Daily Focus

An Appreciative Mindset

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was ten minutes and thirty eight seconds long, and focused on getting the most out of your meditation practice by carrying it beyond just those few minutes in which you are with in meditation.

This involves the practice of taking a moment just to stop and “smell the roses” and be mindful of where you’re at during the day, or perhaps using breathing techniques during times of stress in order to retain some semblance of calm.

The fact is, if you are meditating on a regular basis and not feeling as if you are making any progress… chances are you have not carried your practice beyond just that time spent meditating. In order to get the most out of one’s meditation practice, it is necessary to take what is learned within your daily practice out into the world with you on the day to day.

Today’s draw is the Three of Cups, which is a representation of harmony, collaboration, communication, cooperation, and “good times” in the area of emotions, intuition, creativity, imagination, and relationships.

The Three of Cups is a”live in the moment” card. It is all about finding that “groove” with others and reveling in it.  In fact, it has a bit of a hint of revelry to it all on its own.

The appearance of the Three of Cups in today’s draw is a reminder to be grateful for what I have and relish the present.   It speaks of appreciating not just the situation of the now, but also the people I am surrounded with and share my life with, collaborate with, and spend time with.

 

The ‘Us’ Card

/ Twist the Leaf / 2 Comments

Today’s meditation was 10 minutes long, and focused on making a choice to reside in the present and mindful in the moment, rather than allowing future worries and concerns or past traumas to pollute your mind and emotions with stress and anxiety.

Sometimes, in the face of stress over the future, we forget just how sweet the current moment is.   Today’s meditation was a reminder to stay mindful of the present and don’t get carried away with things that are either already over, or have not even come yet into existence.

Today’s draw is the Three of Pentacles, which is a representation of collaboration, cooperation, and the small gains and growth in the area of the physical world, finances, manifestation, and resources.

The Three of Pentacles reminds me of our relationship.  Not that there are three people in our relationship, but rather that there are three entities… the you, the me, and the us.

This is not the suit of emotions and relationships, mind you.   That would be the suit of Cups.  But, I feel that this suit fits our relationship better.  For me, our relationship isn’t based on emotions.   I’m not saying that love and emotions are not there, as they absolutely are.  I’m saying that our relationship feels like home.  Solid.  Substantial. Supportive. Stable.  All of these are a reflection of the suit of Pentacles, and that, to me, is where our relationship resides.

The Three of Pentacles speaks of how differences come together to create something better, collaborating in a way that each side contributes its own particular brand of expertise to the whole.   The you, the me, and the us.

Each on our own are forces to be reckoned with, and we are both very, very different.  But, what we have built together is also its own thing.  It is “US” and that, too, is powerful and strong in its own right.  It is the blend of two that creates something with a life of its own.  Our life.

Today’s appearance of the Three of Pentacles isn’t a lesson, but simply a reminder to appreciate the us… and the you… and the me.   All three distinctive factors, unique and essential in their own right, that when combined together create something bigger and more beautiful than any one could have done on its own.

I love you.

 

Be a Nice Boy

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and focused on clarity of the senses.

This is the conscious act of taking time to pay attention to both the world around you and your own body, rather than allowing disinterest to muffle the things that you are experiencing.

This is especially important when feeling like the world is a drab and boring, and there is nothing new of interest to capture and hold one’s attention. At these times a lot of people take trips or go on vacations, but that really isn’t necessary in order to refresh one’s view of the world. What is needed is to focus on and appreciate the little things. That is what clarity of the senses is all about.

Bearing down on the little details, sort of like putting on a new pair of glasses after getting a new prescription, allows you to see things from a new perspective and appreciate the complexity and beauty of even something so small as a crack in the pavement.

This is along the same theme as yesterday’s forest bathing, although you are taking this awareness with you back into your regular life rather than leaving it behind in the forest.

Today’s draw is the Five of Wands and the 15th card in the Major Arcana, the Devil card. No the card is a jumper, as they both came out together.

The Five of Wands is a representation of struggle and strife, tests and trials, harshness, discord, and conflict in the area of one’s ambitions, drive, willpower, and passion.

The Devil card is a representation of temptation and the shadow self. This card, like all major arcana cards, does not represent a certain aspect of life but rather the larger picture as a whole.

As part of the subdrop, I found myself with a tendency to feel a bit snippy this morning when interacting with other people. Today’s draw is a reminder that this temptation will only lead to conflict, and seeking out conflict… or inspiring conflict, will only lead to a crappier day and the emergence of more of my shadow self self.

This is a cycle that will continuously feed upon itself. It is a cycle that I need to be aware of today, so that I can avoid it and have a more pleasurable day, as well as to avoid affect other’s days in a negative way.

Coping With Subdrop

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was ten minutes and thirty six seconds, and focused on shinrin-yoku, or what is known as “forest bathing”.

This is a type of eco-therapy where one takes a walk in the woods and, instead of spending the time distracted by one’s phone, thoughts, or the drive for getting exercise, you focus on your senses and what you are experiencing there within the forest.

This includes everything from listening to the sounds of the forest such as the rustle of leaves and sound of insects, to the scents of the forest such as the smell of the earth and the trees, the experience of touch through feeling the sun and air on the skin or the feeling of dappled shade through leaves, taking in the colors and shapes and beauty around you, and even taste through how the air tastes as you breathe it in.

When I hike, this is my practice. I am not hiking in order to get exercise or see how far I can go. I am there to enjoy nature in all of its subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways. Sometimes, I might bring my camera… but I always turn my phone off and leave my earbuds at home.

To me, hiking has always been a time to commune with nature. Like some people use a maze or labyrinth to foster mindfulness, I have always used the hiking trails in the forests here where I live in this way.

Today’s draw is the 14th card in the Major Arcana, the Temperance card. Like all cards in the Major Arcana, this card deals with not just one single aspect of the human experience, but instead a broader picture as a whole.

The Temperance card is a representation of moderation, balance, and patience. It speaks of the need for a pause before reacting, thought before action, and reflection before absorption. This is an extremely good card for me today, because the subdrop has definitely arrived! Holy crap, has it ever.

One of the qualities of the Temperance card is to remind you to remain calm during times of stress and chaos. The subdrop is absolutely a time of stress and chaos for me, as I feel extremely vulnerable emotionally during this time.

As a result, the message of the card for today is just to take my time. Remember that I need to consciously seek out balance and stability, rather than just flying off the handle over every little thing. No matter whether that be mentally, emotionally, or even physically.

Side Note: Whenever I am in subdrop, it always reminds me of those movies where a woman is in labor and she looks over at her significant other and screams at him, “This is all your f’king fault, you son of a bitch!”.

Like pregnancy and labor, the sub drop is a joint endeavor… but in the moment, I just feel like blaming it all on you. Just sayin’.

 

Cast Them Overboard

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was ten minutes and sixteen seconds, and focused on the practice of bringing gratitude into your everyday life.  

Sometimes, especially when we are feeling down, gratitude is something that is hard to get in touch with.  But, there are always things to be grateful for, even if it’s simply the fact that when you wake up in the morning you are being presented with another chance to make life better.

I am planning to do a post soon concerning my own daily gratitude practice, so I won’t wax poetic on this topic here, but suffice to say that I absolutely agree with the need to bring gratitude into each and every day.  I feel that it is uplifting to the spirit and soul to find -something- with which to be truly grateful for at the beginning of each day.

Today’s draw is the Six of Swords, which is a representation of transitions and change in the area of thoughts, ambitions, communication, and logic.

The representation of the Six of Swords in the card is a depiction of someone moving away in a boat, but carrying six swords in the boat behind them on their journey.   These swords often represent old thoughts and mindsets, past experiences and old lessons that the person on the journey is carrying with them into the future.

The tips of these swords are down, embedded in the bottom of the boat…. a type of craft you don’t really want to have holes in it.  To me, this often means that these thoughts and mindsets from the past that the individual is bringing with them on this journey to new horizons are not of a positive nature.   They are the thoughts and mindsets of the past and are a detriment to progress on this journey.

I’ve been having a lot of dreams lately where the theme of the dreams is my victimization.  They do not specifically have G in them, or G’s friend for that matter, but the feelings within the dream are very similar even if the subject matter is not.   From these dreams I have been involuntarily carrying into waking hours a sense of anxiety and negativity.

Today’s draw of the Six of Swords is telling me to let go of my swords and cast them overboard… before they sink my boat.   Don’t ignore the negativity that is dug up by the dreams, but deal with it and discard it.

 

Step Off

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and focused on creativity, or rather on creative blocks (such as writer’s block, for example).

The guided meditation discussed how it isn’t in pushing yourself that you can overcome these blocks, but rather in letting go.  Taking a moment of stillness and peace, of mindful existence in the present, and using that step away from the blockage, whether it be for a few minutes, a few hours, a few days, or longer, to clear the mind of that frustration and drive.   And, that once you do this, creativity has a way of returning to it’s natural flow all on its own.

As is often the case, today’s meditation correlates well to today’s daily draw, which is the Ten of Swords. This card is a representation of culmination and completion in the areas of the mind, logic, intellect, communication, and ambition.

As you can see from the very RWS rendition of this card, that culmination and completion can often be painful, and is followed by a time of rest before one can then move on.

Sometimes, this card can come up as a warning, but I believe that for today’s draw it is speaking of a need to let go.  It speaks of now being a time not to get wrapped up in bustle and chaos, but rather to “step off” and close that door, and move on to better and brighter things.

It seems that I need this message from time to time, primarily because there are times (even daily) when my self destructive urges niggle at me to enmesh myself in unnecessary struggle and strife, especially mentally.   With the subdrop soon upon me, this is not the time for that on any level, and this card is telling me that I need to be seeking rest and peace instead.