Fifth Spirit Tarot

Sparking Motivation

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was skipped.

Fifth Spirit Tarot - King of WandsToday’s draw is the King of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of a projective alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s passion, drive, willpower, enthusiasm, and inner spirit.

Like many of the cards that have come up over the past couple of weeks, here we see another reminder that I need to sieze control of my energy, my emotions, and my motivations… and set them to work.

IĀ  have direction.Ā  I have a goal.Ā  It’s about motivation, and lighting that spark to get things moving, as well as inspiring others to work with me toward those goals.

DECK USED:Ā  FIFTH SPIRIT TAROT

The #ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt by E Roebuck-Jones
Questions for July 1st thru 3rd

Neutral Vibes Tarot and the John Bauer Tarot (Trimmed Naked)Do I believe I am creative?

Two of Swords and The World – Yes! In fact, it is something you prioritize highly in your life regardless of where you are on your path.

Why?

Temperance Rx and Four of Coins – You are constantly bombarded by creative ideas and inspired to explore them all, to the point that you have made your creativity an integral part of how you provide for yourself and build stability in your life.

A card to describe my creative self.

The Moon – Always exploring and trying new things, sometimes your creative endeavors are more about feeling your way in the dark while learning something new than about knowing what you’re doing or where you’re going with it. It creates a sense of uncertainty and exploration as you weave your way through the dark.

Three Oracle Cards:

The Creativity I Want – Upper Right – Inspiration and dreams in the quiet of the night.

You want to feel secure in your creativity. Creativity is a way of exposing yourself to others. This part of yourself is vulnerable, and you wish to feel safe in exposing these vulnerable parts of yourself to the world.

My Blockage – Center Right – Stagnancy, and comparing the present to the past, which exacerbates the emotional issues that drag you into a standstill.

Action – Lower Right – Stop blowing things out of proportion. You have the ability to control how many projects you invest in at one time, as well as how you go about doing them. Don’t invite more in at one time then you can comfortably deal with.

DECK USED: NEUTRAL VIBES TAROT AND JOHN BAUER TAROT (trimmed naked)

#DiscordTarotholicsJul2022 Challenge Prompt
I Forgot Day – What have you forgotten (or willfully ignored the need) to do that needs to be put back into your routine?

Fifth Spirit TarotReading Summary: You need to “seize the day” where your home life and stability are concerned (King of Pentacles). Get the restructuring done in your home (The Tower) before time runs out and you’re left with no time left (Justice) to work on it this year.

Take Away: I’ve been procrastinating on getting the stuff done where the shelves for my tarot decks are concerned for quite some time now. Wallowing in those feelings of complacency and dawdling instead of actively pursuing completion of the school.

This reading is an encouragement to get going on this project and get it done, or I will run out of time before the holiday rush arrives and not be able to get it done until next year.

DECK USED: FIFTH SPIRIT TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

Imodium is my friend today, and I didn’t just think about taking it while hoping my stomach would stomach would stop cramping, I actually -took- it to help ease off the discomfort.

Stronger Together

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_9461Today’s meditation was just a bit over seventeen minutes long and was the third installment of the mantra course on the Oak app.Ā  I included the interval timer for my piriformis stretches as well.

The focus of today’s meditation was (surprise, surprise) using mantra in meditation.Ā  For this particular segment of the course, there was no vocalization of the mantra at the beginning and, although I know this wasn’t the intent of having the mantras be a mental exercise instead of a vocal one?Ā  I feel so included.Ā  Silly, I know.Ā  But it’s really nice to be able to follow along without having to improvise due to my mutism.

Now… that’s all well and good, and the meditation was relaxing… you know I can’t not say something about the quote included in today’s meditation.Ā Ā  I really dislike this Lao Tzu quote, as I’ve mentioned before. Yes, nature does not hurry.Ā  No, everything does not get accomplished.Ā  That’s the whole point of changing seasons. Flowers die before they can bloom, leaves fall before they’ve turned, animals die because winter came early… not everything gets accomplished.Ā Ā  The quote makes absolutely no sense and I have no idea why it is so popular.

Fifth Spirit Tarot and Thera-Pets Emotional Support Animal CardsToday’s draw is the Ten of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of moving beyond emotional contentment to happiness and sharing this emotional abundance with those around you. It’s about positive relationships and a sense of harmony shared with friends, family, and loved ones.

I really like the imagery in this card.Ā  At first, the card seems a bit plain other than the dancing fish.Ā  And then, when you look closer you see that the cups that are overflowing with a wealth of water (emotions) are of all sorts.Ā  Wine glasses and baby bottles, sippy cups and dog bowls and mugs and saki cups.Ā  There are all types to represent all the different types of people that make up the emotional bonds of family and friends in life. The imagery here very literally is a visual representation of the Hebrew bible phrase “My cup overfloweth,” which for those that are unfamiliar with the phrase, means “I have more than enough for my needs”.

When combined with today’s Thera-Pets card, the message in today’s cards is that the current journey through struggle and strife is not a journey taken alone.Ā  Loved ones are there in good times and bad, and those that truly love you will support you even when you’re going through the worst of it.Ā Ā  Don’t forsake their support when you need a little help, instead let them lift you up and remind you that as strong and capable as you are?Ā  You’re even stronger and more capable together.

DECK USED:Ā  FIFTH SPIRIT TAROT AND THERA-PETS EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMAL CARDS

LionHart’s Mercury Retrograde Tarot Challenge Prompt
Question:Ā  What am I asked to (gently) let go of during this Full Moon?

Paulina Tarot

Ā Reading Summary: Use your ability to inspire yourself and others (Queen of Wands) to gently begin nudging out the sadness and depression (Three of Swords) that has been stealing all of your attention lately (Seven of Swords).

Take Away:Ā  The figure in the Three of Swords so obviously needs a nudge to get them off their stool, but that nudge just as obviously needs to be soft and gentle.Ā  The energy of inspiration can be gentle, but that takes a little more focus than just whisking yourself away in the inspiration.Ā  Instead this is about giving yourself the inspiration to get off the stool, not to pretend that things are fine but simply to help straighten the spine and start moving.Ā Ā  At one time or another the time comes to stop looking at the big baddie that has oppressed you and start looking forward instead. During this full moon it is time to stop staring over your shoulder so intently…. and look forward instead.

DECK USED:Ā  PAULINA TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsFeb2021 Challenge Prompt
Question:Ā  What skill in my tarot practice needs improvement?

Fifth Spirit TarotReading Summary: I need to work on being more gentle and nurturing (The Empress) in my delivery (King of Swords with the megaphone and the Five of Swords positioned to surround The Empress on all sides..

Take Away: True enough.Ā  I am always very focused on being empowering to those that I read for (as well as for myself) that sometimes I forget that there are times when a delivery also needs to be gentle and nurturing.Ā  My readings often hand people the facts in a way to “light a fire under their ass” and I rarely coddle.

This means that my skills at coddling are not as strong as they could be, and as a result I can often come off a bit harsh, or even confrontational.

DECK USED:Ā  FIFTH SPIRIT TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I took a pain pill.Ā  My foot was really bothering me today and even after I put it up for a bit it wouldn’t ease up on the throbbing ache.Ā Ā  It isn’t hot, so it’s not an infection.Ā Ā  So I went ahead and took half a vicodin along with my ibuprofen.

Coming Back Out On Top

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Today’s meditation was skipped because the girls would just NOT leave me the fuck ALONE today.Ā  I don’t know what it is but there are just some days where they can’t seem to leave me be for even a few minutes. I’m not in the room with them which means I’m missing and alone and they just can’t help but come find me and bug me.Ā  With Luna, this is accepted and she will find somewhere quiet to sit and wait.Ā  The girls? Not so much.

Romantic Tarot and Thera-Pets CardsToday’s draw is the Page of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of slow but steady progress in finding ways to improve one’s financial situation, resources and home life, or health.

I really like this representation of the Page of Coins (Pentacles) as what I see here is someone that is down on their luck but proactively working towards bettering their situation.Ā  This is not an aspect of the Page of Coins that you often see depicted in deck imagery.

When combined with the words on the Thera-Pets card, the message here has to do with resilency and in picking yourself up after you are knocked down.

Lately I’ve been dealing with a pretty deep depressive episode, and it’s been a real struggle.Ā  I found the bottom of that deep, dark pit and I landed there and lingered for about two days.Ā  Then, I have begun to climb once more.Ā  The meaning in these cards is that I’ve survived this before, I know the way forward, and I will climb back out again.Ā  I will heal and recover and move forward.Ā  The climb might be hard, and take time, but I’m strong enough and capable enough to make the journey and come back out on top once more.

DECK USED:Ā  ROMANTIC TAROT AND THERA-PETS EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMAL CARDS

LionHart’s Mercury Retrograde Tarot Challenge Prompt
Question:Ā  What should I give closure to before February 27th (Full Moon)?

Fifth Spirit Tarot

Ā Reading Summary: The ups and downs in your life (Wheel of Fortune) are not something to feel victimized by (Justice Rx) so don’t give up the good fight (Seven of Wands Rx).

Take Away:Ā  Again we see reference here to the struggle I am going through with my depression, but this also goes beyond that to my worries about my business and the Canadian side of things. It’s important to remember that the situations that we find ourselves in at this moment when the world is turned upside down are not situations against us personally.Ā  They are situations we must deal with and survive, adapt to and work around… but they are not directed at us.

The cards here are a reminder that this is not a time to play victim, but rather a time to stand up and keep fighting for what you believe in, what you want, and what is right for (and important to) you.

DECK USED:Ā  FIFTH SPIRIT TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsFeb2021 Challenge Prompt
Question:Ā Ā  Where in my life do I need to set healthier boundaries?

Romantic TarotReading Summary: Know where your bread is buttered (Ten of Cups) and where it’s not (Eight of Cups).Ā  Take that knowledge forward with you to discover (Page of Swords) what really makes life worth living (imagery in the Eight of Coins).

Okay so, I just have to say… the imagery in the Eight of Cups in this deck reminds me of that line in the Semisonic song “Closing Time” that says “you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here”.

Take Away: This is about choosing wisely where you invest your energy and time.Ā  Instead of pushing to do everything, set better boundaries for yourself that create the opportunity for you to be more discerning.Ā  Invest that time, energy, and talent that you have in those things that bring you comfort and joy.

DECK USED:Ā  ROMANTIC TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

Today is the first day of my week off of work.Ā  Not that I’m not still working at the farm, mind you, but I’m not working for the home business for the next handful of days.Ā  I tried to take time off in January, but I think that I was still “coming down” off all the adrenaline, endorphins, and dopamine of the whole holiday rush thing and the vacation time just didn’t do as much for me as it otherwise could have.Ā  Not that I didn’t need it then, but… yeah.Ā Ā  So all of the shops are on a shipping delay for the week and I’m taking time off.Ā  I also soaked in the bathtub today.

Write It Down

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_9197Today’s meditation was just over thirteen minutes long and was a guided meditation with added interval timer for my piriformis stretching.Ā  I’ve also added back in some of the forearm flexor stretches because things have been feeling like they’re tightening up there.

The focus of today’s meditation was about dealing with conflict, and I learned something new in the middle of it all.Ā  I did not know that, after the adrenaline inducing incident has ended, it takes the body at least 20 minutes to purge that adrenaline back out of your system.

Anyway.Ā  The conflict resolution thing was mostly about how sometimes it’s better to keep your mouth shut and walk away, calm down, then come back in a more calm and rational mindset…. rather than speaking in the moment and saying something you will regret.Ā Ā  It included a quote that I enjoyed within the guidance that said, “Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret,” by from Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce.

Fifth Spirit Tarot - Ace of SwordsToday’s draw is the Ace of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of the new seeds of ideas, intellectual interests, and communication.

What stands out to me in the imagery of this card today is the feathers.Ā  Thoughts, in my opinion, are a lot of times much like feathers.Ā  Float around you and flit through the air but are impossible to catch while in motion.

That’s why it’s important when pertinent thoughts, new ideas, etc come up that you write them down.Ā  Write. Them. DOWN. For fuck sake write them down.

YouĀ  know… capture the feathers before the winds of distraction blow them away.

Sometime in the past couple of months I stopped this practice, and today’s card is a reminder of the value of writing these new thoughts, ideas, and valuable new perspectives down so that I can visit them a bit later and explore them more in depth.

DECK USED:Ā  FIFTH SPIRIT TAROT

The Radical Love Tarot Challenge Prompt
Topic:Ā  Love language
Question: How can I better be open to and absorb love and kindness from others?

Existential Tarot

Reading Summary: Stop allowing your stubbornness and insistence that you can do everything yourself (Will 10) to slow down your acceptance and growth (Page of Action). It’s making you fight an unnecessary battle that belongs to your father and his judgments (Seven of Wands Rx).

Take Away: I was taught that it was not okay to lean on others and should be able to handle all of my responsibilities on my own, no matter what.Ā  This was drilled into me throughout my life growing up and something I then repeatedly drilled into myself as an adult.Ā Ā  It can be hard to hand over control and allow others to help me and take over for a bit.Ā  In order to be more receptive to love, I need to let go of that control and allow others to help me when I need it.Ā  It’s not a weakness, no matter how deeply ingrained the lesson that it is has been taught.

DECK USED:Ā  EXISTENTIAL TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsFeb2021 Challenge Prompt
Topic:Ā  Do Spread 1

Fifth Spirit TarotSigns for February – The King of Cups is an encouragement to lean into those that I depend on right now for support and comfort. This sign is about what I need and more about setting plans aside in order to recover and find my footing than executing anything in particular I might have had plans to move forward on. I suppose you could say that the action plan involved with this sign is to connect with my emotions and take this time with him and the support he gives to grow instead of falling back on old habits and closing myself off.

Signs for March – The World is about watching for renewal and the feeling that I am stepping out of one journey and into the next.Ā  Although I do not want my depression to last this long, there is a good possibility the sign we see here is the major life change that comes with being free of the pit once more.Ā  That sense of finally finding the edge and pulling myself out, and finding life on the other side ready and waiting for me.

Signs for April – The Ace of Wands is about feeling inspiration and that spark that keeps me trying new things. Right now in this moment I have absolutely none.Ā  But, when I am not in this dark pit of depression my inspiration and creative spark are nearly constant and even quite hard to keep up with. The sign of these returning to me in April is a good one… and something to look forward to.Ā  When the time comes, I need to make sure that I am allowing myself to explore (and, as my COTD mentioned for today, writing down the ones I don’t explore immediately so that I can explore them later).

DECK USED:Ā  FIFTH SPIRIT TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I’m having a hard time thinking of something that I did that was nice for me today, then I remembered this morning when you told me to eat and then come nap with you.Ā  And I did, even though there were other things I probably should have been doing, I had a really nice nap.