Morning Bonus Read – Reading In Nature

The prompt for this reading came from one of my Discord servers and is as follows:
Go outside, and sit in the grass, in a space where the nature knows you (your yard, a local park, etc.) Do two different three card spreads. Each spread should have one card for roots (taking in nutrition), one card for stems (moving things into position), and one card for flowers (future plans, what people notice). Do one such spread to ask your local nature what it would want or need, and a second to ask it what it sees you needing.”

IMG_2444My Local Nature

Roots – Community effort has been lacking lately which has caused a bit of disappointment.  Although the area is clean of litter, there is a sense of lack of upkeep and neglect. The people come… but the tending to keep things in healthy balance is not happening.

Stem – As summer continues, more people will come to visit this area.  It will bring about a sense of community among those that love nature and the area as a whole.  It will set the scene for those that care to band together and begin to tend to those things that are being neglected.

Flower – Noticeable change to a more harmonious state. Everything is moving in that direction and a harmony between those that visit and the nature in the area is around the corner.

IMG_2445Me, Personally

Roots – This is where I belong and I need to spend more time in the area making sure I am taking advantage of what nature and the earth can offer me.  Find a way to structure this time among the trees into my life on a more regular basis and it will strengthen my foundation as a result.

Stem – Talk with others and find a way to arrange it so that they can support your need for this time. You can stretch short visits over a long period, and still get what you need, but as you are already aware, without this time in nature you will not flourish.

Flower – You’re too possessive of your responsibilities and obligations, and it is causing you to miss out on the amount of time in nature that you need. This is a hurdle you will need to continue working on overcoming in order to get what you need.

DECK USED:  SANDS REGENCY CASINO CARDS

Time Off Is Allowed

Today’s meditation was skipped because I was super eager to get online with Gideon.

Family Tarot and Less Anxiety Affirmation CardsToday’s draw is the Empress card, which is traditionally a representation of nature and earthen energies, abundance, nurturing, and sacred femininity.

Here in the affirmation card, we have a reminder that we are more important than the things we need to do.  This is a reminder I often need to hear, and combined with the Empress card, this is very clearly my cards calling me out on worrying about the business and work when I’m supposed to be wallowing in what is pretty much my last day off.   Tomorrow, of course, will be a relaxing day, but it will also be the day that I hope back into work and start to catch up on the orders that have piled up while I was off work.

The cards today are an encouragement to make sure that I am getting the time off that I need (and deserve), even if it can sometimes be hard to allow that to happen.

DECK USED:  FAMILY TAROT AND FLOWER FORTUNE CARDS

CoffeexTarot’s Self Love For The Summer Prompt
Question
: How do I overcome negative thoughts about myself?

Family Tarot and Backyard Blessings CardsReading Summary: Remember all that you’ve gone through and the survivor that you’ve become (Three of Swords). Moving forward, work at focusing more energy into the concepts of lightheartedness, cheerfulness, and anticipation.

Take Away: It’s not enough to fight against that negative narrative in your head, you also need to remind yourself of all the good you have done and all that you have accomplished along the way.

When you allow yourself to acknowledge and accept that you’ve done well, it encourages more positive emotions and attitudes to step forward, creating a sense of adventure and rightness where before there were shadows in which that inner narrative could easily hide and whisper from.

DECK USED:  FAMILY TAROT AND BACKYARD BLESSINGS CARDS

#DiscordTarotolicsJun2021 Challenge and Sacred Grounds Tarot Club
Topic
: About opportunity…

Family TarotWhat is blocking me from my intuition right now?

End game struggles of moving on (Ten of Swords), and the need to find a meditative rest and balance (Four of Cups).

I need to relax.  Let go and let things move forward without hindrance or pushing.  Letting things just flow along at their own pace isn’t really one of my strong points.  I can fake it now and then, but in truth, when it comes to myself and my own life, I most often find myself with the need  to either push… or resist… far more often than feeling the relaxed and easy energy of letting things move at their own pace.

What opportunities am I missing as a result?

Achieving greater stability (Ten of Coins) and more joy (The Sun). This easy going skill that I struggle with would allow me to find a greater sense of stability and enjoy life more.  It’s something I need to be conscious of, and work at bringing into my life, as it will also give my intuitive gifts a greater amount of freedom.

DECK USED:  FAMILY TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

Super hot sexy time with Gideon definitely counts as a self kindness.

Leave It All Behind

Today I did a purge, cleanse, and grounding hike in the forest.  I took one of the steeper trails up into the rainforest to ensure that my stalker would have a hard time following, and brought J along with me for protection.  After a couple of hours of steep uphill climb (the purging through exertion and sweat), we stopped at the lake and I took a swim (the cleansing), before then leaving J at the lake and going off into the woods for a skyclad meditation lying upon the forest floor (grounding).

The meditation lasted about an hour before I dressed and returned to the lake, and from there J and I hiked back down to the trail head. On the whole it was immensely refreshing and wonderfully cleansing, and I haven’t felt so good in a long time.

Vox Arcana Tarot and Less Anxiety Affirmation CardsToday’s draw is the Queen of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of a receptive alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s finances, resources, health, home, manifestation, and the physical world.  This is the area of one’s earthly pleasures and how one balances life’s needs and responsibilities.

I see the Queen of Pentacles in this reading combined with the affirmation card for today as a celebration of the rainforest hike and meditation that took up a good part of my day today.  I have been needing time in nature for quite some time. Usually at this time of year I’m out in the woods at least a couple of times a week.  That hasn’t been the case this year due to… well, stalker issues.

The Queen of Pentacles and the accompanying affirmation card in today’s pull is about making sure that I truly allow myself to fall into nature’s embrace and leave the stresses and worries of day to day life behind during this time.

DECK USED:  VOX ARCANA TAROT AND LESS ANXIETY AFFIRMATION CARDS

#DiscordTarotolicsJun2021 Prompt
Topic
: About happiness…
CoffeexTarot’s Self Love For The Summer Prompt
Question
: What is my heart feeling? How can I encourage more joy and happiness in my heart?

Vox Arcana TarotWhat is my heart feeling?

Overburdened (Ten of Wands) and in need of rest (Four of Swords).  God yeah.  I know that I’m over the half way mark now in my time off this week, but it feels like I haven’t gotten even close to enough rest and restoration.

It always feels this way for some reason.  It’s like the first couple of days are “oh I feel great. What do I need rest and recovery for?” and then by the last few days I’m dragging ass and whining in my head about needing more days off.

How can I encourage more joy and happiness in my heart?

It’s all at your fingertips now (The Magician), you just need to add in some gratitude (Nine of Pentacles).

I’ve been getting a lot of reminders lately from the cards to reboot my gratitude practice.  This practice is a part of the meditation, but it’s also a part of something else. I don’t benefit as much from just mentally going over the things I’m grateful for as I do from actually putting time focus into truly and deeply acknowledge these things each day.

DECK USED:  VOX ARCANA TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I had a very wonderfully long hike in the woods today, and I took J with me for safety.  I also chose a hike that I knew would be hard for most people to follow, and that had a “bottle neck” spot (at the lake) where I could leave J to keep watch while I went on to get my meditation and all that done in safety.

Morning Bonus Read – Self Investment

Inner Child Cards Fairy Tale Tarot - Invest in Yourself Tarot Reading

Why I should invest in myself.

Ten of Cups – Because happiness is important and you deserve it. It influences and affects not just you, but everyone else as well. Investing in yourself makes not just your own life better, but the lives of others better too.

Where I should invest my energy.

Justice – It’s time to take a look at what you value most and what you work towards. Make sure your actions align with your heart and those things you value, and isn’t being driven by greed or other outside influences (like your past).

How I should invest in myself.

Three of Pentacles – One of the ways you can invest in myself is by allowing others to take on a more active role and a more balanced share of the work and responsibilities. You’re doing good with this, but there’s a great deal further you could go.

What will come if I choose to invest in myself.

Two of Cups – Choosing to invest in yourself will bring a closer and more aligned connection with others that are closest to you. This echoes up to the Ten of Cups and the influence that your own self investments has on others.

How will this change my daily life?

Ace of Pentacles – There is a great deal of potential for new growth and opportunity that could stem from investing in yourself. This connection mentioned in the Three of Pentacles plants the seeds for something new and wonderful to sprout.

Something I need to learn about investing in myself.

Two of Wands – Investing in yourself is going to take some deep reflection and soul searching. Connect to your true self. This echoes back to the message in the Justice card of this reading and examining what in life is valued most and if your actions align with those things.

Why I’m worthy of this investment.

Five of Pentacles – You are uniquely talented and are blessed with great creatively and manifestation abilities. You put your heart and soul into your connection with your spiritually and with the earth, and you will always be able to find comfort and strength in those things.

DECK USED:  INNER CHILD CARDS FAIRY TALE TAROT

The Known and the Unknown

IMG_2411Today’s meditation was just a bit over ten minutes long and was one of the guided meditations from the Calm app combined with a interval timer for my piriformis stretches.

The focus of today’s meditation was about gratitude, and the benefits of including a practice of gratitude in your life. A lot of people, especially pessimistic people, snub the idea of a gratitude practice.  But the thing is? It actually helps.  It helps you see the world in a brighter light, and helps make sure that we don’t sink so deep into pessimism that we become bitter or depressed. Focusing on gratitude and what we appreciate in life is a part of finding a more optimistic and positive outlook in life and… I’ve come to realize over time that this is something a lot of people need.  Myself included.

David's Tarot and Less Anxiety Affirmation CardsToday’s draw is The Priestess card, which is traditionally a representation of the subconscious, intuition, hidden inner knowledge, and… well, secrets.

The affirmation card speaks here about what other people are thinking about you.  In therapy, assuming or worrying about what others are thinking about you is called “mind reading”.  Mind reading is not possible.  Not in this way.  Not in the ways that are being referred to in this card.

There are simply some secrets we’re not able to know, and others still that we are not meant to know.

It’s important to remember this, and not let yourself assume the worst about these things you don’t know.  Doing that just drags you down.  Instead, allow some secrets to remain secret and instead focus on the things that uplift you instead of those that make you feel uncertain and alone.

DECK USED:  DAVID’S TAROT AND LESS ANXIETY AFFIRMATION CARDS

#DiscordTarotolicsJun2021 Challenge Prompt
Philosophical Question
: What is something you believe but cannot prove?

Daily Pause OracleReading Summary: That one’s confidence can be boosted through meditation and allowing for hope, optimism, and an appreciation of the beauty all around you.

Take Away: Okay so  hear me out.  Logically it makes sense, and everybody says that’s how it works.  And sometimes?  You can even look at how you focus on these things and it appears to make a difference.

But how do you prove it?  Especially to a skeptic.

I’m really not sure you can. There’s just too many other extraneous influences that could have an influence and be fingered to take the credit instead.

DECK USED:  DAILY PAUSE ORACLE

The Sacred Grounds Tarot Club Prompt
Questions for June 16th thru 19th

David's TarotHow can I better manage my inner critic?

Five of Swords – You’re going to have to work at it, fight at it, and be determined to win at it in order to come out on top.

What do I need to know about my intuitive abilities?

Six of Cups – It’s not your just your guides that are there to help you, but your ancestors as well. Don’t leave them out of the equation.

What is blocking me from my intuition right now?

Ace of Swords – New ways of seeing things, thinking about things, and communicating can sometimes be confusing. You need to ground and cleanse.

How can I move through my intuitive blocks?

Queen of Pentacles – Again, ground and cleanse. Strong nurturing energy is needed, as are squishy hugs.

DECK USED:  DAVID’S TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I…. can’t remember what I did for self kindness on Wednesday (I’m playing catch-up).  I’ve had the week off, though, and been working at giving myself a break and not working this week, so that counts.

Taking Stock of Personal Boundaries

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and was a guided meditation from the Calm app. I did not include my piriformis stretching because the meditation was done at my aunt’s house. (I also had a nap after.)

The focus of today’s meditation was about criticism and how to better deal with it when it’s offered.  Some people are assholes, and others just don’t know how to deliver criticism in a constructive way. Neither of these mean you have to take criticism personally when it’s directed your way.  Just listen and hear what they have to say, and if there’s a seed of something useful in there, use it and let the rest just fall away.  The insult, whether intended or not? Isn’t worth worrying over, only the info and lesson are worth consideration.

TV Series Tarot and Less Anxiety Affirmation CardsToday’s draw is the Knight of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of an active beta energy, personality, or person in the area of ones resources, finances, home, health, work, or manifestations. It is about actively pursuing ones basic needs and work related endeavors.

The imagery in this card, with the close inspection of the coin the man holds, speaks to me of examining ones foundations and values.

This process is especially important when one is dealing with their own personal boundaries that are mentioned in the affirmation card for today. Personal boundaries are not about restricting you, instead they’re about ensuring others respect your space and energy.

I am often quite rigid in my boundaries as a good majority of them are set by my moral compass … but not all. The message within these two cards combined is that it’s important to look at your boundaries and make sure that they have value and are working for you.

It doesn’t matter if they are working for other people, but rather if they hold value for you and why. Looking at your boundaries in this way helps reinforce them, and also helps in sorting out the ones that you’ve grown beyond or are no longer working for you.

DECK USED:  TV SERIES TAROT AND LESS ANXIETY AFFIRMATION CARDS

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What takes me out of my comfort zone?

Fantastic Being CardsThe Stars (Aspirations) – Stepping away from what’s comfortable and familiar to try something new and different. Letting go of things that aren’t working so that these new and different things can flourish and fill in the gaps.

Sphinx (Awe & Wonder) – When I need to self-appreciate it creates a sense of discomfort for me. I’ve slowly learned to take compliments and even appreciate them, but directing such sentiments toward myself is much more difficult and… awkward.

Axolotl (Regeneration) – Loss.  I can deal with a myriad of different painful experiences, but loss is not one of those that I handle all that well. The feeling of powerlessness makes picking up the pieces after loss and finding a way to reform and move forward feel a bit like fumbling around in the dark.

DECK USED:  FANTASTIC BEING MANIFESTATION CARDS

#DiscordTarotolicsJun2021 Challenge Prompt
Topic
: Draw or write something free form inspired by the card(s).

TV Series Tarot(Knight of Cups) Alfred is a brave turtle owned by Miss Maggie Penelope Tweedman. He lives in a spacious glass house where he watches over her while she sleeps at night, and each morning he comes out of his little log shelter to greet her good morning and have his bath in the bathroom sink, where she scrubs his shell til it gleams.

(Queen of Cups) She changes his water in the pond beside his shelter before she leaves each day, and before he’s left alone, she gives him lush, yummy leaves to munch on all day.

Each day it is peacefully quiet other than the ticking that is a part of every hour of every day. Each day  is the same, and he goes about his life well cared for by Miss Maggie, who comes home in the evenings every day with a cricket treat for him to eat and play time outside his home where he’s taken on great adventures to other realms.

(The Tower) Then one day, Miss Maggie did not come home at the end of the day.  The light sky became dark and he was left alone for much longer than usual.  His glass home sat in the dark with no lamp to shine light upon him and no cricket treats to eat.  Surely the world is coming to an end!  Surely someone has forgotten about him, and Miss Maggie is gone, and his old soul wept at the sudden change of events.

For two days no one came and his water became dirty.  He was so hungry, and so alone.  He emerged from his shelter each morning seeking his lovely Maggie to come care for him, but she didn’t come. Nor did she come in the evenings any longer to bring him treats.  And then someone that was not Miss Maggie showed up and peered into his home. He was lifted out, poked and prodded.  Examined. And he knew this to be the end.  Of course, Alfred could not read.  For the uniformed human with the yellow emblem on his shirt that slipped him into a dark safe place that Alfred thought for sure was the end of his time, was actually simply packing him up to take them to Miss Maggie’s new home.

DECK USED:  TV SERIES TAROT

CoffeexTarot’s Self Love For The Summer Prompt
Question for June 15th & 16th

Flora Healing CardsWhat does self-love mean to me?
Foxglove (Convincing), Aloe (Restore), Delphinium (Amend)

Self-love means to me that there are things I can do for myself to help me recover from working too hard, and adjust  how I do things so that I don’t have to work quite so hard going forward.  It is also a topic that requires a bit of nudging and pushing for me to participate in and keep up on. I do not always feel that I deserve these kindnesses and gentle but restorative acts.  Sometimes I don’t feel that I have enough -time- for them, which means fitting them in and getting them done can often require a bit of coaxing and a lot of nudging.

A self-love message for my future self.
Lily (Whorl) and Hyacinth (Waves)

Be less rigid and lean into those skills, abilities, and tools in your arsenal to take you forward when things feel hopeless or out of control.  Everything in life is an ebb and flow, and nothing is ever truly still.  Do you want to ride out the shifts of life’s currents? Or stay still and sink?

DECK USED:  FLORA HEALING RESTORATIVE CARDS
Daily Self Kindness

I took along not just my sister, but also both Z and J with me when I went to my aunt’s house today.  The two extra guests to feed and entertain kept her so distracted that she didn’t have an opportunity to be rude or snide.