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IMG_1901Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long and was one of the guided meditations from the Calm app, which I chose not to do the timed piriformis stretches with because I was wearing a pair of jeans that was a bit restrictive in the hips. I decided to do them later in the day instead of half stripping just to get my meditation done.

The topic of today’s meditation was about change and how trying to avoid change doesn’t truly allow us to avoid it at all, instead it just drags it out and makes it more difficult than necessary.  Instead, if you plunge into the change and allow it to happen, go with the flow and don’t fight it, then things move along much more quickly, and much more easily.

Shapeshifter Tarot and Flower Fortune CardsToday’s draw is the Page of Wands (Seeker of Fire in this deck… Yes, I know it says Swords on the card, but the suits of Wands and Swords in this deck are all sorts of jumbled up so trust me, with the imagery?  It’s the Page of Wands), which is traditionally a representation of a receptive omega energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s passions and enthusiasm, joys and interests.

In the imagery, as mentioned above, you see boundless enthusiasm. The centaur given the perception of wings in their enjoyment of these things they are inspired to pursue. In the Page you find renewed enthusiasm to expand and grow, a re-connection or a new avenue opening up to begin exploring.

In the Flower Fortune card for today, the saying “If you think you’ve peaked, find a new mountain”, which perfectly aligns with the theme of the Page of Wands and its boundless enthusiasm for something new.

The encouragement here in today’s cards is that when you find yourself no longer enjoying what you’re doing, don’t just keep plugging a long at it.  Change things up and try something new.

DECK USED:  SHAPESHIFTER TAROT AND FLOWER FORTUNE CARDS

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: When do I struggle to trust others?

Conference of the Birds TarotReading Summary: When their expressed intentions (Ten of Pentacles) don’t line up with their actions (Five of Wands Rx), it tells me to watch out and pay attention (The Hierophant).

Take Away: I don’t think that this is so much about struggling to trust someone as about how I know when not to trust someone.  I see a lot of people that talk about what they want out of life and how this or that needs to be just right, and yet when I watch them, they don’t act in a way that progresses them towards these goals.

It’s like wanting to be a lawyer and telling everyone that’s your goal, but not even bothering to apply to law school.   If you’re not willing to go through the process to get what you want out of life, how can you expect to get it.  It’s not going to just land in your lap.

Anyway, when I see people with this attitude about life, it makes it extremely difficult for me to trust pretty much anything that comes out of their mouths.  Their actions (or rather, their inaction) speaks far louder than any words they could speak.

DECK USED:  CONFERENCE OF THE BIRDS TAROT
Daily Self Kindness

Today was the post office day and a long ass drive to the border.  I was so tired when I got home that I ended up taking a much needed nap.  Then I played with Gideon and did my post office haul show and tell with him.

Move Your Ass… and Theirs Too

Today’s meditation was skipped in respect for orders day and needed to get a jump on all that needed to be done so that I could get orders shipped out tomorrow.

Isidore Tarot Sea and Sand Spring Edition and Flower Fortune CardsToday’s draw is the Chariot card, which is traditionally a representation of control, determination, willpower and the application of these things to a chosen direction and success.  This card is about action.

Here in this card we see that the Chariot is fully controlled by the penguin king while fantastical creatures pull him forward to his destination.  This is a team effort, but there is a clear leader here in this image that all these other fierce creatures take orders from.

Combined with the Flower Fortunes card for today, which states to “harness your competitive instincts”, what I see here is about getting things done.   Sometimes it’s not enough to put our mind to the task or delegate tasks.  Sometimes you need to actually make it a game and stir up people’s competitive instincts. Inspire yourself and others by using those feelings to spur things forward at a faster speed.

The message here is to “get your shit done, and use your competitive instincts to make it happen”. For me, today is an order day, and the cards say that if I put myself to the task of getting things done and dare the girls to compete with me in the process, that I can get my work done quickly and enjoy a bit of down time at the end of the day without all of the stress and the guilt that sneaks in when I’m moving at a slower pace.

DECK USED:  ISIDORE TAROT SEA AND SAND SPRING EDITION AND FLOWER FORTUNE CARDS

Raven Willow Tarot’s Emotional Exploration Prompt
Question for May 27th and 28th

Undersea TarotWhat role does serenity play in my life?

Serenity helps in choosing healthier ways of viewing yourself (Judgement) and the choices you make (Seven of Shells) in those moments when you backslide into old bad habits (Ten of Tridents).

Without serenity, my inner critic is too harsh. That moment of peace and calm I reach inside to find helps me be kinder to myself when I make mistakes, and helps me put myself back on track instead of getting stuck in a cycle of negative inner dialogue

How can I enhance serenity in my life?

Trust those that you spend your down time with (Three of Shells) to stand by you and help you defeat (Five of Swords) the bad habits and addictive temptations that become unhealthy (The Devil).

Knowing that others are there to help me and assist in catching me when I fall out of line and might not see it right away myself provides a sense of security and soothes worry.  This in turn helps foster a greater sense of serenity in my life, and these people become a touchstone for me to return to when I feel I’m overwhelmed or veering off track.

DECK USED:  UNDERSEA TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsMay2021 Challenge Prompt
Question
: How can you better utilize your free time?

Isidore Tarot Sea and Sand Spring EditionReading Summary: Focus on the gradual changes you’ve been working on (Death) and building the new system that will work better for you (The Tower) then was there before (Three of Swords).

Take Away: In the past, I pushed myself to exhaustion.  I worked a minimum of eighteen hours a day and I never took days off for any reason.  Even when I traveled to visit family, I brought a large amount of work with me and worked through this time away.  When I hit burnout, I would take “a couple of days” to rest where I would then sneak work into those days to do anyway. I closed myself off from my guides, who then had to conceal themselves as my intuition just to get through to me, and buried my emotions, ignoring them and the shadow and internal wounds that I was abusing.

I’ve been working for nearly two years now on not just my emotional growth (which I write about quite often), but also on building a stronger connection between myself and my guides, and creating a better work/life balance that will allow for more self-care and less burn out.  These cards are a reminder that I need to continue focusing on this healthier path during free time, instead of allowing myself to backslide into old habits that no longer serve me and are, in fact, extremely unhealthy.

DECK USED:  ISIDORE TAROT SEA AND SAND SPRING EDITION

Daily Self Kindness

I’ve worked hard to make sure that I got my orders done at a decent time tonight so that I could get some sleep before having to do my drive tomorrow.

Morning Bonus Read – Soul Lessons

The Gentle Tarot - Soul Lesson Tarot Reading

Card to describe my next soul lesson.

Harvest of Stones – A stronger sense of stability and leadership in the areas of health and home. This isn’t always about others but has to do with how you feel on the inside, including how secure you feel, as well as how you treat your body and take ownership of your health.

How this lesson will manifest itself.

Nine of Thunder – Through stress, worry, and fear.  A tree does not gain strength without the challenges of the wind to test its mettle. It is through misfortune and struggle that we become stronger.  The more the wind blows, the deeper our roots go and the stronger we must become in order to continue to stand tall.

A way that I can absorb this lesson gracefully.

Six of Wands – Look to others for suggestions on the best path forward and allow them to lift you up and ease your mind.  This isn’t so much about seeking their approval, but allowing them to lift you up when you struggle and give you the assistance you need to keep going when your enthusiasm for the journey is flagging.

Why this lesson is in alignment with who I truly am.

Ten of Cups – It will help me to connect more emotionally with those I love, creating a greater sense of well-being.  True happiness goes beyond simply satisfaction, but requires sharing and community.  Fostering this happiness can help in finding a stronger sense of stability.

New opportunities that will arise from this lesson.

Four of Stones – More stability and better grounding. A more miserly outlook.  The opportunities here coincide with the lesson being learned.  It’s important to know when to hold tight to things, and when to let them go. Developing a slightly stronger urge to be a little more tight-fisted wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing when it comes to the financial aspects of life.

How can I follow my heart?

Flower of Wands – Do what makes you happy and help inspire others to do the same.

DECK USED:  THE GENTLE TAROT

Look Before You Leap

Today’s meditation was skipped as I was in the middle of it when I got called in to go down to the salon and do a couple hours of work.   By the time I got back, it was so very much nap time.

Isabel Snail A Tarot Life and Flower Fortune CardsToday’s draw is the Temperance card, which is traditionally a representation of balance, interconnection, patience, and moderation.

What really stands out to me in the imagery of the card pulled today is that Isabel Snail’s third eye is open, when her other two eyes are closed.   This speaks to me of listening to a “higher power” whether that be your intuition, your guides, the universe, a deity, or whatever your beliefs lead you to put into the role of being your divine connection.

Combined with the Flower Fortunes card, which states “Hate is never conquered by hate. Hate is only conquered by love”, what I see here is that when intense emotions are involved, sometimes we need to slow down.   Slow down and step outside of ourselves and our reactions, seek a better understanding of the situation and those involved.  Don’t just “jump on the hate train” but pause and listen to what isn’t being said.

DECK USED:  ISABEL SNAIL: A TAROT LIFE AND FLOWER FORTUNE CARDS

LionHart’s Reap & Sow Tarot Challenge Prompt
Questions for May 25th and 26th

The Joyseeker TarotWhat potential path is not being explored?
King of Wands and Queen of Cups

Making your emotions more of an element in your creative entrepreneurship. You can give more of yourself and the connection to others through your work. You can uplift and support through your creative path.

How am I asked to explore this potential path?

Reconnect with the stuff that you already do (The World atop Ace of Wands Rx) and work at looking at it from a different angle (The Hanged Man). It doesn’t have to be sunshine and roses all the time, you can start adding in gradually instead of all at once (Temperance atop The Sun).

DECK USED:  THE JOYSEEKER TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsMay2021 Challenge Prompt
Philosophical Question
: Is having a sense of humor natural or taught?

Isabel Snail A Tarot LifeReading Summary: It’s something that develops over time (Death). It’s learned slowly through experience (Eight of Wands Rx atop Page of Pentacles)) and reinforced by others you look up to (Hierophant).

Take Away: Just like we learn to smile by mimicry of other’s smiles, and learn to speak through mimicry of others speaking, so too do we learn our sense of humor from others over time with the added component of personal experience added into the mix to help us develop preferences along the way. 

This explains why some people love practical jokes and pranks, and others hate them and find them hurtful, but might find other types of humor hilarious instead.

DECK USED:  ISABEL SNAIL: A TAROT LIFE

Daily Self Kindness

After Gideon and I discovered earlier today that I had managed to essentially contract the slowly growing energetic equivalent of a tapeworm with an oily “old kitchen grease” cling, I did a cleansing and warding to make sure I severed off the energy and cleared away it’s remnants.

Seeking Out The Good Stuff

Today’s meditation was skipped in preference for a 2 1/2 hour nap.   I had really only planned on an hour, but it turned out to be more than double that.  Which, since it’s Tuesday, is fine.  It just meant that I got things done around the house a bit later than planned.

Moonroot Tarot and Flower Fortune CardsToday’s draw is the Five of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of apathy, boredom, pessimistic mentality, and discontent.

The image in this card is very relatable to me.  Here we have a scene where snow is falling in the background, and the figure in the image is sitting there like “oh great, it’s snowing” in a very negative way.

The thing is?  I love the snow.  Yes, it’s inconvenient and can be dangerous, but it’s also beautiful and fresh and fun… and in this part of the world, quite unusual. I could understand the negative attitude coming from people that deal with snow for months on end.  But here?  I don’t understand those that can’t see the beauty through the fear or discomfort.

These people stay inside, refuse to even go out for a walk, let alone a drive, and generally just complain the entire time about the weather.  But what is really holding them back from appreciating what’s going on around them?   It’s fear.  It’s the fact that some people can’t drive in the snow, and sometimes you slip and fall in the snow.  They focus on the discomfort, on the fear, and on the negative aspects rather than sinking into the positive and joyful aspects of the experience.

As the Flower Fortune card says for today, “If you are afraid to shake the dice, you’ll never roll a six”.  The “roll a six” for those that don’t know (since I had to look it up) is about the game of craps and lady luck helping you to win.  The message in these cards is that if you spend too much time focusing on the negative in a situation or your fear, then you loose out on the opportunity to actually find something fun, beautiful, or good in the whole situation.

DECK USED:  MOONROOT TAROT AND FLOWER FORTUNE CARDS

Raven Willow Tarot’s Emotional Exploration Prompt
Questions
for May 25th and 26th

Seventh Sphere RWS TarotWhat role does relaxation play in my life?

It’s a healthier way forward (Six of Swords) into an entire new way of life (The World) where balance is the focus, and self-care and work are more evenly distributed (Two of Pentacles).

Over the past two years, I’ve been working hard at creating a new balance in life where I’m not constantly on a cycle of burnout and recovery.

In order to create this new balance, the key lies in the amount of rest and relaxation I allow myself to have, and in making sure that this relaxation is scattered throughout the day to day instead of “saved up” to use for recovery from burn out.   Because if the relaxation is scattered throughout the day to day, you never end up hitting burnout in the first place.

How can I enhance relaxation in my life?

Gideon may be greedy, but he also has your best interests and welfare at heart (King of Cups). Look back at the things in your life (Six of Cups) that have breathed fresh air into your inspiration and enthusiasm (Page of Wands)… Do more of those.

Gideon is eager to help you find that balance, and works hard to make sure you treat yourself well.  You need to listen to him and take these efforts to heart, as well as his suggestions to help you in finding and maintaining that balance. He watches over you, and watches everything you do with a keen eye, and can catch your slip ups often before you do.

Make sure that a part of your relaxation process includes those things you enjoy.  It doesn’t always have to be about sleep, but it needs to be about distancing yourself through small acts of personal kindness from the stress and pressure of work… and the stress and pressure you put on yourself concerning your responsibilities.

DECK USED:  SEVENTH SPHERE RWS TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsMay2021 Challenge Prompt
Question
: What do you need to focus on for self-care for this full moon?

Moonroot TarotReading Summary: Those around you that you support (Six of Pentacles) are seeking new ways to return the favor (Page of Pentacles).  Don’t turn them away in your stubbornness (Eight of Swords Rx).

Take Away: Although the relaxation mentioned in your previous reading is an important part of finding a new and healthier balance in your life, so is making sure that you are staying open to the help others are offering.  Don’t reject out of pride or stubbornness.  Allow them to try, teach them how to help you, and share the load instead of carrying it all on your own shoulders.

DECK USED:  MOONROOT TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I took a nice long nap today.  I didn’t realize how badly I needed it until I woke up and felt so much better afterward.

Morning Bonus Read – Pet Reading

Sparkly Lenormand Reading - Pet Tarot SpreadYour Connection

Mice – It’s all about the food.  Proof that sometimes the cards have nothing to do with their traditional meanings, here they are teasing me with the events of last night and this morning.  Last night, Miss Luna rolled her empty food ball right to my feet and sat beside it staring at me for a half an hour, trying to get me to fill it.  This morning, she was very mouthy about getting it filled and set down for her to eat.  Mice eat… and in the picture this is reinforced by the cheese.

Why you were brought together.

Heart – Heart connection. Need to love.  She needed someone to love her and take care of her, and I needed someone to love and take care of.  We were both in need at that time, and connected through that need.

What your pet really likes.
(The deck refused to give me a card for the word “loves”.)

Clouds – Cuddle time when feeling uncertain. Solidarity in times when things feel unstable and unclear.  When I’m feeling out of sorts, she comes and cuddles with me or sits near me, letting me know she’s there even if she might not want to be petted at the time.   When she feels uncertain or worried, she comes and sits on the other side of me.  Her comfy spot is usually between me and the door, but in these moments she changes to lying on the other side of me and settling her ass up against my hip for reassurance.

What your pet fears.

Key – Leaving the house or you doing so.  Again we see an intuitive response instead of a traditional one.  What Miss Luna fears the most is having to leave the house or me leaving and not coming back.  In fact, when I leave she will often sit on the end of the rug in the entryway and wait for me for hours, or if not, she will come running to greet me whenever I come home.  When I used to go away for days at a time, she would make herself at home in the spot where I sit on the couch and stare at the door for hours on end.

How to help your pet.

Anchor – Encourage feelings of security.  She likes the stability of a schedule and the dependability that it creates in her world.  She likes being able to depend upon me, as well.  In knowing I’m there for her and will take care of her always.

A message from your pet.

Dog – Miss Luna says, “I love you, Daddy. You’re the bees knees and I want to be with you for always.”

DECK USED:  SPARKLY LENORMAND