Queen of Cups

Weekly Creativity Prompt – New Years Reflections

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Pull a random card from your deck and decide what aspect of your life this card represents for you.

That’s not what happened, I remember… – Memory issues, and my aversion to looking into the past.

Cast of Characters Cards and Blue Earth Tarot - Queen of Cups, The Empress, Knight of WandsPull three more random cards, and interpret them as goals, aspirations, and/or resolutions related to that aspect of your life represented in the first card.

A Goal – Queen of Cups – Seek out support from those you know are there to steady you emotionally when you try to dip your toes into the waters of the path. There’s a lot of emotional trauma back there that you are avoiding, and being supported by others can help you deal with it.

An Aspiration – The Empress – Healthy, happy, and abundant. You want to feel secure and nurtured. Cared for. Your past has made this feel like an impossible dream, but it should instead be viewed as a goal of self-healing.

A Resolution – Knight of Wands – Commit yourself to exploring and healing these past wounds, instead of buying them and pretending that they don’t exist.

DECKS USED: BLUE EARTH TAROT AND CAST OF CHARACTERS CARDS

It’s Not a Solo Mission

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Today’s meditation was skipped this morning because I was feeling overwhelmed by how much I had to get done and… you know what? Now that I look at that reasoning… it seems completely backwards. Shouldn’t the times when I feel overwhelmed be the times when I should be making a point to do my meditation instead of setting it aside?  Right.  So now that I’ve given myself a talking to…

Traditional Manga Tarot - Queen of CupsToday’s draw is the Queen of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of a receptive alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s emotions, relationships, intuition, and creativity. This often presents itself as qualities that have to do with being a good listener that can bolster other’s emotional well-being and lead people toward healthier emotional balance.

Sometimes?  Gideon is the Queen of Cups.  It is in that gentle way he is willing to listen to me and tug at my emotions to get them to surface and get me to share them with him.  He helps me in understanding what I’m feeling, and he helps me in sorting out the tangle when my emotions become a mess.

With each day I am with him, my emotional intelligence becomes a little better, and yet the steps are so tiny… so minuscule… that they seem inconsequential.  But they’re not.

The point here?  Is that none of us learn alone.  None of us develop or improve ourselves alone.  There are always others there that help in guiding us, teaching us, and helping us to become better.  It’s important that we aren’t just aware of that, but acknowledge it… and those that help us.

DECK USED:  TRADITIONAL MANGA TAROT

LionHart’s As Above So Below Challenge Prompt
Mars Question: How can I positively overcome, or deal with, the obstacle in yesterday’s reading?

Puppet Theatre Tarot

Reading Summary:  Stop paying so much attention (imagery in the Nine of Needles) to your worries (imagery in the Eight of Needles), and focus (magnifying glass) on elation instead (imagery in the Ten of Cups).

Side Note: I love the imagery of this deck.  It doesn’t always follow the RWS symbolism, but it’s just so expressive.

Take Away:  The message here is about “feeding the wolf“. The wolf within you that wins is the one you feed.  So stop feeding the wolf of worry and desperation and struggle your attention, and continue to instead work on feeding the wolf of optimism and positivity your attention instead.

DECK USED:  PUPPET THEATRE TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsNov2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Advice I need to hear at this time concerning my ambitions.

Tarot of the UnknownReading Summary:  Slow and steady but keep working at it (Knight of Pentacles). Sometimes along the way you might need to make some changes (Six of Swords), but as long as you have some patience (Temperance) and dedication to what you want to work on and excel at you’ll get there (Eight of Pentacles).

Take Away: The foundation of expertise is patience. It takes time and practice to develop your skills, but the cards here indicate that as long as you stay on track and make the adjustments necessary along the way to keep from sinking into the mud you stumble upon on the path now and then?  You’ll get there.   It’s about patience and adaptability and staying focused on where you want to end up eventually.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE UNKNOWN

Heal & Transform November Challenge Prompt
Question: In what ways (material or spiritual) can I show myself the love and nurturing I need?

Witches Wisdom Tarot

Reading Summary: By giving yourself the rest that you need (Four of Air) and overcoming self sabotage (Seven of Air Rx) with compassion (Goddess of Water) that will lead to joy (Sun).

Take Away:  Lots of reminders to rest this week, which… if I’m honest and fair about it?  I need the bombardment of reminders so… yeah.  A little nagging now and then can be a good thing.

The other element of the answer on how I can show myself the love and nurturing I need is to make sure I’m not allowing my inner dialog create more chaos than it’s worth.  Instead, lean into being kind to yourself and positive.  Optimism and kindness towards myself is not easy, but it’s needed.

DECK USED:  WITCHES WISDOM TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How can I create better balance in my life?

Ride and Wait Tarot

Reading Summary: Spend less time stressing about (Nine of Swords) where I’m going and how I’m going to get there (King of Pentacles), and instead spend some time enjoying the present more (The Fool).

Take Away:  Valid… very valid point.  I do spend a lot of time focusing on the future and focusing on strategizing my way into a better future.  I stress over my business and sales and finances.  And I spend far too little time enjoying “the now” and working on having a positive outlook.

The cards here indicate that if I want to create a better and healthier balance in my life, I need to work on that optimism more, and being centered in the present more as well.

DECK USED:  RIDE OR WAIT TAROT

Accepting Comfort

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As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I’ve fallen behind again and I can’t remember whether I meditated on the 30th or not. So, like yesterday, I’ll leave this empty this time around as I finish up these posts that got started… but never published on the blog.

Tarot of Haunted House - Queen of CupsToday’s draw is the Queen of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of a receptive alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s emotions, relationships, imagination, and intuition.  This often translates into a nurturing energy, personality, or person that has the ability to touch our emotions and soothe them, as well as bolster them.

What stands out to me the strongest in this imagery is the wings and the warm glow that the imagery holds.   The wings are soft and large.  They appear as if they would be too heavy for the woman in the image, and yet she holds them aloft without stress or strain.  They are all encompassing, stretching wide like arms seeking to embrace and hold, to provide comfort in the warm glow of the light that surrounds her.

The message in today’s card is about accepting comfort when it is offered.  We all need comfort sometimes, and it’s okay to sink into it instead of berating yourself for needing it or for accepting it.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF HAUNTED HOUSE

LionHart’s #TheOctoberTarot #SeasonOfTheWitchChallenge Prompt
Question: Savor – Something good I should keep, or remember, for November.

Cute and Creepy Tarot

Reading Summary: Make sure you rest when you need to (Four of Swords), keep your true desires in mind when pushing forward (Knight of Cups), and don’t get yourself fall so deeply into the chaos that you end up flirting with burn out (Nine of Wands).

Take Away:  With the holiday rush coming, all of the advice in these cards is specifically directed at the things I need to keep in mind for my self care during that chaotic time.  It’s important that I rest and give myself chances to recover from the work and the stress involved in the holiday rush.

Without that rest, my constant drive to keep going will take over and I will end up doing myself a good deal of harm… coming out the other side not just exhausted but in need of serious mending.  The center card is a reminder that I need to keep in mind what I really want, and don’t get so swept up in everything that I lose that focus.

DECK USED:  CUTE AND CREEPY TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsOct2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Grab a spread of your choice that you’ve been curious about… and give it a go!

Twisted Tarot Tales - Full Moon in Taurus Tarot Reading

How can I center myself during these unpredictable times?

Knight of Cups – Stay focused on what you want. I’ve been having a bit of an issue with focus lately, and in centering myself with a focus in mind, it will be help me hold onto that center more easily, and the focus as well, than trying to do them separately.

How can I bring more stability into my life?

Two of Cups – Connect with others, especially on an emotional level, and it will help you in finding more stability in your life.  It will also help when things fall into instability, as they will be able to see what’s going on and help lift you up, or at least slow the slide into deeper waters.

What do I value most and how does this influence my actions?

Three of Cups atop Rabid Raccoon – I value my family and those that are my chosen family, and the protection of them from others and/or events that might hurt them or steal them away.

Seven of Pentacles – This influences my actions by making sure that I make long-term plans that work to build a better future for all of us. I work to keep us together, and to grow our relationship and our lives in positive ways that foster that unity between us from one year to the next.

What changes am I being called to be a part of?

Six of Pentacles atop Page of Swords – I am being called to look at how I give to others and reevaluate the best ways forward in this area. Look for the differences between generosity and foolishness, and make adjustments that lean toward more logical choices rather than those driven by a sense of obligation.

DECK USED:  TWISTED TAROT TALES

#MysticStarChallenge October Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I embrace yesterday’s message for the next year?

The Cryptid Tarot

Reading Summary: Make sure that you’re taking in others perspectives and looking at things in a different way (The Hanged Man).  You can overcome the warning from  yesterday (Five of Swords), but to do so it will take making conscious choices that lead you away from the chain of events yesterday’s reading indicated. In other words, it’s not something you’ll fall into naturally.

Take Away:  The message yesterday was about overworking myself and turning into an asshole as a result.  The thing is? When I reach the cusp of burnout?  I do turn into an asshole.  I just don’t have patience anymore at that point.  Not for myself, or for anyone else.  Repercussions happen when you treat other people like shit, and I need to make a conscious effort to pull myself back from that path now, before I get to the point of no return.

The message here today is indicating I have the ability to do this, but I’m going to need to slow down and take some time to pay attention and listen to myself and others.  I need to seek out another path, and make the daily concentrated choice to then stay on that healthier path instead of falling into the old habits that have started to creep up and cause conflict.

DECK USED:  THE CRYPTID TAROT

Finding the Calm

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IMG_3496Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long and focused upon finding calm in the midst of chaos, and how mindfulness and meditation can help you in finding that calm.

Mindfulness meditation is, at its very core, a way to train your brain.  People that let their thoughts and worries run away with them, or suffer from anxiety, or have a hard time getting their brain to just shut up…. mindfulness meditation is the exercise and training that can help in overcoming these issues, because it essentially trains you to find that calm and quiet place.

It isn’t about “doing it right” or being “good at it”.  Just the act of trying helps start that training process and gives your brain the exercise it needs to begin learning how to find that calm.  I didn’t understand this when I first started mindfulness meditations, but I get it now.

I’m far from “perfect” at being calm and silent and still and not allowing thoughts to intrude in my meditation…. but I am absolutely flawless at now *catching* myself when that happens and doing the mental “push up” of returning back to silent calm.  Sometimes, I have to do that mental “push up” countless times in those ten minutes or so that I meditate for.  Sometimes, I only have to do it once or twice.   But the fact is?  I’m still doing it… and that’s what counts.

Queen of Brine - Queen of Cups - Stolen Child TarotToday’s draw is the Queen of Brine (Queen of Cups) which is typically interpreted as a receptive alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of relationships and emotions.

What I see in the imagery of today’s card is the abundance of motion that swirls around the center figure.  So much life and so much chaos, and yet she is calm and steady amidst it all.

The message here is an echo of what I’ve written above concerning meditation and finding that inner calm.   Sometimes you get swept up in the chaos of life, but it’s important to take the time to pause and touch upon that inner source of calm.  It’s there, but sometimes we have to teach ourselves how to reach for it… and remember to then do so when we need it.

The message here in today’s card is a reminder to do my meditation and put my all into it instead of just going through the motions. Being dedicated to the task will strengthen the ability to more easily touch upon that calm when it is needed most.

DECK USED:  STOLEN CHILD TAROT

#TarotForGrowthApril Challenge Prompt
Question: Current state of body.

ETA Tarot

Reading Summary: I want to get back to that place that I was at before (Six of Pentacles), but I’m having trouble fitting the changes into my life (Two of Pentacles) and so I am feeling quite stagnant and stuck in place (King of Cups).

Take Away:  I want to get back to that place that I was at before the cancer and chemotherapy upended everything. To do this, though, requires weight training combined with a specific diet heavy in protein and carbs.  At this time, I’m having trouble fitting the type of exercise I would need (not to mention the amount of food I would need to consume) into my life.  Because of this, I am feeling quite stagnant and stuck in place where my body is concerned.

DECK USED:  EMERGING TORONTO ARTISTS (ETA) TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsApr2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What difficult truth about the human condition I am ignoring?

Shadowland TarotIntuitive Interpretation:  Most people crave love to the point that they’re willing to do damned near anything for it… but turn their back on it when it’s offered freely without them having to put in the effort to earn it or if it doesn’t live up to the ideal in their head.

Take Away:  I don’t actually have a whole lot of experience when it comes to matters of the heart and people trying to hand you their heart.  Just one, actually.   That said?  I do a good amount of observing of others and the read above from the cards seems pretty accurate.  I see truly amazing people offering their heart on their sleeves to others all the time and being turned away for what seem to be purely superficial reasons or simply because there was no challenge in getting that love. 

I see it, but I choose to ignore it. Because it is frustrating and flabbergasting to see it happen again and again, and yet those constantly turning their back on these offers complain about being alone and unloved. It is a pattern that becomes disheartening if observed and acknowledged too often.

DECK USED:  SHADOWLAND TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What takes my confidence away?

Universal Celtic Tarot

Reading Summary: When I find myself on uncertain footing stability wise and am not giving myself enough self care to keep things balanced.

Take Away:  Both the Ace and the Page are cards that indicating a beginning.  During these times when a new start is before me, there’s a feeling of uncertainty and newness that can set me off kilter, especially if that uncertainty and newness is in the area of my financial security and home stability.  The cards indicate that at those times, a little self nurturing can go a long way in bolstering my self confidence, but even then, the struggle is still present, just concealed a bit by a blanket of warmth.

DECK USED:  UNIVERSAL CELTIC TAROT

#MidnightTarotChallenge Prompt
Question: What do I need to bring into my life to nourish my growth?

IMG_3507

Reading Summary:  Be less miserly (Four of Pentacles) with my praise (Six of Wands) and foster good feels (Ace of Cups).

Take Away:  By finding ways to connect with others and foster their growth, I in turn foster my own growth.    I have noticed this lately in my interaction with others.  I feel a bit less awkward in interacting with others, and even seem to catch humor and jokes more often than I have in the past. This is emotional and social growth for me, which is pretty impressive in my opinion… especially concerning the amount of social awkwardness that I have spent the majority of my life experiencing.

DECK USED:  SHADOWLAND TAROT

 

 

 

Take It With You

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and focused on the benefits of taking a pause (such as when we meditate) to assist in clearing the clutter from the mind and creating a clearer focus.

This was a benefit that, when I started first meditating on a regular basis, I didn’t really notice all that much.   BUT, over time, I’ve come to notice that on the days that I do not meditate in the morning, I end up feeling more frazzled throughout the day.

It’s not a huge difference, but when you are dealing with anxiety, there’s always that last straw, right?   The meditation offsets that last straw, knocking a few others off my back at the same time, which makes everything just a little easier to deal with and my mind a little clearer as a result.

Today’s draw is a double without a jumper, meaning that they both came out together.

The cards in today’s draw are the Eight of Zephyrs and the Queen of Brine.

I find a common serenity in both of these cards, although the cards themselves speak to me of opposing situations.

In the Queen of Brine card, she is completely in her element where everything is familiar, and all within her element is completely trusting of her. The mollusk she holds is not hiding in its shell, but instead is open and exposed.  The same can be said for the clams in the corners of the card that expose their pearls within her presence. Creatures of the sea swirl around her, embracing her, and she is both confident and serene in her environment.

In the Eight of Zephyrs card, the little moth child is within water, which is not their natural element. And and yet they, too,  look serene in that environment and the environment appears to support their endeavor. The bushel of venus fly traps in the bottom right corner is an indication that there is always some risk that comes with trying something new and stepping out of your element… but as a whole the card speaks of finding serenity even in the unfamiliar of something new.

The Queen of Brine overlapping the Eight of Zephyrs speaks of taking that inner sense of  serenity within the embrace of what is familiar to you, and carrying it with you into times when you step into unfamiliar territory. Be aware of the danger of course, but also be in touch with how the new experience feels and the benefits it may bring.

Traditional Meanings:

Queen of Brine (Water) is a representation of a receptive alpha energy in the area of emotions, creativity, relationships, and intuition. The appearance of the card usually follows along the themes of compassion, caring for the self or others, and listening to one’s heart and intuition.

Numerically speaking, the Eight of Zephyrs (Air) is a representation of manifestation, purpose and determination, as well as accomplishments in the area of the mind, logic, education, thought, instinct, and communication.   Traditional meanings within the RWS system for this card also include self limiting thoughts and beliefs, self doubt, and being open to new perspectives.

Deck Used: The Stolen Child Tarot

 

A House On The Beach

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Today’s meditation was sixteen minutes and twenty-eight seconds, and focused on impermanence.

Impermanence is the thing that I focus on when I am in depression. It is my reminder that everything changes and that my depression is not forever but will also come to an end. This is also useful during moments of anxiety and stress.

Sometimes we clIng to the idea that something will last forever, or we struggle with changes as they come into in our lives.

But, the truth is that everything changes. Sometimes things change because they have a beginning, middle, and an end. Sometimes they change because they’re a part of a cycle. It’s part of life.

Today’s draw is the Queen of Cups, which is a representation of a mothering alpha energy, personality , or person in the areas of emotions, creativity, and relationships.

It appears that the Queen of Cups likes to visit me quite often during these Daily Focus draws. Her presence is always welcome of course, as the lesson she’s trying to teach me is one that I struggle with.

That lesson is to feel your feelings. Listen to them instead of pushing them aside, and be kind to yourself when it comes to your emotions.

Unlike instinct, which she also can represent, emotions are a difficult thing for me to focus on and use as a guide. I have always felt that emotions are unpredictable, whereas as I perceive logic as more solid. I have trouble understanding why one would build a house on top of sand, rather than upon stone.

Maybe that’s part of the point she’s trying to make, though. Perhaps she is trying telling me that even if you don’t build your house on the sand, make sure that when you’re inside that house on the stones, you still look out the window at the beach and go out now and then to feel the sand between your toes.

And there it is…

The Queen of Cups is trying to tell me that it’s okay to feel my feelings, and that I can still be strong while listening to my emotions.