#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge

Time Off Is Allowed

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Today’s meditation was skipped because I was super eager to get online with Gideon.

Family Tarot and Less Anxiety Affirmation CardsToday’s draw is the Empress card, which is traditionally a representation of nature and earthen energies, abundance, nurturing, and sacred femininity.

Here in the affirmation card, we have a reminder that we are more important than the things we need to do.  This is a reminder I often need to hear, and combined with the Empress card, this is very clearly my cards calling me out on worrying about the business and work when I’m supposed to be wallowing in what is pretty much my last day off.   Tomorrow, of course, will be a relaxing day, but it will also be the day that I hope back into work and start to catch up on the orders that have piled up while I was off work.

The cards today are an encouragement to make sure that I am getting the time off that I need (and deserve), even if it can sometimes be hard to allow that to happen.

DECK USED:  FAMILY TAROT AND FLOWER FORTUNE CARDS

CoffeexTarot’s Self Love For The Summer Prompt
Question: How do I overcome negative thoughts about myself?

Family Tarot and Backyard Blessings CardsReading Summary: Remember all that you’ve gone through and the survivor that you’ve become (Three of Swords). Moving forward, work at focusing more energy into the concepts of lightheartedness, cheerfulness, and anticipation.

Take Away: It’s not enough to fight against that negative narrative in your head, you also need to remind yourself of all the good you have done and all that you have accomplished along the way.

When you allow yourself to acknowledge and accept that you’ve done well, it encourages more positive emotions and attitudes to step forward, creating a sense of adventure and rightness where before there were shadows in which that inner narrative could easily hide and whisper from.

DECK USED:  FAMILY TAROT AND BACKYARD BLESSINGS CARDS

#DiscordTarotolicsJun2021 Challenge and Sacred Grounds Tarot Club
Topic: About opportunity…

Family TarotWhat is blocking me from my intuition right now?

End game struggles of moving on (Ten of Swords), and the need to find a meditative rest and balance (Four of Cups).

I need to relax.  Let go and let things move forward without hindrance or pushing.  Letting things just flow along at their own pace isn’t really one of my strong points.  I can fake it now and then, but in truth, when it comes to myself and my own life, I most often find myself with the need  to either push… or resist… far more often than feeling the relaxed and easy energy of letting things move at their own pace.

What opportunities am I missing as a result?

Achieving greater stability (Ten of Coins) and more joy (The Sun). This easy going skill that I struggle with would allow me to find a greater sense of stability and enjoy life more.  It’s something I need to be conscious of, and work at bringing into my life, as it will also give my intuitive gifts a greater amount of freedom.

DECK USED:  FAMILY TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

Super hot sexy time with Gideon definitely counts as a self kindness.

Leave It All Behind

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Today I did a purge, cleanse, and grounding hike in the forest.  I took one of the steeper trails up into the rainforest to ensure that my stalker would have a hard time following, and brought J along with me for protection.  After a couple of hours of steep uphill climb (the purging through exertion and sweat), we stopped at the lake and I took a swim (the cleansing), before then leaving J at the lake and going off into the woods for a skyclad meditation lying upon the forest floor (grounding).

The meditation lasted about an hour before I dressed and returned to the lake, and from there J and I hiked back down to the trail head. On the whole it was immensely refreshing and wonderfully cleansing, and I haven’t felt so good in a long time.

Vox Arcana Tarot and Less Anxiety Affirmation CardsToday’s draw is the Queen of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of a receptive alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s finances, resources, health, home, manifestation, and the physical world.  This is the area of one’s earthly pleasures and how one balances life’s needs and responsibilities.

I see the Queen of Pentacles in this reading combined with the affirmation card for today as a celebration of the rainforest hike and meditation that took up a good part of my day today.  I have been needing time in nature for quite some time. Usually at this time of year I’m out in the woods at least a couple of times a week.  That hasn’t been the case this year due to… well, stalker issues.

The Queen of Pentacles and the accompanying affirmation card in today’s pull is about making sure that I truly allow myself to fall into nature’s embrace and leave the stresses and worries of day to day life behind during this time.

DECK USED:  VOX ARCANA TAROT AND LESS ANXIETY AFFIRMATION CARDS

#DiscordTarotolicsJun2021 Prompt
Topic: About happiness…
CoffeexTarot’s Self Love For The Summer Prompt
Question: What is my heart feeling? How can I encourage more joy and happiness in my heart?

Vox Arcana TarotWhat is my heart feeling?

Overburdened (Ten of Wands) and in need of rest (Four of Swords).  God yeah.  I know that I’m over the half way mark now in my time off this week, but it feels like I haven’t gotten even close to enough rest and restoration.

It always feels this way for some reason.  It’s like the first couple of days are “oh I feel great. What do I need rest and recovery for?” and then by the last few days I’m dragging ass and whining in my head about needing more days off.

How can I encourage more joy and happiness in my heart?

It’s all at your fingertips now (The Magician), you just need to add in some gratitude (Nine of Pentacles).

I’ve been getting a lot of reminders lately from the cards to reboot my gratitude practice.  This practice is a part of the meditation, but it’s also a part of something else. I don’t benefit as much from just mentally going over the things I’m grateful for as I do from actually putting time focus into truly and deeply acknowledge these things each day.

DECK USED:  VOX ARCANA TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I had a very wonderfully long hike in the woods today, and I took J with me for safety.  I also chose a hike that I knew would be hard for most people to follow, and that had a “bottle neck” spot (at the lake) where I could leave J to keep watch while I went on to get my meditation and all that done in safety.

The Known and the Unknown

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IMG_2411Today’s meditation was just a bit over ten minutes long and was one of the guided meditations from the Calm app combined with a interval timer for my piriformis stretches.

The focus of today’s meditation was about gratitude, and the benefits of including a practice of gratitude in your life. A lot of people, especially pessimistic people, snub the idea of a gratitude practice.  But the thing is? It actually helps.  It helps you see the world in a brighter light, and helps make sure that we don’t sink so deep into pessimism that we become bitter or depressed. Focusing on gratitude and what we appreciate in life is a part of finding a more optimistic and positive outlook in life and… I’ve come to realize over time that this is something a lot of people need.  Myself included.

David's Tarot and Less Anxiety Affirmation CardsToday’s draw is The Priestess card, which is traditionally a representation of the subconscious, intuition, hidden inner knowledge, and… well, secrets.

The affirmation card speaks here about what other people are thinking about you.  In therapy, assuming or worrying about what others are thinking about you is called “mind reading”.  Mind reading is not possible.  Not in this way.  Not in the ways that are being referred to in this card.

There are simply some secrets we’re not able to know, and others still that we are not meant to know.

It’s important to remember this, and not let yourself assume the worst about these things you don’t know.  Doing that just drags you down.  Instead, allow some secrets to remain secret and instead focus on the things that uplift you instead of those that make you feel uncertain and alone.

DECK USED:  DAVID’S TAROT AND LESS ANXIETY AFFIRMATION CARDS

#DiscordTarotolicsJun2021 Challenge Prompt
Philosophical Question: What is something you believe but cannot prove?

Daily Pause OracleReading Summary: That one’s confidence can be boosted through meditation and allowing for hope, optimism, and an appreciation of the beauty all around you.

Take Away: Okay so  hear me out.  Logically it makes sense, and everybody says that’s how it works.  And sometimes?  You can even look at how you focus on these things and it appears to make a difference.

But how do you prove it?  Especially to a skeptic.

I’m really not sure you can. There’s just too many other extraneous influences that could have an influence and be fingered to take the credit instead.

DECK USED:  DAILY PAUSE ORACLE

The Sacred Grounds Tarot Club Prompt
Questions for June 16th thru 19th

David's TarotHow can I better manage my inner critic?

Five of Swords – You’re going to have to work at it, fight at it, and be determined to win at it in order to come out on top.

What do I need to know about my intuitive abilities?

Six of Cups – It’s not your just your guides that are there to help you, but your ancestors as well. Don’t leave them out of the equation.

What is blocking me from my intuition right now?

Ace of Swords – New ways of seeing things, thinking about things, and communicating can sometimes be confusing. You need to ground and cleanse.

How can I move through my intuitive blocks?

Queen of Pentacles – Again, ground and cleanse. Strong nurturing energy is needed, as are squishy hugs.

DECK USED:  DAVID’S TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I…. can’t remember what I did for self kindness on Wednesday (I’m playing catch-up).  I’ve had the week off, though, and been working at giving myself a break and not working this week, so that counts.

Taking Stock of Personal Boundaries

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and was a guided meditation from the Calm app. I did not include my piriformis stretching because the meditation was done at my aunt’s house. (I also had a nap after.)

The focus of today’s meditation was about criticism and how to better deal with it when it’s offered.  Some people are assholes, and others just don’t know how to deliver criticism in a constructive way. Neither of these mean you have to take criticism personally when it’s directed your way.  Just listen and hear what they have to say, and if there’s a seed of something useful in there, use it and let the rest just fall away.  The insult, whether intended or not? Isn’t worth worrying over, only the info and lesson are worth consideration.

TV Series Tarot and Less Anxiety Affirmation CardsToday’s draw is the Knight of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of an active beta energy, personality, or person in the area of ones resources, finances, home, health, work, or manifestations. It is about actively pursuing ones basic needs and work related endeavors.

The imagery in this card, with the close inspection of the coin the man holds, speaks to me of examining ones foundations and values.

This process is especially important when one is dealing with their own personal boundaries that are mentioned in the affirmation card for today. Personal boundaries are not about restricting you, instead they’re about ensuring others respect your space and energy.

I am often quite rigid in my boundaries as a good majority of them are set by my moral compass … but not all. The message within these two cards combined is that it’s important to look at your boundaries and make sure that they have value and are working for you.

It doesn’t matter if they are working for other people, but rather if they hold value for you and why. Looking at your boundaries in this way helps reinforce them, and also helps in sorting out the ones that you’ve grown beyond or are no longer working for you.

DECK USED:  TV SERIES TAROT AND LESS ANXIETY AFFIRMATION CARDS

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What takes me out of my comfort zone?

Fantastic Being CardsThe Stars (Aspirations) – Stepping away from what’s comfortable and familiar to try something new and different. Letting go of things that aren’t working so that these new and different things can flourish and fill in the gaps.

Sphinx (Awe & Wonder) – When I need to self-appreciate it creates a sense of discomfort for me. I’ve slowly learned to take compliments and even appreciate them, but directing such sentiments toward myself is much more difficult and… awkward.

Axolotl (Regeneration) – Loss.  I can deal with a myriad of different painful experiences, but loss is not one of those that I handle all that well. The feeling of powerlessness makes picking up the pieces after loss and finding a way to reform and move forward feel a bit like fumbling around in the dark.

DECK USED:  FANTASTIC BEING MANIFESTATION CARDS

#DiscordTarotolicsJun2021 Challenge Prompt
Topic: Draw or write something free form inspired by the card(s).

TV Series Tarot(Knight of Cups) Alfred is a brave turtle owned by Miss Maggie Penelope Tweedman. He lives in a spacious glass house where he watches over her while she sleeps at night, and each morning he comes out of his little log shelter to greet her good morning and have his bath in the bathroom sink, where she scrubs his shell til it gleams.

(Queen of Cups) She changes his water in the pond beside his shelter before she leaves each day, and before he’s left alone, she gives him lush, yummy leaves to munch on all day.

Each day it is peacefully quiet other than the ticking that is a part of every hour of every day. Each day  is the same, and he goes about his life well cared for by Miss Maggie, who comes home in the evenings every day with a cricket treat for him to eat and play time outside his home where he’s taken on great adventures to other realms.

(The Tower) Then one day, Miss Maggie did not come home at the end of the day.  The light sky became dark and he was left alone for much longer than usual.  His glass home sat in the dark with no lamp to shine light upon him and no cricket treats to eat.  Surely the world is coming to an end!  Surely someone has forgotten about him, and Miss Maggie is gone, and his old soul wept at the sudden change of events.

For two days no one came and his water became dirty.  He was so hungry, and so alone.  He emerged from his shelter each morning seeking his lovely Maggie to come care for him, but she didn’t come. Nor did she come in the evenings any longer to bring him treats.  And then someone that was not Miss Maggie showed up and peered into his home. He was lifted out, poked and prodded.  Examined. And he knew this to be the end.  Of course, Alfred could not read.  For the uniformed human with the yellow emblem on his shirt that slipped him into a dark safe place that Alfred thought for sure was the end of his time, was actually simply packing him up to take them to Miss Maggie’s new home.

DECK USED:  TV SERIES TAROT

CoffeexTarot’s Self Love For The Summer Prompt
Question for June 15th & 16th

Flora Healing CardsWhat does self-love mean to me?
Foxglove (Convincing), Aloe (Restore), Delphinium (Amend)

Self-love means to me that there are things I can do for myself to help me recover from working too hard, and adjust  how I do things so that I don’t have to work quite so hard going forward.  It is also a topic that requires a bit of nudging and pushing for me to participate in and keep up on. I do not always feel that I deserve these kindnesses and gentle but restorative acts.  Sometimes I don’t feel that I have enough -time- for them, which means fitting them in and getting them done can often require a bit of coaxing and a lot of nudging.

A self-love message for my future self.
Lily (Whorl) and Hyacinth (Waves)

Be less rigid and lean into those skills, abilities, and tools in your arsenal to take you forward when things feel hopeless or out of control.  Everything in life is an ebb and flow, and nothing is ever truly still.  Do you want to ride out the shifts of life’s currents? Or stay still and sink?

DECK USED:  FLORA HEALING RESTORATIVE CARDS
Daily Self Kindness

I took along not just my sister, but also both Z and J with me when I went to my aunt’s house today.  The two extra guests to feed and entertain kept her so distracted that she didn’t have an opportunity to be rude or snide.

Dive In

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IMG_8135Today’s meditation was just under fifteen minutes long, and like yesterday it was not a guided meditation, and I did my piriformis stretches separately from the meditation.

The focus of today’s meditation was on the graphic included to the right in this post.  It felt really fitting, as I was struggling with a very unreasonable and disgruntled customer today.  It also sets me up for dealing with what’s coming tomorrow, as we’ll be meeting up with my aunt and cousin tomorrow.

I want to remember the theme for today’s meditation for that event tomorrow, and I want to continue to be kind, even if they are not.  Kind to myself and others… even if they end up unpleasant and possibly pissing me off, as they have so often done in the past.

Anne of Green Gables Tarot and Less Anxiety Affirmation CardsToday’s draw is the Page of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of a receptive omega energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s enthusiasm, passions, interests, and inner spark.  This often communicates into themes to do with learning a better way to go about obtaining one’s goals and ambitions, discovering new techniques or methods of diving into one’s interests, and reconnecting with one’s drive and passion for something that sparks one’s enthusiasm.

In this card the girl in the field dances in the dark, connecting to the joy of the dance itself and the night sky, both of which spark her inner fire.

Combined with the affirmation card for today, the message that I see in these cards is about making sure that when you find something that really speaks to you and inspires you, that you don’t just push it aside but take a moment to dive in and enjoy.  Maybe it’ll be a passing fancy, or it could develop into a lifelong passion.  Either way, to enrich one’s life such responses need to be explored, not pushed away and ignored.

DECK USED:  ANNE OF GREEN GABLES TAROT AND LESS ANXIETY AFFIRMATION CARDS

#PrideintheTarot Challenge
Questions for June 11th thru 14th

Bach Flowers OracleA card for loving myself.

Red Chestnut – Make a conscious effort to step away from worry and anxiety. These things don’t help you or those around you, but are only holding you back and causing you harm. Let go of the “what if’s” and the fear of the unknown and allow serenity to slide into place instead.

A card for protecting myself.

Holly – You don’t need to flex so hard.  Your spirit guides and the energies that guide you are there to help in keeping you safe. You’re doing the things needed to protect yourself, and they are filling in the gaps.

A card for freeing myself.

Hornbeam – You need to get more active.  It’s all well and good to do your work and spend time with Gideon, to make sure you’re getting enough rest, etc.  But it’s through physical exertion that you truly purge your energies, and doing so in nature allows good, refreshing energies to then flow in to replace the negative being purged.  Get out and get moving among nature, even if it’s just a little bit here and there.

A card for rest.

Wild Rose – As mentioned in another reading recently, not all rest is about naps and relaxation.  Sometimes the rest you need comes through activity and exertion.  Echoing back to the “freeing myself” question, you need to get out in nature and allow the healing energy to flow through you as you purge what needs released.

DECK USED:  BACH FLOWERS ORACLE

#DiscordTarotolicsJun2021 Challenge Prompt
Topic: About pain…
Question: Are there are ways to avoid the most painful moments in life without stunting one’s growth?

Anne of Green Gables TarotReading Summary: Happiness can be found either way (Ten of Cups), but there is no growth (Ace of Swords Rx) without change (Death).

Take Away: The answer here is no.  Although it’s possible to live a happy and contented life without those most painful moments, in order to grow, there must be change… and the most influential changes in our life include pain. 

Therefore, these most painful moments are necessary for our growth, allowing us to learn and expand through the experience and pain involved.

DECK USED:  ANNE OF GREEN GABLES TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

Choosing to play Enu tonight in roleplay with Gideon turned out to be a really good self kindness tonight, as Enu’s natural cheerfulness helped to lift me up out of the funk I fell into after learning about tomorrow’s family get together.

The Importance of Self Care

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IMG_2335Today’s meditation was about fifteen minutes long and was not a guided meditation, nor did it include my piriformis stretching (which I did separately).  Instead it was a quiet meditation with breathing exercise, and an experiment with meditating with a large piece of garnet while focusing on the piece of artwork and writing by Glen Martin Taylor that is displayed to the right.

This piece and connected text really touched me deeply, as it speaks to me of my own personal struggles at the moment with letting go of the habits and methods that aren’t working for me in order to begin something better.  I’m struggling with letting go, even though I know I need to and even want to.

It speaks to me of the fear that I can’t quite articulate.  The fear that once I let go, nothing will fill the void and I will be left floating and untethered.

Headless Tarot and Less Anxiety Affirmation CardsToday’s draw is the Ten of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of overwhelm and potential burnout. The card is an indication of being overworked or carrying too much burden and the need to redistribute responsibility to ease these issues.

I really like the colors in this Ten of Wands.  I’m not always all that excited about vibrant colors, but for some reason this particular color scheme really speaks to me of that approaching moment of burnout and the heavy weight that responsibilities can often impose upon us.

Combined with the affirmation card for today, what we see here is a reminder that there’s only so much we can do.  We can only go so far, take on so much, before we break.  And when we break? We’re no good to anyone, including ourselves.   Better to pace yourself, pick and choose your obligations, and make sure that there is time in your schedule to take care of yourself.  After all, if you don’t take care of yourself, you’ll soon no longer have the ability to take care of anyone else either.

DECK USED:  HEADLESS TAROT AND LESS ANXIETY AFFIRMATION CARDS

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Questions for June 12th thru 14th

Whispering Herbs Healing CardsWhat do I need to start?
Marshmallow (Water) and Cascara Sagrada (Metal)

When you stand strong for what you believe in, it doesn’t always have to be an active thing.  Remember that there doesn’t always have to be a fight involved to get your point across.  Sometimes?  Just a look is enough to convey all that needs to be said, and can touch people just as deeply or deeper than any words that you may want to share.

What do I need to stop?
Marshmallow (Metal) and Parsley (Fire)

You have so much inspiration and enthusiasm for so many things that it can at time cause you to stew and spin rather than move forward.  Although standing still to find your bearings is good, there’s another step that you’ve been neglecting.  Make sure you’re picking and choosing your pursuits instead of trying to do everything at once. Too many interests at once can cause things to break down and fall apart.

What do I need to change?
Chaparral (Earth) and Yellow Dock (Wood)

I need to stop clinging to the things that are familiar just because they’re familiar.  If something is no longer serving me or is unhealthy for me, I need to make sure I’m letting it go instead of trying to hold on.  Without letting go of the stuff that doesn’t work, there’s no room for the stuff that will.  By holding back, I’m stirring up feelings of resentment that I’m then trying to ignore.  Stop ignoring the problem and start working on releasing those things and mentalities that I’m feeling such a desperate need to cling to.

DECK USED:  WHISPERING HERBS HEALING CARDS

#DiscordTarotolicsJun2021 Challenge Prompt
Topic: Do Spread #2
Question: Concerning her happiness and send of security, how is Miss Luna feeling these days?

Headless TarotReading Summary: The Tower and Justice are connected through darkness in color combinations and the way that the bodies tilt into each other. The Nine of Cups and Page of Wands connect through vibrancy and body language. Their opened armed stance for each figure, combined with both being in dance poses with one leg lifted.  Together, the dance poses combined with open arms depicts a sense of safety and freedom.

Take Away: She’s feeling engaged and very happy, satisfied and content (Page of Wands atop Ten of Cups). There’s a bit of stress and uncertainty going on with her right now because of the construction next-door (The Tower), but I’ve been able to mitigate that (Justice) a bit by making sure that the sliding glass door is closed when they are working and minimizing the disruption and noise within the condo as best I can.

DECK USED:  HEADLESS TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I got some cuddle time with Gideon yesterday before bed and… I didn’t realize how tight I was until I was snuggled up and the knots started to relax.