Gideon’s Challenge – Letting Go

Victoria BC WaterfrontLetting Go 

Sometimes
it feels like
leaning into
the light
takes so much
more effort
than available
to give
that it begs
the question…
how is it
that relaxing
one’s grip
can be so much
more difficult
than holding on?

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Daydreams and Memories

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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The Soul's Haven Tarot - Six of CupsThe @GlitterbyInk #DecemberDays25 Beyond the Solstice Challenge
The Mystic Prompt for December 2
: Dreamy
Daily Mental Health Prompt
: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Six of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of nostalgia, joyful memories, childhood experiences, and revisiting the past in some way.

“It’s the positive memories that we need to hold onto.”

So often the things we hold onto from the past are the trauma and the scars. The negative is so much easier to remember and to believe. The greatest value in our memories, though, is that hidden among the negative are all the positive experiences we’ve had as well.

These positive experiences can be uplifting. They can shift our outlook from pessimistic to a more positive perspective.

The message in today’s card  combined with the “dreamy” prompt is that sometimes it’s okay to just take a bit of time to daydream. And, in these daydreams, to slide back into the past to revisit positive experiences so that they hold a more dominant place in your mind than the negative ones.

DECK USED:  THE SOUL’S HAVEN TAROT

@aplacetodock #Yuletide Oracle Challenge
Prompts for December 1st and 2nd

Tarot Reading with the Snowland Tarot and Simply Christmas LenormandWhat is my Yule/Christmas theme for December?

Scythe, Two of Swords, Gentleman – Check and double check your decisions before you follow through on them in order to cut out any misunderstandings or accidental faux pas. Make sure that the things you say are taken in the vein that you mean them to be, and pay attention to the reactions of others around you so that you can adjust your approach when needed.

What can I do to welcome the Christmas Spirit?

Rider, The Tower, Birds – Selective hearing is the friend that will carry you through the holiday season and allow you to see its gifts instead of its unpleasant aspects. Remember that we can’t stave off all unfortunate events that may come, but we can control how we react to them and encourage others to react in more positive ways as well.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Acorns for Protection during New Beginnings
Foraged Oak Branch with Moss and Lichen for Perseverance
Bear Figure for Strength and Fostering Protective Instincts
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: SNOWLAND TAROT AND SIMPLY CHRISTMAS LENORMAND

@LightningWildflower December Arcana Challenge 
Fool Prompts for December 1st and 2nd

Tarot Reading with The Soul's Haven Tarot What assumptions or fears have kept me from trying something new?

Two of Pentacles Rx and Six of Pentacles – The fear that being too generous with yourself will upset the apple cart and send everything in your life out of balance. You built what you have on a foundation of self abuse, self neglect, and working well beyond your limits. You worry that turning the tide concerning your needs and treating yourself better will also turn the tide on what you’ve accomplished.

How can I release control and trust the journey ahead?

Three of Pentacles and Knight of Cups – Remember to lean on others in order to give yourself the ability to go after the things that you actually enjoy.

They are there to help and take off some of that load that you used to carry all on your own.  This means that you’re not “dropping the ball”, but rather, handing it off.  When you allow them to step in and help, it frees you up to give yourself that extra care that you’re trying to instill in your life these days… without everything falling apart.

Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Purple Heather Flowers for Independence and Luck
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Bird Figurine for Fostering Hope, Positivity, and Renewal
Lepidolite for Facilitating Calm Transitions

Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: THE SOUL’S HAVEN TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I was a nice person to someone that was a complete pain in my ass, instead of saying what I really wanted to say.

Gideon’s Challenge – Emotions

Churning WaterEmotions

Always shifting
moving
and sometimes
churning
they never seem
to find stillness
and quiet
even during
meditation
until I realize
the key is
to watch quietly
without
participating
in the chaos

Sadly, that isn’t always possible.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

No Wiggle Room

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

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Winter Waite Tarot Santa Helpers Edition - Eight of PentaclesThe @GlitterbyInk #DecemberDays25 Beyond the Solstice Challenge
The Mystic Prompt for December 1
: Mindful
Daily Mental Health Prompt
: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Eight of Pentacles, which is a representation of hard work, expertise through practice, honing a skill, quality craftsmanship, handicrafts, and manifestations through skill and hard work. The card is often the embodiment of the “practice makes perfect” adage.

“You have a lot to get done today, and if you aren’t mindful of how you’re spending your time, there’s a good chance you’re not going to get it all done.”

Being that I am the king of procrastination, it can sometimes be difficult to stay on track. Especially when there’s so much to do, and procrastination tells you to prioritize other things instead of the things that really need to be completed.

The message in today’s card combined with the “mindful” prompt is to make sure that you are paying attention to what you are doing throughout the day today. That way, you don’t fall off track and end up not getting everything done that really needs to get done. Distractions are all well and good when you have a little extra time to play with them, but sometimes that wiggle room of extra time it’s just not there.

DECK USED:  WINTER WAITE TAROT SANTA’S HELPERS (2020) EDITION

@Lionharts #TheDecemberTarot Fruits of 2025 Challenge
Prompts for December 1st

Tarot Reading with the POMO TarotA bridge to cross

The World – You have to finish out what you’re doing before you can move onto the next thing. That means letting go when things reach their end, rather than holding on so tightly. Letting go is not really one of your strong suits, but if you don’t, you can’t move on.

A bridge to burn

Five Bills – It’s time to close your wallet and begin a more miserly path forward. Throwing money about isn’t going to help your cause right now. It will only make you feel good in the moment, but turn into more scarcity in the end.

A chapter to close

Disaster – As a previous reading this week has already mentioned, your time dealing with the absolute chaos you’ve been dealing with over the last few months is indeed coming to a close. Yes, there will still be trials and tribulations to go through, but they won’t be quite as disastrous as the ones that you’ve dealt with over the duration of autumn’s months.

A page to turn

Money Boy Rx – Again, here we see an encouragement to lean away from wastefulness when it comes to your finances. Spending like a baller is not going to further your ambitions right now. Set the idea of dropping cash as you wish aside and control your impulses. Instead, lean into the slow progress of saving your dollars as opposed to wasting them.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Acorns for Protection during New Beginnings
Foraged Pin Oak Leaf for Strength and Endurance
Carved Rhyolite Leaf for Regeneration and Healing
Honey Calcite for Optimism and Motivational Boost
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: THE POMO TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsDec2025 Challenge
Prompts for December 1st and 2nd

Tarot Reading with the Winter Waite Tarot Santa Helpers Edition and Santa Claus LenormandWhere should you direct your focus this week to foster your relationship with yourself?

Present (Fish), Nine of Swords, The House – Stop worrying so much about what you don’t have. Instead, place your focus on the gifts you’re being presented with this season. There’s lots to enjoy over the holiday season with loved ones if you let yourself move past your fears of what’s -not- happening.

Yes, the business is slow, but look at all the extra time you have to enjoy the holidays, family, friends, and traditions that you haven’t had the chance to enjoy for the past few years when the holiday rush has been at its peak.

What aspects of your life could benefit from some grounding and centering?

The Bed (Coffin), The Moon, The Reindeer (Rider) – You’re uncertainties have a tendency to run away with you and get out of hand. It’s time to instill a little bit of reality into the areas where you feel uncertainty so that you can put these worries to bed.

Things aren’t as bad as you think they are.  Your emotions are getting into the mix and muddling with your perspective. Combined with that negative inner narrative of yours, it’s a recipe for doom and gloom and lots of fear driven withdrawal.  Instead, acknowledge these emotions… then set them aside so you can really enjoy the world around you more.

Other elements included in this reading:
Oregon White Oak Leaf for Strength, Stability, and Longevity
Dried Rosebuds for Potential and Beauty Waiting to Unfold
Conch Shell Knot for Concentration and Clarity
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED:  WINTER WAITE TAROT SANTA’S HELPERS (2020) EDITION AND SANTA CLAUS LENORMAND

Daily Self Kindness

I bought myself some  yogurt in the hopes it might help my stomach calm down.

Gideon’s Challenge – Glass Ceilings

Greenhouse in Victoria BCGlass Ceilings

A moment
to pause
and look up
as surprising heat
radiates down
from above
not from
shining sun
but by
greenhouse glass
high above
on an overcast day
kissing the skin
with warmth

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

📆 Transitioning from November to December

Month End Check-in Reading with the Southern Gothic Trilogy Decks

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

The Panther – The fire within you is rising, and along with it, your strength and perseverance. You are starting to feel in control again in ways that you haven’t in quite some time; in healthy ways that help create drive and balance, instead of the unhealthy ways that create stagnancy and sickness.

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

Nest of Wasps – Although you usually don’t realize it in the moment, when you’re in the depression, you have a sharper tongue, and your words have a tendency to sting, even when you don’t mean them too. Now that the depression is easing off, that sharp stinger is fading as well. Taking time to be conscious of your tone when communicating with others will help you shed this sharper edge quicker.

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

Uncle Monday – You want to be stronger in both your mundane abilities as well as your magical ones, and are seeking to develop better adaptation abilities than those you currently possess.

Limitations – Negative influences, opposition, or ill will.

Hazel the Mummy – The things that you hold onto too tightly will in time turn from stagnancy to decay and crumble away. Make sure that those things that you want so badly to hold onto aren’t actually holding you back from something better.

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

Alligator – Take time to explore the self. Digging deep instead of just skimming the surface will help you in connecting and prioritizing those things that are most important.

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

Hydrangea – It can often be difficult to be grateful for things that happen in life. Especially when they hold a negative consequence instead of an obvious boon. You’ve very recently acquired a whole new set of inner scars, and have yet to find and really appreciate the boon involved.

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

The Dog – Take some time to reflect upon and appreciate those that you trust to be by your side, no matter what. Some love is unconditional, after all, and needs to be recognized as such and appreciated.

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

Cornbread – Make sure to take some time to connect with the roots of who you are so that your ego doesn’t get in the way moving forward. Remember that being a “basic bitch” isn’t necessarily a bad thing it keeps you humble and helps you connect more strongly with others.

Empowerment – A future opportunity to work toward.

Abandoned Plantation – There’s a great deal of opportunity in the deconstruction of things. Make sure that you aren’t just letting these opportunities go to waste.

Message from the Spirit World – Self reflection may cause you to find you’re not as generous as you could be.  Harsh judgements can be destructive. Instead of indulging in those negative veins of thought, use your mindfulness and self awareness to shift toward a kinder and less harsh frame of mind.

Message from the Mind’s World – People depend upon your dependability. They follow you because yo tu provide them with a sense of stability and strength that allows them to actually enjoy the activities (even the work) that you do together.

Message from the Physical World – Those friends that are worth a damn will persist through though thick and thin.  Those that aren’t worth a damn?  They’re temporary, and because they have no gratitude in their heart, they always eventually show their true colors.

Take Away – Things are beginning to turn around, and there’s a good deal more energy (and hope) rising in you as you transition from one month to the next.  Focus on practices that encourage a mindset of gratitude, and lean on those that you trust.

Other elements included in this reading:
Scotch Pine Cone for Purging Negative Influences
Foraged Norway Maple Key for Bouncing Back to Thrive
Dried Grand Fir Sprig for Help in Finding One’s Natural Rhythm
Foraged Oak Branch with Moss and Lichen for Perseverance

Carnelian Agate for Inner Drive and Focusing On Aspirations
Desert Rose for Purification and Drawing in Positive Energy

DECKS USED: SOUTHERN GOTHIC ORACLE, SOUTHERN BOTANICAL ORACLE, THE HAUNTS ORACLE