affirmation

Changing Course

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Qurky Tarot's Ten of SwordsThe @GlitterbyInk #JulyJoy25 Challenge
Celebration of Joy Prompt for July 8 : Creativity
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Ten of Swords, which is traditionally a representation long journeys coming to an end, painful endings, lessons learned the hard way, deep wounds, and sometimes can indicate loss or betrayal.

Just because it’s what you’ve always done doesn’t mean it’s what you always have to do. Sometimes our interests and those things we are inspired by or are passionate about run their course, and that’s okay.

Creativity isn’t meant to be stagnant. It’s an act of inspiration and curiosity. That means that when your interest in a creative pursuit runs its course? It’s not just okay, but healthy to leave it behind for another one.

Maybe after some time away, you’re interest in it will re-kindle. Maybe not. But, by “sticking with it” when it’s no longer inspiring, you will just add an ugly tinge to something that once brought you joy.

So instead, let it lie for a time and start a new adventure. Even if you don’t return to it, nothing has been wasted, as it’s all a part of you and the experiences that make you unique.

DECK USED:  QUIRKY TAROT

@LightningWildflower‘s July Tarot Challenge
Observe Prompts for July 7 – 9

Tarot Reading with the Tarot Terry Deck and Deck of PlantsWhat will I notice if I take a step back and observe?

The Fool Rx and King Anthurium – People who have successfully managed to cut loose without it damaging their lives and livelihood do so by making sure that certain conditions and criteria are met first. They aren’t just “winging it” without any backup plan or stable base to come back to.

Where am I invited to look more deeply? 

The Hermit atop Page of Swords; Swiss Cheese Vine – You can’t fill those empty spots in your life by sitting at home and letting your inner thoughts cannibalize your self-esteem. Even if outside observers think that your needs are high maintenance, those that love you are eager to give you that extra attention.

What is a truth I have been avoiding?

Strength and Snake Plant – You’ve been holding yourself back in ways that are beginning to feel like they are smothering you. The self restraint involved is not healthy. Give yourself a more room to grow and explore beyond your boundaries, instead of trying to hold yourself in so tightly.

Other elements included in this reading:
Pressed Pansy Flower for Hearing the Heart More Clearly
Foraged Wood Fern for Exorcising Negative Influences
Rainforest Rhyolite for Facilitating Calm Transitions
Desert Rose for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: TAROT TERRY DECK AND DECK OF PLANTS

Daily Self Kindness

I rescheduled my time off instead of putting an extreme amount of pressure on myself to get everything done tonight.

Let the Healing Begin

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Today’s meditation was nine minutes long, and one of the #DailyTrip sessions from the @Calm app.

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The @GlitterbyInk #JulyJoy25 Challenge
Celebration of Joy Prompt for July 7 : Healing
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

The Radiant Beings Tarot - The High PriestessToday’s draw is The High Priestess card, which is traditionally a representation of intuition, secrets, sacred knowledge, mystery, the subconscious mind.

Wellness involves much more than just the body and mind. It goes deeper, into those secret, nooks and crannies of the spirit or soul. It involves energy and emotion, and at times, requires soul-searching.

That’s not to say that our bodies don’t need taking care of as well. It’s our vessel, after all. It just means that when we look at health and healing, there’s more to it than the physical.

Today’s card is an encouragement to take a good look into those hidden aspects within ourselves and seek out what we are in need of. A hug. Better food/fuel. Time outside. A bit of silence. Some time dealing with a past experience. These are all things only you can suss out, see, and once identified, provide for yourself.

Be proactive and seeking them out and fulfilling those needs, and let the healing begin.

DECK USED:  THE RADIANT BEINGS TAROT

@LightningWildflower‘s July Tarot Challenge
Focus Prompts for July 4 – 6

Oracle Reading with the Forest of Enchantment Oracle and Elements of Recovery CardsWhat is worthy of my full attention?

The Questing Beast and Inventory – Make sure all your ducks are in a row before you begin. They may not stay that way, but life’s a little easier when you start out organized.

What is scattering my energy and focus?

Treasure atop You Are Here; Compassion and Kindness – You’re trying to give yourself what you really need, which is some time to rest and recover while appreciating the present. You don’t feel like it’s time to move on yet, and you’re trying to allow yourself that space instead of racing forward to the next goal.

How can I return to focused attention with self-compassion?

A Lonely Gnome and Discernment – Make sure that you are focusing on your needs, and pick your battles wisely. Moderation is needed at this time. Pick and choose what you put your energy into so that you’re still getting the rest and recovery that you need. Even moving slow is forward movement; just at a slower than usual pace.

Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Rhododendron Leaf for Fostering Confidence
Fuchsia Flowers for Stability in the Face of External Disruption
Aragonite for Truth and Understanding
Clear Quartz Crescent for Amplification of Lunar Energies
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: FOREST OF ENCHANTMENT ORACLE AND ELEMENTS OF RECOVERY CARDS

Daily Self Kindness

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

Rationing the Spoons

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and one of the #DailyCalm sessions from the @Calm app.

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1928 Steamboat Arcana's Six of CupsThe @GlitterbyInk #JulyJoy25 Challenge
Celebration of Joy Prompt for July 6 : Playfulness
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 Cups, which is traditionally a representation of nostalgia, joyful memories, childhood experiences, and revisiting the past in some way.

You only have so many spoons. Choose wisely what you want to spend them on.

Spoons refers to how many “spoonfuls of energy” your body allows you in a day, and is from the “spoon theory” which has become a commonly used way to quantify personal energy output in those with chronic illness that limits their energy. [ LINK ]

The mouse in this card daydreams about beer steins, wanting to try them all. Common sense says that she will probably only be able to drink two… or at most three. She’s going to have to pick the ones she wants to try now, and try the others another time.

Like the mouse, we have lots and lots of things that we need and want to do running around in our heads. We can’t fit get them all done at once, though.

The prompt for “playfulness” combined with this Six of Cups is a reminder that we need to be realistic about how much expectation to get things done we are putting on ourselves, and make sure that among all the “should do” tasks and responsibilities, we also leave a little room to cut loose and have some fun.

DECK USED:  1928 STEAMBOAT ARCANA TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJul2025 Challenge
Prompt for July 6th : Do Spread 1

Tarot Reading with the Steamboat Arcana 1928 Tarot and Zodiac Circle Game Cards

What needs to be left behind as I focus on further growth?

The Empress and Capricornus – Set aside the tendency to see your care of others as an expression of your own self-worth. You are allowed to be vulnerable, and that you need caring for sometimes does not reflect negatively on your worth.

What is in full bloom for me right now?

Page of Wands Rx, Pisces atop Singing Bird – You are doing well at giving yourself the breaks that you need. This is allowing you the opportunity to savor what feels good, as well as more time with Gideon. In this time together, he helps you connect to your emotions more deeply, yet at a moderate pace instead of your normal push to dive in head first.

Where do I need to direct my focus for further growth?

The High Priestess Rx and Cancer – Being capricious in your spirituality will only get you so far. It’s fine for a time, but you need to buckle down when you run into obstacles and plateaus instead of falling back on trying to wait it out.

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

DECKS USED: 1928 STEAMBOAT ARCANA TAROT AND ZODIAC CIRCLE GAME CARDS

Daily Self Kindness

I did my best to take it easy today and not push myself to try and fulfill unreasonable expectations. Instead, I focused on rest and restoration.

Finding the Positive for July 3 – 5

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Medieval Feathers Tarot's Five of Cups, Agni Roerich Tarot's The Moon card, and Royal Animals Tarot's Ace of Wands

July 3 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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The @GlitterbyInk #JulyJoy25 Challenge
Celebration of Joy Prompt for July 3 : Freedom
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 (Eastern Meadowlark Feather), which is traditionally a representation of pessimism, regrets, doomsday thinking, disappointments, and occasionally, failure (or at the very least, the perception of failure).

It takes a village to raise a child, or so they say. The thing is? That’s not all that it takes a village to do.

I’m an introvert and a pessimist. This means that in general, I’m not a fan of society and often to look at humanity with an overly critical eye.

To me? I feel people should “live by example”, and I very often feel that people don’t do this anymore. More and more we see people behaving badly with entitlement as their excuse. Even those in power that should be setting an example for others seem to have lost that “live by example” creed that used to be integral to good leadership.

Today’s message is a shift in perspective on this pessimistic viewpoint, and encourages considering that freedom allows us to act as we see fit and feel is right. This freedom allows us to make mistakes, and like a child raised by an addict that will never touch drugs themselves as a result, teaches us by a different type of example. These days, more and more, it appears that we are being shown the consequences of acting foolishly, rather than the shining example of what good looks like. Regardless, the lessons are still there.

DECK USED: THE MEDIEVAL FEATHERS TAROT

July 4 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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The @GlitterbyInk #JulyJoy25 Challenge
Celebration of Joy Prompt for July 4 : Happiness
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Moon card, which is traditionally a representation of uncertainty, illusion, anxiety, fear, the unknown, and the subconscious.

What is happiness? I have a hard time answering this question, whether it’s for myself, or in an “in general” sense.

Inability to answer this question in a general sense is not surprising, as I think that happiness is subjective. But, I’ve often wondered why I’m unable to answer this question for myself. Is it the issues within my upbringing? Is it my pessimistic tendencies? Is it my battle with depression? Maybe uncertainty plays a role? What is it that creates the disconnect in being able to identify what happiness means for me?

I don’t know. And, I don’t know what happiness looks like for me. Or maybe I do… and just I’m unable to identify it as happiness in the same way I struggle to learn to identify so many of my emotions.

This meander through uncertainty is brought to you by The Moon card, which encourages us to bring our uncertainties “out into the light” now and then to observe and consider… even when doing so leaves is as “in the dark” as ever in the end.

DECK USED: AGNI ROERICH TAROT

July 5 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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The @GlitterbyInk #JulyJoy25 Challenge
Celebration of Joy Prompt for July 5 : Inspiration
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Ace of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of the seed, start, or new beginnings in the area of one’s passion projects, inspiration, drive, willpower, and determination. This often translates into themes that have to do with budding new interests and new passion projects.

I am not a big fan of structure. Which honestly, is a bit odd because I often seek it out and thrive under it.

In my conversation with my shrink the other day, we were discussing how I feel a great deal of guilt over times when I languish. You know, just relax and do nothing but play on the phone or what not.

In our conversation, she reminded me (and not for the first time) that everyone needs downtime. That is, time to not be productive. Even me. She encouraged me to try combating the guilt I feel with a greater show of intention. Specifically, by scheduling my languishing, rather than just “squeezing it in” at the expense of all those other things my brain says needs to be done.

I’ve never looked at languishing as something you might intentionally schedule (instead of time stolen from other pursuits). I’m going to give it a try, though. Maybe in doing so, I’ll find myself feeling a little less guilty about doing something that feels good and I enjoy. Or… that’s the hope at least.

DECK USED: ROYAL ANIMALS TAROT

Dirty Words

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and was one of the #DailyCalm sessions from the @Calm app. Today’s session focused on myopic positivity (aka. toxic positivity), which I write more about below in my card of the day musings.

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The Banned Books Tarot - Strength cardThe @GlitterbyInk #JulyJoy25 Challenge
Celebration of Joy Prompt for July 2 : Friendships
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Strength card, which is traditionally a representation of inner strength, persuasion usually through means of compassion, influence and/or manipulation, and courage.

Myopic positivity (also known these days as toxic positivity) is the act of using positivity to discredit or ignore negative things. It’s the belief that if we just “think positive” that bad things won’t (or can’t) happen and that all our wishes will come true.

Myopic/toxic positivity has made words like gratitude, positivity, and optimism “dirty words” that are often snickered at or rejected by those that need them the most.

Myself included.

What I have learned through this daily exercise in finding a positive message in the cards, though, is that positivity/optimism and myopic/toxic positivity are not the same thing.

Healthy positivity and optimism doesn’t encourage us to ignore the bad things, but instead helps us to bear through those bad things in a healthier way. It makes us stronger, supporting us in ways that keep us afloat when things are turbulent. Thus, it’s part of a healthy support system, just like friends and family are.

The message for today is a reminder that what I’m doing here in this card of the day activity. That is… to explore healthy positivity and optimism, and how these things can help counterbalance one’s (my) own negative and pessimistic tendencies.

DECK USED:  THE BANNED BOOKS TAROT

Oracle Reading with The Naughty Oracle@LightningWildflower‘s July Tarot Challenge
Begin Prompts for July 1 – 3

What is waiting to begin if I give it space?

Clusterfuck of Fairies – You can find calm in the chaos, you just need to step back and let things play out on their own. Serenity comes in not engaging with the bullshit.

What mindset will support the next phase of my journey?

Pissed as a Parrot – Authenticity. People don’t say things they don’t mean when they’re drunk, they simple say the things they didn’t mean to say. That bald honestly is needed right now as you step forward on your path, sans alcohol.

What small steps can I take today that my future self will thank me for?

Boogeyman Bullshit – Confront your fears rather than hiding from them. This might feel like a monumental step, but in truth? It’s not as bad as your imagination is making it out to be.

Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Rhododendron Leaf for Fostering Confidence
Onyx Stone Fox for Identifying and Connecting to Truth
Gneiss Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Desert Rose for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: THE NAUGHTY ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

I took a nap because I needed it, even though I really didn’t want to.

Weight Disbursement

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Buzzing Mosquito Tarot - Six of PentaclesThe @GlitterbyInk #JulyJoy25 Challenge
Celebration of Joy Prompt for July : Opportunity
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.

It can sting at our pride and cause us to think that others don’t see us as capable of handling things on our own when an offer of help is given. Sometimes, this makes it difficult to see an offer of help as anything other than an insult to our capabilities.

What these offers are truly doing, though, is providing you with opportunity. Opportunity to have more time or more money or more resources for more fun, or more time with loved ones, or more self indulgence.

Accepting help, therefore, becomes a strength; it allows you to enjoy life more by “spreading the load” through delegation and diversification. Could you do it all yourself? Yes. Of course you could. But accepting help allows you to get it done faster and/or easier so that you then have the energy and time to do something else entirely.

The message in today’s card is a reminder that accepting help isn’t an insult to your capabilities; it’s an invitation and an opportunity to both fill your time with something better and not exhaust yourself so that you can enjoy life more.

DECK USED:  BUZZING MOSQUITO TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJul2025 Challenge
Prompt for July 1st : Do the Third Quarter Spread

Third Quarter Tarot Reading with the Buzzing Mosquito Tarot, Atomic Age Tarot, Herbarium Oracle, and Haven Oracle

Year Ahead Theme : Temperance

Moderation is the name of the game this year.  Take care not to move too fast or go overboard in the grand scheme of things. Remember that even things that are healthy and good for you can turn bad if taken in excess.

Theme for July : Page of Cups

July will be a time for a lot of emotional exploration. For now, it would be wise to observe rather than act. You will learn more by watching than doing for the time being.

Focus / Advice for July : Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

You can be both resilient and adaptable when you need to be; these qualities are not mutually exclusive. Stay true to your authentic self, acknowledge your weaknesses, and let your strength shine this month.

Ray of Hope for July : Ignite Your Inner Fire

Remember that it is through those things that you are passionate about that you find motivation and inspiration. Here is where the fun lies, and where survival becomes less of a chore and more of a game you are in the process of winning.

Theme for August : The Lovers

Make sure this August that you are connecting to what rings true for you and is best for you. Be around those people that encourage you to take care of yourself, and focus on doing the things that you need to do in order to rest and recover from stress and struggle. Some things just make life a little easier and more comfortable… and they’re worth your time and attention.

Focus / Advice for August : Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria)

August is a time to break out of your comfort zone. Try new things and explore. There are new paths offer being offered to you that you need to look at more closely. Stay true to yourself and make sure that you are getting what you need, and if you’re not? Then now’s the time to make a change.

Ray of Hope for August : Let take a deep breath and let the nervousness go. It’s time to get a move on. This is a month for taking action, especially during the first and last quarter moon. You’re safe as long as you stay within the sphere of what is right for you. Place that above all other considerations this month.

Theme for September : Queen of Cups

Remember that it is okay to seek out comfort from others. There are people in your life that provide you refuge on an emotional level. Seeking them out does a service not just to yourself, but also to them and the relationship between you both.

Focus / Advice for September : Daffodil (Narcissus)

Changes that you have put into effect in August bloom this month into a renewed sense of happiness and love for those areas of life that have been influenced by those changes. This creates a sense of renewed vigor and self-satisfaction that is meant to be enjoyed and shared with others.

Ray of Hope for September : Receive Grace

Don’t be a braggart. It’s all well and good to share your good fortune with others, especially in ways in which they can partake in it as well. Just don’t go overboard.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Wood Fern for Exorcising Negative Influences
Western Hemlock Cones for Balance During Disruptions
Aventurine Goddess for Harmony and Balance of the Heart
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: BUZZING MOSQUITO TAROT, ATOMIC AGE TAROT, HERBARIUM ORACLE, HAVEN ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

I took a break from work to pull these cards, enjoy these decks, and later on also finish this blog post. Oh, and I had shin ramyun for dinner, which I’ve been craving for a few days.