Sinking Into Details
A thread of strength
A tendril
of tenderness
A delicate frisson
of vulnerable bits
Take a moment
and lean in close
and dive into the
ethereal and earthy
curl
of a graceful frill.
Morning Bonus Read – Meeting a Spirit Guide
Because I am trying to show a bit more cards this week, as I have a whole LOT of October/Halloween/Samhain decks, I’m doing a few extra bonus reads over the month. This is one of those extra readings.
Card to Represent Your Guide
Ten of Diamonds
Well off and secure in their position in life and ability to manifest into being those things that are needed. This guide has been around the block a time or two and knows what they’re doing. They are focused on guiding me toward a secure and stable future.
A Message Your Guide Would Like To Give You In This Moment
Three of Diamonds atop Seven of Hearts
You need to give those who work with you a bit more autonomy. Don’t worry about what they’re doing, or who is doing what, as long as they’re getting shit done. That’s the important point at this moment. You might want to consider putting stuff that needs to be done each day on a board or list and letting them check off stuff they decide to do themselves. In this way they get to choose their own work and as long as everything gets marked off at the end of the day? It’s all good.
Something Your Guide Has Been Trying To Convey To You That You Have Not Been Receptive To In The Past
Queen of Spades atop Six of Diamonds
Be a bit more generous with your mother. She’s got a lot of really horrible qualities, but she’s still your mom and you need to make sure that you’re not regretting later by holding back now. There are plenty of things you can do for her without putting her at risk by visiting.
How To Be More Open To Messages From Your Guide In The Future
Ten of Clubs
You need to accept that your guides aren’t here to overwhelm you but to help you. When you are feeling overwhelmed? They back off. So if you want to be more open to messages from them, you need to find the kind of balance that allows you to keep yourself from hanging on the edge of overwhelm and burnout so often.
What Is This Guide Helping You With On Your Path?
Nine of Spades
As a part of finding a secure and stable future (as indicated in the Ten of Diamonds), it’s necessary to overcome your fears and anxieties. I have begun this year to seek out a new balance, a better balance that can carry me forward into that positive and stable future I seek. But there’s a lot of uncertainty in this new path, and a lot of fears about what I’m leaving behind along the way. At this time, that is what this guide is helping me with on my path.
DECK USED: EVERYDAY ZOMBIES PLAYING CARDS
Enjoying the Present
Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long and was a guided meditation with interval timer. I’m still working on getting back the flexibility I lost by skipping my stretches for those couple of days. I had not realized that in skipping a day or two it was taking so long to recover, but I’m definitely noticing now.
The topic of today’s guided meditation was about intentions, and about living in the present. It is about looking forward, all the while you keep your awareness in the present. All too often, we get so wrapped up in plans for the future or the memories of the past that we forget that there’s a whole world for us to experience right now in this moment. It isn’t just that “tomorrow is a new day” but every minute is a new day… a new lifetime… a new world. Don’t forsake what you have in the now for the things that are already dead and gone, or those that are not yet even a reality.
Today’s draw is the Six of Coins, which traditionally is a representation of creating balance through generosity (or the openness to accept generosity from others).
What really stands out to me in this card today is the differences between the two highly coiffed ladies, and the more natural woman off to the left. The ladies on the right make me think of the court nobility of centuries past with their white powdered skin and hair. The woman on the right feels to be below their station, as she is not so very “put together” as the other two, her skin tone and hair natural and indicating a lower station, no matter how lovely her dress may be.
And yet these women of higher station fawn over the other one, seeking to offer her what is needed to appear above her station and more on their level. The thing is, though, that the woman does not look all that thrilled with the offer.
And that’s today’s message. It’s okay to be happy with where you’re at, even if that’s not as well off as others around you. As long as you are happy, it’s okay to not be striving for more. And if others don’t like that? That’s their problem, not yours.
DECK USED: MADAM LYDIA WILHELMINA’S TAROT
LionHart’s #TheOctoberTarot #SeasonOfTheWitchChallenge Prompt
Question: I am curious and full of wonder when I…
Reading Summary: Watching others steal off with ideas that don’t belong to them (Seven of Bats) and claim these ideas as their own inspirations (Ace of Imps), while leaving the other person bereft and full of anxiety about it happening again (Nine of Bats).
Take Away: This is about being curious concerning other peoples motivations on why they do things that hurt people, and how they are able to go against the norms of what is clearly wrong for their own selfish reasons. The motivations that create this ability strikes at my curiosity and my fascination. Not because it is something that I idolize, but rather it’s something that I don’t understand and have a hard time wrapping my mind around. It makes me want to pick their brains apart and figure out how they work.
DECK USED: HALLOWEEN TAROT
#DiscordTarotholicsOct2020 Challenge Prompt
Philosophical Question: Does fate exist?
Reading Summary: We are all bound fate (Chains)… but if we are open to finding balance within the give and take of the world around us (Six of Pentacles), we can gain more control over what we do and where we go while getting there (Queen of Wands).
Take Away: The answer given by the cards is that yes, fate does exist. That life isn’t about what is fated for us, but about enjoying the journey in getting there. It’s okay if not everything is under our control, as long as we relish those things that are and live the best life we can while striving to become better people along the way.
For example. If you know for certainty that you are to die at 78 years old in a tractor accident, does that mean that you should really spend every day between now and then focused upon what’s coming? No…. it means you set that knowledge aside and enjoy every moment of every day between now and then so that you can say you lived a full and fruitful life once it’s all over. Fate is not the path we walk, but simply a few landmarks along the way on our journey.
DECK USED: GHOSTS & SPIRITS TAROT
#MysticStarChallenge October Challenge Prompt
Question: How does yesterday’s message relate to my journey?
Reading Summary: There are going to be ups and downs in life no matter what you do (Wheel of Fortune), so you might as well enjoy yourself (The Sun), and take control to move yourself in the direction you want to go while doing the things you want to do (Queen of Wands).
Take Away: The guidance on the 6th was to make choices that lift myself and others up while accepting that road blocks and hurdles are a part of life. Today that message is related to my personal journey through a reminder that ups and downs happen and approaching them from a positive angle and go after my dreams.
DECK USED: TWISTED TAROT TALES
#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What do the Moon phases mean to me?
Reading Summary: The down and up and back down again of energy (indicated in the contrasting energy between the Four of Cups and Three of Cups). Creating balance and moderation as we move through the phases again and again (Temperance).
Take Away: The Moon’s phases are about the flux of energy that the moon goes through each cycle. It reflects the cyclictic balance that life requires to be a positive and fulfilling journey. Never too much downtime, never too much celebration and high energy…. instead the moon teaches us that there is room for both, and that both are needed and healthy.
DECK USED: DARK GRIMOIRE TAROT
Gideon’s Challenge
Fading Blooms
Crows feet come
and wrinkles show
how odd to see
what no one knows
“you look under 20”
they say to me
Yet in the mirror
I know what I see.
Little hints of age
creeping in
Good thing getting old
isn’t a sin.
Photo © ZenStatePhotography
Weekly Creativity Prompt – Three Themes
From your deck of choice, select one card for each of the themes listed below:
1) A Wander in the Autumn Woods
2) Guidance from the Past
3) The Beginning of the End
Post the cards you chose here, and share with us how you made the connections that you did with the prompts above.
A Wander in the Autumn Woods
The Hermit
When I need time alone, it is to the woods that I go. When I need to allow silence and stillness to wash over me, it is to the woods I go. When there is restlessness and chaos in my heart? It is to the woods I go. Forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) is a real thing, and even when I do not hike, I will wander in the woods, taking in the scents and the sounds and the flavor of the air. I will lie on the forest floor and soak in the sense of moisture and life. I will seek out the stillness and cool wet of the rainforest, and it will be a balm upon my soul. The Hermit seeks this peace and inner reflection, he seeks solitude and silence to delve inward and explore his soul. I seek the same in the woods.
Guidance from the Past
The Hanged Man
Just the other day I did a reading where the Hanged Man came up along with the Six of Cups, and I was asked from these cards to reframe how I relate to my spirit guides, and to acknowledge that these guides have been with me all of my life. Some of them among the living in my past, others always in the ethereal. The thing is? They’ve always been there though, and they have always tried to guide me the best that they could. This shift in perspective helps me in understanding that even our guides are fallible, but they are doing the best they can… just as I am. New realizations like this and changes in perspective are what the Hanged Man is all about.
The Beginning of the End
The Devil
As someone with a highly addictive personality, anything that brings me enjoyment or pleasure has the risk of becoming an addiction. This isn’t limited just to drugs but also different foods, hobbies and activities, behavior that wins praise or admiration, purchasing things that bring me pleasure such as books and decks, bringing home plants to nurse back to health. All of these things are innocuous on their own, but through pleasure and temptation can be allowed to turn the tables and become harmful… even disastrous, if not kept in check. You become a prisoner of your own making, and a slave to those things that you allow to take over. This is the pattern of behavior that the Devil card is all about.
DECK USED: HALLOWEEN EPHEMERA CARDS
Start As You Want To Continue
Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long and was another of the guided meditation with interval timer added in for the position shifts of my piriformis stretches. It’s been a few days now since I’ve skipped my meditation and those stretches, and I’m still struggling with getting my flexibility back that I lost by skipping two days in a row. It’s not so much that I can’t get into the same stretch as before? It’s that it takes longer for my body to release in those stretches, which means it hurts longer, yeah?
Okay, so anyway. Today’s guided meditation focused on practicing a bit of “distance” in our experiences so that we have a beat in which to think before we react. This is a really good practice that is especially valuable when it comes to dealing with anger or frustration.
Developing the ability to take that momentary ‘beat’ of a second when you are feeling reactionary? It is that split second between snapping at someone for no reason and ruining their day, and realizing you’re being snippy and course correcting not just your own day, but keeping from damaging someone else’s.
Today’s draw is the Two of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of making plans and preparations, plotting the course forward, planning for the future, and focusing on progress.
While the poppet card in this deck was my second favorite card in this deck? This is my third favorite. Interestingly, though… it isn’t the spirit board and hand that draw my attention this time when I see this card, but rather the open window and the moon beyond.
There is also a significant pull in the imagery in relation to the foreground and the distant background. There is a huge stretch here between the two, and yet both seem so close at the same time.
The message that I see in today’s card is to start as you wish to continue forward. Today is a new day. If you want to do meditation every day? Start today… don’t skip it. If you want to do an hour of prep every day? Start today… don’t skip it. Procrastination breeds more procrastination, so stop procrastinating and be proactive instead.
DECK USED: TAROT OF HAUNTED HOUSE
LionHart’s #TheOctoberTarot #SeasonOfTheWitchChallenge Prompt
Question: Something I could work on to strengthen/grow my magic.
Reading Summary: Look into better (Ace of Pentacles) and more proactive wards and protections (Five of Wands) that will allow for lower effort and more rest and recovery (Four of Swords)
Take Away: Okay, so I agree that my wards and protections that I have in place in my home are a bit excessive. Especially concerning that the Fae I have accepted and welcomed into my home seem to police themselves quite well. This excessive approach was born from the home invasion that took my voice and, for a minute or two, my life.
It also stole a great deal of my sense of security, that I shored up using these wards and protections I’d developed. The thing is though? They do take a lot of work and time and magical energy to keep up. This energy could be directed in other areas… but to be comfortable doing that I think I need to do some shadow work on that feeling of vulnerability that the home invasion caused.
DECK USED: TAROT Z
#DiscordTarotholicsOct2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What positive theme/event in my ancestral past do I need to acknowledge?
Reading Summary: Overcoming (The Sun) bad habits and unhealthy temptations (Old Scratch) through innovative ideas, as well as communication and learning from others (Page of Swords).
Take Away: The indication in these cards is that this is a pattern. The cards here are saying that my addictive personality traits are a hereditary thing, and something that cycles through the life of my self and the ancestors before me. And that those who have used the advice of others and shared their struggles find innovative ways to rise above and find a better more positive path.
DECK USED: TRICK OR TAROT
#MysticStarChallenge October Challenge Prompt
Question: What message do my spirit guides have for me today?
Reading Summary: Make choices (Seven of Grails) that lift you up and allow for you to nurture yourself and others (Queen of Skulls). This is a learning process towards a new future (Daughter of Scepters), and like all learning processes there’s going to be some stumbling blocks along the way (Five of Pentacles).
Take Away: The message here is about making sure that I’m being kind to myself and easy on myself when I stumble or back slide a bit on this new path of work/home balance and emotional intelligence that I’ve been traveling on.
DECK USED: TAROT OF VAMPYRES
#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What is my biggest challenge when keeping a spiritual journal?
Reading Summary: A traditional spiritual journal requires me to be self directed in expressing my emotions (Queen of Cups) without the support and help of others to assist me (Two of Cups) in working through the difficult times and struggles (Five of Spheres).
Interestingly? I thought that this reading was going to tell me that it was about time… but instead it called me out on that issue of “time” being an excuse instead of a genuine reason.
Take Away: I used to keep a physical journal that was a blend of my spirituality and my personal tarot readings. The thing is? There’s no accountability at all, no encouragement… no input or new perspectives to be had or suggested, and no support. All of these things made it really hard to keep up on this physical journal.
Now? I do most of my journaling here, and when something needs delved into deeper? I do it with Gideon. As I’ve picked up on how much personal readings I do over the past year, it has given a lot of fodder for picking up these helpful conversations. This has created a dynamic that provides me with different viewpoints than my own, as well as support, and also an opportunity to teach someone about my beliefs and my practices a little at a time. All of this has been a huge plus for me.
