#DiscordTarotholicsMar2020

Stop. Breathe. Indulge… Just a Little.

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was nonexistent.  Not because I didn’t have time but because I was lazy and enthused and just… unmotivated.  I didn’t do it.   My head is also killing me and has been for a couple of days now.  Although, that’s probably not an excuse because chances are that the meditation would help with my stress and anxiety levels.  As I’m writing this post a day late, I am not able to do it before bed, of course, because the day is now gone already.

The Empress - Circle of Life TarotToday’s draw is The Empress card, which is traditionally a representation of nurturing energy, mothering themes, and earthy abundance.

I really love the imagery of this card with the beautiful vulnerability of the woman’s nude form before the mirror and the abundance of earthy green hair full of flowers, to the enraptured little elf peering down from above.  What really stands out to me in this card today, though, is her hand upon the mirror.

This speaks to me not so much about the need to nurture others, but to create some nurturing kindness for myself.  This is something I’m not particularly skilled at, but that is important… maybe even more important now when my anxiety and stress is so high and everything is up in the air.   Today’s card is a reminder of this need, and an encouragement to make time for myself and that need for a little extra self care and indulgence.

DECK USED:  CIRCLE OF LIFE TAROT

#TarotForGrowthMarch Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I best feed that flame? (Built off yesterday’s cards.)

A Darisa Tarot: The Lomisht

Interpretation:  Remember where you want to go and that sometimes things have to end in order to start anew with something better.  Embody ownership of your emotions and go after what you want with this new start.  Now is the chance to build a new foundation and reorganize upon it a new way of doing things going forward.

DECK USED:  A DARISA TAROT: THE LOMISHT

#DiscordTarotholicsMar2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Where am I spiritually at this time?

Reigning Rouge Tarot

Interpretation:  I am struggling with the transition from how things were to how they are now.  It feels like it all happened to fast and has left me reeling. Because of that I am feeling a sense of uncertainty that spreads into my spiritual self.   Not that my faith is lacking, but it is as if the uncertainty of everything else has polluted even this, where that uncertainty is rooted in how quickly things can change and fall apart.

DECK USED:  REIGNING ROUGE TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What does it feel like to know something for sure?

Celtic Dragon Tarot

Reading Summary: A sense of ownership and capability (The Magician) even when something is new (Page of Pentacles). When that “something” rests within my wheelhouse. (Three of Pentacles)

Take Away:  What this boils down to is a combination of certainty rooted in my skills and abilities and the ownership of those skills and abilities in a way that keeps me feeling on solid footing to a point that there is no longer any doubt.

DECK USED:  CELTIC DRAGON TAROT

 

What Have You Done?

/ Twist the Leaf / 2 Comments

Today’s meditation was just under ten minutes long, and due to having a rib out of place I had a really hard time staying still and settled for the meditation.

The meditation today focused on a full body scan that started at the top of the head and worked its way down to the toes and then back up again.  I ended up cutting off the meditation a few minutes early, though, so that I could spend some time on  my foam roller and work at trying to get that rib back into some semblance of alignment.

Judgement - Hush TarotToday’s draw is the Judgement card of the major arcana, which is traditionally interpreted as to do with, well…. judgement.  Also with themes that have to do with absolution and rebirth.

Honestly? Whenever my mind wanders to the traditional interpretations of this card?  I get that line in that old Janet Jackson song filtering through my mind. “What have you done for me lately?”   I feel that the judgement card is about your soul and moral compass, and that it is them saying that line, yeah?   It’s about either “being on track” with what you value and feel is right… or having been lead astray and needing to re-evaluate and come back on track again.

What I see in this card has a bit to do with that, but also with the visit to the bank for today.   It’s about the clubs in the pillars on either side, indicating passion and drive.  And it’s about the flowers that have grown up over the arch while the supports beneath rot away.

The message for me in today’s card is a reminder to make sure that while I am taking care of the present and planning for the future, that I am also protecting that foundation that I care so deeply about.

DECK USED:  HUSH TAROT

#TarotForGrowthMarch Challenge Prompt
Question: What spark is ready for me to ignite with this new moon?

Animal Totem Tarot

Intuitive Interpretation: It’s time to find a new way of feeling about things.

Take Away:  This feels like a continuation of the theme of most of yesterday’s readings, in that it speaks of looking at things in a new perspective and finding a new and better way to see things, especially concerning my emotions and my emotional investments.

Things can’t always be perfectly stable, no matter how much I want them to be.  Sometimes you have to let go and start anew, and that’s okay.

DECK USED:  ANIMAL TOTEM TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsMar2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What do I need to focus on for self-care this new moon?

Eight Coins Tattoo Tarot

Reading Summary:  These cards match along the same line as a lot of my readings have over the past few days.  They speak of finding the stability I seek by taking a new direction and entertaining new “outside of the box” perspectives and perceptions (Hanged Man).

Take Away:  Sometimes in my strive to develop stability and a solid foundation, I forget that life is about the journey and a big part of that journey is adaptability when confronted with change.   That is a big challenge right now, and I need to stop digging in my heels (and my roots) so stubbornly and allow the changes that need to take place to happen.   Allow them to happen, and focus on adaptation rather than fighting so hard to keep things the same.

DECK USED:  EIGHT COINS TATTOO TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How can I move through my intuitive blocks?

Tarocco delle Vetrate by Luigi Scapini

Reading Summary:  Taking time for introspection (The Hermit) in times when things feel up in the air (Wheel of Fortune) will allow me to avoid becoming defensive (Seven of Wands), which pulls up walls that muffle my intuition.

Take Away:  One of my largest and most difficult intuitive blocks is the muffling effect my inner walls cause when they are erected as a part of my defense mechanisms when I am feeling uncertain and vulnerable.   The cards indicate if I want to move through that block, it requires introspection and honest reflection, rather than my normal habit of boxing things up and ignoring them as I shove them behind those walls.

DECK USED:  TAROCCO DELLE VETRATE BY LUIGI SCAPINI

Searching for Balance

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_3239Today’s meditation was just over fifteen minutes long and focused upon relaxing with an open heart.   It included a lengthy body scan and guided relaxation before moving on to focusing upon opening up the heart chakra and directing caring warmth first to the self, and then outward to others you know, and then the world at large.

I’ve done this sort of meditation before and it’s very relaxing.  That said, I wasn’t particularly fond of the format of the meditation I used today.  It ended too abruptly for my taste, and the narrator was a bit too… measured and emotionless.

Ace of Swords - Hush TarotToday’s draw is the Ace of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of new beginnings, potential, and the planting of seeds in the area of one’s thoughts, intellect, and communication with others.

The imagery in this card makes me connect more to the energy of the Knight of Swords than the Ace, though. I see strength and movement and power.  I also can see vulnerability, though.  Although the unicorn is powerful and the girl is not shielded from the flying arrows and battle around her.   She clings to the mount, but she is bare of foot and without armor.

The message that I see in this card is about balance.  Yes, it’s important to go after what you want, but do not become so focused upon the prize that you forget you are more than just a knight… you are also a vulnerable in a nightgown clinging to a unicorn.  It’s okay to be soft.  It’s okay to be gentle and vulnerable .  It is possible to be both vulnerable… and strong.

DECK USED:  HUSH TAROT

#TarotForGrowthMarch Challenge Prompt
Question: How am I being invited to make space for rest at this time?

New Choice Tarot de Marseille

Reading Summary: All of this defensive energy (Seven of Wands) birthed by the present uncertainty (La Lune) is here to teach me (Le Pope) how to better enjoy my down times (Four of Wands).

Take Away:  Okay, so this is a crap-ass way to learn a new lesson, but I do understand.  I understand that I need to let up.  I understand that there’s nothing I can do now to protect myself from what may come.  Not in this instance.  I understand that I just need to sit back and wait.   The problem is… that is not in my nature. It goes against everything I have ever been. 

And that’s the point.  I have to learn something else.  Something new.  Something different. Even if I have to fight tooth and nail the whole way through the lesson to get there.

DECK USED:  NEW CHOICE TAROT DE MARSEILLE

#DiscordTarotholicsMar2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I best improve in that area? (Built of yesterday’s cards.)

Luna Sol Tarot

Reading Summary:  Focus on my skills and those things under my control (Eight of Discs). Take time to plan ahead (Two of Wands), but not from a defensive stance, but from one of innovation toward the future (Page of Discs).

Take Away:  This is what I am trying to keep my focus on during this time. Because I am unable to simply sit and wait, I am trying to keep my focus on prepping for the future and planning for when things lift and settle again. I want to be able to hit the ground running when things get to a point where I’m able to do just that.  Instead of entertaining paranoia and catastrophizing worry… I need to keep my eyes on what I can do instead of what I can’t.

DECK USED:  LUNA SOL TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How can I use my senses to tune into my intuition?

Les Métamorphoses du Jour Tarot

This is about doing what I’ve been doing. It’s about not allowing uncertainty to throw up walls that my intuition is then muffled by.    This isn’t about my  other senses, as I had thought that it would be.  I thought that the cards would speak to me about the five senses of smell and touch, hearing and taste and sight.

Instead, this is about allowing my intuition freedom from the walls that muffle and contain when they rise up in order to protect myself from the unknown.

DECK USED:  LES METAMORPHOSES DU JOUR TAROT

Soaking Up Some Vitamin D

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was delayed until tonight when I go to bed because today has been quite busy and just didn’t have the time (or want to take time from other things, if I’m honest) to settle in and do the meditation earlier in the day.  Morning meditation is definitely more beneficial for me, though, on a whole.

The Sun - Circle of Life TarotToday’s draw is The Sun card, which is a representation of themes that include optimism,  fun, and positivity.

I still don’t see that in this card, to be honest.  But that seems to be the theme of this deck as a whole that my intuitive hits upon the imagery are of an entirely different vein than traditional meanings, or even the meanings in the book that came with the deck.

What I see in the imagery of this card today has to do with the defensive stance of the woman in the card, and the radiant power behind her.  That power feels like it is empowering her and providing strength.

What I see here is that I need some time outside, and… that’s fitting since that’s exactly what went on today.   Not around people…. okay so mostly not around people.   I took my sister and Z to the woods for a walk and we stopped over at the wetlands to enjoy some sun as well.     There were no other people around, and it was a nice (and needed) outing that seems to have given not just our bodies but our souls a refreshing breath of fresh air.

DECK USED:  CIRCLE OF LIFE TAROT

#TarotForGrowthMarch Challenge Prompt
Question: What am I being invited to reflect upon this spring?

Tarocco degli Animali

Reading Summary: How I do things and how I can do them differently (l’Appeso) and better (La Giustizia) in order to get more out of life (Four of Cups) and foster a better outcome (La Torre Rx).

Take Away:  At the beginning of the year, I wanted to start restructuring how I did things with my business, but it had to be put off because of that fog of fear created as the reactions to last fall’s letter caught up with me.   Now, I am essentially being forced into slowing down and the cards are indicating that this situation is the prime opportunity I need to begin looking at making some changes  to better balance not just my business, but my home life as well.  It’s time to start looking at how I can do things differently moving forward, and start considering what small changes I can start making to move toward that vision.

DECK USED:  TAROCCO DEGLI ANIMALI

#DiscordTarotholicsMar2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What is my greatest weakness?

Wildwood Tarot

Intuitive Interpretation: Letting my thoughts run away with me until I’m so wrapped up in them and so worked up by them that I’m stuck in a state of catastrophizing.

Take Away:  So I readily admit this is absolutely something that I do… and yet even though I am aware I do it and don’t particularly find it at all wise or useful?  I still somehow manage to do it anyway.  I think it might be a part of the cycle of how I motivate myself to do shit I don’t really want to do… but turned into an avenue that becomes a detriment rather than useful.

DECK USED:  WILDWOOD TAROT (TRIMMED)

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: Draw a card and record the feelings you experience.

Jonasa Jaus TarotShe is protected and can therefore let go and be free.  She is sensual, and he is rapt. He watches on, holding flowers that are just for her… even if the truth is she handed them to him to hold for her rather than them being a gift.  The true gift here is his protection

The dynamic between the cards feels like a romance.  A secret love not acted upon by either party due to station, or due to the sweet taste of drawing out the temptation into a seduction all its own.

DECK USED:  JONASA JAUS TAROT

Untying Inner Knots

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_3218Today’s meditation was just over sixteen minutes long and focused upon the Adrian Corday post that is included here in this blog post.   I found that quote on Instagram, and it really struck home.

I felt that it was important to take some time to count my blessings and really focus in on what I have that is good in my life right now.   What’s good in my life includes that my sister and I are safe and that Z is here and safe as well.   No, none of us can know if we’re infected or not since it can take up to 14 days to show symptoms after infection… but we’re safe and we’re good and after a tip given to me by a friend on YouTube in the morning today?  We even have food.

That last one takes a lot of weight off my shoulders.  I’m not good at inactivity, but that’s okay too.  I have plenty to keep me busy.

All of that was my focus in my meditation today.  Well, that and a full body scan, of course… just because I like those.

Nine of Pentacles - Hush TarotToday’s draw is the Nine of Pentacles which is often traditionally interpreted as independence, abundance, and the “lap of luxury”.

I actually do see independence here.  It’s sort of interesting, because I haven’t had a lot of cards come up in either this deck or the other one I’m using this month for daily pulls that has had an intuitive interpretation that aligns with traditional meanings.

That said?  That is where the similarity ends.  As although I see independence in this card, I also see… need.  She’s gaunt and her cheeks are hollow, her expression appearing to me today as holding the ache of longing.   What I see here is that her independence has caused this predicament… and thus the message that I see in today’s card is that independence is only as good as what it gives you when you have it.

If independence causes a sense of seclusion and loneliness?  Then perhaps it’s time to ease up a bit and allow others in.    For me, this translates into a reminder to enjoy this time together with L and Z.   I’m not used to such constant contact with others and it can be a bit straining for me, but at the same time?  It’s an opportunity to appreciate just how much they mean to me… and just how much they love me.

DECK USED:  HUSH TAROT

#TarotForGrowthMarch Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I better express gratitude for my current opportunities?

Green Witch Tarot

Reading Summary:  By taking advantage of this time of opportunity and closeness with those around me and enjoying them to the fullest.

Take Away:  The forced seclusion with L and Z is providing me with an opportunity to delve into a deeper relationship with both of them (Ace of Cups) and I need to sit back and allow their love in and share mine in turn with them (King of Cups).  By taking this time to enjoy their presence rather than chafing under it (Three of Cups) I will find myself developing a deeper abundance and wealth that goes far beyond that of coin (Ten of Pentacles).

DECK USED:  GREEN WITCH TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsMar2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Do Spread #3

Celtic Dragon TarotWhat do I need to let go of to…

Ease My Mind:  It’s okay to slack off a bit… especially during this time.  Try not to allow yourself to get so wrapped up in the process of “getting things done” that you lose the joy of being able to relax for a bit.  You have enough to worry about and enough going on. You don’t need to add burnout into the mix.

Lighten My Heart:  My incessant need to always be moving forward.  There are things I can do to prepare for later, but there’s no real moving forward right now.  I need to find a way to ease that need and let it relax.  I can’t be in control of everything right now, no matter how much I want to be or how much my inner self demands it.

Free My Creative Spark:  It’s time to let go of the intensive juggling I do between all the different aspects of my life.  All those balls I usually keep aloft have crashed to the ground.  Stop straining and pushing at myself so hard to juggle responsibilities that don’t even exist at the moment.  This has to do not so much with the fact I’m still juggling them, but that there is an inner straining push within me to do the juggling regardless of the fact there’s no balls there to juggle right now.

DECK USED:  CELTIC DRAGON TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What do I need to know about my intuitive abilities?

Animal Totem Tarot

Reading Summary:  I have a habit of disconnecting and stepping back (High Priestess) from my innate abilities (Page of Wands) when  I become tense (Nine of Pentacles) and/or overwhelmed (Ten of Swords).

Take Away:  So when I become overwhelmed or tense, I have a habit of setting up barriers that cause me to lose sight of where I want to go and step back into a retreat.  This causes a muffling wall between myself and the messages of my intuition, making it harder for me to pick up those messages I would otherwise easily hear and obey without question.  Because of this I can often end up stunting growth and ending up having to “start over”, losing a portion of the progress I’ve made in the process.

DECK USED:  ANIMAL TOTEM TAROT

 

Practicing Patience

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment

IMG_3202Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long… and I did it twice.   It started out with a full body scan, which is one of my favorite ways to meditate, and then settled on focusing on the breath for the majority of the time.

The message of the guided meditation, though, was one of self care.  It was about being kind to yourself and not allowing that inner critic free reign to tear yourself down.  That can be extremely tempting and easy to fall into during times of stress like the stress that we are all under around the world at the moment.  The meditation encouraged making sure you are keeping a focus on being kind to yourself, and not tearing into yourself for those things that are out of your control.

Eight of Cups - Circle of Life TarotToday’s draw is the Eight of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of retreat and “stepping away” emotionally from a person or situation.

Once again, though, this deck speaks to me through its imagery rather than through any traditional interpretation, because what really stands out to me in this card is the nearly fully submerged person in the water, and the held up finger. In the book it speaks of that hand being an indication of the choice to either emerge from the water or not.   But what it speaks to me today is about waiting and patience.

It’s about the pause.  Right now in my area everyone and everything is in a sort of pause.  The message in today’s card is a reminder to wait.  Just wait. Gather what you need to survive (as referenced by the dishes  along the shore of the pond) and just wait.

DECK USED:  CIRCLE OF LIFE TAROT

#TarotForGrowthMarch Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I release self-doubt in my abilities?

Whispering Spirits Tarot

Reading Summary: Accept that those abilities are not a fluke (Five of Swords) and leave room for compassionate strength (King of Cups) as I look for ways to move forward both now… and later (Two of Wands).

Take Away:  With everything at a forced standstill right now, there’s a lot of room for self-doubts to creep in and muddle up the mind and emotions.  To keep that from happening it’s important that I keep in mind that the skills and abilities that I have are not a fluke.  They aren’t something that are going to disappear, but are hard earned and honed over time.  Being kind to myself and appreciating my strengths as strengths is important to keeping my self doubts under control,  as is making plans so that I don’t fall into habits of morose pessimism and other negative thinking that can begin to fester when I am left rudderless.

DECK USED:  WHISPERING SPIRITS TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsMar2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What do I need to take more pride in?

Enchanted Tarot Mini Version

Reading Summary: My ability to provide guidance and direction (Three of Wands) out of the shadows and into the light (Eight of Swords) for myself and others  through my skills and abilities (Three of Pentacles).

Take Away:  This seems to be the theme of my personal readings today.  That is, that I have the skills and abilities to lead by example, and to provide both myself and others with the sense of hope and direction needed to keep the fog of depression and directionless discouragement from taking hold.

DECK USED:  ENCHANTED TAROT MINI VERSION

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How does my intuition speak to me?

Arcana Iris Sacra Tarot

Reading Summary:  Loudly (Dragon in the Seven of Chalices) and often (Knight of Wands), and in very mysterious ways that are difficult to grasp (Moon).

Oddly, this one took me a minute.  I think it is the mix between the intuitive hits and the traditional meanings in the cards here that gave me pause.   It’s almost like… a different dialect of the language I am used to reading.  New… different, and yet familiar enough to work it out.

Take Away: I was actually expecting something that described the “how” as in how I experience my intuition’s voice.  Instead, the message here is that the “how” is less about methods and more about an overall interpretation of “how”.

That is to say that how my intuition speaks to me is with a constant stream of input that is quite loud and always there, always pushing and driving and directing the way forward.  Those mysterious ways indicated by the Moon card speaking of the fact that that sometimes my “intuition” may be more than just intuition.  I’ve recently been considering that my spirit guides have been using the language/experience of my intuition in order to communicate with me as well.

DECK USED:  ARCANA IRIS SACRA TAROT