Various Paganism, Tarot, Etc

Transitioning from September to October

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

This is a spread that I do at the end of each month to close out the month.

Tarot Leaves and Forces Flora + Fauna Oracle

Individuality – Ace of Pentacles, Ten of Swords, The Bison – Opportunity through the path of painful endings. You are willing to sacrifice for the greater good and have the courage to do so, but it may not feel like much of a sacrifice with the abundance you currently have and the potential opportunities that doing so open up for you.

Dependence – Ten of Pentacles and The Fern – You feel like with the preparations for the holiday rush that you are leaving behind all the good stuff and all of the public as well as secret joys and pleasures life has to offer.

Creativity – Four of Wands and The River – What you want at this time is more time to relax and enjoy wallowing in being home and enjoying the pleasure of all that.  You’ve had yourself a taste of what it’s like to chill and enjoy life, and it’s hard to gear back up when you instead want more of what you’ve had all spring and summer.

Limitation – Two of Swords, Five of Wands, The Moon – You can choose to fight against the changes that happen at this time of year all you want, but that choice will do you more harm than good. That said?  it’s still difficult to set that stuff you’ve enjoyed so much aside.

Change – Ten of Wands and The Acorn – Look beyond the feelings of overwhelm that you are feeling and see the potential for abundance that is inherently in your future over the holiday rush. Yes, it’s stressful and overwhelming, but the key to getting motivated and staying that way is focusing on all the good stuff that comes out of those six weeks that are quickly approaching.

Sympathy – Page of Cups and Earth – Trying to find a balance between the new experience of your emotional growth and the grounding and stability you need is hard.  Last year, you slipped on that and allowed your fear to grow and fester in your heart.  This year, you have a chance to do better.

Luck – Judgement and The Rat – The times when you have been clever and worked to quickly adapt, you have come out the other side to look back and be proud of the results.  Don’t cling so tightly to the present that you miss the opportunities presented to you for the future.

Power – The Empress Rx, Ace of Cups, The Badger, The Storm –  There is potential in the future to fuck up the emotional progress you’ve made and drop the ball on your self care. This would create  turbulent times ahead not just in your finances and business, but also in your home life and with those you are close with.  You can prevent this by taking to heart the advice offered in this reading.

Responsibility – Eight of Wands and The Mushroom – Step into what you want to create in life and do your best to foster that.  Now is the time to move, and you need to make sure that you’re using your intuition and intuitive tools that are available to you to help keep you on the right path.

Message from Spirit World –  Dropping the ball on you’re emotional well being and self care at this time would be catastrophic to your future success, creating a sense of overwhelm that could easily have been avoided by acting on your needs rather than ignoring what you need.  That negative inner dialog of yours has an opposite counterpart that whispers about what you need to feel good and be balanced and well. Pay attention to those whispers.

Message from Mind’s World – You’re in a good place and there’s lots of opportunities going on.  Don’t allow the pain of changing gears to torch what pleasure you can still eek out of the small amount of down time still available to you.

Message from Known World – Neither ignoring what’s going on and what’s to come, nor fighting against the flow of time and natural progression of things, is going to get you anywhere good.  Take a breath and engage that remarkable ability to adapt so that you can make this transition more smoothly and make your way through the busy season in a manner you can look back on with pride.

Take Away – The end of this month is marked by the fact that my mind and emotions are all tangled up in the preparation for the holiday rush.  There’s a lot of reluctance to dive into it this year, and a lot of struggle to let go of the more laid back energy that has been a part of my spring and summer.  The overall message about where I am on my path at this time is that I’m at a crossroads where I need to either jump in, adapt, and allow the changes to run smoothly as they should…. or fight against it and/or try to ignore what’s coming and end up regretting it later.

DECKS USED:  TAROT LEAVES AND FORCES FLORA + FAUNA ORACLE

Full Moon in Aries – October 2020

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Tomorrow is the full moon, 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 Aries Tarot Reading

1. Where do I need to relax?

Eight of Cups – This is about choice and about my worries about having to set aside my emotional development and progress in order to dive into the holiday rush.  Gideon and I have spoken about this at length, and I understand that I don’t have to abandon that progress.  Instead, I need to find a way to ground it so that I can carry it with me instead of closing it away.

2. Where should I focus my fiery energy?

Eight of Coins – Get to work!  I’m running out of time to get my holiday preparations done and I’ve really slacked off on it this fall more than I should have.  I need to focus my fiery creative streak into the task of getting my work done and building up what needs prepared to make the holiday rush run smoothly.

3. Where do I need to take immediate action?

Justice –  This hearkens back to the last question and has to do with cause and effect. This card stresses the urgency of righting this imbalance quickly before the pendulum swings back in my direction and I am unprepared for it.  Right now the scales are not balanced, and there will be consequences to not getting the preparations done that need done.  The longer I put it off, the more that imbalance will grow and the larger the consequences will be.

4. Where do I need to retreat?

Three of Swords – Stop worrying so much. Stop allowing your mind to influence and freak out your emotions. Take a step back and don’t allow yourself to be so reactionary to the inner dialogue going on.  You know that bastard in your head is a jerk, so just stop listening and move on.

5. Where do I need to charge ahead with?

The Magician – Again we are back to what needs to be done and doing it.  I have all the tools and skills at my disposal and am more than capable of doing what needs done.  Stop procrastinating and put those formidable skills and wealth of tools and knowledge to work.

DECK USED: MADAM LYDIA WILHELMINA’S TAROT

Weekly Creativity Prompt – Cookies

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Pull (at least) three cards use them to tell a story about a child that befriends the monster under their bed.

Emanuelle Tomato Mini Tarot 2020Daddy always told me that there’s no such thing as monsters under the bed.  He said that I’m a big boy and I should act like it, and that it’s all in my imagination.  That if I’m determined enough, I’ll forget about the monsters and they’ll just go away.  (Strength atop The Chariot)

I really did try.  You see I even started sleeping with the light on, and put bells on the floor under the edge of the bed, and had teddy guard me from the chair beside the bed and everything.  All these changes should have made the monster go away. (Death)

You see… the thing is tho? My monsters don’t stay under the bed. They come out and wander around the room!  They growl and slobber and their glowing red eyes always feel angry, their sharp tipped fingers like daggers and just as dangerous! (Emperor and The World)

Momma had a different idea.  She said that instead of working to kill the monsters like Daddy said I should?  I should be kind to them.  She told me to think of how horrible it must feel for all the children in the world to be so scared of them all the time, and how lonely it must be.  (Adjustment and The Empress)

She told me to take a chance, and be nice to the monsters. That sometimes?  Even the most horrible people just need to be given a chance to show that they have another side, but that it takes someone special to see beyond the scary parts and bring that other side out in them. (Fortune)

So I got some cookies and I waited up one night, worried and trembling in my bed until the monster crawled out of the dark space beneath my bed and started shuffling around.  Then I sat up in bed and said hi!  I offered the monster a cookie. The monster was so surprised and happy! Now each night I stay up just a little bit past bed time so that we can visit. (Aeon)

It turns out that the monster’s not so bad after all, and his sharp long fingers are really handy!  He can pick up berries with them!  And he even picked the lock on my treasure box that I’d lost the key to!  I’m not scared of the monster under my bed anymore… now?  We’re friends, and I feel safe because I know he’s watching over me while I sleep. (Art)

DECK USED:  EMANUELLE TOMATO MINI TAROT 2020

Morning Bonus Read – Harvest and Balance

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment

The prompt for this reading came from one of my Discord servers and is as follows:
“This week, talk to your divination tools about harvest and balance.”

Bicycle Magic Playing Cards

Where in my life am I reaping a harvest from the work I’ve put in?
Queen of Diamonds

I am feeling very secure in my “home and hearth” situation at the moment, and I have the ultimate Queen of Diamonds currently living under my roof. (Which is something I couldn’t have financially managed without all the hard work I’ve put in over the years to get me to this point.)  This has made a lot of changes in my life, some of them uncomfortable.  At the same time? I’ve also managed to experience one of those things I’ve always wanted… someone around to cook for me regularly. As I eat so much food each day to maintain my weight, cooking gets to be such a drag after a while.  Having Z here?  Has been amazing in a lot of ways, but if I’m honest?  Especially in this one.

What should I do at this point to preserve this harvest for the winter ahead?
Three of Spades

Do not allow my depression and low moods to linger and drag me down. This is something I have been feeling creep up over the past few weeks, and really struggling with over the past week or so.  The Three of Spades says that when I need to cry, or rant, or throw a bit of a pity party?  Go for it… but don’t linger there. Allow the release to happen and then move past it.

Where in my life do I see balance coming into focus?
Eight of Hearts

Emotionally speaking, there is a need to push for the balance you need rather than allowing it to just float in on its own. Be proactive and work toward what you want here. Balance can happen, but you’re going to have to use willpower and determination to get there.

Where in my life should that balance begin to tip toward and prepare for rest and recovery this winter?
Ten of Diamonds

Like all winters, the holiday rush creates an influx of finances.  With the way this question is posed, the advice of the Ten of Diamonds is to make sure that I don’t get so wrapped up in that feeling of things being flush that I forget to plan for the future.

Where in my life should that balance begin to tip toward and prepare for diving into the holiday rush this winter?
Jack of Diamonds

An echo of the advice given in the above question.  I added this question on to the end of the original questions, as the winter is not a time of rest and recovery for me, but is actually my busiest and most stressful time of the year.   What the Jack of Diamonds says is to hold back and examine my impulses and decisions where my finances and influx of income is concerned rather than just jumping forward irresponsibly or impulsively.

DECK USED:  BICYCLE MAGIC PLAYING CARDS

Weekly Creativity Prompt – The Salesman

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Pull up to three cards use them as the foundation to tell us a cautionary tale.

Creepy Tarot

Temperance – There was once an insurance salesman named Nick that spent his entire life taking one caution after another.  He never over-ate, even when the food was good.  He never over spent, no matter how much he might want something.  He never took a single risk in his life.  Because he sold life insurance to others, he felt it was important to live by example and show people that with proper precautions and proper care it is possible to live a long and healthy life, spend as much time with their loved ones as possible, and then pass away knowing those loved ones would be cared for.

Justice – The irony was that Nick didn’t have any loved ones.  He spent his life alone, moving from day to day and year to year living an empty life with not a single remarkable moment with which to hold close and treasure.  His over abundance of caution in turn left him in a prison of his own making.

The World – One day as he was creeping up on his sixth decade of life, he met a lovely silver haired woman named Meredith.  This woman was beautiful and vibrant, with a laugh that spoke volumes about a life well lived and fully enjoyed.  She enchanted him with her smile and began to pull him into her life one small step at a time, introducing him to a world of bright colors and bountiful flavors and memories filled with joy.  And as he spent more and more time with her, he moved further and further away from the old and drab life he had lived, and into a new and vibrant life of joy and celebration.

Moral of the Story – Don’t allow an overabundance of caution to hold you back from filling your life with vibrant experiences and joyous relationships.

DECK USED:  CREEPY TAROT

Second Harvest 2020 – Autumn Equinox

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Tomorrow is the Autumn Equinox.  This is considered by many to be the first day of Autumn, and is one of only two moments in the year when the sun is exactly above the Equator and day and night are of equal length.  Like Halloween is a time when the veil between the land of the living and the realm of the dead is thin, this holiday (as well as its cross-point in the spring) are times when the veil between our world and that of the Fae is at is thinnest… and it is when I personally experience more interactions with them than any other time of year.

In my path, the Autumn Equinox is also known as the Second Harvest (also called Mabon), and is a day that marks the transition of the growing season into full harvest.  After this day, the darkness of night begins to overtake the sun’s reign in the sky as the days continue to grow shorter and shorter, and the nights longer and longer.  The earth is winding down its abundant generosity and beginning to close up shop for the year.

Autumn Equinox Tarot Reading - Mabon

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 for 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 upcoming third and Last Harvest of the year (aka. Samhain, Halloween) in October.

Theme of the Season – Mabon, Harvest Moon, Wood Mouse, Pony – The second harvest of the year is a time of preparation for winter’s call. There is still much work to be done, but as cold weather creeps in, the last of the crops are now beginning to be gathered up for the year.  The theme of the imagery on the Mabon card is the Forest Lord, who stands for truth, integrity, compassion, and death.

The Harvest Moon is all about liminal spaces and one’s intuitive voice.  It speaks of the importance of paying attention to one’s perceptions and what our senses are whispering to us. With awareness, this moon welcomes an expanded view of not just the unknown that surrounds us and the bridges offered to us through liminal spaces, but also the world at large.

The appearance of the wood mouse in the cards drawn today is a carry over from the reading done during the previous Sabbat.  In my Lammas reading, the story of the wood mouse card was interpreted as a story about thankless work done behind the scenes and the unsung hero. This card is a representation of that energy and purpose that comes with doing the work that is mostly unseen so that the larger work that needs done can be done.

In relation to my life, during Lammas the Wood Mouse card was thought to be in reference to those small ripples of happiness and positivity that I create with each piece of jewelry I make for others.  At this time, however, I see this card as more of a representation of the preparation work that needs done prior to the onset of the holiday rush.

The Pony card emerged with the Wood Mouse card in this instance, and is about the wildness within us all.   It is an indication that I need to look more closely at these things that feel like restrictions in my life.  Combined with the Wood Mouse card, there is a suggestion that I need to take my work and make an effort to delve into it with an open heart and adventurous spirit.

When looking at these four cards together, the theme that stands out to me here is about finding pleasure in my work again and seeking it through the spark of adventure that I find in my creative process, which includes a good dose of intuition when I’m in “the zone” of bringing my creations from ideas into reality.   It’s about connecting to that inner self, that inner voice that whispers encouragement and exciting ideas, and following it’s lead into an enjoyment of the process.

Earth – Ten of Cups – Seek satisfaction.  My self care reading for this week was also about satisfaction, although ran more to the lines of feeling dissatisfied and the methods to help in finding that satisfaction that is lacking.  Here in the longer term reading of progress and my path, the encouragement is to make sure I keep my eye on the prize.  Namely the prize of finding satisfaction in my home life and resources.  There’s no reason for feelings of scarcity, so make sure you’re focusing on furthering those positive emotions and satisfaction over these things.

Air – The Devil – Temptation is in the air… literally. This is a carry over from the Earth position of this reading in that it indicates that there is an element of mental influences involved in my dissatisfaction.  These elements drive my addictions, which are used to self medicate the feelings of dissatisfaction and scarcity that whisper in my ear.  The Devil card in this position warns that this cycle is a hurdle that will need dealing with over the next handful of weeks.

Water – Ace of Wands – There is so much potential right now to allow your emotional growth to remain strong and steady.  Don’t allow all that’s going on swerve you from your dedication to this purpose.  Keep that spark of intention and inspiration bright and alive concerning keeping all that you’ve accomplished so far this year thriving and healthy.

Fire – The Fool – This card and it’s position relates back to the Pony card above and the theme of this Mabon reading as a whole. It is about finding that youthful enthusiasm for my work and through that process, sparking up your enthusiasm for your work to instill into your work, your business, and the preparations to come.

Waning – Turkey Spirit – Again we find that this reading echos the Self Care Saturday reading that was done a couple of days ago.  The Turkey Spirit card in the waning position indicates that now is a time to pull inward. Now is not the best time to let your generosity of spirit fly free.  If you want to get on track with your life and goals this season, it’s time to think of yourself for a while.

Waxing – Porcupine Spirit – Foster or playfulness and curiosity and allow them time to stretch and grow.  Dive in and have some fun with not just your work and business, but seek the spark of excitement in the “beginner’s mind” in all that you do and let it spread throughout your life in order to find joy and enjoyment in all the different elements of your life.

Take Away –  This Mabon reading is all about instilling joy and enthusiasm into the process of work and life.  It’s high time I begin looking at life and my work with fun loving pleasure rather than through the weight of responsibilities. Use this sense of enthusiasm to feelings of scarcity and discontent at bay, and instead focus upon what you have and where you want to go from here.

DECKS USED:  LIGHT SEER’S TAROT, THE GREEN WHEEL ORACLE, THE SPIRIT ANIMAL ORACLE