Don’t Look Back

Today’s meditation was… non-existent again. It has just been a very messed up day as a whole. I do plan to meditate, but it won’t be until I lie down for bed later tonight.

The World - Spacious TarotToday’s draw is The World card, which is the last card in the Major Arcana before one either slips into the Minor Arcana or returns to The Fool for another cycle. The traditional meanings of this card include completion, accomplishment, and closure on a “grand scheme” level rather than dealing with any one aspect of the human experience.

The appearance of The World card in today’s draw it’s a reassurance that things do come to an end. I’m still feeling the effects of that fear and uncertainty. Sometimes recognition and acknowledgement isn’t enough and it takes some time to find your footing again. That’s okay. As long as I keep looking forward, I’ll get there.

I’m also thinking that the appearance of the world card may be a reference to something changing in my relationship with my mother during this trip. That is not part of the “positive message of the day” though, and more of an intuitive hit off the card.

DECK USED:  SPACIOUS TAROT

#TarotForGrowthJanuary Challenge Prompt
Question
: What challenge have I already overcome this year?

Jeremy Miranda Oracle Deck

Interpretation: I managed to circumvent falling into that deep dark hole of depression. It was a close call, but we were able to pull me out of the descent with that talk last Saturday, and I see here that that lifeline has helped in turning my trajectory away from that dark hole I was slipping toward.

DECK USED:  JEREMY MIRANDA ORACLE CARDS

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2020 Challenge Prompt
Question
: Last week I accidentally did Spread #5 instead of the fourth, so this week I am doing Spread #4 so that I get a chance to do both.

What are my deepest desires concerning…

Maregician Tarot

My HomeThe Magician and Nine of Hearts – Independence and self-reliance.

My JobQueen of Clubs and Judgement – Confidence that what I what I do makes a difference.

My FriendsThe Emperor – To be strong for them.

My FamilyEight of Clubs – Alacrity within change.

MyselfPage of Spades and The Fool – Lighten up and find the fun.

DECK USED:  THE MAREGICIAN TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt
Question
: How will I ensure I find time for self-care?

Fey Tarot

Reading Summary:  Remember that I need balance (Temperance) and don’t be so focused upon my ambitions (Knave of Swords) while I’m in the middle of finding my footing in this new emotional landscape (Knave of Chalices).

Take Away:  Meditation really stands out to me in the response from these cards. Specifically that I need to look at meditation as a path to temperance.

The message here in relation to the question, though, is that I need to stay mindful that I don’t get so wrapped up in what I think is important that I lose sight of my own needs.

DECK USED:  FEY TAROT

Snowflakes and Drummers

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and, as with yesterday, I again incorporated it into my yoga/physiotherapy.

I’m sort of wondering if the reason I don’t get as much out of the meditation practice done during my physio is because I am focused upon my body instead of upon a positive message.   The guided meditations, on the other hand, provide a focus for the meditation that is always positive in some way.

Seven of Swords - Spacious TarotToday’s draw is the Seven of Swords, although what I see in this card today is not the traditional meaning, but rather speaks of individuality.

Conformity is not really my thing. In this card, there is a clear message of conformity on the right, and a clear indication of non-conformity on the left.   What I see here in this depiction is that non-conformity “breaks the mold”.

I don’t think that’s a bad thing, though.  Yes, it shakes things up and can cause a few “Tower Moments” along the way, but in the end, it’s the non-conformists in the world that create diversity and add flavor to life. It’s okay to be different.

DECK USED:  SPACIOUS TAROT

#TarotForGrowthJanuary Challenge Prompt
Question
: What expectations about 2020 am I clinging to?

The Lost Forest Tarot

Reading Summary:  That I’m going to go after this new depths of emotions (Knight of Oceans) and find a clear path forward (Three of Fire) that will allow for growth and integration (Two of Skies).

Take Away:  That new depth of emotion from the fall is very intimidating to me, and I’ve had a hard time getting over my fear to make it through to exploring and working with them since the new year.  I’ve been stewing in that worry and the expectation that it should be easy for me.  It’s not a rational expectation, but there you have it.

DECK USED:  THE LOST FOREST TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2020 Challenge Prompt
Question
: How can you bring more of what you want into your world?

Maregician Tarot

Reading Summary:  Rest and recuperation (Four of Spades), balance (Justice) in my judgements on myself and my values and performance (Judgement).  Without it three are consequences (Three of Spades).

Take Away:  I need to remember to take care of myself and not judge myself so harshly.  Balance is an important factor in self care, and in life as a whole.  In order to manifest more good things, though, self care is just as important as hard work and productivity.   Without that balance, shit starts to fall apart.

DECK USED:  MAREGICIAN TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt
Question
: What do I need in order to make my week successful?

Wheel of Fortune Tarot by Ivy Feng

Reading Summary: Uncertainty (The Moon) comes with being distracted in the past (Six of Cups).  Better to focus on what lies ahead (Wheel of Fortune) and spend time creating balance between myself and others (Six of Pentacles).

Take Away: I’ve been having a lot of dreams of the past lately.  Specifically concerning the incidents that happened on both my bathroom, then later my kitchen floors. Those memories bring with them a lot of vulnerability, and that vulnerability can breed a degree of uncertainty.   The cards are indicating if I want to have a more successful week, be sure to set those dreams and memories aside as best that I can, and focus instead on the present and future, and on connecting with others in my life so that we can lean on each other and support each other along the way.

DECK USED:  WHEEL OF FORTUNE TAROT BY IVY FENG

 

Up And At ‘Em

Today’s meditation was just under fifteen minutes long and was incorporated into some extra stretching during my physio/yoga time as I was quite sore this morning.  That was due to the furniture adventures yesterday, which I did while dehydrated and thus caused me to be unusually sore today.

It was relaxing, although not the norm.  Most of the focus during this time is on breathing, just as it is during regular meditation, but there is also a good amount of focus paid to body alignment and the release of muscle tension.

Four of Swords - Efflorescent Tarot (Color Edition)Today’s draw is the Four of Swords, which is a representation of reassessment, ease, stability, and shelter in the area of the mind, intellect, communication, and logic. This often presents itself with themes involving restoration, meditation, and recuperation, as well as potential stagnation.

What I see in today’s card is following along the same theme of a number of personal readings that I’ve done over the past few days.  That is to say, it deals with the stagnation that I have personally been feeling of late where I seem to be stewing in place rather than moving forward.

The card, to me, clearly communicates that in staying in one place too long, you run the risk of becoming tangled up and at risk.  Rest is only good for as long as you need it, then it can become something harmful.   This card’s appearance is further assertion (atop the recent readings) that it’s time to move forward instead of lingering in the murk and mire of indecision and hesitation.

DECK USED:  THE EFFLORESCENT TAROT (COLOR EDITION)

#TarotForGrowthJanuary Challenge Prompt
Question
: What can I do to prepare myself to accept that gift? (Build off yesterday’s cards.)

Maregician Tarot (Sleeplessness Edition)

Reading Summary: Get your ass in gear (Justice atop the Nine of Diamonds), look at where you want to go (Judgement), and enlist others to assist you in getting there (Three of Hearts).

Take Away:  This is essentially a reiteration of my Self Care Saturday reading that I did yesterday.  The cards are saying that I need to take a good look at the amount of rest and recuperation I’ve been immersed in and begin the process of moving again in the direction of my goals.  The theme of bringing others in to help me is also pretty consistent, and being repeated again here as a reminder that I need to allow others to help me instead of forcing myself to take everything on by myself.

DECK USED:  MAREGICIAN TAROT (SLEEPLESSNESS EDITION)

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2020 Challenge Prompt
Question
: Why do you take what what came up in yesterday’s prompt so seriously?

Lo Scarabeo Tarot

Reading Summary: Because I feel that it makes me stronger (Strength), and more prepared for disaster and difficulty (Nine of Swords), which gives the impression that by pushing myself harder I then manage to somehow free myself up for exploration of new inspirations and creative endeavors (Page of Wands).

Take Away:  The answers in the cards explain why, but that why is an illusion.  It’s true that it does feel that by bearing down on myself and being harsh with myself I am somehow not just increasing the quality of my work but also my productivity as a whole, freeing up time and energy to later explore what I want to do rather than what I have to do… but in truth what ends up happening is I end up exhausting myself and don’t get to use that free time earned in the way I want, because I have to use it to recover instead.

DECK USED:  THE LO SCARABEO TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt
Question
: What do I need in order to create a more dependable morning routine? (Question was rephrased for clarity.)

The Textured Tarot

Reading Summary: Stop binding myself up in useless extraneous crap (Eight of Swords) so that I can have a quicker turnaround and more control concerning what gets done and when (The Chariot). I also need to work with L to coordinate better so that we aren’t tripping over each other so much (Two of Cups).

Take Away:  When L and I are trying to get ready at the same time, we have a bit of a “dance” we do where we circle around each other like satellites.   But there are times when there is absolutely no rhythm to it and we collide and bounce off each other, trip over each other and get in each other’s way.    The two of cups with it’s four faces and two of them bloody?  That is a representation of this occasional lack of rhythm and symmetry.

The other two cards indicate a need to not dawdle so much in the checking of mail and messages and other such extraneous pursuits when trying to get my ass moving in my morning routines.

DECK USED:  THE TEXTURED TAROT

Forethought and Choices

Today’s meditation was just over twelve minutes long, and was focused (again) on the new year.  It spoke of new years resolutions, and how they don’t work.   Not because we don’t want them to or don’t have every intention of following through with them, but because change is often something that needs to be integrated into our lives one small step at a time so that we have time to adjust and adapt.

When we try to instill change in a sudden sort of way, what  often happens is that you have difficulty following on through the larger changes once the newness has fallen away.   When you stretch out the process and take little steps?  There’s a better chance of it sticking as it means that the new habits have time to integrate and overwrite the old.

My personal opinion is that sometimes it works… and sometimes?  It doesn’t, yeah?  Some habits need more than willpower to break.  Sometimes it’s not about habits, but about a mindset.  And sometimes?  What we’re trying to break the habit of doing isn’t a habit at all, but a part of our very nature.  All of that’s okay.  It doesn’t mean we give up, only that  we try again and search for new and different methods that might work better the next time.

Knight of Swords - Spacious TarotToday’s draw is the Explorer of Swords, which is the equivalent of the Knight of Swords in this deck. Traditionally this card represents a proactive beta energy, personality, or person in the realm of logic, thoughts, intellect, and communication.   This often comes through as relating to the themes of quick minded ambition and, occasionally, impulsiveness.

The thing is, though, when I see today’s card, what I see is less impulsiveness and more of a “look before  you leap.   The crow sits upon the blade of the sword, but thinks twice about moving out onto the blade where it overhangs open space, as if considering if it is a wise decision (which, of course, it is not… that crow is far too heavy to perch out there).

Yes, the crow will survive either way.  It can fly.   But the choice the crow makes now is the the one that matters.  If it steps out on the blade?  It will force an action that otherwise the crow would never have made.  A choice forced upon it by the previous choice already made.

As a result, this message is more about thinking before you act.  And about making sure that the steps taken are taking me in the right direction, the direction that I want to go in, rather than allowing my choices to force me into decisions and directions I wasn’t planning on going in.

DECK USED:  SPACIOUS TAROT

#TarotForGrowthJanuary Challenge Prompt
Question
: What energy did I bring along into 2020?

Field Tarot

Reading Summary:  I’m feeling a bit of disappointment over the past year (Five of Cups) and want to move forward with changes to how I juggle (Two of Disks) my business and ambitions over the next year (Ace of Wands).

Take Away:  I’ve mentioned this in previous readings, so it’s not a huge surprise that it would come up today with this question.  I feel like my plate has been too full with work related mess over the past year, and I need to put some priority on the more administrative side of things in order to help my business grow.

I always set the administrative side of things to the back burner and then things end up a bit of a mess. Moving into the new year I’m carrying with me that desire to try balancing things in a different way, the disappointment of the year behind me there to push me onward into that goal.

DECK USED:  THE FIELD TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2020 Challenge Prompt
Gideon… This is not just a reading prompt, but also an invitation for you to join me in one of the tarot discord servers I am a member of.  It is my congratulations gift to you for having completed the first stage of your lessons in the tarot, and I have been looking forward to giving it to you for some time.  I hope you will decide to join me.
Question:  Do Spread #1

Maregician Tarot Sleeplessness EditionReading Summary:   This is a spread about the wicked witch of the deep south.  I did not choose the target of the spread, but rather allowed the spread to choose for me.  The King of Clubs indicates that the negative influence she had over my life was to yank me forward into that habit of mine of being over-analytical while stuffing my feelings in a box to the side.  The Moon indicates that in return, my negative aspect on her was to create within her a sense of uncertainty.  The Star indicates that the positive influence that they had upon my life was in planting the seeds of inspiration to get more deeply in touch with my spirituality.  The Two of Hearts indicates that my positive influence on her life is that she developed a closer, deeper bond her crones as a result of our encounter and that possibly one in particular in her group stepped forward in a big way in this capacity at that time.

Take Away:  What I get from this spread is that my encounter with the wicked witch of the deep south created not just bad things… but also benefits.  This is something that’s not always easy for me to see, but I do understand how it works, as even negative experiences have positive aspects in how they play out.

DECK USED:  MAREGICIAN TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt
Question
:  My biggest challenge this year.

Lighteater’s Tarot

Reading Summary:  Mmm well, this is a new deck, and I’m apparently going to have to work past the whole face of the guy in the Knight of Staves because he looks JUST like this super slob gross person that used to live next door.  Just sayin’.  Onward to the reading…

Working with others can always be quite challenging for me (Three of Coins), but if I want to advance in my ambitions concerning my business (Knight of Staves) I am going to have to find a way to be the boss and direct a helper while keeping my own issues about working with others stable and centered, and my eye on the ball (King of Staves).

Take Away:  Now that I’ve moved on from my last helper and her undependable ways, it’s going to be necessary to reassess my own reactions to working with others and search for someone that is a better fit for the way I work.   Preferably someone far more dependable than the last.   This won’t be an easy process, but if I’m proactive in the approach, I’ll be able to find what I need.

DECK USED:  LIGHTEATER’S TAROT