Finding the Positive for August 2 – 4

Sea Witch Oracle, Asherah Tarot, Grounded Wisdom Soil Tarot, Wisdom for Wee Ones Cards, and It’s Going To Be Okay 2024 Day-to-day Calendar By Kate Allan

August 2 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and was one of the #DailyCalm sessions with the Calm app.  Today’s meditation focused on the breath and the practice of Anapana, which was described as using focus on the natural breath as a meditation practice.  Instead of focusing on the lungs and chest, though, you focused on the little bit of space just under the nose, and paying attention to the movement of air through that space, narrowing down  your focus to just that small patch of skin and nothing else.

I am, admittedly? Not good at “observing the natural breath”. I try, but every time I try? I end up altering my breath when I pay attention to it, either deepening it or modulating it in some way.  I’ll keep trying, of course, but I’ve yet to find a way to keep this from happening.  I’m sure I’m not the only one.

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Today’s card is the Seal card combined with the affirmation “I have a good body, whether or not other people like it.”

This affirmation reminds me of the phrase “It could always be worse.” My body hurts. It has scars. It has damage. Hell, it even has a few white hairs and wrinkles these days. But… it could be worse. It could always be worse in an endless myriad of ways.

The Seal card’s words “Curiosity needs freedom” is a reminder that no matter what you don’t like about your body, or what others don’t like about your body?  It’s -your- body, and it serves you well (if not exactly as perfectly as you might want).  Get out and do things with it.  Have fun with it. Explore with it.

Who cares if you get dirty in the process? Who cares if you get sweaty and flush-faced? Celebrate your body with an adventure. Let curiosity lead you now and then, and don’t worry so much about what others may think.

DECK USED: SEA WITCH ORACLE AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

August 3 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Today’s card is the Lovers card combined with the affirmation “Just try to stay calm and do what you can.”

There is a dual meaning in today’s card, especially when combined with the affirmation for today. The Lovers is often about unity and union, but it can also be about making choices that are best for you.

Combined together, the message for today is about allowing others to do their part so that you are healthier in your own work and responsibilities. Don’t get worked up over everything that needs to be done, but instead trust in others to do their part while you focus on doing yours.

DECK USED: ASHERAH TAROT AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

August 4 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Today’s card is the Devil combined with the affirmation “Some people take and never give, yet they don’t have enough, but Wisdom’s way is to give without fear. You’ll still have enough of what you hold dear.”

Fear of missing out (FOMO) is a thing, whether it’s buying things you think will be useful to you at a later date, trying to “keep up with the Joneses”, or just not trimming one’s roses because they want to see all the blooms (but instead stunt it’s growth and the size of its blooms due to not cutting them back enough). These feelings, whether spurred on by fears, insecurities, or sentimentality, can be harmful if not kept in check.

One way we keep this in check is through generosity.  Like the rose bush that needs to have its buds cut back regularly in order to produce bigger and more beautiful blooms, our homes need to be purged occasionally.

It can be freeing to go through your closet and finally get rid of some of the clothing you haven’t worn in a couple years, or go through a collection and weed out those in it that you don’t really enjoy, or go through your kitchen cupboards and donate a portion of what’s in there you haven’t gotten around to using.  It helps us to not allow these things to have such a choke hold on us, like removing the invasive vines from a garden before they choke out all the other plants.

That is what today’s cards are about.  Don’t worry that by giving to others you are creating a lack in your own life.  There will still be plenty.  You’re just doing a bit of weeding so the stuff you truly enjoy can have more breathing room and appreciation.

DECK USED: GROUNDED WISDOM SOIL TAROT AND WISDOM FOR WEE ONES CARDS

Finding the Positive for July 28 – 30

The Soulscape Tarot, Messages from the Woods Oracle, Starline Tarot, Forest Friends Cards, and It’s Going To Be Okay 2024 Day-to-day Calendar By Kate Allan

July 28 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Today’s card is the Wheel of Fortune combined with the affirmation “You are out here trying, and that is absolutely good enough.”

Confession.  I am a control freak.  Yes.  I am.  And the absolute frustration that comes with -not- being able to control some aspects of my life that I want to is one of the hardest things in life for me to accept.  Emotions. Triggers. Flashbacks. Unexpected roadblocks and obstacles. Unpleasant surprises.

These things drive me absolutely crazy because I cannot control them even in instances when they may not involve -anyone- other than myself. I don’t want to control others, I just want to control myself and my life to a degree that is (in rational moments, I admit) not just unreasonable to expect but actually impossible to accomplish.

Today’s affirmation and card combo is a reminder that you can’t control the world around you, only yourself and your reactions to it. You can’t control your emotions, only how you react to them and what you -do- with them. Do you let it set you off kilter? Or do you go along for the ride with grace? It’s a choice.

I’m personally not very good at gracefully going along with the flow in these instances. But… I’m trying, and that has to be enough.

DECK USED: THE SOULSCAPE TAROT AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

July 29 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was

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Today’s cards are the Deer card combined with the Bear Hugs hugs card.

The message in today’s cards is that life cannot be work work work all the time. Everyone needs rest to function… even you. Don’t feel guilty for taking time to yourself when you need it. When you do so, you show that you are giving yourself the same kind of love and understanding, balance and stability that you provide so easily for others.

DECK USED: MESSAGES FROM THE WOODS CARDS AND IT’S FOREST FRIENDS CARDS BY TIJANA LUKOVIC

July 30 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Today’s card is the Ace of Wands combined with the affirmation “You’re still a good  you, even while you’re not feeling like yourself.”

Honestly? I’ve been dead tired today. I only managed to get about two hours sleep last night, and it clearly wasn’t enough.  Between that and the drive north, it’s been a rough one for me.

Today’s cards are a reminder that even on rough days, your passions and inspirations remain the same. You like the same foods, you’re interested in the same things, and you have the same passions. The cards encourage tapping into those enthusiasms during these times when you aren’t at your best, and allowing them to help ground you in yourself so that you don’t feel as much adrift from yourself and who you are as such days can cause you to feel.

DECK USED: STARLINE TAROT AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

Finding the Positive for July 10 – 12

Mimit Tarot, Oracle of 11, Journey to Oz & Wonderland Tarot, and It’s Going To Be Okay 2024 Day-to-day Calendar By Kate Allan

July 10 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Today’s card is The Hanged Man combined with the affirmation “Small steps still count.”

Holy cuteness overload. 😂 These cards are a reminder that even though you’ve chosen to come up north and spend the night at Ms B’s so you can take her to her appointment today doesn’t mean you’re not still in the process of healing up from being sick.  Pneumonia takes time to recover from, and even though you have more energy and are getting better doesn’t mean you’re full on able to pick things up as if you’re completely healed.

Pause.  Take time.  Go slow.  Take breaks when you need them, naps when there’s opportunity, and give yourself a break whenever you get the chance.  Don’t push.

DECK USED: MIMIT TAROT AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

July 11 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Today’s card is The Golden Island of Brunei combined with the affirmation “You’re not failing at being happy– you’re recovering from overwhelming stress. Please be patient and allow your mind some recovery time; this won’t last forever.”

From the Guide: “The Golden Island roamed the seas, seeking worthy communities to bless. Yet when those it granted boons forgot their kindness and became consumed with greed, it vanished, leaving them to decline.”

This story reminds me of the Fae, and the importance of consistency where building a relationship with them is concerned.  If you put out cream on your windowsill for the Fae, and do so consistently, they may come to bless you with their company and boons. But, if you forget or become inconsistent with your offerings, those boons may be taken away and the Fae you have been courting may become resentful.

Today’s cards are about gratitude, and most especially, consistency in one’s gratitude. Staying power is important when it comes to drawing in one’s blessings, as well as weathering the hard parts of life that come your way.  If you stop being grateful, the world looks darker, even though it’s not.  If you recognize your blessings for what they are and stay consistent in gratitude and positivity practices, the world looks brighter and lighter, even though it’s not.  It’s our perspective that changes when we put in consistent effort to be kind and grateful.  Which perspective would you rather live in?

DECK USED: ORACLE OF 11 AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

July 12 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and was one of the #DailyTrip sessions on the Calm app.  The session spoke about how there are two different “main” methods of meditation.  The “focused on a goal” meditation style, and the “doing nothing” meditation style.  This particular session focused on the “doing nothing” style and was about simply relaxing into the experience of the moment.

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Today’s card is the Chariot card combined with the affirmation “Yes, the storm is back again, and it sucks. But, you aren’t alone out there, my friend.”

You know that phrase “team work makes the dream work”?  That’s what today’s cards bring to mind. Flying monkeys are an effective army not because they’re flying monkeys (although, that surely has something to do with it), but because they are an –army– of flying monkeys.

By the same turn?  You are not a survivor all alone and on your own.  You’re a member of a community, whether that community is a family,  part of a group of friends, or some other gathering of members that help and support each other.  And, it is through this connection with others that you are better able to weather the storms that life throws at you.

Could you do it alone?  Sure. Probably.  You don’t have to, though, and life’s that much easier when you accept help from others during the rough times than if you tried to handle it all on your own.

DECK USED: JOURNEY TO OZ & WONDERLAND TAROT AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

Finding the Positive for July 7 – 9

Moravia Tarot, Tarot Épineux, Live a Colorful Life Zentangle Oracle, Forest Friends Cards, and It’s Going To Be Okay 2024 Day-to-day Calendar By Kate Allan

July 7 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Today’s cards are the Wheel of Fortune card with the Sage Frog affirmation card, which says “Your life needs balance. Sometimes you’ve caught enough flies and it’s time to kick back.”

There are times when I think of the wheel of fortune, that I envision the merry-go-round spinners they used to have on playgrounds.  When the ride is spinning, if you stand at the edge of the ride, then as it spins you feel the centrifugal force so strongly that it is hard to hold on, let alone do anything other than hold on while physics try to throw you off.  But, by the same turn, as you move closer to the center of the ride, the pull to the outer edges is decreased and you can stand up straight and not hold on so tightly, etc. There is less pulling against you… and less chaos as a result.

The cards for today are a reminder to step toward the center.  Being stubborn and staying at the edge where the chaos and outside forces have sway is sometimes just you being stubborn instead of allowing yourself to make things easier on you. Don’t push yourself so hard you end up in a set back, instead allow yourself a bit of rest to balance out just how hard you are on yourself and how hard you work.

DECK USED: MORAVIA TAROT AND FOREST FRIENDS CARDS

July 8 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Today’s card is the Five of Coins combined with the affirmation “It’s okay to change. Your life is for you!”

Adaptation is a necessary part of survival, and above all else?  You are a survivor.  This means that sometimes, in order to survive and thrive, you have to change and grow.  And sometimes?  Others aren’t going to like that.  They might make you feel ostracized or rejected because of it.

As the basis for the meditation on July 6th said, “Anything you lose by speaking your truth isn’t a loss: it’s an alignment.”  Your life is for you, not anyone else.  Sometimes, that means you have to shed the old in order to align yourself with what’s right for you, whether that’s jobs or people, hobbies or ideals.

The cards for today are a reminder that you are living your life for you, and sometimes that means making adjustments and adaptations in order to stay on that path that’s so very uniquely yours. Don’t let those things left behind make you feel like a failure or something to feel bad or guilty over.  The butterfly does not feel like a failure in leaving the cocoon behind… and neither should you.

DECK USED: TAROT EPINEUX AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

July 9 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and one of the #DailyTrip sessions in the Calm app. The session for today was called “The Indicator Light” and spoke about how when a car needs a little love and attention, the indicator light comes on.   And how our bodies do much the same when we feel sore or sick or run down in some way.  It’s an indicator that our bodies (or minds) need a little extra love and attention.   The session encouraged seeing it in this way and not just “plowing on” and ignoring those pleas.  That instead, by tending to them when they arise, we give ourselves the encouragement to be healthier and happier inside and out.

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Today’s card is the Orange card combined with the affirmation “It’s okay to be whatever weirdo you are today.”

The color orange, as described by the guide that accompanies this deck, is a color of high energy and creativity filled with passion and new ideas.  And, I can’t help but notice that the colors of orange in the card correspond to the shades of orange in the axolotl’s head and the root section of its’ external gills.

These correspondences in the card speak to me of a need to make sure that you speak your mind when ideas arise. Remember that not everyone thinks the same, and your ideas and thoughts are often going to be innovative and completely different than how other people might see something or sort out a resolution to a problem.  In sharing those ideas, you expand their minds and allow your own creativity to shine.

DECK USED: LIVE A COLORFUL LIFE ZENTANGLE ORACLE AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

Finding the Positive for July 4 – 6

Dragons and Other Beverage Beasts Oracle, Mari Mali Oracle, L'Oracle des Esprits Guides, and It’s Going To Be Okay 2024 Day-to-day Calendar By Kate Allan

July 4 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Today’s card is the Milkshake Monster combined with the affirmation “Even while you feel rotten to the core, your light shines bright.”

I wouldn’t consider the Milkshake Monster to be rotten to the core, but he’s definitely messy. Like all milkshakes?  He also probably tastes pretty delicious.   There’s lots of foods like that, yeah?  Barbecue wings, melty ice cream cones, juicy Hawaiian chicken burgers… all messy.  All delightful.

So are you.  Even when you’re a mess.  Even if you’re tired or struggling, snotty or overwhelmed by chaos.  Even when the chaos of what’s going on around you splatters all over you.  You’re still someone’s shining light.

DECK USED: DRAGONS AND OTHER RARE BEVERAGE BEASTS AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

July 5 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Today’s card is the Jasmine card combined with the affirmation “You have conquered every single bad day of your entire life. Today will be no different.”

Jasmine is well known as an aromatic plant, and is used in aromatherapy to reduce stress, improve mood, and reduce food cravings. In fact, in my home, I use a slight hint of jasmine oil inside the front door to help ease people’s stress when they step over the threshold.

That said, though, this plant has a lot more to offer that people don’t often realize. It has medicinal properties that lend it to use as a topical agent for helping to reduce breast milk production, ease some skin disease symptoms, and speed up wound healing. It can also be used to flavor beverages, candy, baked goods, puddings, and frozen dairy desserts, for one. (If you haven’t had frozen jasmine custard? Oh my god, you’re missing out.)

The one property that this plant has in common throughout all of it’s different uses? Is its gentleness. It is light and delicate on the senses, and in all the ways that it can be incorporated into use in our lives.

The message here between the Jasmine card and today’s affirmation is a reminder to be kind with yourself.  Be gentle with yourself when things go awry.  You’re a survivor and you’re going to make it through.  There’s no need to make the experience worse than it already is by being rough with yourself or cruel in your thoughts to yourself.  Be gentle instead, and you’ll make it through those difficult days just a little bit easier.

DECK USED: MARI MALI ORACLE AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

July 6 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was fifteen minutes long (or possibly a few minutes shorter than that, since I dozed off at the end before the chime brought me back).  It was a self-directed meditation that focused upon the graphic included with today’s cards that states “Anything you lose by speaking your truth isn’t a loss: it’s an alignment.”

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Today’s card is the Peacock card titled “Beauty” combined with the affirmation “It’s completely okay if you cry today.”

In the book for this deck, the passage for this card is all about the beauty and peace all around you, it talks about harmonious energies and how the beauty of the world around us can lift our spirits.  When this is combined with the affirmation for today, what I am drawn to is that feeling of peaceful ache that comes after you cry.

I mean, at least that’s what happens when I cry, usually.   There’s the big emotion and the clashing chaos of tears and hiccuped breaths and snuffles.  Like a pressure cooker letting out its steam, the cry pushes the emotions up and out, spilling them everywhere and making a mess.

And, after all that?  There’s a moment of silence.  A moment of peace and tranquility.

The cards for the day are a reminder of that moment of tranquility, and that even if you don’t -want- to cry?  Sometimes that moment of peace that comes afterward makes it all worth it.

DECK USED: L’ORACLE DES ESPRITS GUIDES AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

Finding the Positive for July 1 – 3

Fairy Herbal Deck, Puppy Garden Tarot, Botanical Blessings Oracle, and It’s Going To Be Okay 2024 Day-to-day Calendar By Kate Allan

July 1 – Mental Health Card of the Day

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

The session’s topic for the day was about interconectedness, and used the example of a blueberry where when you hold the berry in your hand you look back on how it came to be there from the growers to the planters, the cows that provided manure, the plants that the cows ate, etc.  The purpose of the session was to bring to light how looking at the complexities of intercontectedness of just a single blueberry, we see just how interconnected we are with the world around us.

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Today’s card is the Dandelion card combined with the affirmation “There’s no need to be so hard on yourself; you’re managing as best as you can.”

Dandelions are, in my opinion, one of the most under appreciated plants in the world. People by the droves seek to kill them, banishing them from their lawns, driveways, and roadsides.  And yet, they are safely edible, an antioxidant, and an immune booster.  They are also used to detoxify the liver and gallbladder, as well as assist kidney function.

These flowers are chock full of vitamins A, B, C, and D as well as iron, potassium, and zinc. All parts of the plants have uses from the leaves being added to salads and sandwiches, the roots used as coffee substitutes and for tea, and even the flowers, which are used in making wine.

Combined with the affirmation for the day, this card is a reminder that there are helpers even in the most surprising of places. Who would think that a weed in the grass could do so much, after all.  Joined together, today’s affirmation and card are a reminder that you don’t have to do everything all on your own.  You don’t have to carry all the responsibility yourself.  Look to those in the wings for help instead of pushing yourself ever harder with unreasonable expectations.

DECK USED: FAIRY HERBAL DECK AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

July 2 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Today’s card is the Two of Wands combined with the affirmation “It’s neat how you showing up makes everything better.”

I used to know a guy in school back when I was… well, from the time my parents moved out west when I was 10 until I graduated, so for quite a few years.  He used to get picked on a -lot- in school, and I could never figure out why. (It turns out it was because his sister was a couple grades above him and extremely popular, and she had all her friends picking on him… but I didn’t realize that until recently.)

Anyway, I used to let him hang around with me at school and sometimes after school when I’d play in the woods or whatever (my family’s home wasn’t conducive to visitors).  I didn’t really think much of it, or of them, at the time.  They were just always around, asking questions and tagging along. After I left? I didn’t really think about them much either, other than to wonder occasionally how they were doing.

And then, they contacted me the other day on social media.  In a DM, they asked if I was “real name” from “where I grew up”.  If they hadn’t identified themselves as well? I would have freaked out.  (I’ve had a few stalker issues over the years.) Instead, I knew who they were and said hi.  We’ve been talking a bit off and on since.

Apparently, in their words, I have been an inspiration to them throughout their entire life (the past 20 years), and they have always wanted to get back in contact so that he could show me all he’s accomplished and be proud of him.  It’s something he’s said multiple times, and it took me by surprise.   I have -no- idea  how I inspired him so much.  I have -no- idea why he feels that me being proud of him is the gold tier achievement of his life (which I am, incidentally, proud of him for all he’s accomplished.)

I had… no idea that I was so liked and admired by… well, anyone at all.

Today’s cards remind me of this.  They speak of making an impression on others that we ourselves are not aware of.  They speak of inspiring others through out presence alone.   They say…. never forget that there are people out there that admire you that you don’t even know about, and that see you as a guiding light in their own lives.  You are always wanted…. even on the days or weeks or years that it doesn’t feel like it.

DECK USED: PUPPY GARDEN MINI TAROT AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

July 3 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long, and was one of the #DailyCalm sessions from the Calm app.   The session today was about transforming anger into something softer and gentler.

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Today’s card is the Dill card combined with the affirmation “Tomorrow hasn’t come, yesterday is done, just get yourself through today.”

Dill (aka. dill weed) is an herb that is a good source of vitamins A and C, as well as calcium and iron, and it’s packed with flavonoids that have been shown to help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. It has also been observed to have properties that help in the prevention and control of type2 diabetes and help control high cholesterol.

What I personally know dill best for, though, is it’s ability to help ease colic in infants, digestive issues, and bad breath. These are the uses that I grew up associating with dill, and they speak of a calming quality.  A quality that lends to easing one’s anger, calming down, and cooling off.  It’s interesting that this was the card pulled today, considering today’s meditation was about this same topic.

Combined with the affirmation for today, the Dill card is a reminder that sometimes we need to focus just on the here and now. It can’t always be about what comes next, preparing for the future, and looking ahead.  It can’t all be about what we’ve done or not done, either.  Sometimes, especially during times of recovery?  Being in the present needs to be enough.

DECK USED: BOTANICAL BLESSINGS ORACLE AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN