self help

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?

SCS

Earth – Temperance and Eagle – This week is going to require a little more restraint and moderation than normal. Make sure that you are staying aware and observant of the world around you, and don’t close yourself off. Observation is key here. This is not a time to act… just watch closely.

Air – Nine of Swords and Bee – You are more effective than you realize. The beautiful things you make, and the ways in which you reach out and touch the world, have rippling effects of positivity that spread far and wide.  Don’t allow your anxieties and negative inner narrative to snuff out the positive influences you share with the world around you. Instead, focus on the joy and pleasure you get in the things that you do well.

Water – Knight of Wands and Elephant – Slowing down is such a recurring theme in the cards this summer, and here again it shows up to speak out about taking time and slowing down this week.  There is also, once again, the reminder not to close yourself off in the presence of the Elephant.  Make sure that you are directing your focus to those around you, rather than getting so wrapped up in your own interests that everything else fades off into white noise.

Fire – King of Cups and Crow – Direct the lion’s share of your focus and drive towards spending real and valuable time with your loved ones.  Set aside superficial interactions and go for depth and meaning in the time you spend with those around you and your communications with them.  Express what lives within your soul with those you love through open communication, truth and honesty.

Waning – Juniper Berry and Black Pepper – Although self awareness is an important quality to have, focusing too much on your negative qualities, self defeating tendencies, and self destructive urges is not going to be a good way to spend your time this week.  Set aside your fears and worries, let go of that negative inner narrative, and turn your focus in another direction.

Waxing – Frankincense – As a few other readings have hinted at lately, now is a time of rebirth for you. You have already let go of so much of your old ways, and you are in the process of rebuilding your processes now.  Don’t look ahead, but move forward.  Train your focus on each step you make in the now, with the awareness that each step you make is a building block that creates the future’s foundation.

Take Away –  The theme for this week is to make sure that my focus and attention is being directed in the direction of my loved ones and not business struggles, financial concerns, or my own negative inner narrative.  Connect with those you love and allow them to give you  the support and boost you need in your life this week, just as you provide that for them in turn.  Be sure not to make any important financial decisions this week.  Watch and wait… gather information at this time and make your decisions later on down the road.

DECKS USED:  BIG THINGS IN SMALL PACKAGES TAROT

Transitioning from July to August

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This is a spread that I do at the end of each month to close out the month.

Month_End

Individuality – Seven of Pentacles and Self Heal (Responsibility) – At this time I am in the middle of a long term growth and healing process. This extends beyond the emotional growth that I have been dealing with through the past few months.  As I come to a point where that growth spurt changes from active growth to a time of adjustment, the emotional growth I experienced has begun to spread out into other areas of my life, influencing everything around me in small ways that will over time develop into something more beneficial and obvious. Have patience with yourself.

Dependence – Six of Rods and Nettle (Transformation) – Sometimes lately?  I feel like a know it all asshat.  Especially when dealing with that one specific brick wall we have on our server right now.  I want to release this feeling, but in order to do so, I need to dig into what’s creating that feeling.  Is it something in my personal communications that has shifted lately that’s causing it?  Or is it being stirred up by an external source?

Creativity – Page of Cups and Bee Balm (Vibrance) – I want more lighthearted creativity in my life. With the emotional growth I’m feeling a bit softer and a bit warmer, but I also want to feel a bit “lighter” and instill a bit of carefree creativity  in my life that’s been missing for the past… year?  I mean, there’s been little hints of it, but I’d love to have more.

Limitation – The Hermit and Borage (Optimism) – Retreating into yourself and closing yourself off to others is not assisting you in your goal to be more optimistic and positive in life.  By closing yourself off, you are allowing your inner dialog free reign to have its way with you.  It’s not healing, and it is important to both acknowledge this fact as well as watch out for these tendencies.

Change – The Chariot and Daylily (Centering) – Focus on the fact that you can’t truly control the future or the past.  It’s only the present that’s truly in your control, and you have the ability to make every day what you want it to be if you’re willing to grab the reigns and actually do it now instead of just thinking about it or planning for it to happen sometime in the future.

Sympathy – Wheel of Fortune and Rosemary (Clarity) – The past event these cards refers to has to do with my family’s expectations growing up as well as as an adult, and how there were times in which those expectations created self doubt. This painful lesson holds relevance at this time, and I need to remember that I have found my path and that I do not need to live my life for anyone but myself… nor conform to anyone’s expectations but my own.

Luck – Two of Swords and Evening Primrose (Rebirth) – These cards are a reminder of the day that I first was introduced to the poem “The Dash” by Linda Ellis.  This is a poem that changed my life.  It gave me a perspective that I needed, at a time when I needed it a most, and provided me with the knowledge I needed both of myself and what I wanted from life, to allow me to choose my path wisely.

Power – The Hanged Man Rx and Purple Poppy (Evolution) – Take care to stay aware and seeking those extra perspectives and different opinions.  It’s okay to have your own opinions and methods, but don’t forget that you need a much wider and more vast array of input to make good decisions on how you move forward and grow from one day to the next.  Don’t close yourself off or allow yourself to grow and evolve in a direction that would close you off from these things.

Responsibility – Strength and Bleeding Heart (Independence) – The opportunity in the month echos back to the mention of being in a time of “adjustment” concerning my emotional growth.  I have the opportunity to create a steady foundation at this time that will develop into a new kind of internal strength that includes a depth of emotional capacity rather than excluding my emotions from the equation.

Message from Spirit World –  You have the control to steer how you develop spiritually over the month ahead.  Stay open to new perspectives and seize control of your own autonomy.  Your future and your development is in your hands.  Your personal hands.  Your growth stretches beyond just the emotional and into the spiritual.  Make sure that you staying mindful of your choices and the direction your progress is taking.

Message from Mind’s World – It’s okay for things to take time and you need to accept that.  Fill that time with the things you want to do and stop worrying so much about what other people think about you.  This should be a time to focus on what you want, not what others want or expect of you.

Message from Known World – Although the world is often uncertain, you can make choices to steer things in the direction you want them to go.  Stay focused on what you want as things change around you, and your path will continue to steer true as you evolve upon it into the person you want to become.  Each day is filled with a series of constant choices.   Stay true in these choices to who you are… and what you want.  The Hermit in these cards stands out as the outlier… now is not a time to retreat or close yourself off from the world and those around you.  It would not be healthy for you at this time.

Take Away – There is a theme here in the cards that has to do with growth and progress, in what I want to instill into my future, and how the future is built from the present.  What you do here in the now is what directs you upon the path of your future, so make sure that your present choices are ones that suit what you want of both who you are today, and of who you want to be in the future as well.

DECKS USED: HANSON ROBERTS TAROT AND THE SOULFLOWER ORACLE CARDS

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?

Veleda Woods Tarot, Synchronicity Oracle, Awakened Soul Oracle

Earth – High Priestess, Justice, Home – Use your intuition to find balance at home. This week may come with a hint of imbalance as you work through getting your equilibrium back after the events of Friday and Saturday with your mother. Instead of dwelling, find the route of least resistance through use of your intuition, and allow things to balance themselves out instead of trying to right the scales on your own.

Air – Nine of Wands Rx and Incantation – It’s time to refresh and reinforce your wards and protections. Instead of going by rote, take some time to sit down and work through what needs to be done and what needs to be changed up.

Water – Ace of Cups, Fledgling of Cups, Sister – Repetition of new beginnings is going to be a theme this week.  Make sure that whether you’re dealing with your new emotional growth, or approaching an emotional issue that has arisen again and again over time, that you lean on those closest to you instead of trying to stand strong on your own.  It’s okay to reach out for support when you need it, and they are more than happy to lend an ear or a shoulder.

Fire – Ranger of Wands and Fall – This is a reminder that you need to start working on the preparation for the holiday rush now.  The earlier you begin your preparations, the less rushed and struggling you will feel when the holiday rush starts.

Waning – Treasure – It’s funny that this comes up as what is waning over the week ahead when I just  noticed this morning how sad and tattered some of my “specimens” I use in my card photos are starting to look.  It’s time to toss out those treasures that have become faded and tattered, and seek out new ones to replace them with.

Waxing – Boundaries – This hearkens back up to what was mentioned in the Air portion of this reading.  It has to do with making sure I get those new wards and protections in place, and reinforces the need to make sure they get done this week and are not put off until later on for whatever reasons that might come up to stir up the temptations of procrastination.

Take Away – Focusing on sharing with loved ones and the protection and balance of the energies of the hearth is going to be a theme this week.  Make sure you are following your intuition and not falling into old habits.  New methods are to be encouraged rather than set aside this week, as some refreshing and “sprucing up” of old and repeated processes.

DECKS USED:  VELEDA WOODS TAROT, SYNCHRONICITY ORACLE, AWAKENED SOUL ORACLE

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?

Wild Unknown Tarot, Animal Spirit Oracle, Sovereign Oracle

Earth – Starfish and Visibility –  You are beautiful and capable and talented enough to both shine brightly and not be vapid. Allow those things you want to manifest to flow forward and be brought into reality.  Stand tall and proud as you show them off and allow others to see them.  Translation? It’s okay to share your shops with others and you shouldn’t be shy about showing off your work.  Doing so is not spam.

Air – Otter, Vulture, Co-Creation – It’s time to clean out your mental closet and let go of the hangups that are preventing you from embracing a lighter outlook and more fun attitude.  You don’t have to be serious all the time, take some time this week to consider how you can purge some of that dour energy and replace it with joy, humor, and a little more playfulness.  You have all these qualities within you already, you just need to take out the trash in order to uncover them.

Water – Octopus and Ritual – Sometimes when emotions start to move towards overwhelming, you find yourself confused with how to deal with them. You might feel the urge reach out to those incompatible to the situation or share more than is healthy with those you shouldn’t.

(Note as well that sharing too much was a theme in yesterday’s reading concerning people spiriting off with my new ideas, and I think that the Octopus here relates to that reading as well.)

To tamp down on this temptation, make sure you are falling back on those steadfast people in your life that are dependable and have become established in your life as safe. Repetition and rote might sometimes feel stagnant and it may feel like you’re being a pain in the ass to those you care about most, but they are also safe, and when it comes to your emotions?  You need to lean into the safe and dependable.

Fire – Unicorn, Lamb, Compost, Genius – That inner spark within you is a precious thing and a part of what makes your soul sing.  Allow it to thrive and flourish by discarding “half baked” ideas that have no future and following through on the ones where potential lives.  You know how to tell the difference, just listen to your soul and have patience.  Those shimmering diamonds of greatness will rise to the surface… and the rest will sink.

Waning – Death – You are moving out of a time of transition and into a time of recovery as you begin to find your balance and settle into the new reality that has been given room to grow.  Your time of growth is not exactly over, but turning to a new stage where it’s time to become familiar and comfortable in your new skin, having left the old one behind.

Waxing – The Emperor and Six of Wands – Taking some autonomy and control will create admiration in others this week, which means there’s an opportunity to garner some of that praise and encouragement that you are so loathe to admit you need.  Keep in mind that the Emperor is not active, he is a passive projective.  So do your thing and tend to your own business, everything else will fall into place on its own.

Take Away – “Stay in your lane” and on track both concerning your responsibilities and concerning your support system. Focus this week on settling into your new reality on the other side of the emotional growth spurt you’ve been going through.  Your period of growth is coming to an end for the time being, but the time of adjustment still stretches out before you.  Make sure that you are prioritizing instead of compiling, all those things not worth your time are really…. not worth your time.  So don’t bother to direct your energy there.

There is a neediness represented in these cards today that needs addressing as well.  The Octopus especially, but also within the Starfish, and the Six of Wands.  Make sure that you stick to those trusted people in your inner circle to fulfill that neediness that arises this week.  Now is not the time to branch out.

DECKS USED:  THE WILD UNKNOWN TAROT, ANIMAL SPIRIT ORACLE, SOVEREIGN ORACLE