self help with tarot cards

What Are You Growing?

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and was one of the #DailyCalm sessions from the @CalmApp. I don’t really remember what the session for today was about, only that it had something to do with being kinder to yourself and not listening to that inner voice that tries to tear you down.

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Fantastical Creatures Tarot - the Justice cardToday’s draw is the Justice card, which is traditionally a representation of balance, cause and effect, repercussions and consequences, give and take,  and can often indicate the law or legal system.

Combined with what I can remember of today’s meditation session, the encouragement here today is to remember that “you get what you give”.

That means that if you allow negative thoughts and recriminations to have free reign in your head?  Then what you get out of that is negativity  and a tearing down of self confidence.

A better option is to counter balance that negativity going on upstairs with a bit of positivity by taking time to appreciate the good stuff in life.  Even if it’s just taking a moment to enjoy a spot of sunlight or appreciate the shade of green in the leaves of a plant. Gather up the pleasurable things, the things you’ve enjoyed, and the things you’ve accomplished. Enjoy them, and let that enjoyment help in beating back the negative thoughts trying to take over.

DECK USED:  FANTASTICAL CREATURES TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsMar2025 Challenge
Prompt for March 31 : Pick a spread of your choice that you’ve been curious about… and give it a go!
@Lionharts #TheMarchTarot The Power of Now Challenge
Spread : I Am Where I Need To Be Tarot Spread

"I Am Where I Need To Be" Oracle Reading with the Dragon Path oracle

How have I deepened my connection to the present?

Transformation – You have been working on shifting your focus from a future driven push to always be advancing to a focus on the present. This shift then opens up space to let in more recognition, appreciation, and gratitude.

What have I uncovered that will continue to guide me?

Crystal – Clarity in how you view yourself and your actions has become easier to access and will continue to guide you if you let it. Among other things, this clarity allows you to see the stagnancy you’ve been stuck in as a time of retreat and healing rather than failure.

How can I  honor the power of now as I move forward?

Harmony – Keep the lessons mentioned above in mind as you plan for the future. Don’t just acknowledge, but put into action the understanding that there needs to be a balance between your drive towards future goals and your appreciation of the present.

Other elements included in this reading:
Northern Red Oak Leaf Impression for Inner Strength
Conch Shell Knot for Concentration, Clarity, and Determination
Picture Jasper for Sense of Proportion and Grounding

DECK USED: DRAGON PATH ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

I made sure to get my rush orders done and out the door so that I can take a couple extra days off without worrying about them. The trip was trying and I feel like I need a little extra recovery time.

All the Hidden Things

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and a self-directed session based on a graphic by @FredwardFall

This graphic really touched me in a deep and pretty pervasive way. It made me spend time considering what in life directs my actions, reactions, thoughts, and perceptions that perhaps I’m not even aware of.  This train of thought then wandered into thoughts of inner child work and shadow work, both of which explore parts of your inner paradigm that are not clearly seen through the lens of everyday life, but function beneath the surface, usually suppressed and ignored.

And yet even as we ignore them?  They continue to hold influence over us that we often don’t even realize or acknowledge.

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Fox Fairy Goddess Tarot - The High PriestessToday’s draw is the High Priestess card, which is traditionally a representation of intuition, secrets, sacred knowledge, mystery, the subconscious mind.

The message in today’s card is an encouragement to listen to that secret inner knowledge that only you are privy to, because it’s in dipping into the unknown within ourselves that we learn and grow.

Combined with the meditation done today, we carry this theme further in understanding that means not just listening to our intuition, but also to the other suppressed voices within us as well, like our inner child and our shadow.

This is how we deepen our understanding of self, and at the same time of others.  This is how we learn to become whole and connected to the deepest parts of ourselves, and through that connection then can deepen our connection to our spirituality, our path, and the world around us as a whole.

DECK USED:  FOX FAIRY GODDESS TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsMar2025 Challenge
Prompt for March 30 : Do Interrobang Tarot’s Spring Spread

Spring Tarot Reading with the Bad Ideas Lead to Better Ones Cards and Amethyst Oracle

This spread goes from bottom to top. We begin with the underground, with death and decay.

Death/Passage: What died for me in the past season?

Pack All the Things and Passivity – You have successfully managed to pull yourself out of the cycle of stagnancy you’ve been experiencing over the past few months without overloading your plate with too many extra responsibilities.

Decay/Fertilizer: How does that passage fertilize what comes next?

Feeling Overwhelmed and Collection – The passage of this time of stagnancy allows you to more easily identify and acknowledge where you are still feeling overwhelmed or weighed down, and then begin working on finding a better balance in these areas.

Next, we consider the perennial, and turn our attention to any old growth due to renew.

The Perennial (Rebirth): What renews or rekindles for me now?

Eat While They’re Busy and Fear – It’s time to allow yourself the space you need to care for yourself properly, without allowing the fear of something going wrong to keep pulling you back into unhealthy caretaker habits.

Tending & Cultivation: How can I best greet and tend to this?

Clean the Body and Poison – Identify and reflect on what is perpetuating “sickness” within your life and it’s flow. Spend some time familiarizing yourself with those unhealthy patterns and cleansing them from your life.

Finally, we look above ground to consider the annuals, the unplanted seeds, and our garden plans.

The Annual (New Life/Seed): What do I plant next or start afresh?

Competitive Online Gaming, Spring, and Precarious – Work on establishing a better balance between those non-productive activities that you enjoy and the productive ones you need to get done. Now that you have broken free of that cycle of stagnancy, it’s the ideal time to establish better balance between these two areas.

Planning & Plotting: How can I best prepare to make sure that it thrives?

Uses a Wheelchair and Perspective – Use your ability to “put yourself in others shoes” to foster greater patience for yourself and others.

Other elements included in this reading:
Sigil: Sustainable Healthy Energy
Dried Rhododendron Leaf for Fostering Confidence
Foraged Norway Maple Key for Bouncing Back to Thrive
Kambaba Jasper for a sense of Peace and Tranquility
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: BAD IDEAS LEAD TO BETTER ONES CARDS AND THE AMETHYST ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

When Gid asked me to take a moment to really consider if I was okay with drowning today, I actually did it instead of just jumping in right away because it’s what I want and was craving.

❤️ 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 Enchanted Forest Felines Tarot and Minimalist Japanese Lenormand

Earth – Page of Saucers – Don’t let boredom create stagnancy this week while you’re off work. Dabble in creativity and have some fun instead. Not work… fun.  Imagination.  Play.  Bring back that enthusiasm for creativity that has a tendency to be smothered out when too much gets put on your shoulders at once.

Air – Three of Saucers – Invite others in not just to help you in creating balance in your life, but to have fun with as well. Focus on those that help in lifting your spirits and making life interesting.

Water – Seven of Branches –  Remember that whether or not others expect you to defend yourself and how you feel? There’s no need to actually do so.  They can’t reach you anyway, so why bother entertaining their pressure and threats?

Fire – Wheel of Fortune – Look for the boon in upcoming “spilled milk” situations. It’s not all bad, and you need to make sure that you are adapting easily to the whims of fate when they put shit like this in your way.

Waning – Man and Fox – Let go of that responsible leader who’s always on top of everything and always strategizing the best way forward. Sometimes you just have to step back and let things take their own course instead of trying to direct everything to the letter.

Waxing – Child and Letter – It’s okay to be irresponsible and “dial it in” this week instead of being on the ball and ready to roll. Play time is just as important to your well-being as times of work are.

Take Away – Don’t go back to work early because you are feeling pressure to do so.  Take your time and take it easy. Have some fun.  Make sure when unpleasant surprises arise that you deal with them through adaptation and humor instead of getting upset or frustrated.

Other elements in this reading:
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECKS USED: ENCHANTED FOREST FELINES TAROT AND MINIMALIST JAPANESE LENORMAND

Fight Back with a Reality Check

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Today’s meditation was eleven minutes long, and one of the #DailyTrip sessions in the @Calm app.

It can be hard for some to believe that I’m not a patient person. I display a good deal of patience with others, after all. In truth, though? I simply hide my impatience behind the tendency to do everything myself and self-abuse myself with inner narratives to push myself to work harder and faster.

The meditation session for today was a reminder that patience isn’t just for others, but for the self as well. When we give ourselves patience, we help to “cut the strings” of our negative inner narrative’s control over us and the unhealthy demands that those negative thoughts feed us.

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Card of the Day Tarot Reading with the Wild Reflections Tarot - Eight of SwordsToday’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 card for today combined with this morning’s meditation is a reminder not to ignore that negative inner voice.  Don’t just push it away and pretend that it isn’t there, for it will just continue to do more damage by whispering from the dark corner you shove it into.

Instead, confront it.  Hear what it says and -correct- it with thoughts of love, kindness, and understanding. In giving yourself this gift of patience by fighting back against that negative inner voice, you allow a healthier side of yourself to flourish, and provide yourself with sorely needed healing that you’re currently ignoring.

DECK USED: WILD REFLECTIONS TAROT

@Lionharts #TheMarchTarot The Power of Now Challenge
Embodying the Present Prompts for March 23 – 28

Oracle Reading with the Esprit de la Nature OracleI move with clarity and confidence. How have I already begun to empower myself through my actions?

Cincincha – You have already begun to empower yourself by working to embrace not just the good, but also the bad; not just in the world around you, or in the things that happen in your life, but also within yourself. This is not always an easy task, but the effort is there to create acceptance for yourself and your reactions, your experiences and your surroundings… regardless of whether these things are perceived as good or bad in the moment.

I align my actions with my deepest knowledge. What choice before me reflects my best self?

Élémental de terre – Less frenetic energy, more calm. Take your time and let things move at their own pace. When you choose to move with the flow of the world around you and ground yourself in and the earth, you give yourself permission to move at a slower pace and be more present in the moment.

I claim the path that is meant for me. What am I ready to step into?

Géant – When your ancestors and guides speak, remember that they are doing so for your greatest good. Work on reserving your doubt concerning their motivations when they speak to you, but rather listen and consider what they have to say and the advice that they’re trying to give you with an open mind at face value.

I trust in my own wisdom. What inner strength will guide me forward?

Cerf – Remember that vulnerability is its own kind of strength. You do not always have to be the one in charge or the strongest of them all, for in your vulnerability comes the strength you cannot find when you are on your guard and keeping others at arms length.

I trust in the foundation I have built. How has embracing presence strengthened my path forward or my overall journey?

Licorne argentée – Believe in the power of your creativity and the ability to manifest what you imagine into being. It may take hard work, but it also takes faith and belief that you can do this, whatever “this” is at the time.

I walk forward with purpose and clarity. What new possibilities have opened up to me?

Ogre – You have the opportunity to create a new sense of stability in your life right now. You need to stay focused on keeping yourself from becoming too distracted or spread too thin. Protect that stable foundation you have created and anchor yourself to it. That needs to be your priority.

Other elements included in this reading:
Serpentine to Bolster Heart and Emotions
Carnelian Agate for Inner Drive and Focusing On One’s Aspirations
Amethyst for Spiritual Growth
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Dumortierite for Intuitive and Intellectual Communication

DECK USED: ESPRITS DE LA NATURE ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

I did a good deal of resting today. The trip I just got back in left me extremely overstimulated, and I needed some time alone as well as some decent naps (plural) to help find my balance again.

Finding the Positive for March 27 & 29

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Rosa Obscura Tarot's The Hermit card, and The New Voice Tarot's the Devil card

March 27 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and was one of the #DailyTrip sessions from the @Calm app. It spoke of how the narrator has a car with an indicator light that never turns off.  His mechanic can’t find anything wrong with the car, and can’t figure out how to turn off the light, either. So the narrator takes this light as a reminder to give the car a little extra love and attention on the times when he notices it.

He likened this to our own bodies, and how when we have aches, pains, or soreness, it’s our body’s way of asking us for a little extra love.  It’s not something to punish ourselves for, or to push through, but rather something to stop and pause with for a moment, and to give ourselves a bit of love and understanding for.

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Today’s draw is the Hermit card, which is traditionally a representation of inner exploration, self reflection, and healthy alone time.

The card for today combined with today’s meditation asks us to reflect upon where we are being unnecessarily cruel to ourselves, and not providing ourselves with enough kindness and understanding.  What are we punishing ourselves for, and in what ways are we doing so?

It’s in reflecting on these things that we learn how to recognize issues and treat ourselves better moving forward. Don’t be afraid to open your eyes and take a closer look at what’s really going on between your negative inner narratives and those shortcomings and weaknesses that make you just as human as everyone else.

DECK USED: ROSA OBSCURA TAROT

March 29 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Today’s draw is the Devil card, which is traditionally a representation of temptation, struggles with moderation, harmful excesses, addiction, and self-harm.

When I was working on taking a picture of this card, I came to realize that maybe I don’t have quite enough small crystals and stones.  I -then- realized that I really don’t need more gemstones and crystals, but that this was my brain’s way of trying to tempt me into going shopping.

Thus, this card today had a personal message for me.  A reminder that sometimes we have to be responsible and not give in to the idea of a bit of frivolous spending, even when we really wanna. I don’t really -need- more small sized stones.  What I need? Is to pay off my mortgage and keep up on my financial responsibilities.  Knowing myself as I do, and that I have an extremely addictive personality, I know that one little spending splurge will quickly lead to another, and then yet another.

It’s better to nip this in the butt now.

DECK USED: THE NEW VOICE TAROT

Finding the Positive for March 24 – 26

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Fox in Eden Garden Tarot, Harmonious Fantasies Tarot, Fairlie Wish Tarot

March 24 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Today’s draw is the Hanged Man, which is traditionally a representation of taking a pause, considering alternate perspectives, relaxing into difficult situations, surrender, or letting go.

The Hanged Man appearing today is a reminder that you don’t have to be in control of every situation or detail. With the trip incoming this week, there’s a lot planned and a lot to do. There’s stuff you need to have ready, but there’s other things that don’t need your personal touch at all.

Make sure that as you prepare, that you are discerning which is which, and not trying to take on all the tasks and responsibilities yourself.  Stand back, instead, and watch others step in to fill the gap left by you giving certain areas a more hands-off approach. Trust that nothing will be missed because you are still watching, even if you’re not actively participating in the fray.

DECK USED: FOX IN EDEN GARDEN TAROT

March 25 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was eleven minutes long and was one of the #DailyCalm sessions from the @Calm app.   The topic of today’s session was focused on expressing one’s emotions through writing; particularly through poetry in respect to World Poetry Month.  But, I think that the premise remains the same whether you are writing poetry or just putting down your emotions onto paper.

The premise being, that when we take time to write about our emotions, it allows us time to process them and truly experience them instead of setting them aside or ignoring them as background noise. This is a healthy practice that can help in the processing of emotions in a healthy way.

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Today’s draw is the Ace of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of the seed of new beginnings in the area of one’s emotions, relationships, creativity, and intuition.

When taken in combination with today’s meditation topic, the message in today’s cards is a reminder that there are more ways to process emotions than by just sitting with them. If you need a more active way to connect with your emotions, especially new or intense emotions that you’re confused by or have never experienced before, writing down the experience and taking time to describe it can help.

As I write this, I am discovering that in my own journey to process emotion in a more healthy way, this is often what Gideon does for me. He often nudges, or outright pushes, for me to share how I’m feeling so that he can help me learn about my emotions and get me familiar with them so that they are not so unfamiliar, confusing, or frightening.

DECK USED: HARMONIOUS FANTASIES TAROT

March 26 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was nine minutes long, and was one of the #DailyCalm sessions in the @Calm app. The session for today focused on how we react to failure.  It’s so easy to become disheartened and fall into a habit of negative thought when we fail at something, and to then discard this thing we tried to do simply because it didn’t work out on the first try.

In the meditation for today, the discussion was about how it’s through our mistakes and failures that we learn and grow.  When we fail at something, it doesn’t mean we’re a failure. It means that we look at -how- we failed and try again… and again. Each try may result in failure, but also results in learning how to do that thing a little better.

Over time, that means that as long as we are taking an effort to learn from these setbacks, we will eventually overcome them through growth and perseverance.  The key here being that we need to be kind to ourselves when we fail, and learn from the experience so we can do better when we try again… instead of abuse ourselves and give up.

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Today’s draw is the Ace of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of the seed of new beginnings in the area of one’s finances, resources, health, home, manifestations, and the physical world. This often translates into themes that have to do with new opportunities in finance or work, renewed health, or new projects in which one is working with their hands.

Today’s meditation ties in well with this card, for it’s in these seeds of new opportunities and new beginnings that we are most likely to fail.  The Ace of Pentacles reminds us that failing isn’t the end of the world. It’s just the start of the journey.  So pick yourself up, reflect on how things went wrong and what you can do differently, then try again.

DECK USED: FAIRLIE WISH TAROT