Cosmic Tarot

Taking Control

/ Twist the Leaf / 2 Comments

IMG_3763Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long and focused upon a long full body scan that took up nearly the entire length of the ten minute meditation, and then a brief mention of the topic of patience at the end.

I think that this guided meditation was initially intended as simply a body scan, and that the patience part of it was more of an addition to the end due to the current state of world affairs and trying to give people a bit of ease with the fact that the entire world is currently in a state of “sit and wait” for the time being.

There was nothing in the talk or the quote included and shared in the image for this post that I objected to, it just felt incongruous with the rest of the meditation.

img_9606Today’s draw is the Five of Flame (Five of Wands) which is traditionally a representation of trials, conflict, and tests in the area of one’s drive, passions, and ambitions.

As I’ve mentioned before, this card is hands-down my absolute favorite imagery on any card in any deck, across the board.  I love this depiction of the Five of Wands, as it speaks to me of so much more than just conflict and strife, but also of strength, determination, and empowerment.

The message that I saw in today’s card is about taking actions to back those things you want to happen.  Intentions are all well and good, but unless you are willing to confront your challenges and take them on? Those intentions aren’t going to take you very far.

I did this today by going back and deleting the draft posts that I had made for the posts I’d missed over the past week here on the blog.  I had a long line of “catching up” to do, and as a part of my determination to give myself more space and take more pressure off myself concerning the blog and my personal readings, I went through and deleted the “catch up posts” that I needed to do, allowing myself to discard the idea of catching up entirely.

DECK USED:  STOLEN CHILD TAROT

#TarotForGrowthApril Challenge Prompt
Question: Where am I most in need of support right now?

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Reading Summary: Emotional well-being (Ten of Water) and passion projects (Ace of Fire) where a better sense of direction (Three of Fire) is needed.

Take Away:  Well, considering what we’ve been doing all day, the fact that I’m going to need some pretty hefty emotional support is to be expected. The drop is going to be a bitch when it comes.

The other two are also about what we’ve been doing all day.  Usually once we start getting intimate with our characters in rp, we end up losing direction in our play.  I really would like to continue to explore the characters we are currently playing and I’m really hoping that doesn’t pattern happen this time.  These cards indicate that in order to avoid that result it’s going to take a team effort.

DECK USED:  THE GOOD TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsApr2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Do Spread #3

IMG_3771Me:  I am a practical provider and juggler of responsibilities between work and home. I am extremely grounded.

My Goal: A closer bond in my relationships with my guides.

The Obstacle:  Because I am so very grounded and logic oriented, it can be difficult sometimes when trying to delve into unfamiliar areas of the esoteric.  This difficulty shows its face as uncertainty and a lack of confidence in both myself and my process.

Guidance:  I need to take time to figure out how to make amends and reconcile with my spirit guides because I have ignored and neglected them and their role in my life (and existence as a whole) for so long.

DECK USED:  FANTASTICAL CREATURES TAROT

#MidnightTarotChallenge Prompt
Question: How can I handle upcoming challenges and roadblocks to my goals? (rephrased to not be built off previous day’s cards)

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Reading Summary: Perseverance (Strength), staying present (Six of Cups), and not ignoring what’s right in front of me (Eight of Swords).

Take Away:  That last one is a toughie for me, as that selective ignorance is something I really excel at when it comes to things that are bothering me or I am struggling with. The cards here say that as future struggles emerge, I will need to make sure to stand strong and keep my mind in the game.  Don’t allow “what used to be” or how things “used to be done” to distract me from the present issues and best solution.   That best solution, incidentally, might be right in front of my face… so pay attention.

DECK USED:  FANTASTICAL CREATURES TAROT

 

A Bit of Wallowing is Okay

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_3717Today’s meditation was just over twenty minutes long and was not a guided meditation.  Instead I did one of my pain management techniques.  Because I haven’t been able to go in for treatment by the specialist over the past few weeks, I have a few issues cropping up concerning my pain and, subsequently, my flexibility.

This technique is a meditation based upon the breath, and centered upon gentle stretching during that focus.   As you breathe in a slow deep breath, you visualize the air slipping through your nose and down your throat, traveling through your body like swirls of smoke to seek out a specific place of pain and tension.

That visualization of air is then seen swirling within that body part, filling it up and dispersing through the pain as you hold the breath for a pause.  A beat of two or three seconds.  You then exhale and visualize that swirling air carrying pain and tension out of the afflicted area, up through your body, and out through your nose.  You then wait a beat of two or three seconds to savor the peace and stillness before repeating again.

It is peaceful, and it helps.  Is it perfect?  No.  But sometimes it really boils down to the little things and every little bit helps.

The Star Card - Stolen Child TarotToday’s draw is The Star card of the Major Arcana, which is traditionally a card representing hope and renewal of faith.

What I see in this card’s imagery is more than hope but comfort.  In the imagery, the sea-otter boy lingers among the bounty of a tide pool, and surrounded among these creatures it has all that it needs.  Land and sea, food and much more.  Everything is looking up in the world for the otterboy.

What came into my mind when I saw this happy otter was that the twilight of joy comes with a moment of uncertainty… followed by the sun.  A phrase that stretches the span of not just the Star card, but also the Moon card and the Sun card.

Today’s message is to bask in the good stuff.  It won’t always be there and soon enough uncertainty will come to toy with your thoughts and emotions and life.  So enjoy what you have while you have it.  Take pleasure in those things that give you a sense of goodness, hope, and well-being.  Hold them close and enjoy them for all their worth.

DECK USED:  STOLEN CHILD TAROT

#TarotForGrowthApril Challenge Prompt
Question: What part of my current state of spirit is within my control to change? (built off yesterday’s cards)

ETA Tarot - Emerging Toronto Artists TarotReading Summary:  Allow that growth to develop and grow (Seven of Pentacles).  Don’t allow yourself to be pulled aside (Seven of Wands) by misplaced confidence (Six of Wands) that urges me to go developing new distractions (Ace of Pentacles) to replace those that have been discarded.

Take Away:  This is a huge bad habit of mine.   That is, the habit of piling more and more on my plate until I’m swamped and overwhelmed, and then forcing myself into sustaining it over long periods of time.   The cards here indicate that this habit is a distraction that will hinder my spiritual growth at this time, as well as hinder my ability to move into a better relationship with my spirit guides.

DECK USED:  ETA TAROT (EMERGING TORONTO ARTISTS TAROT)

#DiscordTarotholicsApr2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Do Spread #2 How can I better handle this lack of alone time?

Cosmic TarotReading Summary: Appreciate and foster the growth (Seven of Pentacles) of the connections coming from the added feminine influences (High Priestess) in my life right now rather than struggling in vain against what cannot currently be changed (Nine of Swords). Acceptance is a better path (Temperance).

Take Away:  Having this extra time with L and Z is a blessing, and when I am struggling with feeling overwhelmed by my current lack of alone time, I need to step back and take some time to remember that blessing and the opportunity that it is providing me to develop a deeper and stronger bond with both of them.

DECK USED:  COSMIC TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How do others perceive me?

Fantastical Creatures Tarot

Reading Summary: A planner and a go-getter that uses their past experiences to map the course forward.

Take Away:  The cards indicate that people see me as someone that uses their past experiences and the positive aspects of what has been learned from them to both guide my own steps, but also assist others in finding their path forward in the direction of their goals as well.  To be honest?  I really like that.

DECK USED:  FANTASTICAL CREATURES TAROT

#MidnightTarotChallenge Prompt
Question: What is my relationship with my mind? How can I improve it?

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Relationship With My Mind: I am both well seated and happy to guide others with the workings of my mind and have a deep sense of independence and decisiveness. (Queen of Swords)

How to Improve that Relationship:  Foster more positivity (The Sun) and seek balance by reaching out for (and accepting) the help of others (Two of Cups).

Take Away: Although I don’t have an issue with decisiveness and independence, I can improve upon my relationship with my mind by allowing more input from others, especially in the area of interpreting my emotions and giving me a “light at the end of the tunnel” to focus on when I get too wrapped up in my own thoughts.

DECK USED:  COSMIC TAROT

 

Opening Up

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_3398Today’s meditation was just under eleven minutes long, and focused upon a breathing activity that was very similar to a body scan.   That is to say that it actually was a body scan, but instead of just consciously checking in with each area of the body, the meditation involved using the breath to breathe in healing energy into each part of the body along the way, and then into the body as a whole once each part had been tended to individually.

I really enjoyed this, and the visualization of air swirling through the body part, one body part at a time, and pushing out discomfort and tension was very relaxing.  This is definitely a meditation that I will be practicing again, and perhaps take some more time at it without a guide along for the ride in the future.

Healing Mantra DeckToday’s draw is something a little different.   It’s from the Healing Mantra Deck, which is a meditation guidance deck.   Today’s card is the “Liberating Love” card, which is about opening your heart to both give and receive.

This card indicates that love is healing, and the guidebook provides a reminder that when opening your heart to receiving and forgiving feels tiresome and exhausting, it means that we do not feel safe enough to remain open, giving guidance on using your will to find the strength to open anyway, for it is in opening up to love where the healing lives… not in closing yourself off.

This is a good reminder to me today, as I’m on the cusp of a subdrop.  These drops make me feel extremely vulnerable, and it is my habit to close up when they come upon me.  But the truth is, it is only in staying open and allowing the love between us to help me through where real healing happens.

DECK USED:  HEALING MANTRA DECK

#TarotForGrowthApril Challenge Prompt
Question: Root Cause (built off yesterday’s cards)

Fantastical Creatures Tarot

Reading Summary:  I have consciously made some choices lately (Eight of Swords) to focus on the positive (The Star) which is helping me in finding a better path through reflection as well as the rest I need at this time (Four of Swords).

Take Away:   Essentially?  Make good decisions and get good rest, and the whole world has an opportunity to look different… and better.  The state of mind was a positive shift, and these choices to allow myself more rest and a time of reflection combined with making a conscious choice to look for the positive is helping in lifting me up out of the smog for a breath of fresh air.

DECK USED:  FANTASTICAL CREATURES TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsApr2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What is the most valuable thing I can do for others this month?

Mibramig Magical Tarot

Reading Summary:  Lift them up (Six of Wands) by helping them to look at things differently (Page of Swords) and make good choices for themselves (The Lovers).

Take Away:  Sometimes we all need to learn new ways to look at (and think about) the things that are weighing on our minds.  As the Ten of Swords grows into the Page, there is growth in finding new ways to move forward.  The cards indicate that the most valuable thing I can do for others this month is helping them feel better about themselves in their situation by encouraging that growth and helping them in finding the path forward that is right for them.

This is actually one of the ways that I very much enjoy interaction with others (as an introvert, I’m a little picky about social interaction) and it’s wonderful to hear from the cards that this endeavor is helpful and positive for others.

DECK USED: MIBRAMIG MAGICAL TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What do I know about myself for sure?

Cosmic Tarot

Reading Summary:  I’m willing to walk away (Eight of Cups) from a sure thing (Nine of Cups) in order to go after something better (Queen of Wands).

Take Away:  I demonstrate this on a regular basis, but in one of the most obvious ways that this is true is in how I make my living.   I am three months from completing double science majors.  I could, with the grades I was pulling down and my natural affinity for those subjects, have taken any number of high paying jobs even without my degree.

I chose to go my own way instead.  I chose to enjoy my life, rather than spend it in an office or a laboratory or a classroom teaching others.  This isn’t because I couldn’t have done any of those things, or all of those things.  It’s because the learning burned bright within my passion and drive… but the actual careers? Left me cold. Instead, I chose to go after something that does kindle my spark of joy and passion and creation.  I started my own business and do my own thing.

Yes, my other part time jobs (or some of them anyway) were very much in the wheelhouse of my education and knowledge base… but they bring me joy because there is a lack of pressure, and an abundance of freedom to do my own thing and go my own way and help… on an individual level.  I enjoy that far more than some stuffy office or lab or classroom.

DECK USED:  COSMIC TAROT

#MidnightTarotChallenge Prompt
Question: What opportunities are being presented to me this month?

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Reading Summary:  Overcoming my fear of the unknown (Two of Wands) and moving forward into a new beginning (The World) with self possession intact and a new understanding of my needs moving forward (Queen of Cups).

Take Away:  I feel like a lot of the uncertainty I’ve been feeling in the past few months is an emotional influence.  I’m so not used to my emotions being “out of the box” and able to influence… well, everything. The opportunity being presented to me this month is in starting on a journey that finally begins moving me away from that “holy crap fear” that comes with stepping out of the dark box I’d hid my emotions in and into the disorientation of the light… and moving past that blind moment of disorientation into somehwere more seated, comfortable, and assured.

DECK USED:  MIBRAMIG MAGICAL TAROT