self improvement

Self Care Saturday… On a Sunday

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As I’ve mentioned before, these 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 are not meant as a predictive reading.

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

Earth – King of Cups – Take some time to project for myself some compassion and forgiveness, especially concerning any limitations that might arise in the week ahead.

Air – The Devil – Am drowning myself with the weight of all the “stuff”. Take a step back and evaluate mental clutter. Search for any obsessions that are not serving me and let them go.

Water – Queen of Pentacles – Going to need some alone time and to take some time to lose myself in fantasy and flights of fancy in order to nurture my emotional side.

Fire – Page of Rods – This week is a time for exploration and discovery. Try something new instead of the same old thing.

Waning – The need to carry my home with me is going to ease. This is not surprising, and is in direct relation to going home tomorrow.

Waxing – A new journey and crossing from the known into the unknown. This card feels like it is connected to the Fire cards in this spread.

Moral of the Story – New adventures ahead, but from home rather than abroad. Keep an eye out for what may be adding unnecessary stress or “weight”. Be sure to make some space and time for myself to breathe.

Deck Used: Morgan Greer Tarot

What Do You Value?

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One of the blogs I follow recently made a post about values, and how we identify with and connect to our values on a day-to-day bases. I really enjoyed this post, and decided to do the little quiz included that would rate my own values, as well as how well I have stuck to my core, main values over the past month.

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The instructions indicate that you first go through and rate each of the values on the list with the V, Q, N scale, and then go back through and use the numeral values at the bottom to rate each of those marked with a V.

VALUES LIST

Very important to you (V), quite important to you (Q), or not important to you (N)

    1. Connecting with Nature: Importance of value to you (V, Q, N?) =V
      Consistency (0-10?) = 9
    2. Gaining wisdom: Importance (V, Q, N?) = Q
    3. Creating beauty (in any domain, including arts, dancing, gardening): Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) = 9
    4. Promoting justice and caring for the weak: Importance (V, Q, N?) = Q
    5. Being loyal to friends, family and/or my group: Importance (V, Q, N?) = Q
    6. Being Honest: Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) = 9
    7. Helping others: Importance (V, Q, N?) = Q
    8. Being sexually desirable (TO MY PARTNER): Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) = 5
    9. Having genuine and close friends: Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) = 7
    10. Having relationships involving love and affection: Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) = 9
    11. Being ambitious and hard working: Importance (V, Q, N?) = Q (I think?)
    12. Being competent and effective: Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) = 8
    13. Having a sense of accomplishment and making a lasting contribution: Importance (V, Q, N?) = Q
    14. Having an exciting life: Importance (V, Q, N?) = N
    15. Having a life filled with adventure: Importance (V, Q, N?) = N
    16. Having a life filled with novelty and change: Importance (V, Q, N?) = N
    17. Being physically fit: Importance (V, Q, N?) = Q
    18. Eating healthy food: Importance (V, Q, N?) = Q
    19. Engaging in sporting activities: Importance (V, Q, N?) = N
    20. Acting consistently with my religious faith and beliefs: Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) = 10
    21. Being at one with (MY VERSION OF) God: Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) = 10
    22. Showing respect for tradition: Importance (V, Q, N?) = Q
    23. Being self-disciplined and resisting temptation: Importance (V, Q, N?) = Q
    24. Showing respect to parents and elders: Importance (V, Q, N?) = Q
    25. Meeting my obligations: Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) = 8… Maybe 9
    26. Maintaining the safety and security of my loved ones: Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) =10
    27. Making sure to repay favors and not be indebted to people: Importance (V, Q, N?) = Q
    28. Being safe from danger: Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) = 9
    29. Being wealthy: Importance (V, Q, N?) = N
    30. Having authority, being in charge: Importance (V, Q, N?) = N
    31. Having influence over other people: Importance (V, Q, N?) = N
    32. Having an enjoyable, leisurely life: Importance (V, Q, N?) = N
    33. Enjoying food and drink: Importance (V, Q, N?) = Q
    34. Being sexually active: Importance (V, Q, N?) = Q
    35. Being creative: Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) = 10
    36. Being self-sufficient: Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) = 9
    37. Being curious, discovering new things: Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) =       8
    38. Figuring things out, solving problems: Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) =  8
    39. Striving to be a better person: Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) = 10
    40. Experiencing positive mood states: Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) = 5 (I get a 10 for effort, though)
    41. Feeling good about myself: Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) = 7 (also get 10 for effort)
    42. Leading a stress-free life: Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) = 4
    43. Enjoying music, art or drama: Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) = 6
    44. Designing things: Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) = 10
    45. Teaching others: Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) = 7
    46. Resolving disputes: Importance (V, Q, N?) = Q
    47. Building and repairing things: Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) = 10
    48. Working with my hands: Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) = 10
    49. Organizing things: Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) = 6
    50. Engaging in clearly defined work: Importance (V, Q, N?) = Q
    51. Researching things: Importance (V, Q, N?) = Q
    52. Competing with others: Importance (V, Q, N?) = N
    53. Being admired by many people: Importance (V, Q, N?) = N
    54. Acting with courage: Importance (V, Q, N?) = Q
    55. Caring for others: Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) = 8
    56. Accepting others as they are: Importance (V, Q, N?) = V
      Consistency (0-10?) = 8
    57. Working on practical tasks: Importance (V, Q, N?) = Q
    58. Seeking pleasure: Importance (V, Q, N?) = Q
    59. Avoiding distress: Importance (V, Q, N?) = Q
    60. Avoiding self-doubt: Importance (V, Q, N?) = Q

Consistency Scoring:

0 = you have not been following this value over the past month
1 – 3 = you have been following this value occasionally over the past month
4 – 6 = you have been following this value sometimes over the past month
7 – 9 = you have been following this value often over the past month
10 = you have been always living by this value over the past month

You don’t really get a total score, as this is more of an exercise to explore your values and what is important to you by breaking them down and rating how much you then incorporate them into your life.

So there you go.  Not really anything all that surprising, I don’t think?

 

Self Care Saturday (on Sunday)

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SCS

Week five of accountability.  This is definitely working out for me, and I will continue it past the end of August.  Today, I would not have gotten my journaling done on this spread at all without the accountability of needing to post it here.  I’m well aware of that and that the reason I did it is because it needed to get put up here on the blog.

As I mentioned before, these 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 are not meant as a predictive reading.

The question is… What do I need to focus on in the week ahead?

Body – Four of Candles – Now is a time to focus on the progress made.  Do not let what is predictably a slow two weeks each year drag you down.  Celebrate how far you’ve come instead.

Mind – Five of Tomes – Don’t let worries and anxieties about finances and stability overrun me and blind me to options and methods that are there to assist when needed.

Emotions – Explorer of Bells – As the Five of Tomes speaks of keeping the mind open to possibilities and options, this one speaks of keeping oneself open to lessons of the “heart”.  Do not close yourself off, just make good choices.

Inner Spark – Nine of Bells – Do not let the cacophony of self doubt over the next week stunt your progress, no matter how distracting it may be.

Moving Away From – Subdrop… and thank god for that.  The feeling of being swallowed whole bhy the drop will soon pass.

Heading Toward – Self doubt and overly critical thinking directed at the self, especially in relation to my business and finances.

Moral of the Story – Relax and Breathe… It’s going to be okay.

Untitled-1Side note on last week’s Self Care Saturday:

You see this card from last week?  You see that devil there, invisible but on the leash?   I know what that is now.

That is the motherf’king subdrop… walking so nicely beside me, hidden but there. But it’s not on a leash at all. Just when I thought I had it under control, it jumped up and bit me on the ass.

Just sayin’.

Decks Used: Numinous Tarot, Dixit Quest Expansion Pack #2

Self Care Saturday (on Sunday)

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SCS

Week two of accountability on my Self Care Saturday spread in order to foster the motivation to write it down instead of just reading the spread, taking a picture, and moving on.

As mentioned before, these 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 not meant as a predictive reading.

The question is… What do I need to focus on in the week ahead?

Body – Temperance – I need to keep an eye on what I’m doing to my body this week and take care to practice balance and moderation with both my physical activity and what I’m using as fuel.  Don’t hurt myself by pushing too hard.

Mind – Two of Rods & Ace of Cups – There are some decisions that I need to make concerning what direction I want to take my creativity for the week.  The new project that I’m considering will bring me joy, but I need to be careful not to overload myself. (In other words, make a choice on what to focus on instead of putting all my fish on to fry at once.)

Emotions – Three of Pentacles – This is the 2nd time that this card has appeared in a reading for me in the past two days, and both times it has appeared in the position of the heart/emotions.  This is all about learning some new skills and flexing my creative “muscles” while putting in the work to manifest my idea into reality.  This ties directly into the new project idea mentioned above.

Inner Spark – King of Pentacles – Very clear here. Grab the reins, Be the Boss. Do It.

Moving Away From – Stripping Illusions & Grounding – It’s time to strip away my second guessing and self doubt.  Stop holding myself back and pushing down the ideas that have been brewing.

Heading Towards – Growth & Psychic Development – Although the question for this reading didn’t direct me towards the project that I was considering, it appears that’s the direction that it went in anyway.  It’s time to grow, move forward, and follow where my intuition is leading me.

Decks Used: Anna K Tarot, Shamanic Healing Oracle

 

Cast Them Overboard

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes and sixteen seconds, and focused on the practice of bringing gratitude into your everyday life.  

Sometimes, especially when we are feeling down, gratitude is something that is hard to get in touch with.  But, there are always things to be grateful for, even if it’s simply the fact that when you wake up in the morning you are being presented with another chance to make life better.

I am planning to do a post soon concerning my own daily gratitude practice, so I won’t wax poetic on this topic here, but suffice to say that I absolutely agree with the need to bring gratitude into each and every day.  I feel that it is uplifting to the spirit and soul to find -something- with which to be truly grateful for at the beginning of each day.

Today’s draw is the Six of Swords, which is a representation of transitions and change in the area of thoughts, ambitions, communication, and logic.

The representation of the Six of Swords in the card is a depiction of someone moving away in a boat, but carrying six swords in the boat behind them on their journey.   These swords often represent old thoughts and mindsets, past experiences and old lessons that the person on the journey is carrying with them into the future.

The tips of these swords are down, embedded in the bottom of the boat…. a type of craft you don’t really want to have holes in it.  To me, this often means that these thoughts and mindsets from the past that the individual is bringing with them on this journey to new horizons are not of a positive nature.   They are the thoughts and mindsets of the past and are a detriment to progress on this journey.

I’ve been having a lot of dreams lately where the theme of the dreams is my victimization.  They do not specifically have G in them, or G’s friend for that matter, but the feelings within the dream are very similar even if the subject matter is not.   From these dreams I have been involuntarily carrying into waking hours a sense of anxiety and negativity.

Today’s draw of the Six of Swords is telling me to let go of my swords and cast them overboard… before they sink my boat.   Don’t ignore the negativity that is dug up by the dreams, but deal with it and discard it.

 

Instinct vs Intuition

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and was focused on working on the inner self.  It discussed how society is so focused upon the external progress, that we often forget about working on our inner selves where our emotions, instincts, and sense of self lives.

To me, this related to the importance of shadow work, and the necessity of knowing yourself.  Not just the parts of yourself you want to know or accept, or believe that others will accept… but knowing your whole self, including those dark and secret parts you don’t want to acknowledge or admit to.

Today’s draw is the Two of Swords, which is a representation of duality, division, and choices in the area of intellect, the mind, logic, communication, and instinct.   It is a card that deals with making choices, and trusting your perceptions and instincts (as opposed to intuition) to choose the path that is right for you.

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Instinct and intuition are often confused with each other, perhaps because they both speak from a very similar place (your gut).   Instinct indicates that your subconscious is gathering outside data and steering you in relation to that data and one’s genetic dispositions.  Intuition is more esoteric.  It is the “just knowing” that sparks regardless of external input, instead of because of it.

Or, at least, that was how it was explained to me.

Because most people feel both of these through their “gut” or solar plexus, they are easily confused and intermeshed together, and I am no different.   In truth, I don’t care which is which when I feel it in the moment.  I only care that I felt it and react accordingly.   Later on, though, I (we?) often sit back and pick apart these reactions (if not doing it in the moment already), and even then it can be difficult to discern which was in action at the time.

Oops sorry…. wandered off topic.

The Two of Swords… Instinct and decision making.   A choice.

This card represents when there is a choice present that needs to be made, but the scales are level as to which seems the right one to go with.

The Two of Sword’s appearance in today’s draw is a reminder that when such difficult choices arise, it is important to take in all of the pros and cons of each situation, but JUST as important to listen to your instincts.  Bringing in as much information as possible will assist your inner voice of instinct in having all of the information it needs to steer  you in the right direction.

The key?   Don’t discount that voice when it speaks or disregard what it has to say… no matter how much you may want to at the time.