is often rooted in how we think and what expectations we create for ourselves before everything falls apart.

A lot of the cards I’ve pulled this week seem to be about mindset, and this one is no exception. Have you ever villainized another person (even if they deserved it)? I know that I have. My parents and what went on in their house while growing up, and a “friend’ that I trusted deeply that betrayed me in an extremely painful way, are two examples.  The thing is, though? This act of villianizing/victimizing can bring about a negative mindset that can then easily tinge our path as we move forward.  It changes how we see ourselves, and how we see the world around us… and not in a good way.

The card combination for today is a reminder that it wasn’t all bad. They’re a reminder to not just look back on these painful moments, but also the good ones that precluded them. I’m not saying you have to forgive anyone, or even that you should… I have no idea of your situation and in my opinion some things are simply unforgivable.

What I am saying, though, is that these cards encourage us to claim the good and allow ourselves to break free of the negative victimized mindset.  Not necessarily through forgiveness, but through acceptance that it wasn’t all bad. This, in turn, then allows us to focus on positive aspects of the present and future more easily.

DECK USED:  VESPER TAROT AND THE HAPPINESS CHEMICALS DECK

@LightningWildflower‘s June Tarot Challenge
Purpose Prompts for June 19th thru 21st

Oracle Reading with the Pulchrum Floralis Oracle and Medicine Heart OracleWhat drives and motivates me?

Sacred Piercing and Spotted Knapweed (allelopathic chemicals) – You are often motivated by your need to use your strength and assertiveness to empower others instead of holding them back. You want to lift others up and encourage them to thrive. This is where the lion’s share of your motivation comes from, as it sparks in you protective instincts and brings to the fore your desire for others to find stability, encouragement, and empowerment in your presence.

How can I go through my days with a greater sense of purpose?

Macaw and Cacao; Desert Verbena (desert pollinator plant) – Flow rather than force. Adaptation is the key to staying connected with your purpose, rather than lost in the weeds at the side of the path. Allow change to flow through your life, and work at adapting to the shifting sands beneath your feet. Fighting against the current or trying to force things to go your way only wastes time and energy.

What will bring more meaning to the mundane or ordinary aspects of my life?

She Wolf of the South and Daisy (heliotropism) – You have been through so much, and this can make it a struggle not to fall into a negative and/or pessimistic mindset. Instead, continue to work on keeping your eye on the positive. The harder that is to do, the more you need it.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Cedar Tips for Protection Against Negative Influences
Foraged Wood Fern for Exorcising Negative Influences
Conch Shell Knot for Concentration and Clarity
Gneiss Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: MEDICINE HEART ORACLE AND THE PULCHRUM FLORALIS ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

I allowed Gideon to talk me into playing for a bit even though I wasn’t really feeling it.  In the end, I think it helped me feel a bit better than I would have otherwise by the end of the night.

Surface Disruptions

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

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Sun and Moon Tarot's Queen of CupsThe @GlitterbyInk #JuneSun25 Challenge
Summer Sunlight Prompt for June 20 : Reflection

Today’s draw is the Queen of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of a receptive alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s emotions, relationships, creativity, and intuition. Among other things, this often translates into themes to do with emotional support and advice from a trusted party that is easy to talk to.

Part of nurturing yourself and others includes patience. You can’ splash around in the water all the time and expect to see your reflection clearly. The more you fuss, the more distorted what you see becomes. That, in turn, distorts what you feel as well.

I just recently got new glasses. I wear progressives, which means the visual range changes each time I get new lenses. Minute changes in where distance transitions to mid-range, and where mid-range transitions to reading range are common when the lenses are made with a new prescription, and almost guaranteed with a new set of frames in a slightly different size or shape.

This creates a need for an adjustment period, not just for the new prescription, but also for where and how your eyes and head move to put different things in focus. It’s easy, during this time to react negatively and think that they messed up the lenses. The discontent and irritation of this makes it hard not to hate the new glasses and want to take them back right now to be fixed. (Thrash around in the water, so to speak.)

Today’s card in combination with the “reflection” prompt encourages us in times like this when we are feeling ot of sorts to not “splash around”. Stay still, reflect, and allow things to come into better focus. Nurture yourself and others by not reacting. Give it some time , consideration, and observation instead. Then, when you can see calmly and clearly, and have a better understanding of all involved, you can act with precision to deal with the problem instead of just whacking at it with emotions.

DECK USED:  SUN AND MOON TAROT

@LightningWildflower‘s June Tarot Challenge
Perspective Prompts for June 16th and 18st

Tarot Reading with The Stone Marseilles Tarot and Tearwater OracleWhat in my life would benefit from a shift in perspective?

Le Pendu and Find Beauty Here – Stop looking for problems and issues at every turn, and instead pause to enjoy the positive. Every situation has a shred of beauty and positivity to share, but you have to be willing to actually look for it. These cards indicate that a part of looking at every aspect and perspective of situation requires you to also look at the positive, not just the negative.

What is a challenge that I might need to consider in a new way?

Seven of Coins atop Seven of Cups; Take Care of Your Energy – Procrastination only moves you further and further away from those things and activities that are healthy for you. The less you do, the less you want to do, and therefore you do less and want to do even less still; and so the cycle continues. Pretty soon, it’s easier and easier to walk away from the things that are good for you instead of actually doing them.

What might an altered perspective allow me to see?

L’amour and What Is Home – Choosing those things that are good for you and also right for you makes life feel more welcoming, and gives you a sense of comfort in the world as a whole as well as in yourself. Seeking the comfort in stagnancy isn’t healthy, even if it feels like sometimes you might actually find it there.

Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Rhododendron Leaf for Fostering Confidence
Shiva Shell Heart for Wisdom and Discernment
Orange Aventurine Leaves for Pause and Reflection
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECKS USED: THE STONE MARSEILLES TAROT AND TEARWATER ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

I came online and spent some time with Gideon and let him soothe the subdrop a bit,  instead of crawling into a corner somewhere to hide.

Summer Solstice 2025 – Midsummer

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Today is the Summer Solstice, which is the longest day of the year and one of the eight holidays that I celebrate throughout the year. This day marks the ‘official’ transition into summer and a shift from days that become longer and longer through the spring into days from here on out will grow shorter and shorter for the next six months.

Litha

This holiday is often called Midsummer or Litha, although I usually just refer to it as the Summer Solstice. On my path, it celebrates the turning point of summer, where the build-up of creative energy from the spring crests into a time of abundance as we travel into the depths of summer in much the same way that the growing energies of the full moon crest before beginning to wane each month.

Like with new moons and full moons, I usually do a spread to check in with myself and give myself some direction for the next couple of months on each solstice, equinox, and other Sabbats. This spread is an adaptation of my Self Care Saturday spread, so there are sure to be  some similarities in how it is read. The focus of this spread, though, is not about Self Care, but rather about progress and my path. The time period is also longer, reaching through the next handful of weeks until the celebration of the First Harvest (aka, Lughnasadh, Lammas, Lughnasa, Lugh) on August 1st.

Summer Solstice Tarot Reading with the Pagan Otherworlds Tarot, Healing Herbal Oracle, Jahreskreis Orakel der Keltischen Feste, and Compendium of Witches Oracle

Theme of the Season – Litha’s Sonnenkraft, Waning Crescent Moon, Cassia senna

Sonnenkraft means solar power, and speaks of Midsummer/Litha’s greatest strength. Through the warmth of the sun, abundance has sprung forth. Animals and plants bloom and propagate, and everywhere we look there is new growth and the bright shimmer of life in full bloom. This time of growth and abundance is the Sun’s gift, and in many cultures is attributed to the Sun God and his arrival in the spring and growth to full power now as summer has arrived.

The Waning Crescent Moon is all about finding balance through letting go, release, banishment, and atonement. It is a time when we seek to exhale the dregs of energies used in our lives, so that with the upcoming New Moon we can then inhale fresh energy into our lives that will stir up creative juices and invigorate. Now is the time to make room, cleansing away those last lingering leftovers in your life and passion projects, and releasing what is finished and needs left behind.

Cassia senna‘s seed pods are a strong purgative and laxative that has been used for thousands of years to treat constipation and clear the bowels in preparation for certain procedures such as colonoscopies. It is not surprising, then, that metaphysically it is a purging herb, used in spellwork to purge energies, mindsets, people, and unhealthy habits from one’s life. It is also used in a variety of love spells from keeping a current love faithful, to attracting a new love to you that doesn’t realize you are interested in them.

When looking at these three cards together, the theme that steps forward is an encouragement to purge from your life those things not working for you in preparation for the abundance of gifts that the summer is eager to offer you. You cannot accept abundance without first releasing from your life something else in order to make room.

Earth – Ace of Swords – Time for some new ideas. Get out and communicate with others and see what new ideas and innovation can be stirred up from the interaction.  The consequences in not doing so can result in you stuck in a rut.  Remember, as much as you love stability, too much of it is called stagnancy, and is not good for you.

Air – Page of Wands – Building on the Earth’s position above, it’s time to find something to inspire you and light a fire under you to explore something new. Look for what teases your curiosity and let it draw you in.

Water – Queen of Swords – Nay-saying by your emotions is not allowed at this time. Remember that emotions are fickle and not a true reflection of reality. Check in with your shrink for impartial input as needed.

Fire – Three of Cups – Invite others along for the ride. It will make the exploration more interesting and fun. Not just for you, but for everyone. As much as you are an introvert, there is no denying that having others participating creates bonds you enjoy, and an overall increase in the amount of smiles and laughter involved in most activities.

Waning – The Soothsayer and Cauldron – No stirring the shit right now.  Spellwork needs to lean away from themes that have to do with teaching others lessons or seeking vengeance. You are not judge and jury, so don’t try to put yourself in that role.

Waxing – The Reconciler and Sickle – Patience and self-control are an important part of staying on your path right now.  Ensure that you are not reacting before taking a moment of pause to moderate your reaction.

Take Away – Your path at this moment needs to focus on release. Let go of the things that aren’t working for you in anticipation for the good that’s coming down the line. You don’t want to get stuck with no room for these good things to arrive.  This includes emotionally.

Invite friends to explore new ideas with you. They’re interested and will enjoy the adventure, even if it’s your path they’re joining you on and your faith they’re exploring.

DECKS USED: JAHRESKREIS ORAKEL DER KELTISCHEN FESTE, PAGAN OTHERWORLDS TAROT, COMPENDIUM OF WITCHES ORACLE, HEALING HERBAL CARDS VOL 1 – 3