Slavic Tarot

Another Way

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was a bit longer than normal at fifteen minutes, as I added on a few extra stretches to my piriformis stretching.   It was just a quiet meditation, and I had a bit of trouble focusing, which is fine.  I’ve picked up my yoga practice a bit, so the piriformis stretches are a part of that .  I expect to be a bit sore over the next few days.

Cosmos Tarot and OracleToday’s draw is the Mercury card, which is a part of the oracle cards that are included in this deck. Although I am not really strong in astrology, I do know that Mercury rules over communication which is why when Mercury goes into retrograde so many people freak out and so much seems to go awry… once communication goes off the tracks? Everything else soon follows.

When I look at this card, I get very confused. Somehow skulls and face with one eye and a smile and a hand and snakes and ribbons and long tongues and…. it all gets messed up in my head when I look at the imagery on this card.  It’s a fucking clusterfuck mess, and i can’t seem to ever piece out the imagery to make sense of what I’m seeing.

In fact, what I see in this card’s imagery today is… not really there at all. Because when I look at this card, I see a nude figure curled into itself made out of the hand in the upper right hand corner, and the curvature of a bare spine from shoulders to hips out of the lower left skull.

What I see in these things that are not really there is vulnerability and a need to retreat from chaos.  Today’s card is a reminder of this.  Of the fact that when I feel vulnerable that I have a tendency to try and curl into myself and away from the chaos.  It is a reminder that that is the old way of doing things… and I’m learning another way.  A better and healthier way.

DECK USED:  COSMOS TAROT AND ORACLE

#TarotForGrowthJuly Challenge Prompt
Topic:  I’m so burnt out all the time.
Question:  How can I rest more effectively?

Tarot of the Journey to the Orient

Reading Summary: Learn from the new knowledge that you’re gaining emotionally to guide you (Knave of Chalices) instead of falling back on the fire that is sparked through conflict (Five of Wands) and charging ahead (The Chariot).

Take Away:  This is about managing my energy in a more resourceful way.  Instead of spilling my energy all over the place and using the flash fire of passions to drive me forward, I need to seek a gentler way of motivating myself so that it is easier to unwind from that motivation to rest more easily.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE JOURNEY TO THE ORIENT

#DiscordTarotholicsJul2020 Challenge Prompt
Question:  How can I become more sure of myself?

Karma TarotReading Summary: Move away (Eight of Cups) from the belief that you have to be the end-all be-all and be able to do everything all the time (The World). Take some self reflection and allow those things that really aren’t any of your responsibility to fall away (The Hermit).

Take Away:  This message has to do with more than just my actions and physically taking on too much, but also my sense of inner responsibility. I need to remember that I am ultimately only responsible for myself.  This is because when I take on more than I can handle, or responsibilities that are not mine to take on, when I then fail, stagger, or struggle… my inner critic uses this as fodder to tear myself down through it’s negative inner dialogue.  That inner dialogue is all about being a failure, and I shouldn’t be taking that on for things that aren’t my responsibility in the first place.

DECK USED:  KARMA TAROT

#OwlandBonesJuly Challenge by Owl and Bones Tarot
Topic:  hold your ground // step aside // share the path

Slavic Tarot

Hold Your Ground – Five of Cups – Against your depression and pessimism.

Step Aside – Ten of Coins – From the responsibility of balancing everything on your shoulders… sometimes they’ll flourish just fine on their own without your stressing over them.

Share The Road – Two of Swords – With the fact that sometimes you do have to make difficult decisions even when you don’t want to. That’s OK. Just be well informed first.

DECK USED:  SLAVIC TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question:  When am I least creatively confident?

Albano Waite Tarot

Reading Summary: When joyous fun (The Sun) is torn down by selfish words (Queen of Swords Rx) by someone that should be a nurturing figure in my life (The Empress).

Take Away:  When I’m having my fun and/or expectations crushed by my mother.

DECK USED:  ALBANO WAITE TAROT

Brush Your Teeth

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

I’m a bit behind in my posts and I didn’t write out the meditation part on Thursday like I should have.  I have no real memory of actually meditating, let alone the method I used… although I do know that I did do it. Sooo yeah.   I should have written out the meditation part when I wrote out the card of the day part and the rest of my notes that I took down on Thursday.

Cosmos Tarot and OracleToday’s draw is the Two of Water (Two of Cups) which is traditionally interpreted as a representation of connections and unity, partnerships, and other relationships where people connect on an emotional or creative level and work well together.

What I see in this card today doesn’t have anything to do with Antlia or about the Two of Water (although it does tie into that theme, which I’ll explain).   When I saw this card today, the immediate thought that came to mind was “BRUSH YOUR TEETH!”

Now, how I see this tying into the Two of Cups theme is that you just can’t connect with people on a meaningful level when your hygiene and grooming is driving them away.  It just doesn’t work.  A miasma of bad breath or body odor will, under damned near any circumstance, drive away anyone you would normally have an opportunity to connect with or work with.

The message in today’s card, then, is one of self care.  It’s about keeping up on physical self care.  Not just the showering and brushing of teeth, but all the multitude of little things that keep you presentable and approachable to others.   You can’t expect to connect with others if you’re unwilling to put in the effort  on your end as well.

DECK USED:  COSMOS TAROT AND ORACLE

#TarotForGrowthJuly Challenge Prompt
Topic:  I’m so overwhelmed.
Question:  How can I learn to care more about pleasing myself than pleasing others?

Midcenturian Tarot

Reading Summary: There is a double message here from the Justice card… 1)  do they really deserve it? 2) Balance is needed in order to obtain progress (Knight of Pentacles) and accomplishment (King of Wands)

Take Away: The first message from the Justice card is about being more mindful both about of others pleasure or need, and if those things really outweigh my own. The second message is about examining the motivation behind why you are putting others needs before your own. This hearkens back to yesterday’s read, and self neglect being one of my methods of self-destructive behavior. By putting other’s wants and desires above my own, I tear down my own potential for progress and accomplishment.

DECK USED:  MIDCENTURIAN TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJul2020 Challenge Prompt
Question:  What I Can Change / What I Can’t Change

Slavic TarotWhat I Can Change – Strength – Myself. I can change myself and how I handle things. By remembering to bring forth inner resources and outer strength, I can better deal with struggle and strife, and better overcome the challenges that confront me along my path.

What I Can’t Change – Justice – On the other hand, what I can’t change is the universal need for balance in the world. This is a part of life. Everything evens out in the end one way or another.  This is a major part of my faith, the belief in this balance and constant adjustments that take place in order to continue to keep things in balance all of the time.  This has to do with everything from Karma to the give and take of nature, and everything else in between and beyond it.  It is truly a universal truth.

DECK USED:  SLAVIC TAROT

Familiar Comforts

/ Twist the Leaf / 2 Comments

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and I admit that I was a little distracted because I was eager to get out and go hiking. I did a second meditation in the woods lying naked on the forest floor in the mountains before going above the treeline, and that was much more relaxing. Although I didn’t time it, I would estimate the meditation probably lasted about half an hour… maybe a bit longer.

Cosmos Tarot and OracleToday’s draw is the Ten of Air (Ten of Swords) which is traditionally read as “the end of the line” of the tragedies of the Swords suit and is a culmination of the suit’s struggles.  It indicates themes that have to do with defeat, betrayal, and wounds that cut deep.

What stood out strongest to me in the imagery of this card today is the defeated slump of Medusa’s posture, but even more so… the snake that is closest to her face which then brings my attention to the others in the light… and from there the others yet still hidden in the shadows. In noticing this I feel that they must offer some sort of comfort.  They have been with her all this time and are surely, even as they are a part of her, also a comfort to her that they are there in this moment.

The message in today’s card is about not allowing times when you feel defeated by wounds (internal or external) that have cut you down also isolate you. Take comfort in others, seek out those that love you and care about you, find those that will sit and make space for you to just be… you.   Don’t look to them to solve anything, but take comfort in their presence and the fact that they are there.   You are not alone.

With my subdrop sure to be just around the corner, today’s card is a reminder that when I am feeling out of sorts from the drop, you are there for me to help me through.  Just your presence makes things better and eases that ache inside my soul.  I need to not hold myself apart and strive instead to move in closer and let you soothe the drop and untangle those inner knots that the drop creates.

DECK USED:  COSMOS TAROT AND ORACLE

#TarotForGrowthJuly Challenge Prompt
Topic: I’m struggling with self-worth.
Question:  How can I be more mindful about challenging and correcting negative self-talk?

Way of the Panda Tarot

Reading Summary: Remember to look at things from another angle (Judgement) and pay attention to the fact that you really have done a lot (Ten of Pentacles) and you’re a hard worker with great deal of hard earned skill (Eight of Pentacles).

Take Away: Instead of allowing my inner narrative to have free reign, pay attention to what you hear with your ears and take that to heart. You’ve spent your life refusing to allow people’s perceptions of you matter, but those same perceptions can boost you up and create a positive narrative to help you in counteracting the negative inner dialogue you deal with on a constant basis.

Remember as well that you have created a comfortable life not just for yourself, but for L as well.  You share your stability and comfort with others, and are more than capable of sustaining it going forward.  The skills you have worked so hard to master, and have used to create this stability  in your life, are not going to just disappear.

DECK USED:  WAY OF THE PANDA TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJul2020 Challenge Prompt
Question:  How can I feel more grounded on my life’s current path?

Evolution TarotReading Summary: Make sure you are getting the alone time that you need (The Hermit) and use that time to forge a new path for your inner dialogue (Knight of Swords). Keep in mind that positivity and optimism (The Star) is not a natural state for you and takes repetition and diligence (Knight of Swords again).

There is a theme of darkness and purple through each of these three cards that does not carry through the entire deck.  This speaks to me of not just solitude, but peaceful solitude.  This is why I indicate that the cards say that I need to use the alone time for distancing from my normal inner critic’s dialogue.

Take Away:  Peaceful alone time and continued work on the optimism perspective will combine to give me an increased feeling of grounding in my life at this time. Neglecting my alone time now that I have the opportunity to get it (even if not in the same ways I could before) is detrimental and I need to make sure I’m fitting that in.

DECK USED:  EVOLUTION TAROT

#OwlandBonesJuly Challenge by Owl and Bones Tarot
Question:  pencil // pen  // permanent marker // tattoo

Slavic Tarot

Recipe For A Good Life

Pencil in the hardships.
Add strength and purpose in pen.
Write in nurturing balance in permanent marker.
And tattoo motivation and drive into your soul.

DECK USED:  SLAVIC TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question:  How can I think more creatively?

Karma Tarot

Reading Summary: Don’t allow (Seven of Wands) your addictions (The Devil) to get in the way of your motivation (Eight of Wands).

Take Away:  Having an addictive personality is a bitch.  Just sayin’.   But it’s really hard sometimes to force yourself away from the stuff that feels good and you want more of.  Whether that’s certain foods, or sleep, or whatever…  So many things seem so innocuous but can become a mess of addiction and patterns that need to be broken so easily… so very easily.

The cards here indicate that it’s by staying on top of that addictive personality trait and making sure it’s kept in hand that allows my creativity free reign to flourish and grow.

DECK USED:  KARMA TAROT

The Follow Through

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_5203Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long and was a guided meditation that focused upon the benefits of sticking to your meditation practice rather than giving up when things don’t start changing (or getting easier) right away.

This isn’t the reason that I personally give up, it seems.   The problem for me is that self destructive creature that lives in my mind, hiding quietly in the shadows seeking out the small cracks and secret openings that will allow it to slip in and wreak havoc.    I know about this tendency and I struggle against it all the time, but sometimes? It manages to get its nails in deep even when I’m trying my best to not let it.

Herbcrafter's TarotToday’s draw is the Two of Fire (Two of Wands) which is traditionally interpreted as finding direction and making plans.  It’s about going after what kindles your inner spark… specifically the fact that in order to head on a journey, you need to first make a plan and choose a direction.

What stands out to me the strongest in the image of this card today is the tools set on the counter.   There’s a plan here, and preparation has begun to get things done.  You have your tools and you have a purpose, a direction, and a plan.  But also, I note that there are no hands.

This speaks to me of a reminder that planning can only take you so far, then you have to either put your plans into action, or abandon them and walk away.   I don’t want to walk away… so it’s time to start moving in the direction I’ve chosen to continue in.  That is, the direction of the emotional growth I’ve been working with so far through the spring and summer months.

DECK USED:  HERBCRAFTER’S TAROT

#TarotForGrowthJuly Challenge Prompt
Topic:  I’m struggling to find my purpose.
Question:  What are the consequences of continuing to hide from my deepest desires?

Veleda Woods Tarot

Reading Summary: 9 & 2 rx. Less connection to others (Two of Cups Rx) and less satisfaction in my successes (Nine of Pentacles Rx), as well as increased apathy and and a more vocal inner critic casting judgment upon myself (Justice).

Take Away:  When you don’t take care of yourself, the scales of balance tip and the result is that you end up less healthy and less well internally too.   Apathy and negative thoughts creep in to pollute your thoughts and feelings, making it harder to bond with others and connect deeply with them, as well as making it difficult to enjoy your success because you’re too focused upon what you are perceiving as your failures.

DECK USED:  VELEDA WOODS TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJul2020 Challenge Prompt
Topic:  Unexpected Boon / Potential Obstacle

Hanson Roberts TarotReading Summary: Being able to get to that place of abundant stability and security that I crave (Ten of Pentacles), even though the emotions feel like they stand in the way (Ace of Cups).

Take Away:  The unexpected boon here is the ability to find that place of abundance regardless of the hurdles along the way.   The potential obstacle is self doubt.  It’s about the fact that I rarely see my path on an emotional level but rather a logical one.   If I want to make sure that the emotional side of things is not an obstacle, I need to learn how to handle my emotions and use them to my advantage instead of allowing them to hold me up or drag me back.

DECK USED:  HANSON ROBERTS TAROT

#OwlandBonesJuly Challenge by Owl and Bones Tarot
Topic:  listen // learn // teach

Tarotbot Tarot

Listen – The Hanged Man – Make sure I am not closing myself off to other perspectives and ideas. Sometimes when I am feeling vulnerable I struggle with staying open, but in truth… these times are the most opportune times in which to learn.  It’s important to stay open so that the discomfort is something learned from rather than just something gotten through and discarded.

Learn – Seven of Cups – How to make choices instead of always trying to take on too much. This is a difficult lesson for me, and one that I am presently working very hard at.  I have a habit of filling my plate too full and struggling with overwhelm as a result. Instead of allowing myself to put so much on my plate, I need to seek out ways to minimize my responsibilities and delegate.

Teach – Seven of Wands – Independence. How to stand up for what you believe in. And how to be confident in one’s beliefs and their individual uniqueness. These are things that I very much enjoy nurturing in others and hope to continue to teach other throughout my entire life.  I feel that with each person I am able to help in finding their self confidence and independence, I am making the world a better place as a result.

DECK USED:  TAROTBOT TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What am I passionate about?

Slavic Tarot

Reading Summary: I’m all for fighting for those things that I believe in and feel are important (Five of Wands)… but I also know when it’s time to let go and move on to something better (Six of Swords) in order to protect the things that are truly near and dear to me from harm (Nine of Wands).

Take Away:  The cards here indicate that what I am most passionate about are those things that are so very near and dear to me that I want to protect them, and that I am willing to abandon “the fight” of my own interests and drive in order to protect.

DECK USED:  SLAVIC TAROT