Keymaster Tarot

Don’t Dig In Your Heels

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IMG_8447Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long and was another of the guided meditations from the Calm app with added interval timer for my piriformis and forearm stretches.

Today’s guided meditation was focused upon gratitude, not just for the good stuff in life, but through the struggles we go through as well.  It’s the struggles that build our character and make us into the people we are. They show the true us, and show us what we’re made of.  It’s important to acknowledge the struggles and problems we go through instead of trying to forget them because of that, and to be grateful for the growth that these times foster within us as well as within our relationships and those around us as well.

The Keymaster Tarot - Death, Queen of SpadesToday’s draw is Death atop the Queen of Spades.  Death is traditionally a representation of natural change that develops organically over time.
The Queen of Spades is traditionally a representation of a receptive alpha energy, personality, or person in the areas of intellect and thought, reason and logic, as well as communication in all its forms.

What stands out to me the strongest in these cards today is the bull-like horns that the queen wears on her head.  These horns speak to me of stubbornness, and the death card atop this card that contains these horns indicates a need to slow down and think long and hard before digging in your heels on something.

I’m a notoriously stubborn person.  Not that I fight with others or use conflict to get my way.  I simply do what I want and continue on through obstacles that get in my way with dogged persistence. The thing is, though, sometimes this stubbornness can cause me to miss things… such as better ways to go about doing things, or different ways to get where I want to go…. or that there’s something better to aim for entirely.  This is where the death card comes in to remind me to pay attention and allow change to happen along the way.  Don’t stay so doggedly on a single point or path that I shut change out or try to push it away.

DECK USED:  KEYMASTER TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsDec2020 Challenge Prompt
Topic: Grab a spread of your choice that you’ve been curious about.. and give it a go!
Spread:  Pull four cards and lay them out in two teams. The two in the first team are the enemies, they represent two obstacles you’re currently battling. The second team is the two heroes, they represent two ways you can overcome these obstacles. Time to fight!

Faerie's Oracle by Brian FroudTwo Obstacles You’re Currently Battling

The Singer of Connection – Isolation and a feeling of being bereft and alone. I have been struggling with this lately without realizing it, closing myself off to get through the orders that needed to be done on the 28th, the errands done on the 29th, the sorting and chores done on the 30th, the work and exhaustion of the 30th. All of these have conspired to leave me feeling disconnected and alone.

The Singer of Healing – When I am cut off from those that support me and allow that sense of well-being to flourish, my healing of the self begins to slow to a halt. In the wake of that halt, negative feelings of betrayal, distrust, and abandonment rise up to the surface and begin to pick apart not just my mind and spirit, but also my body as a slippery slope of negative thoughts and emotions take hold.

Two Ways You Can Overcome These Obstacles

The Bodacious Bodach – Get yourself organized and stop allowing chaos to reign. When you allow the days to just take on a life of their own and do their own thing, you find that your time gets stolen away and given to a crapload of shit you don’t really need to do and won’t help you in feeling better.  You need structure, even during your time off.

Geeeeeooo the Slooow – While Bodach might help you in getting organized and creating some loose structure during your time off, make sure that you don’t allow that organization to make you feel cocky enough that you put more on your plate than is healthy at a time when you should be resting.  Take your time and relax. Nothing is pressing at this time.  Chill.

The Potential Results of This Battle

Ffeff the Ffooter – A slowing down.  A grounding.  A time of self care and re-centering. Respect yourself and your needs, respect the earth and your connection with the earth.  Take this time to find your balance and get your feet well rooted and your energy stable. Taking a pause to do these things is the best result possible you can get out of this conflict between these opposing forces.

DECK USED:  THE FAERIES’ ORACLE BY BRIAN FROUD

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How has the Tarot/Oracle increased my insight over the past year?

Steampunk Tarot

Reading Summary: Over the past year tarot/oracle has taught me how to be more generous with myself (Six of Pentacles) so that I spend less time hiding from myself and those things that could hurt me (Eight of Swords) and stealing away my power (Seven of Swords).

Take Away: There’s a lot of shit that I wandered around ignoring for a long time.  Internal wounds and issues that I didn’t want to deal with and shoved aside, pretending they didn’t exist or didn’t influence my life.  The truth is, though, that the only person I hurt with this attitude was myself.  Instead of dealing with these things, they crept around under the surface out of sight, stealing away my strength and my power while I was busy trying to pretend that they didn’t exist. 

Over the past year, I’ve begin pulling those things out of their dark corners and shining a light on them, and in doing so I’ve discovered that a lot of the negative ways in which I treat myself stem from these things. And, that by being kind to myself, I’m able to help reverse some of the damage, and take some of my power back as a result.

DECK USED:  THE STEAMPUNK TAROT

Time To Get Moving

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IMG_8321Today’s meditation was just about twelve minutes long and was another guided meditation with interval timer, because even though I talked yesterday about mixing things up, this morning was too chaotic and stressful to deal with the change up so I did the same meditation I’ve been doing for the past month instead.

Today’s meditation was about taking a break when you need one and not putting yourself down about it when you do.  And honestly?  As many times as I hear this message and as many ways as it comes across to me through thoughts, the cards, and other outside sources?  I still struggle with it… which is perhaps why it continues to come up so often.

Steampunk Tarot - Three of WandsToday’s draw is the Three of Wands, which has been coming up for me quite a lot recently.  The Three of Wands is traditionally a representation of direction and putting plan into action.

As tomorrow and Monday are going to be order processing days and packaging days, it makes sense that this came up today, as it was an encouragement to at least look at my work and get an idea of what I need to do so that I can start on that path forward.

Included in this is of course what has been on all our minds here in this house all day long, which is Mr R’s visit to the hospital this morning. He is like a grandfather for me, and I believe that this card holds a double meaning for today in its message.

The secondary side of the message for the Three of Wands today is that there are certain things that we need to mobilize into action.  Not that today is the day, but more of a warning that we need to be ready to act, and act fast, when the time comes… and that time very well could be very soon.

DECK USED:  STEAMPUNK TAROT

LionHart’s 20/21 Tarot Challenge Prompt
Topic: What can I do right now to set the stage for my dreams and desires?

The Keymaster Tarot

Reading Summary: Stop ignoring the stuff that is good for you (Five of Hearts) and take time to acknowledge those things you’ve done that were difficult (Six of Clubs). Accept that sometimes getting where you want to go takes time, and you’re going to have to just keep plugging at it and getting there one small step at a time over time (Seven of Diamonds).

Take Away:  To set the stage for my dreams and desires I need to make sure I’m taking care of myself and appreciating my accomplishments rather that discounting them as never enough.  Physically, mentally, and emotionally I need the boost that both of these things can provide. 

At the same time, I need to make sure I’m keeping my impatience and demanding need to “push” myself always harder at bay.  Working in a sustainable way that will allow myself to continue over long term is better than a short sprint that leads to burnout and exhaustion, the need for recovery, and then another short sprint.

DECK USED: KEYMASTER TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsDec2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What last minute preparations for the new year need my focus?

Tarot of Light and ShadowReading Summary: At first glance this looks like I need to prepare for another lock down… But surely that can’t be right?  In this interpretation, the cards indicate a time of seclusion in my home (Four of Wands) that is not necessarily healthy (The Hermit Rx), and the need to find things to do to keep me engaged during that time (Ace of Wands).

Although this is my intuitive read on the cards, I’d prefer to believe this is NOT the correct interpretation (mostly… because I don’t wanna go into another lockdown and think the government is far to fractured and fragmented to make one actually happen).

Take Away: So…. lockdown or no lockdown… cards here are indicating that the opportunity for unhealthy alone time at home is possible in the near future, and in order to make sure I get through that time in a healthy way I need to ensure I have engaging new activities to keep me focused and in a positive and healthy place.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF LIGHT AND SHADOW

You’ve Got This

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IMG_8233Today’s meditation was just under thirteen minutes long and was another guided meditation with interval timer for my piriformis stretches.  I’ve also begun adding in some forearm flexor stretches for my right arm, as the muscles have started to seize up from so many hours using the pliers and the repetitive action of the wirework.

The topic of today’s guided meditation was about how to work through difficult emotions such as loneliness, depression, sadness, etc. The key technique that is touched on in this meditation is in remembering that emotions and feelings are temporary. This time of year there’s a lot of people feeling alone, especially considering the pandemic and the restrictions in place around the world right now.  Feeling lonely or down is a common reaction to this.  They key is to remember it’s not forever, even when it feels like it’s forever.  It’s not.

Keymaster Tarot - The MagicianToday’s draw is the Magician, which is traditionally a representation of being in possession of all of the skills, abilities, and tools necessary to reach one’s goals and accomplish one’s ends.  It’s about being capable and skilled, resourceful and gifted with what is needed to get the job done.

Like yesterday,  there are colors and items in the imagery that stand out to me, but in this case it is more of an aesthetic appeal, as the message that came from the card when it first landed on the table was clear and succinct.

You’ve got this.

It’s the last two days of the holiday rush.

You’ve got this.

DECK USED:  KEYMASTER TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsDec2020 Challenge Prompt
Topic: Do Spread #2
Question: How can I best ensure that I get the rest and recovery I need in the week ahead?

Traditional Japanese TarotReading Summary: The colors in the first two cards between the aquas and the greens connect the two cards together.  These two, connected as they are, recommend that new ideas need time to percolate.  Write them down in order to keep track of what needs done, and formulate a plan with Gideon to support you on sticking to it.

The shades of green in the Nine of Pentacles also holds a connection to the Ace of Swords. This is a reminder that now that the end of the holiday rush is at its end, it’s time to turn the mind in a new direction and take time for gratitude, and to acknowledgment of your accomplishments.

Take Away: As silly as it feels to me to need someone to sort of… “police” my activities in order to assure that I get the rest I need this week to recover from the god-awful chaos and exhaustion of the holiday rush… I also know that I’m not able to fully step away without that watchful (and somewhat constant) reminder that I’m not supposed to be working.  There are things to get done and I struggle with not doing them as they pop into my head, worried they won’t get done otherwise.  I need to make sure I’m writing these things down and making a list I can then work at checking things off on later after I’ve had a few days to recover.

DECK USED:  JAPANESE TRADITIONAL TAROT

Mystic Star December Challenge Prompt
Question: What is the best way to share my gifts with those around me?

Tarot of Light and Shadow

Reading Summary: Use what you’ve learned (Six of Cups) to inspire and motivate others (Queen of Wands). And allow them to help you (Three of Serpents) when you need help to defeat your own demons and come out on top (Five of Swords).

Take Away:  This is about making sure that I respect the give-and-take that happens between myself and others.  I always try to give and help, teach and offer… but struggle with taking help in turn.   The cards here indicate that I am capable of inspiring others even while I allow others to help me with what I need help with.  They are not mutually exclusive.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF LIGHT AND SHADOW

Get Moving

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IMG_8057Today’s meditation was just under ten minutes long and was a guided meditation with interval timer for my piriformis stretching.

The topic of the guided part of the meditation was about the benefits of meditating, especially when life has become chaotic and hectic.  How using meditation during these times can help in establishing a quiet calm within the chaos that swirls around you.

This is the reason I am trying especially hard during this month to make sure that I do not skip my meditations.  I might have to skip a good number of my self care practices during this month… but not that one.  Not when the world is in chaos due do the holiday rush.  It’s during this time of year that I need my meditation the most.

Neo Tarot Shadow Edition - Eight of WandsToday’s draw is the Eight of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of fast paced, action oriented energy.  It can also represent alignment and fast moving changes.

I honestly don’t have anything that stood out to me in this card today, and the reason for this is that when the card hit the table, I immediately heard words in my mind.   This type of response to the card happens now and then, and is like a whisper in the ear that is coming from the area of my ear but behind the eardrum instead of from an external source.

What this card said today is “move your ass”.   This was very appropriate considering that I had far more to get done today than I had hours in the day, and even while rushing full speed from hour to hour, I didn’t manage to get everything done until after 4:30am.

DECK USED:  NEO TAROT SHADOW EDITION

#DiscordTarotolicsDec2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Where should I direct my focus this week to be more understanding?

The Keymaster TarotReading Summary: Avoid focusing on your disappointments (Three of Clubs Rx) and instead lean into (Eight of Hearts) how you are feeling about (Jack of Hearts) the surprise attack of fortune (Jack of Diamonds Rx).    Note how the Jack of Hearts and the Jack of Diamonds are facing each other, playing off of each other.

Take Away: I was not expecting the holiday rush to be quite so hectic this year.  With the pandemic and all of the struggles associated with it (economic, etc), I figured it would be slow.  I made a few adjustments in how I was advertising due to that and, as a result, have been remarkably blessed with a massively busy holiday rush as a result.   I really need the money and I’m very grateful for every single sale… but it means I am pushing myself extremely hard at the moment. Part of that process is ignoring my own weaknesses and circumventing others, and treating myself with a great lack of understanding, as well as closing off and not being quite as tolerant of irritations as a result.

In order for me to foster understanding for both myself and others, I need to make sure that I’m practicing gratitude in my thoughts and inner dialogue.  Instead of allowing myself to deal on how my hands and forearm hurt, how I’m not getting enough sleep, how the stress and rush has my anxiety riding high in my chest (and causing acid reflux whenever I lie down), etc… I need to make sure I’m focusing on the positive aspects and the good that all of this is going to do for me and allow these things to be uplifting.

DECK USED:  KEYMASTER TAROT