Personal tarot readings

Don’t Wallow

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IMG_9165Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long and was a guided meditation with interval timer for my piriformis stretches. And, it’s very clear that I’ve been skipping far too often, because my right hip is stiff as hell and it was nearly impossible to do the stretching as I normally would.  So… a few days of skipping will lead to about two months of time to regain the flexibility I’d been maintaining.  Still, it’s definitely got my attention.

The focus of today’s meditation was clearly about living in the present instead of ruminating on the past or being too focused on the future.  The thing is, though?  I say “clearly” because I don’t remember what was said in the meditation at all, but the graphic kind of speaks for itself.  I know I listened to it at the time, or at least I think that I did, but I think the depression is at a point now where I’m struggling with remembering even what happened a few hours ago with any clarity.

Tarot Skrytych Svetu - The HermitToday’s draw is the Hermit card, which is traditionally a representation of inner reflection and healthy alone time when one retreats to deal with and explore the self.

There are two things that stand out to me the strongest in the imagery of this card today, which is the hag stone that the Hermit stands upon, and the geese.

The geese in this card’s imagery insinuate that the Hermit is high in the sky. Far above where geese fly in their migratory trek. This is about lift rising above, and it speaks to me (along with the light that shins so brightly) of the solitary being a healthy and healing experience.

The hag stone that the Hermit stands upon speaks to me of secrets. Hidden secrets that can only be accessed by honing in one’s view and dipping into a side of things that you don’t examine in the day to day.

The message in today’s card is reminder that alone time needs to be healthy alone time.  Just retreating to wallow in your own misery is not okay and not healthy.  If you’re going to spend alone time, make sure that it is in the pursuit of inner reflection and growth, not to allow yourself to sink into unhealthy habits and thoughts.

DECK USED:  TAROT SKRYTYCH SVETU

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What brings my heart joy?

Paulina Tarot

King of Pentacles – Stability and security. When I have that feeling of security that everything is as it should be and all is stable, I then feel free to explore my pleasures and indulge in my joys.

Ten of Swords – Knowing that even the most difficult journey comes to an end eventually. Sometimes bad shit happens.  Sometimes it happens and keeps happening and feels like it will last forever.  But the truth is?  Bad shit eventually ends, and in that moment we have the opportunity to birth a new thread.. a new journey.  It brings my heart hope, and thus joy, to know this.

Justice – That life can be fair, even if you have to work at it. I very much feel a deep seated need for balance in life… for fairness in life.  I can’t help this.  When things feel balanced and fair, even if that fairness takes from my pocket to even things out with another less fortunate, I feel good and pleased and happy.   Fairness and balance are important, and finding as well as fostering these things in life brings me joy.

DECK USED:  PAULINA TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsFeb2021 Challenge Prompt
Question:  What personal energy will best facilitate conversation with others today?

Tarot Skrytych SvetuReading Summary: You may still be learning your way (Page of Cups), but you still need to allow your emotions to flow easily and share them with others (Ten of Cups).  There’s no use in tangling yourself up in them while trying to hide from them or avoid them (Eight of Swords).

Take Away: At the moment I am struggling with a major depressive episode and I’m struggling under it’s grip.  The emotions I’m feeling need to be expressed and communicated.  My gratitude and my love need to be expressed and communicated as well. 

My natural inclination is to hide from my emotions, especially right now when I’m vacillating between a painful numbness and extreme bouts of dark emotions. Don’t hold it in.

DECK USED:  TAROT SKRYTYCH SVETU

Daily Self Kindness

I gave myself permission to cry today, and have done so multiple times today.  I’ve napped and tried to treat myself kindly, even setting aside some of my responsibilities of the day to allow more room for myself to feel less choked up and constrained.

Try To Make It Fun

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Today’s meditation was skipped.  I’m finishing this post up a few days late, so I’m not sure what it was that caused me to skip it but I think I might have fallen asleep.

Silhouettes Tarot - Queen of WandsToday’s draw is the Queen of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of an alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s inspiration, drive, will power, and inner spark. One way of interpreting this is as a person of authority or strength, that uses that authority and strength to listen to the desires of others (or their inner self) and help them in getting involved in those things that they are inspired by, or need an extra boost of willpower in order to follow through on.

What stands out to me the strongest in the imagery of this card today is the colors.  It’s the glow of bright yellow from the center of the card behind the queen, radiant and bright as she holds both the thorny vine as well as the beautiful sunflower.

The message that I see in this card is that you may have to be the boss today, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it… or at least try to.

DECK USED:  SILHOUETTES TAROT

The Radical Love Tarot Challenge Prompt
Topic:  Loving myself
Question: What self-love do I need right now to help me through this dark time of pervasive depression?

Nano Starseeds Tarot

Reading Summary: You need to work at balancing (Two of Pentacles) that feeling of life’s unpredictability and instability (The Wheel of Fortune) with the solid security of Gideon’s support and love (King of Cups).

Take Away:  You need him.  You need his support and the security that he provides.  You need him to help balance out the chaos of uncertainty that you’re feeling right now.  It’s okay to need him to help you in finding that balance.  Don’t forget that he’s there for you.

DECK USED:  NANO STARSEEDS TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsFeb2021 Challenge Prompt
Topic:  Ask the cards for a positive message to carry with you throughout the day.

Silhouettes TarotReading Summary: Indecision (Six of Cups) causes setbacks (Knight of Swords Rx). So take the reins and push through on what needs to be done (The Chariot). Be the boss (The Emperor).

Take Away: It’s orders day and I have to work whether I want to or not. I have to get shit done, whether I want to or not.  I have to make sure that things are still moving… whether I want to or not.  All I honestly want to do is curl up in bed and never come out.  Not to eat.  Not to work. Not to do anything.  Just burrow into the fragrant softness and let it wrap me up and drown out the rest of the world with that small amount of comfort.

But I can’t.   So sack it up and get your shit done.

DECK USED:  SILHOUETTES TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I… have no idea what I did today that would be considered  a self kindness.  Not any idea at all.

Transitioning from January to February

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Your Universe Month End Tarot Spread - January 2021

Individuality – Five of Pentacles Rx and Red Chestnut – You’re trying to pretend that everything is okay and put on a pretty face while in the grasp of your struggle.

Dependence – King of Swords, Oak atop Forget-Me-Not – You need to let go of your control issues for the time being and allow things to flow at their own pace.  Your strength of will and reason combines with your ability to manifest what you want in life is being challenged and you need to take a breath and release some control.  Nobody (living, dead, or otherwise) is going to judge you for that right now.

Creativity – Four of Cups and Aspen Rx – Stop allowing yourself to sink into the seductive feelings of pain and soul rotting darkness.  That embrace is not your friend, but if you allow yourself to wallow within it, it will encourage it to manifest more strongly in your reality and hold on even longer than it already is able.

Limitation – Three of Swords, Baby Blue Eyes, Chamomile – Complacency to the darkness encroaching upon you and the dark thoughts and influences that your mental imbalance.   These negative influences have the ability to take you deeper and deeper if you let them.

Change – King of Wands and Alpine Lily – Fight… even when it feels futile. Your will is strong and you’re a determined force.  It might not feel like fighting against the darkness helps anything, but it does. This is not a fight of brute force, but a battle of will and determination… the kind you are most adept at.

Sympathy – Three of Pentacles and Rosemary Rx – In the past you have resisted allowing people to take your responsibilities off your hand, forcing yourself to keep bearing the full weight upon your shoulders even when in the depths of the pit and surrounded by darkness. You  have learned from this experience that there is a better way.  It can be hard to follow through and allow others to bear some of the weight, but it’s important to your recovery.

Luck – Princess of Swords atop Five of Cups, Manzanita Rx – Remember that you can take what you’ve learned from past experiences and use that to overcome what is going on now. Not being able to find joy or pleasure in what usually brings these things to you is not a failing of yours but simply a symptom of the illness.  You know this… you have learned this… use this knowledge to overcome the negative whispers and dark feelings you are dealing with right now.

Power – The Moon atop Ten of Wands, Bleeding Heart – Don’t drop your burden on the ground, as this will cause uncertainty and problems down the road.  Hand it off to those that love and support you instead.  They are there to help you, they want to support you.  Don’t be so stubborn that you end up putting your responsibilities down so they aren’t being cared for instead of handing them over to those that want to help.

Responsibility – Ten of Cups and Chrysanthemum – You have the opportunity to start climbing to the light and feel good once again, but you have to pull your awareness out of the mire and misery and seek the light.  Don’t forget that it’s there just because you can’t see it right now.

Message from Spirit World / Mind’s World / Known World – This part of the reading takes a lot of focus and concentration to work through and I just can’t manage to get the mental clarity that I need at the moment to do them.  So I’m going to allow myself to skip these three prompts for this month.

Take Away – It is not surprising that the status of my state at this moment is centered around the depression that I’m experiencing.  It is the whole of my world at the moment and the advice here is sound. Let others help me with my responsibilities, keep fighting the depression and seeking the light, and make sure I do not listen to the seductive whispers in the darkness.  I will do my best to follow that advice.

DECKS USED:  HEAVEN & EARTH TAROT, FLOWER ESSENCES DECK VOL 1 & 2

Morning Bonus Read – Monthly Key Spread

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1889 Lenormand - Monthly Key Spread

Key to Your Heart: What will Guide you to make decisions that are aligned with your heart and your truths this month?

Book – Make sure that you know all the facts before making any important decisions this month.  With you currently in the middle of an MDE, it’s important that you look to stable and informative outside sources to ensure you are seeing the full picture and not just that one view through the grimy glass that your depression affords you.

Anchor: What will ground you in the face of anxiety, stress, overwhelm, and existential dread in general?

Clouds – Remember that this is temporary.  You are well and deeply sunken into the pit of depression and it is causing a good deal of confusion but you’re doing well at keeping the overwhelm in hand. Remember that this is familiar to you.  It’s something you’ve gone through before, and something that you will get through this time as well.  The depression may be heavy, but it’s temporary.

Star Wand: What will accelerate your magic, creativity, and manifestation powers?

Ship – Focus on the things you have invested in and in fostering their continued good health.  Don’t worry about growth, that will take care of itself.  Just keep everything afloat and let the rest go for right now.  If it’s still afloat at the end of the depression, you can then work on pushing things forward and encouraging their growth.

Blessings from the Stars: The Universe has got your back – how will you be supported this month?

Bouquet – The universe is rooting for you and pushing you to find what joy you can, however you can find it.  Even little joys will help brighten up the darkness around you, so allow them in and do your best to take pleasure in them.

One Trick Up Your Sleeve: A life saving idea or inspiration for any unexpected challenge or difficult moments?

Anchor – Don’t forget that you have spent a long time setting yourself up for the security and stability that you now have in your life.  Things feel like they are out of control at the moment, but this is an illusion created by your mental instability, and it will pass.  The true stability  you  have created in your life is still there, and will be there waiting for you when you begin to find your way out of the darkness.

Emergence Pt 1: What is emerging within you / within your reality right now?

Man – It’s okay to focus on yourself right now. It’s okay to be selfish right now. It’s okay to need to put yourself first for now.  It’s needed.  Do it.

Emergence Pt 2: What are you expanding towards?

Child – You are at the bottom of the pit.  Seek out the light and the fresh air. Don’t wallow but keep reaching for the new breath and fresh openness  that is waiting for you on the other side of the darkness.

DECK USED:  1889 LENORMAND ORACLE

Choppy Waters

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IMG_9037Today’s meditation was just over eleven minutes long and was another of the guided meditations from the Calm app with interval timer for my piriformis stretches.

The focus of today’s meditation was something that really resonated for me.  What it said was, “It’s easy to get used to things not going our way. When we’re met with challenge after challenge, we may start to believe that life is unfair, or that we’re undeserving, or that our circumstances may never change.  But then, when good things do happen, we may be so conditioned by our pessimistic filter that we won’t even see them.  Through mindfulness we can challenge this condition. When we notice that we are perceiving life through a negative lens we can recognize that this is our habit and we can step back to view things more objectively.  And we can remind ourselves of the universal law of impermanence, that things are always changing. We can embrace this principle, releasing misconceptions that we’re undeserving, and embracing goodness when it arrives.”

Ad Orbita Tarot - Ace of CupsToday’s draw is the Ace of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of new emotions, new relationships, and new connections with our creativity and intuition.  It’s all about that seed of newness and the watery element of the emotional realm.

What really catches my attention in this card’s imagery today is the choppiness of the water below.

Sometimes, newness inherently involves a bit of a rocky start.  That turbulence comes from the aspect of change and the time it takes us to grow and adapt to that change.

Today’s card is a reminder that even when something new feels like a rocky start, it can evolve into something as dazzling and spectacular as shooting stars in a night sky.

DECK USED:  AD ORBITA TAROT

LionHart’s Mercury Retrograde Tarot Challenge Prompt
Question:  How can I best work with the energy of Mercury Rx this month?

The Byzantine Tarot

Patriarch atop Five of Cups Rx – Learn to practice self forgiveness.  Not everything has to be perfect all the time.  Sometimes learning is messy… sometimes life is messy.  And remember that the path to self forgiveness and a healthier relationship with occasional setbacks may boil down to long known tried and true methods.  We’re not talking about new concepts or methods here… and it’s not rocket science.

Count of Swords atop Death Rx – Don’t allow yourself to stall out or stagnate.  Self discipline is important, especially in times when you’re stuck in that “don’t feel like it right now” mindset.  Lean into what you know is going to work.  Keep moving.  Now is not the time to dig in your heels.

Four of Swords – Get some rest, but make sure it’s of the healthy variety.  No burrowing under the covers to hide, but you need to make sure you’re getting the rest you need.

DECK USED:  BYZANTINE TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsFeb2021 Challenge Prompt
Topic:  Do the Imbolc Spread

Ad Orbita TarotWhat seeds need planted in my life right now?

The High Priestess – It’s time to start getting in touch with your feelings, intuition, and inner knowing. Sometimes during a depression this can be difficult to tap into as cleanly and clearly as you’d like, but the depression won’t last forever and if you foster the seeds of beginning in that connection now, the strength of it and future growth will recover and continue far more smoothly than letting things sit and stagnate.

What preparations do I need to begin making to prepare for this growth?

Knight of Pentacles Rx – Let go of your issues concerning feeling restless with slow going progress. Beware that if you go too fast or let these feelings take control, you’re going to spill everything on the floor and make a damned mess.  There’s a fine line between slow but steady growth, and not moving at all.  It’s a fine line with a very big difference.

What in my life is beginning a phase of reawakening and renewal?

King of Wands Rx – A time of releasing responsibilities.  Set down the big plate full of crap that you need to do and pick up a smaller plate that will leave room for more extraneous, pleasurable things.  You can be responsible and still support and foster the growth of your business and goals, while carrying a bit less on your shoulders.

How can I best foster that awakening?

Two of Cups – Allow others to support me in my journey.  Delegate and work together with these others so that what was once a solitary endeavor becomes a balance of like minds that care about the same things, the same results, as well as each other.

DECK USED:  AD ORBITA TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I took a few breaks today during the process of getting my orders ready to go.  I can’t say that I didn’t feel restless and a bit guilty during these breaks… but I did take them anyway.

Imbolc 2021

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This evening through ’til tomorrow evening is Imbolc (also known as Candlemas, Imbolg, and Brigid’s Day), which marks the half way point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox, and it signifies the transition from winter into the first stirrings of spring.  This holiday is about life renewing, but in the hidden darkness of cold months and dark earth.  Deep in the darkness seeds stir and roots begin to feel the warming of the earth as the days grow longer and nights shorter.  Life awakens, invisible in its infancy.

Imbolc 2021 Tarot Reading

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 sure to be  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 the upcoming Spring Equinox at the end of March.

Theme of the Season – Imbolc, Waning Gibbous Moon, Aesculus Hippocastanum 

Imbolc is a time of life reawakening and the sweet stirrings that are not yet seen but will soon come forth to greet the sun. It is a time of hope, rest, and awakening, and is considered the very first whisper of the spring to come. 

The Waning Gibbous Moon is a time of decline.  This is the time when one rides the peak of the full moon’s power into it’s decrease.  Spell craft done on the full moon will stretch forward into the energy of the gibbous moon, providing  it the power needed to begin influencing those things we set to change on that full moon night.  Now is a time to reflect on your achievements with gratitude for all that has been gained and accomplished.

The Aesculus Hippocastanum (Horse Chestnut) are a magical representation of the fertility of the divine masculine, and are often used in spells that have to do with luck, especially of the monetary abundance sort.  It is an astringent, an anti-inflammatory, and contains saponins, which means that it can be used to make soap and other cleaning products.  It should not be ingested, though, as this nut is toxic to humans, causing stomach upset, kidney problems, muscle twitching, weakness, loss of coordination, vomiting, diarrhea, depression, paralysis, and stupor when ingested. In other words… don’t eat the soap, dumbass.

When looking at these three cards together, the theme that I see here has to do with taking this time of rest and quiet to purge out the negative and that which is not serving you with practices of gratitude and self care. Acknowledge your accomplishments and allow a little bit of pride to flourish as you wash away the negativity with positive reinforcement and an attitude of gratitude and hope.

Earth – Nine of Swords – In the darkness of the depression you find yourself in, you twist and turn restlessly and seek release from the chains darkness has bound you in.  Remember that even the seed must spend time in the dark before it can emerge to greet the sun.  Don’t fuss so much.  Pause and allow yourself to take a breath. Adding extra worries and anxieties to the experience won’t make it any more pleasant, nor usher it to move on more quickly.

Air – Three of Swords – This darkness you find yourself in naturally drags forward feelings of disappointment and damning thoughts of degradation.  Look up and allow the rain to wash you clean.  You are going through a trial and you need to work at keeping the negative thoughts from taking over.

Water – Nine of Wands –  Don’t close up. Don’t close off.  These things will not serve you well and aren’t healthy.  The depression always makes it tempting to put up walls and go on the defensive but you’ve been doing well at keeping those unhealthy habits in check. Better to allow the air to flow in and your breath to flow out.  Your emotions need an outlet to help things stay on an even keel.

Fire – Knight of Wands –  Following the theme of the other cards in this reading, this Knight has arrived to tell you what not to do. Do not charge forward.  Do not bear down in your focus and end up closing out the outside world and the influence of others as a result.  Do not allow yourself to find escape in work… for that escape is not going to foster you in any ways that matter in this moment when it is your mental health that needs your focus… not your work.

Waning – Light – You’re not going to be getting a lot of clarity this week, and hope might be a bit of a challenge. Feeling as if you are at a standstill is a natural part of what you’re going through right now, and that can create a sense of hopelessness. 

Waxing – The Stargazer – Patience is going to play an important role in moving forward over the next few weeks. Not everything can be taken on like a warrior charging into battle, sometimes it is about patiently working towards where you want to be one small step at a time.  The cake still gets eaten whether you nibble at it and savor each bite, or wolf it down on a gluttonous inhale.

Take Away –  Don’t worry. Don’t thrash.  Don’t fight too vigorously or try to charge through the abyss with force.  This moment in your journey is about patience and slow progress.  It’s about gratitude and doing what you can to foster hope within the darkness.   Have patience with yourself… you’ll get there in time.

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