Rekindling Motivation

Today’s meditation was an ten minute long #DailyTrip session from the @Calm app.

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Inversion Tarot - Ace of SwordsThe @GlitterbyInk #JanJourney26 Embark to Renewal Challenge
The Departure Prompt for January 6th
: Resilience
Daily Mental Health Prompt
: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Ace of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of the seed of new beginnings in the area of one’s thoughts, intellect, education, logic and reason, ambition, or communication.

It doesn’t matter how rough the road is, as long as you keep your eye on the prize.

When you set your eye on a prize, and your ambitions are flying high, it’s easy to work through obstacles and keep going. It’s harder when you’re enthusiasm is flagging. At these times, it’s important to keep your eye on the prize. What are you aiming for? What inspired that ambition in the first place?

The message in today’s “resilience” prompt, and Ace of Swords card is that you can breathe fresh air into your flagging motivation by revisiting the inspiration that started you out on the journey in the first place. What was it the triggered your ambition and flared your motivation to life? When you revisit through memory how you felt in the beginning, those feelings can then be rekindled in the present.

DECK USED:  INVERSION TAROT

One Card Tarot Journal Activity by @mariasofia_astro
Chapter 1 | Entry 18 – Self Care and Personal Development
Affirmation
: I am a consistent work process.
Prompt : Focusing on your perceived weaknesses can create limiting thought patterns and behaviors. Draw a card to see how the cards positive attributes can help you to find something that you perceive as a weakness to see how it’s actually one of your strengths.

Tarot Activity from The One Card a Day Journal by Maria Sofia Marmanides - JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Tarot - The MoonWhat feelings came up when I pulled this card?

Fascination. The imagery in this card really caught my eye. I was immediately pulled into the weirdness and chaos as my eyes were drawn to the small details.

What elements of the card’s meaning resonate with me and this prompt?

The Moon is often about fears, uncertainties, and the illusions that the mind and emotions use to play tricks on us.

On the positive side of these attributes is learning how to identify these illusions as the trickery that they are, and the choice to keep going through dark and chaotic moments with trust that you’ll come out the other side instead of becoming lost forever.

What in the artwork spoke to me?

The classic RWS dog and wolf creating a sense of conflict. The pill on the tongue of the Moon in the sky feels like an indication of buying into illusions (like the choice of the red or blue pill in the Matrix). The lobster foaming at the mouth speaks to me of emotions in overdrive.

My prompt response and reflections.

When you look beneath your emotional reactions and the chaos and uncertainty you’re experiencing, you find that the path forward is still there. Your feet follow that path intuitively, even when you are distracted by the uncertainty of you emotions.

Other elements included in this reading:
Labradorite D20 and D6 Gemstone Dice

DECK USED: JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE TAROT & The Nine Gods of Egypt 5TH GENERATION

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2026 Challenge
Prompt for January 6th
: How can you bring more of what you want into your world?

Tarot Reading with the Inversion TarotReading Summary: Align yourself with the kind of person you want to be first (Judgement), then push yourself past tendencies to languish (Strength atop Page of Wands Rx). Just do it (Three of Wands).

Take Away: You know what you like. You know what you want. It’s not about identifying these things. It’s about actually getting off your ass and doing them.

You have a tendency to languish a little too long when you allow yourself to indulge in the behavior, and it goes from a healthy treat into unhealthy behavior as a result.

Use your time of languish to reflect on what you want out of your life, and out of yourself.  Then push yourself out of that moment of stagnancy and get moving again instead of continuing to linger “just a bit longer”.

Other elements included in this reading:
Staghorn Sumac for Connecting with Nature and the Wild Within
Dried Purple Heather Flowers for Independence and Luck
Green Aventurine for Harmony and Balance of the Heart

Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED:  INVERSION TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I went back to grab my earbuds after I’d forgotten them in the house, instead of saying “fuck it” and leaving them behind.

Knowing Your Values

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and I had an extremely difficult time staying focused today, which is not particularly surprising considering what I had planned for later in the morning.  I think it was good that I did sit down and do it, though, as it helped settle my nerves a bit.

Now that that part of the day is over, though, I will probably try again later this evening before we begin the drive home.

Today’s draw is the Hanged Man, which is also apropos for this morning’s activities.  Although in this case it is me showing others a different perspective than taking one myself.   There is a part of the Hanged Man’s interpretation that has to do with criminal behavior and payment as well, which is also appropriate.

The appearance of the Hanged Man in today’s draw is a reminder of who I am and what I stand for.  It is here to keep me from getting lost in my rebellion or the upheaval that it causes and is sure to cause down the line.  My acts today were done with reason and purpose, and when the chaos is swirling around me I need to keep hold of that and remember that.

DECK USED:  CIRCLE INNER ANIMAL TAROT

#TarotForGrowthFebruary Challenge Prompt
Question
: How can I improve my relationship with my mind?

Reading Summary:  A strong and stable connection with my mind (King of Swords) will require me to stay true to my values (Judgement) and that intrinsic sense of fairness that I need so deeply (Justice).

Take Away:  My inner sense of self and moral compass requires a balanced approach and a fairness to be incorporated into my thoughts and actions.  When I occasionally stray from this, it weakens that connection I have to my mind and it’s level and logical approach to seeing and processing the world.

DECK USED:  THE INVERSION TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsFeb2020 Challenge Prompt
Question
: How can I be a better friend?

Reading Summary:  Be there for my friends when they need a helping hand (Nine of Wands) and provide the emotional boosts that they occasionally need (Knight of Cups) when they are trapped into feelings of uncertainty (The Moon).

Take Away: Sometimes friends need more than outside the box thinking to help them work through a problem and find a solution.  Sometimes they need emotional support as well.   It’s not really my strong suit, but the cards indicate if I want to be a better friend, this is an area I could improve on.

Deck Note: Oddly?  I really love this deck, which considering the subject reminder is a bit surprising to me.  The deck reminds me of those tiny green plastic soldier toys from the dollar store. I know that these are actual WWII propaganda posters, but they all have that “toy soldiers playing out card meanings” feel to me.  I kinda like it.

DECK USED:  WWII POSTERS TAROT

Owl and Bones February Two Card Challenge
Question
: Where should I emerge? / What do I see in my shadow?

Reading Summary:  I don’t know the system for these cards as they are a recent gift without any sort of book, so the read off these is 100% intuitive off the imagery.  The cards indicate that I need to step out of my shell more with others at large rather than just hiding away.  In the shadow behind me is pride and depression… or rather that indulging in pride can lead into depression.

Take Away:  It’s true that I have a habit of closing myself off.  It’s not elitist or that I mean to close people out, so much as that it is a defense mechanism that was created through experiencing some pretty damaging betrayals.  I don’t mean to project that on others, but when I feel vulnerable I retreat rather than stepping forward.

As for what lingers in my shadow.  The “pride” I am seeing here is my demand to live up to some imaginary standard that I can never quite reach.  In this context, the fact that I fail to reach this standard can absolutely be a trigger for depression.

DECK USED:  DISHONORED TAROT

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?

Self Care Saturday

Earth – Seven of Swords – What I steal away and betray this week will come to haunt me and I will need support from others to get through the repercussions.  In other words, there will be repercussions for playing the karmic justice card at the club this weekend, and I’m going to need the support of those that love and care about me to make it through and be alright with it all.

AirThree of Cups – I need to speak up and communicate clearly what I need from others.  No hemming and hawing about it, just open up and let them know “this is what I need right now”.  They know that if I’m asking it’s not for anything frivolous, and I won’t be refused.

WaterSeven of Cups – This week is not a week for providing emotional stability and strength to others.  Don’t over extend yourself, because you’re going to need that stability and energy for yourself this week.

FireEight of Swords and Horseman of Pentacles –  I’m still in a “dry spell” creatively and I need to take this time to give my creative spark the break that it needs and to instead focus on the more administrative and organizational matters this week.

WaningThe Primary Problem With Language Is Its Magic – Self fulfilling prophesies are a very real thing.  Be careful about what you think and how you communicate with others.

WaxingMagic Is Either Everything or It Is Nothing and Glitch –  Remember that sometimes people just take things the wrong way, and there’s no controlling that.  If you try to explain and they refuse to listen, they have made the choice to close off rather than allow for things to be fixed.  That is not on you, but their choice.

Take Away – Buckle in.  This week is going to be a bit bumpy, but you have the support you need to make it through.

Your communication skills are going to go through a really crappy phase this week, and there will be a number of misunderstandings and issues because of that.  Just remain calm and centered, and remember that as long as you make an effort to fix things, if it is rejected that’s their choice and not yours.   The repercussions of this weekend will unfold through the week and I’m going to need support to keep myself stable. 

DECKS USED: THE INVERSION TAROT, DIXIT CARDS DAYDREAMS PACK, POSTCARDS FROM THE LIMINAL SPACE ORACLE