spiritual path

Morning Bonus Read – Spiral Journey

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Spiral Journey Tarot Spread - Tanis Lenormand

Essence – Anchor – Stable, persistent, and faithful to those around you and your goals. Not one to flit from place to place or person to person, you approach the world around you with two feet steady on the ground and rooted for good measure. Feeling uprooted or unstable is extremely uncomfortable for you and you struggle under these circumstances until you can find security and stability once again.

Past – Coffin – A lot of negative experiences litter your past that need to be left behind and discarded. You’ve come so far since then and transformed from that place into a much better one. Make sure you are not allowing these experiences from the past to haunt you, and stay vigilant to ensure their influences foster change and not stagnation.

Present – Garden – You’re very social in your present and are thriving in that environment.  The interactions you’re having are primarily positive and helping you in your growth as well as allowing you to find some enjoyment in others, something you haven’t had a lot of experience with in the past. 

Future – Key – Your future is filled with a vast array of opportunities, as long as you are willing to keep your eyes open and watch for them.  These opportunities aren’t the kind that just fall into your lap, but rather the type that you need to involve yourself in and expend a bit of energy in order to bring into fruition.

Possibility – Letter – Leading into possibilities and opportunities in the future… make sure you are not being careless with your emails and snail mail.  You may just accidentally delete or toss out something important! Check your packages carefully for added bits in the bottom, make sure the junk mail folder doesn’t hold anything important before you empty it, and just be overall vigilant in this area.

Blessing – Fox – You’re clever. You’re smart.  You’re able to spot a lie a mile away and sense when people are not being upfront or have sketchy motives.  Listen to your intuition and make sure you’re not reasoning yourself out of what your instincts and intuition have to say.  Don’t close yourself off from hearing that inner voice and don’t doubt what it tells you about those around you.

Synthesis – Bouquet – Now is a blessed time in your life and it has the potential to become even better if you use your keen intuition and instinct to lead you forward, and stay vigilant in paying attention to what’s going on around you.  Don’t be careless or cavalier about things that you might feel are little things, that in truth could turn out to be lost opportunities if squandered or tossed aside.  Energies are on the rise… ride them and take advantage of the benefits they offer.

DECK USED: TANIS LENORMAND

Morning Bonus Read – Understanding Others

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Relationship Tarot Spread - House of the Rising Spade Playing Cards

What will I learn from this person?

Nine of Clubs – How to create healthy boundaries. This is not something that I struggle with when it comes to my interactions and relationships with others, but it is absolutely something I struggle for myself.  I push myself too hard, I demand too much, I force myself to keep going and do more and take on more and constantly it is never enough.  This has been my life.  This person has, over time, worked to get me to see that, and is helping me in learning to change that behavior and thus, create healthy boundaries for how I treat myself and the expectations that I put upon myself.

An accurate portrayal of their personality.

Two of Diamonds – Two pennies are better than one.  Together is better.  They are focused upon that balance between what needs to be done and what is needed to be healthy and they are invested in helping me, in connecting with me, and making sure that I am acknowledging that need for balance as well.  This is about balance and finding balance, and accepting that balance is not stagnant, but a constantly moving and adjusting thing.  They are the rock you stand on for good footing as you try to find your balance, and the counterbalance that helps the scales even out.

The driving force of their intention with me.

Four of Diamonds – No one else will do. I am home.  I am what they want.  If they can’t have me, they want no one else. Although we often tease and joke about it being an obsession, it is more that I am the one that “feels right” and no others can shine as brightly or have half as much appeal.

How does this person truly feel about me?

Eight of Diamonds – They need to know everything there is to know about me. They need to be involved and invested.  They feel a need to be so invested that they are perfect in every way to what I need and when I need it.  They desire to be the perfect partner, with an “expertise” in me and providing me the home and stability I need.  For me this is not about money but about feeling secure and stable and safe.  They need to be the person that provides that for me.

A card to describe our relationship in the near future.

Three of Hearts –  *Lifts an eyebrow.*  Normally in this type of reading, I would consider this to be the “third wheel” card.  That is highly unlikely as we have already tried that and it wasn’t suited for either of us.  So that aside, the indication here is “fun with friends”.  Perhaps this means that the new RP idea that we’ve been slowly brewing up will be a success, at least for a short time.

A message passed to me from their higher self.

Three of Clubs –  Wherever we’re going, we’re going together.  Don’t ever leave him behind because he’s along for the long haul.

DECK USED:  HOUSE OF THE RISING SPADE PLAYING CARDS

Morning Bonus Read – The Next Step

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Next Step Tarot Spread - Odissea Minerva Playing Cards

Specific Situation:  Wednesday’s car accident.

What’s my next step?
Queen of Hearts

Take control but do it in a way that allows for some softness and warmth to enter into the equation.  There’s no signs at this time that you need to be a hardass, so just keep an eye on things and allow yourself time to heal… and allow Gideon a chance to get his anxiety over needing to put you in a protective ball ease up.

What do I have to change?
Six of Diamonds

Don’t make excuses for others and don’t allow people to walk all over you. There’s a difference between being generous, and being a pushover.  Make sure you’re on the right side of the line when dealing with this issue and others involved in the process.

How can i change this?
Seven of Spades

Be clever.  Be watchful. Pay attention and make sure everything is on par and moving along smoothly.  Don’t be a doormat or a pushover.  You don’t need to be aggressive, you just need to make sure you’re keeping an eye on things. Like that saying about door locks not keeping out the truly determined, but dissuading the tempted.

What do I have to continue doing?
Ace of Hearts

Make sure you are being kind to yourself and giving yourself gentle encouragement. Stay focused on the emotional education you are working towards and don’t get frustrated or discouraged.

How my life will change as a result of this next step.
Eight of Hearts

Things will change and move forward, but in keeping the advice above in mind, that movement will be in a positive direction. At times things might be frustrating or discouraging, but keep in mind that’s a part of the process and is temporary as long as you are staying on top of things and doing your due diligence.

DECK USED:  ODISSEA MINERVA PLAYING CARDS

Morning Bonus Read – Would I Survive?

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Today’s bonus reading is just a  bit of fun and games. The Village Tarot Witch on Instagram tagged me in a challenge to do her spread and it looked like a lot of fun. As she did, I will list my personal pros and cons in this post, but unlike her I will do them at the end, after the cards.

Zombie Apocalypse Tarot SpreadMy Strengths for Surviving
The Stratagem (Emperor)

I am smart and clever and I have no problem putting aside my emotions in order to find the best path forward for myself and others. And when I mean best path?  I mean **the best** path forward. The safest path.  The path that will keep everyone (including myself) alive and well. I have absolutely no issue making decisions for the greater good, even if that means sometimes I’m disliked in the process. In a zombie apocalypse, the only priority more important than the greater good… is my own good.  And I’ll be damned well looking out for that too.

My Weaknesses (What’s going to get me eaten?)
The Suspended (Hanged Man)

In day to day life, my ability to pause and put myself in other’s shoes, see their perspectives as well as my own, and move forward with this knowledge is a huge asset.  In a zombie apocalypse, it would no longer be such a strength, though.  It would cause hesitation and, at times, cause moments of immobility which, in turn, could make me some zombie’s happy meal.

My Chances of Survival
Walker of Wands (Knight of Wands)

I would throw myself into the new life with gusto and make survival my passion and be proactive in finding a new life that would work.  As long as I kept in mind my own mortality and didn’t get too wrapped up in my enthusiasm in this matter, I will do well. There’s a fine line between enthusiastic pursuit of a desired outcome you’re passionate about… and reckless pursuit of an obsession. The problem would lie in making sure I balanced on the right side of that line and didn’t step over into an unhealthy perspective.

Personal (Realistic Based) Opinion On My Chances of Survival

PROS:  I’m clever.  I’m smart.  I know tons of random knowledge that would be helpful.  I’m excellent at wilderness survival and am familiar with traversing the back country. I’m adaptive and resourceful. I doubt I’d run into any emotional/psychological issues at all with taking down the infected.

CONS:   I require a minimum diet of 5000-6000 calories a day just to keep from dropping weight, which translates into a LOT of food, or I start wasting away and passing out.  Considering the extra physical activity that’s sure to come along with the proposed situation?  I’m going to need even more.

Also, my antidepressants play a key role in keeping me from constant suicidal ideation and sometimes uncontrollable suicidal urges.  I’d like to say that I could “muscle through” without them by determination alone, but I know for a fact it doesn’t work that way.

My cons far outweigh my pros, indicating that my chances of survival in this type of scenario, on the whole, are pretty slim.  BUT, that I probably won’t die by being eaten, but rather through starvation, hypoglycemic coma, or by offing myself.

DECK USED:  THE TAROT OF MANY DOORS

Morning Bonus Read – Pending Shadows

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The prompt for this reading came from one of my Discord servers and is as follows:
“Do you know you have shadow work hanging around but also know that you don’t have the mental energy to tackle it all yet? Do some mental and emotional preparation with these.
Theme: Make myself aware of what things I’m going to need to deal with but can’t yet.”

Women Of History Playing Cards1.  What am I going to need to deal with soon, but right now I’m not ready yet?
Three of Diamonds atop King of Spades

Taxes.  Yes, I know the deadline is coming up, and I have quite a bit to get done in the interim between now and when I meet with my accountant again next month, but it’s one of those things that I need to work on one step at a time and I’m still not quite clear headed enough to manage it.  This might mean I need to file an extension this year.

Hopefully that will not be the case and with the help of L and Z as well as the accountant, I can get it done and checked and double checked in time.  I am aware that the depression cut into the time I would have normally spent on this over the past two months though, so it’s possible that extension might end up necessary whether I like it or not.

2.  Where did this come from?
Eight of Diamonds

Having a healthy and thriving business is something I’ve built up over time and as a result it seems the taxes involved become more of a pain in the ass with each passing year.  Fortunately, I have a good accountant on my side to help me get through  it.

3.  What steps should I healthily be taking now?
Five of Diamonds

Recognize that my feelings of scarcity are there to create a buffer of care and caution right now.  It allows me to step back and look at things with an unbiased and practical eye.  I recognize that these feelings of scarcity are false, but I can use them to better prepare and allow for a level of impartiality that would otherwise be difficult to accomplish.

4.  How will I know it’s time?
Eight of Spades

When I start feeling restless in my inaction, it will be time to finally use my skills and abilities to step forward and get moving on this.  Those steps can be small, just one small step in front of the other.

DECK USED:  WOMEN OF HISTORY PLAYING CARDS

Morning Bonus Read – Mental Health Check In

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Mental Health Tarot Spread - Minute Lenormand

1. Card to represent my current mental health

Key – Empowered. I am feeling better and better with each day that passes, the dark shadows lifting their cloying grip from my climbing form, and I am starting to feel the light dappling over my skin. The climb has been slow, but each day I feel that I’m making it a bit higher up, and it is in my control to make it the rest of the way.

2. An emotion that’s clouding my perception of reality.

Man – Speaking of control… what is clouding my perception of reality at this time is the fact that I am too focused upon that control.  I need to remember that it’s important to let things go and allow them to move at their own pace.  Don’t push.

3a. How to improve my perception of reality.

Dog – Allow others that I love and trust to step in and help me, and make sure when I speak to my therapist next week that I am entirely honest both about what’s happened and where I am now.  I’m not upset about not having been able to get an appointment when I was in the deep darkness at the bottom of the pit, but that doesn’t mean I can just put this experience behind me and pretend it didn’t happen.  I still need to talk to her about it, even if it’s nearly at the end of that particular journey.

3b. How to gain clarity.

Mountain – Depression and the climb out of that deep dark pit is a challenge that takes time, effort, and a great deal of focus to accomplish. The depression clouds  judgement and shifts perceptions, which is a hurdle that will only lift as I get closer to the surface.  Keep climbing this particular mountain, be patient, and I’ll eventually find myself back on level ground again… and in a place of greater clarity as a result.

4. How to change circumstances around me to elevate my mood.

Child – I need to remember to savor the newness of finding the light again and the joy that comes with each new sensation as I emerge a little at a time out of the pit I’ve been lost in for so long. Take this newness as a new beginning and embrace that budding energy like a rebirth.

5. How I can be happier day-to-day.

Woman – Be kinder and more compassionate to myself and my needs.  Allow that softer side of myself more room to grow and flourish instead of muffling it and pushing it aside for the hard willed determination  to always push forward harder and harder.  Allow myself to walk a little slower and pause to smell the roses along the way.

6. How I can deepen my connection with myself.

Anchor – I need to make sure that I am grounding myself well and often. One of the key themes of the Anchor card is “mellowing out” or “settling down”, and the card in response to this question is telling me to stop worrying so damn much about where I’m going and pay more attention to where I am now.

DECK USED:  MINUTE LENORMAND