Embracing Autumn
Brash colors
dance
in raucous celebration
filling the senses
with too much
at once
as they bid goodbye
to the bees and bugs
and welcome
autumn
with open arms
and spread petals
Self Care Saturday (On a Sunday)
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?
Earth – Death and Beach Morning Glory – Things are beginning to shift. Have faith in yourself and your resiliency. And remember, not all change is bad. Look for the boon.
Air – Three of Swords and Canal – Community effort is needed for survival. Make sure you aren’t keeping your inner narratives to yourself. Tripping over tongues aside, people that you depend on (and that depend on you) need to know what is going on.
Water – The Star and Glowworms – Stay in touch with your emotions and don’t shut them out. It’s okay to allow yourself this time and let your emotions take the wheel for a while. Just make sure they stay on a path of positivity, hope, and optimism. You need that spark of light in your life right now.
Fire – The Hermit, Dragon atop Petrified Tree – Now is not the time to jump on “the holiday rush is coming” express train. There is power and strength in holding back right now, and taking this time for yourself.
Waning – Sea Eagle and Mugwort – Although small, slow changes are beginning to slip in here and there, it’s not time to jump just yet. Hold back and rest for a bit longer.
Waxing – Blue Topaz atop Ammolite – Patience is not always easy, but it’s “rocker on the porch” time in your life right now. Sit back and observe the world around you with a calm and peaceful eye.
Take Away – This reading is all about making sure I’m not getting too far into the holiday prep yet. I have a bit longer to take time for myself. Don’t rush.
DECKS USED: ALICE IN TAROTLAND TAROT, ZOMBIE DIARIES ORACLE, ILLUSTRATED BESTIARY CARDS, ILLUSTRATED HERBIARY CARDS, ILLUSTRATED CRYSTALLARY CARDS
Don’t Give Up
Today’s meditation was just over sixteen minutes long, and was the first installment of the Foundations III series on the Balance app. The meditation today was focused upon body scanning, and although I usually enjoy body scan meditations, I was having a really hard time staying on task today for some reason.
Today’s draw is the Tower card, which is traditionally a representation of chaotic restructuring, sudden catastrophic changes, and tearing down the old to make room for something new and different.
Remember all those moments in your life where you were certain that it was the end of the world, and that the world as you know it would never be the same again? Those are “Tower” moments, and they happen to everyone. It is a part of how we grow.
We become stronger by making it through these moments. By surviving them and adapting to them, moving through them, and then beyond them. The message in today’s cards is that when these moments happen, we need to remember that we’ve gotten through hard times before, and will again… and you will this time, too.
DECK USED: ALICE IN TAROTLAND TAROT AND THERA-PETS EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMAL CARDS
The #ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt for the Sacred Grounds Tarot Club
Questions for September 9th thru 12th
How can I make life choices more consciously?
Teeth and Innocence – Don’t worry so much about what other people are thinking. Better to ask outright than guess, for when you guess (even in those times you are sure you know your right) your thoughts are not unbiased and will pollute the truth. Communicate openly and honestly, and make it clear you expect the same in return.
How can I take action for myself at this time?
Mushroom and Guidance – Lean into the advice and guidance of your spirit guides. They are there to help keep you healthy and happy, to ease you through difficulties and encourage your growth. To do this, you need to stay open to their messages.
How can I better grow from my mistakes?
Bee and Success – This message has been coming up quite a bit lately. Remember that mistakes are learning experiences that help you grow and do better moving forward. Take those lessons and carry them forward to improve upon future endeavors.
When i feel hesitant about refusing, how can I build the courage to say no?
Altar and Sharing – Take a moment to connect with why you are saying no, and explain your side of things. Open communication and allowing people to see things from where you stand is important in making uncomfortable refusals easier to deliver.
DECK USED: DREAM SYMBOL ORACLE AND OSHO ZEN TAROT
#DiscordTarotholicsSep2021 Challenge Prompt
Questions for September 11th
How will your courage be tested this autumn season?
Hibiscus and Queen of Pentacles – It may be a struggle to tame your anxiety issues this Autumn. Make sure that you are making healthy choices concerning what you are eating and in the ways that you ground yourself. Anything less will only make things worse right now. Hiding behind unhealthy habits is not going to make things better.
How will your strength be tested this autumn season?
Petrified Tree and The Emperor – Impatience is not your friend. Make sure to keep in mind that things move at their own pace for a reason. With your life currently in transition between the relative quiet of the spring and summer months and the chaos of the late fall and the winter season, you need to ensure that you aren’t holding the reigns too tightly. The strength here is in patience and easing of your grip, instead of becoming too much the controlling dictator.
How will your faith be tested this autumn season?
Canal and The Tower – Shit happens. It’s a part of life. Do not allow the chaos and sharp sting of betrayal that sudden change can cause to make you lose faith in either yourself or your path. Stay afloat and ride out the shifting of the earth beneath your feet as bedrock moves and your world trembles. Keep faith that you can make it through, adapt, and turn whatever comes to your advantage.
DECK USED: ZOMBIE DIARIES ORACLE AND ALICE IN TAROTLAND TAROT
More naps. No cooking today either. Just a day full of leftovers. So pretty much a lazy day all the way around.
Gideon’s Challenge
The Surface
A desire to drift
quiet and still
as sweet silence
brushes senses
with not so much
as a whisper
and gentle currents
caress as they carry
lazy form
along
beneath blue sky
and sunshine
dappled by the shade
of cotton candy
clouds
Photo © ZenStatePhotography
“What IF” is Not Truth
Today’s meditation was skipped for another dawdling relaxation on the bed. Although I know I really need to get back into a regular meditation practice, I have to admit, it was nice just to do nothing for a bit.
Today’s draw is the Two of Air (Swords), which is traditionally a representation of weighing one’s options and struggling with difficult decisions. Sometimes, it is also an indication that until we open our eyes to become unbiased, we will be unable to make the wisest choice.
Combined with the Thera-Pets card for today, what I see here is a reminder that our outlook is a choice. Just as the harpy in the Two of Air card chooses which way his wings take him, we are just as able to choose how we see the world around us and react to it.
That includes if we choose to give our fears and worries weight, or accept them as fact when they are only “what if” projections of our mind.
Today’s cards are a reminder that anxiety tells of lies. “What ifs” are not truths. Our fear lies to us, whispers insidiously in our ears and our minds, trying to convince us of horrible things to come. In order to defeat these lies, we have to make a conscious choice to see them as lies. Only then will the lies step aside and allow us move forward without fear.
DECK USED: TERATO TAROT AND THERA-PETS EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMAL CARDS
Mr Lionharts’ #TheSeptemberTarot Rise and Fall Prompt
Questions for September 10th thru 12th
Are my personal beliefs helping or hindering me?
Ame-no-Tokotachi-no-Kami and The Empress
Your beliefs, and most especially your individuality and creative spark, nurture your inner self. This nurturing then fosters your individuality and creative spark. The cycle is healthy and encourages growth and grounding as they work to continually balance each other out.
What am I asked to have faith in or keep confidence in?
Omoikane-no- Kami atop Tori-no-Iwakusufune-no-Kami, Strength
Yourself, and your ability to see beyond your own perspectives and help others to do the same. This is an inner strength you don’t even realize you are doing most of the time.
An encouraging message from the cards for me.
Minato-no-Kami and Seven of Cups
Instead of worrying and dithering over choices and opportunities, take a breath and clear your mind. Allow inner knowledge, and the natural flow of energy and life, to make these choices for you. You don’t have to control every little thing.
Side Note: There is a prevalent theme here of individuality, new ways of thinking and seeing the world, and moving forward on life’s journey with confidence.
DECK USED: GODS AND GODDESSES OF JAPAN ORACLE AND TAROT BY CARO
#DiscordTarotholicsSep2021 Challenge Prompt
Question: What future growth should you be directing energy toward at this time?
Reading Summary: Nurture yourself (The Empress), your curiosity (Page of Earth), and your connection with the earth (The Empress combined with Page of Earth). Allow these things to have a place in future plans (Two of Fire).
Take Away: I need to make sure that as I creep closer to the holiday rush that I’m not forsaking my needs. This includes the need to get outside and spend time in nature, as well as taking time for self-care and making sure that I’m being kind to myself moving forward.
Once the holiday rush gets here, all bets are off and I will be overwhelmed and drowning in far too much to get done in far too short of time. Until then, I need to give myself all the care and kindness that I can in order to shore up my strength and resiliency for the knee buckling struggles and trials that wait for me within the last seven weeks of the year.
DECK USED: TERATO TAROT
I took a nap even though I really didn’t want to. I wanted to spend more time with Gideon, but I wasn’t sure I could manage the whole evening without a bit of a rest.
Gideon’s Challenge
Summer Greetings
Eighteen petals
unfurl
from tight bud
to kiss the sky
exposing
vibrant color
to lure in
visitors
and as flowers sway
in summer breeze
they spread
joy
and celebration
to all
that pass by
