Pagan Otherworlds Tarot

Identifying Obstacles

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

Tanya Teibtner's Tarot de Marseille - Eight of WandsToday’s draw is the Eight of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of action, speed, alacrity, and having a target goal in your sights that you are charging towards.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I just noticed that this card is reversed in this image… and that that reversal holds relevance in today’s message.

When the Eight of Wands is reversed, it speaks of obstacles getting in the way of a smooth and steady flow forward, and I feel that the fact I initially missed that this card was reversed plays into today’s message in the card of the day.

The message today is to make sure you are paying attention to what’s holding you back and slowing you down.  Don’t just shrug it off and keep pushing forward anyway.  Instead? Give yourself time to look at what’s really going on and sort things out the right way… instead of the quick way.

DECK USED:  TANYA TEIBTNER’S TAROT DE MARSEILLE

@Lionharts #TheMarchTarot Wander Lust Challenge Prompt
Questions for March 25th

Old Gypsy Fortune Telling Cards ca.1940In what area can I use the beauty of nature to find joy or rekindle my passions?

The Safe and The Dog – Bring your friends into your adventures in nature right now. It may feel like a burden to do so, but remember wealth comes in many forms, and this is one of them for you right now.

Where do I begin?

The Switch, The Bride atop The Rider – Forgive and let things go already so that the relationship can flourish and move forward on a positive note.  You can’t invite them with you if there’s still resentment stirring inside you, so do the work needed to let go of those feelings so that you can enjoy their company.

DECK USED: OLD GYPSY FORTUNE CARDS ca.1940

#DiscordTarotholicsMar2023 Challenge Prompt
Question for March 25th: International Waffle Day – How can you best treat yourself today?

Tanya Teibtner's Tarot de Marseille - Nine of Coins, Six of Swords, Queen of CupsReading Summary: Focus on what you enjoy in your life and your accomplishments (Nine of Coins) and don’t worry so much about pleasing others today (Seven of Swords Rx). You need and deserve a supportive uplift as much as the next guy (Queen of Cups).

Take Away: You may not lean into people pleasing in the conventional way that most do, but it’s still something you struggle with in your own way.  For today, let go of the urge to make others happy and spend some time enjoying the fruits of your labors.  Doing so will give you an emotional boost that you are in need of right now, and deserve to enjoy.

DECK USED: TANYA TEIBTNER’S TAROT DE MARSEILLE

@lucet.in.aurora.tarot’s #lucetinauroraMaartTarotChallenge Prompt
Prompt for March 25th: A bromance between a tarot deck and an oracle deck.

Pagan Underworlds Tarot and the Compendium of Witches OracleThis is the Pagan Otherworlds Tarot and the Compendium of Witches Oracle.  Ever since the latter came into my home, they have been paired together and used for my Sabbat readings for each holiday on the Wheel of the Year.  I combine then with an herbal oracle that has a similar color scheme, and a collection of holiday cards I use to signify which holiday I’m reading for.

They read beautifully together, as you can see in my most recent Sabbat reading for the Spring Equinox. They, in fact, work so well together that I rarely ever use them separately for anything else.

DECK USED: PAGAN UNDERWORLDS TAROT AND THE COMPENDIUM OF WITCHES ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

This is a catch-up post, and I can’t for the life of me remember what my self-kindness on this day might have been.

Winter Solstice 2022 – Yule

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The Winter Solstice is tomorrow! This holiday is (in essence) the Pagan equivalent to Christmas. Fun fact… when Christmas was placed on December 25th, the church chose that day to coincide with the pagan holiday of Yule (because as most know, Christ was actually born in the spring, not in December).

Although many of us have been feeling like we’ve been in it for months, the Winter Solstice is the “official” first day of winter, and marks  its spot on the calendar not by its date, but by being one of only two days each year where the daylight and darkness are equal.  In my path, this holiday marks a day of hope for the future, and candles are lit to celebrate the return of the sun as it begins to now become more and more prominent with each day that passes and every day becomes longer as the nights decrease.

Yule

Like with new moons and full moons, I usually do a spread to check in with myself and give myself some direction for the next couple of months for each solstice, equinox, and other Sabbats. This spread is an adaptation of my Self Care Saturday spread, so there are some similarities in how it is read. The focus of this spread, though, is not about Self Care, but rather about progress and my path. The time period is also longer, reaching through the next handful of weeks until the celebration of upcoming Imbolc at the beginning of February.

Winter Solstice Tarot Reading with the Pagan Otherworlds Tarot, Compendium of Witches Oracle, Solstice Cards, and Healing Herbs Oracle

Theme of the Season – Winter Solstice, New Moon, Zea Mays

The Winter Solstice is a time of celebration that the light is to begin returning to us.  From now on until  mid-summer, each day will be longer and each night shorter.  With the longer days and the return of the sun, the earth will begin to warm.  It is the very first step towards warmer weather, spring, and rebirth.

This year, the Winter Solstice lands on the Waning Crescent Moon. This is a very auspicious time for the Winter Solstice, as the holiday itself is about the end of the cold winter and rebirth of light upon the world as the days begin to become longer. With the Waning Crescent Moon, we see themes that do with putting away and setting aside the old so that we can begin making room for the rebirth to come.

Corn (Zea mays) is associated with the sun and the elements of fire and earth, and are often associated with good luck, abundance, prosperity, and the balance between life and death.  Arriving as it does in this card on Winter Solstice, this card reminds us that the sun will soon come again.  It is a promise of what is to come, just as this holiday is as a whole.

When looking at these three cards together, the theme that I see here is all about looking forward to the thaw.  Yes, it is still a long way off, but there is good fortune and warmth coming, and the first and finest seeds of that are being planted in the present so that they can awaken as the sun becomes more and more present each day… and flourish as spring and summer eventually arrive.

Earth – Nine of Cups atop Three of Cups – It’s time to once again return to leaning into what makes you happy and celebrating those things you enjoy. Spoil yourself with the bounty of what lies all around you.

Air – Ace of Cups – Don’t sink into your head, but instead be open to the return of your emotions now that the holiday rush is coming to the end and let them flow freely.

Water – Wheel of Fortune – Not everything is going to go 100% smoothly all the time. Just make sure that you are flexible enough to land on your feet no matter the scenario before you. Becoming disheartened and giving up will help no one.

Fire – Nine of Coins – Appreciate and enjoy what you have accomplished throughout the holiday season. I look at where you are with clear eyes and a positive outlook in order to keep yourself from falling into negative patterns.

Waning – The Weaver and Offering – Throughout the holiday season you have created many beautiful things that you have sent out into the world at a rapid pace.  Now that things are slowing down, it’s time to turn all that energy in another direction.

Waxing – The Alchemist and Bee – Creativity abounds, and with the support of your community around you, you will have the time and energy to pour into your creative spark. Give it some priority moving forward.

Take Away – Plant the seeds for what you want to flourish later on next year.  Now is the beginning of these things, so reflect upon what you want to accomplish and start planting those seeds in your life now.

DECKS USED: SABBAT THEMED ART CARD, PAGAN UNDERWORLDS TAROT, COMPENDIUM OF WITCHES ORACLE, HEALING HERBAL CARDS VOL 1 & 2

Composure Among Chaos

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Today’s meditation was just over eleven minutes long, and a revisit of yesterday’s meditation on the “how to” series that I’ve been working my way through.  Since I was interrupted yesterday, I felt I should return to do it a second time, and I’m glad that I did.

There was a quote by J Krishnamurti used in the meditation’s narration that I really connected with. “The ability to observe without evaluating is the highest form of intelligence.”

That is what today’s meditation was all about, observing the self and how our mind works without evaluation or judgement.

Five of Wands - Tarot of the Unknown Today’s draw is the Five of Wands, which is a representation of tests, trials, and conflict in the area of one’s passions, drive, and ambitions.   This is a really apt card for today, and when I drew it this morning, I did not fully understand where it was coming from, but I knew that it was not just a “positive message” but an indication of something to come.

It turns out that this evening, I discovered exactly what that has to do with.   I have a shop on Etsy with well over 5000 sales and 1200 reviews.   I have never had an unresolved case filed against my shop, and have a five star rating.   BUT, for some reason because I got ONE negative review and ONE case (that was thrown out by Etsy incidentally) in the past 50 sales?  They sent me a letter threatening to shut me down.

I mean… wtf.   Anyway… there you go.

The fact is, though?   I will find a way through this too.  So the card was not just a warning of what was coming, but is also an encouragement. It is a message of strength, and perseverance, and acknowledging that even when things feel like they’re falling to shit, there IS something else on the horizon if you can first just get through the crowd of jackasses swinging their clubs at your balls.

Deck Used:  Tarot of the Unknown

Bonus Reading – #TarotForGrowthNovember

Question: Where would I benefit from gathering more information before reacting?

Pagan Otherworlds Tarot Reading Summary:  When I’m feeling uncertain of where to place my feet (The Moon) and the world feels like it’s falling apart around me (Five of Pentacles), remember to have faith in that inner spark of passion that drives me forward (King of Wands) as my real strength lies within the determination that lives there (the Lion in the King of Wands).

Take Away:  Fitting that this question and the answers provided today fit into the issue mentioned in my daily draw.   The cards indicate situations where I feel blindsided and uncertain of how to move forward, and like my financial security and stability is at risk.  That is a very accurate description of the emotions that are roiling around within after that email I received.   The encouragement in these cards has to do with keeping in mind my determination, my strengths, and where my passions lie… and using composure and that sense of strength to bolster myself as I move to gather more information about the situation and how to either resolve it or move past it.

Deck Used:  The Pagan Otherworlds Tarot