Ace of Swords

The Way Forward

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IMG_2754Today’s meditation was just over eleven minutes long and focused on taking time to value yourself and your contributions those around you and yourself.

This is something I struggle with on a regular basis.  It’s not that I don’t acknowledge that I contribute.  I love helping people, teaching people, guiding people.  I love providing that little nugget of something that clicks for them and helps them along their path.   I love making beautiful things and sending them out into the world to improve the lives of others.

I contribute to the world around me in many, many different small ways that (I hope) flit out into the world like the butterflies of chaos theory, changing the world one tiny touch of positivity at a time.

BUT…. I have a hard time acknowledging my own worth.  And that reflects sometimes on how much worth and value I see in what I contribute to others and the world.  I’m aware of this, and I’m trying to be kinder to myself as I keep that in mind.

Majestic Earth TarotToday’s draw is a double without a jumper, which is to say that both cards came out together as one.  The cards in today’s draw are the Four of Water (Cups) and the Ace of Clouds (Swords).

What I see in today’s card(s) is a reiteration and reinforcement of yesterday’s read on the Tarotholics prompt.  That is to say, the cards are telling me that it’s time to put my apathy away.  Now is the time to breathe fresh air through my mind and heart, and step forward with purpose.

DECK USED:  MAJESTIC EARTH TAROT

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

Baba Studios Alice Tarot

Interpretation: Currently, my relationship with creativity is in the shithole, as was indicated by yesterday’s read for this challenge’s prompt.   The cards here are telling me that if I want to improve my relationship with creativity, I need to find steadier footing with my emotions (Queen of Cups). This is going to require taking in some new perspectives (Hanged Man) and the process of getting there is going to feel a bit like being on a tiltawhirl (Eight of Wands with the Wheel of Fortune).

DECK USED:  BABA STUDIO’S ALICE TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsFeb2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I better handle and/or respond to criticism?

Guided Hand Tarot

Reading Summary:  Look at all those cups.  Clearly I need to be more grounded in my emotions (Queen of Cups) when dealing with criticism and take the input as a jumping off point, both concerning the relationship of the one providing the criticism (Ace of Cups), and also for the learning experience it will give me so that I can move forward and do better (Page of Cups).

Take Away:  Sometimes we get stuck in a rut of our own making.  Criticism can often be the crowbar that pries us free of that rut.  It hurts, but if we can absorb the blow with grace, that criticism can provide new perspective and open you up to a new way of seeing and doing.

DECK USED:  THE GUIDED HAND TAROT

Owl and Bones February Two Card Challenge
Question: When to be a hermit? / When to be people-y?

Dixit Cards 10th Anniversary Expansion PackWhen to be a hermit? : Sometimes self reflection requires grounding and solitude.  Make sure that you are not doing the latter without the former.

When to be people-y? :  You can’t learn how to better associate and relate with other people unless you’re willing to step out and spend time with them. The first step is not shutting out those closest to you.

DECK USED:  DIXIT CARDS 10TH ANNIVERSARY EXPANSION PACK

Trying New Things

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, but I didn’t do a guided meditation today.  Instead, I took some time to focus upon my breathing, and then worked my way through a full body scan that began at my head and worked down to the tips of my toes.

Once reaching my feet, I moved on to a full awareness of my full body and then expanded that awareness outward to first the room, then beyond.

Eventually, I retracted this awareness back to my normal space just as the chime went off to mark the ten minute mark, and I left it there for the day.

Today’s draw is the Ace of Axes (Swords) with a jumper of the Ace of Cups.

Both of these cards deal with the seeds of new beginnings, opportunity, and potential.  In the case of the Axes, this has to do with the area of thoughts, intellect, logic, communication, and instinct.   The Cups, on the other hand, deals with emotions, relationships, creativity, and intuition.

What I see in these cards today is that I need to invest my heart and soul into new ideas, and when seeking for ways to communicate, try to reach beyond just my mind for that connection with others, but seek to communicate from my heart as well.

As you know, other than with dealing with you personally, this is not my normal approach.  In fact, even with you sometimes I struggle to dip beyond logic and intellect, and into the expression of the heart in my communication.  Sometimes it’s easier than others, but this is something I really don’t do all that often.

For this reason, today’s draw feels like a challenge of sorts.  A challenge of the “status quo” and my “modus operandi” .  A challenge to try a new way of relating to the world.

I’m not entirely sure I’m ready to take up that challenge, but it’s definitely something to think about… and maybe even explore my feelings on a little bit.

Deck Used: Tarot of the Unknown

 

IMG_5800

Bonus Reading

I did the #TarotForGrowthOctober prompt today from Instagram.

Question: What is holding me back from further growth?

Reading Summary: The growth this reading is pertaining to has to do with my business, finances, and resources.  Specifically, in the effort it will take to bring things into balance and up to par after the summer months.  The girl looks ahead into the future, and there is planning going on, but there are obstacles in the way to the climb to the next level.  If I want to surmount them, it is going to take a piece of myself to do so.   A physical and emotional tole.

Take Away: It’s time to identify the obstacles on the path.  Sometimes, those things that look fascinating, or even harmless, can actually be secretly holding you back.  If I want to succeed, I don’t just need to educate myself and plan for the future, but be willing to fight for what I want, and sacrifice for it as well.

Deck Used: Tarot of Vampyres

 

Take Your Time

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and I had a little bit of an issue focusing during the last couple of minutes, so it was really something like seven minutes long.

I did manage a decent first seven minutes though, and the discussion for the guided meditation was about setting intentions at the end of your meditation practice that you carry with you into the rest of your day.

I do this through the card that I draw prior to lying down for my meditation.  The daily draw posted here on my blog becomes my intention for the day.  It is the positive message to focus on throughout my day and help me in fostering perspective.

Today’s draw is the Ace of Zephyrs (Ace of Swords) which is a representation of new beginnings, opportunity, potential, and “the seed” of a start in the area of the mind, intellect, thoughts, logic, communication, and instinct.  This can often be expressed within the theme of new ideas and potential success, breakthroughs that create opportunity for growth, and mental clarity.

When I look at the artwork on today’s card, what I see is not just the brain in the center and the wings that, to me, symbolize the taking flight of new ideas, but the eye above in the center of the crescent moon speaks to me of intuition.  I do not usually associate intuition with the suit of swords, as to me it is more of a water element.   But  here in -this- card, I see intuition.  I see intuition bleeding into the mind, creating inspiration.

The snail in the lower left hand corner of the card also speaks to me.  It indicates that although intuition blends into intellect to create inspiration, sometimes that inspiration is going to need time to percolate and coalesce in order to become something of use.

Sometimes, you have to sit on your budding ideas for a bit and let them grow before you can act on them.

Deck Used: Stolen Child Tarot

Intellectual Inspiration

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Today’s meditation was eleven minutes and twenty two seconds, and focused on worry and discerning the differences between productive worry, and non-productive worry.  It also outlined the “pause and take a breath” method of centering yourself when your worries try to run away with you.

Today’s draw is the Ace of Swords. This card is a representation of potential and the seed of new beginnings in the areas of thought, logic, and communication.

The appearance of the Ace of Swords in today’s draw is an encouragement for me too do the studying and research needed to finish catching up on my tarot journal.

Starting my journal late in the year created a couple of hurdles I wasn’t expecting to come across. I managed to get quite a bit done with putting the journal together and the visual side of things, but then I stalled out when it came to filling in the pages with my writing.

This card is telling me that today is a good day to “fresh start” the intellectual part of this process.

[Update from later in the day, since I did my meditation this evening instead of in the morning. I spent a good chunk of my day working on my journal.  I changed a few of the organizational factors and did a good deal of research for my writing.  I then sat down and got some writing done and I am now about 3/4 of the way through catching things up.  If I can find some time to dedicate to it tomorrow I might be able to get it completely caught up.

Seeding the Garden of New Ideas

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Like yesterday, my morning was a bit hectic and inconvenient today. So, I drew my card first thing when I got up to give myself focus and food for thought throughout my day, but didn’t have time to meditate until this evening.

Today’s meditation was fifteen minutes and forty-nine seconds, and focused on letting go. Whether that be negative feelings, or thoughts that keep one up at night, etc.

I didn’t think this one applied to me very much, but now that it’s over I feel… better. I’m not sure what I let go exactly, but I definitely feel lighter.

The woman’s voice on the guided meditation was so soothing that I caught myself dozing off a few times. I definitely need a nap.

Today’s draw is the Ace of Swords. In the suit of intellect, communication, and logic, the Ace represents new beginnings, fresh insights, and the discovery of new truths. It can also be a powerful encouragement concerning new intellectual endeavors, projects concerning communication, etc.

I can’t help but see a strong correlation between the appearance of this card and this new project we’ve embarked on with this blog.

I know you are seeing benefits from what I’ve begun here, and I think that I see some of them as well. I’m more aware of myself and my inner dialogue throughout the day than I was before. And, I truly believe that this project made a profound impact on how I surfaced from my depression this time around.

I feel more… hopeful, too. And there’s no denying the benefits to our relationship, as it has opened up channels of communication that, following a depression, are usually much more difficult, awkward, and uncomfortable to get opened back up. Not to mention usually taking quite a bit more time? I’m pretty sure that’s also the case, because although I don’t really remember that part of things (or at least not much of it), this time feels… accelerated. And yet not in an overwhelming way.

SO… wandering thoughts aside, I feel like this card is a reminder that this blog and what I’m doing here is a good thing. The card was also a bit of a prompt to really look at the benefits mentioned above as well.