❤️ 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?

SCS

Overall Theme – Ladybug – Take care to focus on positivity and optimism this week. You will need their extra influence in your life to help combat any tendrils of depression or pessimism that are trying to rise up and make a mess out of things. Lean into happiness instead of self-flagellation.

Earth – King of Pentacles (Blue Morning Glory) – Make sure that you are staying on top of your responsibilities this week. Ground yourself often to ensure that the stress doesn’t start getting to you, and nip problems in the bud before they have chance to grow in your garden.

Air – The Hermit (Eryngos) atop The Emperor (Peony) – You will have very little chances left to take advantage of alone time and turn it to your advantage. Take charge of you urges to waste that alone time in unhealthy ways that could end up harmful to your mental health.

Water – Knight of Pentacles (Field Bindweed) – Make sure that you are being patient with yourself this week. No beating up on yourself for having to take things slow or because you struggle emotionally while trying to understand how you’re feeling or how to handle it. This is a slow journey that you’ve chosen, and there’s going to be times during the development of your emotional intelligence where you feel stalled out or lost. It’s just a part of the process.

Fire – The Lovers (Adonis and Rose) – Healthy choices are going to be needed in order to make the most out of this week. Make sure you’re taking your vitamins, eating healthy, and treating yourself well so that you have full stamina and a well grounded foundation with which to work from.

Waning – The Bat and Hellebore – Take care that you don’t lean too heavily into your intuition’s past advice this week. There is something “off” that needs rectified. Something you missed or misinterpreted along the way, and you need to pay attention so that you can see it clearly and get it sorted out.

Waxing – The Opossum and Peony – Allowing people to think you are shy lets you blend into the background and see things from a different perspective. Hang back and watch this week, as you will learn more from listening in the background than you will from stepping out into the light.

Take Away – Make sure you are taking care of your needs this week, including those that have to do with grounding yourself so that you can stand tall and strong in the face of responsibility, pressure, and uncertainty.  Make sure you are paying attention this week so you can figure out what’s not quite right that you missed the first time around and fix it before it becomes a problem.

DECKS USED: BOTANICA OCCULTA TAROT AND WOODLAND WARDENS ORACLE

Peace and Wellness Check

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

The Magic Gate TarotToday’s draw is the Nine of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of nightmares, anxiety, insomnia, and negative thoughts and inner narratives.

What I notice most about this card’s imagery is the tree in the background that is looking quite sickly and unwell. Of course, who would feel healthy and well with nine swords threatening your body and roots?

The message in today’s card is to make sure that you are keeping a close eye on your anxiety today and do the things needed to keep it in check. Don’t allow those things hovering in the background to disrupt your peace and wellness.

DECK USED:  THE MAGIC GATE TAROT COLOR EDITION

The #ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt by E Roebuck-Jones
Questions for September 1st thru 3rd

WTNV Holloway Tarot and The Antiquities of Magick OracleWhat helps me stay positive?

Eight of Wands and Sphinx – Movement. When you are still and complacent, the depression tries to sneak in and take control. Movement has always helped you and staying positive, even in the face of disaster. Standing still is not your strong suit, and never has been.

How can I better appreciate all of my talents?

Four of Pentacles and Lantern – Pay attention. Pay attention to your accomplishments and what you have managed to achieve. Your goal is stability above all else, and so be sure to really take a look at the ways in which you have used your talents to create that in your life.

What do I need in order to create success?

Page of Wands and Moon – For you, success rides on the need for passionate pursuit of your curiosity, and the openness to allow yourself to always be learning and guided by the world around you as well as those in it.

DECK USED: WTNV HOLLOWAY TAROT AND ANTIQUITIES OF MAGICK ORACLE AND THE OBJECTIVE ORACLE V1

OwlandBonesTarot’s #BothSidesOfTheTarot Prompt
Questions for September 3rd and 4th

The Magic Gate Tarot and The Objective Oracle V1Where could you use taking action?

Ace of Wands – Allow your spark of enthusiasm and creative passions to be rekindled. Remember that it’s okay to explore new things.

Where could you use being still?

Nine of Cups – Just as it’s okay to experiment and explore, so too is it okay to sit and stew in your happiness. Just make sure that it’s happiness that you’re pausing to stew in.

Finding Balance Between the Two – Allow yourself to be open to new experiences (Open Door), because even the bad ones have value. Don’t be scared that things might go wrong, because that too is a part of the learning and growth process (Mushroom).

What could you learn?

Five of Cups Rx – You could benefit from learning how to more often turn away from pessimism before it has a chance to take a root. Smother it out with the conscious choice of optimism rather than allowing it to flourish.

What could you unlearn?

Three of Wands Rx – You could benefit from unlearning the habit of procrastination and complacency that is often allowed to linger. It feels comfortable, but it’s not helping you.

Finding Balance Between the Two – These tendencies are rooted in your past and upbringing, and are things you need to work in letting go of (Cage). You need to take time to examine and release the pain in your past and it will help you in finding balance in the above mentioned areas (Soap).

DECK USED: THE MAGIC GATE TAROT COLOR EDITION

Daily Self Kindness

I finally got to have a bit of time to play with Gid tonight.  It feels like it’s been forever.

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_7894Frustration

It is not pretty
it is ugly
and  hot
and it rains down
like embers
sparking off the fire’s
edges
to land on the skin
and sear the surface
as it flirts
with sparking
an inferno in the soul
of rage
unquenched

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Security and Control

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Today’s meditation was skipped.  Well, I did it, but it was sort of dawdled through instead of a full meditation.

The Slow Tarot - Four of CoinsToday’s draw is the Four of Coins, which is traditionally a representation of seeking or clinging to stability, often in the form of finances and resources. It is a card that is about stability and control, and can often be interpreted as an indication of miserly urges or behavior.

The card for today encourages us to reflect on how we view security, and what we work to keep within our control. Perhaps it’s time to take a bit of time to consider…. Where are you going a little too far in your own pursuit of stability? Where are you being inflexible where adaptability and flexibility would serve you better?

DECK USED:  THE SLOW TAROT

OwlandBonesTarot’s #BothSidesOfTheTarot Prompt
Questions for September 1st and 2nd

Rebirth Tarot and The Hush TarotWhat needs quieting?

Seven of Pentacles – Quiet your impatience. Some things need to happen in their own time. Pushing in these instances won’t speed anything up, but will only create more unneeded stress and anxiety.

What needs amplification?

Ace of Cups – Instead of trying to control or smother your emotions as they arise, you need to remember to allow them the space that they need to flow freely.

Finding Balance Between the Two – Developing patience with yourself is one of those things you have to be open to in order to accomplish (Left Top Hush Card). It can’t be done if you’re not willing to look at yourself and your motivations clearly and without guile (Top Center Hush Card), which requires help from those around you no matter how determined you are or how much you think you can do on your own (Top Right Hush Card).

Where have you been multitasking?

The Empress – Instead of giving yourself and your self-care needs the undivided focus that is needed, you have been trying to do too much other stuff and “fit in” the self-care as well. You need to actually make space for that self-care instead of just trying to insert it wherever is convenient.

What wants your full attention?

The Tower – The time for tearing down the old and rebuilding better has come to the end in one area, and sprung to life in the other. Don’t allow complacency and avoidance to create an untenable situation. Instead, get going on the changes needed and you can get a jump on the approaching chaos.

Finding Balance Between the Two – Remember that you don’t have to do everything yourself (Bottom Left Hush Card). You have a whole community of people who love you, want to help, and are ready to come together to make things run more smoothly (Bottom Center Hush Card). Plan ahead. Look forward at what needs to be done so that you can plan to get a head start on these things instead of letting them creep up on you and take you by surprise (Bottom Right Hush Card).

Rebirth Tarot and The Hush TarotBonus Cards
The Magician and the Three Birds

Waste not want not, as the saying goes. Make sure you are not letting things go to waste that you can use to further your own goals. Just because something has been discarded by someone else, doesn’t mean that it won’t be absolutely perfect for your own needs.

They say one man’s trash is another’s treasure, after all, and this is important to keep in mind as you step into the season ahead.  Look around for those things that can be reused and repurposed instead of letting them fall to the side and into obscurity.

DECK USED: REBIRTH TAROT AND THE HUSH TAROT (trimmed naked)

To Cull & Gather #VennoxesTarotChallenge Prompt
Questions for September 1st thru 5th – TO BANISH

The Slow Tarot - Four of Coins, Page of Cups, The Moon, The World, Seven of Cups, The Empress, Four of CupsWhat aspect of myself am I denying?

Four of Cups – Your need for solitude and meditation is being pushed into a corner at the moment. You have not been getting enough time in nature out among trees, and especially not enough time frolicking through the liminal spaces there in the forest’s sunlight and shadows. This is understandable since you can’t go alone right now, and having someone else there is a hindrance to the freedom and alone time you need in order to play with your Fae friends freely.

What illusions of myself is clouding my judgment?

The World – You still have a lot further to go on your journey than you think, and that journey is going to go beyond this lifetime and into the next. Your willful ignorance of this fact holds you back from taking your time along life’s path, as you choose instead to rush and push when you don’t need to.

What can I learn from this aspect?

Seven of Cups and The Empress – You can learn how to better pick and choose your battles, and treat yourself more kindly along the way. If you don’t have to rush, then there’s plenty of time to take care of yourself and to explore things one at a time, instead of trying to rush through them quickly so that you can experience them all.

Why am I afraid of this part of myself?

Four of Coins – You’ve been conditioned to feel that stability requires sacrifice, and that one of the greatest sacrifices you can give is your time, which then further sacrifices your self-care as well.

How do I leave it behind?

The Moon and Page of Cups – Use that never-ending imagination and creative spark of yours to lift yourself up out of those times of uncertainty you find yourself in, instead of believing that you must sacrifice everything for that stability that you crave.

DECK USED: THE SLOW TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I took some time to relax and dawdle under the ceiling fan on the bed for a bit today.  It was nice and relaxing, and I got a bit of extra stretching in at the same time.

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_7957The Small Times

Small and delicate
I shrink down
from five foot ten
to four foot nothing
to two foot three
and then further still
until small enough
to crawl
into your pocket
where I can burrow
into the comfort
of you
and the world
disappears

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Float Along

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

Telluric Tarot 2nd EditionToday’s draw is the Pre-Ace of Cups card represented by Muscovite and Milkweed. There is no traditional meaning for this card, as the “Pre-Ace” cards in this deck are additional cards added onto the traditional tarot structure.

Muscovite is made up of perfectly cleavaged layers, and in the Cups suit, this speaks of layers of emotion. The milkweed seeds in the image on the card highlight the fine fibers of floss that allow the seeds to float and be carried on currents of air.

Together, these two elements remind us that all emotions are temporary, and to help us in understanding them, it’s important to let them flow freely and not try to weigh them down or bury them.

DECK USED:  TELLURIC TAROT 2ND EDITION

#DiscordTarotholicsSep2022 Challenge Prompt
Questions for September 1st thru 3rd

Botanica Occulta Tarot and Woodland Wardens OracleWhat still needs harvesting this season?

The Hermit (Eryngos) and Eight of Pentacles (Dahlia) – You still have a bit of time left in the season to do some solo work concerning your business. Soon enough, everything will have to be a group effort once again, but for right now take care of the things that you want to do on your own.

What helps when you’re….

Angry – The Bobcat and Blackthorn – Revenge plotting, combined with the awareness that even should you do nothing, what goes around comes around. Thus, you know that while you plot and plan what is probably not going to ever be enacted, that all you have to do is wait and watch and satisfaction will be forthcoming.

Sad – The Coyote and Datura – Fake it until you make it. When you are struggling with sadness, it helps to just keep going and pretend everything is fine. When you “fake it until you make it”, you’re so focused on pretending that everything is fine that the stuff that isn’t can sometimes fade off into the background and not matter as much.

Needing to Relax – The Hare and Oak – Moments of gratitude for what you have and the ability to take opportunities and use them to manifest what you want in life. Awareness of all that you have and have accomplished allows you to take a breath and realize that things aren’t as bad as that constant drive within your tries to tell you they are.

What is something new you should try?

Two of Wands (Amaranth and Willow) and Ace of Cups (Periwinkle) – Try making a plan on how you want to handle new emotions as they arise instead of waiting for them pop up and then dealing with them in the moment. Having a set plan in place can help you in not spinning your wheels when you get surprised by something new.

DECKS USED: BOTANICA OCCULTA TAROT AND WOODLAND WARDENS ORACLE

Mr Lionhart’s #TheSeptemberTarot Between Dusk & Dawn Prompt
Questions for September 1st thru 3rd – REFLECT

Telluric Tarot 2nd EditionWhat am I asked to reflect on or focus on this month?

Ice & Edelweiss (King of Swords) atop Anyolite & Ivy (Three of Pentacles) – Lean into practicality and logic in your creative endeavors with others this month. Although an earlier reading has suggested that you still have a little bit of time left in which to work solo, this is not going to be the case as time moves on this month. You need to make sure that you are ready to direct focus (both yours and others) towards harmonious collaboration as the month goes on.

What energy is available to support me throughout September?

Bazzite & Daphne (Ace of Swords) – Mental clarity and new ideas are ripe and ready for picking this September. Lean into creative thinking and take care that you don’t get stuck in the mental box of closed mindedness.

In what way or area can my September journey help me?

Garnet & Cherry (Eight of Pentacles) – you have the ability to begin training your body and applying your skills towards the holiday rush early, so that by the time the rush appears you are not just prepared but ahead of the game. Don’t waste this time.

DECK USED: TELLURIC TAROT 2ND EDITION

Daily Self Kindness

I had a moment of anxiety today and allowed myself to step away and cry my way through a little temper -tantrum-anxiety-mess-thing instead of burying it.