Balance and Moderation

Today’s meditation was non-existent.  That is because I decided to sleep in.  I’ve been feeling really drained lately, and the majority of my sleep last night was that deep kind of sleep that feels like it didn’t happen?   You know…  you put your head down on the pillow and sleep for 6 hours, but it feels like you only had your eyes closed for five minutes.  That kind of sleep.   So, since I didn’t have to be at the farm this morning, I rolled over and gave Miss Luna a few pets then burrowed in and went back to sleep.

I’ll meditate before bed tonight.

Spacious TarotToday’s draw is the Child of Wands and the Explorer of Pentacles (that would traditionally be called the Page of Wands and the Knight of Pentacles).

The cards in today’s draw are an indication that there is a need for stability in my pursuits.  A need to take my time in exploring my direction, my interests, and my passions.   I need to take it slow, one step at a time, and just persevere the pace.

This was something we spoke on earlier briefly in our scab rending, yeah?  The need to stop trying to focus on “all that needs done” and instead work at it one small, simple step at a time.   I will be taking my ideas notebook with me when I go to mom’s next week and I’m going to be using the back of it to list off those small steps so that I can begin working through them once I return home.

DECK USED:  SPACIOUS TAROT

#TarotForGrowthJanuary Challenge Prompt
Question
: What seeds have I already planted this year that will benefit me?

Cat's Eye Tarot

Reading Summary: The examination of my addictions (The Devil) and how they affect different aspects of my life (Six of Swords) in order to take better control of the situation (The Emperor).

Take Away:  I have an addictive personality, and just about anything I enjoy has the potential to become an addiction that can then spiral out of control.  I have to be very careful and watchful at all times of my actions to make sure that doesn’t happen.  Sometimes?  It happens anyway.  One of the things I have begun adjusting with the new year (and will be setting intentions on during Imbolc this year) is finding a better balance between a few of those addictions (deck spending, baked goods and candy, etc) and the realities of everyday life and my well-being.  It’s not that I’ve screwed myself over in any of these areas, but rather that I feel a little more control is necessary to keep it that way.

DECK USED:  CAT’S EYE TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2020 Challenge Prompt
Question
: Ask the cards to tell you about something funny that will make you smile.

Vindur TarotReading Summary: My mother thinks everything is dandy (Ten of Cups) and she has all of her ducks in a row (Eight of Pentacles), but she’s about to discover shit’s about to hit the fan (The Tower) and she’s going to have to start over building up all that “social credit” that she’s been working at for so long (Page of Cups).

Take Away:  Okay so…. this does make me smile, but it also makes me sad.  The cards indicate that my mother is not going to heed my warnings about trying to set me up with one of her social club “eligibles”.  She is very much of the opinion if I date one of her friend’s sons, it will somehow boost her prestige in her social group.

I warned her that I’ve been in a relationship for nearly twelve years, and I’ve told her numerous times that she’s being disrespectful and to stop… and then the last time, warned her if she didn’t stop I would make sorry.   It looks like, from these cards, that is definitely going to end up happening.

This makes me mad because… it’s my mother and apparently the only time it’s okay that I’m not a testosterone driven straight man is when it can benefit her. It’s about respect, and the lack thereof.

It makes me sad because… it’s my mother, and if I am pushed to going through with my threat, it’s going to hurt her.  That said?  I’ve had enough, and if this is what it takes to make her stop, then that’s what’s going to happen.

It makes me smile because… It’s going to be fun.  Honestly.  I’ve wanted to snub my nose at all that prestige and country club snobbery for decades.  I can’t say that I’m not going to enjoy doing it if it comes down to that.

DECK USED:  VINDUR TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt
Question
: How can I accept help from others?

Vintage Oracle Tarot

Reading Summary:  Let go of rigidity (The Fool) and allow myself to accept that sometimes I need help making difficult decisions (Two of Swords) and that seeking council from others isn’t a bad thing (The Hierophant).

Take Away:  This is pretty clear cut and has been a topic that has come up a lot lately, although I think the talk we had earlier today will help a bit in this specific reoccurring theme.   I’ve been avoiding reaching out and getting help with what’s been going on with me, and as you noticed earlier, it’s pretty much been eating me alive from the inside. 

Thank you for demanding I give you a chance to poke at the wounds and tear off the scars, and for helping me through the emotional outburst that was involved in doing that.  Now… I just need to remember to reach out again… and again… and again.

DECK USED:  VINTAGE ORACLE TAROT

Growing Outside the Box

Today’s meditation was just over eleven minutes long and was a guided meditation that focused on envy.  This isn’t usually an issue I deal with all that often.  I’m pretty damned content with my life, all things considered.   I have people who love me, steady work and steady income, a mortgage that is about five years from being paid off, a good car, and my health.   I have a partner that worships the ground I walk on as well, which is honestly something I never thought I would want, let alone have…. until you came along and taught me differently.

So, envy isn’t really something I deal with all that often.  I understood the message, though.  It was speaking of how when we envy what others have, we are spending too much time focusing down on the little things, instead of opening up to the bigger picture and all that we have to be grateful for.

The High Priestess - Efflorescent Tarot (Color Edition)Today’s draw is the High Priestess, which interestingly enough, was also the focus of the Weekly Card Study in one of the Discord servers I’m very active on.

The thing is?   In this card the High Priestess really doesn’t look all that happy at all. Neither is there any water in the background.  Instead, the landscape looks jagged and sparse, her expression feels like sadness to me, and the moon feels as if it is too far away.

This is interesting, as I’ve never had this reaction to the imagery in this card before, but what I see in this card today is someone that is dissatisfied with their lot in life and feels… stuck.

The pomegranate vines in the lower left corner speaks to me of breaking free, and I feel that the appearance of this card in today’s draw is less about traditional meanings and more about intuitive nuances.  The card is saying that when you feel dissatisfaction and are feeling stuck, it’s time to start branching out and looking for new soil and striving for “outside the box” growth.

DECK USED: THE EFFLORESCENT TAROT (COLOR EDITION)

#TarotForGrowthJanuary Challenge Prompt
Question
: What simple way can I  show I value myself this year?

Ember + Aura Tarot

Reading Summary: Foster those relationships that have value and potential for longevity (Seven of Coins), and set good boundaries (Nine of Wands) with new friends (Ace of Wands).

Take Away:  These cards are essentially reminding me to not waste time on relationships that aren’t going to go anywhere or have no value.  Sometimes I feel like I want to befriend and help everyone, and that simply isn’t possible.   In order to avoid burning myself out or over-burdening myself with too much, I need to pick and choose where I spend my energy, and make good choices concerning boundaries so that I don’t get spread too thin.

DECK USED:  EMBER + AURA TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2020 Challenge Prompt
Question
: What in your life needs started now for it to be ready when you need it?

Cat's Eye Tarot

Reading Summary: Get your ducks in a row now (Seven of Wands) concerning your responsibilities (Two of Pentacles), because a shit storm is coming (Wheel of Fortune).

Take Away:  I think the reading summary pretty much clearly outlines what this reading is saying without a lot of extra interpretation.  (Hello again btw, Wheel of Fortune.)  These cards are essentially another kick in the butt, which has been happening quite a bit this last week as I work at getting my plans in order for the changes I’m making to how I deal with and run my business over the next year.

DECK USED:  CAT’S EYE TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt
Question
: How can I stop procrastinating?

Prediction Tarot

Reading Summary:  Lean on what I’m good at (Eight of Coins) and remember to remain calm and collected (Temperance) through the changes taking place right now (Death).  Taking up the reigns on change is a process that takes time and steady, determined progress to accomplish (Knight of Coins).

Take Away:  This clearly has to do with my business and those changes I’m working on shifting into since the new year.  Appropriate, considering I have absolutely been procrastinating in that area.   The cards are encouraging me that it’s okay to take things slow in order to provide skillful precision to the situation, but I need to remember to stay calm and stir up that determination to push me forward when feeling uncertain.

DECK USED:  PREDICTION TAROT

Revisit of the Five of Wands

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and focused on the benefits of meditation in helping keep mental clutter in check.  This has been one of the largest benefits of my meditation, to be honest.

I know that, like most people, I struggle with concentration while in the middle of my meditation practice, but the effort does seem to assist in building the mental “muscle” needed to focus better in the day to day, and by doing so, not allow overwhelm to get the better of me.

The thing is that with meditation it’s about slow progress and small gains.  You only start to see those gains once they’ve begun to add up like grains of sand in a glass.  One grain of sand or even a thousand of them, seems inconsequential.  But over time, they become something substantial.

Five of Wands - Spacious Tarot Today’s draw is the Five of Wands (again) which, as I mentioned before, is about tests, trials, and conflict in the area of one’s ambitions, drives, and passions.  And I’m just saying, but when this card shows up twice in a week and it’s only Tuesday? It starts to feel a little ominous. I know it’s just the cards saying, “You didn’t get it… Try again,” but still.

I still feel that this message is about what can be benefited from conflict.  The sparks still stand out to me the strongest. In that message, though, is also the indication that you have to go through the conflict in the first place.

As the purpose of my daily draw is to find the positive in each day’s card for mental health reasons, today’s appearance of the Five of Wands is a message of hope, indicating that no matter how hard  the conflict might be, there is a reason for it and an in to it as well. Because after every upheaval comes the calm, and in that calm a newness.

DECK USED:  SPACIOUS TAROT

#TarotForGrowthJanuary Challenge Prompt
Question
: What can I do this year to be of service to others?

Jeremy Miranda Oracle Cards

Reading Summary: Provide a sense of stability and security (Card 1) and a calm center (Card 2) for others in the storm (Card 3).

In the first card, the house and garden communicate to me a sense of peace.  There’s a sense of providing what is needed in the healthy garden out front, and security and stability in the house itself and how well cared for it is. 

In the second card is a depiction of a beach and calm sea.  To me this imagery is very soothing.  There are stones well seated in the scene that speak to me of solidity and stability as well, reinforcing the first card and further indicating a sense of calm.

The third card depicts a roaring fire, and my first instinct when I saw this was the phrase “trial by fire” and the chaos and transformation that is involved in the process.

Take Away: Friends often come to me for an ear or guidance when they’re feeling lost.   For these friends, I represent a safe place and an open mind, a place they can come to confide in someone and find perspective.  The cards indicate that this is a good thing, and a way that I can contribute to others in the year ahead, just as I have in the years past.

DECK USED:  JEREMY MIRANDA ORACLE CARDS

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2020 Challenge Prompt
Question
: What is a really great idea you had but then forgot about?

Ember + Aura Tarot

Reading Summary: A new investment (Ace of Coins) in my passionate endeavors (Daughter of Wands) that will take me to the “next level” (The World).

Take Away:  There are a couple of creative classes I’ve been wanting to take.  But over the past year I’ve not even been able to entertain the idea, let alone look into doing something about it.   The classes in jewelry design techniques and photography have the potential to elevate my work both professionally and creatively to a new level if i can find a way to fit them in sometime this year (or even beyond this year if that’s the case).  This is definitely something I had forgotten about over the past year.

DECK USED:  EMBER + AURA TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt
Question
: Pull three cards for a career/life meaning goal.

Cat's Eye TarotReading Summary: The career/life goal that I focused on was a general outlook on the business over the next year.   From the cards pulled, business over the next year is going to be crappy (Seven of Swords… look at that cat pissing on the wall!  Jesus.  Seriously.) and uncertain (The Moon). Just remember to stay calm and centered emotionally (King of Cups).

Take Away:  That is not something I’m particularly good at since the awakening of my emotions has gotten more intense lately.  I’m referring to the whole “stay calm and centered” during personal crisis and uncertainty, yeah?   I mean I can?  But it takes a lot more effort these days than it used to when I could live in a state of detachment. 

That said, the cards are a good reminder that it’s going to be needed moving forward into this year, as there will be hurdles involved that are going to try my patience and effort to stay calm and collected.

DECK USED:  CAT’S EYE TAROT