Self Care Saturday (On a Sunday)

These Saturday readings are (not usually) bearing in on any one thing or event in my life, as the question used is asking for a more general outlook. This is a self care exercise, and is not meant as a predictive reading… although that, too, happens on occasion.

The question is… What do I need to focus for self-care through the week ahead?

Hardy Tarot, Forces Flora + Fauna Oracle, Wisdom of Tula Oracle

EarthTen of Cups, Seven of Wands, The Rat – You will have the chance this week to gain some emotional fulfillment over your financial situation and home life this week. Make sure you stay focused on what is important, which includes making sure you are protecting those things you value most.

AirAce of Disks and The Whale – Be kind to yourself and show yourself a bit of compassion concerning the way you see yourself managing things right now.  New opportunities will come and you need to make sure you’re not just jumping at them because they’re there. Passing up these opportunities for self care reasons is not a failure, don’t allow your inner voice to say otherwise.

WaterPrince of Swords and The Moth – Do not impulsively plow forward, but instead move with purpose. You are not in danger, and you are not going to lose anything that you don’t intentionally discard. Stay calm, let your intuition guide you, and move forward with determination.

FireSix of Wands and The Thistle – Don’t allow the compliments and admiration of others to turn your head.  They can bolster your mood, but they should not be what drives you forward.  Instead, rely upon your strength and resilience to carry you forward and keep you going.

WaningForgiveness – Forgiving ourselves is always our biggest hurdle, and you might find things rising up this week that you are not forgiving yourself for.  Some of these things will require shadow work to sort out and work through, and now is not the time to be starting that type of work.

WaxingObserver – Write it down to deal with later. This is a carry over from the Waning card of Forgiveness. The Observer card indicates that these issues are things that need to be noted and acknowledged. The shadow work that needs dealt with needs to be written it down revisit once the holiday rush has come to an end.  Put it down on paper, type it out, somehow… in some way… write it down so that you can let go of it for the time being.

Take Away – Be picky in the opportunities that you decide to pursue this week so that you don’t overwhelm yourself.  Allow the negative issues you’re feeling to come, acknowledge them and write them down, then release them.  This is not about burying, but rather allowing yourself time to process subconsciously while you deal with what needs done in the present.  It’s going to be a bit of a rough week emotionally, but you knew that already.

DECKS USED: HARDY TAROT, FORCES FLORA + FAUNA ORACLE, WISDOM OF TULA ORACLE

Emotions Are Not a Weakness

Today’s meditation was curtailed by a woman on the sidewalk outside singing to strangers about God.

Yes, yes… I know that when you meditate, you should be able to allow the sounds and distractions around you to flow through you and around you without disturbing you… but you know what?  Some crackpot chick telling people she’s the mouthpiece of God and that everything coming out of her mouth is directly from the Almighty then caterwauling to any that will listen and all that don’t wanna?  That was just impossible for me to meditate through.

Poor homeless Larry that decided to talk to her go the serenade of his life and I bet he’ll think twice about talking to strangers in the future.

Botan Tarot - King of CupsToday’s draw is the King of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of a projective alpha energy, personality, or person in the areas of one’s emotions, relationships, creativity, and intuition. This translates into an energy of authority or an authority figure that is in touch with the feelings and emotions of those around them and uses that knowledge to support and lead.

What stands out to me the strongest in the imagery of this card today is the dragon tattoo.   It is a reminder, yes?  Those that are in tuned to the emotions of others can often come off as wishy-washy or weak.  Empathy can often come off as weak.  But it is not weak, it is a strength all its own.

The message in today’s card is that being open to your emotions does not make you weak.   It allows you to be in tune with the world around you through understanding mercurial elements within yourself and others.  Those with a deep connection to their emotions and the empathy to relate to others on an emotional level are just as capable of being fierce and powerful as those that close themselves off.  Perhaps, they are even stronger.

DECK USED:  BOTAN TAROT

#Zentember #LovelyHealing Challenge Prompt
Question
: What needs healing on my throat chakra?

Hardy Tarot

Reading Summary:  With a central theme of cause and effect (Justice) we see that too much rest and reflection (Four of Swords) leads to a situation where you do not want to move forward and end up not just procrastinating, but outright trying to ignore what’s going on around you (Eight of Swords).

Take Away:  I mentioned this the other day when speaking with Gideon. The fact that I feel that having taken time to rest and relax has made me feel like I’m lazy and made it hard for me to “dive into” my work in the way that I’m accustomed to.   But is this really laziness?  Is this really a refusal to deal?  Or is it an adjustment period where I’m learning how to do things in a different way?  The uncertainty here is something I struggle with.

DECK USED:  HARDY TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsSep2020 Challenge Prompt
Topic
: Do Spread #1
Why am I doing so much procrastination when it comes to my holiday prep?

Tarot of Alexander Daniloff 2012Reading Summary: Because I really don’t wanna juggle more on my plate (Two of Pentacles). I would rather ignore that it’s coming than deal with it (Six of Swords). Not to mention I don’t want to give up time with Gideon (The Lovers Rx).

The first two cards are connected through color schemes, making the juggling of the Two of Pentacles and the “not wanting to deal with it and run away instead” of the Six of Swords connected to each other and intertwined.

The bright red of The Lovers card combined with the lack of cooler tones causes this card to be the outlier.  The design of the card itself in its reversed position looks like a double Hanged Man imagery creating the impression that both Gideon and myself (as lovers) will have to go through a time of delay and change of perception.   The red in this position feels like flames, which brings to mind the holiday rush… which relates to this card in that it is roasting the two hanged men.  Pressure… heat… strain.

Take Away:  Gideon and I will get through the holiday rush together, even if there will be a lot of pressure and struggle involved (as there is every year).  The procrastination stems more directly from the struggle I’m having with not allowing bad habits from the past to sneak in and hijack my efforts for doing things differently this year.

DECK USED:  TAROT BY ALEXANDER DANILOFF 2012 IV EDITION

Lionharts #AstroTarotChallenge
Question
: What lesson does 2020 have for my soul’s journey?

Archeon Tarot

Reading Summary: You reap what you sow (Justice), so make sure that you are working towards fulfillment (Nine of Pentacles on fire) instead of just defending what you already have (Seven of Wands).

Take Away:  I know that I chose the topic for the Sunday spread for today as my procrastination, but… I really didn’t expect for all of my readings today to actually end up being on that subject.  *LOL*

The cards here indicate that the lesson 2020 has for me is that I need to do more than just defend what I have.  I need to make sure that I’m actively reaching for more. Does it have to be the “more” that I’ve always pushed for in the past?  No.  That level of push was too much. but I do need to continue to reach for something more.  Stagnancy is not healthy.

DECK USED:  ARCHEON TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How can I best put myself first?

Tarot of the Secret Forest

Reading Summary:  Fucking around (The Fool) means lack of ingenuity (Three of Coins Rx). Gather up your friends (Three of Cups) and charge head first toward your goals (Knight of Pentacles). Don’t rush and accept that it might be slow going (Knight of Coins and Lovers Rx).

Take Away:  I can put myself first at this time by getting back on the path of progress. It’s okay to move slow, but just as another reading today has already stated… stagnancy is not healthy.  So make sure that I’m using the help and support available to me, and get moving.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE SECRET FOREST

Self Care for Sustainability

IMG_6456Today’s meditation was just under twelve minutes long and was another of the guided meditations with interval timer.   This guided meditations was one of my favorite types.  That is to say, it was one of the yoga nidra full body scans that starts at the top of the head and slowly moves through each of the body’s parts from head to toe, focusing on sensation and relaxation one body part at a time.

These meditations are very relaxing for me, and they also have the added benefit of allowing me to find problem areas in my body that need a little extra stretching or care.

There was also a small speech at the end about how to increase one’s focus so that you can tune out distractions, but… to be fair?  I wasn’t really listening to what she was saying, because I was enjoying the music that was playing in the background.

Hush Tarot - Queen of PentaclesToday’s draw is the Queen of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of a receptive alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s finances, resources, home, health, and manifestations.  This often translates into themes of nurturing energy that holds the weight of responsibility for others.

In the imagery of this card today, what I see is the “bride of dandelions”.  A beautiful and earthy queen that does not have time to dawdle but will make the time to care for and support those that are important to her.

The dandelions are a reminder that when you take care of others, you must also care for yourself, and that is the message in today’s card.  Without caring for yourself, you are unable to care for others.  Don’t forget that.  Self care sustains us and helps us in everything we do and everything we want to do… not just for ourselves, but for others as well.

DECK USED:  HUSH TAROT

#Zentember #LovelyHealing Challenge Prompt
Question
: How to strengthen my personal power?

Tyldwick Tarot

Reading Summary:  Connect to the optimism you have been fostering (The Star) and bring it into your work and expertise (Eight of Coins) in order to kindle the strength of your passions (Ace of Wands)

Take Away:  In order to strengthen my personal power I need to make sure I’m not allowing myself to fall into old pessimistic habits.  Optimism is not easy for me, but it is healthy for me and opens me up to opportunities  because begins to filter into my work.   As this positivity slips into my work, it lightens and brightens the end products I produce, all the while inspiring me to create new beautiful things.

DECK USED:  TYLDWICK TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsSep2020 Challenge Prompt
Topic
: Write something free form inspired by the cards.

Hardy TarotThere was once a young woman that was fed up with her husband’s behavior and decided she’d had enough. He no longer brought her flowers or wrote her love letters, and all he seemed to do these days was work and sleep.  With her heart on her sleeve and her emotions driving her, she gathered up their two children and left him behind, striking out on her own to find something better. (Eight of Cups)

For a while, the freedom of her new life on her own with her children was glorious.  She wallowed in the new life that independence brought into her life and busily went about making a new home for herself and her children. (Page of Cups)

Soon, though, the newness of it all wore off and she found herself constantly overbooked and overburdened.  She came to realize that her husband provided her with more than just love, but also support.  Support that she had not realized he provided until she was left without it and had to carry all of the responsibility on her own shoulders. (Ten of Wands)

DECK USED:  HARDY TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What is my favourite mantra?

Tarot of the Secret Forest

Reading Summary:  Don’t allow outer conflict to crush your inner spirit, instead take comfort in those that love you and the security and stability of home.

Take Away:  This was an interesting question and although I’m not sure this translated directly into a mantra?  I think what the cards did here was just as clear.   The thing is, when I feel like I need to crawl into a corner and “lick my wounds” after conflict?  It can be hard to deal with reality… because all I really want to do is go find a rock to hide under.

This isn’t unusual, and is pretty common with a lot of people.  But it’s important to remember that too much alone time is a bad thing, especially when feeling down.   So instead, I need to make sure I’m reaching out to others to get their support, not just in making the world feel okay again… but in emotional support to help soothe my suffering.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE SECRET FOREST

Enjoying Collaboration

IMG_6310Today’s meditation was just under eleven minutes long, and like yesterday’s meditation, it was a guided meditation with interval timer element added for the sake of my piriformis stretches.

The focus of the guided meditation today was about compassion, and it reminded me of someone that I watch on YouTube from time to time.  Dustin often closes  his videos with “Remember that everyone is fighting a battle that you know nothing about.  So be kind. Always.”  It is a phrase that has really stuck with me over time, and it is a prime example of the topic of today’s guided meditation.

The guide brought up how sometimes we are impatient or frustrated with others.  Whether it’s because they’re slower than we’d like in a store or on the road, or they’re paying with pennies in the grocery store and we’re stuck behind them, etc.  And the thing is?  Sometimes?  These things that irritate us only do so because we don’t understand what’s going on  and why they’re happening.

The thing is though?  It’s none of our business.  But what is our business is treating these situations and people with patience and understanding, regardless of whether we personally are in the know as to why whatever is happening is happening.

Hush Tarot - Three of PentaclesToday’s draw is is the Three of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of collaboration towards a shared goal or endeavor, usually in the area s of finances, resources, or projects focused on the process of manifestation.

This card feels a lot like the Three of Cups to me.  Three birds enjoying a treat, perched around the rim of a cup together.

And yet, being the Three of Pentacles has it’s own relevance here.  It makes this card about more than successful endeavors and collaboration, but also about enjoying the process.  It’s important to enjoy the time you put towards your projects and endeavors, and when you involve others in on these projects?  Then it’s important that it’s enjoyable for them as well.

The other day a reading suggested I figure out what it is that others who help me during the holiday season enjoy, so that I can shift those jobs to them rather than waiting until I’m desperate for help and handing them whatever jobs need done at the time.   In both instances, they are helping, and getting things done that need done.  But in the former instance they get to really enjoy the process… whereas in the latter scenario they could end up stuck with jobs that suck.

Here in this card I see the results of finding out what people enjoy and giving them those tasks rather than just tossing whatever needs done their way.

DECK USED:  HUSH TAROT

#Zentember #LovelyHealing Challenge Prompt
Question
: Where am I emotionally?

Sasuraibito Tarot

Reading Summary: Feeling secure and grounded (Ten of Pentacles) and supportedly (new word) inspired (Queen of Wands) as at the moment I am both receiving and giving equally (Six of Pentacles).

Take Away: Emotionally I’m feeling pretty good right now. Having a sense of balance and security is really helpful in keeping me on an even keel and making life tolerable as a whole.  I also feel pretty good about my work.  Although I’ve fallen behind a bit, I’m getting help from both L and Z, which is helping a lot in keeping that “fallen behind” from becoming something that feels insurmountable.

DECK USED:  SASURAIBITO TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsSep2020 Challenge Prompt
Philosophical Question
: What is Humanity’s biggest accomplishment?

Tarot of the Secret ForestReading Summary: The ability to rise above (Hanged Man and The Sun) experiences of betrayal and deception (Seven of Swords), allowing those experiences to inspire us to be better and become more than before (King of Wands).

Take Away: This is about more than just “learning from our mistakes” but rather about taking the bad things that happen to us that aren’t our mistakes at all, and learning how to not just move past them, but turn them into a positive growth experience.  

I know that not everyone has this ability, but I do agree that the ability to “rise above” really could be one of humanity’s biggest accomplishments, if not one we’ve quite managed to master yet.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE SECRET FOREST

Lionharts #AstroTarotChallenge
Question
: How has my family or foundation positively shaped, influenced or impacted the way I move or carry myself today?

Hardy Tarot

Reading Summary: I learned to fend for myself (Page of Swords) instead of depending upon external praise (Six of Wands), and to be secure in laying claim what’s mine (Queen of Disks).

Take Away: I can’t say that my family foundation has been all that positive, but it has taught me self sufficiency.  Although I do enjoy praise and admiration, I don’t require it.  I’m more than capable of motivating myself without that carrot dangling before me.

By the same turn, it has taught me to feel a good deal of protective ownership over what belongs to me.  This goes beyond personal possessions and includes thoughts, ideas, values, and those things that I work so hard to obtain such as a home, stability, and security.

DECK USED:  HARDY TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How can I make life choices more consciously?

Wiener Secession Tarot

Reading Summary: I need to make it a conscious choice (Two of Spades) to worry less about my fears and anxieties (Nine of Spades) and focus instead on embodying the strength and purpose of my endeavors (King of Clubs) while practicing the moderation needed to keep things balanced (Temperance).

Take Away:  To make life’s choices more consciously (and more confidently, for that matter), the cards indicate that I need to spend less time worrying and more time finding a balance between my drive and my need for self care.  Moderation is not my strong suit, and I have a habit of dropping myself into an endeavor and allowing it to overtake every facet of my life until it is all that I eat, sleep, or breathe.  This is a tendency that I am trying to break myself free of. 

The thing is, when I focus on my anxieties?  It only pushes me more towards the need to delve deep, and pulls me away from the self care I need to sustain in my life.

DECK USED:  WIENER SECESSION TAROT

Compassion

Today’s meditation was was ten minutes long and one of the harp strings meditations with interval timer.   It was very relaxing, even if my piriformis stretches were pretty painful throughout the process. This is not a surprise as my physiotherapy / yoga practice is as well at the moment.  I’m paying the price of not going in to the chiro / sports medicine doc regularly.

Botan Tarot - The EmperorToday’s draw is the Emperor card, which is traditionally a representation of an authority figure or leadership.  This card is about  the responsibility and steady control as one makes decisions for the greater good.

Sometimes, when making decisions for the greater good, we have to disregard our own wishes and desires.  It sucks, but that’s what being the responsible party is all about.  It’s about working towards the well being of all instead of the individual.   This is the message that stands out to me today in the imagery of this card.  The man in the picture is weathered and tough, but his eyes hold a hint of kindness as well.   Strength tempered by compassion.

And whether you lead or follow, whether you’re the man on top of the mountain, or just one of the grunts climbing the hill?  We all have strengths.  The important thing is that we wield those strengths with compassion.

DECK USED:  BOTAN TAROT

#Zentember #LovelyHealing Challenge Prompt
Question
: Where do I shine?

Art Nouveau Tarot c. 1989

Reading Summary:  Reevaluation (Four of Cups) of my strategies (Seven of Swords) when things change or go awry (The Wheel).

Take Away:  This is about adaptability, and making things up “on the fly” in order to keep moving even when roadblocks try to trip me up. The thing is, I don’t see anything in life as a real “road block” but more a challenge.  Stopping is not an option because life just doesn’t work that way, so it’s important to be able to adapt and adjust and keep moving, even when it feels like you’ve reached the end of the road. 

DECK USED:  ART NOUVEAU TAROT c.1989

#DiscordTarotholicsSep2020 Challenge Prompt
Philosophical Question
: What are the 3 major strengths of humanity?

WilderWoven TarotTwo of Swords – Free Will – Humanity has the ability to make choices, to exercise free will upon themselves and their situation.  Although sometimes our choices are not always appealing, there are always choices open to us. We are able to dream our dreams, and make choices based upon what we want out of life.

The EmperorAutonomy – With free will comes the autonomy to create out own fate and move forward in the direction we choose. Sometimes we must make a round-about path to get there, but ultimately we choose for ourselves where we are going on our path.

The Devil Transcendence –   Which then leads us the ability to transcend.  This is not about “spiritual transcendence” to a new level of consciousness, but rather the ability to pull ourselves out of bad situations through our free will and autonomy and into a different situation or better place either mentally or physically.

DECK USED:  WILDERWOVEN TAROT

Lionharts #AstroTarotChallenge
Question
: What is my biggest strength (or personal superpower)?

Hardy Tarot

Reading Summary:  Potential growth (Ace of Disks) through nurturing (Queen of Cups) and recuperation (Four of Swords).

Take Away:  As much as I struggle with giving myself the nurturing warmth and rest that I need, the fact is that I am able to physically bounce back rather quickly when I do fulfill those needs. After multiple car accidents, and more injuries than I can count throughout the three decades of my life so far,  my recoveries have always been impressively quick, and even more so if  I  allow myself the self love and recuperation needed during those times of healing.

DECK USED:  HARDY TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How can I appreciate all of my talents?

El Goliath Tarot 2nd Edition

Reading Summary: Remember how much you have overcome (Starseed atop Five of Pentacles), and where you come from as well as how much you have grown along the way (King of Swords atop Page of Swords).  Take care to act sans impulsivity (Knight of Swords).

Take Away: Impulsive action is not my friend and in order to appreciate my talents, I need to use them in ways that support my growth and keep me moving forward.  That requires both forethought, as well as trust in my moral compass to lead me forward in a positive direction.

DECK USED:  EL GOLIATH TAROT