Unseen Guidance

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Matronua Tarot's Two of Swords and Chakra Mandalas DeckDaily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Two of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of crossroads, difficult decisions, needing more information, seeking inward for answers, weighing one’s options, and sometimes avoidance.

As someone that works in mediumship and is sensitive to energies, I can (at least for myself) definitively say that we are not alone.

Nor, as we move along our path, are our decisions uninfluenced by those that linger.

It’s not that they make choices for us (note: your definition of “they” may vary. ex: ancestors and spirits of the dead, angels, spirit, guides, deity, etc), but they do try to help us and guide us; if we are willing to open up to listening to them.

The message in today’s cards is a reminder that our journey on life’s path is not something we do alone, nor are we rudderless in the sea of life. Yes, we make the decisions on where we go and what we do, but guidance is available if you’re willing to open up and listen.

DECK USED:  MATRONUA TAROT (aka. TAROCCHI ITALIANI DIPINTI A MANO DA VALENTINA DE LUCA) AND CHAKRA MANDALAS DECK

@LightningWildflower‘s July Tarot Challenge
Integrate Prompts for July 28 – 31

The Chef Oracle ReadingWhat lessons from my past are ready to be integrated into the present?

Salt atop Mushroom – It’s through observation that you are best able to protect yourself. Before acting in the same old patterns as the past, stand back and watch first. When you react without this pause, you leave yourself wide open to negative influences.

How can I  honor past lessons without clinging to old narratives?

Thyme – Have the courage to break free of old patterns instead of repeating them. The unknown can be scary, but you need to remember that what you’ve known before isn’t all wine and roses either. There is value and benefit in thinking outside the box and stepping outside your comfort zone.

What positive experiences have had the biggest impact on me?

Butcher – Look at how you learn and develop your skills. Those things you have developed expertise in took a lot of work, but your learning process is unique and can be applied to life in a myriad of different ways.

What have I learned about myself over the last month?

Beef – Over the past month you have gotten a better grasp on where you fit in other people’s lives, and what roles you play not just in their lives but also your own. This boils down to a greater sense of self-acceptance of all that you are.

Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Rhododendron Leaf for Fostering Confidence
Aragonite for Truth and Understanding
Septarian Stone for Physical and Mental Healing
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: THE CHEF ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

I took time to relax and take a nap at Ms B’s today while I was there.

Gideon’s Challenge – Your Devotion

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Field ChickweedYour Devotion

It is in
your eyes
when you look
at me
Devotion
that steals
the breath
and I wonder
how I possibly
passed muster
to become
your everything
and for you
to allow me
to make you
mine

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Honey vs Vinegar

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Inner Child Deck's Knight of Clouds/Knight of Swords and Inner Joy OracleDaily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Queen of Swords (Clouds), which is traditionally a representation of a receptive alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s knowledge, education, logic, ambitions, or communication. This often translates into themes that have to do with the people that foster you through tough love and sharp-tongued advice.

Keep those narratives (inner and outer) positive.

Yes, tough love is a thing. Remember, though, that it’s usually not necessary.

Instead of letting your sharp tongue and sharper mind step in and start cutting right out of the gate, take a slow breath and try a softer, kinder, and more compassionate approach first. You can always resort to that sharper edge if needed, but these cards are a reminder that you’ll “draw more flies with honey than vinegar”.

Today’s message is to not be an ass until you actually have to be. It might be more expedient, but it puts people on edge and pushes them away. Take the time to try kindness first. Those hard, sharp edges can come out later if needed.

DECK USED:  THE INNER CHILD DECK AND INNER JOY ORACLE

#DiscordTarotholicsJul2025 Challenge
Philosophical Question for July 30 : What distinguishes knowledge from belief?

The Card of Changes Oracle ReadingReading Summary: Knowledge is the beginning of something solid (Qián). Belief has the ability to not just be wrong (Gǔ), but fool us with deceptions and mistaken impressions if we aren’t careful (Xiǎo Guò).

Take Away: These cards indicate that knowledge is based in truth, which is based in proof.  Belief, on the other hand, is based in one’s feelings and personal understanding, which is not as solid a foundation as truth and proof.

I’d like to add that this doesn’t necessarily mean that belief cannot be knowledge as well, but it requires proof positive to bridge the gap between one and the other.

Other elements included in this reading:
Black Spruce needles to Boost Self-Confidence and Positive Thinking
Dried Purple Heather Flowers for Independence and Luck
Amethyst Buddha for Serenity in Spiritual Connections
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: THE CARD OF CHANGES ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

I finally gave in and ordered myself a new sleeper earring (I lost the old one) for my unhappy helix piercing. It’s been bugging me for a while, and I need to get something in there that won’t agitate it instead of just hoping it’ll stop on its own.

Gideon’s Challenge – Pandora’s Box

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Mediumship BoxPandora’s Box

A bit of yew
and touch
of cedar
joined with
citrine
and a sliver
of amethyst
and in time
words will slip
past your lips
as you whisper
songs
in my ear

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Strength In Vulnerability

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

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The Nigel Jackson Tarot's World Card and Inner Joy OracleDaily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is The World card, which is traditionally a representation of the end of a journey, the completion of a time of growth, accomplishment, and transitioning from one path in life to another.

When we learn to accept and appreciate our vulnerabilities, a new journey begins.

When I became my partner’s submissive seventeen(?) years ago, I spent a few years feeling awkward and embarrassed. Not with what we have or did with each other, but with how others might perceive me. I worried that in other people’s eyes, being submissive in our relationship made them see me as weak.

It took me time to accept that this is a part of myself, and even longer to see, understand, and truly accept that my submission is not a weakness. It takes courage to let someone else take the reigns, and strength to find that balance in a relationship that fits for both of you. It also takes strength to allow our vulnerabilities to show, which is also a part of submission (not to mention the subdrop, which I’m personally prone to).

Once I got to a point where I could see that strength in my submission and all it entailed? It no longer mattered anymore what others thought. I had moved into accepting myself and my vulnerabilities more easily.

Today’s cards ask us to look at these things about ourselves that we see as weaknesses or vulnerabilities, and seek out how they make us better and stronger. The message here encourages us to recognize that by accepting these vulnerabilities and seeing them as strengths to value, instead of weaknesses to be ashamed of, we become more authentically us.

DECK USED:  THE NIGEL JACKSON TAROT

@LightningWildflower‘s July Tarot Challenge
Reveal Prompts for July 25 – 27

The Spiritual Meaning of Birds Oracle ReadingWhat truths are coming to light in my life?

Chickadee/Sweet Brier – It’s is through the shedding of old ideas and patterns for new ones that we continue to grow and change. You lead naturally in areas where you hold knowledge and expertise. Remember that keeping that expertise up-to-date and relative means not getting so bogged down by old ideas and traditions that new ones can’t be added.

What hidden gifts have I uncovered?

Cuckoo/Feverpod atop Magpie – You have a one track mind when it comes to your hoarding tendencies, and aren’t above lying to yourself to convince yourself to continue on with addictive behaviors (which hoarding is included in) well past when it would be healthier to back off.

Fortunately, you are aware of this and work to stay attentive to these issues. As you have begun to explore mediumship, your ancestors have also stepped forward to help in establishing and maintaining balance this area.

What am I afraid (or resistant to) reveal to others?

Wren/Winged Elm – You are resistant to let other’s see your more extreme swings in mood and behavior. You don’t like the highs and lows, and worry that showing these extremes may cause you to appear less dependable. You’ve worked so hard to create a stable foundation for yourself, and worry that these extremes could create cracks in that foundation not just for yourself, but also for others who depend on your stable nature.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Wood Fern for Exorcising Negative Influences
Dried Rhododendron Leaf for Fostering Confidence
Rainforest Rhyolite for Facilitating Calm Transitions
Flower Agate Moon for Opening the Mind to New Possibilities
Gneiss Wishing Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: THE SPIRITUAL MEANING OF BIRDS

Daily Self Kindness

I went to the dentist to have my cleaning done, even though I was extremely tempted to cancel my appointment.

Gideon’s Challenge – Summer Silence

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Wild Hop VineSummer Silence

Cling tighter,
my love
and hold me
tight
in the moments
when the wind
whispers
and summer heat
spills over
my skin to
make me shiver
because
I need you
closer still

Photo © ZenStatePhotography