Various Paganism, Tarot, Etc

Full Moon in Cancer – December 2020

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Tomorrow is the last full moon of the year, and like all new moons and full moons, I did a spread aligned to the moon’s current themes as a part of my recognition of the moon’s cycle and influences upon us.  Today’s spread is brought to you by Ethony‘s Tarot By the Moon series.

Full Moon in Cancer Tarot Reading - Naked Heart Tarot

1. What spiritual lesson was I learning this year?

Nine of Pentacles – How to be grateful for what I have instead of constantly striving for more.  This was actually a side product lesson that came from my efforts to allow my emotional growth room to do its thing throughout the majority of the first part of the year.  What I have come to realize is that it actually -is- possible for me to “wallow a bit” in my good fortune and the results of my hard work.  That it’s okay to enjoy the now instead of constantly pushing for what’s next.  It’s not always easy, but the more that I’ve been able to look at things from this angle, the more I realize that a good portion of that slave driver in my head has nothing to do with a desperate grasping need for security as it has to do with my father’s voice in my head drilling home that nothing will ever be “enough” and thus I must try harder.

2. How can I integrate it into 2021?

Nine of Swords Rx – By focusing on worrying less and stressing out less about the things that “need to be done”. The only deadlines in life are the ones that you are setting for yourself.  I used this same line a couple of days ago in a reading and it fits very well here as well.  No one else is setting deadlines on me, not for my goals or for the things I want to happen.  The only one setting deadlines and demands on myself… is me.  I need to take ownership of this and understand that I’m doing this to myself… and that I have all of the control needed to change things to be less stressful.

3. What do I need to let go of now?

Two of Wands Rx – Indirection. You don’t need to control every step, but you don’t need to feel like when you’re not controlling every step that things are going awry either. Last year after the holiday rush, I went through a few months of feeling completely rudderless and adrift.  Lost.  I need to let go of the idea that this is going to happen again, and instead make moves to make sure that it doesn’t.  This isn’t about filling my plate with things to do or about leaving room on my plate either, but rather it’s about dealing with the emotions and decompression that needs to be cared for instead of fighting against it.

4. What spiritual lesson will I be moving into in 2021?

Knight of Chalices – The spiritual lesson in the year ahead will involve learning how to better seek out those things that I really enjoy and make me happy instead of just focusing upon the things that I need to get done. This goes beyond making things more fun or my life happier, but rather by making things more fun and my life happier I will be able to elevate my energy and my spiritual self into a better place.

5. What can I do now to set myself up for success?

Six of Wands Rx – Look inward for encouragement and accolades instead of thinking about what others (namely those voices of your parents in your head) would think or feel. Again we are back at that inner narrative and the negativity of my parental influences on how I treat myself within that narrative.  This and other readings I’ve done over the past week or two are making it clear that finding a way to circumvent or “put in its place” that inner narrative is going to be a strong and prevailing theme throughout the next year, and that needs to start now.

DECK USED:  THE GREEN WITCH TAROT

Morning Bonus Read – Cultivating Gratitude

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Cultivating Gratitude Tarot Reading - Tarot de Mona Lisa

How can I shift my energy signature to cultivate gratitude?
Ten of Pentacles

It’s not enough to acknowledge all that you have and all that you’ve done to get there. To cultivate gratitude, you also need to share it with others.  Spread the wealth (not just monetarily but also in your all around good fortune, good health, and stable home life) among loved ones and allow them in to help you in enjoying all the good that the present has to offer.

What in my life is a blessing in disguise?
The World

Everything cycles through and you get another chance to try again at the end.  As you reach the end of a trial, the end of a year, the end of a journey… you are given the opportunity to step forward into the future beyond that ending and try for doing better the next time around.  The things you worked towards and struggled with, you now have the opportunity to try again… and with the experience you carry from your past efforts, do better.

How can I express gratitude when I feel empty?
Death atop The Hermit Rx

You need to work at changing your natural inclination to retreat into yourself.  By reaching out and opening up during these times, you show those that you share yourself with that you trust them and are grateful for them in your life to help and support you. In opposition to that, when you close them out and close them off, they feel left out and taken for granted.

Who in my life needs to hear thank-you and be appreciated?
King of Pentacles

Mister R needs to hear these things and know them.  He needs to understand just how much he means to you, and L, and Z.  You may not have much longer to get this out and expressed to him, and it is something you need to do sooner rather than later.  It is also something that could help him by giving him strength and hope, and also lift his spirits.

How can creating a daily practice for gratitude change my life?
Queen of Wands

It will give you the opportunity to create a more stable foundation beneath that interminable drive of yours, allowing you to not just pursue your own desires and passions, but inspire others to do the same.

DECK USED: TAROT DE MONA LISA

Morning Bonus Read – Extreme Points Closure

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The prompt for this reading came from one of my Discord servers and is as follows:
“Blessed Solstice!!!! It’s here! That thing we’ve been talking about? Time to wrap up our meditation on it.“

Christmas Playing Cards by Natalia SilvaWhat do I need to do now in order to facilitate this change?
Eight of Hearts

In the first week of this trio of readings, the Eight of Hearts came up to represent the change that needs to take place, and here we find the card come up again in representation of what I need to do now in order to facilitate that change.

The change taking place is moving away from the chaos of the holiday rush and allowing myself to find balance again.  The Eight of Hearts here indicates that in order to facilitate a smooth transition to this healthier way of doing things, I need to be open to the change instead of closing off. 

This is a message that has been repeated a couple of times over the past few days, with multiple warnings not to close down or close off, and make sure that I’m open to the changes coming and not fighting them or resisting.   It’s a good reminder, as it’s something I struggle with often… even when I know that the change is a healthy one.

What resistance to this change do I need to watch out for in myself?
King of Clubs

The seat of the resistance to change in this matter resides in my drive to move forward, to do more, and to expand my “empire” to it’s greatest potential. The problem being that I sink so deeply into that drive, and allow the voice of my father in my head to push me on past what is healthy and into a place of sacrificing myself to the cause.

What is the biggest effect that this change will enact in my life?
Three of Hearts

Emotional harmony both within myself and with others that I connect with in an emotional way.  When I spend too much time focusing on work and the business, it leaves far too little time to connect with others and spend time with them in quality ways.  Not to mention too much work and not enough play makes me a cranky boy.  By allowing that time with others and time for my own needs, it lightens my heart and opens me up to those bonds and connections I’d normally keep at a distance or shut down.

DECK USED:  CHRISTMAS PLAYING CARDS BY NATALIA SILVA

Morning Bonus Read – Year Ahead Visions

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My Year Ahead Vision Tarot Spread - Naked Heart Tarot

What lessons can I take forward from the past year into the year ahead?
Spirit of Pentacle

The world will not end if I take control and allow myself the growth that I need without allowing my inner narrative of negativity to get in the way.  When I stand my ground instead of caving to the temptation of bad habits and unhealthy rhetoric of my past, I become stronger against those things that would have previously held me back.

What challenges, barriers, or obstacles may I face in the next year?
Three of Pentacles atop Three of Swords

Well, it looks like Z might finally get to go home at some point.  The cards here indicate a breakdown in collaboration between myself and others I’m working with.  This will be disappointing and cause what is normally an uphill battle to become an even bigger struggle.  I don’t see being able to hire a new helper this year as yet, not with everything going on with the pandemic.  Stabilization will take time, and I doubt that’ll be something I can look at until 2022.  So… yeah.  There could be some serious struggles and disappointment coming up where it comes to keeping up with my work… especially if I lose a portion of my collaborative team along the way.

What do I need to focus on in the year ahead to overcome those challenges, barriers, and obstacles?
Ace of Cups

The Ace of Cups here indicates that maybe it’s okay for these challenges to be coming up this year, and that it could leave a bit of extra room (or I may need to make a bit of extra room) for emotional growth.  It’s important to remember to do what I can, then let the rest go.  I’ll hurt to accept that I may not be able to handle it all, but it’s better than the damage I can do to myself by trying to take on more than I can handle on my own.

What opportunities will be available to me in the year ahead?
The Tower

Tear that shit down and rebuild.  I have been slowly finding a new path to walk upon when it comes to my personal care and my business, my spiritual and emotional growth, and how I deal with my stress and responsibilities.  But, in order to really take the dive into this new path, I have to actually let go of the old one and let it crumble in my wake.  This year will provide me with the opportunity to do that, but remember that like all opportunities, this is something I have to actually reach for and won’t come to fruition without investment and effort.

What will be the overall theme of the year ahead?
Ace of Wands atop The Lovers

Healthier pursuit of the things and endeavors that are important to me.  This may include reevaluating those things that are important to me and adjusting my priorities to make sure that my self care and making decisions that are healthy for me take a higher priority.

DECK USED: THE NAKED HEART TAROT

Weekly Creativity Prompt – The Woods Part 2

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Prompt:  Pull (at least) three cards and use them to tell us a story about new beginnings.

Little Twin Stars Love TarotThis is part two of a previous story… The Woods – Part 1

As the young man sank beneath the earth and was accepted into her womb (The Empress), tendrils of roots slipped beneath skin and drew forth from the man’s body the essence of the man (Death).

The man’s essence traveled up from the roots of the tree to its trunk and branches that stretched high overhead (The Chariot), and in the embrace of the canopy of leaves and branches, a new bud began to grow.

Through the fall and winter months, the tight little bud remained snug on that branch, hiding the miracle within as the cold months passed by. (The Hanged Man and The Hermit)

Then one fine spring morning after the last of the morning frosts had fallen away and the world grew warm again (The Star), the little bud began to swell and the tight clench of leaves began to ease their grip (Temperance).

As the folds of leaves unfurled, the essence of what had once been the man burst forth (The Fool), his new form a small and glittering thing of earthy greens and browns with  fluttering wings that shimmer in the rays of the sun. (The World).

Others like himself darted out from the leaves of the tree, coming to greet him with eager enthusiasm and together they spirited off into the depths of the forest to play like motes on a summer breeze. (The Sun and The Lovers)

DECK USED:  LITTLE TWIN STARS LOVE TAROT

Morning Bonus Read – Making Magic

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Yuletide Tales Lenormand - Making Magic Tarot Spread

What I Will

Tree – To get back in balance quickly at the end of the holiday rush. With the holiday rush at my back, it’s time to slow down and to do so in healthy ways that foster my spirituality, my physical health, and my overall well-being.

Earth – What would benefit from greater grounding and stability to help me encourage this outcome?

Mountain – In the time following the rush, there is a moment in time when you feel very lethargic and struggle with motivation. This malaise is a roadblock on your path to finding healthy balance, and to deal with this issue you are going to need to get out into nature and reestablish the grounding support and stability that your connection with the earth provides.

Air – How can I use my mind and my words to accentuate my will in this matter?

Heart – Be kind to yourself.  Don’t allow the negative inner talk to have its way, but instead allow the kindness and patience that you give to others to spill over and be how you treat yourself as well.  Berating yourself and treating yourself badly with negative words and harsh judgements is not going to help you find your footing on that path to balance and healthy well-being.

Mundane – What small activities can I do in my everyday to encourage the outcome I will into being?

Man – Spend time with Gideon. Not just in play… not just outside of play either.  Just time with him.  Get back into the habit of checking in, of messages and texts, of reaching out to him and spending time with him. He helps you in finding that path to a healthier you each year and it’s okay to lean on him for this support.

Fire – What will this ignite within me that I can use to burn away that which doesn’t serve my will?

Clover – Optimism and recovery will be fostered from within and allow you to discard the darker drag of depression and negativity that wants to take over during the shift away from the holiday rush. Allow that positivity to grow and encourage your recovery rather than habitually pushing it away for a more “grounded” (aka pessimistic) outlook.

Water – How can I best understand the subtle connection between the result of my will and the bigger picture?

House – Look around you and pay attention to how your well-being effects that of your loved ones.  When you feel happy and healthy and safe… so do they.  That connection then spreads from them to others much like a smile can spread from one person to the next.  It is much better to put that stability and contented happiness out into the world than the more negative emotions that try to encroach into your life at this time of year.

Spirit – With what magical energy can I connect to encourage the outcome I will?

Wolf (Dog) – The Fae.  It’s time to get back out into nature and connect with the friends you have there and the magical energies that they possess and are so generous with you. Take some time to frolic and play and reconnect with them and their energy.  It makes you feel good, bolsters your mood and your energy, and is an all around good thing that will positively enhance your efforts.

DECK USED: YULETIDE TALES LENORMAND