Daily Focus

Creating Small Spaces

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes and ten seconds long, and focused on how we perceive time, and enjoying our time more.

The guided meditation discussed how it is the times in our life when we forget about time entirely that are our unforgettable moments, and how we need to seek out more of these moments to incorporate into our lives.

It was very early when I did my meditation this morning, and I did a repeat of it later in the day just before my nap. In both cases I found it to be a really nice, peaceful process today, even when E (the eight year old girl I told you about) decided to join me for the second one.

Today’s draw is the Hermit card, which is the ninth card in the Major Arcana, and deals with overall themes rather than specific aspects of the human experience.

The Hermit card is a representation of taking time to oneself and self reflection. For me, it is in many ways a self-care card, as the kind of “stepping away” and into self that this card represents is almost always a time of restorative healing for me.

This card was very apt for today, and I’ve already ran into a few situations where it’s advice has come in useful. These included staying quiet and restful in the car this morning on the way to the festival, taking E aside at the festival when she had a mini-emotion-explosion, stepping out to go for a walk in the rain when we made it back to the house, and taking a nap because 5am came god-fucking-awful early this morning.

In each of these instances there was a bit of healing involved, mostly for myself but in one instance also for E, who would have gotten in serious trouble if she’d been allowed to go full-on nuclear meltdown as they seemed to be egging her toward with everyone’s insistence on ignoring what was happening.

None of these retreats were particularly long or large, but each was a bite-sized piece of time and healing that has helped preserve a bit of balance.

Deck Used: Morgan Greer Tarot

Stability

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes and ten seconds long, and focused on self-soothing. That is to say, finding methods to self-soothe that work for you personally during times of stress and discomfort.

It covered a number of methods in mindfulness and meditation including breathing exercises, counting exercises, visualization, etc.

These are all methods that I’ve tried before, and most of them work for me on some level as long as I’m not overly worked up and toppling into the area of a snickers attack.

Today’s draw is the fourth card of the Major Arcana, the Emperor, which like all of the Major Arcana cards deals with “the big picture” rather than any one aspect of the human experience.

The Emperor card is a representation of authoritative energy, control, and structure. Its appearance today is a reiteration of what you have been saying over the past few days while I ride out the disorientation of my family’s new behavior.

That is to say, keep myself seated in a place of stability and strength. Enjoy the reprieve, but don’t allow it lull me into a place of vulnerability.

Perspectives

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes and ten seconds long, and focused on staying present and mindful in the moment as a way of developing better concentration and focus not jus in those moments but in life as a whole. Hi

Today’s draw is the twelfth card in the Major Arcana, which is the Hanged Man. This card, like all Major Arcana cards, is a “big picture” card rather than dealing with only one aspect of the human experience. The Hanged Man is my favorite card in the tarot, snd is a representation of taking s step back in order to gain a new perspective.

Today’s card is another push within the currently running theme concerning new perspectives where my family is concerned. I don’t see this as I would a stalker card, where I’m just not getting the message. Instead, the repeat themes using different cards feels more like reminders and encouragement.

I am doing my best to keep an open mind where they are concerned and not allow their past behaviors to influence my perceptions or expectations. This doesn’t mean I am leaving myself wide open to be hurt or abused, only that I’m trying to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Turning Over a New Leaf?

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes and twenty seconds long, and focused on the tone of our inner talk with ourselves.

The meditation specifically focused on questions that we ask ourselves, and whether these questions are fostering curiosity and exploration… or if they are self-defeating.

I think this is a good examination of our self talk, but I think it is limiting to consider only the questions we ask ourselves, instead of the inner discussions we have with ourselves as a whole.

The meditation was relaxing, and I even got a little bit of peace and quiet to do it by myself without somebody wandering into the room.

Today’s draw is the lovers card of the major arcana, which is a representation of choices, harmony, love and relationships, and the alignment of values between two or more parties.

The Lovers card is an encouragement to make the choice to give my family here a chance. Something has changed. There are still the occasional snide comment or ugly remark, but the lions share of the venom is missing compared to past experiences visiting this side of the family. Also missing are the sneaky, vindictive passive-aggressive tricks that used to be so common.

Whatever it is that made this change, I’m set a little off kilter by it and keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Today’s card is asking me to consider that maybe there isn’t another shoe. Maybe these changes are genuine and sincere.

This doesn’t mean I need to make up my mind right at this moment… but it is something to take into account and consider.

Taking Time

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and focused on taking time to step out of the hectic and rushed energy we surround ourselves with in everyday life.

It used the story of the tortoise and the hare as an example of how sometimes, it’s not speed but succeeds, but rather taking the slow and steady path.

This is something I often forget, and it’s an apt reminder for today, and a message that goes well with the card that I pulled earlier today.

Today’s draw is the Hermit card, which is a representation of retreat into the solitary, inner reflection, and soul searching. As a Major Arcana card, it does not deal with individual aspects of the human experience so much as with the larger picture.

I am finding being around so many people on a constant basis very draining. Today, my sister and I are being given the opportunity to go off on our own for a bit and have decided that after a visit to the only metaphysical shop in town, we are going to visit one of the local apple orchards for some quiet time.

Today’s card is an indication that it is time for a bit of alone time. I don’t find my twin to be draining on my energy, and I’m hoping that this solitary time with her will help me to recharge a bit.

Family

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Today’s meditation was 10 minutes long, and focused on letting go of those things that are not working for you so that you can make room for new ideas and processes that will.

The guided meditations spoke on how changing seasons can be a good time to help in this process, as you can sync up your release of bad habits and other behaviors and time with the fall, and will come in new behaviors that will work better for you in the spring.

This is very similar to how I work with the moons phases, where the waxing moon between the full moon and the next new moon would be considered the time for release and correspond to autumn.

Today’s draw is the Ten of Cups, Which is a representation of the ending of a cycle, regeneration, and renewal in the area of the emotions, creativity, relationships, and intuition. My sister calls this card the “happy family card”, because in many ways it represents that atmosphere with a focus on the bounty that you have in your emotional life. It is, essentially, the “all my Cups are full and life is good” card.

The appearance of this car today is a reminder that as much as there may be discord and disagreements and mistreatment and even abuse, the people that I am visiting right now are family. They might suck… but they are my family, and with all their flaws there is still value in that.

It might be something that you have to dig for to see, and really search for in order to find.… but it could be worse too, and has been in the past.

Deck Used: Morgan Greer Tarot in a Tin