Ethereal Dreams Tarot

Finding the Positive for December 1 – 3

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Winter Magic Tarot, Snowland Tarot, Winter Waite Tarot, and Self-Made Christmas Affirmation Cards

December 1 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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The @GlitterbyInk #DecembersChild24 Challenge
Healing the Inner Child Prompt for December 1st : Nostalgia

Today’s card is the Devil card combined with the affirmation “Have an ice day and stay frosty!”

A lot of the cards in the affirmation deck I’m using this month hold a great deal of nostalgia for me. Not because the characters are familiar, but because I remember these corny little cards (like valentine cards kids exchange at school) that we used to have for different holidays.

It reminds me of feelings and fun and childhood moments of hope.  It reminds me of bushing hotly as I made little cards to give out because my parents wouldn’t buy the store-bought ones for me, and how fascinated I was with each of the little sayings on the store bought ones given to me on the day.

There’s danger in nostalgia, though.  The same danger that lies hidden in pretty much anything pleasurable. For  if you dip too far into it, you lose sight of reality.  You forget about the bad parts, just as if you lean too far into thinking about the bad parts of your past that you lose sight of the good parts.

Today’s cards, for me, are a reminder that too much of a good thing is no longer a good thing. Balance is important.  Take the bad with the good and vice versa in order to keep the scales balanced in your life and your memories based more solidly in reality.

DECK USED: WINTER MAGIC TAROT AND SELF-MADE CHRISTMAS AFFIRMATION CARDS

December 2 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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The @GlitterbyInk #DecembersChild24 Challenge
Healing the Inner Child Prompt for December 2nd : Magic

Today’s card is the Page of Swords combined with the affirmation “Have an elf-cellent holiday season!”

There is a lot of really amazing things happening this time of year.  Charity ramps up and kindness with it. There’s community events like parades and holiday bazaars. Gift giving and generosity rise.

It can be hard to enjoy, though, if you spend too much time in your head.  Doing so can separate you from the warmth of the season and the bits of fun that it has to offer.

I hear a lot of people that bitch about the music or the crowds, etc.  Fair.  We all have things we don’t like about the holiday season.  But what do you *like* about it?  And more important yet, what do you feel ambivalent about that you might actually like if you gave it a chance?

Today’s card (combined with the Healing the Inner Child prompt) reminds us to stay open to the joy and the fun that this time of year has to offer.  Don’t get caught up in the negative aspects, but reach for the positive ones to make these busy weeks ahead feel happier and warmer, lighter and more magical than they otherwise might.

DECK USED: SNOWLAND TAROT AND SELF-MADE CHRISTMAS AFFIRMATION CARDS

December 3 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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The @GlitterbyInk #DecembersChild24 Challenge
Healing the Inner Child Prompt for December 3rd : Curiosity

Today’s card is the Queen of Swords (landed on the table reversed) combined with the affirmation “There’s no need to be so hard on yourself, you’re managing as best you can.”

I have met a few people in my life that have a woe that I personally have a hard time understanding. I’ve been thinking about them a lot the last little bit, because I ran into another one just the other day.  These are people who have come to the belief that they have no true talent or skill. That they are a waste of space and time because they have nothing that they are good at, no hobbies or interests, nothing at which they shine.

And then… today’s cards brought to light an understanding of this mindset that I hadn’t considered before.

What drives inspiration? Curiosity does.  It’s the spark of fire that gets inspiration started and us moving to explore whatever has caught our attention.  And what kills curiosity? Internally directed negativity.  It is the voice within us that tells us we can’t do something, that we’ll suck at it, that it’s a waste of time. That inner voice may have been created by someone else, but by the time we get to the point where we believe we are talent-less and without merit?  It’s playing on repeat in our own heads.

The key to breaking this pattern comes in turning to that negative voice and saying “fuck you, I’m doing it anyway”.  Not worrying about if you’re good or not and just sating that curiosity anyway. Letting yourself have fun with it, play with it, and mess things up.

Even when you -know- you might fail, it’s in doing it anyway in order to gain experience and just -see- what happens.  Because if you don’t do that?  You can’t learn.  And if you don’t learn?  You never find those things you enjoy and are good at.  And yes… sometimes that negative voice in your head is going to whisper away in the background those things you don’t want to hear, but the idea is to not listen.  To have some fun.  To let your curiosity flourish.  Experiment and explore.

Then… our of nowhere?  You might just some day you just might surprise yourself by ending up being good at something you once were bad at… or good at something you didn’t ever even consider you might be good at.   That’s how you find where personal talents lie and those things that you enjoy.  Dive in, and have fun… and don’t worry so much about if you’re good at it or not.

DECK USED: THE WINTER WAITE TAROT REVISED EDITION (2019) AND SELF-MADE CHRISTMAS AFFIRMATION CARDS

Finding the Positive for November 18 and 19

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The Storyteller's Tarot, Dark Reflections Tarot, and It's Going to Be Okay 2024 Day-to-Day Calendar by Kate

November 18 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Today’s card is the Ten of Coins combined with the affirmation “These overwhelming difficulties will pass with time. There will be life after this.”

The affirmation for today is a reminder that hard times are temporary. When combined with the Ten of Coins, the reminder takes on new meaning as it promises that there is good ahead, if you’re only willing to wait through it and keep moving forward. Sometimes it can feel like the bad stuff is never ending, and there’s a reminder here, too, that even in those times we need to try and acknowledge the good.  Even if it’s the fact that something tastes good, smells good, or feels good like a good food, hugging a stuffie, or a moment alone in the shower.

It’s hard to acknowledge these things when everything feels like it’s falling to shit. It’s hard to -see- them at all when you’re feeling at your worst, let alone see that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. That’s what these reminders are about.  They are a reminder that even when you can’t see the light up there ahead in the dark?  It’s there.  It really is there; you just have to keep going to find it.  And those tiny pleasures along the way?  They’re there to help you take the next step… and then the next.

DECK USED: THE STORYTELLER’S TAROT AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

November 19 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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@GlitterbyInk #November24Challenge
One Word Book Title Prompt for November 19th : Mindset

Today’s card is The Hermit card combined with the affirmation “It is better to handle life alone rather than stay with others who mistreat you.”

It can be hard to let go. Even when we know it’s what’s best for us. This is true not just for when it’s things that we partake in that are unhealthy, but especially true when it has to do with people in our lives.  Most especially when it has to do with people in our lives we feel obligated to or dependent upon.

Its that obligation and/or dependence that holds a lot of us back from taking steps to make our own lives better, along with a healthy dose of fear of the unknown (and for some, fear of being alone).

Truth be told, though? Being alone isn’t really that bad. Especially when the alternative is unhappy togetherness, unhealthy connections, or abuse.  It’s all in how you look at it.  If you look at yourself as incomplete without another there to complete you, then sure, being alone is horrible.  But, if instead, you turn your perspective to one of love and acceptance of yourself and self confidence in yourself and who you are?  Alone is not so bad. It lets you spoil yourself as you like, enjoy the things you enjoy, and experience the things you want to explore.

This is true whether you are in a relationship or not. It’s true whether you are simply spending a day on your own, or living alone long term.  It’s all in how you look at things, and how you approach that time alone, on whether it’s something healthy and happy… or a fear that holds you back and traps you in an  unhealthy situation.

DECK USED: DARK REFLECTIONS TAROT AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

Finding the Positive for November 15 and 16

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Dark Crystal Tarot, Runescript Tarot, and It's Going to Be Okay 2024 Day-to-Day Calendar by Kate

November 15 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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@GlitterbyInk #November24Challenge
One Word Book Title Prompt for November 15th : Grace

Today’s card is the Four of Cups combined with the affirmation “I will do my best to value myself today.

It’s important to remember that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, it just looks that way from a distance, but up close? It’s just as messed up as your own lawn. Sometimes having (and valuing) what you already have is enough.

I feel that grace is a misunderstood concept.  Something “old fashioned” that no one really thinks about anymore.  It is a blend of poise, simple elegance, refinement, courtesy, and goodwill.

I see this theme a great deal in the Four of Cups, for in this card there is always an offer made, and a rejection of it. Yet, this rejection is not harsh or unpleasant.  In this card, too, the offer is in the cups that surround the center figure, and yet the focus of that figure is on what is already in their possession.

The reminder in these cards is we need to appreciate what we have. To value ourselves. Who we are and what we have going for us.  Don’t take these things for granted, always looking for something better or the next improvement.  You are whole now… right now in this moment. Make sure to appreciate that… appreciate you.  Your mind. Your personality. Your body.  Your strengths.  These things are yours and hold value far beyond the “what if” scenarios of the future and the daydreams of what “could be”.

DECK USED: RUNESCRIPT TAROT AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

November 16 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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@GlitterbyInk #November24Challenge
One Word Book Title Prompt for November 15th : Shadow

Today’s card is the Seven of Cups combined with the affirmation “Just because you are struggling now doesn’t mean that you always will.”

Sometimes our struggles are chosen for us by others or happenstance.  It happens, and it sucks.  But more often than that, our struggles are our own. We have made the choices that lead to them, even if we didn’t know that is what the result would be when those choices were made.   We are also who chooses whether to bear them out or leave them behind, to learn from them or repeat them when we don’t learn from them, and how we react to these struggles in the moment.  Do we make things easier on ourselves? Or do we pile on the hardship through self abuse and recriminations?

Today’s cards are a reminder that we don’t have to let the dark urges within us take the lead. We can take struggles and hardships with grace and make the best out of things, or we can do the opposite and throw a pity party while we cast blame.  The latter gets us nowhere, and leaves us with the need to once again try to learn the lessons that this hardship and struggle is trying to teach us.  Better to instead choose to look for the boon, seek out the lesson, and do your best to stay positive as you deal with what needs dealt with so that you can move on.

DECK USED: DARK CRYSTAL TAROT AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

Finding the Positive for August 27 and 29

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Rustic Fortune Tarot and It’s Going To Be Okay 2024 Day-to-day Calendar By Kate AllanAugust 27

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

The session for today was on the topic of emotional dependence, and how when we grasp onto something too tightly, sometimes it can cause what we are so desperately trying to hold onto to smother and die. The session talked about how trust helps us to keep from tightening our grip too much, and how this is why trust in one’s relationships with others is so important.

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Today’s card is the UFO Area card combined with the affirmation “You don’t have to maximize the potential of every day. Some days are just about getting through.”

Belief is a choice. This card makes me think of the movie Independence Day (1996). People assuming that aliens come in peace and racing up to rooftops to celebrate and welcome them, only to have the space ship open up and the aliens to kill them all in a single blast.

People… actions speak louder than words. Those two fingers that little green man is holding up don’t necessarily mean “we come in peace”. Maybe he’s ordering take-out a la “two humans to go, please”.  You don’t know. You can believe anything you -want- to believe, but it won’t change the truth, and the truth is? Actions always speak louder than words.

Sometimes, we forget that, yeah?  And when we do?  We usually end up getting hurt.

The cards for today are a reminder that it’s okay to step away sometimes when that hurt or sense of betrayal nips you in the ass. We all experience it now and then, and it’s okay to need to take some time now and then to lick your wounds, pull yourself back together, and then (eventually) work toward getting back on the horse again.

DECK USED: RUSTIC FORTUNE TAROT AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

August 29

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Sunflower Field Tarot and It’s Going To Be Okay 2024 Day-to-day Calendar By Kate AllanToday’s card is the Nine of Swords combined with the affirmation “Don’t focus on success or failure; just focus on effort. Focus on trying.”

I like this affirmation much better than the “do your best” one from the 28th.  Just sayin’.

Fear can make you balk when it matters most to just put in a little effort. So many tasks often feel so much bigger and more intimidating than they actually are  when our anxieties conflate them to the point that they seem impossible to accomplish.

It’s important to remember during these times when our confidence flags that the massive size of what we’re looking at is all conjecture and perspective. It’s a lie whispered by fear. If you step forward and try anyway, that fear will recede, and in most cases you will then be able to see that the hurdle you’d been dreading really wasn’t insurmountable after all.

DECK USED: SUNFLOWER FIELD TAROT AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

Finding the Positive for August 23 – 25

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Body Health Oracle, Listening to Flowers Oracle, Your Feelings Are Valid Oracle, , Wisdom for Wee Ones Cards, and It’s Going To Be Okay 2024 Day-to-day Calendar By Kate Allan

August 23 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Today’s card is the Lymph Nodes card combined with the affirmation “Please take time to recharge yourself today.”

Right.  SO… this morning, a friend of mine woke up blind in one eye.  As in, went to bed with a migraine, and woke up with one eye completely not working. Not even registering a bit of light.  Nada.  Nothing.

As you might imagine, today was filled with medical professionals, waiting rooms, tests, and leading my friend around by the hand all day, guiding them into chairs, etc. (At the end of the day? Still no answers, incidentally, if you were wondering. They’ve been referred to a specialist in ophthalmological neurology.)

The message in today’s cards?  Even when you’re putting your all into fighting the good fight?  You have to rest sometimes.  Make sure, that even in times fraught with stress and too much to do in too little time, that every once in a while you step away and take a few breaths, even if you have to do it while sitting on the can in the restroom somewhere. Those occasional few minutes and deep breaths are important.

DECK USED: BODY HEALTH ORACLE AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

August 24 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Today’s card is the Wild Oat card combined with the affirmation “Some days are awful, but they always end.”

Yesterday was yesterday. Today is a new day. Don’t let the shit show and stress of yesterday make today’s plans less enjoyable or your confidence crumble.

Although it’s possible not a single thing got resolved yesterday? It doesn’t mean the stress and mess has to carry into today.  Sometimes, you have to leave your stress in the past, take a breath, and move forward. The Wild Oat card says to be open to all that will manifest, acknowledge that what you put into the world is an expression of empowerment, and follow your unique path forward while trusting that you’re headed in the right direction.

In other words? Don’t let yesterday’s shit show make you lose faith in yourself.  Don’t worry that you might end up swerving off course as a result of what’s going on.  Just breath, let go of the anxiety, and trust that it will work out if you just remain true to yourself and who you are.

DECK USED: LISTENING TO THE FLOWERS ORACLE AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

August 25 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Today’s card is the Overwhelmed card combined with the affirmation “To value wisdom over ignorance is the path to happiness.”

Confession. I hate politics. I mean… really hate them. I hate the polarization.  I hate the social sheep mentality.  I hate how it brings out the worst in people, most especially their willful ignorance and how the media feeds on pushing that willful ignorance further and further in society.

With the US Pres election coming up combined with the fact that I spend a lot of time in doctors offices listening to a wide range of chatting among those sitting in waiting rooms? I get to see just how willfully ignorant people are.

They hear what they want to hear, they believe what they want to believe, then “know the facts” that they want to know.  None of them are happy.  They bitch and moan, gripe and snipe and complain. They assign blame, personality traits (and flaws), and even actions to people they don’t know, have never met, and will never meet.

Today’s cards echo my feelings on all of those.  Overwhelm, and a wish that we could have a way to receive “just facts” rather than conjecture.  A way to weed out the bullshit and emotion in order to see things clearly.   For me?  That means sometimes I need to slip my earbuds in and tune them out, because it’s the only way to let go of the overwhelm listening to them creates and allow calm to take its place… even if just for a bit at a time.  That little bit at a time makes things better.

DECK USED: YOUR FEELINGS ARE VALID ORACLE AND WISDOM FOR WEE ONES CARDS

Finding the Positive for August 16 – 18

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Spectrowhirl Tarot, Sea Witch Seafoam Oracle, Legend of Zelda Tarot, Wisdom for Wee Ones Cards, and It’s Going To Be Okay 2024 Day-to-day Calendar By Kate Allan

August 16 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was eight minutes long, and was a series of for three stress reduction exercises from the Calm app. Five Senses. Body Scan. Watching the breath.

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Today’s card is the Five of Cups combined with the affirmation “It’s good you’re in the world today. Thanks for showing up.”

It can be really hard sometimes to see the good in one’s life. When things are down or not going your way, sometimes it gets nearly impossible to count your blessings and look on the bright side.  Instead, you get sucked into the disappointments or feeling sorry for yourself.

The message in today’s cards is to remember not to let those morose moments go too deep into the dark that they drag you right into the pit of depression. Remember that even when things aren’t going your way?  There are people out there that love and cherish you, and are glad you are a part of their lives.  There are strangers who, with just a smile from you or a small kindness, go on to spread goodness to others through the lift you gave them to their day.

These cards are a reminder that you matter… even when you’re at your worst.

DECK USED: SPECTROWHIRL TAROT AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

August 17 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Today’s card is the Ascension card combined with the affirmation “You are not lost, afloat. People care about you, and you have a lot of cool stuff left to do.”

Remember that there is light in the darkness, even if sometimes it’s not necessarily easy to see. The message in today’s cards is a reminder to make sure that you are moving toward the light instead of wallowing in the dark and letting it drown you.

For me in particular, this means making sure I am consciously putting effort toward positivity and optimism, instead of indulging my natural inclination towards negative self-talk and pessimistic thinking.  In making that conscious effort, I give myself a better balance, which assists me in staying out of depression’s pit a bit longer, and not falling quite as deeply into that pit when I do end up slipping over the edge.

DECK USED: WATER WITCH SEAFOAM ORACLE AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

August 18 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Today’s card is the Knight of Pentacles (Masks) combined with the affirmation “Words matter.”

A lot of the card-of-the-day cards this week or so have been about making sure that you are acting in line with the person you want to be and become.  They focus on behavior.  About what we do and what we say, and how these things affect other people.  Today’s cards are no different.

The road to the person we want to become is a long one that starts at birth and ends at death. It can be difficult, sometimes, not to give in to sniping and gossip, negativity and hurtful comments… especially at times when we ourselves are angry, afraid, or hurting in some way.

The message in today’s cards is that on this slow road, it’s important to keep in mind the kind of person you really want to be.  Do you want to be rejected, disliked, and feared because of your sharp tongue?  Or do you want to have friends and valuable relationships because you support others and allow others to support you in turn when you need it?

DECK USED: THE LEGEND OF ZELDA TAROT AND WISDOM FOR WEE ONES CARDS