Various Paganism, Tarot, Etc

Full Moon in Aquarius – July 2021

/ 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 Aquarius Tarot Reading with the Tarot of Trees 10th Anniversary Edition

1. What possibilities are being offered to me right now?

Six of Cups -The potential to choose your own path, especially in your emotional growth and how it relates to the rest of your life. This lies in the opportunity to let things go that do not belong as a part of the present. In spilling these issues from the Cups of your present and leaving them on the floor of the past, you allow yourself to open up to more freedoms, choices, and potential for growth.

2. What area of my life is craving freedom and experimentation? (check the suit of this card for big clues)

Eight of Cups – Emotionally, you are ready to move on from the shit that isn’t working. Let’s not stand still. Begin shedding those things that are not working for you and leaving them behind. Related:  I think it’s time to take the stuff I’ve been trying to get rid of on eBay for the past year to charity.  They’ve been listed long enough and remain unsold. I’m tired of having it all sitting around, waiting to leave.

3. Where can I be more open minded?

Roots – Be open to grounding in different ways and keep your mind open to the sharing of others (including your mother). Nurture yourself and others by digging deeper. Deeper into what is being said. Deeper into the thought process, the assumptions, and the perspectives that are shared with you.  Dig deeper into these things and open to what you make uncover within those depths.

4. What old habits/beliefs need to be released under this full moon?

Five of Pentacles – It’s time to acknowledge that your feelings of scarcity are an echo from the past and have nothing to do with your present reality.  This reflects back to the first question in this reading, and reaffirms the message that it’s time to leave the past in the past, acknowledge that’s where it belongs, and that these feelings have no relevance in the present.

5. Where do I need to go with the flow?

Queen of Swords – Don’t be so stuck on how things should be that you forget to look at how they could be. Allow others to broaden your horizons.

DECK USED: TAROT OF TREES 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Weekly Creativity Prompt – My Addiction

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Prompt: Pull (at least) three cards from your deck and use them to share with us about something you are personally addicted to.

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic Tarot

I have always connected most strongly with cards when it comes to methods of divination. I love the feel of them and by the time I was sixteen, I already owned well over a hundred.  Although I was (and am) familiar with a large number of different types of divination, and even practice a few of them, I know where my bread is buttered and I have always made damned sure to keep my collection of decks safe, secure, and growing. (The Chariot)

The thing is, though? I did slack a bit on collecting now wand then. Most of the time it was because finances just didn’t allow, other times it was because I had other things to focus on, other addictions to delve into, other interests to explore.   Out  of fear?  I hid my divination practice from Gideon.  I hid it because I was worried that although he’s not a particularly religious person, that if I delved too deeply into what exactly “I’m pagan” meant and that I read the cards… I might loose him.  This was something I couldn’t abide.  But with each year that passed?  I felt like more  and more like I was withholding something important from him and our relationship.  So… I decided to tell him (The Lovers).

I was very nervous at first, but he took me by surprise.  He asked a lot of questions, and then?  He asked me to teach him.  I was so surprised and amazed, but I took him under my wing to begin teaching him the tarot (The Hierophant), and something amazing happened.

All those secrets, now out in the open, reinvigorated my practice.  It breathed new life into not just my divination practice, but also my Pagan practice as a whole.  By being able to share with him these things instead of hide them from him, it turned over a new leaf for me in my own practice and path (The World).

As a result, of course, this meant my collecting (addiction) for decks also was reinvigorated and, at this time of life when I have more disposable income than ever before, that has resulted in my collection growing by leaps and bounds. (Justice)

DECK USED:  MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC TAROT

Morning Bonus Read – New Week Set Up

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Tarot of Plants (Solar Edition) and Wildlife Wisdom Oracle

What does the mind need to stay centered?

Five of Autumn (Monkshood) and Heron – It is important to remember that the scarcity that you feel is in your head and your past, and not a part of your present reality.  Focus on what’s here in the now, instead of what in your past influences these irrational emotions. Acknowledge that you are now far beyond that place of constant powerless need.

What does the body need to stay grounded?

The Empress (Corn) and Deer – When you bend you cannot break, but in order to be able to bend, you have to be able to yield. Soothe yourself, ease those muscles and tension. Allow yourself to bend. Treat your body with the kindness that it needs to be flexible and strong.  Make sure you are doing your physiotherapy and yoga, and that you are getting out in nature to get the exercise you need.

What do your emotions need to feel heard?

Mother of Autumn (Lavender) and Dragonfly – Things shift and change around you, make sure that you are going to someone willing to support you to speak with and find the support you need. This is about seeking people out instead of trying to close yourself off and deal with it on your own. Opening up about what needs to be said instead of keeping it to yourself.  Allowing yourself to unload what’s going on inside you with these people will help you in hearing yourself as much as it will help you in feeling heard by others.

What do your desires need to feel seen?

Seven of Summer (Venus Flytrap) and Bear – You want more time off to relax and just not have to deal with the responsibilities of life. This is a new sensation for you and you are struggling with it feeling “wrong”, but in fact it’s normal, just not your normal. You are making choices that could make it your new normal, though. Healthy choices.  Don’t back out because there’s a couple of unpleasantness like this discovered along the way.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF PLANTS (SOLAR EDITION) AND WILDLIFE WISDOM ORACLE

Morning Bonus Read – The KWL Approach

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

The prompt for this reading came from one of my Discord servers and is as follows:
“A learning-themed divination spread, based on the “KWL” charts.”

Scooby Doo Playing Cards1. Topic: What is a topic I should be focusing my learning efforts on?

Nine of Clubs and Queen of Hearts – Better boundaries for a healthier emotional balance. You can’t always let everyone’s demands for your time and attention tap you out.  Don’t forget that you need time for yourself too, no matter how much of yourself you feel the desire to give to others.

2a. K (Know): What do I already know about this topic?

Jack of Diamonds – You know that you’re already on the right path and that it’s going to take some time. That, as long as you stay focused on what you want to build and where you want to take it, that it will come over time.

2b. K (Know): Where does my prior knowledge and experience help me in understanding this topic?

Three of Clubs – They give you direction and motivation to keep going. You know what a detriment not having healthy boundaries can be for you.  You know that without them, you become overwhelmed and the world begins to feel like it’s falling apart.  And you know that without those boundaries, you are far more likely to become vulnerable to the wrong people, which can cause damage that goes far deeper than just burnout (ie: the “pissant” incident). All of this knowledge provides motivation and direction, and helps to keep you on track where your boundaries are concerned.

3a. W (Wonder): What things have I already been wondering about related to this topic?

Jack of Spades – How to strategize my way forward at a faster pace.  Obviously I know that this is a bad idea and it’s my past and my negative habits that inspire this topic of curiosity.  But, there’s no denying that it’s there.

3b. W (Wonder): What things have I already been wanting to do related to this topic?

Six of Clubs – How to more easily pave the path to getting there. This isn’t about speed so much as it’s about stumbling blocks and wanting to move forward without a lot of struggle and stress. “Harmonizing the journey” so to speak, so that it can go more smoothly.  This is something I’ve been wanting to do.

4a. L (Learn): What am I already learning about this topic?

Three of Hearts – There are people in my life eager and happy to help lift me up and support me. I don’t have to do it alone. And, in fact, probably shouldn’t do it alone even if I might want to or feel that urge.

4b. L (Learn): What will I be learning about this topic soon?

Three of Spades – Setbacks happen.

DECK USED:  SCOOBY DOO! PLAYING CARDS

Morning Bonus Read – Emotional Arrow

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Emotional Arrow Tarot Spread - Mermaid Cats Tarot

Emotion Addressed In This Reading:  An Irrational Sense of Overwhelm

1. SOURCE: What prompted this emotion? What lies at the root of it?

Five of Cups – Feelings of never enough / never good enough. This isn’t about social issues, which is its own beast and separate from this.  This is about never feeling as if anything you do is enough.  Not enough work, not enough effort, not enough quality, not enough perfection.  It spurs from the echo of your parent’s voice in your head always telling you that “you can do better”.  Get an A on a test… “you could do better, your penmanship is poor”.  Get straight A’s in school… “you could do more, why aren’t you playing sports or doing extracurriculars?”  It was never enough… never good enough.  And somehow, it is an echo that has continued to push you forward, and beat you down, years and years after having left that environment and influence.

2. IMPACT: How is this emotion affecting me now? How is it riding me?

Eight of Wands – Push. Push. Push. Push.  That feeling of never enough and never good enough pushes you to always strive for more.  More output.  More perfection. Just… more.  It’s not enough to make beautiful jewelry, it has to be perfect. It’s not enough to sell enough that you’re working the majority of every day’s hours, sell more.  Do more.  Make more.  Be better.  Always… no matter how much or how well you’re already doing.

3. NAVIGATION: How can I better harness, navigate, and channel it?

Two of Wands – Pick a direction. ONE direction.  Pick a focus. ONE focus.  Stop trying to do so much at once, and splitting your attention and your energy in so many directions at once. You can’t be in two places at once, and you only have two hands.  Choose that direction, that focus, and leave the other stuff behind to possibly take up at another time.

4. MESSAGE: What is this emotion trying to tell me?

Knight of Swords – You’re pushing too hard and it’s taking you in the wrong direction (cat on the card is facing the past).  All of this drive comes from an ugly place in your past and you need to work on moving forward, not backward.  That includes recognizing and letting go of these influences that are not healthy and only perpetuate self abuse through impulsivity and misplaced determination.

5. TARGET: Best outcome/goal of working constructively with emotion.

King of Pentacles – Stability. Surety. Ownership. Resolving the issues surrounding this motion can allow you to find a more grounded and secure foundation in the present.  This foundation then will influence all aspects of your life from your work to your home life and your feelings of security, providing a more comfortable and self assured outlook on your current life as well as future plans.

6a. OVERKILL: How does this emotion mislead me?

Six of Wands – This emotion and the history behind it that pushes it on misleads you by causing you to look outside your self for validation that you’re doing enough. No one else’s opinion on this topic matters. Only yours.  You can’t earn the approval from those parents in your past, now that you’re in the present.  That time is gone and there’s no one to judge how you do, what you do, or how much you do… except you.

6b. OVERKILL: How might it take me too far?

Page of Cups Rx – Taken too far, you lose your connection to your inner curiosity and creativity. You become beaten down by these judgements and start to feel like giving up.  There is no more joy, and with no joy you begin to lose your sense of curiosity.  Without that sense of curiosity to spark your creativity, that too begins to flag and falter.

Side Note:  I spoke to my shrink about these issues yesterday and she suggested trying to compartmentalize my past from my present.  To help me in remembering that the past is the past, a different chapter in a book… read and left behind.  I am in a new chapter now than I was then.  In doing this, she suggests that it might help me in letting go of those feelings of “not enough / not good enough” as well as the feelings concerning fear of scarcity.

DECK USED:  MERMAID CATS TAROT

Weekly Creativity Prompt – The Moon

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Prompt: “Pull the card from your deck(s) that matches the card posted below. Compare the imagery between the card provided and the card from your own deck. How would you read them differently and why?”

Tarot of the Hidden Realm - The MoonTarot of the Hidden Realm – The imagery of this card is all about a flagging of confidence, a sense of curiosity, and a moment of uncertainty.  Antlers are unwieldy in moments of vulnerability as the figure explores the barren ground on hands and knees.

There is also determination and strength.  She is not lying down and giving up, but continues to move forward, to seek more, and find her way.

The Moon - Tarot for Middle Earth, Anonymous Tarot, Adventure Arcana Tarot

Tarot for Middle Earth – Like the Tarot of the Hidden Realm, the focus in this card’s imagery is not on the moon itself, but rather on the figure that works to make their way through a dark landscape of shadows and darkness. Here in this card there is a sense of empowerment over doubt and uncertainty.  Her posture and the sword she carries indicates that although she walks through shadows and a landscape of illusion, she is prepared for what may come.

Anonymous Tarot – Abstract and vague, what stands out strongest to me in this card is the moon itself.  Although this imagery is very reminiscent of traditional RWS imagery, the moon dominates everything and appears to be bleeding. The amount of red in this card speaks to me of fear, and of leaving a place of calm and security (the blue) to step into that place of fear in order to follow the beacon of the moon above.

Adventure Arcana Tarot – Here again we see a very classic imagery, and yet the contrast between domesticated and wild is missing in the lack of dog and wolf.  Although the crustacean is also missing, we are still able to draw the meaning of it through the shift from stream to the appearance of a path, as if we are pulled out of the dark water of the subconscious to tread upon the moonlit path through uncertainty, forsaking the security that the towers offer to follow the guiding light of the moon above.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE HIDDEN REALM, TAROT FOR MIDDLE EARTH, ANONYMOUS TAROT, ADVENTURE ARCANA TAROT