lost forest tarot

Finding the Positive for December 7 – 9

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These Card of the Day readings are a mental health exercise (suggested by my shrink) used to help counterbalance my natural tendency toward pessimism, negative inner narratives, and depression. The request posed to the cards is, “A positive message to carry with me throughout my day and foster perspective.”

Lost Forest Tarot, The Snail Marseille Tarot, Pixie's Whisper Tarot Xmas Ed, and Christmas Affirmation Cards

December 7

Today’s meditation was skipped.

Queen of Cups – “Just because you feel like trash doesn’t mean that you ARE trash.” Emotional support begins at home. It begins with you… not with others. When you feel like crap, don’t just allow your inner narrative to have free reign to reinforce those feelings.  Instead, work at being a supportive friend during those times, and counterbalancing those feelings with supportive words and encouragement.

DECK USED: LOST FOREST TAROT AND CHRISTMAS AFFIRMATION CARDS

December 8

Today’s meditation was skipped.

Ten of Wands – “There’s no need to be so hard on yourself, you’re managing as best you can.”  Pushing yourself to do more and more won’t make things any better.  Instead of badgering yourself to into overwhelm and burnout, moderate your energy expenditure and let others help you more. Stop trying to pile more on to of what you’re already doing. You’re on the cusp of piling on too much.

Long story short? Stop pushing yourself so hard. You’re doing great, and you don’t have to pile on any more right now.

DECK USED: THE SNAIL MARSEILLE AND CHRISTMAS AFFIRMATION CARDS

December 9

Today’s meditation was skipped. I watched a Christmas movie instead (the new one with Eddie Murphy in it).

Death – “It’s okay to struggle. You are doing better than you feel like you are.”  Change is hard. Fluctuations in what you consider the “norm” is hard. Not just for you, but for everyone. It makes you feel like you’re struggling, but in truth?  You’re not sinking.  You’re not floundering.  You’re just feeling a little out of your element by experiencing things a bit differently than before. Keep going. Things change. Nothing ever stays the same.

DECK USED: PIXIE’S WHISPER TAROT XMAS EDITION AND CHRISTMAS AFFIRMATION CARDS

Forward… No Backsliding

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Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long, and focused on encouraging reflection upon one’s thought process and how it can create self-fulfilling prophesies.

It used a story known as The Two Wolves as the basis behind the guided meditation, and spoke on how when you focus on the negative, it gives that “wolf” energy and strength.  And the same when you choose to feed the positive “wolf” within as well.

I have always loved this story, although I think sometimes I have a habit of misinterpreting it.  It’s easy to take the moral of the story to mean you should ignore negative things, and that by starving them of attention they will die.   In truth?  You can’t always ignore the bad things.  Yes, sometimes they will starve and die… but other times they will fester.  The trick is in knowing which is which.

Page of Swords - Efflorescent Tarot (Color Edition)Today’s draw is the Page of Swords, which is often a representation of learning from the mistakes and challenges of the past, and moving forward with those lessons in hand to step into the future.

The Page of Swords in today’s draw is a reminder that today is a new step forward. After our talk last night, it would be easy to slip my way back into that fog of fear, but today’s card has stepped in to make sure with a new day that I stay on this new path.  The Page of Swords says, “Don’t fall back into the habits of the past, don’t sink back into the sludge, take care not to return to what came before. You don’t want to go back there. Move forward instead.”

DECK USED: THE EFFLORESCENT TAROT (COLOR EDITION)

#TarotForGrowthJanuary Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I nurture those seeds? (Build off of yesterday’s reading.)

Textured Tarot

Reading Summary: Gratitude (Ten of Cups) and rest (Four of Swords), and don’t allow for wallowing in uncertainty (Eight of Swords) because that breeds bad things (Nine of Swords).

Take Away:  I need to make sure that I’m taking the time and effort to be grateful for what I have instead of always looking for something more or better, as well as make sure I am resting when I need it instead of constantly pushing myself beyond my limits. Allowing myself to stand stagnant in the sludge of confusion and fear I’ve been trying so hard to ignore the last few months has not helped me in rising above anything, but only creates more stress and more opportunities for bad shit to overtake the good and turn my addictions against me.

DECK USED:  THE TEXTURED TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What is something you have never considered doing that would improve your life?

Lost Forest Tarot

Reading Summary: This is about delegating. It’s about when new ideas spark and instead of holding them all to myself to execute on my own, taking them to a helper (once I get a new one) to have them do the “fleshing out” while I oversee the process.

Take Away:  Okay so this idea makes me squirm… just sayin’.  I’m pretty sure it’s the control freak aspect of my make-up that makes it hard for me to be comfortable with the idea.  But, it’s probably a really good one.  

The suggestion here is that when I have an idea for new products and I really want to move on it rather than putting it in my “ideas for later” book, I bring my helper into the design process from the start and have them do more of the physical labor part of my new design ideas while I keep a close watch and guide their hands, rather than pushing myself to do it all on my own.

DECK USED:  THE LOST FOREST TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt
Question: How can I ask for the help I need?

Field Tarot

Reading Summary: Take my head out of my ass and abandon my pride (Six of Wands). Sometimes you just have to do it what needs doing. (The Chariot) Don’t hesitate. Don’t sleep on it. Those things aren’t going to help. (Nine of Swords)

Take Away:  Damnit.  I hate to admit it.  But the truth is that sometimes it really is just pride holding me back.  It’s that assumption that I shouldn’t need help, or forcing myself to say “I can handle it” when I really can’t… or maybe I could, but it would be healthier for me if I didn’t handle it on my own.   At those times, I procrastinate asking for help and it creates a low thread of stress and anxiety in the background that then builds and builds on itself so subtly that I don’t notice until it’s too late.

These cards indicate that the better path is to set my expectations of myself and pride aside and just reach out for help from the start, and I can then circumvent those negative repercussions of not having done so.  They also suggest that in order to motivate myself into reaching out from the beginning, I need to remember just how messy both mentally and emotionally that things can get when I don’t seek out help.

DECK USED:  THE FIELD TAROT

Creation Through Conflict

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and focused on a full body scan for the most part.  It was not a guided meditation, and although I had intended on going for a full fifteen minutes, I was interrupted by a phone call from the doctor’s office and couldn’t get back into it after I’d hung up.  (Everything is fine, it’s just bloodwork related.)

Spacious Tarot Today’s draw is the Five of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of tests, trials, and conflict in the area of one’s ambitions, passions, and drive.

What I see, though?  Is spark.

The message contained in the Five of Wands in today’s draw is that sometimes conflict actually has the potential to create.  It has the ability to get the juices flowing and, although conflict and trials can be a struggle, they can also provide a much needed clearing of air and energy, which makes room for something new and better.

DECK USED:  THE SPACIOUS TAROT

#TarotForGrowthJanuary Challenge Prompt
Question: What does my mind want me to know about 2020?

Lost Forest Tarot

Reading Summary:  I need to take time to examine what I’ve done and what I can do better (Judgement), especially in the area of what I want from my business (Queen of Fire), and in which direction I want to push it in (Knight of Fire).

Take Away:  I very often associate my creative business with fire, as that is a huge part of where my inner spark and drive are directed.  It’s no different here, where the answer to what my mind wants me to know for the year ahead focuses upon that business.  This is a reminder to look back at the time that has passed and base my future momentum upon what has and has not worked rather than constantly focusing on what I want in the future.

DECK USED:  LOST FOREST TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What do you feel you deserve?

Beautiful Creatures TarotReading Summary:  The desire for something better (Six of Swords) obtained through a combination of optimism (The Sun),  self possession and strength (The Emperor), collaboration with others (Three of Coins), and a nurturing warmth towards myself and others (The Empress).

Take Away:  What I see here are the elements that I feel I am not strong enough in.  Elements that are building blocks to a change for the better, but are not my strongest qualities.  Considering the question, the cards indicate I believe I deserve to be better at these particular qualities and, as a result, deserve for things to be better in my life because of them.

It is not realistic, of course, as you do not miraculously develop such qualities… you learn them and work at them.   They are something to strive for, not something to simply obtain.

DECK USED:  FOREST CREATURES TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt
Question: Three cards that pertain to my goals.  (Rephrased for specificity.)

The Arcana Tarot

Reading Summary:  Lots of appearances of the King of Wands over the past few days for me.   If I want to find a sense of balance between my struggle for security (Nine of Wands) and a sense of contentment (Nine of Cups), I need to work at embodying a more controlled attitude toward my passions and drive (King of Wands).

Take Away:  A lot of times my passions and drive, both for the creative aspects of my business as well as my business as a whole, cause me to push too hard.  This creates a sense of imbalance and defensiveness that does not at all foster a sense of contentment.  If I apply more control and mediation to my drive, I can find a better balance and feel more satisfaction with my work.

DECK USED:  THE HYDRA-NIX ARCANA TAROT