Temperance vs Minimalism

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Today’s meditation was a ten minute long #DailyCalm session from the @Calm app.

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Mont Saint Johns Astral Tarot - The Devil CardThe @GlitterbyInk #DecemberDays25 Beyond the Solstice Challenge
The Artisan Prompt for December 7 : Minimalist
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is The Devil card, which is traditionally a representation of temptation, struggles with moderation, harmful excesses, addiction, and self-harm.

In my life, there is a war going on between the Devil and Temperance. My addictive personality creates a struggle that requires constant vigilance.

For me, anything that generates pleasure has the potential to become an addiction. And, sometimes, my body and/or brain latches on and says “YES!!!” before I’ve even realized what’s happening.

This is a large part of the reason why I say no to myself so often when I really want to say yes.

The problem is that sometimes? The line between careful vigilance and neglectful treatment gets blurred.  In these moments, what should be good for me (avoiding potential addictions) turns into just another type of self-abuse.

The message in the card for today combined with the “minimalist” prompt is a reminder that temperance is the counter balance to addiction, including possible addictions. There is a difference between using temperance to instill a bit of minimalist thinking into your life, and using it to actually neglect your needs. Find the line between the two instead of allowing that wide distance, and all the wiggle room it provides, to stand.

DECK USED:  ASTRAL TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsDec2025 Challenge
Prompt for December 7th : Do Spread 1

Tarot Reading with the Astral Tarot by Mont Saint Johns

Bear: How can a period of introspection help with healing the past year’s pain?

Six of Cups – Let your introspection tilt towards looking back into the past. Look over the past year to seek out positive remembrances instead of focusing on all the struggles and strife that you had to fight your way through.

Robin: Where can I express more compassion and patience with others?

Four of Wands – At home. Your dust up the other day with Ms B makes it clear that you need to take a moment to put yourself in her shoes now and then. That moment of impatience and flash of temper wouldn’t have happened, had you really thought about the fact that maybe her hearing is going and she just didn’t hear you the first couple times.

Deer: How can I use my intuition to encourage more gentleness and caring?

Seven of Swords Rx – Take care that you don’t get so wrapped up in your own interests and perspectives that you lose sight of how your actions can affect others. Remember that taking care of “number one” doesn’t mean at the sacrifice of others feelings or welfare.

Squirrel: How can prep and resourcefulness help me through the holidays?

The World – Prep and resourcefulness allows you to approach the end of the year with less turbulence and upset. When you’re prepared, including prepared to pivot when needed, things just go smoother all the way around.

Wren: Where can I find inspiration to help me be enthusiastic about the holidays this year?

The Lovers atop King of Pentacles – Take care not to ignore your own needs. You know how important… even essential, stability is to you. Make sure that you are doing the things that will allow you to keep that stability intact from the foundation up.

Boar: In what way can stubborn persistence help me through the rest of this year?

Strength – Your stubbornness is a quality that allows you to take on more pressure without breaking under the weight… but only for very short bursts before it becomes unhealthy for you. As you approach the end of the year, make sure that you are only taking on what needs to be taken on, and holding strong on the boundaries that keep you from taking on too much.

Owl: How can the knowledge I’ve gained this year help me to trust myself better?

The High Priestess Rx – Lean into the practical knowledge you’ve gained. Although you have made a lot of progress in your spirituality this year, as well as your own personal growth, it’s the practical aspects of what you’ve learned this year that are going to carry forward for you and help you to trust yourself and your decision-making process better.

Other elements included in this reading:
Staghorn Sumac for Connecting with Nature and the Wild Within
Foraged Acorns for Protection during New Beginnings
Gneiss Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: ASTRAL TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

This is a catch up post, and I’m not entirely sure what the self kindness was for this day.

Gideon’s Challenge – Winter Rain

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Leaves LostWinter Rain

The water
creeps closer
as raindrops
fall
and levels
rise
and yet
all I can do
is rejoice
that the rains
have returned
once more

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

❤️ 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 Christmas Tales Tarot and Yuletide Lenormand

Earth – Wheel of Fortune – Remember those “sea legs” that you were working on developing so that you could keep a solid foundation during times of uncertainty and unsteadiness in the world? This week will give you your first test of these new “sea legs” of yours. Take note of what works and what doesn’t, and take care not to brace so hard that cracks form in the foundation.

Air – King of Pentacles – Your greatest stability will lie in your ability to communicate well with others this week. Make sure that you are grounding yourself through communication and not closing yourself off from the support and stability that others may be able to provide for you.

Water – Page of Swords – Don’t allow your emotions to step in and keep you from communicating with others. Communication is key this week, even when you’re feeling vulnerable. You need to work through expressing these vulnerabilities rather than trying to hide them.

Fire – Five of Swords Rx – Step away from conflict, instead of locking into it with determination. Now’s not the time.

Waning – Mountain and Dog – Remember that trust and faith aren’t the answer to all problems and obstacles.

Waxing – Stork and Star – Take care not to lose sight of your efforts to focus on the good aspects of things and lean into positivity and optimism. You need that extra boost this week.

Take Away – There’s a great deal of stress placed upon making sure that you are communicating and not trying to hide away your vulnerabilities this week. Instead of leaning into old habits, work on consistency in the positivity exercises that you have been doing to help give you a bit of a lift, both emotionally and otherwise.

DECKS USED: CHRISTMAS TALE TAROT AND YULETIDE LENORMAND

Future Check-Points

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Everyday Hero Tarot - Seven of SwordsThe @GlitterbyInk #DecemberDays25 Beyond the Solstice Challenge
The Mystic Prompt for December 6 : Celestial
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Seven of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of strategic thinking, “sneaky shit”, or getting away with something. It can also often be about taking only what one can carry.

The other day, one of the Discord servers that I’m a member of asked a daily question concerning if you believe in destiny or fate. To many, it was a surprise when I said yes. Probably because I am always preaching how the future is not set in stone. When you do a tarot reading (or any kind of divinatoin) that’s predictive, there’s always going to be room for error. This is because unexpected things come along and change our trajectory all of the time, and in my experience predictive readings are a study in trajectories.

And yet, at the end of the day, we all die. If that’s not an unchangeable destiny or fate in our future, what is?

When you look at things in this perspective, and in the perspective that I have of reincarnation, what you see is that death is kind of a “checkpoint” in our journey. Everyone hits it… but that doesn’t mean it controls everything you do along the way to getting there. You have choices and free will and things you can do and not do. That autonomy is not affected by the checkpoint coming up.

The message in today’s card and “celestial” prompt is a reminder to not let those checkpoints that are written in the stars as unavoidable in our lives rob us of the joy of the journey and the autonomy that we are given to do the things we want to do along the way.

DECK USED:  EVERYDAY HERO TAROT

@Lionharts #TheDecemberTarot Fruits of 2025 Challenge
Hermit Prompts for December 6th

Tarot Reading with the Winter Waite Tarot 2018 EditionA backward glance

Three of Pentacles – Remember the good times had with others at your side and the positive outcomes that came from those experiences. You’re still often reluctant to ask for help and involve others in your work and responsibilities. When you look back at how it has gone by doing so in the past year, though, you will find that there’s been an overwhelmingly positive result in these moments when you did.

A change of plans

Seven of Pentacles – All that hard work that you’ve done over the years may not be paying off as you expected. You’ve still accumulated many benefits along the way, though, and have the opportunity to continue to foster growth. Your efforts aren’t dead yet, so regardless of the change of plans that have been forced upon you? Keep going.

A second chance

Six of Cups Rx – Don’t sugarcoat what was a shit show. Remember that you can give people a second chance without glossing over the negative that already happened in your shared past. Forgiveness, after all, does not mean forgetting.

A shifting stance

Eight of Swords – For a while, when things were so confusing and overwhelming, as a defense mechanism you closed your eyes and let things move around you without your participation or input. That period has come to a close now, and it’s time to begin opening your eyes and moving forward again.

Other elements included in this reading:
Scotch Pine Cone for Purging Negative Influences
Die-cut Moose Figures for Self-Assurance and a Touch of Whimsy
Picture Jasper for Sense of Proportion and Grounding
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: WINTER WAITE TAROT 2018 EDITION

#DiscordTarotholicsDec2025 Challenge
Prompts for December 5th and 6th

Tarot Reading with the Everyday Hero TarotWhat is it that you’re burying that needs to be set free?

The Fool – Your carefree exuberance for life. You spend far too much time trying to instill the weight of responsibility and obligation on every aspect of your life, burying that carefree exuberance in the process.

What is your greatest strength that is currently hidden from you?

The Empress atop Nine of Wands Rx – The ability to choose to let down your guard if you’re given the nurturing that you need. Contrary to your current perception, this is not a weakness, but a strength.

Take Away: These two results prompts the question… are you getting the nurturing support that you need right now? If you were, wouldn’t you be able to more easily let down your defenses and delve into that carefree exuberance you currently have a tendency to lock away? So, what then, is missing that would provide that nurturing support that you’re lacking right now?

Other elements included in this reading:
Staghorn Sumac for Connecting with Nature and the Wild Within
Japanese Cherry Leaf as a Reminder of Life’s Fleeting Moments
Aventurine Goddess for Harmony and Balance of the Heart
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED:  EVERYDAY HERO TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I set up my appointment to get my Covid booster.

Gideon’s Challenge – The Mermaid

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Mermaid Architectural DetailsThe Mermaid

Whimsical moments
in surprising
places
as I stare
out the window
and catch sight
of mermaids
no one else
even sees
and I wonder
if I’m the only one
that’s even looking

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Fleeting Moments

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Today’s meditation was an eleven minute long #DailyTrip session from the @Calm app.

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Tarot of the Gnomes 2002 Edition - Nine of CupsThe @GlitterbyInk #DecemberDays25 Beyond the Solstice Challenge
The Mystic Prompt for December 5 : Shadowy
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Nine of Cups (Drunkenness) card, which is traditionally a representation of themes that have to do with contentment, accomplishment, and satisfaction in the area of one’s emotions, relationships, creativity, and intuition.

For me? There’s always a shadow side to getting what you want. Not just the whole pessimistic “this is never going to last” side of things, although that is there too.  Also, though, the fact that I have to take care that I don’t enjoy the good so much that it ends up an addiction.

The reminder in today’s card and prompt combo is that these drawbacks to when good things happen doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy them.  Yes, I have to take my joy and pleasure in moderation, but that doesn’t mean forsaking it entirely.  Everyone needs a bit of positive experiences, satisfaction, and joy in their lives.  Everyone needs those moments where they can just exhale and say “this is good”.

Just because these moments are fleetingly temporary doesn’t mean we should reject them entirely. Instead, use the fact that they’re temporary as a reminder of just how special they truly are.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE GNOMES 2003 EDITION

@aplacetodock #Yuletide Oracle Challenge
Prompts for December 5th, 6th and 8th

Tarot Reading with the Winter Cat Wonderland Tarot and Petit Lenormand NoeldineWhat to prepare now for Christmas morning?

Lily, Seven of Swords, Mountain – Step to it! Get your hands on any gifts left to be ordered or obtained. Move quickly on these so that there’s time for obstacles when it comes to delivery or other struggles in getting them in your hands. This will ensure that everybody is happy, and you are satisfied with how things go when Christmas morning arrives.

A new Christmas tradition for 2025?

Snake, Ace of Wands, Birds – Instill a new vigilance in monitoring conversations, and ensuring that topics that will create discord don’t get raised or delved into. With the international gathering that’s coming together this year, you want to make sure that things like politics stay out of the discussion so that no one feels alienated or resentful at the end of the night.

What holiday festivity brings me great joy?

Book, Nine of Swords Rx, Garden – You get great joy from being allowed to let your worries go for a while in order to just enjoy the company of others and the stories they have to share.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Acorns for Protection during New Beginnings
Wood burned Chickadee Disk for Adaptability through Change
Foraged Oak Branch with Moss and Lichen for Perseverance
Gneiss Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: WINTER CAT WONDERLAND TAROT AND PETIT LENORMAND NOËLDINE

Tarot Reading with the Tarot of the Gnomes 2002 Edition@LightningWildflower December Arcana Challenge 
Prompts for December 5th and 6th

The High Priestess: What is a truth I’m sensing but haven’t yet spoken out loud?

Ace of Wands Rx and Five of Pentacles – It doesn’t matter how much you work, how passionately you put yourself into your work, or how motivated you are to rake in more resources. It’s never going to be enough.

The Empress: What wisdom can be found in the natural cycles around me?

Ten of Cups Rx and The Moon – (continued from above) This is because you are prevented from ever finding true satisfaction and stability due to your anxieties and fears. Uncertainty plagues you not because you don’t have enough, but because you always feel like there’s not enough. This cycle repeats again and again, like a squirrel hoarding nuts he’ll never eat.

Take Away: Until you can get past the lessons from your childhood and past that tell you that you are not enough, nothing you do will ever be enough, no matter how much you do or accomplish.

Other elements included in this reading:
Deodar Cedar Ceramic Impression for Clarity and Spiritual Connection
Japanese Cherry Leaf as a Reminder of Life’s Fleeting Moments
Conch Shell Knot for Concentration and Clarity
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: TAROT OF THE GNOMES

Daily Self Kindness

This is a catch up post, and I’m not entirely sure what the self kindness was for this day.