Ride It Out Instead of Fighting

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IMG_2713Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and was focused upon worrying and how it can so often be a useless endeavor.   I see worry spiral out of control all the time.  Somehow, I seem to attract people that have a worrier’s mind.  They pick up a worry like it’s a tiny little seed, and in their mind it takes root and grows like an invasive species until it fills up every nook and cranny of their minds.

This type of worry isn’t helpful, although some of those “what ifs” can come in helpful in preparing for the unknown.   But what it really does is raise anxiety and work the person up to the point that they can’t sleep and can’t get their mind onto anything else.

I have to admit, though… my own habit of ignoring issues is also not good.  The key is to find a happy medium.

Five of Wands and Six of Wands - Tarot of the Hidden RealmToday’s draw is a double without a jumper, which means that both cards came out together as one.  The cards in today’s draw are the Five of Wands and the Six of Wands (and, yes, this deck is very, very thoroughly shuffled).

What I see here in the cards is that sometimes you have to surrender to the chaos.   I don’t really do “chaos” all that well.  Change?  Sure… it’s difficult but I’m okay with riding it out.  Chaos, on the other hand…. I do not ride out very well.  It causes a lot of stress and anxiety and is just all around unpleasant.

BUT… it happens.  It may actually even be necessary for human development and progress.  I just need to remember that when it comes calling, not to fight so hard against it.  It’s natural… it’s temporary… and it’ll be okay.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE HIDDEN REALM

#TarotForGrowthFebruary Challenge Prompt
Question: What is my relationship with my work?

Oriens Tarot

Reading Summary: When I look at this spread, I see an undercurrent of the depths of the sea within the cards on either side, and the lifting up and surfacing of the center cards as being on a layer above.    Lower layer is cold, hard sea…. upper layer (center cards) is the rising to the surface and the light.

In juggling responsibilities (Two of Pentacles) and that inner spark of new inspirations (Ace of Wands),  I am working on rising above and letting go (Eight of Cups) of  what isn’t working and is holding me back from my aspirations (Ten of Pentacles Rx).

DECK USED:  ORIENS TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsFeb2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What is one of my least positive qualities?

Britt's Third Eye Tarot

Reading Summary: I’m a bastard about telling myself that I’m not doing well enough and or not contributing enough.  These cards are in reference to my self-judgement (Judgement) of my performance and abilities (Knight of Swords), and my inability to ever accept that I’m doing enough (Four of Pentacles).

Take Away: Accurate.  I’m actively working on being more accepting of myself and the products of my skills and abilities, and yet.. I am very much my own worst critic.  The cards are calling me out on this specifically in relation to my work and the product of my work.

DECK USED:  BRITT’S THIRD EYE TAROT

Owl and Bones February Two Card Challenge
Question: Elevate this / Calm the fuck down here

The Hide TarotElevate This :  This card speaks of playing to my strengths concerning helping others.  This is something that brings me a lot of enjoyment and a great deal of pleasure.  I like helping others find what’s right for them, and helping them find their path.   This card speaks to that ability, and my enjoyment of it.

Calm the fuck down here :  Ease up on myself concerning my accomplishments.  The cards have told me this a lot lately, but I need to accept that I don’t have to do everything at once, and nothing requires being done right this instant.  It’s okay to take my time and take things slow.

DECK USED:  HIDE TAROT

Perseverance

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Today’s meditation has yet again been non-existent.  I just didn’t sleep well last night and lying down to do it was a bad idea considering everything I needed to get home today.  Clearly that was the best choice, as when I took a “short nap” after getting home?  I overslept by a whole two hours.   I’ll try to meditate before sleep tonight when I crawl into bed, but I really need to get back on top of doing this first thing in the morning.

Nine of Trees - Majestic Earth TarotToday’s draw is the Nine of Trees.  I have a hard time remembering the suits in this deck, but the elemental symbol indicates that this is the fire suit (wands).  That said, I did my read off of the card before my brain kicked in to work that out.

What I see in today’s card is a build off of yesterday’s message about keeping i mind the long term view and goals and not getting too caught up “in the moment”.   When I see that tree standing strong and tall on the cliff, it also makes me think of taking the long view.

It’s about the strength that is built over time and perseverance.  Struggles and strain happens, but by working through them you build strength.  Stress is not necessarily good for you… neither are car accidents, violent attacks, etc.   BUT, they do benefit you in building upon your strength and giving you a chance to grow and develop from these hardships.   That is true for communities as well.

DECK USED:  MAJESTIC EARTH TAROT

#TarotForGrowthFebruary Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I improve my relationship with the present?

Button Soup Tarot

Reading Summary:  Don’t allow moments of self doubt and lack of faith (The Star Rx) cause so much stress and strain (Nine of Wands) that I retreat into myself (Hermit) or you will end up feeling overwhelmed and burnt out (Seven of Wands Rx).

Side Note: I don’t usually read reversals, but with this deck… it just felt right.   So I left them in.  It’s something about how the imagery changed in the upside-down position.

Take Away:  The pattern mentioned in the cards is something that is very common for me and I need to watch out for it and make sure I don’t end up tripping over that pitfall.

DECK USED:  BUTTON SOUP TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsFeb2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What in my life makes me feel the most thankful at this time?

Sola Busca Revisited Tarot

Reading Summary:  The opportunities presented to me to improve my way of life (Knight of Coins), and the help of my friends to assist me in that and uplift me (Three of Cups) when I am feeling overtaken and overwhelmed (Five of Wands).

Take Away:  I really do have an amazing support system of people who care about and love me to help me in times of need, whether those times are when I am pushing towards my goals, or in times when I am feeling things have gotten out of control.

DECK USED:  SOLA BUSCA TAROT REVISITED BY TAROTBYSEVEN

Owl and Bones February Two Card Challenge
Question: Where can I be more creative? / Where am I being deluded?

Golden Klimt TarotWhere can I be more creative? :  I need to remember what the shrink said when I went to visit her. Maybe now isn’t the best time to restructure how I am doing the business.  With the fear thing and feeling overwhelmed, adding that other aspect and smothering out my creative spark is probably not the best course of action.

Where am I being deluded? :  This pretty much carries over from the previous card.  I’ve taken off a bigger bite than I’m able to chew and I need to step back and look at taking smaller steps… smaller bites… and not expecting everything to be done immediately.   Allow myself a longer time-frame for getting things done.

DECK USED:  GOLDEN TAROT OF KLIMT

 

The Long View

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Today’s been kind of a clusterfuck of a day, and I haven’t managed to meditate yet, although I did give it a couple of tries throughout the day.   I will try for it again when I go to bed here in a bit.

Seven of Pentacles - Tarot of the Hidden RealmToday’s draw is the Seven of Pentacles, which I felt was pretty fitting for today considering the drama that went on (and has been going on over the last few days) on the Discord server.

The appearance of the Seven of Pentacles is to remember to take the “long view” of the situation and the community as a whole.   Yes, there’s drama right now… but it’s temporary.   The building and maintaining of a community is more than just a moment or a few days.  It’s built over time and adaptation and it’s a learning process.   Over time, that community grows and evolves, develops and strengthens.  Part of that process is the times of drama and difficulty.

The card is a reminder that the drama is temporary, and the focus needs to lie on what’s ahead and what is being built, instead of getting too wrapped up in the moment.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE HIDDEN REALM

#TarotForGrowthFebruary Challenge Prompt
Question: What is my relationship with the present?

Hush Tarot

Reading Summary: There is a resistance to change going on (Six of Swords), and although I’m longing inner happiness and trying to find the path to seeking it (Nine of Cups, I’m having trouble letting go and it’s making moving on a struggle (Five of Cups). I might need to look at balancing the negatives and positives of the moment, rather than trying to overcome the negatives involved (Two of Pentacles).

Take Away:  The reading is about roadblocks and hurdles.  It’s about struggling to find a way forward and having trouble with moving forward. I’m still feeling quite stuck, even after identifying the fear issue.  That struggle is reflected in the cards, along with the suggestion of a different perspective concerning it (ie: balance as opposed to trying to overcome).

DECK USED:  HUSH TAROT

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?

SCS

Earth – Queen of Pentacles and 8 of Clubs / Moss Woman (Tread Carefully) – You have somewhere to be and some fierce energy to get you there, but you need to remember to take it slow and careful.  Your steps toward stability and a place of comfort and ease are going to take some time.  Don’t rush it.

Air – Seven of Spears and 4 of Clubs / Faerie Collector (Luck) – You might feel like you need to play defense this week, but remember that luck is on your side and as long as you keep your stable footing, everything is going to be okay.

Water – The Hermit and 3 of Hearts / Beauty in the Bark (Dangerous Emotions) – Don’t allow yourself to sink into feelings of being the “odd man out” in group situations this week. That feeling creeps up at the most unexpected times, but it’s a lying whisper in your ear and not based in reality.

Fire – Two of Spears and 5 of Clubs / Faerie Magic (Energy Power) – There’s going to be some opposition during the week, but just stay on task and keep your goals in mind as you go forward into the week. Plow forward and you’ll leave the struggles in your dust.

Waning – Ginkgo – Work on letting go of the past and letting go of the issues that were spurred from past trauma.  Holding onto these memories and emotions isn’t doing you (or anyone else) any good.

Waxing – Baobab – Take refuge in the present and don’t push too hard towards the future this week.  It’s okay to take some time and savor the now.

Take Away –  This week is a time of transition.  The fear from the letter, the issues with father that were raised in the fall, all of these things need to be set aside.  Not buried, but set aside.  It’s not as easy as it sounds, but something’s gotta give, and it’s better to release than have bones shatter by holding on too tightly.

DECKS USED: HUSH TAROT, FAERIES OF THE FOREST CARDS, WISDOM OF THE TREES ORACLE

Creativity Challenge Prompt

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One of the things I do for the Discord server that I moderate is I’m in charge of what used to be the “Weekly Writing Prompt” challenge.   That recently expanded to include creativity of all sorts.

This week’s challenge is…

Create an additional card to add to a tarot deck you own.
(Example: A 23rd Major Arcana card or a 0 card to add to one of the Minor suits.)
Use any form of artistic expression you wish to create your response.
(Ex: drawing, painting, digital artwork, collage, scrapbooking, etc.)

Now, I need to precursor the results of this project by saying that I haven’t picked up a pen, pencil, or marker with the intent to draw anything in… it’s been at least five, maybe closer to eight years.   And I haven’t picked up a paint brush in at least ten or twelve years, maybe more.   So… I don’t think I did too bad, all things considered.

HungryThe Hungry

There was once a dragon that pissed off a wizard and as a result was transformed into a flower that resides within the wizard’s back yard.

If you find yourself visiting an old rickety house some day with a haint blue door and shutters the color of poppy flowers, check the back yard. Are there mangled and rusted metal parts half buried out there? If so, take care not to walk too close to the flowers.

And keep your shoes on!

 

Is It Okay…?

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This week’s question from the Pagan Perspective YouTube channel is about the questions people ask as they are becoming acclimated to a new belief system and/or faith.

Topic for the Week of 2/10:  from Jenni B – “Is It Okay…” in your path!
“The main questions I keep seeing in some of the groups I’m in are ‘is it ok…’ questions. ‘Is it ok to buy my own tarot deck?’ has been coming up a lot recently. ‘Is it ok to have a temporary altar?’ , ‘is it ok to keep my altar in a box/ cupboard /particular room?’. One that really boggled my brain recently was ‘is it ok to cut my own hair’ …??? It might be interesting to have the hosts answer the general question of ‘is it ok…?’ within their tradition. Most of the time people who ask these sort of questions in the groups will get the answers ‘yes if it works for you’ or ‘yes if it isn’t hurting anyone’. I don’t know if there is much difference between the answers people would get from the traditions represented on the channel but it seems to be a common anxiety out there for a lot of people. “

door

Is it okay to buy my own tarot deck?
Is it okay to not read reversals?
Is it okay to not cut the deck before pulling tarot cards?
Is it okay to not cleanse my cards?
 Is it okay to have a temporary altar?
Is it okay to keep my altar in a box/ cupboard /particular room?
Is it okay to not have an altar?
Is it okay to cut my own hair?
Is it okay that I don’t feel connected to deity?
Is it okay to include personal items in ritual?
Is it okay to not chant, sing, or rhyme in ritual?
Is it okay to cast spells without intricate, detailed rituals?
Is it okay to not use candles/incense/crystals/etc in ritual and/or spellwork?
Is it okay to use plastic/glass/etc in rituals and/or spellwork?

I’ve run into all of these questions and many more.   The thing is?   I don’t see faith as rigid.  That is whether that faith is in tarot, in religion, in spellwork, etc.  It’s not rigid.

Yes, certain rules of nature are rigid.  Certain ethics (for me) are rigid.

But none of the questions above fall into those categories.  In every single case?  In my belief system it would be completely up to the individual and what feels right for them.

There is a massive amount of autonomy in my faith.  It’s about what feels right to you. What fits you.  For me that includes a good deal of respect for the earth, the green, and nature’s creatures.  For me, this involves strict adherence to my the directives of both my moral compass and my intuition.   If my gut says no?  Then it’s no.  Period.  Whether I wish the answer was yes or not, whether I feel like it should be yes or not, whether other people insist it’s okay or not.  If my gut says no?  The answer is no.

This goes beyond how I practice, where I practice, or what I use in my practice.  It goes into everyday life and everyday choices, because if I can’t trust my intuition in ALL times and ALL things, it won’t speak as loudly when I need it to.

So my answer to “Is it’s okay… ?” is two fold.  Do you feel that it is a morally and ethically sound decision?   And does your gut say yes?  Or no?

If the answer is no?  Then maybe it’s time to examine things more closely and figure out why.  Or maybe just take it as “no” and look for a method/path/way of doing things that fits better for you.