Various Paganism, Tarot, Etc

New Moon in Taurus – May 2021

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Tomorrow is the new 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 about  rooting in earth medicine, and brought to you by Sharron Basanti of Seeds of Shakti.

Floriography Tarot - Taurus New Moon Tarot Reading

1. How can I draw in the fertile energy of the Taurus New Moon for manifesting prosperity?

Wheel of Fortune – Have some faith that luck is on your side right now.  You’ve seen this theme pop up a few times in some of your readings over the past week or two. There’s always going to be ups and downs in everything, and that includes in your luck… right now is an up swing, so have a little faith and take advantage of it.

2. As an earth sign, what can Taurus teach me about nourishing my heart and soul with the raw pleasures of life?

High Priestess atop Eight of Tulips –  Listen to your intuition on what’s right for you… and what’s not. Keep in the forefront of your mind that it’s okay to reject those things that your intuition says are not for you.  No matter who might be suggesting them or where those things might come from. Follow your intuition.  Always.

3. How can I root myself into the divine medicine of the Earth?

Ace of Tulips – Emotions feel counter intuitive to rooting, and yet they are an important part of being healthy. To connect stronger to the medicine that the earth has to offer, you need to be willing to allow your emotions to flow freely… which means you need to continue seeking out that emotional growth and the newness of experiences it is providing you.

4. What self-imposed beliefs and blocks do I need to release that are connected to money?

Four of Tulips – Your recreational spending habits may be connected to your emotions, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  Don’t worry so much about it but instead work on accepting this as a healthier way to deal with certain emotions than the alternatives available to you at the time. There are some things you’re just not ready to deal with yet, and that’s okay.

5. Message from the Ancestors and Guides.

Nine of Trunks – Be watchful and be careful.  You’ve been warned. Paranoia isn’t always a bad thing. Being careless just because it’s not what you want to do right now isn’t an acceptable way to deal with the situation. Instead, stay diligent for the time being.  It won’t last forever.

DECK USED:  FLORIOGRAPHY TAROT

Morning Bonus Read – Planting Season

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

The prompt for this reading came from one of my Discord servers and is as follows:
“We are now officially starting the planting season. This week, do a reading to find out how to care for your fields. Include at least 3 specific questions.”

The Seeds: Continuing on my path of emotional growth, and slowly finding/adjusting to a better work/life balance that includes the self-care and self-kindness I need to be healthy and happy.

SINS Reborn Playing Cards Mentis EditionWhat issues should I be aware of as I plant the “seeds” of my future harvest?
Ten of Clubs, Seven of Hearts, Eight of Clubs

Make sure that you are not allowing yourself to pile on too much. You know how you get when you start doing things and investing in them, you pile on more and more under the influence of your enthusiasm until that weight becomes too much and causes the passion to then fizzle out as a result.  Don’t do that.

What care do my “seeds” need in order to grow?
Three of Hearts and Seven of Clubs

Make sure that you are not compromising your values and principles in times when you’re feeling low and out of sorts. Sometimes during those times, it feels like it really doesn’t matter if you say “fuck it” and let shit go that you shouldn’t let go.  The thing is?  It does matter, and you need to make sure you’re standing strong for that moral compass of yours even when you’re not really feeling all that strong at all.

What help should I expect to need to help these “seeds” flourish into abundance?
Five of Clubs, Jack of Spade, Queen of Hearts

The help you need is going to come from somewhere unsolicited and possibly unexpected.  There’s a fine line between taking someone as encroaching on what you believe to be your personal terrain, and someone trying to reach out and help.  Make sure, before you snap back at someone for offering their help, that you ensure they’re coming from a place of kindness. Don’t just jump in and lay your shit on them without taking a minute to learn where they are coming from and why.

DECK USED:  SINS REBORN PLAYING CARDS MENTIS EDITION

Morning Bonus Read – Third Eye Reading

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Magic Tarot - Third Eye Tarot Reading

My Third Eye Energy Right Now

King of Cups – If you want full use of your intuition, you need to allow your emotions free reign.  They are connected and you know this.  Own your emotions and don’t spend time trying to deny them.  Get comfortable in their presence instead of shirking away.  This card is not so much about where you are now, but about what you need now in this area.

Tension I’m currently holding in this area.

Knight of Coins – You are looking at everything as work and progress. It’s holding you back from experiencing things fully in the moment when you constantly look at everything as another step forward.

How I can release this tension.

Knight of Cups – Spend more time in the now. Enjoy the moment instead of constantly planning and plotting your way forward again and again.  More time stopping to smell the roses will connect you more closely to what brings you pleasure and that, in turn, will make your connection to your emotions and intuition stronger.

A message from my intuition.

The Chariot – Stop fucking around. Plotting and planning, scheming and strategizing.  You’re doing everything except moving forward because all this extraneous shit is holding you up and holding you back.  Snap the reigns and start moving into your growth instead of hedging at it.

Something my dreams are trying to tell me.

Page of Cups – Again, don’t forget that your emotions and your intuition are intimately connected. This reading is filled with Cups for a reason.  As you learn and grow in your emotional growth, so too will your intuition grow.

Something about my psychic abilities I should explore.

Nine of Cups –  Don’t worry about it right now.  As noted above, as you learn and grow through your emotional growth, so too will your intuition grow. This is a natural evolution.  You’ve spent a long time developing your intuition and your trust in it.  Allow it to strengthen and appreciate what it adds to your life.  Gratitude… not grasping.

DECK USED:  MAGIC TAROT

Weekly Creativity Prompt – The Chariot

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Prompt: “Pull the card from your deck that matches [The Chariot from Tarot of the Hidden Realm]. Compare the imagery between the card provided and the card from your own deck(s). How would you read them differently and why?”

The Chariot - Tarot of the Hidden RealmTarot of the Hidden Realm – Here we see controlled abandon in the card.  In the expression on the Fae’s features is joyous celebration of that abandon, but also a thread of confidence that displays even as she enjoys the ride, she is the one in charge of not just the speed at which they move but the direction that they go in.  This sense of control is reinforced by the bridle that the unicorn wears. The imagery here tells us that control doesn’t always have to be joyless and stoic.  Sometimes it’s in savoring the ride as we ride the chaos… instead of the chaos riding us.

Icarus Tarot, Hydesville Tarot, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Tarot

Icarus Tarot – Here in this card we have stagnancy in the sphinx that are attached to the chariot, and yet, there is absolutely no doubt that this figure is going to get where they’re going.  Fierce determination is in every cut and contour of the driver’s visage, control clear in the cut of the hands and curl of the fingers. This card displays savage determination and a will to come out on top, no matter the obstacles in their path.

Hydesville Tarot – Here we have the most “classic” of the images between the cards displayed with the military leader in full regalia, spear at the ready and in full control of the two horses (Pegasus in this case) that pull his chariot forward.  No reigns needed, for his control is complete and undeniable. The symmetry and balance present create a solid sense of stability. The expression on the driver’s face is one of studious determination.  They know where they’re going, have a plan, and they clearly have everything well in hand.

She-Ra And The Princesses of Power Tarot – Here in this card we have a lesson in extremes.  This card’s imagery is about losing control or taking on too much control.  When you lose control, others may step in and take the reigns, but are you sure that they can be trusted?  On the flip side, too much control leaves you like the figure in the background.  Alone and ignored, forgotten or feared.  This Chariot card is about finding balance between too much control… and not enough.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE HIDDEN REALM, ICARUS TAROT, HYDESVILLE TAROT, SHE-RA AND THE PRINCESSES OF POWER TAROT

Morning Bonus Read – Monthly Key Spread

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Art Nouveau Lenormand - Monthly Key Spread

Key to Your Heart: What will Guide you to make decisions that are aligned with your heart and your truths this month?

Anchor – Grounding is going to be very important to your peace of mind this month. When life is feeling a bit out of control, be sure to fall back into this practice, as making sure that you are well grounded will help a great deal in insuring that you make decisions that remain aligned with your hearts and truths, as well as your moral compass.

Anchor: What will ground you in the face of anxiety, stress, overwhelm, and existential dread in general?

Bear – Be fierce. Be strong. There are a lot of ways to deal with anxiety, stress, overwhelm, and depression. This month?  Don’t take that shit lying down. Protect what’s yours and stand strong in the face of the opposition and perceived problems. This doesn’t mean treating yourself badly or taking for granted your need for your own self care, it means you do what needs done to keep yourself steady and strong.

Star Wand: What accelerates your magic, creativity, and manifestation powers?

Tower – Isolation and alone time gives you the connection to your inner magic needed to create and manifest.  When you don’t get enough of this healthy alone time where you can hole up and just be, then you begin to loose your enthusiasm for creative endeavors and manifestation powers.   When you start to feel that loss, it’s time to step away and retreat to your place of peace and quiet, give yourself some alone time to set your energies back to right again.

Blessings from the Stars: The Universe has got your back – how will you be supported this month?

Clover – Luck!  Not the long term kind, but the kind that comes in short bursts just when you need it.  Don’t anticipate the worst and allow for self fulfilling prophesies to become reality.  Instead, allow yourself to anticipate that luck is on your side this month and is going to pounce in to lend a hand when you need a bit of extra help.

One Trick Up Your Sleeve: A life saving idea or inspiration for any unexpected challenge or difficult moments?

Broom – Lean in.  Use that remarkable focus and drive to overcome these moments. Remember that you  have a lot of experience with struggle and strife to fall back on to help you in moving forward.  You may not escape unscathed, but you are well prepared with will power and determination, and you can do it if you put your mind to it.

Emergence Pt 1: What is emerging within you / within your reality right now?

Moon – Out of the darkness of the depression you went through in the early part of the year, this month you will find yourself free to feel once more. Emotions are rising to the surface

Emergence Pt 2: What are you expanding towards?

Mice – Remember that your emotions and your intuition are intimately connected.  When one is stifled, so is the other.  When one is thriving, as this card indicates will be the case this week… so too will the other. Make sure that you don’t struggle against the rise of emotions, or you will end up muffling your intuition in the process.  Burying your emotions has always seemed quite harmless and even beneficial for the most part, but it’s not.

DECK USED:  ART NOUVEAU LENORMAND

Transitioning from April to May

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Linescape Tarot and Metaphoric Therapy Cards

Individuality – Seven of Pentacles – It can often be difficult to remember that others do not judge you as harshly as you judge yourself.  You’ve come a long way in your growth and in grounding yourself in this knowledge, but you also still have a long way to go.  No one is staring at you.  Promise.  They want to accept you and love you, just as you are.

Dependence – High Priestess – Let go of the chaos and your intuition will become better grounded. All that anxiety is like a tornado turning your world upside down and making it hard to find the balance and stability needed for your intuitive self to grow and thrive.

Creativity – Ace of Swords atop Five of Cups – Overcoming hopelessness with new ideas is something you excel at and need to lean into moving forward.  Don’t linger in the disappointments, sadness, and negativity.  Instead pull yourself free with the “fresh air breeze” of new ideas and allow them to lift you up into a new path when needed.

Limitation – Emperor – It can be hard to relate to people in power sometimes. Sometimes they display behavior that has been trained into them, like police or border agents being overly aggressive without provocation. Keep in mind that these types of behavior are not a reflection on you or anything that you are doing, but rather a tactic meant to put you on edge.  Stay calm and rise above.

Change – Two of Swords – Pay attention and listen closely.  Opportunities to allow your passions to thrive are coming, and it may feel like their out of reach but they’re not.  It will simply take some careful listening, creative thinking, and a bit of discernment and decisive decision making to get you where you want to go.

Sympathy – Seven of Swords – Family betrayals. Broken promises and broken trusts have created in you a feeling of distrust and entanglement that is primed to rise to the surface and needs some attention to get under control. You’ve made a good deal of progress in making peace with your father and your past in this area, but it doesn’t really cover the whole “family” aspect of the thing, does it?

Luck – The Fool – Use the joy and bolstering sense of elation that comes with your accomplishments to lift you up and give you fresh eyes and fresh energy.  You have a lot to be grateful for and a lot to be proud of.  Don’t discount these things just because it’s you that has earned them and not someone else.

Power – Four of Pentacles – Having your wings clipped is painful and it can ground you when you’d be far happier taking flight.  Be careful that you don’t create a situation where you are left feeling alone and hurt because you clipped your own wings and grounded yourself to the point that grounding is no longer a boon, but instead becomes a trap.

Responsibility – Empress – Don’t leave anyone behind.  Sometimes we get so distracted in one thing that we end up losing focus on other things.  This is true about people, about projects, interests, and even physical items. You’re being given an opportunity to find a balance that spreads your nurturing in an even and healthy way. Make sure that you continue to keep this goal in mind moving forward.

Message from Spirit World – From gray days of suppression, discomfort, and what seems like insurmountable barriers, you’ve done well at trusting your instincts and seeking out what suits you best in life. Make sure that you do not lose sight of these things moving forward.  There is a place for the things you feel are important in the balance you seek.  Just don’t forget what those things are along the way.

Message from Mind’s World – Being pulled between chaos and calm is something you’ve struggled with throughout your entire life in a number of different aspects of your life. Take care not to let these struggles and imbalances drag you down. Instead, continue to seek new ways to deal with them and mitigate their negative influences.

Message from Known World – The entanglement of betrayals and disappointments with your family are in the past. Although the past influences the present, make sure that you don’t allow it to overtake your sense of accomplishment and destroy the spark of fun in life.

DECKS USED:  LINESCAPE TAROT, METAPHORIC THERAPY CARDS