Seven of Cups

Weekly Creativity Prompt – Scavenger Hunt

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Prompt: Draw three cards. Find something around your home (or where you’re currently staying) that you feel represents each of the cards. Then draw, paint, photograph, artistically display, collage, or otherwise depict these items in some way. Then share and explain about the connection that you see between the item and the card you’ve paired it with.

Young Witch Tarot - Seven of CupsSeven of Cups – Each stone has it’s own strengths and weaknesses, it’s own unique vibrations and abilities.  And with each spellcraft and ritual, cartomancy reading and energetic influences I want to project or draw in, I stand before this table and the myriad of stones available to me and seek out the one best suited for the need and situation at hand

Knowledge plays a big part in this process, but so too does intuition as I find myself more often than not hovering my hand over the stones and letting my hand be drawn where it needs to go. The facts about that stone come after and the logic fills in the gaps, explaining why that stone is best, or finding the reason my hand was drawn in that direction..

Young Witch Tarot - The MagicianThe Magician – The tools of my path are many, and some are more useful, and more important, than others.  It isn’t enough to have the tools needed, but you also need to be able to use them with skill and efficiency.

My granite mortar and pestle plays a huge and multi-faceted role in my path. It’s practical uses stretch the gamut from kitchen witchery to herbcrafts, from incense making to cauldron.  Like many tools it does double, triple, quadruple duty and more and is arguably the most useful tool in my practice.

Young Witch Tarot - King of CupsKing of Cups – The man knows not just what I like, but goes out of his way to make sure that the reminders of him are just right.  He is kind and strong, supportive and loving, demanding and willing to listen.  He guides… he demands a lot… and yet everything he does is emotion directed.  Emotion driven.

Gideon is my King of Cups, and the picture of the Hanged Man that hangs here on my wall was a gift from him. It is a reminder that he doesn’t just pick out something he thinks I’ll like, or even that he knows I will like.  He picks it out because he has delved deep and understands –why– I will like it.  He seeks to understand my soul, as evidenced by this picture that my eyes land on every day.

DECK USED:  YOUNG WITCH TAROT

Piece by Piece

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mountainToday’s meditation was just under eleven minutes long.  The topic of today’s meditation was a grounding exercise, although they didn’t call it as much.

It started out with imagining a mountain, then adding in details like the snow top and jagged rocks, trees near the base, etc.   And then guided the listener to take that mountain within the self and feel the solid strength of it there inside.

That’s grounding.   What really stuck with me strongest, though, was the quote that was included with the meditation, which I have put into a graphic and can be seen to the right.  It’s about the constancy of a mountain’s presence, and is the epitome of what grounding meditations are about, finding that calmness and solid footing that allows the whirlwinds of the world to swirl around you while you remain calm and still at the center of it all.

Hush Tarot - Seven of CupsToday’s draw is the Seven of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of being confronted with a plethora of choices.  Sometimes this variety of many options can feel like boundless opportunities, and other times it feels chaotic and overwhelming.  The Seven of Cups encompasses both aspects of this experience.

What strikes me about the imagery of this card today is the chaos.  There’s so much going on in this card, and so little to focus on.  Or rather, there’s so much to focus on that is equally weighted that nothing specific stands out as a focal point.

What I see as the message in today’s card is not to allow the myriad of options open to you to overwhelm you and make a mess out of things.  Sometimes to make a decision? You have to  untangle the mess and examine each element separately, because when they are all together there’s no making heads or tails of any of it which means you sit there spinning your wheels in indecision.

DECK USED:  HUSH TAROT

#Zentember #LovelyHealing Challenge Prompt
Question: How to increase harmony around me?

Samiramay Tarot

Reading Summary: Be generous (Six of Coins) with your wisdom (The Hierophant), and both judicious and articulate in the sharing of it (Queen of Swords).

Take Away:  Too often I feel like a pain in the ass when when I share my knowledge with others, or like a know it all.  I try very hard not to come across in such a way, but it is a worry and a vulnerability that I can’t seem to shake.  The advice in these cards is that is not at all the case and as long as I continue to share my knowledge in a way that is open and helpful and judiciously chosen, it will continue to not be the case. 

DECK USED:  SAMIRAMAY TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsSep2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What personal growth should I be directing my energy toward at this time?

The Painted TarotReading Summary:  Personal changes (Death Rx) and how I view and think about security and stability (Four of Pentacles). You don’t have to split yourself apart to make it happen (Page of Swords).

Take Away: This is about the crap Gideon and I have been talking about over the past few days. It’s about the changes that have been coming up with autumn now upon me and the holiday rush quickly approaching. The cards here are telling me that I need to focus on finding that balance between the security and centered self that I’ve found through my growth over the year, and the change that’s coming.

The solid blue of the Four of Pentacles splinters into the Page of Swords indicating that by focusing on that stable center, I can save myself from having to pick up the pieces and re-learn everything again later.

DECK USED:  THE PAINTED TAROT

Lionharts #AstroTarotChallenge
Question: What in my life has the potential to be most supportive of my best self when choosing a direction in my soul’s journey?

English Magic Tarot

Reading Summary: You’re fortunate enough to be given all of the tools you need (The Magician) in order to make the good choices (Justice) that will carry you forward instead of holding you back (The Chariot).

Take Away:  This is about self empowerment.  The cards are saying that I am a strong, capable, knowledgeable, and talented individual with all of the tools I need to get where I need to go as long as I use those qualities wisely and well. It’s about depending on yourself, listening to your inner compass and strengths.   Depending on others and having those that support you is all well and good, but self empowerment and trusting your own strengths is even more so.

So often my cards remind me that there are others in my life to help me and support me when needed.  Here is the reminder that above all else, self reliance is of key importance.

DECK USED:  ENGLISH MAGIC TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How do I choose hope over fear?

Telluric Tarot

Reading Summary: Lean on Gideon (King of Cups)… And take what you have been so passionately exploring over the past few months (Ace of Wands) and choose to carry those lessons forward and incorporate them into your life moving forward (The Lovers atop The Hierophant).

Usually when I read with this deck, I take time to break down all of the nuances in each of the stones and herbs used in the cards. They always completely reinforce the reading, but I’m just not feeling inspired to do that this time. Because of that, I almost skipped including this reading today… but since I did actually translate the cards, even if not fully breaking them down, I figured I’d include it anyway.

Take Away:  This is also about what we’ve been talking about lately.  It’s about carrying those lessons I’ve learned this year forward with me instead of putting them on a shelf and waiting until the holiday rush is over to take them back down.  I admit to feeling a little trepidation about this, but I’m willing to give it a try and see how it goes.

DECK USED:  TELLURIC TAROT

How Long Is Your Reach?

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Today’s meditation was again postponed to take place at bed time.  I know.  And I agree with you that I need to get on track and more dedicated to doing my meditation practice in the morning again.  But it did not happen today.   I will put more of a push behind doing better about this, though. Because you’re right… morning meditation works a lot better for my self care than evening ones do.

Herbal Tarot - Seven of Cups - Juniper BerriesToday’s draw is the Seven of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of being presented with a variety of opportunities, and using one’s heart assist in making choices.  It can also represent feeling overwhelmed by the choices set out before you.

A lot of times when I get this card in my personal readings, it means that I am leaning too heavily on making decisions in my head, and that my heart needs to have its voice included in making whatever decisions are going on at the moment.

What stood out the strongest to me today in the imagery of this card was the sprig of Juniper at the top of the card, and the image of the little blue dragon that looks like its trying to get a nibble off that sprig.

Juniperus communis is used spiritually as a way to protect oneself from negative thoughts and influences, which fits in well with what I see in that little dragon, actually.   As what I see here in the imagery of today’s card and the relationship between the dragon and the Juniper sprig… is empowerment.

When you reach for the things you want, sometimes? Negative thoughts have a way of shortening your reach and influencing you to fall short of your goals.   The message in today’s card is to not allow those negative self dialog to have that kind of power.  It’s not about a specific thing or event, instead this card is about how to build my confidence and become stronger.

DECK USED:  HERBAL TAROT

#TarotForGrowthJune Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I align more with the wildness within me?

Tarot of a Moon Garden

Reading Summary: It is self defeating (Five of Swords) to intellectualize (Nine of Swords) your emotions so much (Queen of Cups). Set them free and allow them to find their own way (Six of Cups).

Take Away:  Funny that we just talked about this a bit ago.  Although, this question refers specifically to connecting more to the wildness within me.   So of course intellectualizing would be self defeating in that goal.  I’m not really sure that connecting to my wildness is what I need right now though.  So perhaps the intellectualizing is a good thing, yeah?

DECK USED:  TAROT OF A MOON GARDEN

#DiscordTarotholicsJun2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Philosophical Question: Are beliefs and superstitions the same?

Japaridze TarotReading Summary: When driven by our convictions and passions (Queen of Fire), belief and superstition can both provide a sense of emotional fulfillment (Ten of Tides) when we feel that we are being guided and protected by them.

When we connect with others that share the same beliefs or superstitions (Three of Gardens), the experience has the ability to create a sense of intellectual superiority over others that do not share the same views (King of Winds).

By the same turn, both beliefs and superstitions can create a sense of being overburdened if we become too focused upon them and too dependent upon them and their parameters (Ten of Fire).

Take Away:  What is being shown in these cards is about how both belief and superstition are related.  In these ways, they are absolutely the same.  I do think, though, that there are as many differences between belief and superstition as there are similarities.

DECK USED:  JAPARIDZE TAROT

#TheJuneTarot Challenge by Lionhart
Question: What more can I do to ready myself for the next mercury rx?

Simply Deep Tarot

Reading Summary: Have a plan in place (Three of Wands), depend upon your intuition to guide you forward (High Priestess), and keep plowing forward (Chariot).

Take Away:  I’m not usually particularly affected by mercury rx, but the people around me are and as a result what I notice most is a bit of a breakdown in communication between others… and sometimes between others and myself.  Essentially what the cards are telling me is to keep my head down and keep moving.  Don’t allow things to stagnate, and follow my intuition when I need a little boost or a bit of extra direction.

DECK USED:  SIMPLY DEEP TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What are my 3 goals for the next quarter of the year?

Grimalkin Tarot

Reading Summary: More understanding and nurturing of the self concerning stability goals (Queen of Pentacles. More stable and grounded self talk (King of Swords). Inner growth and maturity (Grimalkin).

Take Away:  I hadn’t really set out to make goals for the next three months, but these sound like really good ones.

The first goal is about allowing myself a bit of wiggle room concerning my usual obsession with stability and security.  This is a topic I’ve been hyper focused on for the majority of my adult life, and I’ve had a lot of readings indicating lately that I need to loosen those barbwire bindings I use to keep everything in control.  I have a feeling that this loosening is necessary if I want to do the restructuring I’ve been working on and have it be a success.

The second goal is about my inner narrative and being more kind to myself.  Or… not so much more kind as less unstable.  Less lashing out, more stability and strength.  There are good kings that make spectacular leaders, and bad kings that are tyrants.  Don’t be a tyrant.

The third goal is about learning from your mistakes and the growth and maturity you develop through experience.  This is a long standing goal, and I feel it’s also a healthy one to continue.

DECK USED:  GRIMALKIN TAROT

The Buffet… and Moderation

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IMG_3968Today’s meditation was just under eleven minutes long and focused on the distraction of intruding thoughts and experiences in the middle of a meditation practice.  That is to say, it focused upon how to deal with these distractions and not allow them to frustrate you or pull you away from your practice.

Instead, the guided meditation encouraged approaching these distractions in a disconnected sort of way.  Choosing to take a moment to identify what it is that has distracted you, acknowledging it by naming it, and then letting it go and returning to your center focus (usually the breath).  That is to say, for example, that if you get distracted thinking about what you need to do for the day you pause to recognize you’ve become distracted.  You then label that distraction as “thinking” and accept that it happened, and then set it aside and return to your meditation focus.

This actually seems to work really well for me.  Everyone becomes distracted during meditation, even those that practice daily for years and years.  It’s a part of the process, and that pulling yourself back from distraction to return to your meditation is just as important a part of the process.

Seven of Brine - Seven of Cups - Stolen Child TarotToday’s draw is the Seven of Brine (Seven of Cups) which is traditionally a representation of feelings of overwhelm (or feelings of vast opportunities) created by having an abundance of choices open and available to you.

So many yum-yums… a veritable smorgasbord… so little time.

Laughing.   Okay, so that was my above thought when I first saw this card.  A raccoon presented with so many different delicious options that he’s left unable to decide what he wants to eat.

The message here has to do with having too much of a good thing.  I’m not really sure where this fits into my life today, but I will definitely be keeping an eye open for where this message might apply.   I do see it as a good reminder, though.  And a good message because of the value of its reminder.

It’s a reminder that moderation is a good thing, yeah?  And although I’m not especially good at moderation? I do understand it’s value.

DECK USED:  STOLEN CHILD TAROT

#TarotForGrowthApril Challenge Prompt
Question: What is the root of my power?

Fairy Lights Tarot

Reading Summary: spirit guides (left card), reaching for and embracing change (center cards), moral compass (right card)

Take Away:  The root of my power is threefold and resides in the guidance of my spirit guides, my adaptability and willingness to adjust to change, and the moral compass within me that guides my actions.

There is a blending of colors from the spirit guides card into the change card that speaks of the changes I am often guided through the changes that come by my spirit guides in order to help me embrace those changes.

There is also a color flow between the spirit guides card, the “reaching for” card and the moral compass card that speaks of my spirit guides having a hand in my openness to adapt as well as the moral compass that guides me.

DECK USED:  FAIRY LIGHTS TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsApr2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What piece of advice will help me achieve my dreams?

Forager's Daughter TarotReading Summary:  Beware the last sword (Ten of Swords) that will be coming for you just as you begin to feel a sense of pride in your accomplishments (Nine of Cups) and a feeling of having finally found stability and completion (Ten of Pentacles).

Take Away:  This is a warning about becoming overconfident.  In order to achieve my dreams, the cards indicate that I need to take care not to let my progress and accomplishments go to my head.  There are going to be setbacks and struggles… even when I feel I’m past all that and think that I have found higher ground.

DECK USED:  FORAGER’S DAUGHTER TAROT

 

Open Mind, Open Heart… No Walls

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1EXqUjKyraQ3_bjXxPF4-dLhWWNpAE1bbD8QjOBu9ThecPKKYXPrbC9fRUC7p3hi9SPGTgbR9Today’s meditation was just under twelve minutes long and focused on fostering trust in yourself,  your decisions, and your intuition.   We all have moments of self doubt, but some more than others.  And the more you devalue yourself, the harder it is to find that trust.

The guided meditation spoke on how sometimes, when you are feeling it that difficult to connect and trust your perceptions or your judgement, it’s okay.  To build that trust back up, that first step can be as simple as accepting that things could be worse.  Whatever choices you have made helped you avoid those scenarios that could be worse than the one you are now in.   So take a breath and be kind to yourself, and give yourself a little credit.

Seven of Cups - Circle of Life TarotToday’s draw is the Seven of Cups, which is traditionally a card that is a representation of being overwhelmed by choices, or having so many options that you need to take a moment to make the best decision available to you.

The cards in this deck seem to do this to me a lot, but what I see most in this card has more to do with the open mouth of the fish at the woman’s feet than with the cups or the traditional meaning.   The strength of the draw to that open mouth speaks very strongly to me, and has its own voice that blends with that of the card’s more common interpretation.   That is to say, the message that I see conveyed in this card today is that sometimes the obvious answer is not the right answer.

I don’t think that this is in reference to any one aspect of my life in the moment, but I do see a great deal of value in the reminder.  Sometimes we get so wrapped up in habits and routine that we forget to look around and see if there’s a better way.  Perhaps it’s time that I do just that.

DECK USED:  CIRCLE OF LIFE TAROT

#TarotForGrowthMarch Challenge Prompt
Question: What might that readjustment look like in action? (Built off yesterday’s cards.)

A Darisa Tarot, The Lomisht

Reading Summary: To connect more strongly with my emotional side to the point where I can more easily communicate what’s going on, I need to do what I do in order to connect with my intuition (Eight of Wind), and ensure that even when I am feeling at my worst I am reaching for the sun (The Sun over Ten of Wind).  This will foster a stabilization and clarity of thought that will make room for me to build that stronger connection (Liege of Wind).

Take Away:  Lots of swords here… the cards are an indication that a lot of what’s holding me back from connecting and communicating my more emotional self is the overbearing demands of my mind.   Much like with when people struggle connecting to their intuition, I am letting my mind overpower and essentially “speak over” my emotional voice.  In order to be able to better connect with an express my emotions therefore, I need to harness the mind and force it to step back.

DECK USED:  A DARISA TAROT – THE LOMISHT

#DiscordTarotholicsMar2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What area of my life needs some extra attention?

Reigning Rouge Tarot

Reading Summary: These cards are referencing hidden emotions that are preparing to spill over (Ace of Cups), because I haven’t taken enough time looking ahead and planning (Three of Wands) which is going to end up feeling like I shot myself in the foot (Seven of Swords).

Take Away:  Yeah…. I’m going to have to do some digging on this.  Preferably before I get to the shooting myself in the foot part of the equation.  I think the lack of foresight is going to be about the upcoming issues caused by the current health scare going on.  It’s going to screw me over (just like so many others) when I can’t make income and that is sure to effect me pretty negatively on an emotional level.   I’d like to address the emotional side of things before the cup actually tips over and everything spills out in a mess, I’m just not sure if that’s going to be possible.

DECK USED:  REIGNING ROUGE TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: Ask the high priestess card “How can I listen to my intuition more?”

Luna Sol Tarot

Reading Summary: Work at not falling into bad habits that promote the blocking my intuition… things like anxiety (Nine of Swords) and hiding behind inner walls of apathy (Four of Cups).

Take Away:  Those inner walls have slowly been coming down over time as you dig and play sledgehammer at them over the past twelve years.   Over the last few years, it’s become very apparent that those walls had muffled more than just my emotions, but also my intuition to an extent.     Anxiety is one of the triggers that makes me try to erect those walls and hide behind them, because I feel the need to appear calm, even when I am anything but.   The advice of the High Priestess is to not retreat. Do not resurrect those walls.  Do not hide behind those walls that remain.

DECK USED:  LUNA SOL TAROT

 

Overload… and a Note on Forgiveness

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Forgiveness Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and I finally managed to do it in the morning today! Honestly?  I get so much more out of it when I do it first time in the morning. Sometimes that’s just not possible, but I am going to try harder to make it possible more often.   The focus of today’s guidance during the meditation was about forgiveness, and I want to quote something that I really liked that was said during.  The instructor spoke about the important of forgiveness, and defined it as such…

“Forgiveness isn’t meant to erase what happened.  Instead, it’s a decision to let go of the resentment we’re holding onto.  It allows the clutch of irritation and bitterness to loosen its grip.  Choosing to forgive doesn’t deny the other person’s role in hurting us, and it doesn’t minimize or excuse the wrongdoing. But what it does do is create the opportunity for us to find peace.” – Tamara Levitt

I like that.  I think that too many people think that forgiveness means that you have to totally forget about what happened and excuse the person for their actions, but that’s really not what it’s about… and I think that quote expresses this really well.

Seven of Cups - Ostara TarotToday’s draw is the Seven of Cups which is often about having too many choices or being overwhelmed, and that is exactly what I see in this card today.

The appearance of the Seven of Cups in today’s draw is a warning to be sure I am not allowing myself to become overloaded and overwhelmed emotionally while I am distracted by the holiday rush and everything I need to get done.

I am dealing with a small bit of a drop after the drown the other day, and my instinct is often to bury these things and ignore them when I’m feeling overwhelmed by the world as a whole.  This card’s advice is to not do that.  Don’t ignore it, or those emotions will topple over and crash to the ground in a mess.

DECK USED:  OSTARA TAROT

Bonus Reading – #TarotForGrowthDecember

Question: What regret hangs most heavily upon me from this year?

Dreamkeeper’s Tarot

Reading Summary:  I feel like my self imposed overload (Ten of Wands) this year has held me back from the amount of success that could have accomplished (Six of Wands) as well as from spending more time with you (King of Cups).

Take Away:  I need to get more organized about how I do things for the business. This balance is about finding a happy medium between administrative tasks and the creative spark that is always so very persistent within me.  I put off the administrative tasks because I don’t find them pleasurable or particularly interesting, and then they build up and I have to “binge work” to get through them. Back when the business was slower, that was fine.  But, over the past few years as things have picked up, it’s started to become a problem.

DECK USED:  THE DREAMKEEPER’S TAROT