Prioritize Joy

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Luis Royo's The Labyrinth Tarot and Halloween Affirmation Cards@GlitterbyInk #OctoberCauldron24 Prompt
Cauldron of Warming Prompt for October 1st : Prioritize

Today’s draw is the Nine of Cups combined with the affirmation “Like a ghost, I transcend limitations.”

The cards in today’s reading are a reminder that while you are working to prioritize the things that you enjoy and that make you feel sated and happy, make sure you are not letting inconsequential shit get in your way.

I say “while” because this is something you need to make sure that you are prioritizing instead of procrastinating on. A part of self-care is in fulfilling one’s needs, including your needs for pleasure and enjoyment.

DECKS USED:  LUIS ROYO’S THE LABYRINTH TAROT AND SELF-MADE HALLOWEEN AFFIRMATION CARDS

@Lionharts #TheOctoberTarot Season of the Witch Prompt
Question for October 1st : The witch’s season calls my name, what sparks ignite my sacred flame?

The Arcanaless II - The Black Hole, Heresiarch, The ChururgeonThe Black Hole – Curiosity. That sacred spark within you is often about creativity, and that begins with an innately curious mind. When your curiosity is drawn to the surface, that spark of creativity soon follows, rather it’s in wanting to try your hand in something new or wandering off mentally into a thought exercise or rabbit hole of research.

The Chirurgeon – Intelligence and Skill. Often, when that spark of curiosity is drawn to the surface, it’s because your interested and your mind says “I can do that”. This is how you discover new skills and abilities, and how you develop new hobbies and techniques.  Whether the thought is “I can do that” or “there has to be a better way”, your curiosity and intelligence engage and skill development becomes a part of the process.

Heresiarch – Personalized Spirituality. Here, too, creativity plays a role. You have been on your Pagan path a long time, and you have been customizing and tailoring that path to what you feel is right and what you believe with each step along the way.  In your gut, you know when something is right for you and fits, and when you see a new idea or concept you’re interested in, you’re not shy about researching it to see if it’s for you.

Take Away: The answer to what (singular) spark ignites my sacred flame is creativity. It is the common denominator between all three of the cards pulled above and answers that they provided.

Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Hoya Leaf for Inward Exploration
Foraged Red Alder Catkins for Balancing Polar Energies
Carnelian Agate for Warmth and Courage
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: THE ARCANALESS II

#DiscordTarotholicsOct2024 Challenge Prompt
Question for October 1st : What do you need to focus on for self-care for this upcoming new moon?

Luis Royo's The Labyrinth Tarot - Three of Cups, Queen of Wands, Seven of SwordsReading Summary: Watch for a betrayal (Seven of Swords) of the encouragement and inspiration given to another (Queen of Wands) that will arrive within a moment of shared revelry (Three of Cups).

Take Away: There has been a great many warnings lately about staying vigilant concerning those who may betray your trust or try to manipulate you into acting outside your nature. Here again is the warning concerning betrayal by someone who has been inspired and encouraged by you.

The lure of togetherness and good times is a strong one. These cards indicate that it will also be the guise in which the betrayal will arrive, or possibly the bait used to lure you in.  Pay attention so that you don’t fall into the trap.

Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Bay Leaf for Protection From Negativity
Western Hemlock Cones for Balance During Disruptions
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: LUIS ROYO’S THE LABYRINTH TAROT

@HealingThruTarot’s #httOctoberTarotChallenge2024 Prompt
Prompt for October 1st : Abundance I’m reaping this harvest.

Ludy Luscot Tarot - Three of Pentacles, Wheel of Fortune, Six of PentaclesReading Summary: Lady Luck (Wheel of Fortune) is on your sideand being generous (Six of Pentacles) at the moment , so round up your worker bees and get some stuff done (Three of Pentacles) while the getting is good.

Take Away:  Your abundance comes not just in the favor of luck being on your side for the moment, but that you have a variety of helpers willing to work with you toward your goals.

This harvest, don’t forsake those helpers, but step into the embrace of the love they give you when they are offering to help you.  Accept their assistance and let them help carry you toward your goals.  As many of your readings lately have been reminding you… you don’t need to carry everything on your shoulders alone.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Oak Leaf for Strength and Perseverance
Wooden Mandala for Understanding
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: LUDY LESCOT TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I took an ibuprofen before I started working on putting up decorations at Ms B’s house today, and another once I finished.  It helped keeping pain to a minimum, and the back and joint spasms weren’t as bad as they could have been as a result.

📆 Transitioning from September to October

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Month End Tarot Reading with the Ostara Tarot

Here and Now I Exist – Who you are now, in your entirety.

King of Swords – You are a good leader, cunning and clever, but you are holding yourself too far apart from others in an effort to protect yourself from getting hurt. Allowing yourself vulnerability won’t wrest your power from your grip, but will instead only make you stronger.

The Slough – What is to be left in the past as you move forward.

Page of Cups – This specific card has a tendency to come up for this question around this time of year. It is a reminder that with the holiday rush right around the corner, your time to explore emotions and work on your emotional intelligence is coming to an end for the year. Time flies, and soon it will be nose-to-the-grindstone with the holiday rush.

What Lies Ahead – An ideal state or ideal self you are seeking at this time.

Ten of Wands – This card indicates that “ideal states” are like perfection, they don’t really exist and are overrated. You -want- to take on everything, put it all on your shoulders, and deal with it with alacrity and grace. This card is a reminder that that vision in your head is a lie.

Limitations – Negative influences, opposition, or ill will.

The Tower – Chaos is not your friend right now. Work on staying organized, and when things don’t go exactly as planned, relax into the fall instead of tensing up.

(Note: “Relaxing into the fall” is a term used in tight rope walking and areal gymnastics to encourage going boneless when falling in order to minimize injury. Much in the way drunks often have serious mishaps without injury.)

The Boon – Positive influences, higher guidance, or divine intervention.

The Magician – You are independent, strong willed, and well rounded. You have all that you need to not just “make it through” but to accomplish whatever you set your mind to. Make sure that you are tapping into these qualities when they are needed.  You are far from helpless.

The Wound – An unpleasant past experience or event that is ripe for some support and healing.

Page of Swords – Sometimes, like a kid running with scissors and someone gets hurt, people say things without thinking and carve a piece out of you in the process. Just like that kid with the scissors, it’s not intentional and not meant to be malicious. Make sure that you are looking beyond the injury to see the motivations of others clearly. Remember… accidents happen.

Nostalgia – A positive past experience or event to acknowledge, reflect upon, and enjoy.

Knight of Pentacles – Sometimes the hard work isn’t worth it… but not often. When you continue to stubbornly push forward even when conditions are horrible, the rewards are nearly always worth the effort put in and then some. And, in the glow of accomplishment afterward, it’s easy to forget just how horrible the journey was now that it’s behind you.

A Warning – Something coming that can be prevented or overcome.

Three of Wands – Watch out for the feeling of moving forward when you’re really just circling the drain hole. Keep your eves open for opportunities for real progress instead of just the illusion of it.

Empowerment – A future opportunity to work toward.

King of Cups – Look to Gideon for support when you need it. He can help you in finding emotional stability if you let him guide you and follow his lead.

Message from the Spirit World – We take pride in your efforts to learn more about and understand your emotions instead of continuing your ignore them. It may feel sometimes like your running in circles, but you are in fact developing lifelong skills that will help you with future goals.

Message from the Mind’s World – Make sure that you don’t let your inner dialogue’s sharp tongue push you into taking on so much that you buckle under the weight. Loved ones are there to help. Use your freshly learned interpersonal skills to diversify the load.

Message from the Physical World – You’ll make things far harder on yourself than they need to be by not taking care to acknowledge where you are still learning and in need of help or guidance. Lean into those that can give you guidance when you need it instead of stubbornly insisting on going it alone.

Take Away – You are not abandoning your emotional intelligence journey by focusing on the holiday rush that approaches. That journey will still be there for you when you return to it after the rush is over.

Make sure you are delegating your work load instead of taking it all on yourself.

DECKS USED: OSTARA TAROT

Keep Fighting

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

Honestly? I can’t remember what the meditation was about.  I listened to the whole thing, followed the breathing exercises, et al. Unfortunately, whatever the message was behind today’s session… it didn’t stick, since I can’t remember a single bit of it.

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Hush Tarot's Five of Swords and It’s Going To Be Okay 2024 Day-to-day Calendar By Kate AllanToday’s draw is the Five of Swords combined with the affirmation “No matter how awful today is, you get to curl into bed at the end of it.”

Some days are just fucked and there’s nothing you can do about it except keep fighting. Keep going. Thrash your way through the weeds and obstacles and do what you can to stay on your feet and come out the other side victorious.

The cards for today are a reminder that there’s an end to that fight.  It might not feel like it in the moment, but don’t give up.  Once you’re victorious, that rest that comes afterward will feel that much more sweet for having made it through.

DECK USED:  HUSH TAROT AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

#DiscordTarotholicsSep2024 Challenge
Prompt for September 30th : Grab a spread of your choice that you’ve been curious about… and give it a go!
Spread: So You’re Uncomfortable ~ A spread for sitting in discomfort rather than running from it

Okay, so the first time I did this spread today, I was just off from having been talking to a friend about the death of her father and… welp.  Lets just say that I’ve done this spread twice today, because the first time I did it was too close to the phone call and the reading accidentally ended up being about her and her situation.

Here is the second attempt, which is mine… and far lighter than the first time around.

So You're Uncomfortable Tarot Reading with the Hush Tarot - The Hermit, Six of Pentacles, Knight of Cups

A tension point.

Six of Pentacles – A lack of generosity towards yourself. You are unable to treat yourself as kindly and fairly as you treat others, and spend far too much time beating yourself up mentally and emotionally while pushing yourself to fulfill unreasonable expectations of excellence and perfection.

A truth about your discomfort.

The Hermit – You do this to yourself, and by closing yourself off to others, it only perpetuates the pattern.

Something you can do to stay present.

Knight of Cups – Acknowledge and stay in touch with your needs and wants. Go after them instead of setting them aside. They are just as important as your responsibilities and ambition. Perhaps you need to consider that they aren’t just as important… but more important and should be prioritized as such.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Western White Fir Tip for Staying True to Self
Foraged Red-Stemmed Feather Moss for Attentive Understanding
Carnelian Agate for Warmth and Courage
Cedar Smoke Cleansing Bundle for Protection
Desert Rose for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: HUSH TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I hopped back on the meditation train… two days in a row now!

Ignorance Is Not Bliss

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Today’s meditation was nine minutes long, and was one of the #DailyTrip sessions in the Calm app.

The topic of today’s session was about plateauing in one’s practice. That is to say that just like when learning a skill, or losing/gaining weight, or any other experience where you are learning and changing over time, there is always going to be plateaus where you level out and feel like you aren’t making any more progress.

This guided meditation spoke about that experience, and encouraged the listener to consider plateaus as a time for your body and mind to process without conscious thought. This meditation session reminds us that just because you aren’t aware that you’re growing doesn’t mean that you’re not growing. The plateau is a time for the things that you have learned and growth you’ve made to cement themselves into place and become permanent.

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Bone Dead Tarot's Eight of Swords and Soul Creatures OracleToday’s draw is the Eight of Swords combined with the affirmation “I shape my own destiny with skill and precision.”

The Eight of Swords is about what you are not seeing, and perhaps even willfully being ignorant about.  The cards for today are a reminder that precision requires awareness. Not just self awareness, but also awareness of the world around you. That precision falls into the weeds and skill isn’t worth much if you aren’t paying attention.

Thus, if you want to shape your own destiny and meat your goals with precision and skill? You need to make sure that you are paying attention to what’s going on around you.  Don’t stick your head in the sand and expect everything will turn out okay.  That’s just setting yourself up as a buffet for the wolves.

DECK USED:  BONE DEAD TAROT AND SOUL CREATURES ORACLE

#DiscordTarotholicsSep2024 Challenge
Prompt for September 28th : Ask a Stupid Question Day – Ask your cards a stupid question and see what they say.
Prompt for September 29th : Do Spread 2
Question : What would happen if I just skipped the holiday rush this year?

Halloween Postcard Oracle and Bone Dead Tarot - The Emperor, The Sun, The Beginning

Reading Summary:  You might feel empowered by skipping the holiday rush, but it would be the beginning of the end for your goals and dreams, even if you enjoyed taking it easy and basking in the glow of the holidays.

In the Emperor card, the surrounding gold glow reflects the border at the bottom of the anchor card. This indicates that the feeling of empowerment that you would feel by skipping the holiday rush is only a mask, as is indicated in the words “Halloween time” in the bottom border. In the moment, it might conflate your ego to do as you please and make you feel like you’re in charge, but that is an illusion.

The black miasma of the beginning card is reflected in the hissing black cat in the lower left-hand corner of the anchor card. You won’t like the result of your actions. It may be the beginning of something, but would be the beginning of the end of what’s important to you, and that fact would put you on the defensive in the long run.

The radiant sun in The Sun card reflects in the yellow of the broom… but only just. Combined with the carefree skeleton and his colors connecting to the moon in the background of the anchor card, what we see here is a moment of pleasure that will quickly be swept away. You may enjoy the warm glow of loved ones and the holiday season, but it won’t last and by closing your eyes to what is important, the feelings of success experienced in stepping away (as seen in the The Emperor’s horns also matching the skeleton in The Sun, and the moon in the background of the anchor card) will only be temporary (setting sun instead of high in the sky).

Take Away: Well, it’s a stupid question for a reason! It is obviously a bad idea, as you knew before you asked. That temporary sense of relief and control that comes with rejecting your responsibilities (and what is your greatest source of income over the next few months) may feel empowering in the moment, but will lead to destruction of all that you’ve worked for in the end. The pleasure and feelings of success for stepping away would be temporary, just as the sun sets instead of staying continuously in the sky.

DECK USED: BONE DEAD TAROT AND SELF-MADE HALLOWEEN POSTCARDS ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

I let myself sleep in late because I struggled to fall asleep last night.

❤️ Self Care Saturday (On a Sunday)

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These Saturday readings are (not usually) bearing in on any one thing or event in my life, as the question used is asking for a more general outlook. This is a self care exercise, and is not meant as a predictive reading… although that, too, happens on occasion.

The question is… What do I need to focus for self-care through the week ahead?

Self-Care Saturday Tarot Reading with the Bianco Nero Tarot and Oracle Lumière d'Orient

Earth – King of Cups atop The Sun – Time with Gideon is going to be essential this week, and physical contact is important. Make sure to avoid further subdrops in order to keep things light and happy, and get the most out of this time with him.

Air – Two of Pentacles – Don’t stew on one thing to the deficit of other things in your life. Slipping into flow state feels really good, but when you sink so deeply into a singular focus you neglect everything else. Now’s not the time for that.

Water – Death – Don’t fight. Don’t fight against your current subdrop, and don’t fight against the shifting emotions you experience. Everything is temporary, and the key is to acknowledge and move with the shifts and changes, not to resist them and fight a losing battle to keep things stagnant.

Fire – Ace of Wands Rx – No new projects this week, and as noted in the Air position already in this reading, no sinking into flow state. Work on getting done some of the things that you aren’t entirely enthusiastic about and get them out of the way.

Waning – Coffin and Man – Put to bed the need to project common male stereotypical behavior. It’s a defense mechanism. It’s okay to be vulnerable. It’s okay for people to -see- that you are vulnerable.

Waxing – Scythe and Tower – This is the resurfacing of a warning on repeat from earlier in the year. Watch closely those around you, and quickly purge from your life those that are not healthy for you.

Take Away – Be vulnerable and allow the subdrop to run its course instead of trying to smother it or ignore it.

Lean into others you trust, and stay far away from those that don’t have your best interests at heart this week.

Work on prep for the holiday rush that you’ve been putting off and get it done.

DECKS USED: BIANCO NERO TAROT AND ORACLE LUMIÈRE D’ORIENT

Your Own Pace

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Tarot of the Little Prince's Page of Pentacles and It’s Going To Be Okay 2024 Day-to-day Calendar By Kate AllanToday’s draw is the Page of Pentacles combined with the affirmation “It’s okay to grow at your own pace.”

Not only is it okay to grow at your own pace, it’s okay to look like an idiot or a chump while you’re doing so. Starting something new often comes with a period that feels even more lost and stupid then the “novice” stage. A lot of times people avoid beginning something new or returning to something that they failed at in the past to try again specifically because they fear making a fool of themselves or looking the fool to others.

The message in today’s cards is that everyone has these same fears and experiences with trying new things. That doesn’t mean you give up or turn away from something you want to try. It means that you do it anyway, and pay attention to your own progress and do things at your own pace, instead of worrying about what others think.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE LITTLE PRINCE AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

@mercurytarot #SensualSeptemberTarot Challenge
Prompts for September 24th, 25th, 29th, and 30th

Tarot of the Little Prince and Thistledown OracleWhat are my sexual fears?

King of Cups and Ferocity – Disappointing your partner. His need for you, sexually and otherwise, is so fierce. When your fears get the best of you, you worry that if you can’t keep up that he will first feel neglected and then begin to stray. Not necessarily stray physically, but in his heart and mind.

What are my sexual fantasies?

Page of Cups and Intrigue – Although you have not been a virgin for a long time, you love bringing that aspect of things into your sexual encounters with your partner. He loves the feeling of being “first”, and you love giving that to him while revisiting that experience of anticipation and newness for yourself under his hands.  Sometimes it feels almost like rewriting history.

What new habit can I commit to?

Three of Wands and Release – Let go of your need to plan out every little aspect before moving forward. In the nature of this challenge’s focus on the sexual side of life, this means that it’s okay to be impulsive. It’s okay to jump in with both feet. You don’t have to worry about the crash and burn, because he’s there for you as a safety net.

What’s next for me sexually?

Page of Pentacles and Re-energize – Keep going with the new experiences and trying new things. It keeps the spark alive for both of you.

DECK USED: TAROT OF THE LITTLE PRINCE AND THISTLEDOWN ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

I took time to get next month’s templates all set up for these blog posts. It makes things easier in the long run if all the formatting is already ready to go and I can just pull the cards and write up my impressions rather than worrying about the formatting and everything else at the same time.