#DiscordTarotholicsJun2020

Don’t Forget to Chill

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and was another of the harp strings meditations.  It was interesting that I didn’t fall asleep even though I was able to keep my mind open and quiet throughout the ten minute meditation today.  Perhaps this is because I was visualizing the growth of a plant from seed to bloom during that ten minute period.

Herbal TarotFirst off, I’ve decided to forego using the Japaridze Tarot for my daily card for the rest of the month.  I think it is better suited to readings involving more than a single card, so I have put it into rotation with the rest of the decks I am working with for readings this month instead.

Today’s draw is the Star card, which is traditionally interpreted as a card indicating themes of hope and faith, renewal, balance, and spirituality through connection with divinity.

What stands out to me today in the imagery of this card is the flowing design of trees in the background matching up with the flow of water from the pitcher in the foreground, and the blooming  Skullcap plant growing behind the woman.

Scutellaria lateriflora is a mild sedative that assists in creating a feeling of calm and peace for the mind and body. With this card following the Tower, the introduction of Skullcap provides a calming influence to follow the chaos and upheaval.  This is further reinforced by that flow of blue between the woods in the background and the water in the foreground.  With water being connected to emotions, the message that I come away with from this card today is about taking a breath and fostering calm.

There’s been a few distressing things going on of late with the attempted home invasion, the riots, and the very distressing customer experience this week… my anxiety is a little bit higher than normal.  The appearance of this card in my daily pull today is a reminder to step back and take a breath… or three.  Take some time to foster a little bit of extra calm in your life.

DECK USED:  HERBAL TAROT

#TarotForGrowthJune Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I foster more creativity in my life?

Fanuna's Tarot

Reading Summary: Just do it (Knight of Swords). Open your eyes to help that is there for you (Five of Pentacles) and involve others in the process (Three of Cups).

Take Away: Honestly?  Although my creative pursuits are usually solitary, since I’m going to be playing with fire with the whole wood burning thing… involving others might not be such a bad idea.  I do have a bit of a reputation with fire, after all, and I’d hate to accidentally torch my condo.   By having someone there to spot or keep watch, it will give me more freedom not to worry about that aspect of things so much.

DECK USED:  FAUNUNA’S TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJun2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What can I do to help my inner adolescent feel less neglected?

Phantasmagoric Theater TarotReading Summary:   Being negative (Nine of Swords) about admirable stuff (Four of Wands) is leaving my inner adolescent set adrift (imagery in The Star).

Take Away:  Okay, so… I struggled with this one a bit.  And it turns out that it was a bit of a double whammy using this deck for this question because I struggle reading this deck in the tarot manner… and I’m not particularly connected to my inner adolescent.  So it was a bit of a roadblock.    I did find the meaning, but it took a bit.

What would help my inner adolescent feel less neglected is if I stopped negating praise and admiration when it comes my way.   I enjoy praise… I even need praise sometimes. And yet, I feel ashamed whenever I receive praise and feel good from it. By ashamed, I mean that I feel like I shouldn’t need it or enjoy it.  Even if I choose not to connect to my inner adolescent, I can help him feel less neglected by making an effort to not allow that shame such a stronghold.

DECK USED:  PHANTASMAGORIC THEATER TAROT

#TheJuneTarot Challenge by Lionhart
Question: Where/How am I being asked to take better care of myself?

Dream Raven Tarot

Reading Summary:  It’s okay to take some time (Hermit) to work through your money issues, but make sure if you do so, you have a plan in place to lead you through the uncertainty the work will take you through.

Take Away:  This reading has to do with shadow work and my issues with scarcity and overwhelming need for stability and security.   I know that the cards say that this is a way I can better take care of myself, by exploring and working through these issues… but I really don’t feel that I am at a place yet where shadow work is the right path for me.  I do think this issue is a good suggestion on where to start when I’m ready, though.

DECK USED:  DREAM RAVEN TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What do I need to stop?

Japaridze Tarot

Reading Summary: Leaning so hard on myself and my craft (Eight of Gardens). When I do this, it has a habit of burning me out (Ten of Winds) and making me need to retreat (The Hermit).

Take Away:  The card here indicates a cycle.  It is that cycle of leaning into my work so hard that burnout creeps in and fucks me up to the point I have to drop everything and recover… then start again.   This is what I need to stop, and is a pattern of behavior I’m trying to find a way to ease up on in my life.

DECK USED:  JAPARIDZE TAROT

Moderation… In Good Times too

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was cut short by the appearance of the sandman.  He cracked me over the head with his bat while I was settled in for my meditation and I ended up sleeping for three damn hours!  Which, of course, set me back on getting the rest of my tasks for the day done.   I never really did catch up but instead just carried some of those tasks forward to be done another day. I’ll try to meditate again when I go to bed.

Herbal TarotToday’s draw is the Four of Pentacles, which is traditionally interpreted as themes of stability and structure, shelter and ease, as well as taking time for reassessment concerning the areas of finances, resources, health, and the physical world. It can also indicate greed, although I do not see that in this card’s depiction.

What stood out to me the most strongly in the imagery of today’s card is the sprig of Rhamnus purshiana, and the wimple that the woman is wearing.  I’ve had this deck for… seventeen years now?  Possibly eighteen years.  And I’ve never been able to connect the Cascara bark in this card to the RWS meaning for the Four of Pentacles.  The thing is?  Rhamnus purshiana is a laxative (thus the depiction of an outhouse in the background of the imagery).   And… that just doesn’t “fit” for me with the stability within the Four of Pentacles. Perhaps if you consider greed a form of constipation?

Anyway… I digress. Back to today’s interpretation.

The wimple is a demonstration of modesty, and the crown one of wealth.  Combined with the sprig of the Cascara tree, what I see here is a message concerning moderation.  It is a reminder that even when you are feeling that everything is stable and secure, you need to remain modest in the use of your resources and put a little something away for later.

DECK USED:  HERBAL TAROT

#TarotForGrowthJune Challenge Prompt
Question: What in my life is ending to make way for something new?

Happy Tarot

Reading Summary: Feeling so pessimistic (Four of Cups) about my work (Eight of Pentacles), and all of the fearful/painful/worried and upset (Three of Swords) that rose up over the winter (blue background on the Three of Swords).

Take Away:  These cards are about the letter, and my response to the threat of what those that sent that letter to me could take away from me. The cards here are letting me know that this time of fear and the influences that the letter had upon my thoughts (and emotional reactions to those thoughts) is finally coming to an end. This will then allow my true skills (Eight of Pentacles at the center) to begin to shine through again.

DECK USED:  HAPPY TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJun2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: How does my inner adolescent feel right now?

Tarot of a Moon GardenReading Summary: In need of some adulation (Six of Staffs) concerning my ingenuity (Ace of Swords) and responsibility concerning my financial stability (King of Pentacles).

Take Away: Okay so this sounds completely ridiculous to me.  But, then again?  As noted yesterday, I’m not particularly connected to my inner adolescent.  So maybe it does need a bit of praise and recognition for my responsibility and ability to keep life as much on an even keel as possible.

I guess on further consideration that it might actually make sense.  I did not get a lot of positive reinforcement when I was under my parent’s roof, and after I emancipated from them at the age of sixteen, I definitely wasn’t getting that positive reinforcement from anywhere else. So perhaps it’s not that far fetched that my inner adolescent would seek what it had not received when I was growing up.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF A MOON GARDEN

#TheJuneTarot Challenge by Lionhart
Question: Draw one card, and use its theme to celebrate your growth or journey.

Tattoo Tarot Ink and Intuition

Reading Summary: You do you real damn well.

Take Away:  This is about following my inner compass and what feels right for me, regardless of outside influences that try to pull me astray.  This card is a celebration of my journey through life and willingness to discard what feels wrong and, in doing so, stay upon my own path.   I like the person I am, I am proud of who I am and who I have become.  I am a work in progress, yes… but I am happy with where things have come to thus far and where I am headed.  I feel secure and right upon my personal path… the Judgement card pulled here today is about that steadfast direction and strength it takes to follow my moral compass… no matter what.

DECK USED:  TATTOO TAROT INK AND INTUITION

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What do I need to start?

Trippin Waite Tarot

Reading Summary: Take a chill (Four of Swords) while doing something you’re not good at (Eight of Pentacles Rx) and gain emotional strength and stability from the experience (Queen of Cups).

Take Away:  I need to start setting aside some time to work on the wood burning now that the weather is better and I can spend some time outside on my balcony working on it rather than inside (less of a fire hazard outside, and no ventilation concerns). All of the supplies that I need are now here, so it’s time to take a bit of time to just enjoy myself and let my creative juices flow.

DECK USED:  TRIPPIN’ WAITE TAROT

 

Patience Can Be Progress

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was fifteen minutes long and was tagged on to the end of my yoga session.  I needed a little extra time stretching today, so instead of taking time aside from my yoga, I extended my yoga practice and incorporated the meditation into it with the addition of some breathing and focusing exercises.

Japaridze TarotToday’s draw is the King of Gardens (King of Pentacles) which is traditionally interpreted as a representation of measured authority, abundance earned through self discipline, business acumen, and financial/resource security.

What stood out to me the strongest in the imagery of this card this morning is the blue/black hue of the figure’s face and that the folds on the back of the head looked like a different face to me… and I am left confused. Honestly, the imagery in this card is much like the imagery in the Hermit card in this deck.  Confusing and a bit too random and abstract.  Even in the aspect that I picked out of this card, I really am at a loss.

So, going by the traditional meaning of the card rather than off of the imagery, what I see as the  message in today’s card is a reassurance of sorts.   It is a reassurance that I am doing all I can at this time to provide stability and security in my home to those that depend on me, as well as for myself.

No, my mortgage is definitely not getting paid off at the rate I would prefer it to be, but at the same time?  I am still managing to keep up on it.  I’m still managing to keep everyone safe, and put food on the table, and keep us all in the resources we need to be healthy and happy.  Today’s card is a reminder to acknowledge for myself that I’m doing a good job.

DECK USED:  JAPARIDZE TAROT

#TarotForGrowthJune Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I better cope with ambiguity?

Tarot of the Animal Lords

Reading Summary: By not getting frustrated (the cage in the Three of Swords), but instead treating it with understanding (Queen of Chalices) and patience (Knight of Pentacles).

Take Away:  Usually, ambiguity frustrates me, and that creates a divide between me and the source of that ambiguity.  Instead, if I confront this behavior with understanding, it will create a deeper connection with the source of that ambiguity which will facilitate the potential for progress, while patience will help in getting where I want to go regardless of the wishy-washy bullshit. 

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE ANIMAL LORDS

#DiscordTarotholicsJun2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I better connect with my inner adolescent?

Bleu Cat TarotReading Summary: I am not really all that connected at all with my inner adolescent, which is where the Death card comes into this spread, as it is an indication that I will have to enact change in order to find that connection.

The Queen of Fishes with the Magician indicates that I need to take the emotional growth and lessons I’ve learned lately and use them as tools to apply to the cause (Eight of Balls).

Stalker note… the Queen of Cups seems to be getting very friendly with me this week.

Take Away:  I never really had much of an adolescence.  I was too busy being an adult.  Because of the suppression of this part of my development, I’ve never had much of a connection to this highly underdeveloped side of myself.  The cards here indicate that if I want to have a connection there, it will require long term commitment to the changes needed and using my emotional skills to build that bridge.  

Honestly?  I don’t think that I am yet at the stability phase of my current emotional growth to where I’m prepared to try and make that connection.  Not yet anyway.

DECK USED:  BLEU CAT TAROT

#TheJuneTarot Challenge by Lionhart
Question: Draw a card for someone who taught you a lesson.

Tarot SireneReading Summary:  I didn’t specify the person, but rather used the cards to tell me who the person is.   The person in these cards is my meth-head ex. His very selfish Knight of Cups pursuit of me landed him in the Justice system (thank the fuck).

Take Away:  So anyway, yeah.  This is him.  And the lesson here?  Listen to your inner compass when it tells you to step back.  I stuck around far too long and paid for it deeply. If I had listened to my instincts and inner compass?  I’d have dumped his ass a lot sooner and probably been able to circumvent the whole obsessive bullshit that followed.  Moral of the story?  Listen to your gut… don’t hesitate or procrastinate.  Just do it.

DECK USED:  SIRENE TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What have I let go of?

Tarot Mood

Reading Summary: Using going to bars (Three of Cups) and alcohol (vodka reference in Temperance) to avoid crash-and-burn emotions (The Tower)

Take Away:  It used to be that when I was super upset, instead of grounding and spend time with my plants… I would drink. At those times vodka was my friend, and yet never really solved anything and the feel better was only temporary. After making the promise to you not to do anymore drinking (because I clearly only drink for the wrong reasons), I began using my balcony and the plants there as a refuge and for grounding during times of high distress.

DECK USED:  TAROT MOOD

 

Staying Open to Change

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and another of the harp strings meditation sessions.   Another session that I had a bit of a struggle in concentrating, mostly because of the whole aggressive customer issue that was going on this morning and getting that dealt with.  I hate having to turn from kind and courteous customer service into that more firm and authoritative voice.

Anyway, it messed up my groove a little bit and because I was all stirred up and my brain was in “compose this message” mode, I really struggled at staying focused in the meditation today.

Herbal Tarot - Two of Pentacles - Yellow DockToday’s draw is the Two of Pentacles, which is traditionally interpreted as struggling with multiple priorities, the juggling of responsibilities, and finding balance (or being out of balance) between one’s obligations.

What stands out the greatest to me in the imagery of this card today is the combination of the yellow dock on the page, and the two sailboats off in the horizon.   The meaning of the sailboats in today’s message is twofold, as they speak both of freedom as well as adaptability and how, through that adaptability, freedom can be obtained.    The Rumex crispus is one I needed to brush up on, as I could only remember that it was a good cure for athletes food and edible in small quantities.

What I found is that the spiritual properties of Rumex crispus lies in the purging of what is no longer working for you, clearing out stagnancy in order to help strengthen what is left and allow for room and growth.     This message is very much in line with my current goals.

The message in today’s card is a reminder that I need to stay open to change in order for change to happen. If I close myself off, even if it’s subconsciously, it will effect my progress.  So stay present, stay aware, and stay open.

DECK USED:  HERBAL TAROT

#TarotForGrowthJune Challenge Prompt
Question: What unconscious rhythms have settled into my life?

Brady Tarot

Reading Summary: This reading is about “greener pastures syndrome” and the fact that when I am feeling fulfilled, I can’t stay still.  The progression here is in the new shiny thing (Ace of Roots) that I learn and master (Nine of Cups) and as a result end up bored or frustrated (Eight of Cups) and ready to move on to the next new thing (Six of Arrows).

Take Away:  Actually, this isn’t an uncommon rhythm for me, but it is one that I’ve experienced again and again throughout my life (although, not as often as Z apparently *LOL* who is where I got the “syndrome” title from).   It has to do with interests only being interesting for as long as they are a challenge, but not so much of a challenge that you can’t conquer them.   So you fall into this pattern of finding interests and exploring them until you feel you’ve reached a level of expertise, and then going “meh” and discarding them for something else.  Fortunately, I have far more staying power than Z, although I do this often with my periphery interests. 

DECK USED:  BRADY TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJun2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Philosophical Question: Is it easier to love or be loved?

Grimalkin TarotReading Summary:  In the center of this reading, we have a cat that stares adoringly at a firefly while the firefly is without any interest in the cat at all.  On one side, we have unrequited affection.  On the other we have homecoming and celebration shared with others.

Take Away:  In both scenarios (the right side and the left) there are emotions involved and in both the emotions involved include having “full cups” (even if on the left there are not as many full cups as you might desire.   I would say that, from these cards, it is better to love than to be loved.   I’m not entirely sure that I agree with that, but this is what the cards say to me.  They say that when you focus on your own heart, you will always have love… whereas if you focus on other’s hearts and love directed at you, you will always feel as if you are missing what you seek.

DECK USED:  GRIMALKIN TAROT

#TheJuneTarot Challenge by Lionhart
Question: Think of something you are proud of and draw a card for input.
Pride: Fostering stability and responsibility in my life.

Everyday Witch TarotReading Summary: The Queen of Swords (for once) did not immediately bring to mind my mother.  Instead, in this card she appears to be saying, “Good job.  Your independence is admirable. Keep it up.”   She is a reminder to listen to that good, strong, and proud inner voice that lives within me, and to not allow my inner critic to interject.

Take Away:  You are smart and resourceful. You can be the Queen of Wands without turning into your mother.

DECK USED:  EVERYDAY WITCH TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What good habits do I have?

Tarot of Passing Showers

Reading Summary: The ability to look at personal hardships (Three of Swords) and find the positive (Hanged Man and Art).

Take Away:  In the Thoth tarot (which is the system this deck is based upon) the fourteenth card in the Major Arcana is not Temperance, but rather Art, and speaks of taking something mundane and turning it into something precious.  Balance also plays a part in this card, and when combined with the new perspectives presented in the Hanged Man’s card, it demonstrates how I approach the struggles and strife in my life… and how I heal from them.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF PASSING SHOWERS

Plato’s Split Apart Theory of Soulmates

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and another of the harp strings meditation sessions.  It was uneventful and peaceful, and I got a really good stretch in through the process of it.  I’m still searching for a similar sound track that uses randomly plucked cello strings instead of harp strings. No luck yet, but I’m searching.

Japaridze TarotToday’s draw is the Two of Winds (Wands) which is traditionally a representation of coming to a crossroads and needing to take a moment to make a clear choice.  This impasse requires thought as the decisions here are not easy ones to make.

The imagery in this makes me think of a corrupted version of Plato’s split-aparts.

“Once, a long, long time ago, we all had four legs and two heads. And then the gods threw down thunderbolts and split everyone into two. Each half then had two legs and one head. But the separation left both sides with a desperate yearning to be reunited. Because they each shared the same sole. And ever since then, all people spend their lives searching for the other half of their soul.” – Plato

What strikes me the strongest is the two profiles coming together to become one face, and what that says to me in relation to this card is the necessity to gather information.  You need to have the full picture before you make a decision, as opposed to just going with your gut.

Today’s card is a reminder that the best decisions are informed decisions. Yes, intuition is a great thing, but it doesn’t lead the way on everything and sometimes you have to do the work (and the homework) to make sure that you are making the right choices for you.

DECK USED:  JAPARIDZE TAROT

#TarotForGrowthJune Challenge Prompt
Question: What in my life am I not seeing clearly?

The Crystal Tarot

Reading Summary: The. temptation (The Devil) to pretend that everything is fine (Nine of Cups connected to the Devil) is very strong, but I need to remember that it’s okay  for things to not be fine sometimes (Five of Pentacles) and there are others in my life waiting and eager to help me through those times (Two of Cups).

Take Away:  I do that.   A lot.   I have a habit of not allowing others to see when I’m struggling, and pretending to the point that even I can’t tell when shit is not “all okay”. I don’t do it as pervasively as I used to, but that tendency is still there to “fake it til you make it” when it comes to how I’m doing and whether or not I need help.   The cards here are indicating I need to pay more attention to this tendency and work on calling myself out on it more often while leaning on others to help me through instead of just trudging on solo.

DECK USED:  THE CRYSTAL TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJun2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What can I do to help my inner child feel more protected?

Linestrider TarotReading Summary: Keep alive those feelings from my youth (Six of Cups) that made me feel warm and safe (Three of Cups), and don’t allow current thoughts and worries (Nine of Swords) to overtake and cloud those feelings and memories.

Take Away:  This reading echos back to the reading about the little red corvette and talk with my mother when I was sixteen.  It speaks of the fact that that memory still holds those positive memories within it that felt good at that time… even though in the here and now I can see the machinations involved.   Yet, those good feelings live on, even if there is no basis for them to be valid.

The cards here indicate that to help my inner child feel more connected, I need to keep those good memories like that, and the feelings attached to them, alive and well instead of deconstructing and/or invalidating them.

DECK USED:  LINESTRIDER TAROT

#TheJuneTarot Challenge by Lionhart
Question: How can I positively keep investing in myself?

Simply Deep Tarot

Reading Summary: Note the color connection between the Devil and the Two of Coins, creating a dominant theme between them, that is then reduced to being only a small element in the Ten of Cups (the green cup).

Keep on top of that temptation (The Devil) that makes you want to balance more than you’re ready for (Two of Coins) so that you can create for yourself a more fulfilling existence. Color coordination between the first two cards versus the last card where only one cup is green.

Take Away:  I can keep investing positively in myself by remembering my commitment to finding a better way of juggling my responsibilities that allows for more “down time” and more time enjoying life rather than pushing myself harder and harder.

DECK USED:  SIMPLY DEEP TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How have I grown?

Stone Marseille Tarot

Reading Summary: Learning how to better silence my inner voice when it goes into attack mode (Knight of Swords Rx) and to ask for help  (Two of Cups) instead of taking it all on myself. Understanding and accepting (Page of Swords) that a rebuild is needed in creating a healthier method of stability (Ace of Coins).

Take Away: A lot of cards in today’s readings are about that new method and the restructuring of how I go about balancing self care with my responsibilities and obligations.   It feels like this message has really come forward the last few days, and I think the constant reminders are because I need constant reminders right now as the pandemic restrictions start to lift.

DECK USED:  STONE MARSEILLE TAROT

The Person You Want to Be

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and another of the harp strings meditations.  It was very relaxing although I had a little bit of trouble focusing today.  It happens, and I try not to let it be frustrating as I know that it’s a part of meditating, as is bringing yourself back to center after your mind has strayed.  I find it interesting that this meditation seems to work so well for me when usually it is the guided meditations that I gravitate toward.

Herbal Tarot - Goldenseal - JudgementToday’s draw is the Judgement card, which used to be a really difficult card for me.  In fact, for most of my time reading tarot, this was the one card I struggled with connecting to… until last year. I attended a card study that the cards Justice and Judgement were the focus of.  In this study, these cards were presented as Justice being immediate, present- day balance of cause and effect (which was how I viewed it anyway), and that by contrast, the judgement card was about what you’ve done with your life as a whole.  How is your life path going?  Is it going in a way that you like?  Are you happy with the person you’ve become and how you live your life and see the world?

This contrast actually turned my confusion around completely.  By having set the Judgement card beside the Justice card, it made the differences clear to me, and helped me to clearly define my understanding of the Judgement card in a way I’d failed to be able to in the years prior.

What really stands out the strongest to me in the imagery of this card today is that the Hydrastis canadensis is bearing fruit.  The goldenseal plant reproduces in two different ways.  Beneath the soil, the rhizome reproduces clonally and can do so within the first year.  But the second way that this plant reproduces is through sexual reproduction above ground, which it is unable to accomplish until it’s fourth (or more often fifth) year of life.  That is what the berry in the center of the plant’s leaf here signifies.  It indicates that the plant has finally reached full maturity.

The message here in today’s card is about examining what you want in life and “checking in” with where you’re at to ensure you are staying on that path.  It’s not about money or power or superficial matters… its about maturity of the heart and the soul, and ensuring that you are the type of person that you want to be.

I think this is a good message and a very good reminder, especially as I go through the growth concerning my emotions.  Reassessment gives the opportunity to course correct values and just make sure I stay… true to who I want to be along the way.

DECK USED:  HERBAL TAROT

#TarotForGrowthJune Challenge Prompt
Question: Where am I nearing a crossroads in life?

Dame Darcy's Mermaid Tarot

Reading Summary:   Note the color coordination connecting the Seven of Wands and the Ten of Swords, as well as the Page of Swords and the Queen of Pentacles.   The Seven of Wands freaks out as challenge starts to transition into defeat (Ten of Swords), while the Page looks back as if to say “see baby, it’ll be alright… just look where we’re going” (Queen of Pentacles).

Take Away:  The cards here depict a common cycle for me between the Seven of Wands and the Ten of Swords.  I fill my plate with all that I’m passionate about until I’m at a point of struggle and overwhelm and everything feels like it’s in chaos and I’m fighting for my life.   I struggle.  I fail.   I hit the ground and my guts spill out.   Then I have to pick myself up and start over again as I regain balance and fill my plate again. 

The Page of Swords in these cards slicing through this cycle and showing a second path.  An exit out of the loop.  At the end of that second path sits the Queen of Pentacles, indicating if I make the choice to break this common cycle of mine and stay committed to doing things differently, I can find a much more stable and comfortable place than that of the path I’ve been on.

DECK USED:  DAME DARCY’S MERMAID TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJun2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I begin working on healing my inner child’s injuries?

Sawyer's Path TarotReading Summary: Work on a better way of fulfilling responsibilities (Knight of Pentacles over Two of Pentacles) so you can have some fun (imagery on the Seven of Wands) and a more fulfilled existence (Judgement).

Key note here is in the Seven of Wands and how, although the character in this card is on the defensive and in the  middle of battle… they look like they’re having a hell of a good time while they’re at it.

Take Away:  It is telling that the responsibilities portion of this reading is a pair of Pentacles, and specifically that the Knight of Pentacles overshadows the juggling in the Two of Pentacles.  It speaks of needing to slow down and the necessity to pace myself rather than pushing so hard and being impatient.  The other two cards are a reminder that while I’m slowing down, I need to make sure I’m having a good time (even when dealing with challenges) and staying on track concerning where I want to go spiritually and the person I want to be… which is someone that’s more than just work work work, incidentally.

DECK USED:  SAWYER’S PATH TAROT

#TheJuneTarot Challenge by Lionhart
Question: What can I do, or keep in mind, to make today better?

Tarot of Metamorphosis

Reading Summary: Don’t worry so much (Judgement) about where your emotional growth is going (Knight of Cups). Just focus on not backsliding (Six of Swords). For the moment, it’s the present that’s important and fostering your sense of enthusiasm (The Fool).

Take Away:  Lots of guidance today to help me in getting on track with my emotional growth and keeping myself from backsliding into the bad habits of the past. The cards here indicate that it’s important for me to focus on finding those glimmering inner sparks of joy and enthusiasm and fostering them to life, and not to spend so much time worrying about where I’m going… or where I’m coming from.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF METAMORPHOSIS

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How are my goals progressing?

The Golden Girls Tarot

Reading Summary: You are at a crossroads where you are going to have to make a conscious and concerted choice (The Lovers) between pushing back against that emotional growth going on (Four of Cups), or embracing it and letting it continue (Ace of Cups).

Take Away:  I want the Ace of Cups.  Avoiding the backslide into old habits is difficult, but I want that feeling of dappled sunlight on the soul that this growth has created.  It’s the feeling of lying beneath trees as sunlight breaks in dappled warmth through the leaves above.  It’s warm and peaceful and much different than the cold logic of my normal existence to date.  I’ve come to discover that I like that dappled sunlight… and I want it to continue.

I want that exploration of the emotional growth I’ve been experiencing to continue… even if maybe I haven’t really seemed much like it over the past couple of weeks.

DECK USED:  THE GOLDEN GIRLS TAROT