Setting Ego Aside

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and was one of the #DailyCalm sessions from the @Calm app.

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J.K Tarot's Three of Pentacles - Jupiter King TarotThe @GlitterbyInk #JuneSun25 Challenge
Summer Sunlight Prompt for June 6 : Newness
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Three of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of teamwork, collaboration, working together, and themes to do with bringing in help and/or outside expertise in order to get something done.

It’s time to start looking at asking for help in a new light. Just maybe asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, but rather an effort at inclusion and a sign of leadership. After all, asking others to step in and participate creates opportunities for bonding and a more communal atmosphere.  Letting someone brace your ladder shows trust, taking their input and ideas with a welcoming attitude shows respect, and delegating tasks to share the load shows a lack of ego-driven behavior.

None of these things are weaknesses.

The message in today’s cards tells us to put away our egocentric feelings on asking for help, and instead try to view it as a community building activity that encourages trust, respect, and interpersonal bonding… all facilitated by you.

DECK USED:  J. K. TAROT

@LightningWildflower‘s June Tarot Challenge
Healing Prompts for June 4th thru 6th

Oracle Reading with the Eco Heart OracleWhat healing has already taken place in my life?

Maple – You are safe and protected, which allows you to make the changes in your life you need to make to stay true to you. This can mean taking a flying leap now and then like the unlikely “flying trees” of maple seedlings spiraling their way to the ground, digging your roots deep for greater stability like the tree itself uses to ride out stormy weather, or shedding what needs released so that it doesn’t tap out your resources like maple leaves being shed in the fall.

What do I still need to move through or past?

Frog – Remember that this is not the end and there is still growth to be had, especially in the watery bog of your emotions. In this area, you are just starting out on a journey that most people begin in childhood. It’s okay to explore, and it’s okay to be confused. Be patient with yourself and your development, and celebrate the small steps you make from day to day.

How can I continue to heal and recover?

Winter Rose – Patience is important. Instead of struggling under the down times when things aren’t busy, use these times to soak up the rest you need and top off your energy stores for when you are too busy to be able to give yourself these needed moments of luxury. Rest and recover, get out in nature, and take these times to look at the dreams you’ve held onto with an open and curious mind.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Wood Fern for Exorcising Negative Influences
Yellow Aventurine for Boosting Confidence
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: ECO HEART ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

I was inspired to dive head first down a rabbit hole into the meaning of the word “ableist” to learn just exactly what it means and how it displays in people’s behaviors.

Finding the Positive for June 3 – 5

Magic Pantry Tarot's Five of Cups and Judgment Card, Student Tarot v2's Wheel of Fortune and Chariot cards, and Greenwood Tarot's Judgement Card

June 3 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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The @GlitterbyInk #JuneSun25 Challenge
Summer Sunlight Prompt for June  : Shine
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

I have now managed to pull the Five of cups three days in a row, this time combined with the Judgment card.

  • The Five of Cups is traditionally a representation of pessimism, regrets, doomsday thinking, disappointments, and occasionally, failure (or at the very least, the perception of failure).
  • The Judgment card is traditionally a representation of judgements, one’s inner calling and chosen life path, and looking back on one’s life to consider how they feel about the path they’ve taken and who they have become.

SO, because it’s clear that this card has a message for me that I’m missing, I went to the deck’s guidebook this time for a little guidance. The key points taken away from the guidebook’s input are…

  • Whatever it is that is creating this feeling of defeat for you is now in the past and can’t be undone.
  • Think creatively about how you respond and react so that not all is lost.
  • Don’t beat yourself up for struggling with this.
  • There is no prescribed answers sometimes, and in those moments you just have to wing it to gain better understanding through experience.
  • Expect the unexpected, even if you think you know what’s about to happen.

The message that I see here is to ride it out.  Ride out these feelings of struggle and disappointment, discontent and unhappiness. Look for the positive spin and let things move at their own pace while taking little sips of joy where you can.

Just make sure that you are staying alert to opportunities to turn things around moving forward. You can’t change the past and the decisions  you made. They say that hindsight is 20/20, and that’s true. Instead of looking back, look forward and seek out opportunities to change things for the better.

DECK USED: MAGIC PANTRY TAROT

June 4 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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The @GlitterbyInk #JuneSun25 Challenge
Summer Sunlight Prompt for June  : Bright
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Wheel of Fortune atop the Chariot card. This means that they came out of the deck together, and the Wheel of Fortune card was on top, and this the dominant card of the pair.

  • The Wheel of Fortune card is traditionally a representation of luck (both good and bad), changing circumstances, the ups and downs of life, and the cyclical nature of life and the world.
  • The Chariot card is traditionally traditionally a representation of control, determination, direction, and autonomy.

Some days, things are going to go how they’re going to go, and you can’t always have a lot of control over that. What you do have control over is your own reactions.

Make sure you are using that creative mind of yours to look on the bright side. Not being in control has a tendency to make you cranky and unreasonable. Be aware that today, it’s only you and your own reactions you are going to have control over.  Ride the wheel and enjoy the ride, no matter what it brings your way.

These cards are a reminder that some days all we can do in our lives or control is our own reactions an dhow we perceive a situation. Everything else is out of our hands, and any efforts to seize control will be overkill.

DECK USED: THE STUDENT TAROT v2

June 5 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was fifteen minutes long, and self-directed. It was based off of the graphic included in the image with today’s card.  It was about something called “Window Light Theory”, and the concept that light itself is healing. It doesn’t require you going out into the sun to feel those healing effects, either.  How this small touch of natural light can do so much, if we take a moment to savor it… and so can other little things like appreciating a moment of quiet beauty in the world.

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The @GlitterbyInk #JuneSun25 Challenge
Summer Sunlight Prompt for June  : Outside
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Judgement Card, which is traditionally a representation of judgements, one’s inner calling and chosen life path, and looking back on one’s life to consider how they feel about the path they’ve taken and who they have become.

Last night, I saw a video of a polar bear just wandering through an Alaskan town, and it struck me that I never really grasped just how large these animals are.  It meandered its way past a standard sized sedan, and… the car was smaller than the bear. In fact, the car was dwarfed by the bear’s size. And yet?  It still looked like a warm and fuzzy white teddy bear in need of a good petting.

It’s funny, because I see these memes all the time that say, “If not friend, why friend shaped?” and here it is!

The message in today’s cards is a reminder to not judge a book by its cover. That bear may be cute, but he could also kill you with a hug.  What we see on the outside is not enough. It’s not enough for our safety, and it’s not enough to make decisions and actions concerning. Beautiful flowers can be poisonous. Cuddly looking bears can be hungry killers. People are even more complicated than plants and animals, and their covers just as difficult to interpret.

Make sure that you aren’t judging them by “their covers” alone. Actions are important, and so is digging deeper.

DECK USED: THE GREENWOOD TAROT

Seek Out the Boon

Today’s meditation was eleven minutes long, and was one of the #DailyTrip sessions from the @Calm app. Balance vs balancing.

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Practical Tarot's Five of CupsThe @GlitterbyInk #JuneSun25 Challenge
Summer Sunlight Prompt for June 2 : Light
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Five of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of pessimism, regrets, doomsday thinking, disappointments, and occasionally, failure (or at the very least, the perception of failure).

And the cards say… you missed the mark yesterday. Try again.

Maybe the bad shit is actually a boon, yeah?  What was in those cups anyway?

I am struggling. It’s hard to admit to that, but there it is. I thought that I had adapted well to the building that went up across the alley from my own, but what I’m finding instead? Is that I feel closed in and constantly bombarded by noises and smells.

What if this experience has a boon to it, though? What if this struggle is teaching me something about myself and what is essential to my wellness and happiness? What if the experience is to help in my growth?

The Five of Cups for today combined with the “Light” prompt asks us to look at our struggles not as discomfort and misery, but to seek out a lighter view and look for the boon. How is this struggle benefiting you, either now, or in the long run? Instead of wallowing in the negative, seek out the positive spin in order to see things from a lighter viewpoint and actually gain something from this negative experience.

DECK USED:  PRACTICAL TAROT

@LightningWildflower‘s June Tarot Challenge
Discovery Prompts for June 1st thru 3rd

Oracle Reading with the Woodland Wizards Game CardsWhat am I learning about myself?

Golden Phoenix – Above all else, you’re a survivor. You might come out the other side emaciated and tattered, but you will rise, survive, and live on to thrive once more. This is true no matter the hurdle or struggle involved.

What new things would I enjoy researching more about?

Mossy Dryad atop Dark Ferret – Take your camera and its macro lens with you and go scurrying through the undergrowth. There is healing to be found in getting lost in the smallest of nature’s wonders.

What have I discovered recently that I want to share with others?

Deadly Vine – Wow. This went really literal. I’ve noticed that there’s some foxglove and tansy growing in the weeds behind the houses on Ms B’s street. I’ve been considering giving the neighbors a heads up, as many of them have young children and pets.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Wood Fern for Exorcising Negative Influences
Desert Rose for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: WOODLAND WIZARDS GAME CARDS

Daily Self Kindness

I went out to dinner tonight instead of hiding inside. This is because I recognized that I was trying to wallow in an unhealthy urge (the hiding).

Bad Lighting

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and was one of the #DailyTrip sessions from the @Calm app.

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Earth Mother Magic Tarot's Five of CupsThe @GlitterbyInk #JuneSun25 Challenge
Summer Sunlight Prompt for June 1st : Beginning
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Five of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of pessimism, doomsday thinking, regrets, disappointments, and occasionally, failure (or at the very least, the perception of failure).

CS Lewis once said, “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”

The figure in this card trudges into the dark, lit only by a candle and tripping over cups. But if they would just change their perspective, by turning around they would find that the moon will light the way and that not all has been lost.

When you begin something with a negative mindset, it can feel like trudging through the dark with only a candle to light your way.  You struggle to see where you’re going, and trip over things along the way, creating unnecessary setbacks.

Yet, by just changing our own perspective on what we’re doing and how it’s going, we can lighten our load and turn things around.

Today’s prompt and card combo is a reminder that sometimes things aren’t as bad as you think. You just got off to a rough start with your mindset trained in the wrong direction. Take a moment to gather yourself. Take a breath. Look for the good and what’s going well.  Then? Move forward again with this new perspective to guide you.

DECK USED:  EARTH MOTHER MAGIC TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJun2025 Challenge
Prompt for June 1st
 : Do Spread 1

Summer Energies Oracle Reading with the Earth Magic Oracle

How is the rise of summer energies manifesting in my life?

Waterfall – Allow things to come as they will and flow with changes rather than trying to fight them. You don’t have to be calm and serene all the time. Instead, let the situation dictate how much or how little energy is needed from you, and expend just enough to suit those needs.

How can I harness these summer energies for my purposes?

Meadow – Remember that it’s okay to be vulnerable. No one is impervious to stress or outside influence. Be authentic and allow yourself to be open to others. You’ll know intuitively when this isn’t safe, so there’s no need to expend so much energy being on guard all the time.

Where would I be best served in directing these energies throughout the summer months?

Mountain – Greater stability can be gained by learning to allow yourself the vulnerability to let go of control and allow things to move at their own pace. Strength doesn’t always come from bracing for the worst, but also through allowing a mindset of allowance and openness to change.

Take Away: Use this summer’s energies to learn to let go and not try so hard to control every aspect of life. Open up to being vulnerable and letting things move at their own pace, and as a result you will reap the benefits of a greater sense of stability.

Other elements included in this reading:
Pressed Pansy Flowers for for Hearing the Heart More Clearly
Dried Rhododendron Leaf for Fostering Confidence
Orange Aventurine Leaves for Pause and Reflection
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: EARTH MAGIC ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

I took it easy today, and made sure to keep up on the journal entries that I’m doing to track daily accomplishments even though I really felt like just letting it go.

The Overburdened Donkey

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Eli Yamashita Animal Oracle's Ten of Wands and Little Otter's Mindful Kids Emotion CardsToday’s draw is the Ten of Wands, which is which is traditionally a representation of overwhelm, burnout, struggling under too much responsibility, and can indicate a need to do some prioritizing and delegation.

There’s merit to the proverb “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”, and I’m totally guilty of this.

I often pile too much onto my plate when it comes to tasks and responsibilities, believing that I’m not just capable but *more* than capable of taking it all on, “No problem!”

Yes. Problem.

Just because we may be capable of taking it all on doesn’t mean that we should. This is how overwhelm and burnout slip in, and eventually become a problem. [Interesting side note: Studies show that it takes more than times longer to recover from burnout than we usually expect it to take.]

The message of the Proud Parrot and the overburdened donkey in the Ten of Wands is a reminder not to let pride convince you to pile on too much for you to comfortably carry. Not “more than you can handle”, but too much for you to comfortably carry. There’s miles and miles of separation between the two.

DECK USED:  ELI YAMASHITA’S ANIMAL TAROT AND LITTLE OTTER’S MINDFUL KIDS EMOTION CARDS

#DiscordTarotholicsMay2025 Challenge
Prompt for May 31
: Grab a spread of your choice you’re curious about… and give it a go!

Eli Yamashita Animal Oracle's Ten of Wands and Little Otter's Mindful Kids Emotion Cards

In what ways am I ready to grow and change?

Statue – It’s time to accept that stagnancy may be well known and comfortable, but it is not your friend. Look at the person you wish to become, and in times when you are tempted to languish, return to this visage. Feed yourself what you need to grow towards that person, instead of languishing in moments of stagnancy that delay your growth and development.

What resistance do I feel toward making these changes?

Peuple de Samar – You are retreating instead of adapting, primarily because you are unable to protect yourself from outside influences while within your home. The erection of the building behind yours has created this issue, and that issue is becoming more clear and prevalent over time. This inability is making you sick, which in turn is making it harder to do the things that are healthy for yourself and those around you.

What will sustain me through this time of growth?

Bol Chantant en Cristal – Make sure that you are engaging with the world around you and those within it in a spirit of the positivity and optimism. This is a focus that you have been working to instill into your life over the past couple of years, and you need to lean into it a bit harder. Love and peace are the answer, not all that discordant crap your negative inner narrative keeps spouting at you.

What new possibilities await me?

Gardien – Introspection can increase your ability to better hone your limits and boundaries so that they can better fit who you are, who you want to be, and your needs. Don’t forget to look within, and to be honest with yourself not just about your flaws, but about your needs as well.

Other elements included in this reading:
Pressed Pansy Flowers for for Hearing the Heart More Clearly
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Desert Rose for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: L’ORACLE DES ESPRITS DE LA NATURE

Daily Self Kindness

I wore a face mask outside today while working outside so that my allergies wouldn’t trigger full blown.   I still had a little bit of itchy eyes, but on the whole it was much better than it otherwise would have been.

Finding the Positive for May 28 – 30

Le Tarot Villeneuve's Magician, Animal Tarot's Ten of Swords, Linestrider Tarot's Seven of Swords, and Little Otter's Mindful Kids Emotion Cards

May 28 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and one of the #DailyCalm sessions in the @Calm app.

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Today’s draw is the Magician (le Bateleur) card, which is traditionally a representation of capability, potential, resourcefulness, action, and manifestation. This often translates into themes having to do with being in possession of all of the skills, abilities, and tools necessary to reach one’s goals and accomplish one’s ends. It’s about being capable and skilled, resourceful and gifted with what is needed to get the job done.

Shower thoughts this morning had me thinking about a magazine article I read recently that proposed that our perception of time speeds up when we lack novel and/or memorable experiences used to differentiate our hours and days. I thought this was a really strange theory, as in my observation  time actually seems to pass more quickly as we become more aware of our mortality and how little time we actually have left. I feel this might be why time feels like it gets faster as we get older.  We see our mortality more clearly and it causes us to value our time left more, and thus the perception becomes that it is flitting away too quickly.  Instead, in my experience, depression, pain, and/or misery  cause time to crawl by, while “time flies” when we’re having fun.

These thoughts (which are currently written all over the walls of my shower in shower crayon) make me think that, at least in part, it’s up to us how we perceive time.  The Magician, then encourages us to experiment by using the tools we’ve learned over years of experience to find what works best for us to create a sense of time we’ll be happy with, and fill that time with memorable moments.

DECK USED: LE TAROT VILLENEUVE

May 29 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Today’s draw is the Ten of Swords, which is traditionally a representation long journeys coming to an end, painful endings, lessons learned the hard way, deep wounds, and sometimes can indicate loss or betrayal.

Right, so… I am becoming/have become more susceptible to guilt. The thing is? I’m not entirely sure how this happened. I didn’t used to be susceptible to guilt, but somewhere along the line in the past decade or so it’s begun to actually have an influence.

Once upon a time, guilt trips by others just made me mad. They triggered my anger, probably as a defense mechanism, and that in turn turned off my ability to give a damn.

Maybe it’s because, as I search for understanding of my emotions and make progress on my healing past wounds, I’m more open and vulnerable now. That defense mechanism just doesn’t trigger like it used to, though, and i find myself becoming susceptible to guilt trips by those I care for where I wasn’t before.

I definitely am not a fan of this development, even if the defense mechanism is still there, just latent and only kicking in when I’ve reached the end of my tolerance and had enough.

The combination of the Guilty Dog and the Ten of Swords makes me wonder… is there a way to fine tune this defense mechanism so that I’m saying “stick a fork in me; I’m done” sooner? I would like to detach from guilt sooner… or is it just one of those things that goes part and parcel with allowing yourself to care about people?

DECK USED: ANIMAL TAROT

May 30 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was thirteen minutes long, and was self guided meditation based off a #DailyCalm session I did recently titled “Anxiety” in the @Calm app. (Because I had a severe anxiety attack, and I needed a little help to reign things in.)

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Today’s draw is the Seven of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of strategic thinking, “sneaky shit”, or getting away with something. It can also often be about taking only what one can carry.

Disappointment seems to come far too easily these days. Whether it’s witnessing the truth in Harvey Danger’s “only stupid people are breeding” lyrics, or the decline of work ethic that took a sharper than normal dip during the pandemic (ref: the WPA in the 1930s and how it was preferred by the majority of society at the time over public assistance because it “maintained self-respect, reinforced the work ethic, and kept skills sharp”), and all around wide spread choices to act without consideration of consequences.

Do I sound like an old curmudgeon yet?

The other day I watched someone walk out of a store with a cart full of junk without paying, and yet when I reported this to security? I was the one looked at as an inconvenience.

I could see a policy of letting it go if it was say… food, or children’s clothes. But electronics and other clearly unnecessary luxury crap? C’mon.

The cards for today reflect this event I witnessed and the feelings expressed above that arose from it. These cards are a reminder to not let the morons, the entitled, and the corrupted get you down. Yes, they’re out there and they’re breeding. That just means it’s that much more important to seek out and connect with those that share your own values. They’re out there too, and can help in putting a little faith back in your perceptions of humanity as a whole.

DECK USED: THE LINESTRIDER TAROT