Men + Monsters Tarot

Let Your Guard Down

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long, and was a guided meditation through the Calm app with an interval timer included for my piriformis stetching.

The focus of today’s meditation was about find what feels right for you.  Sometimes, it can be hard when bombarded by different options and ideas to figure out what’s the right one for you.

Sometimes you can’t even figure it out when you try them out for yourself and can’t -feel- it deep inside.  Sometimes?  That means you just have to go with whichever one feels best in the moment… other times?  It means that the right thing or right idea just hasn’t come along yet.

Men + Monsters Tarot and Flower Fortune CardsToday’s draw is the Seven of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of standing up for yourself and your principles, standing strong for those things you believe in, and hold to your values even during times of opposition.

It’s easy, when we’re on our own and there’s no opposition to the contrary, to be strong in our values and principles. And sometimes when we meet new people, we make assumptions about how they will view us and what we value.  Sometimes we put up walls prematurely to protect ourselves from those predicted or perceived judgements.

The combination of the Seven of Wands with the Flower Fortune card for today which says “A stranger is a friend you have not met yet” creates a reminder about these moments in our lives when we come upon new people that enter our sphere, and how we handle their arrival.

The message in today’s cards is to not prematurely erect walls and barriers between yourself and others on what you think they will think (or feel) about you or your beliefs, values, and principles. Not everybody’s out to get you or tear you down. When meeting new people, stay open and see what happens.  You may find yourself pleasantly surprised now and then if you give people a chance.

DECK USED:  MEN + MONSTERS TAROT AND FLOWER FORTUNE CARDS

Raven Willow Tarot’s Emotional Exploration Prompt
Questions for May 23rd & 24th

Tarot of the Wishmaster MinikinsWhat role does excitement play in my life?
Queen of Pentacles, The Moon, Five of Wands atop Death

When something catches your attention and sparks your excitement, it keeps you moving forward and encourages you to keep going (even if sometimes slowly) when you’re having doubts and your inner conflict tries to put you into a stall pattern.

How can I better enhance excitement in my life?
Three of Wands atop The Emperor, The Hierophant, Page of Cups

Own your passions and the direction you want to take them in with more certainty. You will continue to learn as you go, and inspire others to do the same, if you stay open both emotionally and creatively to new things.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE WISHMASTER MANIKINS

#DiscordTarotolicsMay2021 Challenge Prompt
Question: Do Spread #3

Men + Monsters Tarot What is the core stressor in my life at this time that is under my control to change?

Knight of Swords atop Three of Cups – Impulsiveness of others in my social circle. L seems to think that she’s in no danger from the stalker issue because the letter that showed up on our doors was addressed to me. I don’t feel like I have a lot of control over this issue, but I suppose that’s why it’s being brought up in this reading, yeah?

What has allowed this stress in my life to take root and grow?

Ten of Coins – Overconfidence of in our health and safety. Although she’s okay still with not going out alone due to the Asian hate crimes going on right now.  She always has Z or one of her other friends, or even J with her when she goes out.  And yet she doesn’t take the stalker issue seriously in relation to herself even though I’ve told her Gideon’s theory that they could have addressed it to me to throw us off.  After all, it was -her- that trucker waved to.  Not that it’s the trucker, but it could be.  It could be anyone.

What can I do right now to ease my stress and anxiety related to this issue?

Five of Wands – Hash it out.  Control over this issue has to do with actually butting heads with her on it again and again, reminding her again and again, talking with her, fighting with her, and making sure she stays alert even if it’s through the constant reminders and pokes and prods given to her on a daily basis.  In this way you can make sure that the danger stays in the forefront of her awareness, regardless of whether she wants to take it seriously or not.

DECK USED:  MEN + MONSTERS TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I had a lot of stuff to do today that was really hard to let myself do since I’ve got so much I need to get done.  But I did do it, and I feel better for it so I’m glad I did, even if I slept an hour longer than intended.

More Time In The Now

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was silent and still.  I spent some time out on the balcony relaxing.  I should’ve taken the camera out there with me, but instead I just spend some time with the flowers and colors.  It was nice because the workers across the street apparently took the day off, which means it was quiet and relaxing.

Men + Monsters Tarot and Flower Fortune CardsToday’s draw is the Temperance card, which is traditionally a representation of moderation, patience, and connection between emotions, spirituality, and the earthly plane.

In today’s Temperance card, the element that remains from the traditional imagery is the cups and the flow of liquid from one cup to another, and from there down to the feet of the figure.  This brings to a point that connectivity that is a traditional element in the tarot.

Combined with the Flower Fortune Card for today with the saying “It is in the here and now that we must live”, I see not just a reminder to be present in the moment, but guidance on how to make sure that we remain mindfully focused in the now.

Often in guided mindfulness meditations, they often use a technique where you take a pause to explore each sense and what you perceive through that sense for the space of two full breaths, then move on to the next sense and repeat.  This is a method that can also be used outside of meditation to bring ourselves into the moment when our mind has decided to create chaos through worry, or focus too deeply on the past or future.

The message here is a reminder sometimes what is most needed is to slow down. To release control.  And to take time to just… breathe.

DECK USED:  MEN + MONSTERS TAROT AND FLOWER FORTUNE CARDS

The Sacred Grounds Tarot Club Prompt
Question: What rules unconsciously govern my life?

The Heroine Tarot

Nine of Swords – If it doesn’t feel right, then don’t do it. Every single time, without fail and without exception, when you do something that doesn’t feel right, you regret it in the end. This isn’t about legal or illegal, nor about social norms.  It’s about what feels right in your gut.  Go against that inner moral compass and intuition, and you’re going to pay the price either with external consequences or with your own conscience eating you up as a result.

Two of Cups atop Queen of Pentacles – Helping and nurturing others is important. Your life feels more complete and more at peace when you allow yourself to connect with others, listen and provide insight and guidance.  That guidance is often natural to you and grounded in nature, and hits others in a very earthy way.  It connects you to them, and builds bonds and friendships as a result.

Six of Cups – Cherish every day.  When you look back on the past, you do not remember the boring or the dredge of day to day. Nor do you accurately remember the bad, for time softens those memories over time.  Instead, it is the good that really sticks and stays accurate in our memories.  This encourages us to make more out of every day, so that there is more good and memorable moments that fill out lives from one day to the next.

DECK USED:  THE HEROINE TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsMay2021 Challenge Prompt
Question: How can you unlock more positivity in your heart and mind?

Men + Monsters TarotReading Summary: Don’t judge yourself (Judgement) so harshly (Three of Swords) when something doesn’t work out (The Tower) and you have to move on or start over (Six of Swords).

Take Away: This is about my inner narrative and the fact that I’m so harsh with myself, especially with what I perceive something not so much as a failure, but rather as a fuck up.

Failures are things that we learn from.  Fuck ups are careless and irresponsible bullshit.   The cards here indicate that if I want to unlock more positivity in my heart and mind, I need to be more forgiving with myself and treat those moments in the same manner that I do failures. Not something that I need to be punished for, but rather as lessons to learn from.

DECK USED:  MEN + MONSTERS TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I ate eight meals yesterday instead of six.  Which seemed to help quite a bit with my energy levels when it came to getting my packaging done in the 1am-3:30am time slot that I worked at packaging.