Heaven & Earth Tarot

Plans and Circumstance

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Today’s meditation was skipped… because I was a lazy fucker and decided to sleep through it.  No, really. It wasn’t that I fell asleep in the middle.  Instead I laid down to meditate and it felt so good that I literally said “fuck it” and rolled over to burrow in and sleep instead.

Heaven & Earth Tarot - Wheel of FortuneToday’s draw is the Wheel of Fortune, which is traditionally a representation of the ups and downs that life has to offer.  This is more than about good luck and bad luck, but about the “rollercoaster” of life and how things are never still or stagnant, but always moving and changing.

What stands out to me the strongest in the imagery of this card today has to do with the design of the wheel itself.  It looks like clockworks.  Like very precise, very well designed clockwork.  

What this means to me is that there’s a plan behind what happens in life, the good and the bad.  I’m not Christian and I don’t believe in God in the whole bible sort of way, but there is a truth in the words that “God” works in mysterious ways.    In my case, this is about the energies of creation, evolution, and balance…. the universe, yeah?   And that also works in mysterious ways. 

Some things that don’t look planned have an actual purpose… some things that look planed are utterly random.  The best any of us can do is to follow our moral compass and keep going, one step at a time upon our chosen path… and seek to be better people with each step than we were before. The rest?  It will sort itself out in the end all on its own.

DECK USED:  HEAVEN & EARTH TAROT

LionHart’s Elements Tarot Challenge Prompt
Question: What am I asked to cut away or let go of for a smooth 2021 journey?

Dark Days Tarot

 Reading Summary:  Impatience (Knight of Pentacles Rx) and stagnancy (Three of Wands Rx). You’ve got this (The Magician).

Take Away:  In order to move forward into the year with the best chance possible of making it a smooth journey, I need to let go of the need to be impatient and push forward for hard and fast progress.  At the same time, I need to make sure that I don’t stall out.  It’s a balance between the two… a balance I have a hard time finding after spending the majority of my life pushing so hard that I’m forced to then crash and recover before starting over again.   The Magician card in this reading is an encouragement to remind me that I can let go of these things and find a new way… I have everything I need at my disposal to do this.

DECK USED:  DARK DAYS TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicJan2021 Challenge Prompt
Philosophical Question: Is it true that pleasure is the root of all true evil?

Occult TarotReading Summary:  When you lose control over yourself and others (The Emperor Rx) there are times when the results turn out positive… but just as many times when the results turn out negative (Wheel of Fortune).  It’s a crap shoot that creates the need for making decisions that aren’t always fun or pleasant (Two of Swords).

Keep in mind that generosity and kindness (Six of Pentacles) does not always equate with being more evolved.

Take Away: I’m surprised by this answer because I was expecting it to be a yes… but instead the answer is No.   Not all evil is rooted in pleasure.  Sometimes it is rooted in circumstance and our reactions to those circumstances.  Sometimes it is about perspective of what true evil really is.  Sometimes, it’s about seeking an escape from repercussions.  Sometimes… the road to hell is paved in good intentions.

DECK USED:  OCCULT TAROT

New Horizons to Explore

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Today’s meditation was skipped.  Not for any particular reason but mostly just because… well, I didn’t feel like it. I know it’s not a good excuse, but it’s what happened.

Heaven & Earth Tarot - Ace of SwordsToday’s draw is the Ace of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of the seed like beginnings of new ideas, new ambitions, new knowledge, or new communication.  The key here is in the fact that it’s the sword suit, which deals with intellect, logic, communication, and ambitions… and an Ace, which is about the seeds of something new.

What stands out to me the strongest in the imagery of this card today is the moss-like drape of vegetation from the sides of the crown.  The book calls these “laurels”, although… they don’t look like laurel to me.

The reading that I did earlier this morning was about alone time, and making sure that I seek out alone time for myself even when it feels like a waste of time or some sort of frivolousness.   This drape of mossy “laurel” is a reminder to me of that healthy alone time that I need to make sure I’m getting enough of.

The seed of the ace is there to encourage me to look for new ways to get that alone time, new places to go and things to see, new trails to hike and locations to visit so that I continue to stay interested and eager to seek out that needed alone time whenever I’m able instead of losing interest and procrastinating on it.

DECK USED:  HEAVEN & EARTH TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicJan2021 Challenge Prompt
Question: What does your inner child crave that you’ve been ignoring?

Earth Bones TarotReading Summary:  You’re paying too much attention to feelings of scarcity (Five of Jars atop Ten of Petals Rx). Step up and take control (The Emperor) instead of doubting your intuition and emotional growth (Page of Jars Rx).

Take Away: Stability and validation concerning my emotions is what my inner child craves that I have been ignoring.  The thing is?  I honestly ignore my inner child as much as possible.  Maybe because it’s called my inner “child” yeah?  I don’t relate well to children and have a hard time relating to that term as I was never really much of a “child” even when I was one. 

That, of course, means that my “inner child” is quite repressed and neglected.  I only let it out to “play” when I’m feeling good, and considering how much time I spend in the slippery slide of depression, crawling out of that dark pit, or hovering right on the cusp of the pit at risk of falling in?  That’s not a lot of freedom for my inner child to get some air.   Right now (not surprising as I’m sliding down that slope of the pit) my inner child is feeling vulnerable and unsure of itself and, due to my trying to ignore the encroaching depression… invalidated.

DECK USED:  EARTH BONES TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How can I stop procrastinating?

5 Cent Tarot

Reading Summary: Take charge (The Emperor) and do one small little thing at a time (Temperance), and you will feel more nurtured and able as a result (The Empress).

Take Away:  Maybe it’s time to start doing a few orders a day, one cleaning task a day, take chores and things that need to be done in bite sized pieces… rather than putting them off to do in large chunks because it just feels like “too much trouble” or overwhelming.  That’s the major excuses that I have for procrastinating most of the time after all…. that it feels like “too much” or “too much trouble” or is just overwhelming for some reason..

DECK USED:  5 CENT TAROT

Inspiring Changes

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IMG_8792Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and was a guided meditation with interval timing for my piriformis stretches.    The topic of today’s guided meditation was about envy.

I don’t really remember much of the actual guided meditation. I just remember that  it was about looking beyond what people have to the people themselves. Life isn’t about things, but about people after all.

Heaven & Earth Tarot - The TowerToday’s draw is the Tower card, which is traditionally a representation of sudden and sometimes violent change.  This isn’t the calm and steady organic change that comes with the Death card, but rather it is sudden and without warning.

When I drew this card this morning, I had thought the message was about tearing down old to make room for new, and perhaps it still means that… although considering what went on today and the racial slurs that are currently spray painted all over my car?  I’m thinking this could very well have been a warning, regardless of the fact that the question was about being provided with a positive message to provide perspective.

Perhaps… the perspective here is that we need to do some renovations on our security in the building so things like this are less likely to happen. I’ve spent time speaking with the police, and going through security cameras, etc.  Maybe once things have settled down it’s time to call a security meeting and look at making some changes for the better.

Sometimes crap ass shit has to happen in order to light a fire under the ass of change.  That’s today’s message.

DECK USED:  HEAVEN & EARTH TAROT

LionHart’s Elements Tarot Challenge Prompt
Topic: Something I should know about my current passions/desires.

Magical Nordic Tarot

 Reading Summary: You’re going to have to move forward with patience (Knight of Pentacles) because you have a lot of conflict (Five of Wands) surrounding your feelings about the past (Six of Cups). Collaborative help from others (Three of Pentacles) will keep you moving forward and in control of your direction (The Chariot).

Take Away: This message is an echo of this morning’s bonus read.  It speaks of making sure I’m moving in the right direction by working with those I love and that want to support me.  It’s about allowing them to step in and keep me afloat when the influences of my past slip in to start screwing with my head and my heart. If I want to stay on track with my passions and desires, I can’t go it alone. I need the help of others to help keep me on track and healthy while I move forward at a slow and steady pace.

DECK USED:  MAGICAL NORDIC TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicJan2021 Challenge Prompt
Question: How can you bring more of what you want into your world?

Tarot of the DivineReading Summary: Be clever and “beg borrow and steal” (Seven of Swords) all the positivity and fun you can get (The Sun). It’s about going after what inspires you (Knight of Wands) with forethought and strategy at your back (Page of Swords).

Take Away: Go after the fun.  Focus on those things that really “light my fire” and get me going.  Use my mind, my wit, and the full force of my skills, abilities, and faculties to go after those things that have the potential to bring positivity and fun into my life.

The key here is twofold.  First, that I put myself “all in” to going after these things.  And second, that I focus on those things that truly foster my happiness and positivity.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE DIVINE

Small Steps vs Grand Gestures

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was… oh hell I dunno.  I’m behind in getting my posts up by a few days and I don’t really remember what the meditation was for the 14th.  I’m pretty sure it was one of the days I skipped it though, as I seem to have skipped an entire four days in a row if my timer app can be believed (which, it can). So… yeah. 

Heaven & Earth Tarot - Seven of PentaclesToday’s draw is the Seven of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of delayed gratification, sustainability, and long term progress. Instant gratification this card is not, as all of the themes that this card has to do with involve waiting and the “long game”.

Again, what stands out to me the strongest in this deck is the words at the bottom of the card.   Not that I don’t find the artwork breathtaking, which I do… but the words say “Success Unfulfilled” which… seems a bit negative in connotation when the theme of this card is traditionally more about success being fulfilled over time.

Today’s card is a reminder to me that as I work through the orders that need to be done for shipping out tomorrow, I need to remember that this is the small work that growth is all about.  With every small bit of work, the progress becomes larger… and more.   And over time?  You find yourself at your goals and surpassing them.   But it takes time.   So take a breath and do the small work, and let things build over time.  Not everything has to be a grand gesture or massive action.

DECK USED:  HEAVEN & EARTH TAROT

LionHart’s Elements Tarot Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I best use my creative energy in support of my future self?

Occult TarotReading Summary: Lean your creative energy into your work (The Magician), and don’t allow yourself to be distracted by whims (Page of Cups Rx).

Take Away: When I’m not feeling particularly grounded, it’s really easy for me to end up distracted. Ideas and little side projects that catch my eye draw me away from my work, and then I struggle to get caught up with my work, etc.  It happens all the time.

The cards here indicate that if I want to use my creative energy in support of my future self, I need to make sure that I turn that creative energy back to my work again and again, taking the skills that I learn from those distractions and reinvesting them into my work.

DECK USED:  OCCULT TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicJan2021 Challenge Prompt
Question: What is a really great idea you had but then forgot about?

Garnet Witch's TarotReading Summary: Shifting how I balance my responsibilities (Two of Pentacles) so that I can let some of the weight and responsibility (Magician) die out (Death), and make way for more emotional exploration (Ace of Cups).

Take Away: I wouldn’t say that I forgot about it.  Just… that it got put on the back burner while I was plowing my way through the holiday rush.

The weird thing (and current struggle where this is concerned) is that now that I’m on the other side of the holiday rush, I can’t remember what I was doing that made it feel like I was getting somewhere on this idea prior to the rush’s arrival.

DECK USED:  GARNET WITCH’S TAROT

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was subverted for a nap.  Apparently I needed the sleep more than I realized, as I was going to be doing a guided meditation and as soon as I settled in place… I dozed right off to sleep.   I will try to meditate again before bed.

Heaven & Earth Tarot - Nine of SwordsToday’s draw is the Nine of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of anxiety, insomnia, and struggling with one’s inner voice and worries.

I’ve always loved this card in a wide variety of decks.  It’s one that I relate to greatly.   What stands out the strongest in the imagery of this card today is the astronomical symbols on the blanket covering the woman in the image.  Or rather, it’s the style of artwork that allows for some of those symbols to be so crisp and precise, and others to be blurred or indistinct.

I understand that this was an artistic choice, and one that was probably not intended to convey a message.  And yet, to me… it does.  It speaks of allowing yourself not to worry so much about the little things.   It’s about that phrase “don’t sweat the small stuff” because perhaps these details are so small that many wouldn’t even notice them… and perhaps so unimportant that some wouldn’t pay attention.  And yet to the artist?  These detail are very important and a conscious choice was made not to make them so minutely detailed that they took up the focus of the image as a whole.

There’s always lots and lots of things to worry about in life, but we need to make sure we don’t get so focused on the small stuff that we forget to look at the big picture and allow ourselves to get a good night’s sleep at night.  Let go of some of the small stuff and all those micromanaging inclinations… take a breath and relax.

DECK USED:  HEAVEN & EARTH TAROT

LionHart’s Elements Tarot Challenge Prompt
Question: What am I asked to do about elements within myself that don’t support my plans?

Mundane Magick Tarot

 Reading Summary: Go on your merry way (The Fool) after the things that light your fire (Pupil of Lighters), and don’t allow your responsibility to others (Forecaster of Coins) to overwhelmed you (Ten of Lighters).

Take Away:  This isn’t about ignoring those elements within myself that hold me back, but rather allowing my enthusiasm to overpower them and weigh that enthusiasm as having far more weight than the responsibilities that try to drag me down.   In other words… beware the burnout that can happen when you let those that depend on you become a burden instead of an asset.

DECK USED:  MUNDANE MAGICK TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicJan2021 Challenge Prompt
Question: What do I need to focus on for self-care during this new moon?

Future Vision Gem TarotReading Summary: Down moods and depression happens (Three of Swords). Use your strengths to rise above (Strength) and remember it’s only temporary (Wheel of Fortune).

Take Away: The whisper of my negative inner narrative has been flirting at the edges of my subconscious for about a week now.  The cards are a warning of the whispers that are trying to slip in and mess with my head.  They are a reminder than I am strong and I have tools at my disposal to help curb the coming depression into something more manageable.  They are also a reminder that these struggles are not permanent. They are temporary, and they will pass.

Depression often feels like it will never end, that you will never feel better and that this is feeling of depression is your existence for always.  Keeping in mind that it is temporary is an important part of making it through these times and to the other side.

DECK USED:  FUTURE VISION GEM TAROT

Steady Ground

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was another of those “start meditating and end up napping” meditations.  Which is to say, I didn’t meditate today.  I napped. Apparently, I really needed to sleep, no matter how much I might have also needed the meditation.  I will try again to meditate tonight before bed.

Heaven & Earth Tarot - The HermitToday’s draw is the Hermit, which is traditionally a representation of taking time to oneself for inner exploration and reflection. It is about being alone in order to seek out one’s inner voice and do a bit of soul searching.

What stood out to me in this imagery is that when I first looked at it this morning, I first saw rough ocean waters behind the Hermit instead of the mountain range.

It is in this shift of imagery that I see the message in this card today, for it is about the need to have some sort of stability under your feet when you do your soul searching journey and not the instability of rolling waves.

Just as it is a bad idea to do shadow work on yourself when your world is in upheaval, so is a time when you don’t have steady footing a bad time to settle into aloneness and introspection.

During times of chaos and instability, you need others around you to help support you.  Do your alone time and introspection later when the world has settled into solid ground under your feet once more.

DECK USED:  HEAVEN & EARTH TAROT

LionHart’s Elements Tarot Challenge Prompt
Question: What surrounding elements are currently supporting my plans?

Transire Tarot

 Reading Summary:  Energies of deconstruction (The Tower) and slow growth (Seven of Pentacles) surround and support me, no matter how worrisome those energies might feel sometimes (Nine of Swords)

Take Away:  It’s not always a bad thing to pick things apart.  By taking things apart you learn from them how they work and what they’re about, and you gain knowledge on how to build something better as a result.  But this process takes time, and sometimes that time can allow worries and anxieties to rise up to pick and poke at the mind.  Even worry can have its place, though.  It can motivate and keep you alert and paying attention one’s progress… as long as it doesn’t get out of hand.

DECK USED:  TRANSIRE TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicJan2021 Challenge Prompt
Topic: Do Spread 2
Question: How is Mister R handling things with his health at the moment? Is he going to stick around for a while longer?

Magical Nordic TarotReading Summary: The Queen of Cups through it’s coloring, stands alone, only the fish connecting it to the Strength card and the Six of Pentacles… the aqua of the water also connects to the dress in the Strength.  This is an indication that he is feeling emotionally sated and strong due to the support he’s receiving. He wraps himself in that support and it makes him stronger. It feels good to him that those at a distance have reached out to him during the troubles he’s been having (polar bear).

Through color connection, the Five of Swords is also an outlier in this reading, with only a slight echo in the bottom of the Six of Pentacles).  It lies beneath the Six of Pentacles indicating that he’s willing to fight hard to stick around, demanding that he get the most out of life and using the support of others to help him in that effort.  That support then flows down into the Strength card, again echoing the connection between the support he’s receiving, and the strength that he gets from it.

Take Away: It is when Mister R is feeling alone and separated from others that he begins to slide down into self-defeating mindset and attitude.  As long as he is receiving support from others around him, he will continue to fight and take strength from that support to stay on top of things.  That support gives him a boost in this fight, and also an emotional boon to his soul.

To give him the best chance, you need to call and talk with him often… and encourage others to do the same.

DECK USED:  MAGICAL NORDIC TAROT