Peace of Moss
A bed of moss
spongy and soft
cushioning bare skin
in the forest
I’m lost
bare as a babe
I face the sky
with twigs in my hair
and sun in my eyes
while dappled shade
paints my skin
and my roots
dig deep
and the earth
welcomes me in
Prompt: “What elemental system do you ascribe to? What are the correspondences of the elements in the system you use? What is associated with the elements? What are some other systems you know? Do you ascribe to more than one system, and if so where do you use/incorporate which?“
My faith is a four elemental system.
Earth is plants, soil, growing things, material things, the physical world, manifestation of items to the physical plane by creativity or spellwork. It includes our earthly pleasures like food and wealth. Its direction is to the North. The energy is solid and calm. The element of Earth is dark and still, nurturing and heavy. Grounding lives here among the tree roots. This element is the one that is most within our control and is filled with foundational strength.
Air is air and ether, wind and turbulence, strategy and thought. Communication and ambitions live here until you act upon them (then, once action is applied, they move to Fire). It’s direction is to the East where ideas rise from the depths of our mind like the sun rises over the horizon. The energy is ever moving and never still, restless. Although we can control our thoughts to a point, there is an element of lack of control here that is not present in the previous element.
Water is for wet, and is refreshing and welcoming. Comforting and soothing. Its direction is to the West. Emotions and the flow of creativity reside here, as well as intuition and the subconscious. Spirits of those that have passed often linger here in this energy. As emotions are far less easily controlled than thought, so Water becomes the third element as we get further from the earthly plane and closer to divinity. Centering oneself lives here in the depths of still waters and quiet calm among pondweed and cattails.
Fire is for flames, heat, and enthusiasm. It’s direction is to the South. It is what lights us up from within and pushes us to act. Too much fire will burn your life to the ground, too little leaves your life empty and listless. It’s energy dances and sparks, for it is through action that this element is most commonly expressed. It is the fervor of our lives, and is where our ethics and principles stand tall. Pride also lives here. Within this element, we have the least control, for it is where our soul sings out to speak of what is right for us… and what isn’t.
You will note that although the four elements above climb a ladder from what is most in our control to what is least in our control, there is no element here for divinity. Each of these elements holds their own spirituality within them. Divinity, for me, resides beyond and “above” these elements and is best defined as the energies of creation, evolution, and balance. I do not feel that it is an element, so much as the beginning and end of all things… and all that lies between those two points as well.
Having been raised Wiccan, I am of course very familiar with Wicca’s five-element system (earth, air, fire, water, spirit) of that faith. I am also familiar, through my father and research, with the Japanese Gogyo system of five elements (fire, water, wood, metal, earth). Although the Wiccan system is similar to what I use now, I don’t use either of these systems in my practice at this time.
Today I did a purge, cleanse, and grounding hike in the forest. I took one of the steeper trails up into the rainforest to ensure that my stalker would have a hard time following, and brought J along with me for protection. After a couple of hours of steep uphill climb (the purging through exertion and sweat), we stopped at the lake and I took a swim (the cleansing), before then leaving J at the lake and going off into the woods for a skyclad meditation lying upon the forest floor (grounding).
The meditation lasted about an hour before I dressed and returned to the lake, and from there J and I hiked back down to the trail head. On the whole it was immensely refreshing and wonderfully cleansing, and I haven’t felt so good in a long time.
Today’s draw is the Queen of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of a receptive alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s finances, resources, health, home, manifestation, and the physical world. This is the area of one’s earthly pleasures and how one balances life’s needs and responsibilities.
I see the Queen of Pentacles in this reading combined with the affirmation card for today as a celebration of the rainforest hike and meditation that took up a good part of my day today. I have been needing time in nature for quite some time. Usually at this time of year I’m out in the woods at least a couple of times a week. That hasn’t been the case this year due to… well, stalker issues.
The Queen of Pentacles and the accompanying affirmation card in today’s pull is about making sure that I truly allow myself to fall into nature’s embrace and leave the stresses and worries of day to day life behind during this time.
#DiscordTarotolicsJun2021 Prompt
Topic: About happiness…
CoffeexTarot’s Self Love For The Summer Prompt
Question: What is my heart feeling? How can I encourage more joy and happiness in my heart?
What is my heart feeling?
Overburdened (Ten of Wands) and in need of rest (Four of Swords). God yeah. I know that I’m over the half way mark now in my time off this week, but it feels like I haven’t gotten even close to enough rest and restoration.
It always feels this way for some reason. It’s like the first couple of days are “oh I feel great. What do I need rest and recovery for?” and then by the last few days I’m dragging ass and whining in my head about needing more days off.
How can I encourage more joy and happiness in my heart?
It’s all at your fingertips now (The Magician), you just need to add in some gratitude (Nine of Pentacles).
I’ve been getting a lot of reminders lately from the cards to reboot my gratitude practice. This practice is a part of the meditation, but it’s also a part of something else. I don’t benefit as much from just mentally going over the things I’m grateful for as I do from actually putting time focus into truly and deeply acknowledge these things each day.
I had a very wonderfully long hike in the woods today, and I took J with me for safety. I also chose a hike that I knew would be hard for most people to follow, and that had a “bottle neck” spot (at the lake) where I could leave J to keep watch while I went on to get my meditation and all that done in safety.
The Balcony
Bright and colorful
sunshine tones
joined with bits
of midnight calm
summer’s heat
and a gentle breeze
the flutter of petals
the whisper of trees
cheerful faces
look up and smile
and invite us to
settle and sit
for a while
Why I should invest in myself.
Ten of Cups – Because happiness is important and you deserve it. It influences and affects not just you, but everyone else as well. Investing in yourself makes not just your own life better, but the lives of others better too.
Where I should invest my energy.
Justice – It’s time to take a look at what you value most and what you work towards. Make sure your actions align with your heart and those things you value, and isn’t being driven by greed or other outside influences (like your past).
How I should invest in myself.
Three of Pentacles – One of the ways you can invest in myself is by allowing others to take on a more active role and a more balanced share of the work and responsibilities. You’re doing good with this, but there’s a great deal further you could go.
What will come if I choose to invest in myself.
Two of Cups – Choosing to invest in yourself will bring a closer and more aligned connection with others that are closest to you. This echoes up to the Ten of Cups and the influence that your own self investments has on others.
How will this change my daily life?
Ace of Pentacles – There is a great deal of potential for new growth and opportunity that could stem from investing in yourself. This connection mentioned in the Three of Pentacles plants the seeds for something new and wonderful to sprout.
Something I need to learn about investing in myself.
Two of Wands – Investing in yourself is going to take some deep reflection and soul searching. Connect to your true self. This echoes back to the message in the Justice card of this reading and examining what in life is valued most and if your actions align with those things.
Why I’m worthy of this investment.
Five of Pentacles – You are uniquely talented and are blessed with great creatively and manifestation abilities. You put your heart and soul into your connection with your spiritually and with the earth, and you will always be able to find comfort and strength in those things.
Today’s meditation was just a bit over ten minutes long and was one of the guided meditations from the Calm app combined with a interval timer for my piriformis stretches.
The focus of today’s meditation was about gratitude, and the benefits of including a practice of gratitude in your life. A lot of people, especially pessimistic people, snub the idea of a gratitude practice. But the thing is? It actually helps. It helps you see the world in a brighter light, and helps make sure that we don’t sink so deep into pessimism that we become bitter or depressed. Focusing on gratitude and what we appreciate in life is a part of finding a more optimistic and positive outlook in life and… I’ve come to realize over time that this is something a lot of people need. Myself included.
Today’s draw is The Priestess card, which is traditionally a representation of the subconscious, intuition, hidden inner knowledge, and… well, secrets.
The affirmation card speaks here about what other people are thinking about you. In therapy, assuming or worrying about what others are thinking about you is called “mind reading”. Mind reading is not possible. Not in this way. Not in the ways that are being referred to in this card.
There are simply some secrets we’re not able to know, and others still that we are not meant to know.
It’s important to remember this, and not let yourself assume the worst about these things you don’t know. Doing that just drags you down. Instead, allow some secrets to remain secret and instead focus on the things that uplift you instead of those that make you feel uncertain and alone.
#DiscordTarotolicsJun2021 Challenge Prompt
Philosophical Question: What is something you believe but cannot prove?
Reading Summary: That one’s confidence can be boosted through meditation and allowing for hope, optimism, and an appreciation of the beauty all around you.
Take Away: Okay so hear me out. Logically it makes sense, and everybody says that’s how it works. And sometimes? You can even look at how you focus on these things and it appears to make a difference.
But how do you prove it? Especially to a skeptic.
I’m really not sure you can. There’s just too many other extraneous influences that could have an influence and be fingered to take the credit instead.
The Sacred Grounds Tarot Club Prompt
Questions for June 16th thru 19th
How can I better manage my inner critic?
Five of Swords – You’re going to have to work at it, fight at it, and be determined to win at it in order to come out on top.
What do I need to know about my intuitive abilities?
Six of Cups – It’s not your just your guides that are there to help you, but your ancestors as well. Don’t leave them out of the equation.
What is blocking me from my intuition right now?
Ace of Swords – New ways of seeing things, thinking about things, and communicating can sometimes be confusing. You need to ground and cleanse.
How can I move through my intuitive blocks?
Queen of Pentacles – Again, ground and cleanse. Strong nurturing energy is needed, as are squishy hugs.
I…. can’t remember what I did for self kindness on Wednesday (I’m playing catch-up). I’ve had the week off, though, and been working at giving myself a break and not working this week, so that counts.
