Challenges to Conquer… Not Obstacles

Today’s meditation was skipped.

Yuletide LenormandToday’s draw is the Sleigh (Ship) and Mountain cards from the Yuletide Lenormand. In Lenormand, the Ship is about movement, travel, and change… while the Mountain is all about obstacles.

With the “Sleigh” coming before the Mountains, while seeking a positive message in the cards, what we see here is an encouragement to seek out challenges and see them as an adventure.

Whether it’s a sleigh on ice, or a ship on the sea, stopping in your tracks is not an option, no matter what obstacle is before you. Better to not fight against these obstacles, but to embrace them.

Dive in and let yourself shine as you meet these challenges head on and show just how industrious you can be in dealing with them.

DECK USED:  YULETIDE LENORMAND

Daily Self Kindness

I did not pressure myself to get everything done today.  Instead, I did a good bit of work… and I also took a nap.

Storytelling Cartomancy Activity – The Bard’s Dilemma

The prompt for this reading came from one of my Discord servers and is as follows: “Using a deck, let’s write a little short story using 3-5 cards to come up with it!”

Storytelling Cartomancy with the Charlie Brown Christmas Playing CardsBeing the writer for the school play made Andrew super happy and he was so excited as he put the last touches on the script and got it ready to turn in. (Nine of Hearts)

That happiness lasted right up until they wanted to change what he’d written, and began tinkering with the script (Six of Diamonds), something he hadn’t thought anyone would want to do!  He was crushed that they didn’t like it as-is and wanted to change everything. (Three of Diamonds)

So disappointed was Andrew, that he decided “SCREW IT!” and that he wasn’t going to do any more of them in the future. It was too hard… too much work… and ended in disappointment and despair. Especially when the whole production eventually fell apart and no one could agree on anything!  (Ten of Swords)

And yet?  Once the season was at an end and a new one began, he had spent some time away from his writing and realized that he really did enjoy it.  Having taken some time off to consider the situation, he felt renewed and ready to try again… perhaps with a bit better boundaries in place this time. (Four of Spades)

DECK USED: CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS PLAYING CARDS

Don’t Break Your Neck

Today’s meditation was skipped.

Winter Waite Tarot Santa's Helpers EditionToday’s draw is the Knight of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of an active, projective beta energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s finances, resources, health, home, labors, and manifestations. This often translates into a slow moving but determinedly forward moving energy, personality, or person that has their eye on the prize regardless of the slow and steady speed they may be moving at.

Today’s card is a reminder that as long as you’ve gotten something done? Then you haven’t done nothing.

This is often a concept that I struggle with, as moving along at a slow pace feels counter productive.  I know this is about how I was raised, and I know that moderation is important.  At the same time… it is very hard for me to move slowly, and that’s what today is all about. I didn’t “do nothing” today.  I did a few things for the business including answering questions and customer service… and I did a great deal of self-care.

The Knight of Pentacles coming out today is here to remind us all that progress doesn’t have to be at a breakneck speed. Sometimes, doing a little at a time is enough.

DECK USED:  WINTER WAITE TAROT SANTA HELPERS 2020 EDITION

Daily Self Kindness

I took the day off for a little self care.  That included a soak in the tub… a nap… and some time with Gideon as well.

Gifts of the Past and Present

Today’s meditation was skipped.

IMG_E8168Today’s draw is the Ornaments card from the Seasons of the Witch Yule Oracle, with the quote “So it is, a remembrance of what once was and with what will be, A fragile beauty beaming upon thy.”

This card’s imagery reminds me of hand-me-downs.  Not clothes and things like that… but Christmas ornaments and candles.  In storage, I have bins of Christmas ornaments from the 20’s through the 60s.  Delicate glass balls and ceramic characters intricately hand painted, and beautiful ornaments carved of wood.  And candles…. so many candles. Not just tapers or votives made by family and friends, but detailed decorative candles covered in frothed wax, glitter, and holiday embellishments.

Some years? Not decorating for the holidays doesn’t bother me at all… other years I really long to go through those boxes, wander among memory lane, and appreciate the creativity of all those around me both of the past, and of the present.

Today’s card reminds me of these stowed away treasures, and of just how fortunate I am to have a culture of friends and family that appreciate creativity and the beauty of hand crafting items that can be passed down through generations.

DECK USED:  SEASONS OF THE WITCH YULE ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

I’ve been doing a lot of breathing exercises today to help keep my anxiety under control.

Self Care Lenormand Reading

Self Care Spread Lenormand Reading with the Christmas Lenormand Oracle

A card to represent what my inner child needs.

Gift (Bouquet) – Your inner child needs attention, acknowledgement, and appreciation. Validation can go a long way in connecting more strongly with your inner child, instead of trying to push them off in a corner to be ignored.

A card to represent what future me needs.

Child – More fun and play, more innocence and naivete. More frivolity and fun. You need to learn how to cut loose a little more when the opportunity presents itself. Stop being so serious all the time.

A card to represent what present me needs.

Christmas Market (Garden) – Social connections that can help support you now in your time of need, just as you support them throughout the rest of the year. Draw them in and encourage them to help you… turn it into something besides just work, but also a social opportunity.

What does my higher self request I take time to do?

Candle (Coffin) – Rest… breathe. Allow things to move at their own pace, and let go of those things that are coming to an end instead of grasping on desperately and refusing to let go.

What is my self care mantra?

Cloud – Uncertainty is temporary.  Fears are temporary.  Darkness is temporary.  Everything is temporary.

DECK USED: MERRY CHRISTMAS LENORMAND ORACLE

Don’t Lie To Yourself

Today’s meditation was skipped.

Simply Christmas LenormandToday’s draw are the Whip and Sun cards from the Simply Christmas Lenormand. There are many combinations of these cards that speak of a lack of sincerity ruining a good thing (in many different variations and ways of saying this, but what I see in these cards today is a need to “crack the whip” in order to drive oneself towards success.

In other words… The more you get done today, the less you’ll have to do tomorrow.

Now is not the time to slack off or fool yourself into thinking that by not plowing forward with determination that everything will still work out fine.  It won’t.  Not right now.  Stay on top of things and you will continue to, in fact, stay on top.

DECK USED:  SIMPLY CHRISTMAS LENORMAND

Daily Self Kindness

I followed the cards advice, and that right there is my self kindness.  Although I wasn’t really feeling like work today, I did not put things off until tomorrow, which means tomorrow’s work will be that much less stressful and difficult to keep up on.