Daily Focus

A Nest Egg Reminder

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_6901Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and was a combination of a guided meditation and interval timer for the switching positions of my piriformis stretching.  I haven’t done my piriformis stretches in a few days, and I can definitely feel it today.  The pull up into my spine and along my internal scar tissue was pretty intense, but it wasn’t so bad that it didn’t release with time.

The focus of the guided part of this meditation was about magic in the every day.  The thing is that there are times when repetitive actions and the mundane can sometimes feel very boring.  You walk the same path to and from work every day, and after a while it feels like there’s nothing new to see, yeah?

The meditation today encouraged listeners that that’s when it’s time to really start paying attention to the details around you and sinking into the experience. Pay attention to the patterns of leaves on the sidewalk, the smells in the air, the feel of the breeze, the whisper of tree’s branches or the blooming and fading of flowers. Become invested in the nuances and details, and you soon find that no two days are alike, no to walks are alike.  Everything changes, even those things we feel bored with or stagnant.

Tarot of Haunted House - Four of PentaclesToday’s draw is the Four of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of stability and security in the areas of finance, resources, hearth and home, health, and manifestations.  It’s about conservation of resources and creating a sense of security by having what one needs.

This is my second favorite card in this deck, and it is so funny that it came up today because when I shuffled the cards, I saw it on the bottom of the deck and specifically thought  “God I love that card.  If it’s meant to come up, it’ll come up”.  And then?  It popped right out of the deck for my pull during shuffling.

Poppets are used for a variety of different purposes.  Curses and hexes are what is most commonly known since they were made familiar through works of voodoo.  And yet?  That is not the only way these magical artifacts are used or the only thing they are used for.   Here in this picture?  You see a money poppet.  A boon spell for drawing in good fortune.  Specifically good fortune in the area of one’s finances and resources.

The message in this card is to “tend to your garden” and foster it’s growth.  Through that growth.  Through focusing on collecting and saving and creating a “nest egg” of a cushion, you create a sense of stability in your life that allows for shit to happen and life to continue on in some semblance of “normal”, even when times are at their hardest.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF HAUNTED HOUSE

LionHart’s #TheOctoberTarot #SeasonOfTheWitchChallenge Prompt
Question: What can I do to honor the magick within me?

Anne Stokes Gothic Tarot

Reading Summary: Hold tight to the faith (The Star) that you have the skills, abilities, and capability to deal with (The Magician) all of those things that you’re worried about (Nine of Swords).

Take Away:  To honor the magic within me, it’s important to accept that I have all that I need to deal with all the issues and all the worries that plague me.  It’s about having trust and faith that everything is going to work out, because no matter what life throws at me?  I can deal with it, adapt, and in the end?  Find a path of positive growth forward beyond it.  These worries? They’re just a distraction.  Set them aside and trust I can deal with what comes, no matter what it might be.

DECK USED:  ANNE STOKES GOTHIC TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsOct2020 Challenge Prompt
Topic: Do Spread #1
Question: How can I shrug off this feeling of blah and ineptitude?

Cute and Creepy TarotReading Summary: Both sevens RX. Stop looking at all the choices (Seven of Cups Rx) and make a dive for what you want (Knight of Cups) and do it now. No time like the present (Seven of Pentacles Rx).

There is a connection between the Seven of Cups and the Knight of cups in both coloring and theme.  This goes beyond the “Cups” suit correspondence and into how the two cards flow together.  Pick one cup.  Just one.  And go after it full force.

There is also a connection between the Seven of Cups and Seven of Pentacles that goes beyond the fact they are both Rx and both sevens.  This has to do with the clusters in both cards.  Many cups.  May pentacles.  Choices and selections and abundance that has turned against you, indicating a need to downsize.

Take Away:  Stop allowing everything that needs to be done overwhelm you and set you into a stagnant paralysis.  Pick one thing.  Just one thing… and do it.  Then pick another.  Don’t worry about all of it at once, and don’t worry about if you’re going to get it all done or not.  You can’t eat an entire cake in one bite, and you can’t get the prep done all at once.  Work at it one piece at a time instead.

DECK USED:  CUTE AND CREEPY TAROT

#MysticStarChallenge October Challenge Prompt
Question:  In what way do I embody the ______ card?

Skele-Tarot

My Card – Ace of Cups – The seed of beginnings of new relationships, new dynamics within existing relationships, new creative ideas, and new emotions.

In what way do I embody the Ace of Cups card?
Page of Cups, Five of Pentacles, Three of Cups

I’m doing my best to expand my emotional intelligence, and sometimes that is going to cause me to feel negative emotions, but I understand that these things are temporary and there is renewal ahead which means there is always hope.

DECK USED:  SKELE-TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What are my magickal influences?

Spirit of Halloween Tarot

Reading Summary:  In my life right now I am at a place where I struggle to lift the blindfold and see clearly my path forward (Eight of Swords). For a time, this caused me to lose faith in my abilities to ride out what may come and turn it around in my favor (The Magician).  Beside the cards that represent this struggle reside a card indicating the two prominent aspects of my life at the moment.  The Nine of Pentacles speaks of my goals and my current feelings of security and comfort.  The Ace of Cups represents my efforts at that new level of emotional intelligence and the growth I’ve managed so far this year… which is truly just the beginning of a much longer journey.

Take Away:  My magical influences at this time are being blocked.  The influence that helps me the greatest is my ingenuity and my adaptability, but with my current state, I am muffling it and drowning it beneath feelings of overwhelm that cloud my vision.  

DECK USED:  SPIRIT OF HALLOWEEN TAROT

The Illusive Silver Lining

/ Twist the Leaf / 2 Comments

Today’s meditation was… well it was a bit different.  That would be because I tried to do my meditation in the bath this time. Since I was soaking in the tub, I thought I’d give it a go.  What actually happened, though, is that I started to doze off… twice.  So, that wasn’t a very good idea. I never settled in to meditate after I’d gotten out, either.  I’ll do it before sleep tonight.

Madam Lydia Wilhelmina's Tarot - Five of CupsToday’s draw is the Five of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of emotions that deal with disappointment, disillusionment, and pessimism.  Especially in cases where you are failing (or refusing) to see the whole picture.

What really stands out to me in the imagery of this card today is the contrast between the graceful figure and the cold dark surroundings in which she stands.  It really makes the “pity party” going on in this card stand out.

The thing is?  When you’re focused solely on the pessimistic side of things?  You lose out on so much sometimes, but it’s really devastating when it’s the little things you lose out on.  In moments when everything feels like it’s gone to shit and you’re wading through the cold snow of disappointments and failures?  Not looking for that little nugget of positive that lives in those moments has the potential to just make everything worse… and make the bad linger and stretch on longer… the emotions involved experienced with more depth and for a longer period of time than might be healthy.

The message here is to look for that silver lining.  It might be small, it might seem like “nothing”… but sometimes that little bit of nothing can be everything.

DECK USED:  MADAM LYDIA WILHELMINA’S TAROT

LionHart’s #TheOctoberTarot #SeasonOfTheWitchChallenge Prompt
Question: How can I best harvest the energy available to me?

Tarot of the Sweet Twilight

Reading Summary: Work at learning to be happy with what you have (King of Pentacles) and to foster and nurture that outlook it so that it grows (Queen of Pentacles)… It doesn’t all have to be about “more more more” all the time.

There is a link between the Queen of Pentacles and the Knave of Swords in the fact that the girl in the Knave looks like a younger version of the Queen, and wears the same dress beneath her jacket.   What I see from this is that growth is possible, but needs a bit of nurturing to get it there and to temper the impulsive urges that slow and steady growth can sometimes spur.

Take Away:  I push myself too damned hard and it’s not healthy.  I know that, and yet so very often, I can’t seem to help it. The encouragement here is that I need to stay focused on the present right now.  I need to nurture my growth and my inspiration, but only in ways that support slow growth instead of fast and hard spurts.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE SWEET TWILIGHT

#DiscordTarotholicsOct2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What needs my attention in the… past / present / future

Murder of Crows TarotWhat needs my attention in the past?
Knight of Swords – So much of my past has spent spent barrelling forward at full speed, pushing myself harder and harder as I work towards my ambitions. This pushing wasn’t about my passions or interests, it was about my ambitions. The things I felt I wanted in my life, or even felt were absolutely necessary.  And in pushing myself so hard, I have cycled through burnout after burnout, driven to always push harder and harder. It’s not healthy and I know that, and yet I cannot seem to help it. And when I do manage to back off on myself? Then I feel shame and self-recriminations concerning whatever it is that I’m not getting done.   This issue stems from my past and is something I need to work on addressing.

What needs my attention in the present?
The High Priestess  – This is an echo of what the cards told me in my self-care Saturday reading this weekend. It has to do with depending less strongly upon logic and thought, and leaning more heavily into intuition and the nudging of my moral compass.

What needs my attention in the future?
Ten of Pentacles – My goals, my loved ones, my home. Soon, I will be bumping my mortgage payments back up to double. I reduced my mortgage payments by half back in the spring when I lost the majority of my part time jobs.  After the holidays, I have every intention of returning my payments back to that larger payment again. This future goal will allow my mortgage to be paid off more quickly, creating a sense of stability (and the opportunity to slow down a bit) sooner.   I’m very much looking forward to that.

DECK USED:  MURDER OF CROWS TAROT

#MysticStarChallenge October Challenge Prompt
Question: In what way does my spirit guide embody the _____ card?

Terrestrial Tarot

Spirit Guide Card – The Sun – A sign of hope and warmth and love. A sense of enthusiasm and enjoyment, of optimism and positivity.

In what way does my spirit guide embody the Sun card?
Air (Ace of Swords), Felicity (Nine of Cups), King of Swords

The spirit guide in question embodies the Sun card as they are in my life to help me find emotional fulfillment.  I’m very much a Swords person, as I lean heavily on intellect and logic in my day to day life and how I navigate the world.  But you cannot become the master of your ambitions and mind without reaching a level of emotional fulfillment along the way. This spirit guide is here to provide opportunities to find that fulfillment by finding ways of blending that logic and intellectual tendency I fall into with the emotional intelligence I need to develop along the way.

DECK USED:  TERRESTRIAL TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What does this time of year mean to me?

Dark Angels Tarot

Reading Summary: Gearing up for the busy season with no time to waste (Knight of Pentacles Rx). Change is building into the new reality for the next few months (Death). Struggling to spend as much time as possible with Gideon in preparation for the busy season officially starts (Two of Cups).

Take Away:  There are a lot of spiritual connotations that are a part of this time of year, but in truth?  What this season really means to me is that it’s a time of “changing gears”.  As much as I love the shift in weather, the opportunity to get out in nature more, the thinning of the liminal veil between spiritual planes, etc… what this time of year means more than anything?  Is that it’s time to prep for my busiest time of year, which looms in the near future like a giant trying to hide behind a tree and failing at it miserably.

DECK USED:  DARK ANGELS TAROT

An Emotional Buoy

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was skipped.  I didn’t really want to, but I also didn’t want to spend hours and hours on the road today and that’s exactly what I did.   So… yeah.   It just didn’t happen.  When I got home from the drive, I ate and then laid down on the couch and crashed hard.

Tarot of Haunted House - The StarToday’s draw is the Star card, which is traditionally a representation of a hope, optimism, and a connection with spirituality and/or divinity.

This is a really interesting image in my opinion.  She is waist deep in water, hands clasped in prayer.  This connection to all that water that is seen in the card incorporates a great deal more emotion into the Star card than I usually see in this particular card.  Yes, the card means hope and optimism and potential…. but it also is usually about connecting with spirituality and bridging the gap between the physical and the spiritual.

Here, we see the star card fully immersed in the spiritual and emotional, and only the reeds that surround her hint at the physical aspects of the world.

What I see here as the message in the imagery of this card today has to do with connecting to my intuition and my faith, blending together inner knowledge and hope so that they are incorporated into one another.  I need to allow my spirituality and inner knowledge to help in lifting me up emotionally when I am feeling that I stand on unsteady ground.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF HAUNTED HOUSE

LionHart’s #TheOctoberTarot #SeasonOfTheWitchChallenge Prompt
Question: What energy is available to me this month?

Hephoe Tapo

Reading Summary: Ignore (Eight of Swords) moderation (Temperance) and go after fulfillment (Nine of Cups). Don’t close yourself off from others right now (The Hermit Rx).

Take Away:  The energy available to me this month is exactly as it should be for this time of year.  I need that “plow forward” momentum in order to prep for what’s to come when next month rolls around.  The reminder in the reversed Hermit is simply to not put my head down so long that I lose touch with others in the process.

DECK USED:  HEPHOE TAPO

#DiscordTarotholicsOct2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What is my relationship with my ancestors / ancestry at this time?

Nicoletta Ciccoli TarotI am currently moving towards a more face to face relationship (Left Card) and budding collaboration (Center Card)… but I’m not quite there yet. They are still in the peripheral (Right Card).

There is a color coordination between the two left cards that indicates a connection between them.  Where the girl’s hair in the far left is orderly and coifed, in the center card it is frizzed out and all over the place. This hair change combined with the flutterbys in the air in the center card indicate that I need to reach for that inner voice and use it to “listen” to the energies around me.

I’m on the right track and I’m getting there in finding that closer relationship.  The left card indicates that I am actively pursuing this and putting effort into it.  The far right card indicates that it is paying off by creating stronger threads between myself and my guides/ancestors.  More reflection is needed (her eyes are closed) and more time needed (the darkness surrounding her in the background).

DECK USED:  NICOLETTA CICCOLI TAROT – MODIFIED – TRIMMED OFF TITLES AND BORDERS

#MysticStarChallenge October Challenge Prompt
Question: Pull a card. How does this card relate to my greater purpose?

Zombie Tarot - King of CupsThe King of Cups indicates that my greater purpose in this incarnation on earth is in the efforts I’m currently delving into, and learning how to not just connect to my emotions, but connect with other’s emotions as well, and find a balance between those emotions and my responsibilities.  

I would be neglectful to not mention that the King of Cups is also a representation of Gideon for me. In the aspect of this reading, the inference here is that he is not just meant to be a part of my life and someone that I very much believe my soul returns to again and again, but also someone that is here to help teach me how to get to know my emotions, feel them and learn them, and relate them to others, as well as help me in  find that balance between emotions and responsibility as more and more of my emotional self is unveiled and brought to the surface to be processed.

DECK USED:  ZOMBIE TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: Can I be open about my spirituality?

Ritual Abuse Tarot

Reading Summary: It might freak some people out sometimes (The Moon) which may cause some backlash (The Dog in the Moon), but you are comfortable and confident in your path (Two of Wands), and your inner compass and intuition know the way forward (The High Priestess).

Take Away:  The reading sort of took a sideways turn off the question because the question wasn’t really all that relevant to me.  I am very open about my spirituality.  It’s not so much that I shout it from the rooftops or tell everyone I meet, so much as I make no active effort to hide it… and am happy to mentor others when they appear in my life in need of guidance I can offer. I am not in the “broom closet” and haven’t been since I left my parent’s home at sixteen years old.  Sixteen years later?  I have absolutely no interest in stepping into the closet at this point.

DECK USED:  RITUAL ABUSE TAROT

The Unexpected Boon

/ Twist the Leaf / 2 Comments

Confession… I did not meditate today.  There’s just so many hours in a day, and so many ten minute segments in each hour, and I was significantly short on both today so it just didn’t get done.   Depending on when I get done with orders tonight (or tomorrow morning probably), I might be able to fit it in before bed.  At least… if I manage to get some sleep tonight and don’t end up pulling an all-nighter.

Madam Lydia Wilhelmina's Tarot - Ace of CoinsToday’s draw is the Ace of Coins, which is traditionally a representation of new beginnings and new opportunities in the areas of finances, resources, hearth and home, health, and manifestations. 

The thing is?  Today’s been a bit rough.  I’ve needed to be home getting work done and yet had to be out dealing with traffic and doctors and rude as fuck people.  And yet? 

*Clears his throat.*  Just about 1/8th of my remaining mortgage got paid off today out of the blue due to some serious surprise income.

SO!  The message in today’s card?  Don’t discount good things happening out of the blue.  Just don’t discount it.  Because it can happen when you’re least expecting it.  Was the money free?  Not by any means… but neither was the opportunity to earn it at all anticipated or even something I thought possible.   So… stay open to the possibilities, even the surprise ones. 

DECK USED:  MADAM LYDIA WILHELMINA’S TAROT

LionHart’s #TheOctoberTarot #SeasonOfTheWitchChallenge Prompt
Question: What is my major Hallowe’en / Samhain theme?

XII Tarot

Intuitive Hit:  Take your time and do it right.

Reading Summary: Okay so breaking this down, we have the Page of Cups as a learner in the area of emotions moving into the Four of Cups, which is about a disconnect between your motivation and your emotions.  The Five of Pentacles speaks of loss and struggle, but is overshadowed by Temperance expressively displayed with a searing sword though the heart.  What I see here is that when things move too fast, accidents happen.  When you aren’t willing to put in the effort and pay attention?  Bad things happen.  If you’re going to learn a new skill, or sink yourself into the process of learning?  It’s self defeating to not take your time or keep yourself invested through thick and thin.

Take Away:  And thus all of that circles back to the whisper of my intuition prior to breaking down the cards.   Take your time and do it right.

DECK USED:  XIII TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsOct2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What do I need to focus on for self care this full moon?

Tarot of Haunted HouseReading Summary: Stand up for what’s yours (Seven of Wands) and those that collaborate with you (Three of Pentacles), and shine a light on (Knight of Wands) those that try to take from you (Seven of Swords).

Take Away: This fits with what my full moon ritual tonight was about, which is to say that it is a ritual that began with the new moon and beginning the process of building strength and condensing it over the past couple of weeks in order to refresh my home’s protective wards and other protections this evening.

I do not want a repeat of what happened last year, with the shadow of my father’s influences invading my life to create significant inner struggle and a sickening shrivel of sensation in my soul as the month progressed toward its end.  For the month of October and November, I’ve therefore chosen to up my wards and protections, shifting their focus and construction over this time period to include these issues.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF HAUNTED HOUSE

#MysticStarChallenge October Challenge Prompt
Prompt: The card for this month is the ______, which indicates…

Carnival at the End of the World Tarot - The HierophantThe card for this month is the Hierophant card, which indicates that you will have much to learn this month, and many people to share what you learn with, to teach, and guide along the way.

During this month it will also be important to remember that not all traditions and “old ways” of doing things are bad or need to be broken… or even altered.

Sometimes when we get too carried away with our own independence, we forget that many of the “old ways” of doing things have lasted as long as they have for a reason.  Because they hold meaning, and because they work.  It will be important to pay attention to what old ways you might be discarding without truly thinking through their value.

DECK USED:  CARNIVAL AT THE END OF THE WORLD TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: A message for my spiritual path.

Ludy Lescot Tarot

Reading Summary: Listen closely to your inner wisdom and intuition (High Priestess) and allow it to tell you when the time for celebration (Three of Cups) of your accomplishments (Six of Wands) is needed (Justice)

Take Away:  The thing is?  I have a very difficult time giving myself the credit that I deserve.  I am aware of this issue.  Gideon calls it modesty, but I’m not really sure that’s what it is at all.  It is far more likely that it has to do with that “never enough” shadow of mine.

The message for my spiritual path is that I need to start healing that inner shadow by listening to the quiet whispers  in the darkness that tell me when I’ve done something good… listen to them and allow them to lift me up.  Wallow, even if just briefly, in that moment of elation.   In doing so, I am helping to balance out the scales between that shadow’s influences and my need for growth and progress.

DECK USED:  LUDY LESCOT TAROT

Celebrating Accomplishments

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was not done… because they were testing the fire alarms in my building today and if I can’t meditate through some nutbag on the street singing about herself being a prophet of God, I sure as hell can’t meditate through the fire alarm going off every 2 minutes for hours on end.  At least not and actually find the meditation peaceful and positive instead of an exercise in frustration.

Botan Tarot - The WorldToday’s draw is the World card. This is the final card in the Major Arcana, which means that (as with all Major Arcana cards) it deals with an overall message or life path situation rather than a single aspect of the human experience. Traditionally, the World card is a representation of coming to the end of a long journey, and the crossing over from all that you have learned and gathered through that journey into a new existence and new journey on the other side of things.  It is a recognition of accomplishment, rebirth, and reincarnation.

What I see in the imagery of today’s card is more than just recognition of this transition, but a joyous celebration of it.

The message in today’s card is that it’s important to celebrate your accomplishments.  When you reach the end of a journey, take a moment to enjoy having made it to where you’re at, and a moment to look back on all that you have accomplished.  Let go of the negative, and dance yourself forward into the future with optimism and an eagerness for the next adventure to come.

DECK USED:  BOTAN TAROT

#Zentember #LovelyHealing Challenge Prompt
Question: What will keep me motivated to evolve spiritually?

Telluric Tarot

Reading Summary: Determination to move forward (The Chariot) regardless of the fact that inner demons may try to stand in the way (Nine of Swords) of my enjoyment of the journey (The Fool). Fear of the unknown (The Moon) is the only thing that keeps me from enjoying a piece of that child like joy (Six of Cups).

Take Away: The motivation indicated in these cards is twofold.  First is to tap into the formidable amount of determination and willpower that I possess to move forward regardless of the nay-saying that my inner dialogue may occasionally come up with.  The second motivation is the reward of moving forward.  It’s about focusing on the prize and allowing that prize (in this case, joy and pleasure along my spiritual path) to motivate me into continuing forward even at the times when I’m feeling uncertain and fearful.

DECK USED:  TELLURIC TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsSep2020 Challenge Prompt
Topic: Grab a spread of your choice that you’ve been curious about but haven’t tried yet… and give it a go!

Lonely Dreamer Tarot

Has this ancestor tried to communicate with me before?
Nine of Swords and Ten of Cups

Yes, in times of worry and stress they have come to me under different guises in an effort to bolster me emotionally.

What wisdom can be learned from this ancestor?
Four of Wands and Temperance

Balance and stability in my life and upon my path through the use of moderation.

How can this wisdom be applied moving forward?
The World

What do you want to carry forward? And what do you want to leave behind? If I want to apply these lessons and wisdom moving forward, it’s important to take time to examine these things and make choices that encourage growth and development into a better person.

A message from this ancestor about what I’m not seeing.
Judgement

I am not paying enough attention to just how much damage my negative inner narrative and it’s harsh judgements are hurting me.  It’s time to really examine this issue and recognize the unhealthy vulnerability it creates within me.

How can I honor this ancestor?
Two of Swords

Open your eyes and pay attention.  They are willing to help in my making of good decisions and choices, but they aren’t willing to hold my hand for it. I have to be open to seeing and fully grasping what’s going on, and willing to make the hard decisions when they come.

A message of love from this ancestor.
The Magician

You are strong and powerful and have everything you need, only you need to be willing to utilize it.

DECK USED:  LONELY DREAMER TAROT

Lionharts #AstroTarotChallenge
Question: What do I leave behind moving past September?

20th Century Tarot

Reading Summary: I’m leaving behind the ability to sit on my laurels (Nine of Cups) and just have a good time (The Sun) and take things slow and easy (Knight of Pentacles Rx) with no drive or push behind me (The Chariot Rx).

Take Away: The slower pace and relaxation of the summer has all been well and good, and very nice.  But it’s time to pick myself up by my bootstraps and get my ass moving on the shit that needs to be done.

DECK USED:  20TH CENTURY TAROT

Spirituality and Purpose

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_6773Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and without a guided meditation, although I did use the interval timer to keep me on track with my piriformis stretching during the meditative practice.

I had a bit of considering to do during my meditation today, which in itself made it more of a self-guided meditation than one of the more quiet and peacefully empty ones that is usually the case when there is no guide.

Instead, I took the time to focus upon how the work that I do in my business influences others around the world.  I have created beautiful pieces of jewelry that have brought joy to thousands of people, lightening the weight of their days and bringing them a sense of beauty and happiness from the experience of opening an aesthetically pleasing package all the way through to the pleasure they take in wearing the beautiful piece of jewelry I’ve sent them over and over again.

I feel like when I started on this journey over a decade ago of the business I now run, I spent a lot more time focusing on and taking pleasure in this element of things.  I think that in the present, I need to work on focusing on this side of things more.

Hush Tarot - The StarToday’s draw is the Star card, which is traditionally a representation of themes having to do with hope and spirituality.  It’s about being connected to the inner-connectivity between life and divinity, and about allowing that connection to renew your sense of hope and purpose in the world.

And… I just have to say.  I really love the imagery on this card.  The interplay between the earth and humanity, between life and death, and between endings and new beginnings.  But, for today, what really stands out to me in this card is the banner that the bird holds in its beak with the worlds “a hunting we will go” scrawled across its length.

The message that I see in today’s card is about finding one’s purpose.  It’s about acknowledging that you need to look beyond the earthly needs of business and life, and delve into one’s spirituality in order to find your true purpose and path.  That is because our purpose stretches beyond life, beyond work and the material… our spiritual path is not over when our life ends, but continues on.

DECK USED:  HUSH TAROT

#Zentember #LovelyHealing Challenge Prompt
Question: How do I connect with the Divine?

Tarot Leaves

Reading Summary: Look at all those pentacles! By being proactive (Knight of Pentacles), no matter the circumstances (Wheel of Fortune), to get myself out in nature (Ace of Pentacles) and ground (Four of Pentacles).

Take Away:  I connect with the Divine through nature and the earth, and in doing so in this way,  it requires that I am proactive in pursuing time in nature.  Each time I step into the forest and am surrounded by the trees and the moss and the moist earth, it is like the first time all over again. It is an embrace that feels new and exciting, yet familiar and comfortable.  And one that I need to visit often to ground with and connect deeply with.

DECK USED:  TAROT LEAVES

#DiscordTarotholicsSep2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What needs a little more focus and energy to complete before winter arrives?

Tarot by Alexander DandiloffReading Summary:  Finding stability (Four of Pentacles) in the changes that I’ve worked through putting in place in the spring and summer (Death). Make sure that you’re getting help from those that care for you and that you care for in turn (Two of Cups).

Take Away:  This is something that I’m struggling with, and in struggling with it I’m not getting the prep work done that I need to get done because I’ve got so much of my energy turned towards this issue. I feel… like I need to find stable footing for the growth I’ve made.  At first, I thought it was about choice.  That I had to choose that new emotional depth or my holiday rush… but I understand I don’t need to choose.  Yet I still feel like things are unstable and I need to find a way to shore up the foundation beneath my feet.

DECK USED:  TAROT BY ALEXANDER DANDILOFF 2012 IV EDITION

Lionharts #AstroTarotChallenge
Question: What is the biggest lesson I can take from this month?

Science Tarot

Reading Summary: Creative flow and the desire to move forward (Page of Wands) gets stalled out (Hanged Man) and moderated (Temperance) by worries, concerns, and anxiety (Nine of Swords).

Take Away:  Anxiety is a creativity killer and the death of motivation. That’s the lesson. 

DECK USED:  SCIENCE TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How do I make time for rest and relaxation… every day?

Joe Sparrow Tarot

Reading Summary: Stop using your ambitions to push yourself forward (Knight of Swords) and reassure yourself of what good you already have (Nine of Cups). Opportunities are not going to run out anytime soon (Ace of Pentacles)… Which means it’s okay to skip one now and then and not have to listen to yourself lecture about it in your head (King of Swords Rx).

Take Away:  I can make time for rest and relaxation in my daily life by understanding that just because I might miss an opportunity for progress doesn’t mean that another isn’t right around the corner to offer itself up next.  Also, stop listening to my father’s voice in my inner dialogue telling me that rest is for the weak and is a progress killer.

DECK USED:  JOE SPARROW TAROT