self help with tarot cards

Through Thick and Thin

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

The Lunisolar Tarot - Pokemon Tarot - The Hermit

Today’s draw is The Hermit card, which is traditionally a representation of solitude, self reflection and introspection, alone time, and inner guidance.

The Hermit was then joined by the “Fancy Handshakes” card from the Grateful AF deck, which says, “How can we make saying hello super special? Make a dance routine with our hands! Intricate handshakes are the embodiment of being extra. Also, how can you really call someone your best friend if you two don’t have your own handshake?”

Who is it that celebrates your return when you come back from times of solitude? By contrast, who are the ones that are unaffected and don’t seem to care one way or the other?

Your need for alone time, combined with an array of defense mechanisms you’re aware of but not yet able to break free from, means that you have a tendency to “disappear” for an unspecified amount of time now and then; usually without warning. This disappearance isn’t always physical. Sometimes, it means you’ve emotionally checked out and are just going through the motions, unable to engage in the ways you normally would.

During these times… who notices? Who cares enough to -see- you and see when things shift? Who of those that notice are happy when you return to them from these times of detachment?

The message in today’s cards is a reminder that -these- are the people in our lives that matter, and encourage us to acknowledge them and appreciate them for the love and care they provide in our lives. Not everyone ignores your ups and downs. Some care enough to be there and welcome you back, lift you up and let you know they care. Maybe take a few minutes to consider who in your life fills this role, and how you can better appreciate their presence in your life.

DECKS USED: THE LUNISOLAR TAROT AND GRATEFUL AF DECK

One Card Tarot Journal Activity by @mariasofia_astro
Chapter 4 | Entry 15 – Career and Finances
Affirmation : “I am improving my relationship to money.“
Prompt : Fill in the blank: “When I look at my bank account, I feel ________.” Use the card you draw to guide you as you answer this and explore the reasoning behind your feelings.

Tarot Activity from The One Card a Day Journal by Maria Sofia Marmanides - The Love Tarot - The Star card

What feelings came up when I pulled this card?

A wry sort of agreement, like irony but not quite.

What elements of the card’s meaning resonate with me and this prompt?

The Star card is all about hope, and I feel like this card is pointing out to me how hope can only take you so far. It has its place, but so does action and practicality.

You can’t lean on hope to solve your problems… sometimes you have to do that yourself. It’s still okay for that hope to be there, though, even then.

What in the artwork spoke to me?

Hope does somehow manage to spring eternal (the star shining bright in the sky above) even as money flows out of my account like a spigot turned on high (the water flowing out of the vase).

There is also the fact that the figure is looking -away- from the water that is flowing out of the vase in her right hand (and her left, for that matter), which speaks to me of a lack of concern about where the money is going. Ignoring that the money is flowing out too quickly isn’t going to solve the problem. There’s a need to engage expressed here.

My prompt response and reflections.

The card here is presenting me with a situation where money is flowing out faster than it’s coming in, and instead of looking at why this is the case and what has changed to make this happen, there’s a desire to just ignore it and hope it will sort itself out.

The advice in this card is to not take that action or you will find your vases soon empty. Instead, pay attention and figure out what’s going on and how things have gone out of balance, then resolve the issues involved before they create more problems.

Other elements included in this reading:
Amber Resin D25 Die
Banded agate D6 Die

DECK USED: THE LOVE TAROT

@ambitiouslyalexa’s February Journal Prompts
Prompt for February 26th : What helps me calm down

Tarot Reading with The Lunisolar Tarot - Pokemon Tarot

Reading Summary – The awareness that not everything is a competition (Queen of Wands Rx) for recognition (King of Swords Rx) or resources (Five of Pentacles Rx).

Take Away – You have a tendency to get worked up when you feel that you need to compete with others for your resources. It becomes a scarcity issue for you, which amps up your anxiety and adrenaline.

Remembering and acknowledging that you aren’t competing against others helps you to stay calm.

It’s in knowing that there’s no one else you need to beat out in order to come out on top that keeps you able to move at a steady pace instead of pushing too hard into your ambitions and efforts.

Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Rosebuds for Potential and Beauty Waiting to Unfold
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Dried Lavender Bundle for Calming and Comfort
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: THE LUNISOLAR TAROT
Daily Self Kindness

This is a catch up post, and I’m not entirely sure what the self kindness was for this day.

Emotional Subjectivity

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Today’s meditation was eight minutes of ten minute long #DailyCalm session from the @Calm app. (I got interrupted.)

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Maroon Tarot - Four of Cups

Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Four of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of dejection, refusal of assistance, contemplative moments, meditation, and feelings of apathy.

The Four of Cups is then joined by the “Abduction of Psyche” card from the Because Art Heals deck, which says, “Grief is the echo of love’s intensity. My grief is love enduring.”

You’re allowed to be sad. It’s okay if others can’t relate to your pain or experience; that doesn’t make it any less valid or any less yours.

Just as everyone grieves differently, so too do people process their emotions differently… and I’d venture to say even experience them differently.

I have an elderly friend that lost her husband of 40 years just a few years ago. She often comments on how it seems like other widows have “gotten over” their loss far easier than she is, and worries that bringing up her husband “too much” will be seen as annoying or uncomfortable. (In my opinion? It keeps his memory alive.)

Today’s cards are a reminder that we all experience our emotions differently, even when we share common ground with others. There’s no set time-limit on how long you love someone or how long you mourn their loss. We all have to take these things at our own pace… and that’s perfectly okay.

DECKS USED: MAROON TAROT AND BECAUSE ART HEALS

@ambitiouslyalexa’s February Journal Prompts
Prompt for February 25th : What connection looks like for me

Tarot Reading with The Magical Realism Tarot

Reading Summary – New opportunities (Ace of Pentacles) to get to know others and integrate them into your life (Two of Pentacles) in healthy ways through mutual interests (The Lovers).

Take Away – At first glance, this looks very self serving. As if meeting others is simply opportunities to use them. That’s definitely true in some cases, especially in a work environment.

The Lovers card, though, turns this into an opportunity not to -use- others, but to find a good fit with others for companionship and mutual benefit.

That means that although you see connection as opportunity, it’s not just one-sided and you don’t expect it to be. Instead, you seek connections where both benefit equally in a balanced way.

Other elements included in this reading:
Deodar Cedar Cones for Fostering Clarity and Spiritual Connection
Foraged Oak Branch with Moss and Lichen for Perseverance
Foraged Acorn for Protection during New Beginnings
Carved Rhyolite Leaf for Facilitating Calm Transitions
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: MAGICAL REALISM TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsFeb2026 Challenge
Philosophical Prompts for February 25th :

Tarot Reading with the Maroon Tarot

What is love? 

Nine of Wands and Wheel of Fortune – Love is knowing what it is you truly value, and the willingness to protect and defend it no matter what comes.

You can’t protect what you don’t acknowledge. Love requires acknowledgement first of all. In acknowledging it, you acknowledge its importance to you. This allows love to be more than an idea and become something solid and real. (as per these cards, of course)

Is love ever logical?

Four of Cups and Page of Cups – These cards indicate that love is an emotion, and like all of emotions, it’s not based in logic.

You can instill logic upon it to help better understand it, but it is an entity all its own independent of reason and logic.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Purple Heather Sprigs for Independence and Luck
Foraged Ponderosa Pine Cone for Resilience and Adaptability
Labradorite for a Focus on Mental and Emotional Healing
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: MAROON TAROT
Daily Self Kindness

This is a catch up post, and I’m not entirely sure what the self kindness was for this day.

Conceptualizing Stability

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Manga University's Manga Tarot - Queen of Coins and Love Affirmations

Today’s draw is the Queen of Coins, which is traditionally a representation of a receptive alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s resources, financial stability, health, home, labors, manifestations, or other aspects of the physical realm. This often translates into a supportive or nurturing energy or entity in the areas of one’s health, home, and financial responsibilities.

The Queen of Coins has then been combined with the “Intimacy” card from the Love Affirmations deck, which says, “In the warmth of our closeness, I find a sanctuary.”

These cards bring up whether or not the stability we seek really lies in more money or a long-term career. It brings up the idea that perhaps we are looking for stability in the wrong place.

Maybe it’s not about something we build through monetary wealth or contracts, nor something we do on your own. Rather, perhaps stability is about the connections we make, the people you invite into our lives, and the love we foster there.

In this case, you could be wealthy and established… and still feel scarcity on a soul deep level. That scarcity could continue to drive you forward to achieve more and more, but yet never manage to slack that feeling inside in the process because we are focused on the wrong goals in an effort to do so.

The message in today’s cards asks us to look at stability through a different lens. One that has nothing to do with wealth, contracts, work, or successes in these areas, and rather through the lens of who we allow into our lives and the stability those people help us to create.

DECKS USED: MANGA UNIVERSITY’S MANGA TAROT AND BECAUSE ART HEALS CARDS

@de_tarotjuf’s Love Is All We Need Challenge
#detarotjuffebruaritarotchallenge

Prompt for February 24th : How can I soften the storms that come with love and friendship?

Tarot Reading with the Manga University's Manga Tarot and Moon Witch Oracle

Curiosity, The Star, Ceres – Connect with both sides of the equation by being curious about how these storms came about in the first place.

Sometimes people just want to be heard.

By seeking to understand, you foster hope in others that these conflicts aren’t the end of the friendship or relationship. This effort is a display love and compassion for both yourself and others, even through the rocky moments.

@ambitiouslyalexa’s February Journal Prompts

Prompt for February 24th : A way I can support myself better

Manifestation, The Sun, Hecate – Make achieving your goals fun instead of a chore or obligation.

When you make a game out of it, creating a sense of fun and challenge in the process, you won’t view changes with the intense dread or uncertainty that you often experience during times of change and uncertainty.

DECKS USED: MANGA UNIVERSITY’S MANGA TAROT AND MOON WITCH ORACLE
Daily Self Kindness

This is a catch up post, and I’m not entirely sure what the self kindness was for this day.

Baring the Soul

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Student Tarot v3 - King of Cups and Grateful AF Cards

Today’s draw is the King of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of a projective alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s emotions, relationships, emotional intelligence, creativity, or intuition. This often translates into authority figures that are emotionally supportive and understanding, possessing both compassion and strong leadership qualities.

The card has been combined with the “Murals” card from the Grateful AF deck, which says, “You can take a boring-ass building and let an artist paint their soul all over it and – BAM! – that sucker becomes cool AF.”

This affirmation card also expands on the phenomena where neighborhoods that have beautifully done murals on the walls of their buildings often experience a lower crime rate.This hints at the idea that bearing one soul in creative ways connects with others in a universal manner.

The message in today’s cards suggests that sometimes we lead the way with those around us by sharing a piece of our soul with them, and that this act of vulnerability is also a great strength, inspiring others by connecting to them with depth and meaning.

DECKS USED: STUDENT TAROT No5 AND GRATEFUL AF CARDS

@ambitiouslyalexa’s February Journal Prompts
Prompt for February 23rd

Tarot Reading with The Botan Tarot and Fated A Pocket Love Oracle

What I need more patience with

Three of Coins and Self Love – It’s okay for breaking old habits (like not asking for help when you need it) to take some time.

Stop being so hard on yourself when you forget that there is help available to you or fall back on the mindset that you shouldn’t be asking for it. Learning to treat yourself as you treat others instead of less than.

How to connect with greater patience in this area

Page of Coins and Allow Divine Timing – Remind yourself that this is a learning journey, and you are working towards learning a new skill. (The skill of asking for help without guilt or self recrimination.)

Like all skills, learning this new skill will take time, and how quickly or slowly you pick it up is not on your own schedule, but at whatever pace the universe decides to allow it. Some things we pick up quickly, and other things take time… and that’s just the way it is.

Other elements included in this reading:
Turtle Figurine for encouraging Slow and Steady Progress
Gneiss Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: THE BOTAN TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsFeb2026 Challenge
Prompts for February 23rd and 24th

Tarot Reading with the Student Tarot v3

A card to help identify what to be grateful for this season.

Seven of Swords – It could be worse.

That’s the thing about hard times and struggles. It could always be worse. Sometimes you just have to be grateful for the shit on the bottom of your shoe, and the fact that it’s on the bottom of your shoe instead of having fallen into it face first.

Take time to appreciate that all those “could be worse” scenarios aren’t a part of your reality. Celebrate that you have it easier and better than it could be.

A card to help identify something to celebrate this season.

Eight of Pentacles – You’re not starting from scratch. You have a lot of experience under your belt to help support you as you move forward. This experience gives you a leg up, allowing you to be more sure in your actions and aware of what will work… and what definitely won’t.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: STUDENT TAROT No5
Daily Self Kindness

I got myself all caught up on orders today.

Opening Up to the World

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Today’s meditation was a self-guided ten minute long session spent visualizing the patterns of sunlight through a canopy of green leaves.

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Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Anima Mundi Tarot - Eight of Swords

Today’s draw is the Eight of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of willful ignorance, self-imposed restrictions, turning a blind eye (especially when it can be harmful to self), and entertaining a victim mentality.

The Eight of Swords is then combined with Edouard Manet’s The Plum card from the deck Because Art Heals, which says, “The pause is part of becoming.”

When we pause, we are given the opportunity use this time to connect within, then open our eyes to reality.

Often this time is used to awaken our defense mechanisms and try and build a shield between us and the world. Shutting out experiences and awareness of what’s going on around us. There’s opportunity here, though, to center ourselves and open up instead, if we allow it.

The message in today’s cards is a reminder that taking a pause gives us the opportunity use a moment in time to take a deep breath and open our eyes. These cards encourage us not to hide from the world, but instead take these momentary pauses to soften and open up instead of closing yourself off.

DECKS USED: ANIMA MUNDI TAROT AND BECAUSE ART HEALS DECK

@ambitiouslyalexa’s February Journal Prompts
Prompt for February 22nd

Oracle Reading with the Renais Tarot Oracle Deck

How I respond to stress

Moon – You have a tendency to respond to stress emotionally. This is because stress usually involves your fears rising to the surface and lighting the fuse on your anxiety. This feeds into reactivity, instead of rational thought.

Thus, the more uncertainty involved in the stressful situation, the harder it is for you to find stable footing.

How to improve upon how I respond to stress

Euterpe – Don’t sit and stew in the fear, anxiety and stress. Instead, channel your energy, emotions, and anxiety into creative endeavors. In doing so, you are using this energy in productive ways, and giving your mind something to focus on that doesn’t exacerbate your emotional reactions, allowing for both energy dispersal and distraction at the same time.

Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Rosebuds for Potential and Beauty Waiting to Unfold
Dried Purple Heather Flowers for Independence and Luck
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: RENAIS TAROT (ORACLE)

#DiscordTarotholicsFeb2026 Challenge
Prompt for February 22nd : Do Spread 3
For each position, pick the card from your deck that you feel fits the question best for you, then explain why.

Tarot Reading with the Anima Mundi Tarot

Which one card do you feel sums you up best?

Two of Pentacles – I feel like I am constantly struggling with balance these days. There’s no stable footing, and I understand that that’s how it’s supposed to be. Balance is a dynamic situation, after all, always shifting and changing… but that lack of stable footing means I feel like its a constant struggle. A hamster wheel I can’t escape.

Which one card do you feel represents your strengths?

The Hanged Man – I like that I have the ability and desire to see other perspectives beyond my own. Not just see them, but to strive to understand them as well. It’s a quality that I don’t see very often in others, and I like that I’m able to pause in this way and find a larger view point than the singular one through my own two eyes.

Which one card do you feel represents your limitations?

Queen of Swords – I can be extremely harsh in my thoughts, judgements, and words. Both when directed toward myself as well as toward others. I have expectations about standard level of common sense and intelligence, ownership of one’s actions and responsibility. Sometimes when others don’t meet those expectations, my reprisals can be harsh (especially when I personally fall short of them).

What kind of issues do you feel that you need to work on?

Wheel of Fortune – The more that I delve into learning about my emotions and experiencing them instead of burying them, the more I struggle with the unpredictability that is an inherent part of life. Adaptability to shifts and changes in life seems to be becoming more difficult as I get older, and I feel that this is something I need to work on.

What message do you want to share with the world?

Two of Cups – Find your people. Stop trying to impress those people that aren’t a good fit for you. Instead, be authentic in putting yourself out there. Although it might attract backlash, it will also attract those to you that will appreciate the real you.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Scotch Pine Cones for Purging Negative Influences

DECK USED: ANIMA MUNDI TAROT
Daily Self Kindness

I stayed in bed most of the day due to a migraine instead of trying to push myself to function anyway.

❤️ Self Care Saturday (On a Sunday)

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These Saturday readings are (not usually) bearing in on any one thing or event in my life, as the question used is asking for a more general outlook. This is a self care exercise, and is not meant as a predictive reading… although that, too, happens on occasion.

The question is… What do I need to focus for self-care through the week ahead?

Self Care Saturday Tarot Reading with the Herbal and Spiced Culinary Tarot and Simple Daily Divination Pocket Lenormand

Featuring quotes from the Herbal and Spiced Culinary Tarot Guidebook

Earth – Nine of Mushrooms (Wands) – “Stay resilient and think about what armor you need to put up to fortify you as you cross the finish line of a milestone in your life.”

Be on guard this week, and make sure that your boundaries are in place and in good repair. You are reaching a place in your journey where you need to make sure that you rest… yet stay alert. Both are needed in order to succeed in what you want right now. Don’t ignore the warning signs of approaching problems, especially problems caused by mistaking the nature of another for safe instead of problematic, but also don’t ignore your need to recoup while you can.

Air – Page of Tools (Swords) – “You are a sponge for knowledge right now, so take that energy to learn as much as you can and don’t be afraid to be curious.”

Research what you want and need to know. You’ve been struggling with a particular company/service lately. Combined with the card in the Earth section of this reading, perhaps it’s time to start researching other options and looking into different resources rather than depending upon one that has repeatedly managed to put you on unsteady footing.

Water – Compost (Death) – “At this pivotal moment… consider how you can alchemize the lessons of your past to and reinvent yourself.”

You are creeping up on a subdrop this week. It’s time to look at how you’ve dealt with these moments of angsty vulnerability in the past, and consider turning over a new leaf in how you move forward in dealing with them in the present and future. It’s going to take time and practice to change those defense mechanisms, but the first step is to start trying.

Fire – Knight of Cups – “It’s okay if you can’t explain why you need to make a certain decision-if it defies all logic, and you need to do it anyway, trust your decision.”

Trust your gut and just do it if it feels right instead of trying to talk yourself out of it. As you know already, your intuitive spark doesn’t always listen to reason… and yet it’s always right. You need to hear this encouragement right now. Don’t let your brain start picking things apart, as it’ll just lead to unnecessary (and possibly even harmful) procrastination.

Waning – Book and Stars – Stop trying to prove yourself right, and just let it go. This message connects with the card in the Fire position of this reading. Listen to your intuition and prioritize it over your brain’s interference. Sometimes it’s okay to just yield right away, even when you don’t necessarily agree.

Waxing – Scythe and Ring – Proceed with a great deal of caution when it comes to making any kind of commitments this week, no matter whether they seem like something good to commit to or not. There may be small print involved that could end up cutting deep if you’re not careful.

Take Away – Trust your gut this week, and back away from any commitments that might try to come up. Put them off for now. Instead, focus on shifting away from those things (and services) that are causing you problems by doing research on other avenues… and allow yourself to reach for better and healthier methods of dealing with the subdrop that you know is coming.

DECKS USED: THE HERBAL AND SPICED CULINARY TAROT AND SIMPLE DAILY DIVINATION POCKET LENORMAND