❤️ 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?

Self Care Saturday Tarot Reading with the Figuratively Speaking Mermaid Tarot and White Owl Lenormand

Earth – Queen of Cups atop The Lovers Rx – Foster stability in your life by keeping your guard up when it comes to “the slut”. Make sure that there are no misunderstandings between you and your partner concerning just how bad an idea her proposal is. This is not a cursory discussion. Make sure you discuss it in depth so that he’s able to fully air his feelings on the matter as well.

Air – The Magician – Communication is your tool of the week. Make sure when you communicate with others that you do so in a clear manner. Although Mercury ☿️ going into retrograde doesn’t usually affect you personally, keep in mind the effect it has on others.

Water – Knight of Coins – When a call to action comes in? Consider slowing down instead of speeding up to dive in head first. Sometimes the act of doing nothing is doing something. Don’t discount willful inaction, for it is just as intentional an act as willful omission.

Fire – Five of Coins – Keep an eye on where your money is going this week. More mindfulness in this area now could stave off a moment of scarcity sneaking up to surprise you later.

Waning – Clouds and Garden – Don’t allow social uncertainties to eat at you this week. The fact others are out of sorts has nothing to do with you personally, so don’t take that weight on your shoulders just because things are feeling uncertain at the moment.

Waxing – Ship and Whip – This week’s path is going to be rocky. Focus on getting through it and save fixing things for later.

Take Away – Lean into choosing to do nothing instead of trying to jump in and fix things or resolve problems.  Cool your heels and wait. Watch, and see what happens.  You need to focus on clear communication this week so that others have little chance to misconstrue or misunderstand what you say.  Don’t forget to discuss “the slut” with Gid.

Other elements included in this reading:
Bind Rune on Cedar for a Protected Home
Ammonite for a Sense of Stability During Times of Change
Tree Agate for Fostering Peace and Patience
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECKS USED: FIGURATIVELY SPEAKING MERMAID TAROT AND WHITE OWL LENORMAND

Gideon’s Challenge – Quiet Kisses

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Hydrangea BlossomsQuiet Kisses

Can we
just stay home
and burrow
together
under cool covers
with the
ceiling fan on
and whisper
sweet nothings
to each other
in the
quiet space
we share

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Awkward and Foolish

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Lullaby Tarot's Five of CupsThe @GlitterbyInk #JulyJoy25 Challenge
Celebration of Joy Prompt for July 19 : Openness
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Five of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of pessimism, regrets, doomsday thinking, disappointments, and occasionally, failure (or at the very least, the perception of failure).

There have been times in my life where I could see nothing but the negative. Even when not in the grip of a depressive episode, I just couldn’t (and very possibly wouldn’t) look beyond my negative perceptions of the world around me or of myself.

This perspective makes life lackluster, and creates a situation where addictive behavior can become a problem; primarily because we’re so starved for any little shred of “feel good” that even the slightest taste of dopamine is worth chasing after.

I’m in a healthier place now. It took a lot of effort to get here, not to mention a good deal of feeling uncomfortably awkward and foolish. It’s so easy to slip back into those old tendencies, too, and yet I continue to work towards something better.

Today’s message is a reminder to be open to the positive, even when it might feel unrealistic or stupid. Look for the positive in negative situations. Find the boon, and accept it alongside the crap. I’m not saying that it’ll make the bad stuff disappear, but if you only focus on the negative, then it’s no surprise that the negative is all you see. Instead, allow yourself to be open to more than that. It’ll take some work, but it’s worth it.

DECK USED:  LULLABY TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJul2025 Challenge
Prompt for July 13 : Do Spread 2
Philosophical Question for July 23 : Do acts of kindness always have a motive?

Tea Leaves and Dreams Oracle ReadingReading Summary: The first thing I note in these cards is the color correlation between the roses in the Heart card and the pink/red hues in the archway of the anchor card. Both surround a golden figure… the heart is golden, and so is the hair of the figure in the anchor card.

These correlations speak of warmth and love as a motivator. The hair of the woman in the anchor card also correlates with the hair of the woman in the Harp card and the large rose in the Wreath card. This connects the central figure to both melancholy and a sense of completeness.

Blue is also a central theme, as it is where the figure in the anchor card headed, and also in the background within the Harp card and in the middle ground of the Heart card. This connection and placement connects melancholy a bit deeper between these three, indicating that that is also a strong motivator.

Take Away: The answer presented in these cards is that even when there is no selfish motivation involved in acts of kindness,  there is still a motive involved. These kindnesses are spurred on by a sense of love and kindness that the people being kind need to spread to others.  Alternately a sense of sadness or pity at another’s situation can create a need to “solve” things for another in some cases. Thus, the motivation in these instances of kindness is either to share love, to help make things better, or a combination of both.

So, in this instance, the cards answer is no. There is no such thing as kindness without motive. It may be an altruistic motive spurred by love or pity, but there is always a motive involved.

Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Rhododendron Leaf for Fostering Confidence
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECKS USED: TEA LEAVES AND DREAMS ORACLE AND TWIST’S GRATITUDE CARDS

Daily Self Kindness

I left the room when politics came up today and turned on my audiobook so I couldn’t hear the discussion even from a distance.

Gideon’s Challenge – The Bait

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Whidbey Island InletThe Bait

Why is it necessary
to lay the trap
with words spouted
in a tone
recognized
as contentious
and meant to cause
hackles to rise
as nonsense words
spill forth
like thorny vines
to bristle sharp
as front and center
the bait is lain out
for the taking

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Building On the Past

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

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PipSpeak Tarot's Le PapeThe @GlitterbyInk #JulyJoy25 Challenge
Celebration of Joy Prompt for July 18 : Confidence
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is Le Pape (the Hierophant card), which is traditionally a representation of traditions, spiritual guidance, long standing institutions, teachers and guides, and themes that deal with conformity and social norms.

Don’t take for granted the stuff that you know through past experience, no matter if these past experiences are yours or, as is more often the case, someone else’s.

It’s through listening and valuing our experiences and those of our elders and ancestors that we learn what doesn’t work, as well as what does, and even what might be improved on by building upon these past experiences.

Today’s message encourages us to look at those things that we are good at, and to examine their roots. Where did this knowledge come from? Who (or what) deserves our gratitude and thanks, when we consider how we developed this knowledge? Whose footsteps are we following in?

These things, experiences, and people need acknowledgment and respect for having paved the way forward for your own knowledge and skills. The card and prompt combo for today remind us to not discount them out of hand, but to instead include them into our personal narrative of confidence and success.

DECK USED:  PIPSPEAK TAROT

@LightningWildflower‘s July Tarot Challenge
Revere Prompts for July 16 – 18

Home & Garden Creatures Oracle ReadingWhat in my life deserves special attention and reverence?

Wandering Stones – Remember that mistakes happen for a reason and the bad things in life are something that you learn from. They have value. Each stumble and tumble that you go through is a building block upon how strong you are and the knowledge you hold. They are not random, nor are they the world picking on you. Instead, they are lessons in the development of who you are meant to be and who you want to become.

How can I include more ritual or intention in my day?

Krampus atop Instant Noodle Lung – Bake into your plan the consequences of those times when you take a break, instead of just allowing those consequences to roll up on you and take you by surprise or be something unexpected that needs rectifying.  Consider how your shrink encouraged you to specifically plan time for lazing and languishing rather than fitting it in where you can; you need to also specifically plan in time and leeway for shit to hit the fan when you choose to do something that you know is going have to repercussions.

What simple moments have hidden beauty?

Domestic Twigling atop Kitchen Brownie – Enjoy your food. Sometimes this can be difficult considering how much you eat and how much cooking you do… combined with the fact that you really don’t enjoy cooking all that much, even if it’s a good part of both your life and your spiritual practice. It’s no surprise that you sometimes become bored or burnt out in this area of your life. When things become boring? Start experimenting instead of slacking off. That’s where the fun lives.

Other elements included in this reading:
Pressed Pansy Flower for Hearing the Heart More Clearly
Black Spruce Tips to Boost Self-Confidence and Positive Thinking
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: HOME AND GARDEN CREATURES DECK

Daily Self Kindness

I had a nice long soak in the tub today.

Gideon’s Challenge – Meditation and Mindfulness

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The Buddha and Miss LunaMeditation and Mindfulness

Recently, someone asked me “How often do you meditate?”, and I had a hard time answering this question. The thing is that I do multiple types of meditation every day; but I don’t count them.

I pause multiple times a day to just slow breathe for a few minutes, and focus on those breaths. These breathing exercises are a coping mechanism, and help with my nerves and moments of anxiety. It is meditation, but I don’t count it as such.

I do grounding meditations before client readings. These help to ground and center me for the reading and put my head and energy into the right space. But, I don’t count them as meditation, even though that’s what they are.

I pause for moments of gratitude. I paused for moments of enjoyment from my senses and/or from my synesthesia. I don’t count these as meditation either, although they are in fact a brief mindfulness meditation.

What I count as a meditation is usually a 10 minute or longer stretch of mindfulness meditation and breathing exercise that’s done strictly for me and only for me. This is why we often see my posts saying that my meditation is skipped, even on days when I’ve actually done multiple meditations during the day.

The other types of meditation, I don’t think really count. Not that they don’t do their job or aren’t a type of meditation. I just don’t consider them to be time that was aside for that purpose and just for me.

So with this in mind, I ask to the question “How often do you meditate?” Do I answer multiple times a day? Or do I answer few times a week? I’m still not sure.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography