📆 Transitioning from July to August

Month End Oracle Reading with the Wild Spirit Animal Oracle

Here and Now I Exist – Who you are now, in your entirety.

Penguin – Remember not to close yourself off to the emotional support of others. There’s a video out there of a waddle of penguins shuffling together over ice. One of them falls and they all seem to go “daaaamn” together while the other then makes a sound that sounds an awful lot like “FUCK!” Take a lesson from this penguin, and accept others efforts to show empathy with grace.

The Slough – What is to be left in the past as you move forward.

Crow – Now is not the time for new projects. If you are feeling inspired? Write it down for posterity. For right now, go with what you know instead of chasing potential.

What Lies Ahead – An ideal state or ideal self you are seeking at this time.

Frog – That opportunity to pursue the potential of your inspiration and ideas is coming. Although now is not the time, remember that that won’t always be the case.

Limitations – Negative influences, opposition, or ill will.

Cow – Don’t trust others to know what you need and provide it for you. It’s far more important to tend to your own needs. No one has better insight to what you need than you yourself, so stop ignoring these things and expecting others to catch you before the self-neglect goes too far.

The Boon – Positive influences, higher guidance, or divine intervention.

Bat – Taking a step back to look over situations fully is going to be important in the weeks ahead. Don’t react impulsively, but instead take a breath and a pause first. Sort out what’s really going on, then act.

The Wound – An unpleasant past experience or event that is ripe for some support and healing.

Beetle – It’s time to examine the desperate grasping reactions you’ve had to change in the past, and begin exploring different ways you can let go and go with the flow, trusting that you won’t be crushed in the process.

Nostalgia – A positive past experience or event to acknowledge, reflect upon, and enjoy.

Dove – Take some time this month to reflect upon how freeing it feels to let go of blame and guilt.

A Warning – Something coming that can be prevented or overcome.

Fox – There is deception afoot. Make sure that you are paying attention and not being manipulated into situations you don’t need to be a part of. Such distractions, if allowed to go unchecked, may lead to them taking from you those things you value.

Empowerment – A future opportunity to work toward.

Owl – If you take care to pay attention (Fox) and take a step back to more closely examine the situation and those involved (Bat), you can move though this month’s difficulties with wisdom and grace, and with your own priorities in the fore.

Message from the Spirit World – Tread with caution moving forward into the month ahead. You need to work observing the world around you with clarity and making sure to pay close attention to other’s motivations and perspectives. It’s only when you take the time to see the whole picture that you’ll be happy with your choices.

Message from the Mind’s World – Lots of inspiration is coming your way. Although the reading above indicates that now might not be the best time to -act- on these new ideas and inspiration, that doesn’t mean they’re not of value.  Make sure to jot them down so that you can explore then more in depth when the time is right.

Message from the Physical World – Pay attention to your body’s needs. Emotions can cause you to shut down and that inner narrative often leads to self-neglect and punishment.  Instead of falling into these bad habits from the past, look at how those emotions are affecting you and make a conscious choice to take care of yourself regardless of the urges they bring to the surface.

Other elements included in this reading:
Pansy flowers for Self-Kindness and Tender Emotions
Cedar cleansing stick for Protection and Cleansing
Green Aventurine for Releasing Old Patterns
Gneiss Wishing Stone for Patience in Unpleasant Situations
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECKS USED: WILD SPIRIT ANIMAL ORACLE

What Is a Shuffle Plate?

This was asked recently in my Discord’s DMs, but I thought it might be helpful to show others. So… a shuffle plate is essentially a plate you use to shuffle on that protects the table underneath. I don’t like reading cloths for regular use because they shift and wrinkle. Instead, I prefer bare wood. But… well. This is what happens when you shuffle on bare wood over time:

Board01

As you can see, shuffling creates a good deal of wear on wood over time. You can also see that when the wear got pretty extensive, I tried to turn the table around and use the other side for a bit. I clearly needed a better solution, though.  No matter how gentle I am with the cards, they begin to wear on the wood as time goes on.

So, while I was at a friend’s house, I noticed a sample piece of granite from the store sitting cast aside on the windowsill that they had considered doing their countertops in. They no longer needed it, and I asked if I could have it.

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I took it home, put little fuzzy feet on the underside, and began using it to shuffle my cards on in order to preserve the table top (which it has done spectacularly since acquiring it). Since then, I also found a similarly sized tile in selenite, which I did the same with.

Yes, selenite is soft and, at some point, it will have to be replaced. It does include a cleansing benefit that the granite doesn’t, though.

And, there you have it. A “shuffle plate” is a piece of tile/wood/stone used to shuffle on that protects your table from the wear and tear of shuffling. Soft, fuzzy feet on the bottom are recommended, or the plate will cause it’s own damage to the table’s surface.

Dream Actualization

Today’s meditation was a nap. I laid down to do it and promptly fell asleep. I think it’s the heat. It makes me sluggish and tired.

The Pacific Northwest Tarot - King of WandsToday’s draw is the King of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of a projective alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s passions, enthusiasm, inspiration, motivations, and principles.

An alpha stands strong at the top of a large rock, surrounded by California Poppies (Eschscholzia californica). Here we see a symbolism of strength, power, calm objectivity, and regeneration.

The message in today’s card is an encouragement to seize control, and direct your dreams and goals forward where you want them to go. Doing nothing accomplishes nothing. Drawing others into your vision though, can help ensure success.

DECK USED:  THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJun2022 Challenge Prompt
Topic for June 27th
: About peace…

Divination with the Dreampunk Game CardsReading Summary: The sock puppet on the thumbs up in the center card reflects the colors in the “welcome aboard” card on the left. This speaks of a warm, fuzzy, comfortable feeling that comes with being welcomed, accepted, and embraced by others.

The cloud that the thumbs up comes out of in the center card then reflects into the coloring in the background of the card on the right, as does the earthen tones of the ground and volcano beneath that cloud with the earthy nature of the card on the right. This connection speaks of the things that bring us joy and stability in life, and how we can nurture them to help them grow and become strong.

Take Away: These cards indicate that peace is about acceptance, and finding those things that make you feel grounded and happy.

DECK USED: DREAMPUNK DECK

The #STCTarotChallenge Statements of Power Prompt
Questions for June 27th

The Pacific Northwest Tarot and The Crystal Forests OracleI will actualize my dream to…

… see change as an adventure (The Fool), feel more safe and comfortable breaking out of my shell (Six of Swords), and allow change to happen without a reactive inner cacophony of negativity (Black Tourmaline).

By…

…seeing changes in life as an opportunity to celebrate and have some fun (Three of Cups) while clearing out the old that isn’t working in my life (Selenite), instead of falling back on old harmful habits (The Devil) that are familiar and feel so easy (Blue Goldstone).

DECK USED: THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I called Jer to come meet me when I found my car vandalized instead of dealing with it alone.

Sourpuss Days Happen

Today’s meditation was skipped.

Oz Tarot - King of WandsToday’s draw is the King of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of a projective alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s motivation, drive, passions, willpower, and determination.

This straw man in the imagery of this card just does not look particularly thrilled with his lot in life right now.  It reminds me of the times when I’m not particularly thrilled in mine, even though it was my drive and passions that got me here… and keep me here.

Even when you do what you love, there are times when work becomes too much.   Today’s card is a reminder to not let these moments of lack of enthusiasm to spoil life in general and your outlook as a whole.  They’ll pass, and you’ll be back to loving what you do again in no time.

DECK USED:  OZ TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsMar2022 Challenge Prompt
Philosophical Question for March 30th
: Is courage an inherent virtue or is it learned behavior?

Real Talk Tarot (trimmed borders)Reading Summary: Courage is learned behavior that is developed through a need to please others (Six of Wands). A need that becomes all encompassing over time (The Devil) until it is only through others admiration that one can find emotional fulfillment (Nine of Cups).

Take Away: I disagree. What the cards are saying here is that courage develops motivated by a need public admiration, and that the more public admiration one is given, the more courageous they will become.

Sure, I think it does work this way for some people, but I also believe that in some people, courage is an inherent trait motivated by nothing more than having a caring heart, a stringent moral compass, or something they value as a motivator. I want (perhaps even need) to believe that this is more often the case than the scenario that the cards have given.

DECK USED: REAL TALK TAROT (TRIMMED)

The #ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt by E Roebuck-Jones
Questions for March 29th thru 31st

Oz TarotHow can I continue to improve upon receiving and interpreting my intuitive messages?

Page of Swords Rx and The Emperor Rx – Less thinking, less control. Allow your inner knowledge to rise and have a louder voice instead of smothering it with logic.

How have I grown through this intuitive challenge?

Two of Pentacles and Ace of Pentacles – You are discovering and beginning to cement in place a better balance in your life.  You recognize the things that aren’t working and know you have to balance them better with the things that are.  More doing is needed, though.

What have I learned about myself through this challenge?

The Empress and The Chariot – You need to be more proactive in nurturing yourself and providing for your needs. There is no control over your speed and direction without self care.

DECK USED: OZ TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

It was a rough day, but I sank into some time with Gideon and play even though it was late, and it helped untie some of my inner knots.