Gideon’s Challenge – Every Little Thing

Turtle Planter - Mexican Restaurant

Every Little Thing

I think of you
in the strangest
of places
and most
unexpected moments
throughout
each day
over and again
as little things
bring you
again and again
to my mind
and make
a smile
slip over
my lips

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

The Small Wins

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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The @GlitterbyInk #FebYOUary26 Moments & Memories Challenge
Prompt for February 18th
: Gratitude
Daily Mental Health Prompt
: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

The Sacred Circle Tarot - The Sun

Today’s draw is The Sun card, which is traditionally a representation of success, optimism, positivity, fun and frivolity. In my practice, the Sun is also a symbol of masculine vitality, virility, and warmth.

Small wins and successes are still wins, and need recognition and celebration… maybe even more so than the big ones, because they bolster our spirit along the journey instead of forcing us to focus on only the end and the goal sitting there waiting for us.

Drudgery. Honestly? That’s sometimes what trying to achieve goals feels like. Just trudging forward day after day, struggle after struggle, eye always trained on the prize.

Today’s Sun Card and “gratitude” prompt challenge us to consider that maybe that -isn’t- how it has to be. By celebrating our small wins along the way, it doesn’t have to feel like a long slog through mire to get to our reward at the end… because we’re getting little rewards along the way and that bolsters our spirits, making the journey lighter and more enjoyable instead of grueling and miserable.

The message for today is a reminder to celebrate your small wins. In return, you are rewarded with a better experience over all.

DECKS USED: THE SACRED CIRCLE TAROT (aggressively trimmed)

@ambitiouslyalexa’s February Journal Prompts
Prompt for February 18th

Tarot Reading with the Tarot of Sexual Magic and Deck of Many Insults

A pattern I’m starting to notice

Six of Pentacles and Wasn’t Listening – Maybe the reason it’s become a struggle to find those willing to communicate with you is because most people are too concerned with their own crap to take the extra effort needed to do so.

I run across a lot of impatience and irritation when trying to communicate with others, especially strangers like store clerks, customer service, and just random people. My communication difficulties are a hurdle that they see as a burden they just aren’t interested in bearing in order to communicate with another person.

It’s too inconvenient so they react with impatience and/or irritation.

Anything I might need to do concerning this pattern

Four of Cups atop Eight of Swords; Not the Dumbest and Boot Flask – It’s a futile effort to get them to pay attention or be receptive to you. The extra effort is something they’re just not willing to put into the situation, and it’s their loss. So let them walk away and find someone else.

Other elements included in this reading:
Staghorn Sumac for Connecting with Nature and the Wild Within
Tree Agate for Fostering Peace and Patience
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: TAROT OF SEXUAL MAGIC AND DECK OF MANY INSULTS

#DiscordTarotholicsFeb2026 Challenge
Philosophical Prompt for February 18th
: Is the desire to be loved an innate human desire?

Tarot Reading with The Sacred Circle Tarot

Reading Summary – Sex and procreation is an animal drive (Ace of Pentacles and the erect phallus in the Six of Wands), but connecting emotions to such things is innately human (Three of Cups and Six of Wands).

Take Away – These cards indicate that the desire to be loved is, in fact, innately human.

It’s not about sex or comfort or security. It’s about finding love, which is something that unique to humanity.

That’s not to say that there aren’t those out there that try to equate sex and love, safety and love, security and love, or comfort and love. But, the emotion itself? That is uniquely human, as is our desire for it.

Other elements included in this reading:
Holy Leaf for fostering Strength, Endurance, and Boundaries
Foraged Acorns for Protection during New Beginnings
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECKS USED: THE SACRED CIRCLE TAROT (aggressively trimmed)
Daily Self Kindness

This is a catch up post, and I’m not entirely sure what the self kindness was for this day.

Gideon’s Challenge – More Rain

More Rain

too dry
summers
thin out
the evergreens
over time
until winters
begin to look
brown and blue
instead of
green and gray
and no one
wants more rain
it seems
yet that’s
what’s needed
most

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Run Away, or Stay

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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The @GlitterbyInk #FebYOUary26 Moments & Memories Challenge
Prompt for February 17th
: Forgive
Daily Mental Health Prompt
: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

The Medieval Scapini Tarot - Six of Swords

Today’s draw is the Six of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of leaving the past in the past, moving on, letting go in order to welcome in something better, and transitions towards something better.

Walking away isn’t always the answer. Sometimes the work has to be done staying right where you’re at.

It can be really easy to get into the habit of running away from one’s problems. And to be fair, sometimes that is the best answer (as recently discussed in the card of the day pull on the 14th).

The problem is that that when it becomes a habit that we repeat again and again, we end up running away from our problems not because it’s the best answer, but because it appears to be the easiest answer or the least scary solution.

The thing is, though, that that isn’t always the best answer. Easy isn’t always our best choice. Take the imagery on this card, for example. The man has clearly fallen off his horse; is the answer to kill the horse? No. It’s to pick your ass up off the ground and try again, or perhaps give the horse some more training so that you don’t end up in the same situation again… you know, if it wasn’t user error in the first place, that is.

The message in today’s Six of Swords combined with the “forgive” prompt is a reminder that we have to stay and fight for the things that we want sometimes. Yes, there are untenable situations where walking away is the only option available. This is especially true in abusive situations or situations that are unhealthy for us. There are just as many situations, though, where staying to forgive and work things out can be the better choice… especially if both sides are willing to put in the effort.

DECKS USED: THE MEDIEVAL SCAPINI TAROT

@ambitiouslyalexa’s February Journal Prompts
Prompt for February 17th

Tarot Reading with the Soprafino Dellarocca and the Love Oracle of Eden

What I’m learning to trust myself about

Four of Cups atop Four of Wands; Openness – When it’s time to reach out and connect with others, and when it’s time to spend time relaxing alone. A lot of this has to do with learning how to understand when it’s safe and comfortable to be open with others, and understanding when it’s better to keep to yourself and take a breath.

It used to be that you spent all of your time closed off, and even those close to you weren’t allowed to really be all that close. Over time you’re learning how to allow yourself to be open more and discern when it’s better to step back for a bit.

How I can better connect with that trust

Seven of Coins and Explore – You learned to trust by doing. The more experience you gain through exploration and experience, the more you are able to trust yourself to identify the healthy path for you in the moment when making these types of decisions.

Other elements included in this reading:
Gneiss Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Mookaite for Help with Weighing One’s Options
Carved Rhyolite Leaf for Facilitating Calm Transitions
Green Aventurine for Harmony and Balance of the Heart
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: SOPRAFINO DELLAROCCA AND LOVE ORACLE OF EDEN

#DiscordTarotholicsFeb2026 Challenge
Prompt for February 17th
: Something to look forward to.

Tarot Reading with The Medieval Scapini Tarot

Reading Summary – You may always be an introvert (the man’s arms are crossed in the Three of Coins, and that he’s looking decidedly grumpy), but there’s a lot to be said for the time you spend with others both in work (Three of Coins) and play (Three of Cups); not to mention the inspiration that they provide you through their presence in your life… and the inspiration that you provide them in turn (Queen of Wands).

Take Away – Stop automatically dreading social time with others. By anticipating it won’t be enjoyable, you put a pall over the experience. It tinges your time spent with others.

You could be enjoying this time more by letting go of your resistance and expectations. Even more so if you put an effort into looking forward to these times with others.

Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Cedar Bundle for Protection from Negative Influences
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECKS USED: THE MEDIEVAL SCAPINI TAROT
Daily Self Kindness

Two words… Häagen-Dazs 😋

Gideon’s Challenge – All for You

All for You

Touch me
gently
nice and slow
until I burn
white hot
beneath
your hands
and the glide
of lips
upon
warm skin
claim me yours
again

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Building Wisdom

Today’s meditation was a twelve minute long self-directed session that used the quiet tick of the ceiling fan as a focus.

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The @GlitterbyInk #FebYOUary26 Moments & Memories Challenge
Prompt for February 16th
: Wisdom
Daily Mental Health Prompt
: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

The Little Light Tarot - Temperance

Today’s draw is the Temperance card, which is traditionally a representation of moderation, balance, slowing down, practicing patience, and can at times represent a connection between the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

There’s truth in the adage that “only fools rush in”. They wrote a whole song about it, in fact (although I’m pretty sure that song is about love in particular). That’s because wisdom takes a modicum of moderation. After all, it takes time to think things through and weigh the different aspects and choices involved in a situation.

When we just rush forward to solve something, we don’t give ourselves time to weigh all the aspects involved and choices that are available to us. We’re just reacting.

The message in today’s Temperance card and the “wisdom” prompt is a reminder that wisdom comes from growth. It’s not fast, and the situations requiring wisdom are not the sort of things that you can instantly resolve or immediately fix. True wisdom takes growth through contemplation, and contemplation takes time.

DECKS USED: THE LITTLE LIGHT TAROT

@ambitiouslyalexa’s February Journal Prompts
Prompt for February 16th

Tarot Reading with the Modern Hue Tarot and FATUM GM Oracle

How I handle disappointment

Sea atop Kill Someone; The Emperor – You handle disappointment with emotional turmoil that has the tendency to turn into something that hurts others and damages relationships.

The bigger the repercussion that come in the aftermath of these moments demonstrates to you the level of emotional reaction you had to the disappointment you were experiencing.

This is often how relationships end for you, and how people end up unceremoniously cut out of your life. You reach the end of your rope, you tell them about themselves, then remove them from your life without further consultation.

There are a lot of stages, steps, and second chances that lead up to this, but this describes the last rattling breath of life in a relationship with someone that manages to disappoint you to the point of letting go.

How I can better handle disappointment

Ally Help atop Construction; Two of Wands – Instead of living purely in the present moment of the disappointment in the emotions it has elicited, consult on the situation with others that you trust to have your best interests at heart, and have them help you to incorporate into your response where you want things to go. Their council can help you in building better responses to disappointment that can then turn into healthier habits in this area over time.

Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Rhododendron Leaf for Fostering Confidence
Foraged Acorns for Protection during New Beginnings
Mookaite for Help with Weighing One’s Options
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: MODERN HUE TAROT AND FATUM GM ORACLE

#DiscordTarotholicsFeb2026 Challenge
Prompt for February 16th
: What do you need to focus on for self-care for this month’s new moon?

Tarot Reading with The Little Light Tarot

Reading Summary – Make decisions (Two of Swords) to lead yourself towards (figure in Two of Swords is looking towards the right/future and Ten of Cups) what makes you happy (Ten of Cups), and then go for it. No hesitation (Eight of Wands).

Take Away – Stop hesitating to act when you identify something that has the potential to make you happy. This isn’t about your aspirations toward stability or your dedication to your responsibilities.

It’s about joy, happiness, and enjoying things just because you enjoy them or like them. Stop putting these things off in deference to all those other things you need to do.

Your happiness is important and should belong in the “needs” category, instead of a “want” that can be continually shoved off and ignored for other things.

Other elements included in this reading:
Black Spruce Needles to Boost Self-Confidence and Positive Thinking
Dried Rosebuds for Potential and Beauty Waiting to Unfold
Dried Purple Heather Flowers for Independence and Luck
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Desert Rose for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: THE LITTLE LIGHT TAROT

Crossroads Daily Topic Question for February 15, 2026
Topic: Shadow Work

Tarot Reading with the Modern Hue Tarot

What is a lie you tell yourself?

The Chariot and Strength – Telling yourself that powering through obstacles and setbacks with determination and a hard focus on your goals, which causes you ignore your needs in order to get to where you’re going, makes you stronger.

How is it holding you back?

Empress and Seven of Wands – This behavior puts your needs in the back seat (or trunk, for that matter), which causes you to be unable to reach for the self-nurturing you need when you need it.

As a result, neglect becomes a pattern that breaks you down over time, as you’re too busy seeing these needs as another obstacle in your way that has to be battled and overcome.

Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Red Maple Leaf for Adaptability and Connection
Bird Figurine for Fostering Hope, Positivity, and Renewal
Gneiss Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: MODERN HUE TAROT
Daily Self Kindness

I did a little research into Matrix/Element… but might have allowed myself to sort of (at least for now) give up when it became confusing.