Today’s meditation was a little over fifteen minutes long and was not a guided meditation.  Instead I simply took some time to work on breathing exercise on my own, concentrating on my breath and on slowly relaxing one body part at a time from head to toe.

Today’s draw is the Nine of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of being battered and exhausted yet still upholding one’s boundaries.  It’s about courage and resilience, even in times when you aren’t at your 100%, and protecting those things that are important to you by “standing the line”.  Sometimes this can also translate into having one’s beliefs and faith being tested, for it is when we are beaten down and tired that we are most often tempted to let go of those things we would otherwise stand firm on.

When I first saw this affirmation card?  I read it to say “then they have served their purpose” (as opposed to “when”), and I think that this misread was actually important, especially in relation to the tarot card pulled today.

The thing is?  A lot of times we build up walls where our emotions are concerned.  Walls to keep them out.  Walls to dull their strength.  Walls to bury them under.  These walls are not healthy. Three different walls, with three different purposes, but none of them are healthy.   It’s only when we allow our emotions to run their course that we can get a healthy result.  That is what emotions are for… to help us learn, to help us grow.    If we aren’t allowing the emotions to come, to stay so that we can learn from then, then leave when that learning has taken place?  Then we aren’t allowing them to serve their purpose, and hurting ourselves in the process.

DECK USED:  THE PRI8M TAROT AND LESS ANXIETY AFFIRMATION CARDS

Mr Lionharts’ #TheJulyTarot #TarotSuitsChallenge Prompt
Questions for July 21st thru 23rd

What am I asked to overcome to embrace / support my best self?

Sage / Salvia officinalis (Purify) and Six of Water – You have had a childhood history filled with a myriad of experiences in pain and betrayal served up by those that you should have been able to trust implicitly. You can begin to overcome the remnants of these experiences through acknowledgement of where these remnants come from.  By remembering that they are a part of the past, you can then purify their negative influences from your present and your future.

How can I best keep focus on the things that are good for me?

Chicory / Cichorium intybus (Sustain) and Seven of Air – Stay the course, no matter who or what tries to steal it away.

This is about making sure that I keep my focus on the changes I’m trying to make in my life.  The healthier balance of work and rest, the lean into optimism and positivity instead of rejection of these things, the efforts to find a path that allows me to share my work rather than hoard all the work and responsibility for myself.

How, or where, is my spiritual practice strengthening me?

Sage / Sambucus nigra (Ritual) and The Sun – Joy is created through your spiritual practices and rituals. Not only are the things in your day to day spiritual practice supporting your successes and efforts to focus on the positive, but the larger rituals are also helping in fostering those efforts.

DECK USED: HEDGEWITCH BOTANICAL ORACLE AND RADIANT SCALES TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJul2021 Challenge Prompt
Philosophical Question: Do acts of kindness always have a motive?

Reading Summary: It doesn’t always “pay off” as expected (The Void), but every act of kindness serves either a purpose towards balance (Three of Pentacles), or as a strategic personal motivation (Knight of Swords).

Take Away: So all acts of kindness have a purpose, which means they inherent have a motive. That doesn’t mean that all acts of kindness are strategically motivated, though. Sometimes that motive is more about trying to find balance either within ourselves or the world around us, and of course, other times it’s more selfish. And sometimes, no matter the motive or purpose, acts of kindness get lost in translation.

DECK USED: THE PRI8M TAROT

I spent about two hours out on the balcony with my plants today, just tending to them, watering them, making sure they’re getting the right nutrition, etc.  I also replaced the pansies and lobelia that didn’t make it through the 110+ F heat wave we had.  They just couldn’t handle it, so I’ve replaced them with a few plants I picked up from the nursery.

Today’s meditation was the fourth installment of the introductory meditation program on the Balance app, which was ten minutes in length.  I did not include piriformis stretches in the meditation today.  I wanted to see if it made any difference in my perception of time during meditation if I left it out.  Which… it does not.

Today’s draw is the Page of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of exploring one’s emotions and creativity, and the potential that lies in delving in to one’s curiosity.

What strikes me in the imagery of this card is the irritation on the face of the man who looks over the woman’s shoulder.  While she pursues her curiosity and interest? He is looking on with irritation and jealousy.

Sometimes? That happens. We discover something new, we invest ourselves within it to begin to explore, to learn, and to discover the possibilities it presents to us. And some asshat is there over our shoulder being a bastard… or maybe even it’s your own inner dialogue filling that role.

The affirmation card for today is a reminder that if you choose to stay on task… to not be dissuaded by the naysayers and negative influences? You will get through it. You will find yourself on the other side of it, and in having stayed the course… you will have grown along the way and have far more to enjoy and discover on the other side of it all. In other words? Don’t let the assholes get you down. Do your own thing and have fun with it.

DECK USED:  GOLDEN AGE OF ROMANCE COMICS TAROT AND LESS ANXIETY AFFIRMATION CARDS

#DiscordTarotholicsJul2021 Challenge Prompt
Questions for July 20th and 22nd

As an adult, where am I neglecting myself at this time?
Snapdragon (Purification) and The Devil

You are not being discerning enough with your addictions and which ones you choose to pursue. Nor are you being proactive enough in purging what isn’t working.

Decks. Selling shit on eBay. Houseplants. Food. Even jewelry supplies. All of these are things that you enjoy, and anything you enjoy has the potential to become an addiction.  In order to keep these things from building up and becoming unmanageable, occasional purges are necessary.

How can I begin to resolve this pattern of neglect?
Bay (Wisdom), The Sun Rx atop Two of Pentacles

To begin to resolve this unresolved pattern of neglect, you need to acknowledge that when you juggle too much, it’s no longer fun.  This is true with work, and it’s equally true with anything else that you enjoy, especially that may build up over time (like collections of things).  If you are juggling too many of these things at once, it becomes unwieldy and difficult to manage.  That then begins to eat away at the fun and enjoyment that attracted you to these things in the first place.

DECK USED: GREEN WITCH ORACLE AND MICHELANGELO TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt by E Roebuck-Jones
Question for July 20th plus Bonus Question

How does a creative blockage feel?

Creative blockages feel like the end of the world (Ten of Swords). In those moments (or days, or weeks), it can feel like I can’t to anything right (Judgement Rx) and there’s no joy left in the life (The Sun Rx).

So much of my life is wrapped up in my creative spark, from my hobbies to my work, from the things that bring me joy, to the things that expand my perspective and allow me to look at the world through a more positive lens. It is, in one way or another, incorporated in nearly everything that I do.

When my creative spark falters and sputters out, it makes the world look gray and lifeless, and as if there is no longer any place for me within it.

How can I work at overcoming these blockages when they arise?

Acknowledging the wealth of good fortune (Five of Pentacles Rx) and accomplishments (Nine of Pentacles) that  hard work has filled my life with.

Gratitude.  The more gratitude that I feel for what I have in the present, the less there is of the past’s scarcity to drive my need for more. With less of a need for more, there is less dissatisfaction, and with less dissatisfaction there is more room for creativity to flourish in place of the grappling need my past creates within me.

DECK USED: GOLDEN AGE OF ROMANCE COMICS TAROT

I took my progressive glasses in to bitch about the alignment of the bottom portion of the lens. I took some of my jewelry work with me so that I could demonstrate how I work and what I need, and they’re going to send them in to be redone.