Conquering Pessimism

Today’s meditation was forgone for sleep.  A lot of sleep.  Like… way more sleep than I usually get or need.  Between pulling an all nighter last night and then sleeping away a good part of the day… and then taking a nap later in the evening that slept away a lot more of my day, I didn’t have a lot of time for much else and meditation did not make the list when weighed against food, pulling my daily cards, and spending some time with you before sleep once again took over. So… no meditation today and I’m not even going to try and fool myself into thinking I’m going to try at bed time because I’m tired and it’s not going to happen.

The ChariotToday’s draw is The Chariot card, which is traditionally interpreted as being all about controlled progress and triumph.  When I say “controlled progress” I mean that it is not about just control or just progress, but about the combination of both.  It’s about moving forward with your hands firmly on the reigns.

That said, what stands out to me in this card is the position of the Fae on the back of the pegasus.  Arms outstretched, head thrown back, to me this card speaks more about the triumph aspect of The Chariot than it does about the strength of one’s control or willpower along the path.

I see abandon here and the “Fuck YES!” of exultation.

The message in today’s card is to turn my attention to my accomplishments and take pride in those things.  Too often I find myself focused on my failings and struggles, but the truth is that I have just as many accomplishments as I do failings, and just as many things I do well and excel at as I do struggles.  It’s time to take a bit more control of my pessimism and negative self talk by turning my focus in a more positive direction.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE SIDHE

#TarotForGrowthAugust Challenge Prompt
Topic: I’m struggling with boundaries in my relationships.
Question: What role does guilt play in my struggle to create and enforce boundaries?

Hero Analysis for the Future #79 MHA Tarot

Reading Summary:  Theft of what doesn’t belong to me (Seven of Swords) leading to others feeling without what they want or need (Page of Swords Rx) and turning to me with judging eyes (Six of Wands Rx).

Take Away:  Sometimes when I create and enforce the needed boundaries that are healthy for me, I feel like I’m stealing away time or space that belongs to someone else, leaving them feeling bereft which I then worry will turn into judgement directed my way.  So really, the influence here is twofold.  It’s about the guilt of taking from someone else, and the insecurity of having their feelings about that turn people against me.

DECK USED:  HERO ANALYSIS FOR THE FUTURE #79 MHA TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsAug2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What can I do to work through my frustrations at this time?

MonstarotReading Summary:  Delve into my creative curiosity (Page of Cups) and allow it to carry me away (The Star) rather than focusing on only (Eight of Swords) the negative aspects and pessimistic views of what I don’t have or that isn’t working (Five of Pentacles).

Take Away:  It’s okay to have a little bit of pessimism, but not when it blinds you to all the good stuff and holds you back from connecting with your imagination and creative spirit. The thing is that pessimism is like a parasite.  The longer it’s allowed to survive and thrive, the more it grows, until it permeates your life and influences everything within it, creating blinders as it goes, so that the longer it thrives the narrower your view becomes.   Escaping that grip takes conscious choices and determination to embrace the more positive and lighthearted aspects of life.

DECK USED:  MONSTAROT TAROT

Lionharts #TheAugustTarot#ElementalChallenge
Question: Earth, how can I further support my personal well-being?

Tarot of the Dream Enchantress

Reading Summary:  The balancing of your obligations and responsibilities (Two of Coins) requires the help of others (Three of Coins).  Be the boss rather than the slave (The Emperor).

Take Away:  This is all about taking charge and delegating.  Don’t just allow things to build and pile up, delegate some responsibility to others to make sure that you aren’t left doing everything yourself.  It’s your nature to take on all the weight, but it’s not all yours to bear.  Take charge and show how you want things done, how you want them to go, and then hand over the task to others to complete for you.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE DREAM ENCHANTRESS

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How can I be more grateful?

Magic Tarot

Reading Summary:You need to look at uncertainty (The Moon) from a different perspective (The Hanged Man) that involves you in a place of balanced security (Four of Wands).

Take Away: So a lot of times when I (or anyone really) looks at their insecurities and uncertainties, instead of looking at them from “the outside” in a place of safety, we try to look at these things from inside the chaos and uncertainty.   This then tinges our perspectives.   If you can take a moment to pause, and step outside of the situation, it’s often much easier to see what’s going on more clearly.   This clarity allows for you to not just understand what’s going on, but identify the good and be grateful for it.

DECK USED:  MAGIC TAROT

Thundercats – Ho! *cracking up*

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and spent doing spinal alignment work with a bolster and a couple or rubber balls.  I was going to do a meditation separately afterward, but it turned out that I needed the focus and breathing exercises that the meditation provided just to keep muscles relaxed and pliant during the process. This really goes without saying that my back hurts like a bitch today, and my hips too since I spent my meditation doing spinal work instead of my regular piriformis stretching.

Tarot of the SidheToday’s draw is Lion-O from Thundercats.  *Cracking up.*  Just kidding.  Although, this guy on the card definitely reminds me of that character.

Okay so… anyway.  Today’s draw is The Fool card, which is traditionally a representation of youthful exuberance, new beginnings, naivety and innocence.

What stood out to me the strongest when I first saw this card this morning (aside from the uncanny resemblance to Thundercat’s Lion-O) is the Great Glyph of the Sidhe is carved into the Fool’s chest.

As a child I used to use this glyph as the basis for my circle casting, and as my sister lit candles for the elements, I would spin and spin and spin through the center, trailing my toe along the ground to create the spiral moving ever outward and finishing off with the dividing line during the lighting of the candles for Diana and Faunus.

This symbol, like none other, reminds me of my childhood. Of magic circles and bonding rituals between myself and my sister. Of romps in the woods and hours spent among moss and lichen, cedars and ferns. The message in today’s card is to remember that youthful fun, remember the freedom and allow the joyful innocence of those times to rise up within me and swirl through my life within the here and now.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE SIDHE

#TarotForGrowthAugust Challenge Prompt
Topic: I feel like I’m struggling to see clearly.
Question: How can I begin building more trust in myself and my lived experience?

Magic Tarot

Reading Summary: Own what you’ve done and experienced in life (Queen of Wands), and don’t allow yourself to hide behind addictions (The Devil). Instead, take the brave steps forward in learning from your experiences (Knave of Swords).

Take Away:  One of my most destructive (and most prominent) bad habits is my urge to retreat into myself and away from others when I’m feeling vulnerable.  In doing this, I also close myself off to myself, boxing up those small and vulnerable parts so that they whither and starve.  This is not trusting in myself and my experience… it is picking myself apart into pieces and making those fragments “deal with it” on their own.

I am in the process of learning a new way, and I need to stay mindful during these vulnerable times to reach not for my past habits… but for my new and healthier methods instead.

DECK USED:  MAGIC TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsAug2020 Challenge Prompt
Philosophical Question: Are you more of a dreamer or a believer?

Tarot of the Dream EnchantressReading Summary: I am a grounded (Knight of Pentacles) dreamer (Page of Wands) that is open to possibilities (Ace of Cups).

Although I am a very motivated and grounded person as shown in the fact that the central card in this reading is in the pentacles suit, the Page of Wands and Ace of Cups bracketing this grounded energy speak of the fact that I am prone to flights of fancy and allowing my creative flow to take the reigns.

Take Away:  Regardless of my need for stability, I am open to a vast array of possibilities that go beyond the known world.  For me, seeing is not believing… feeling is.  And I am willing to follow those feelings wherever they lead as long as they feel right and entertain my inner spark’s interest.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE DREAM ENCHANTRESS

Lionharts #TheAugustTarot#ElementalChallenge
Question: How can I fully embrace the abundance meant for me?

Anthro Tarot

Reading Summary: The world is at my fingertips (The World), all I need to do is pick a direction (Two of Wands) and allow my inner spark and drive for manifestation to carry me forward (Page of Pentacles).

Take Away:  It doesn’t tell me what that abundance is exactly, but the answer to embracing it is simply in accepting that it’s there for me.  In doing that, I give myself permission to go for it, and begin the journey of moving in the direction to claim it for my own.

DECK USED:  ANTHRO TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question:  What do I need to change?

Hilda Tarot

Reading Summary: Be more generous (Ten of Pentacles) with my capriciousness and frivolity (The Fool) instead of letting my self-perceived shortcomings keep me down (The Devil Rx).

Take Away:  This is yet another encouragement to have more fun.  Don’t allow my negative inner narrative and addictive impulses to keep me pinned down or tangled up.  Set myself free to be open with my sense of fun instead of keeping it to myself. It’s okay to look silly sometimes… it’s okay to have fun.   I seem to need this reminder a lot lately, and the cards are definitely following through on making sure I hear the message again and again.

DECK USED:  HILDA TAROT