Emotions Are Not a Weakness

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Today’s meditation was curtailed by a woman on the sidewalk outside singing to strangers about God.

Yes, yes… I know that when you meditate, you should be able to allow the sounds and distractions around you to flow through you and around you without disturbing you… but you know what?  Some crackpot chick telling people she’s the mouthpiece of God and that everything coming out of her mouth is directly from the Almighty then caterwauling to any that will listen and all that don’t wanna?  That was just impossible for me to meditate through.

Poor homeless Larry that decided to talk to her go the serenade of his life and I bet he’ll think twice about talking to strangers in the future.

Botan Tarot - King of CupsToday’s draw is the King of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of a projective alpha energy, personality, or person in the areas of one’s emotions, relationships, creativity, and intuition. This translates into an energy of authority or an authority figure that is in touch with the feelings and emotions of those around them and uses that knowledge to support and lead.

What stands out to me the strongest in the imagery of this card today is the dragon tattoo.   It is a reminder, yes?  Those that are in tuned to the emotions of others can often come off as wishy-washy or weak.  Empathy can often come off as weak.  But it is not weak, it is a strength all its own.

The message in today’s card is that being open to your emotions does not make you weak.   It allows you to be in tune with the world around you through understanding mercurial elements within yourself and others.  Those with a deep connection to their emotions and the empathy to relate to others on an emotional level are just as capable of being fierce and powerful as those that close themselves off.  Perhaps, they are even stronger.

DECK USED:  BOTAN TAROT

#Zentember #LovelyHealing Challenge Prompt
Question: What needs healing on my throat chakra?

Hardy Tarot

Reading Summary:  With a central theme of cause and effect (Justice) we see that too much rest and reflection (Four of Swords) leads to a situation where you do not want to move forward and end up not just procrastinating, but outright trying to ignore what’s going on around you (Eight of Swords).

Take Away:  I mentioned this the other day when speaking with Gideon. The fact that I feel that having taken time to rest and relax has made me feel like I’m lazy and made it hard for me to “dive into” my work in the way that I’m accustomed to.   But is this really laziness?  Is this really a refusal to deal?  Or is it an adjustment period where I’m learning how to do things in a different way?  The uncertainty here is something I struggle with.

DECK USED:  HARDY TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsSep2020 Challenge Prompt
Topic: Do Spread #1
Why am I doing so much procrastination when it comes to my holiday prep?

Tarot of Alexander Daniloff 2012Reading Summary: Because I really don’t wanna juggle more on my plate (Two of Pentacles). I would rather ignore that it’s coming than deal with it (Six of Swords). Not to mention I don’t want to give up time with Gideon (The Lovers Rx).

The first two cards are connected through color schemes, making the juggling of the Two of Pentacles and the “not wanting to deal with it and run away instead” of the Six of Swords connected to each other and intertwined.

The bright red of The Lovers card combined with the lack of cooler tones causes this card to be the outlier.  The design of the card itself in its reversed position looks like a double Hanged Man imagery creating the impression that both Gideon and myself (as lovers) will have to go through a time of delay and change of perception.   The red in this position feels like flames, which brings to mind the holiday rush… which relates to this card in that it is roasting the two hanged men.  Pressure… heat… strain.

Take Away:  Gideon and I will get through the holiday rush together, even if there will be a lot of pressure and struggle involved (as there is every year).  The procrastination stems more directly from the struggle I’m having with not allowing bad habits from the past to sneak in and hijack my efforts for doing things differently this year.

DECK USED:  TAROT BY ALEXANDER DANILOFF 2012 IV EDITION

Lionharts #AstroTarotChallenge
Question: What lesson does 2020 have for my soul’s journey?

Archeon Tarot

Reading Summary: You reap what you sow (Justice), so make sure that you are working towards fulfillment (Nine of Pentacles on fire) instead of just defending what you already have (Seven of Wands).

Take Away:  I know that I chose the topic for the Sunday spread for today as my procrastination, but… I really didn’t expect for all of my readings today to actually end up being on that subject.  *LOL*

The cards here indicate that the lesson 2020 has for me is that I need to do more than just defend what I have.  I need to make sure that I’m actively reaching for more. Does it have to be the “more” that I’ve always pushed for in the past?  No.  That level of push was too much. but I do need to continue to reach for something more.  Stagnancy is not healthy.

DECK USED:  ARCHEON TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How can I best put myself first?

Tarot of the Secret Forest

Reading Summary:  Fucking around (The Fool) means lack of ingenuity (Three of Coins Rx). Gather up your friends (Three of Cups) and charge head first toward your goals (Knight of Pentacles). Don’t rush and accept that it might be slow going (Knight of Coins and Lovers Rx).

Take Away:  I can put myself first at this time by getting back on the path of progress. It’s okay to move slow, but just as another reading today has already stated… stagnancy is not healthy.  So make sure that I’m using the help and support available to me, and get moving.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE SECRET FOREST

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_2414The Nuzzle

Just one breath
an inhale made
and suddenly
you
are within me
your scent
your strength
your touch
drawn in deep
a calming balm
on the soul.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Self Care Saturday (On a Sunday)

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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?

Tarot Leaves, Supra Oracle, Tea Leaf Fortune Cards, Tree of Life Oracle

A note on the use of the Supra Oracle in this spread.  I do not have the guide book for this oracle, and thus all meanings interpreted from these cards are entirely through intuitive interpretation alone.

Earth – Five of Cups, Bridge, Fire – You may feel a bit strapped for cash this week, but keep in mind that this is perception and not reality.  Overcoming this perception will require leaning into your passions and focusing on the things you enjoy instead of on where you feel things are lacking.  Redirect your attention away from where your feelings of scarcity are originating, and everything will fall into place.

Air – Hanged Man, Hat, Earth – A new role and a different perspective are awaiting you this week.  Make sure you are grounding regularly and meditating daily in order to help give you a solid foundation, so that the newness of it all doesn’t set you off-kilter. Take your time with digesting things and you’ll be fine.

Water – Page of Swords, Ear, Individuation – The message here in the position of emotions is to listen to what others say and take the time to learn from what they say and adopt for yourself what works for you.  It’s essentially saying “take what resonates, and discard the rest”.

Gideon and I have been talking a lot about my emotions lately as I struggle to understand how I can carry my growth forward into the busy season ahead.  The message here is to go over my notes, suss out that stuff that resonates with me, and absorb this wisdom so that I can use it to make a positive difference in how I handle things later this year.

Fire – Judgement, Eye, Voided Block – Don’t worry so much or judge yourself so harshly concerning what you’re not doing and the procrastination you have going on right now.  That black hole of hesitation won’t last forever.  When the time is right to move forward with preparations and dive in with both feet? You’ll know.

Waning – Family – The family card in this instance indicates that I will be moving away from a feeling of connection and unity with the world around me. This could indicate a need for introspection, or that I need to bear down and focus on my own shit for the week.

Waxing – Branches Fallen – Echoing the moving away from connection to others comes a need to start pruning my own “garden”.  It’s time to take stock of my responsibilities and good fortune, and weed out those things that are no longer needed or not working for me at this time.

Don’t be afraid to remove anything not working for you at this time that has the possible potential of working for you later on. Remember that those things you prune away and discard have the potential to grow back better and stronger in the future if given the time to do so.

Take Away – Don’t worry so much about the preparation for the holiday rush and stop beating yourself up for procrastinating on getting shit done. Take this week to work through processing some of the things that Gideon and you have discussed and internalizing them, while letting go of some of the baggage that is tying my hands and holding me back.

DECKS USED:  TAROT LEAVES, SUPRA ORACLE, TEA LEAF FORTUNE CARDS, TREE OF LIFE ORACLE

Piece by Piece

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mountainToday’s meditation was just under eleven minutes long.  The topic of today’s meditation was a grounding exercise, although they didn’t call it as much.

It started out with imagining a mountain, then adding in details like the snow top and jagged rocks, trees near the base, etc.   And then guided the listener to take that mountain within the self and feel the solid strength of it there inside.

That’s grounding.   What really stuck with me strongest, though, was the quote that was included with the meditation, which I have put into a graphic and can be seen to the right.  It’s about the constancy of a mountain’s presence, and is the epitome of what grounding meditations are about, finding that calmness and solid footing that allows the whirlwinds of the world to swirl around you while you remain calm and still at the center of it all.

Hush Tarot - Seven of CupsToday’s draw is the Seven of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of being confronted with a plethora of choices.  Sometimes this variety of many options can feel like boundless opportunities, and other times it feels chaotic and overwhelming.  The Seven of Cups encompasses both aspects of this experience.

What strikes me about the imagery of this card today is the chaos.  There’s so much going on in this card, and so little to focus on.  Or rather, there’s so much to focus on that is equally weighted that nothing specific stands out as a focal point.

What I see as the message in today’s card is not to allow the myriad of options open to you to overwhelm you and make a mess out of things.  Sometimes to make a decision? You have to  untangle the mess and examine each element separately, because when they are all together there’s no making heads or tails of any of it which means you sit there spinning your wheels in indecision.

DECK USED:  HUSH TAROT

#Zentember #LovelyHealing Challenge Prompt
Question: How to increase harmony around me?

Samiramay Tarot

Reading Summary: Be generous (Six of Coins) with your wisdom (The Hierophant), and both judicious and articulate in the sharing of it (Queen of Swords).

Take Away:  Too often I feel like a pain in the ass when when I share my knowledge with others, or like a know it all.  I try very hard not to come across in such a way, but it is a worry and a vulnerability that I can’t seem to shake.  The advice in these cards is that is not at all the case and as long as I continue to share my knowledge in a way that is open and helpful and judiciously chosen, it will continue to not be the case. 

DECK USED:  SAMIRAMAY TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsSep2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What personal growth should I be directing my energy toward at this time?

The Painted TarotReading Summary:  Personal changes (Death Rx) and how I view and think about security and stability (Four of Pentacles). You don’t have to split yourself apart to make it happen (Page of Swords).

Take Away: This is about the crap Gideon and I have been talking about over the past few days. It’s about the changes that have been coming up with autumn now upon me and the holiday rush quickly approaching. The cards here are telling me that I need to focus on finding that balance between the security and centered self that I’ve found through my growth over the year, and the change that’s coming.

The solid blue of the Four of Pentacles splinters into the Page of Swords indicating that by focusing on that stable center, I can save myself from having to pick up the pieces and re-learn everything again later.

DECK USED:  THE PAINTED TAROT

Lionharts #AstroTarotChallenge
Question: What in my life has the potential to be most supportive of my best self when choosing a direction in my soul’s journey?

English Magic Tarot

Reading Summary: You’re fortunate enough to be given all of the tools you need (The Magician) in order to make the good choices (Justice) that will carry you forward instead of holding you back (The Chariot).

Take Away:  This is about self empowerment.  The cards are saying that I am a strong, capable, knowledgeable, and talented individual with all of the tools I need to get where I need to go as long as I use those qualities wisely and well. It’s about depending on yourself, listening to your inner compass and strengths.   Depending on others and having those that support you is all well and good, but self empowerment and trusting your own strengths is even more so.

So often my cards remind me that there are others in my life to help me and support me when needed.  Here is the reminder that above all else, self reliance is of key importance.

DECK USED:  ENGLISH MAGIC TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How do I choose hope over fear?

Telluric Tarot

Reading Summary: Lean on Gideon (King of Cups)… And take what you have been so passionately exploring over the past few months (Ace of Wands) and choose to carry those lessons forward and incorporate them into your life moving forward (The Lovers atop The Hierophant).

Usually when I read with this deck, I take time to break down all of the nuances in each of the stones and herbs used in the cards. They always completely reinforce the reading, but I’m just not feeling inspired to do that this time. Because of that, I almost skipped including this reading today… but since I did actually translate the cards, even if not fully breaking them down, I figured I’d include it anyway.

Take Away:  This is also about what we’ve been talking about lately.  It’s about carrying those lessons I’ve learned this year forward with me instead of putting them on a shelf and waiting until the holiday rush is over to take them back down.  I admit to feeling a little trepidation about this, but I’m willing to give it a try and see how it goes.

DECK USED:  TELLURIC TAROT

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_1651Heliotropism

I turn to you
like a flower
to the sun
stretching into
your nurturing
and strength
as you help me
to grow
into a better man.

Thank you for last night, my love.  I really needed your help to see things differently.  I might still be struggling to fully grasp everything we talked about, but the new perspective has found rich soil in which to grow, I think it just needs some more encouragement in order to flourish.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Morning Bonus Read – Boundaries Redux

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The prompt for this reading came from one of my Discord servers and is as follows:

“The best boundaries are the ones you set that don’t *require* adherence from anyone else, but rather set up a simple line for your own actions, or a cause-effect line for someone else’s. For example: I will not check messages from my manipulative relative, I will instead have a trusted friend do that for me. Or, If you break my things, then I will not allow you to use them. Etc.
This isn’t always feasible, but when we can set these kinds of boundaries we can take control of and responsibility for those places in our lives.
So this week, chat with your divination tools about your boundaries.”

Ralph Steadman's Flying Dog Playing CardsWhich of my boundaries require someone else to respect them in order for them to work?

Boundary #1 – Queen of Hearts – Allowing others to come to me for support and not having the proper parameters in place.  So then they come to me about stupid shit or stuff I’m ill equipped to deal with and I find myself feeling all sorts of bitchy about it.

Boundary #2 – Ten of Spades – When I am at the end of my rope, on the ground and bleeding, this is not a time for others to come to me with their own shit.

Boundary #3 – Six of Spades – In a way, this boundary is related to the other two.  This boundary is about me, though, and not other people. It has to do with allowing myself the space I need to find a new path when the old one isn’t working for me.

Can I shift any of those to boundaries that do not require anything, but are simple cause and effect boundaries or boundaries on my own actions?

Boundary #1 – King of Diamonds – Take ownership of what I’m open to helping with and what I’m not. It’s okay to say no and send them on their way when someone comes to me with something that’s not in my wheelhouse. I’m not obligated to coddle anyone.

Boundary #2 – Eight of Clubs – Usually these times of bleeding and vulnerability are a time when I retreat from the world. This retreat sometimes encourages people to chase me rather than backing off. Being proactive and outright expressing “now is not the time” is  a better route to ensure these issues don’t happen.

Boundary #3 – Five of Spades –  The thing is?  I expect myself to be able to just move forward into a new path without conflict, but I need to remember that new things take time and debate and a little bit of struggle to work out where you’re going.  Instead of shutting this shit down, it’s a part of the process that needs to be accepted and allowed.

What boundaries can I not shift this way at this point?

Boundary #1 – Ace of Diamonds – This boundary is absolutely able to be shifted simply by changing the way I look at things and approaching the problem with a clear mind instead of just an open heart all on its own.

Boundary #2 – Ace of Hearts – Make sure when you deliver the “this is not the time” news, that you do so with love and kindness. Don’t turn this into a defense mechanism, but rather a way to define that there is a boundary in place so that you’re not overburdening yourself.

Boundary #3 – Three of Clubs – There is no inability to shift this boundary to a way of better handling things, I just need to keep in mind that the goal at these times is to find the direction that is going to align with my values and goals.

What I can do to move toward being able to take control of those boundaries at some point as well?

No cards were pulled on this question, as the previous question indicated that all three boundaries discussed in this reading are able to be shifted at this point.

DECK USED: RALPH STEADMAN’S FLYING DOG PLAYING CARDS