affirmation

Authenticity vs Conformity

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Tarot of the Spirit's Fool Card and Little Frog's Guide to Self-Care CardsToday’s draw is The Fool card, which is traditionally a representation of innocence, carelessness, carefree enthusiasm, and new beginnings.

Sometimes being yourself takes a leap of faith. Rejection is hard and can be extremely painful. This makes it difficult to not try to conform oneself to other’s expectations.

The thing is, though? If you attract others by conforming to expectations, they really aren’t liking or accepting you; just the mask or show you’re putting on for them.

A better option is to show your true self and let the chips fall where they may. True, you might not be accepted by some… but you will draw to you those that will like you for you, instead of for whatever you’d otherwise be pretending to be.

So at least in this one area of life? Throw caution to the wind and be yourself. Life is much more fun and interesting when you do.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE SPIRIT AND LITTLE FROG’S GUIDE TO SELF-CARE CARDS

#DiscordTarotholicsJun2025 Challenge
Prompt for June 22nd : Do the Midsummer Spread

Summer Solstice Oracle Reading with the Seasons of the Witch Litha Oracle

Horse – What can I do to build up my inner courage to live life with more honesty and integrity?

Rot and Decay – Share. You need to share those things that need to come out into the open. Remember, willful omission is a form of deception. The longer you wait, the uglier it gets… not just the deception itself, but the fallout from it as well. So each moment you delay simply makes things that much worse.

Daisy – How can I insert more innocence and purity into how I view the world?

Hummingbird – If you want to insert more innocence and purity into how you view the world, try taking things as they come instead of trying to predict everything in advance. It’s easier to adapt on the fly than it is to prepare ahead of time and then be surprised when you’re wrong, not to mention you’re not left with all that wasted time put into preparation that’s never needed.

Lapis Lazuli – How can I be more honest with myself about my good and bad traits?

Sunset Dinner – Being more honest with yourself about your good and bad traits involves sitting down with yourself and take time to reflect. By bringing all aspects to the table (good and bad) instead of focusing on just one or two, or one side or the other, you allow yourself to appreciate how these traits play off each other.

Citrine – In what ways can I work at expressing my creativity more?

Peonies – Give yourself permission to play more, instead of having everything be about work and planning. Sometimes you just have to do things because you want to do them, or because they seem fun or interesting. By setting your curiosity free to explore, it allows your creativity to stretch and grow.

Snake – How can I use creativity to help foster fresh energies and a sense of rebirth?

Mulch and Manure – Every little creative thing you do feeds the creative spark that resides within you. Therefore, participating in little creative acts can encourage growth of that spark into a larger flame. Remember that sometimes the little things count just as much as (or even more than) the big ones.

Heather – How can I invite more good luck into my day to day life?

Clear Quartz – Keep on track with your efforts toward a more positive outlook and optimistic perspective in your day-to-day activities. This allows more openings for good luck to slip in when it’s able, as well as for you to spot it when it does and appreciate it more.

Other elements included in this reading:
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: SEASONS OF THE WITCH LITHA ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

I confessed my negative inner narratives to Gideon, instead of keeping them to myself.

Shifting the Narrative

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Vesper Tarot's Three of Swords and The Happiness Chemicals CardsToday’s draw is the Three of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of depression, grief, and disappointments. This theme often seems strange to people, being that it is seated in the Swords suit (which is often all about intellect and the mind), but it is important to remember that how we react emotionally is often rooted in how we think and what expectations we create for ourselves before everything falls apart.

A lot of the cards I’ve pulled this week seem to be about mindset, and this one is no exception. Have you ever villainized another person (even if they deserved it)? I know that I have. My parents and what went on in their house while growing up, and a “friend’ that I trusted deeply that betrayed me in an extremely painful way, are two examples.  The thing is, though? This act of villianizing/victimizing can bring about a negative mindset that can then easily tinge our path as we move forward.  It changes how we see ourselves, and how we see the world around us… and not in a good way.

The card combination for today is a reminder that it wasn’t all bad. They’re a reminder to not just look back on these painful moments, but also the good ones that precluded them. I’m not saying you have to forgive anyone, or even that you should… I have no idea of your situation and in my opinion some things are simply unforgivable.

What I am saying, though, is that these cards encourage us to claim the good and allow ourselves to break free of the negative victimized mindset.  Not necessarily through forgiveness, but through acceptance that it wasn’t all bad. This, in turn, then allows us to focus on positive aspects of the present and future more easily.

DECK USED:  VESPER TAROT AND THE HAPPINESS CHEMICALS DECK

@LightningWildflower‘s June Tarot Challenge
Purpose Prompts for June 19th thru 21st

Oracle Reading with the Pulchrum Floralis Oracle and Medicine Heart OracleWhat drives and motivates me?

Sacred Piercing and Spotted Knapweed (allelopathic chemicals) – You are often motivated by your need to use your strength and assertiveness to empower others instead of holding them back. You want to lift others up and encourage them to thrive. This is where the lion’s share of your motivation comes from, as it sparks in you protective instincts and brings to the fore your desire for others to find stability, encouragement, and empowerment in your presence.

How can I go through my days with a greater sense of purpose?

Macaw and Cacao; Desert Verbena (desert pollinator plant) – Flow rather than force. Adaptation is the key to staying connected with your purpose, rather than lost in the weeds at the side of the path. Allow change to flow through your life, and work at adapting to the shifting sands beneath your feet. Fighting against the current or trying to force things to go your way only wastes time and energy.

What will bring more meaning to the mundane or ordinary aspects of my life?

She Wolf of the South and Daisy (heliotropism) – You have been through so much, and this can make it a struggle not to fall into a negative and/or pessimistic mindset. Instead, continue to work on keeping your eye on the positive. The harder that is to do, the more you need it.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Cedar Tips for Protection Against Negative Influences
Foraged Wood Fern for Exorcising Negative Influences
Conch Shell Knot for Concentration and Clarity
Gneiss Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: MEDICINE HEART ORACLE AND THE PULCHRUM FLORALIS ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

I allowed Gideon to talk me into playing for a bit even though I wasn’t really feeling it.  In the end, I think it helped me feel a bit better than I would have otherwise by the end of the night.

Surface Disruptions

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

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Sun and Moon Tarot's Queen of CupsThe @GlitterbyInk #JuneSun25 Challenge
Summer Sunlight Prompt for June 20 : Reflection

Today’s draw is the Queen of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of a receptive alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s emotions, relationships, creativity, and intuition. Among other things, this often translates into themes to do with emotional support and advice from a trusted party that is easy to talk to.

Part of nurturing yourself and others includes patience. You can’ splash around in the water all the time and expect to see your reflection clearly. The more you fuss, the more distorted what you see becomes. That, in turn, distorts what you feel as well.

I just recently got new glasses. I wear progressives, which means the visual range changes each time I get new lenses. Minute changes in where distance transitions to mid-range, and where mid-range transitions to reading range are common when the lenses are made with a new prescription, and almost guaranteed with a new set of frames in a slightly different size or shape.

This creates a need for an adjustment period, not just for the new prescription, but also for where and how your eyes and head move to put different things in focus. It’s easy, during this time to react negatively and think that they messed up the lenses. The discontent and irritation of this makes it hard not to hate the new glasses and want to take them back right now to be fixed. (Thrash around in the water, so to speak.)

Today’s card in combination with the “reflection” prompt encourages us in times like this when we are feeling ot of sorts to not “splash around”. Stay still, reflect, and allow things to come into better focus. Nurture yourself and others by not reacting. Give it some time , consideration, and observation instead. Then, when you can see calmly and clearly, and have a better understanding of all involved, you can act with precision to deal with the problem instead of just whacking at it with emotions.

DECK USED:  SUN AND MOON TAROT

@LightningWildflower‘s June Tarot Challenge
Perspective Prompts for June 16th and 18st

Tarot Reading with The Stone Marseilles Tarot and Tearwater OracleWhat in my life would benefit from a shift in perspective?

Le Pendu and Find Beauty Here – Stop looking for problems and issues at every turn, and instead pause to enjoy the positive. Every situation has a shred of beauty and positivity to share, but you have to be willing to actually look for it. These cards indicate that a part of looking at every aspect and perspective of situation requires you to also look at the positive, not just the negative.

What is a challenge that I might need to consider in a new way?

Seven of Coins atop Seven of Cups; Take Care of Your Energy – Procrastination only moves you further and further away from those things and activities that are healthy for you. The less you do, the less you want to do, and therefore you do less and want to do even less still; and so the cycle continues. Pretty soon, it’s easier and easier to walk away from the things that are good for you instead of actually doing them.

What might an altered perspective allow me to see?

L’amour and What Is Home – Choosing those things that are good for you and also right for you makes life feel more welcoming, and gives you a sense of comfort in the world as a whole as well as in yourself. Seeking the comfort in stagnancy isn’t healthy, even if it feels like sometimes you might actually find it there.

Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Rhododendron Leaf for Fostering Confidence
Shiva Shell Heart for Wisdom and Discernment
Orange Aventurine Leaves for Pause and Reflection
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECKS USED: THE STONE MARSEILLES TAROT AND TEARWATER ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

I came online and spent some time with Gideon and let him soothe the subdrop a bit,  instead of crawling into a corner somewhere to hide.

Changing the Approach

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Today’s meditation was eleven minutes long, and was one of the #DailyTrip sessions from the @Calm app.  The topic was focused upon how meditation (and life) is often about accepting things as they are in the moment, instead of trying to change things.

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The Pocket Textured Tarot - Ace of WandsThe @GlitterbyInk #JuneSun25 Challenge
Summer Sunlight Prompt for June 19 : Evening

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.

Just because you’re not going to be where you want to be this evening doesn’t mean that it has to be a horrible experience.

Don’t let your enthusiasm for where you are right this moment wane, just because it’s not where you want to be. You can still have a good time instead of a miserable one if you’re willing to put some enthusiasm into the situation. Like one match can light another through mere proximity, you can lift the energy of the evening as a whole with a mindset shift toward enthusiasm instead of reluctance, dread, or petulance.

The message in today’s card is a reminder that the energy you bring into a situation influences the situation as a whole. If you approach something with pessimism and negativity, then it is guaranteed to be a miserable experience. Instead, seek to approach even the most unpleasant of experiences and events with a more positive mindset and an effort toward eagerness, and allow the energy you bring with you to create a more positive experience for all. Smiles are infectious, and so is enthusiasm.

DECK USED:  THE POCKET TEXTURED TAROT

@Lionharts #TheJuneTarot Radiance Rising Challenge
Prompt for June 19th : The Emergence Spread

Emergence Oracle Reading with The Winged Enchantment Oracle

What is emerging within me, ready to manifest in the physical world?

Seagull – You are learning to “take what is given while it’s there” and “expand your horizons”. (Quotes from the deck’s guidebook.)

Being an opportunistic isn’t really your thing, as opportunity often creates chaos as adjustments are made for change. You are starting to learn, though,  the change is needed in order to grow and become a better person, as well as improve your situation. In this realization, you are beginning to see the value in approaching life and opportunity (and change) with a more opportunistic perspective.

How is this drawing me closer to what or where I’m meant to be?

Blue Jay – “I am the crucial adaptation of a successful life. I have the discipline to master new skills.” (Quote from the deck’s guidebook.)

These new efforts concerning opportunities and change are giving you the ability to seize opportunities when they are presented to you with laser focus and without hesitation, rather than holding back in deference to stability. You are learning how to flow with change and use it to your advantage instead of balking at its presence.

What {inner} guidance is rising to support this becoming?

Duck – “You need to be aware of what drives you… You have to learn when to dive deeper, and when to gently skim the surface.” (Quote from the deck’s guidebook.)

Stay in touch with your emotions, as they will help to guide you. The work you are doing to understand your emotions, better and expand your emotional intelligence will be front and center in guiding you on your path and helping you in choosing which direction to take when choices need to be made.

Other elements included in this reading:
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: THE WINGED ENCHANTMENT ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

I took the advice of today’s card of the day and approached my responsibilities this evening with an openness and sense of enthusiasm that I wasn’t really feeling.  And it did, in fact, make the entire evening a bit better than it otherwise would have been.

Finding the Positive for June 16 – 18

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Two Bugs Tarot's Page of Swords, Yoga Tarot's Eight of Pentacles, and Tarot Emblemata Chromata's King of Swords

June 16 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped (because I fell asleep in the middle of it).

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The @GlitterbyInk #JuneSun25 Challenge
Summer Sunlight Prompt for June  : Play

Today’s draw is the Page of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of a receptive omega energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s thoughts, intellect, logic, ambitions, and communication. This often translates into themes that have to do with learning new ways to communicate with others, beginning new educational pursuits, exploring new ideas. and seeking to sate one’s curiosity.

OOph! Okay, so I’m just sayin’… but things are going to get awfully messy in a hurry if that ostrich figures out how to pick up that sword.

That’s the point, though, isn’t it?  Play is messy, and learning is a type of play. Learning is messy. Hell, even Life is messy.

When we set our sights on something new, there’s a high potential that we’re going to create change. In our minds. In our lives. Even, very possibly, beyond that into the lives of others.  And, like play? With change comes a certain level of chaos and mess.

The message in today’s card and prompt combo is that it’s all part of the process of growth and learning, so don’t be afraid of the mess. It’s temporary. Just have fun, and take a bit of care to not injure yourself or others in the process. (You know, unlike that ostrich and his sword.)

DECK USED: TWO BUGS TAROT

June 17 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was eleven minutes long, and one of the #DailyCalm sessions in the @Calm app. Learning how to challenge and soften your judgements of yourself and others.

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The @GlitterbyInk #JuneSun25 Challenge
Summer Sunlight Prompt for June  : Summer

Today’s draw is the Eight of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of hard work, expertise through practice, honing a skill, quality craftsmanship, handicrafts, and manifestations through skill and hard work. The card is often the embodiment of the “practice makes perfect” adage.

That adage is the thing, yeah? If you want to get better at something, persistence is the key.It means doing it horribly at first. Then doing it badly. Then doing it “sorta okay”.  It means going through the stages and steps of growth that eventually lead to being skilled at it.

As someone who spends a good deal of their time teaching others a skill, it sort of drives me nuts how many people come in looking for shortcuts, or some way to get around the actual -process- of building a new skill for themselves. They want to be good at it now, and if they can’t then they want a way to either shortcut it, or outright fake it.

To be fair?  There have been (and still are) things in life that I wish I could shortcut on too. So I get it. Learning a skill, though, is not a pursuit in instant gratification.

Today’s message is a reminder that there are no shortcuts in becoming skilled at something. It takes patience, practice, and persistence to get there. Just because you are impatient won’t change this.

DECK USED: YOGA TAROT

June 18 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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The @GlitterbyInk #JuneSun25 Challenge
Summer Sunlight Prompt for June  : Warmth

Today’s draw is the King of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of a projective “alpha” energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s thoughts, intellect, education, ambitions, and communication. This often translates into themes that have to do with someone that has a way with words and is able to use those skills to lead others to their way of thinking, as well as those that are in authority on intellectual topics such as professors, doctors, etc.

Although it’s said that the pen is mightier than the sword, and I tend to agree in some cases… there are more and more times of late that I wonder if it’s really still the case.

Nuances in writing once easily interpreted seem to be missed more often, ignored and responded to with impersonal form letters or cursory replies rather than a true connection and understanding. While truly listening to others seems to have taken a decline, the respect and “listening” given to the written word seems to have fallen off some remote cliff.

While I don’t claim to be Shakespeare or some kind of great wordsmith, writing is in fact my primary way of communicating with others. And so I ask… Is it too much to ask that when I am writing to someone that they actually take a moment to read what has been written, instead of skimming the highlights and replying cursorarily (yes, I did just make up a word) or with some for letter that (invariably) doesn’t even apply to what I’ve written? And if that is too much to ask, why is that the case?

I’m not saying that from time to time I’m not also guilty of this disregard. When I am overwhelmed or struggling, it can be difficult to read with “open ears” and empathy. It just seems to me that instead of becoming one of these things that happens now and then, I’m confronted with this issue far too often these days.

The message in today’s cards is about listening to others, whether in written word, or in conversation. It’s not enough to “hear” their words. That disregards the person behind them. True communication happens when we seek true understanding of what someone is trying to express. It makes them feel seen and heard, rather than disregarded. It creates a feeling of warmth, connection, and depth that often feels missing from interactions with others these days.

DECK USED: TAROT EMBLEMATA CHROMATA

Nothing But Footprints

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

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TERRA: Botanical Tarot's Eight of CupsThe @GlitterbyInk #JuneSun25 Challenge
Summer Sunlight Prompt for June 15 : Nature

Today’s draw is the Eight of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of withdrawal, abandonment, or letting go of things, situations, or people in your life that are just not working out for you emotionally.

This card and prompt combination reminds me of a quote by the famous conservationist John Muir that says, “Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time.”

It feels like a reminder that just because we may feel like we are walking away with nothing doesn’t mean that’s necessarily the case. Sometimes our perspectives are colored by whatever it is that we are leaving behind, and at other times colored by where we are heading next.

These perspectives can make leaving where we are a bittersweet and even at times painful experience.

The message for today encourages us to consider what we truly take away from the experiences we’ve had, instead of relying entirely on our emotional perspectives (and emotional baggage) to write the narrative for us.

DECK USED:  TERRA BOTANICAL TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJun2025 Challenge
Prompt for June 15th : Do Spread 3

Uncertainty Cartomancy Reading with the Quack Deck

What does uncertainty feel like to you?

Four of Spades – Uncertainty causes you to want to retreat from the world and hide away. You seek stability in these times because it feels like the world becomes unstable beneath your feet. As you consider other people to be quite unpredictable, they cannot usually provide that sense of stability for you, and thus you retreat from them in these moments of uncertainty. The exception to this is that you do find stability in your partner, but old habits have a tendency to die hard.

How do times of uncertainty impact your  physical body?

Five of Clubs – Physically, uncertainty creates a lot of conflict for you internally, which then transforms into anxiety. You then find yourself flinching more readily and hesitating more often, instead of moving forward with confidence.

How do times of uncertainty impact your physical reality?

Ace of Clubs – Times of uncertainty often create the opportunity to discover something new and exciting. Unfortunately, the anxiety you experience during these times makes those opportunities hard to spot, dive into, or enjoy. You’re just too busy trying to hide.

What do you need to say to yourself to help you in acknowledging and alleviating your feelings of uncertainty?

Five of Hearts – You need to hear (especially from yourself) that you’re doing a good job. It may not feel like it at the time, but you’re doing a good job and you’re going to get through this just fine.

What do you need to accept about others to help you in acknowledging and alleviating your feelings of uncertainty?

Seven of Diamonds – They’ll come around eventually. You just have to have the patience to wait for them to catch up.

Focus on your feelings of uncertainty. Pick a color that stands out strongest in the card you’ve pulled. How does this color (and how it’s used in the card) make you feel?

Red in the Jack of Diamonds – Defensive. It looks like the little chick is trying to defend itself from outside forces… and the only outside forces in this card are the red ones. This rings true to how you try to retreat during uncertainty, because a lot of that retreat has to do with trying to protect yourself from the sharp edges of the outside world during a time when you are feeling vulnerable.

Other elements included in this reading:
Lemon Quartz Bowl for Filtering Out Distractions
Fuchsia Flowers for Stability in the Face of External Disruption
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Clear Quartz for a boost of Intentional Energies
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: QUACK DECK

Daily Self Kindness

I took it easy today and worked at doing just little things around the house today instead of anything pressing or major.