#CartomancyHangout

Are You Ready?

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

Vintage Japanese Art Tarot - Ace of PentaclesToday’s draw is the Ace of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of the seed of new beginnings in the area of one’s finances, resources, health, home, manifestations, and the physical world. This often translates into themes that have to do with new opportunities in finance or work, renewed health, or new projects in which one is working with their hands.

In this imagery we see the promise of new ventures as a merchant ship draws into port in foreign lands while a merchant and their child stand on shore awaiting the ship’s arrival.

The imagery in this card asks us, are we ready for new opportunities to present themselves?  Are you out there on the docks waiting for them to come in, embodying the early bird ready to catch the worm?  If not… why not?

CrowSister’s #DeckStudyTenTrueWords Prompt
Prompt: Distill your reading of the card to your ten truest words.

Early birds
find the plumpest worms
at dawn’s early light

DECK USED:  VINTAGE JAPANESE ART TAROT

Lionharts’ #TheJanuaryTarot 2023 Year of Evolution Challenge Prompt
Question for January 16th and 17th

Cosmic Wild Oracle and the Mesquite TarotMake a bucket list of things you want to do, see or achieve this year.

Do – Peacock – Find a solid footing for my self-confidence in areas where I am plagued by uncertainty.

See – Rabbit – See abundance flourishing in my life, as well as the lives of those around me.

Achieve – Koi – A more secure and stable financial seat.

What am I asked to mindfully embrace {rather than suppress}?

There’s a lot of good to be seen and celebrated in your life (Ten of Cups) if you are willing to be mindful in your inner and outer narratives (King of Swords) and supportive of your creative spark and dreams for the future (Queen of Cups).

Don’t allow negative inner narratives and nay-saying to rain on your parade.  Use positive reinforcement to help your dreams and imagination to flourish instead.

DECK USED: MESQUITE TAROT AND COSMIC WILD ORACLE

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2023 Challenge Prompt
Question for January 16th and 17th

Vintage Japanese Art Tarot - Knight of Wands, Six of Swords, Two of Wands, Queen of PentaclesAppreciate a Dragon Day – How can you change your perspective to better appreciate anger?

Knight of Wands and Six of Swords – Anger has the ability to drive you forward when you are not otherwise prepared to take a necessary leap in life. Sometimes hanging back isn’t an option, and neither is hesitation. The fire of anger can spark forward motion when otherwise we’d try to delay and procrastinate changes that we need to make in our lives to improve things for the better.

Kid Inventors Day – How can you inspire your inner child to come out and play?

Two of Wands and Queen of Pentacles – Plan in time to allow yourself to explore creating and manifesting new things from all the ideas running around in your head. If you give yourself time set aside for these activities, it will allow your inner child to come out and play more as you create and explore with space and freedom to do so without worrying that you’re taking time away from something “more important”.

DECK USED: VINTAGE JAPANESE ART TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

This is a catch-up post, and I can’t remember what my self kindness might have been on this day.

The Faces of Dominance

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

Monsoon Tarot - The EmperorToday’s draw is the Emperor card, which which is traditionally a representation of leadership, authority, strength, responsibility, and a “for the greater good” mentality.

I have a hard time with the imagery in this card in connection with the Emperor, for what I see here is the Lovers card… and applying the dynamic of the Emperor to the imagery, I feel, casts an ugly light.

Maybe it shouldn’t.  Power, dominance, intensity.  These are all qualities within the Emperor, and absolutely could be expressed here without negative connotations. After all, Gideon also possesses all of these qualities, and they’re hot as hell on him.

DECK USED:  MONSOON TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I took a nice long nap today after my visit to the hospital to have routine bloodwork taken. I also decided to skip the rest of my cardwork for today.

Compassionate Joy

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#DailyTrip with the Calm AppToday’s meditation was ten minutes long, and was a #DailyTrip session from the Calm app.  I’ve not done one of these sessions before and it was a nice change of pace.  It explored the space around you and feeling “out” into the distance through hearing.  For me, this extended into energy work, and the ten minutes seemed to fly by as I explored what I could feel though the different aspects and facets that the session walked me through.

To be honest?  I was worried at the title being “The Space Cave” that it was going to be some sort of astral travel thing or outer space based, but it was more about expanding your awareness within the space you are in, and connecting with the present and the world around you as well as within you in order to find peace.

Loaf Tarot - King of CupsToday’s draw is the King of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of a projective alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s emotions, relationships, creativity, and intuition. This often translates into themes that have to do with authority figures with roles that allow their compassion and understanding to shine.

Usually when you see a predator type animal looking at fish, you think, “oh God, there’s gonna be a massacre”. Yet, here in the imagery of this card, what we see is a happy raccoon, just resting above the surface of the water with chin in hand as he watches the golden fish swim below. He isn’t disturbing them, just watching with pleasure.

The imagery in this card teaches us to not make assumptions. Remember that we all have the ability to be understanding and compassionate, and to take joy in those emotions. By fostering them in ourselves, we show the world around us that we aren’t just approachable, but trust worthy as well.

CrowSister’s #DeckStudyTenTrueWords Prompt
Prompt: Distill your reading of the card to your ten truest words.

Do the unexpected…
show the world
true compassion
lives on

DECK USED:  LOAF TAROT

Lionharts’ #TheJanuaryTarot 2023 Year of Evolution Challenge Prompt
Question for January 15th:

Soul Care Oracle CardsWhere can I use a different perspective?

Capricorn and Spring – You could benefit from a reassessment of your goals. What do you really desire? Where has this changed over time and how can you align yourself appropriately to achieve these things? What wants, desires and needs are no longer relevant to your current self and can be set aside? It’s time to take a fresh look at things and reassess.

How can I begin to explore this new perspective?

Waxing Crescent and Aquarius – Don’t discount the power of others to lend you strength and help you in puzzling out the truth you seek. You are not “in this alone” and need to be sure to allow others in to help you in evaluating things.

DECK USED: SOUL CARE ORACLE CARDS

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2023 Challenge Prompt
Question for January 15th: Do Spread 3 – Separate your deck into the four individual suits and the major arcana and shuffle those piles separately. Draw a card for each position in the spread.

Loaf Tarot - Queen of Pentacles, Five of Cups, The Chariot, Two of Swords, King of WandsMajor Arcana Card to represent something important in your life

The Chariot – Independence and autonomy.

Wands Card (fire, energy, drive) – How the essence of this suit influences this important thing in your life.

King of Wands – You use your inspiration and creative spark in order to facilitate your independence and the level of freewill you can enjoy.

Pentacles Card (earth, resources, physical) – How the essence of this suit influences this important thing in your life.

Queen of Pentacles – You are consistently working to grow and foster a sense of stability in your life. This gives you solid footing from which to work from.

Cups Cards (water, emotions) – How the essence of this suit influences this important thing in your life.

Five of Cups – A carefully cultivated sense of dissatisfaction helps you to always strive for better and more.

Swords Card (air, mind, intellect) – How the essence of this suit influences this important thing in your life.

Two of Swords – Being decisive, helps you in making sure you stay ahead of the game. As long as you are careful not to deliberate too long, you allow yourself to continue to move forward on your own steam.

DECK USED: LOAF TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

Although I did a few things for the upcoming orders day tomorrow, I mostly just set all that aside and tried to relax and enjoy a bit of a break instead.

Grace Costs You Nothing

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#DailyCalm with the Calm AppToday’s meditation was ten minutes long, and another of the #DailyCalm sessions from the Calm app. It was interesting that today’s topic for the session was about envy, when just last night Gideon and I had just had a discussion about the use (or rather misuse) of the words jealousy and envy in everyday conversation.

The meditation discussed how love opens us up to experiencing new things, allowing us to find new connections and explore new horizons.  Whereas envy, on the other hand, picks things apart through nitpicking and negative emotions.

Insecta Obscura Tarot - The Tower and Six of CupsToday’s draw is the Six of Cups atop The Hermit (they demanded to come out together). The Six of Cups is traditionally a representation of nostalgia, and The Hermit is traditionally a representation of alone time and self-reflection.

What I see in today’s cards is a reminder not to be harsh on yourself if you occasionally fall into old bad habits when it comes to your alone time.

I have a habit of dawdling after my meditation, relaxing into a few extra minutes of down time while I play on my phone or scroll through Instagram. It’s not a particularly good or useful habit… and it wastes time.  And yet?  It happens sometimes.

Today’s card is a reminder that, as a book I recently read says, “Grace costs you nothing.” Be kind to yourself and just seek to do better in the future.

CrowSister’s #DeckStudyTenTrueWords Prompt
Prompt: Distill your reading of the card to your ten truest words.

Some habits
die slow deaths,
be kind
when relapse happens

DECK USED:  INSECTA OBSCURA TAROT

Lionharts’ #TheJanuaryTarot 2023 Year of Evolution Challenge Prompt
Question for January 14th: If there is one thing I could change for the better, what would it be?

Star Light CardsReading Summary: There is an intrinsic and unending (Limitless) strength that comes in leaning into the positive (Light), and allowing that effort toward optimism and positivity to permeate through your life (Nucleus).

Take Away: Your nature is one of pessimism and distrust. This is what you were taught through your formative years, and was reinforced through adulthood.  But, what you’ve found is that when you counterbalance your negativity and pessimism with an effort to lean into positivity and optimism, it helps you to balance things out a bit.   This effort lightens  your mood and your perspective, allowing you to see the world in a bit more positive light than before, which in turn helps in keeping your depression at bay and lifting your spirits.

If there was one thing you could change for the better, it would be to make this process easier to accomplish, and share it with others in a way that would show them its benefit without coming off as that abrasive “goodness and light” vibe that turned you away from things that could help in the past.

DECK USED: STAR LIGHT CARDS

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2023 Challenge Prompt
Topic for January 14th: Draw or write something free form inspired by the card(s).

Insecta Obscura Tarot - Judgement, Nine of Blades, Nine of Swords, Five of CupsThe girl wept tears
tinged with blood
as her fears weighed
heavy upon her head
and the nightmares
followed her
into the waking world
through harsh
inner whispers
of “should haves”
and “what ifs”
until, on her kees
she asks…
“Why me?”

DECK USED: INSECTA OBSCURA TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I gave up on looking for something that’s gone missing rather than allowing myself to continue to wind up and get more and more upset.

Kindness Goes a Long Way

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Daily Calm with the Calm appToday’s meditation was ten minutes long, and was one of the #DailyCalm sessions in the Calm app.  It dealt with consistency in the things that are good for you like meditation practice, self care things, etc. It spoke about the importance of consistency, but also visited our resistance to establishing and sticking with it.

This is something that I personally struggle with, and I really enjoyed the listen, so I ended up saving it to return to again and repeat at a later date.

Best Tarot - StrengthToday’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.

And that’s one damned -funky- looking lion on the imagery for this card.   It takes a special kind of either stupidity or bravery to approach situations of uncertainty with confidence. Illnesses and deformities can take one aback, especially when surprised by them.

Today’s card is a reminder that illness and deformity is not always catching, and that with those that deal with these struggles on a daily basis?  A bit of kindness and care can go a long way toward connecting with them on a deeper level.

CrowSister’s #DeckStudyTenTrueWords Prompt
Prompt: Distill your reading of the card to your ten truest words.

Let warmth
from within
ease the way
with prickly pears

DECK USED:  BEST TAROT

Lionharts’ #TheJanuaryTarot 2023 Year of Evolution Challenge Prompt
Question for January 13th: How am I asked to begin to incorporate my lessons of the past?

Gamilas Tarot (Oracle)Reading Summary: In order to “make the bar” and be truly well (Passe), you have to give yourself (Six of Clubs) the kindness you need and allow yourself time outside (Terre). You can’t talk yourself out of this need (Parole), so just do it.

Take Away:  Your behavior is self punishment and self neglect, both of which are a part of your self-sabotage patterns concerning how you treat yourself and your well-being.  No amount of reasoning with yourself that you don’t -need- time in nature is going to change the fact that you do, and no amount of self-denial is going to keep you hearty and hale.

Instead of repeating patterns of the past, turn over a new leaf and be more generous with yourself.  Give yourself what you need instead of withholding it out of habit or through the machination of inner demons.

DECK USED: GAMILAS TAROT (ORACLE)

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2023 Challenge Prompt
Question for January 13th: Blame Someone Else Day – Where in life are you assigning a scapegoat when you need to take more responsibility?

Best Tarot - The Magician, Queen of Wands, The LoversReading Summary: It would be far healthier for you (The Lovers) to own your part (The Magician) of your falling out with your own personal Queen of Swords in your life.  It’s not that she doesn’t play a very strong part in the dynamic that has become the norm between you two (Queen of Swords looking into the past with a lifted chin), but that she didn’t create the situation all on her own.  You chose to turn a blind eye (Magician in the lower left position and appears to be stubbornly ignoring the Queen of Swords looking down her nose at him) instead of seeing things clearly where she is concerned.

Take Away: Relationships are a two way street, even bad ones.  We each play a part in the dynamic that develops between us and others, and can’t blame everything on the other party all the time, no matter how much we’d like to.  Own your mistakes.

DECK USED: BEST TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I meditated again (as you can see above) and I saved this meditation because I liked it and the topic deals with something I struggle with in my meditation, which is to say… consistency.

Giving Others a Leg Up

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Daily Calm Quote from the Calm appToday’s meditation was ten minutes long and was one of the Daily Calm meditations from the Calm app.  It was a body scan from head to toe, focused on gratitude for what each body part does for you in your day to day life. The interesting part for me?  Was that they went from the heart and lungs… to the legs. They skipped entirely over the spine and digestive system… and I’m not entirely sure why. I added them into the meditation, though at the end, as I think they are just as important (if not always as well functioning in my own body) as the rest.

The Royal Court Tarot - Queen of SwordsToday’s draw is the Queen of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of a receptive alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s mind, intellect, education, logic, ambitions, and communication. This often translates into themes that have to do with strong and supportive individuals that give spectacularly good advice based upon their own experiences and creative thought processes. They are willing to support your dreams, especially if those dreams involve learning new things, expanding your education, and broadening your horizons.

What draws my attention in this imagery is that the Queen seems quite reserved. That, and the black roses along the bottom right of the card that have the look of decay spreading through the vegetation that covers the lower half of the card. This speaks to me of the dangers of “holding one’s tongue” when you could be using it to help others.  Life is hard enough without making people struggle when they don’t have to. If you have advice that will be well received by others, especially advice based off personal experience? Share it. Holding back just allows struggles to thrive and problems to spread.

CrowSister’s #DeckStudyTenTrueWords Prompt
Prompt: Distill your reading of the card to your ten truest words.

Don’t hold back
knowledge earned
when sharing
can bolster others

DECK USED:  THE ROYAL COURT TAROT

Lionharts’ #TheJanuaryTarot 2023 Year of Evolution Challenge Prompt
Question for January 11th and 12th:

Oracle of the Moon DeckWhat can I do today to {begin to} support my personal growth?

The Judge and The Rumor/The Book – Make sure you are doing your research and not either assuming things or taking other’s words as gospel. Do your own research and make up your own mind for yourself. It’s okay to hear what others have to say, just don’t let that be the only information you gather.

What has my past taught me that could help me right now?

Rot and The Anvil – Letting things weigh heavy on your shoulders and heart only leads to stagnancy and depression, which then quickly slips in to start eating away at your insides. Keep moving, even when you “aren’t feeling it” in the moment.

DECK USED: ORACLE OF THE MOON DECK

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2023 Challenge Prompt
Question for January 11th and 12th:

The Royal Court Tarot - The Chariot, Ten of Pentacles, Eight of Pentacles, Knight of Pentacles, Two of PentaclesPhilosophical Question: Is it truly possible for people to change?

The Chariot and Ten of Pentacles – Yes, but they have to actually want to change and be willing to put in the work. Creating true change in oneself is uncomfortable, and can be a miserable experience. You have to have the willpower and drive to not just want the change to happen, but to stick to it to not just manifest those changes within yourself, but also get those changes to stick and stay. Even then, sometimes it’s not enough to create permanence.

Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day – What “wild and fabulous” behavior can help you break out of your shell more often?

Two of Pentacles, Knight of Pentacles atop Eight of Pentacles – Give yourself more balance in your life by allowing your development and progress to move at its own pace instead of pushing ever forward with impatience.

This doesn’t particularly sound “wild and crazy” until you consider that it goes entirely against your nature.

DECK USED: THE ROYAL COURT TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I took things a bit slow today in the order fulfillment part of today.  It made it all last a bit longer, but with a great deal less stress.  I also meditated today for the first time in… months.  I’m pretty sure it’s been months.