Personal Values and Moral Compasses

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Today’s meditation was a self-directed ten minute session, focused upon the theme of Other Lives from The Az 2 Oracle card (shown) by @Sunni_Chapman and a quote from the guidance that came with that card.

That guidance says, “…what moves you is different than things you try to move; what moves you is something that is so completely resonant, you scarcely need to try! It just pulls you quietly toward it.”

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Medieval Cat Tarot - Six of Wands and The Az 2 Oracle@FatMumSlim August #FMSPAD Challenge
Prompt for August 4th : In My Hand | #FMS_INMYHAND25
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Six of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of public accolades, societal expectations, people pleasing, and peer pressure.

Do you want to be happy with and proud of yourself, or do you prioritize others opinions of you above your own?

Now, I’m not saying that the accolades of others don’t or shouldn’t feel good. Of course they do. But, for a more authentic life and healthier perspective, their opinion should come second to your own.

Allowing others to dictate how we feel about ourselves as peer pressure becomes a problem, and this is how people end up halfway through their lives just to suddenly realize nothing that they’ve done or built actually makes them happy.

That satisfaction in life and independence to stand up to peer pressure for our own values is ours to claim. It is already within our grasp, just waiting for us to realize that the opinions and accolades that are the most valuable of all are the ones that come from us… not others.

Today’s message seeks to empower us to connect with our own values, interests, and opinions… and to prioritize them over the influences of others. Choose your own path, follow your own personal moral compass and values. No one can truly know you better than you know yourself, which means your happiness lies within your own hands; not in the hands of others.

DECK USED:  MEDIEVAL CAT TAROT AND THE AZ 2 ORACLE

@Lionharts #TheAugustTarot Leo Season Challenge
Ace of Wands – Ignition Prompts for August 2nd thru 4th

Intuitive Whispers Oracle ReadingWhat bold beginning am I ready to ignite?

Move Through Your Fear – “The way to move past fear is not to ignore it or pretend it isn’t there, but instead to identify it, feel it, and notice what thoughts and feelings arise. Move through it rather than around it.”

Confrontations with people is not really something that you’re uncomfortable with. Confronting your fears, on the other hand, is another matter. You are very adept at avoiding and ignoring, and in many cases this works well, as your fears are be discovered unfounded as time passes.

Sometimes though, especially lately as you seek to allow yourself to be more vulnerable, you’ve found that your fears will cause you to freeze in place.

The “bold beginning” that this card is encouraging you to ignite in your life right now is to stop allowing these fears to freeze you up, and instead confront them and process them so that you can move past them instead of being held up by them.

Where is my creative fire asking to be unleashed?

Crown Activation – “When your crown activates, it’s drawing a lighter, more playful energy to move through you. What heaviness can you let go of to let this new playfulness in?… Right now it’s time to play.”

Play and playfulness are important aspects in igniting your creative energy. Play inspires you and puts others at ease, all at the same time, allowing inspiring moments to flow more smoothly both within you and along your path.

How am I being invited to act on inspiration now?

Throat Release atop Trust the Call – “Often we are taught to hold things in and solve them by ourselves, but this is rarely the best way for the body to process its feelings. Let it out. You deserve to be heard…“

Make sure that you are listening to your intuition and speaking up when you need to rather than holding back when it comes to something that if not said could end up festering within you.

Sometimes communication with others is all about timing. Make sure that you’re listening to your intuition and not ignoring those moments of opportunity to garner the ear and understanding of others when they are presented to you.

Other elements included in this reading:
Fuchsia Flowers for Stability in the Face of External Disruption
Foraged Wood Fern for Exorcising Negative Influences
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: INTUITIVE WHISPERS ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

I’ve been playing my “Dreamy Kisses” playlist today, which I usually only listen to when soaking in the tub, in order to save the more mellow sounds and help ease my anxiety a bit.

Gideon’s Challenge – Seeking Silence

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Mount Baker, WASeeking Silence

I want
to be there
where the
treeline
thins out
to rough terrain
and the
temperatures drop
as it begins
to become hard
to breathe
and cell signals
taper off
to nothing
but quiet

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Moments of Self-Generosity

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Today’s meditation was a ten minute long self-directed session that focused on the Finnish concept of Oleilu, which is defined as “a calm, unhurried state of simply being, not about doing, achieving, or planning, but the quiet act of existing in the moment”. ( Graphic by @aesthetic_logophile )

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Life Line Tarot's Six of Pentacles@FatMumSlim August #FMSPAD Challenge
Prompt for August 3rd : Shapes in the Clouds | #FMS_CLOUDSHAPES25
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Six of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of charity, generosity, sharing the wealth, asking for or accepting help, and balancing the scales between the “haves” and the “have nots” in life.

Are you able to sit for a few moments of nothing? Are you able to take a deep breath, let it out slow, shut down your mind, and just be for a time?

If not, you’re not alone. Giving ourselves the space to do these moments of quiet stillness is difficult when life is busy and we have so much to do and so many issues to sort through. It’s easier to be generous to others than to ourselves in a world that tells us that we are never doing (or being) enough. So we push when we need to rest. Over time this push for more becomes habit, and we can’t turn it off even when we need to.

If we truly want to practice generosity, though, we need to learn how to give it to ourselves. We need to learn how to take a moment of stillness and tell our brains to shut up and butt out.

Today’s messages is an encouragement to start this process of generosity with yourself. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and listen to a beautiful song all the way through from beginning to end. Lie down and look up at the clouds and seek out shapes in them with your imagination. Sit and watch the journey of an ant going about its day. Examine and admire the intricate veins of a leaf.

Use these moments as a way to give yourself a break and shut down the litany of demands your brain is constantly running in the background. It doesn’t have to be a long pause, even just a minute or three will do. The generosity you give to yourself in these moments is in each time we try.

DECK USED:  LIFE LINE TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsAug2025 Challenge
Prompt for August 3rd : Do Spread 1 – Physical Aspects

The Elder Animals Oracle Reading

Seeds Sown – What seeds for my physical health & growth planted in the Spring have flourished and grown strong?

Elder Coyote – The efforts that you began in the spring to add more flexibility to your body through the extra morning stretches you’ve added to your physiotherapy routine have started to pay off. Although it’s slow going, this practice is beginning to allow you to identify the places that need more work, and sort them out from those that were able to recover more quickly.

The Chaff – What seeds have not flourished and need to be let go to encourage healthy growth in other areas?

Elder Swan – You’re never going to be 100% happy with yourself and how you look in the mirror. The scars and damage can be acknowledged as a type of strength, but are never going to appeal to the aesthetic of your eye. Your weight is always going to be a problem as well. It’s time to accept that these things don’t really matter. Those who love you love you just the way that you are, flaws and all. Work on loving yourself as they do.

The Harvest – How can I best prepare now to reap the benefits of a positive and healthy harvest in the Fall?

Elder Wolf – Protect your energy. Summer is supposed to be a time of rest and recharge for you, where you recuperate from the busy time of the year and, as Fall approaches, you begin preparing for the busy season to come. Make sure that you are protecting your energy by resting when you need to rest, as well as by beginning to make those items you can make ahead of time for the busy season to come so that you will not be so stressed when the rush is upon you.

Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Rhododendron Leaf for Fostering Confidence
Cedar Smoke Cleansing Bundle for Protection
Tumbled Agate for a Mindset of Purity and Innocence
Desert Rose for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: THE ANIMAL ELDERS ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

I cried.

Gideon’s Challenge – The Silence

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Lobelia FlowersThe Silence

How is it
in a room
full of people
we can feel
so alone
even
as they speak
and smile
touch
and hug
it only makes
that moment of
desolate
solitude
more acute
than before

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.

Self Care Saturday Tarot Reading with the Japanese Myths Tarot and Sambucus Lenormand

The question is… What do I need to focus for self-care through the week ahead?

Earth – Four of Swords – Stillness is your friend. As many readings over the past week have mentioned, don’t jump the gun concerning the things you’re worried about. Your answers lie within patience, and in adaptation when adaptation is needed and not a moment sooner.

Air – Death – You have an opportunity to prepare instead of being taken completely by surprise. Changes are common and it’s okay to think them through and strategize, as long as you aren’t jumping the gun on taking action, and that you remember that plans will never be perfect and always need tinkering with in the moment.

Water – Six of Pentacles – Be kind to yourself. Self-generosity is needed to keep you from falling into the habits of old defense mechanisms. Give yourself what you need instead of withholding it these things as a form of punishment or self-destructiveness.

Fire – Justice – You get what you give, and that includes in self-care. If you don’t put in the effort in this area and take it seriously, you won’t reap the needed rewards.

Waning – Boy and Man – Don’t worry so much about being a “responsible adult” at the moment. You need a little time allowing your softness to flow freely and letting your inner child have some fun.

Waxing – Dog and Scythe – Stick to your guns with the silent treatment you’ve been giving your potential stalker. They -are- getting the message, even if a resurgence of their behaviors is eminent.  Keep your boundaries strong and don’t allow yourself to cross over into responding, no matter what bait is brought to bear.

Reading Note: I chose to leave the alternates for cards 28 and 29 in the deck due to them having such different connotations. Thus how I ended up with both 28 cards in the Waning position of this reading.

Take Away – The time to act is not now, no matter how much your anxieties try to push you into doing so. Plan, watch, listen, pay attention, strategize and plan some more.  Just don’t -do- anything yet.  Instead? Spend this time giving yourself the self-care you need, including those generosities that allow you to stay open and vulnerable instead of retreating to protect yourself.

DECKS USED: JAPANESE MYTH TAROT AND SAMBUCUS LENORMAND

Seeking Joy By Letting Go

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Today’s meditation was a self-directed ten minute session, focused upon the theme of Doubt from the included Az Oracle card by @Sunni_Chapman and a quote from the guidance that came with it.

That guidance says, “…it’s not the road (the means or the method) that you need to mind so much as the decision and intention behind that road. What do you want to see and feel on your road? What kind of scenery do you want to take in on the way?”

There’s a lot of uncertainty in my life right now, especially around my livelihood.  My meditation for the day was focused on reconnecting and centering myself on my path and what I want to achieve through that path I’ve chosen.  It’s a reiteration of a message I’ve received a lot over the past few days, which is to say… focus upon what is under your control, and let go of the rest that you can’t do anything about.

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Whimsical Realm of Oddities Tarot's The Hanged Man and The Az Oracle@FatMumSlim August #FMSPAD Challenge
Prompt for August 2nd : A Quiet Joy | #FMS_QUIETJOY25
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Hanged Man card, which is traditionally a representation of taking a pause, considering alternate perspectives, relaxing into difficult situations, surrender, or letting go.

It can be  hard to sit with your thoughts and feelings sometimes. They can feel overwhelming and, at least for me? When I’m feeling overwhelmed my natural inclination is to try and shut it all down. That means that in meditation, during these times sitting in silence with an empty mind is a piece of cake.

Harder is sitting in silence with those emotions, thoughts, and concerns.  Sitting in silence and acknowledging my fears and worries.  Sitting in silence and not allowing them to spiral out of control, but to just -sit- with them and let them have a moment of acknowledgement.

Sometimes this means I end up crying.  Sometimes, I can’t stand it and have to stop.  Sometimes… I can’t actually keep things from spiraling in my brain.  I understand, though, that these quiet moments are important.  They allow time to acknowledge my fears, feelings, and anxieties, which is the first step to sorting through them and actually dealing with them… instead of burying them so that they fester beneath the surface.

The message for today is to remember that even in these times when those quiet moments aren’t peaceful? There’s benefit.  They are a necessary part of our path to joy, as it’s after we acknowledge these fears and open to them that their weight begins to ease and our heart to lighten. Today’s card is an encouragement to not hide from what needs to be seen.  Make space to allow it to come forward, and acknowledge it so that it can continue on and pass on by.  That way, the path is open, unblocked even, for that joy in life that we’re all seeking to savor.

DECK USED: WHIMSICAL REALM OF ODDITIES TAROT AND THE AZ ORACLE

@Lionharts #TheAugustTarot Leo Season Challenge
Prompt for August 1st : Strength Opening Spread

The Strength Oracle Reading with the Banksy Wisdom Cards

What strength am I guided to embrace as my foundation this Leo season?

Breaking the Rules – You are very good at being yourself against all odds. Guilt and peer pressure rarely have the influence over you that others think that they will (although, this boundary has been a bit more mushy lately than you’d like). This individuality comes from knowing yourself and being able to follow your own inner compass without question. This is a skill that you need to tap into this Leo season.

How can I move through this Leo season with grace and confidence?

Embrace the World – Expect others to let “you do you”, and you do the same in return for them. Just because something is not for you doesn’t mean it’s not perfect for them and vice versa. Embrace the differences that make each of us unique, and remember to mind your own business when people aren’t doing things “your way”.

What heart-led action am I being called to take in devotion to myself?

Necessary Selfishness – As mentioned above, you do you, and if others don’t like it? Too damn bad. Remember that you don’t have to make excuses for yourself, no matter who it is that’s offended or put out by your authenticity.

Other elements included in this reading:
Carved Bamboo for Positive Outcomes
Black Spruce needles to Boost Self-Confidence and Positive Thinking
Dried Purple Heather Flowers for Independence and Luck
Clear Quartz Man in the Moon for Amplification of Lunar Energies
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: BANKSY WISDOM CARDS

Daily Self Kindness

I had the most amazing apple today.  It’s been a long time since I’ve ate an apple, and I’m not really a fruit person, but… it was perfect and I really enjoyed it. I savored every bite.