positivity

Smaller Than They Appear

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Today’s meditation was an eleven minute long #DailyTrip session from the @Calm app.

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Tarotgazing Deck - Nine of SwordsThe @GlitterbyInk #DecemberDays25 Beyond the Solstice Challenge
The Archetype Prompt for December 16 : Bold
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Nine of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of nightmares, anxiety, insomnia, and negative thoughts and inner narratives.

Fortune favors the bold, or so they say.

That means even when you’re scared or worried or plague by anxiety… you still move forward and keep going. When you remain still and entertain these fears and anxieties, it allows them to grow and become bigger and bigger, taking over more and more of your life.

The message in today’s card and prompt combination is a reminder that your fears are not as big as you think they are, but you actually have to confront them in order to prove that to yourself.  If you don’t?  Then they’ll just continue to grow and grow in your mind.

DECK USED:  TAROTGAZING DECK

@Lionharts #TheDecemberTarot Fruits of 2025 Challenge
The Magician Prompts for December 16th

Tarot Reading with the Winter Waite Tarot 2019 Revised EditionA turn of the tide

The Fool – Consider the ways in which you have been foolish or naïve this year, and consider how you can shift this mindset into safer territory. There are better places to allow that foolishness and naivety full reign.

A part to play

Eight of Pentacles – Try looking into at how you can instill fun and play into your work without losing the responsibility aspect in the process. They don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

A truth that can’t hide

Queen of Cups – You need more nurturing than you’re getting, and you may need to provide it for yourself if no one else can step up fill that gap (or get past that natural resistance you have to accepting it in the first place). This is why you continue to crave “mother energy” in your life.

A choice to weigh

Four of Cups – Do you really want to be alone, or is it just what you’re used to? You’re never going to be an extrovert, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t take comfort in the presence of others and enjoy their company when it’s offered.

Other elements included in this reading:
Wood burned Bear for Strength and Fostering Protective Instincts
Foraged Lodgepole Pine for Resilience, Growth, and Renewal
Scotch Pine Cones for Purging Negative Influences
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Citrine for Energy Lift (easing the weight of heavy energies)
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: WINTER WAITE TAROT 2019 REVISED EDITION

#DiscordTarotholicsDec2025 Challenge
Prompts for December 16th and 17th

Tarot Reading with the Tarotgazing DeckHow can you better connect with your intuition and decrease self-doubt?

Four of Swords; Ten of Vessels atop The World – Everything feels better and works better when you get the rest you need. That includes your intuition. You are able to move forward with greater certainty when you have an appropriate amount of rest under your belt and hope in your heart.

Philosophical Question: Is a “wrong” act okay if nobody ever knows about it?

King of Coins and Ace of Staves – These cards first and foremost ask you to define “wrong”. They ask… who decides?

Beyond this, they also speak of keeping in mind that when you start a journey, it’s usually best to start on the right foot. What you build from these beginnings is growth from a seed planted at the start. Thus, when you start with a “wrong” act, the seed that the foundation of what you are growing will be corrupt, and the foundation will not be as strong as that otherwise could be.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Dried Red Maple Leaf for Adaptability and Connection
Conch Shell Knot for Concentration and Clarity
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED:  TAROTGAZING DECK

Daily Self Kindness

I took a nap.  I also officially switched my packaging processing company so that I don’t have to travel north to ship out my orders any longer.  The company will disperse them to ship from different locations along I-5 for me (a stalker precaution that I’ve been doing myself up until now).

Finding the Positive for December 13 & 15

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Vintage Christmas Tarot's Three of Cups, and Pixie's Whisper Tarot Christmas Edition's Eight of Wands

December 13 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was an eleven minute long #DailyCalm session from the @Calm app.

The session talked about the correlation between gluggavedur (window weather in Icelandic) and how we can deal with our more intense emotions. That is, by observing our inner storms in the same way we would observe a storm raging outside while sitting safe and warm inside. By viewing our emotional state in this manner, we are able to view our emotions more objectively. This allows us to observe strong emotions as they arrive and subside, processing them and acknowledging them without getting caught up in them.

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The @GlitterbyInk #DecemberDays25 Beyond the Solstice Challenge
The Archetype Prompt for December 13 : Tender
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Three of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of friendships, revelry, celebration, and collaboration between those that are linked or alike not just in mind but also in heart.

Vulnerabilities make us close ourselves away.  It’s a natural defense mechanism to protect ourselves from being hurt when we’re feeling at our most vulnerable, and I am absolutely guilty of this.

The thing is? When we’re feeling tender and vulnerable, that is the time when we should be reaching out to others that we trust to provide us support.  Not doing so forces us to deal with these feelings alone, and that in turn causes those feelings to be compounded by that sense of alone-ness.

The message in today’s card and prompt combination is a reminder that our support system is there to support us. That means when you need support?  That’s when you need to make sure you are reaching out to them.  Let them step in and help you carry the weight of your vulnerabilities, and you may find that their support is not just healing, but helps you find your footing again just a bit faster as well.

DECK USED: VINTAGE CHRISTMAS TAROT

December 15 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was a ten minute long #DailyCalm session from the @Calm app.

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The @GlitterbyInk #DecemberDays25 Beyond the Solstice Challenge
The Archetype Prompt for December 15 : Serene
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Eight of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of action, speed, alacrity, fast paced events or change, or having a target goal in your sights that you are charging towards.

Sometimes you just have to light a fire under your ass and get things done.

Relaxation and taking your time is all well and good as long as you’re able to jump forward and do what needs done now and then. Especially if you fall behind on certain things, it can be important to be able to move quickly and with focus in order to keep everything on track.

The message in today’s card and prompt combo is that it’s absolutely possible to carry those moments of serenity from the quiet, peaceful times into these moments when you need to hop to it and get stuff done. That inner calm does not have to be disrupted just because you need to move a little bit quicker and do a little bit more. Today’s card encourages us to work on retaining that peace and calm, even during moments of activity.

DECK USED: PIXIES WHISPER TAROT CHRISTMAS EDITION

Choosing Stability

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Today’s meditation was a ten minute long #DailyCalm session from the @Calm app.

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The Revelation of the Cat Spirit Tarot - Seven of CupsThe @GlitterbyInk #DecemberDays25 Beyond the Solstice Challenge
The Archetype Prompt for December 14 : Grounded
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Seven of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of themes having to do with having a plethora of options to choose from, all of opportunity’s doors being open upon one’s path, and at times being overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices available in the moment.

Grounding yourself takes work. Not in the way that you work hard to achieve a goal, but more in the way that you have to be mindful of when you need it and how you achieve it. It’s not about drive or ambition, it’s about awareness and stillness.

It’s about making choices that create that space for grounding and stability in your life. Whether that’s in a moment when you need it most, or overall in your day-to-day life so that you have that stability there for you day in and day out.

The message in today’s cards is a reminder that being grounded is a choice that we make, and in making that choice we do the things needed to give us that sense of stability and grounded energy.

Whether these activities are meditation, or breath exercises, or touching grass, or spending time in nature, or whatever it is that gives you that sense of grounding. Participating in these things is a choice that we make; and if we don’t consciously and mindfully make these choices, we will be unable to find the grounding and stability that we need.

DECK USED:  THE REVELATION OF THE CAT SPIRIT TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsDec2025 Challenge
Prompt for December 14th : Do Spread 2

Tarot Reading with The Revelation of the Cat Spirit Tarot

Thistle: How can I ward off the blues that try to encroach as the holidays draw to a close?

Knight of Wands – Delve into the things that you feel enthusiasm for. You’ll need that dose of enthusiasm to help lift you up as the excitement of the holidays begins to wane.

Garnet: How can I purify myself to help find a better balance for the new year ahead?

Five of Swords Rx – Work on seeing life less as a battle with winners and losers. This mindset pushes people away. Consider seeing life as a journey that involves including others instead. Not everything has to be a battle to the death.

Yew: What practices need resurrected in my life to protect my well-being?

Ten of Swords atop Five of Wands – End conflicts before they can even begin. Remember that you can say “fuck it” and walk away. You don’t have to engage, even if they’re trying their hardest to tempt you to.

Diamond: How can my imagination foster more fearlessness in my life?

Ten of Cups – Instead of worrying about the stuff that might go wrong along the way, imagine all the goodness and shared joy that can come from your endeavors.

Holly: How can I create longevity in the fertile soil of my new endeavors?

Eight of Wands Rx – Don’t rush. Remember to take things slow. It’s important to keep in mind that “your own pace” doesn’t mean “as fast as you can”. It means taking things slow and easy so that you can savor the process and experiences along the way.

Emerald: How can a closer connection to hearth and home affect my sense of loyalty?

Two of Swords – When you are disconnected from hearth and home, you have a tendency to make more selfish choices that in the end are often less successful, both personally and professionally. This means that you make better choices when you are connected to those things that matter most to you.

Peppermint: What methods can I use to best stimulate my mind when I need a boost?

King of Swords – Allow yourself to delve into “rabbit holes” of interest, and drag others with you as you go. This allows you to both learn new things that can benefit you in the future, and enjoy the experience of teaching others what you’re learning as you’re learning it. Sharing the wealth, even as you cover new ground.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Purple Heather Sprigs for Independence and Luck
Japanese Cherry Leaf as a Reminder of Life’s Fleeting Moments
Gneiss Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED:  THE REVELATION OF THE CAT SPIRIT TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I had absolutely no interest in going grocery shopping today, but stopped by and picked up a few needed things anyway because I knew it would be harder to do meals for the rest of the day without them.

Finding the Positive for December 10 – 12

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Coastal Crow & Raven Tarot's Magician card, WinterBell Tarot's Ten of Pentacles, Mystical Tarot of the Saints' Six of Coins / Six of Pentacles

December 10 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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The @GlitterbyInk #DecemberDays25 Beyond the Solstice Challenge
The Artisan Prompt for December 10 : Vibrant
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is The Magician card, which is traditionally a representation of capability, potential, resourcefulness, action, and manifestation. This often translates into themes having to do with being in possession of all of the skills, abilities, and tools necessary to reach one’s goals and accomplish one’s ends. It’s about being capable and skilled, resourceful and gifted with what is needed to get the job done.

The greatest tool at your disposal is your brain.

The Magician is filled with the energy of innovation, having all the tools needed to do what needs done. Well the most valuable of those tools isn’t experience or anything in particular that you own. It’s your brain.

Common sense and innovation are the key to any and all other “tools” at one’s disposal. If you can’t think? You can’t -do- what needs done.

The message in today’s card and prompt combination is a reminder that it’s your mind that shines brightest when it comes to solving problems. Don’t forsake yourself or your ingenuity. Don’t call yourself stupid, lean into willful helplessness, or forsake your innate ability to problem solve. Be creative. Use your brain. That’s what it’s there for.

DECK USED: COASTAL CROW & RAVEN TAROT

December 11 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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The @GlitterbyInk #DecemberDays25 Beyond the Solstice Challenge
The Artisan Prompt for December 11 : Gilded
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Ten of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of satisfaction and stability in the area of one’s finances, resources, home, health, manifestations, and the physical world. This often translates into themes that have to do with hard earned success, accomplishments, abundance created through patience and hard work.

What makes your life worth living?  What cycles in life return to the surface again and again, creating value where it felt like value was lacking?

That’s the questions that I see this card asking us today.  It’s in the star that shines so brightly in the center like a symbol of hope and positive outcomes, and the circle of ornaments and deer that encircle the star, speaking of abundance and fruition.

The thing is?  We can’t always have everything we want. And if we could? Just imagine how boring that would be.  Instead, or good fortune comes in cycles, creating a balance between good and bad… and it’s up to us to focus on the good and give it the true credit in our lives that it deserves.

The message in today’s card combined with the “gilded” prompt is a reminder that our abundance and good fortune are only as valuable as we allow them to be.  If we disregard them, then they hold little value in our lives.  But, if we take time to acknowledge and celebrate these things, they have the ability to shine more brightly and lift us up even during times when we’re struggling.

DECK USED: WINTERBELL TAROT

December 12 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was a ten minute long #DailyCalm session from the @Calm app.

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The @GlitterbyInk #DecemberDays25 Beyond the Solstice Challenge
The Artisian Prompt for December 12 : Abstract
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Six of Coins (Pentacles), which is traditionally a representation of charity, generosity, sharing the wealth, asking for or accepting help, and balancing the scales between the “haves” and the “have nots” in life.

Lots of people look at generosity as a nice idea, but not something they can practically do. I get this, as I too struggle in certain areas where I would normally want to be generous.

The thing is, though?  Maybe that means we’re looking at generosity in a closed-minded way.  How many things have you thrown away this week that someone else might have possibly used?  Did you throw them away because they held no use? Or did you toss them because it was “too much trouble” or inconvenient to find a way to donate them to others that could use them?

Food, blankets, cardboard boxes others could use for gifting, bottles of water, electronics, winter wear, old shoes, socks, even leftovers.  All of these things can be donated or given away to others that could use them… and yet we throw them away out of convenience.

The message in today’s card and prompt combination is a reminder that generosity is not an abstract concept. It simply takes a little effort to make it work.  Even those just scraping by -can- contribute to others and help them by offering time or support instead of money, food, or goods.  It’s up to each of us, though, to carry those abstract thoughts of generosity forward into reality.  Otherwise?  They’re just a nice idea that nobody’s actually doing.

DECK USED: MYSTICAL TAROT OF THE SAINTS

Seeking Celebration

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Today’s meditation was a ten minute long #DailyCalm session from the @Calm app.

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Storybook Christmas Tarot - The Sun cardThe @GlitterbyInk #DecemberDays25 Beyond the Solstice Challenge
The Artisan Prompt for December 9 : Festive
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is The Sun card, which is traditionally a representation of success, optimism, positivity, fun and frivolity. In my path, the Sun is also a symbol of male vitality, virility, and warmth.

There’s always something to celebrate. Sometimes we don’t feel like it, and sometimes our negative inner narratives keep us from being able to see it… but there is always something to celebrate.

Today’s message from the Sun card combined with the “festive” prompt is a reminder to not sink so far into the negative self talk going on in your head that you forget to look for the good stuff all around you. Sometimes looking for these things takes more work than others times, but it’s there for you to find if you work at it. Not only that, but like so many other things in life, the more you work at it, the easier it becomes.

DECK USED:  STORYBOOK CHRISTMAS TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsDec2025 Challenge
Prompts for December 8th and 9th

Tarot Reading with The Mystic Gnome TarotWhere could you direct your focus this week to be more understanding?

Nine of Swords Rx and Ten of Pentacles – In a repeat of the message in the card of the day pulled for today, these cards are a reminder not to listen to the negative inner voices telling you about everything that’s wrong and everything you’re doing wrong, that you’re not enough, or everyone else is stupid, etc.

Instead, look at those things that you are being given the opportunity to celebrate and where abundance lies in your life. When anxieties and depression are are weighing you down, it can be hard to find and appreciate these positive things in your life, but they’re still there. You just have to look for them and take a moment to appreciate them. Don’t disregard them to listen to that negative inner voice instead.

When harsh judgments and fear lead thoughts are pushed to the back, it allows you to be more open and understanding, both to yourself as well as other others.

What can you do to feel more fulfilled in your day-to-day life?

Five of Swords Rx and Knight of Wands Rx – Stop looking at everything you do as a battle that you have to run into full speed ahead. Yes, some difficult things in life do feel that way. You don’t have to turn everything you do into that kind of a dynamic, though.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Acorns for Protection during New Beginnings
Foraged Lodgepole Pine for Resilience, Growth, and Renewal
Rainforest Rhyolite for Facilitating Calm Transitions
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: THE MYSTIC GNOME TAROT

@Lionharts #TheDecemberTarot Fruits of 2025 Challenge
The Wheel / Transition Prompts for December 7th thru 10th

Tarot Reading with the Storybook Christmas TarotWhat is ready to move the moment I stop resisting?

Six of Candy Canes (Wands) atop Five of Icicles (Swords) – A lot of the times when you people please you are participating in a self-defeating cycle. Although you aren’t a people pleaser for everyone and everyone, you are for a select few. When you let go of this need to please them, you will better be able to give yourself what you need.

What cycle is closing with or without my permission?

Six of Icicles (Swords) – If you don’t start moving on your own concerning those things that it’s time to let go of, life is going to rip them from your grip instead.

What timing can I trust instead of trying to control?

The Moon – When feelings of uncertainty rise up, instead of jumping into action right away, take a pause and see if it will work itself out instead. You can always step in once you’re sure that your hand in things is needed, instead of jumping in from the start.

What change has already begun beneath the surface?

The High Priestess – Your intuition is already working to try and balance out your need to please others and your own personal needs that you’re not fulfilling. You merely need listen a little more closely.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Dried Rhododendron Leaf for Fostering Confidence
Die-cut Fox Figure for Strategic Thinking and Clarity
Conch Shell Knot for Concentration and Clarity
Gneiss Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED:  STORYBOOK CHRISTMAS TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I took a nap to recharge today after finishing up some spellwork done as part of a holiday gift.

Looking at New vs Old

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Laughing Eye Weeping Eye Tarot - Seven of CupsThe @GlitterbyInk #DecemberDays25 Beyond the Solstice Challenge
The Artisan Prompt for December 8 : Vintage
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Seven of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of themes having to do with having a plethora of options to choose from, all of opportunity’s doors being open upon one’s path, and at times being overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices available in the moment.

Sometimes new isn’t better.

I watched a commercial from the 80s recently that had a bunch of cars bumping into things, showing how the bumper protects the car from damage and creates a safer experience on the road.  And I just have to honestly say that I’ve -never- seen a modern car take a bump like the older cars in this commercial did.  It was impressive.

It’s not just with cars that new isn’t always better, though. Think about the erosion of privacy, education systems,  and life skills in our youth.

The message in the card for today combined with the “vintage” prompt is a reminder that new isn’t always better. Instead of allowing ourselves to be enchanted on the novelty of new, today’s message encourages us to pause and ask if the “new” is realistically an improvement. What we are sacrificing in the update, and is that new shiny feeling really worth what we lose in the process?

DECK USED:  LAUGHING EYE WEEPING EYE TAROT

@aplacetodock #Yuletide Oracle Challenge
Prompts for December 7th, 9th and 10th

Tarot Reading with the Winter Waite Redux Tarot 2024What is on my Christmas list for Santa?

Two of Cups – Copacetic union. You would very much like for everyone to get along this season. There’s going to be a lot of people gathered together from different backgrounds and different parts of the world, and you would like there to be an effort on everyone’s part to let things go off smoothly and conflict free.

Finish the sentence: “This Christmas I hope..”

Six of Cups – … will be diverse and bountiful.

In an echo of the previous question, there’s a hope here for a harmony, even during times of collected diversity.  Lots of different people (and options) gathered around, and no shit stirring or anxiety involved, would be lovely.

What direction comes from the Christmas Star?

Death – Don’t allow your resistance to change fuck up your holiday happiness.  Change isn’t really your strong suite and you have a tendency to be stubborn and try to hold on as long as possible.  The direction given by the Christmas Star this year is to take care not to balk to much.  Go with the flow where you can in order to allow for changes to come and go with ease and the holiday season be less of a struggle.

Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Rhododendron Leaf for Fostering Confidence
Carved Bamboo for Positive Outcomes
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: WINTER WAITE REDUX 2024

@LightningWildflower December Arcana Challenge 
The Emperor Prompts for December 7th and 8th

Tarot Reading with the Laughing Eye Weeping Eye TarotWhere in my life do I want for more stability?

The Fool Rx and The Sun – You want to have your cake and eat it too. You crave stability in all things, but need the ability to cut loose and have some fun. These two contrast, in that in order to really cut loose and be care free, you have to loosen your grip on that stability that you covet so fiercely. You need to find a way to instill stability in this area that won’t hinder your enjoyment in the moment.

What does healthy authority look like to me?

Judgement and Death – Direction towards obtainable future goals while providing guidance through change. No when is particularly comfortable with change. In your opinion, health authority involves someone who is willing to help people move through change in healthy ways. Guiding them towards a future goal, instead of allowing them to get stuck in the stagnancy of resistance and grief.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Acorns for Protection during New Beginnings
Bird Figurine for Fostering Hope, Positivity, and Renewal
Gneiss Wishing Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Desert Rose for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED:  LAUGHING EYE WEEPING EYE TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I cut myself a break on meditation today, because I was really struggling to focus. I did lie there for about ten minutes, it just wasn’t particularly successful.