Calm Comes After the Storm

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was skipped (again).

Tarot of the Toiling HandsToday’s draw is the Five of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of discouragement and dissatisfaction, disappointment, regrets, and looking at situations from a pessimistic perspective.

Here we see a woman weeping “over spilled milk”.  Instead of picking herself up, cleaning up the mess, and moving on to figure out how to get past this moment, she chooses to crouch down and linger there in the moment instead.  This draws out her pain and doesn’t do anything to help the situation.

And yet… sometimes?  You just have to pause and cry.  Crying can be cathartic. It can be healing.  It can -help- in releasing stress and finding the calm within.  When I look at this card?  That is what I see in this imagery.  She’s not dawdling because she’s lost in the moment, but rather she is purging those negative feelings through her tears so that she can then deal with things more calmly afterward.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE TOILING HANDS

The #ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt by E Roebuck-Jones
Questions for March 3rd and 4th

Oracle des HaïkusWhen am I intuitively confident?

Illusion and Sincérité – You use your intuition to navigate the world and social situations.

In doing so, this allows you to see beneath the masks of others and discern who is honest and sincere, and who is not. You are very confident in this ability, as it’s something that you’ve been doing throughout your entire life.

When am I intuitively insecure?

Evasion and Confiance – When logic tries to step in and muddy the waters of your intuitive voice, it steals confidence from you in the same way that autumn steals leaves from the trees.

DECK USED: L’ORACLE DES HAÏKUS

#DiscordTarotholicsMar2022 Challenge Prompt
Questions for March 3rd and 4th

Tarot of the Toiling HandsWhat is my greatest weakness?

Three of Swords atop The Lovers – Your greatest weakness is in allowing your moods and bouts of depression to pull you away from making healthy choices for yourself.  In these times, your emotions are too overwhelming, and even when you know what the good choices are, you cannot manage to make them.

How can I best improve in the area of this weakness?

Seize control (The Emperor) and “do the thing” (The Chariot), regardless of whether or not you are enthusiastic about it at the time (Knight of Cups).

This is the advice that the shrink has given you again and again, and all the good intentions in the world fall short when, in the moment, you don’t follow through.  Here in these cards we see that the key to following through is in seizing control and forging forward even when your emotions push back.

DECK USED: TAROT OF THE TOILING HANDS

Daily Self Kindness

I’m still playing a bit of catch-up at the moment and I can’t remember what my self-kindness was for this day.

Gideon’s Challenge

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_6915Selfishness

Alone I stand
on the hill
and turn in a circle
as I feel the wind
nip at my skin
and ache
deep in my soul
where the wind
can’t touch

I miss you
and I don’t know
how to say it
without sounding
selfish

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Fresh Air Lenormand Reading

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Le Nouvel Oracle du Petit Lenormand

What is weighing on my mind right now?

La Femme and La Maison – Nesting issues. I feel like I’m twisting in the wind when it comes to the bookshelves that I want to put up and get organized.  I need to start taking things one small step at a time instead of looking at the whole with longing and berating myself for not getting anything done.

How can I free myself from these oppressive thoughts?

Le Deuil and Le Livre – It’s time to set aside old ways and instead seek new, better methods and options. These old habits aren’t serving me and they’re actually harming me as well as my progress. Time to find a better way forward.

What fresh new perspective will benefit me?

Le Chance and Le Serpent – Keep a skeptical eye on lady luck right now.  There’s a lot of hidden pitfalls among the weeds at the side of your path right now, and you can’t depend on lady luck to have your back in all things. Better to watch your step… just in case.

DECK USED: LE NOUVEL ORACLE DU PETIT LENORMAND

Listen to the King of Cups

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was skipped (again).

Luis Royo's Labyrinth TarotToday’s draw is the King of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of a projective alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s emotions, relationships, intuition, and creativity.

This card often represents my partner Gideon, as he carries within him the qualities of the King of Cups and is very often the personification of this card. He is definitely of the “alpha” variety as his personality is quite dominant, but in a supportive way that fosters trust and connection.  He understands the struggle of emotions and is always there to guide and/or support as needed.

IMG_E8689Today, as I was pulling my card, I was talking with Gideon in Trillian, and this is what he was saying just as his card fell out of the deck.

The message in today’s card is a reminder to make sure that I am listening to Gideon.  Listen to him when he tries to lift you up.  Listen to him when he provides you with support.  Listen to him as he reaches for you to help ease your feelings of stress and anxiety.

DECK USED:  LUIS ROYO’S LABYRINTH TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsMar2022 Challenge Prompt
Philosophical Question: Is generosity an inherent virtue, or is it learned behavior?

Vies Antérieures OracleReading Summary: It is something that we learn from those around us (Ville), and from those that lead us (Dirigeant)… it is about what lies behind us (Savoir Antérieur).

Take Away: These cards indicate that generosity is learned behavior, and not something that we are inherently born with. We learn through the example of others, and through reflecting back on those examples to help guide us forward in or own behaviors.

I wouldn’t say that -all- generosity is learned behavior, but in my opinion?  I’d say that the cards are correct when it comes to the majority of cases.

DECK USED: VIES ANTÉRIEURES

The #ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt by E Roebuck-Jones
Questions for March 1st and 2nd

Luis Royo's Labyrinth TarotWhat does intuition mean for me?

Nine of Wands, Five of Swords RX atop The Fool – It is a way for me to understand the world and diffuse conflict through better boundaries. Without my intuition to guide me in social situations, I can often feel like an idiot fumbling along in the dark without any real guidance or skill.  Intuition gives me the ability to overcome this feeling and navigate such situations more smoothly.

How can I better listen to my inner voice?

Page of Pentacles and Queen of Pentacles – Remember that you still have a lot to learn and need to take your time in doing it.  Don’t rush, but allow things to move at their own pace while focusing on how to nurture yourself through the journey.  When you are kind to yourself, you give yourself more room in which to grow.

DECK USED: LUIS ROYO’S LABYRINTH TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I’m playing a bit of catch-up at the moment and I can’t remember what my self-kindness was for this day.

Gideon’s Challenge

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment

IMG_6944The Evergreens

Beneath the thaw
are prickly bits
delicate spines
that are
far more hardy
than implied
by their fine needles
and fragile spines
yet life remains
green and strong
weathering
the storms
as we all
wait for spring
to arrive

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Weekly Creativity Prompt – Different Perspectives

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment

Prompt: “Pull the card from your deck(s) that matches the card posted below. Compare the imagery between the card provided below and the card(s) from your own deck(s). How would you read them differently and why?”

Tarot of the Hidden Realm - Wheel of Fortune (aka Fortune Faery)Tarot of the Hidden Realm – In this imagery (not surprisingly), I see wishes and hope. In the golden glow and wistful expression there is hope for good things to come, and in the blowing purse of her lips and preparation to send seeds to fly is the wish she will use to give those hopes flight.

The thing is?  Wishes sometimes come true, but sometimes they don’t.  Blowing those seeds into the wind sets flight to one’s hopes and wishes, but it doesn’t guarantee results.

The Greater Secrets Tarot, Gravity Falls Major Arcana, The Orphans of Dudleytown Tarot

The Greater Secrets Tarot – (From the COTD reading I did on this card the other day.)

In the imagery of this card we see a representation of the three fates.

The idea of the three faiths that not everything is under our control, no matter how much we want it to be. Some things will be decided for us, depending on the situation and external forces. There’s nothing we can do about this except to be adaptable and prepared to adjust to what is thrown in our way upon our path by chance or fate.

Gravity Falls Major Arcana – The “shut your yap” in this card says it all for me where this card is concerned.  Well, that and the reference in the imagery back to the “Wheel of Fortune” game show. Here, again, I see an indication that being clever and making smart decisions can help to protect one from the fickleness of chance, but not mitigate it entirely. Sometimes you just have to accept what’s being dealt and deal with it.

Orphans of Dudleytown Tarot – Could you imagine the amount of balance it takes to ride one of those penny-farthing bikes?  It’s not as if you can stick out a leg to catch yourself if you begin to fall. It’s almost a unicycle.  Unicycle with training wheels, right?  What I see in this card is that when you take risks, there’s a chance you could fall down.  You have to make the decision for yourself if the risk is worth the chance you take or not.

DECK USED: TAROT OF THE HIDDEN REALM, ORPHANS OF DUDLEYTOWN TAROT, GRAVITY FALLS MAJOR ARCANA, THE GREATER SECRETS TAROT