Stolen Child Tarot

The Strength of the Small

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_3603Today’s meditation was just under eleven minutes long and was a body scan focused meditation that guided me through a scan of the body from head to toes, before it turned to the area of the heart and expanded outward to include the entire body.

The purpose of the meditation was to sink into the stillness and silence and that peace that you can find within when you find your quiet place within.  Unfortunately, I really struggled with staying on task as well as with finding that quiet space today, which was a bit frustrating.

I do accept, though, that meditation cannot go smoothly all the time.  Some days will be more of a struggle than others.

Strength Card - Stolen Child TarotToday’s draw is the Strength card of the Major Arcana, which generally represents  themes surrounding one’s inner strength and courage, perseverance, and also sometimes the elements of persuasion.

What I see in the imagery of today’s card is a sense of security.  A sense of safety among something much bigger and stronger than themselves.  This does not so much speak to me in the way that the strength card usually does, as I do not see the “weaker” acting upon the stronger/more fierce.   Instead… I see the larger and more fierce protecting the weaker.

This, in itself, is it’s own kind of strength.  It is the kind of strength that comes from having someone strong and fierce on your side.  It’s the kind of strength that comes with being a submissive in a D/s relationship.   Yes, the Dominant is the “big bad wolf” of the dynamic, but it is truly the submissive that holds all the power.   They set the limits.  They hold the safe word.  They have the last say.  This is the power of the “weak” that are really… not weak at all.

And that is the message in today’s card.  It’s okay to be small.  It’s okay to be vulnerable.  It’s okay to be the submissive party.   There is strength in these things… more strength than most even realize.

DECK USED:  STOLEN CHILD TAROT

#TarotForGrowthApril Challenge Prompt
Question: Current state of spirit.

Mibramig Magical Tarot

Reading Summary:  I am at a time of transition (Ten of Swords atop Nine of Cups) and in the process of developing a new type of stability (Ace of Pentacles) that includes my emotions in the mix rather than excluding them (King of Cups). This makes it feel like I’ve upset my apple cart (Nine of Cup under Ten of Swords). Be sure to focus on staying calm and centered (King of Cups) and allowing time for things to develop (Ace of Pentacles).

Take Away:   I’m pretty sure I could write an entire book on the layout and combination of these cards combined  with the imagery.   The short answer is that I’m in a place of transition right now where incorporating my emotions the inner workings of myself and my life has the potential of really freaking me out and its important to stay balanced and not let it become overwhelming.

DECK USED:  MIBRAMIG MAGICAL TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsApr2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What does it mean to live a good life?

The Good Tarot

Reading Summary: Not allowing uncertainty to overpower (Moon) having an open mind (Messenger of Air) and a sense of adventure (Eight of Fire).

Take Away:  This deck is so f’ing beautiful.  Just sayin’.  The cards here are indicating that to live a good life I can’t allow times of uncertainty to derail me from those things I enjoy and find important.  I need that exploration of perspectives and the mind… I need new ideas.   I also need to feel that burning spark of enthusiasm that allows me to pounce forward into new projects and explore new passions.  Uncertainty can put a definite damper on these things if I let it… so to live a good life?  Don’t let it.

DECK USED:  THE GOOD TAROT

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

Lili White Tarot

Reading Summary:  Work and orders and the “debt” involved in having slacked off over the past week on keeping up with things, resulting in a bit of negative thinking and serious self-judgement.

Take Away:  Ugh.   I fell behind a bit on orders this week and have struggled to catch up, then had an emergency that pulled me away and set me back even further.  It’s just something I’m going to have to work through, but it definitely has me stressed.

DECK USED:  LILI WHITE TAROT

#MidnightTarotChallenge Prompt
Question: What is my relationship with spirit (divinity)? How can I improve it?

IMG_3608Relationship with Spirit:  My connection to spirit is through my affinity the earth and the nurturing energies I experience through my bond with nature (Empress).

How to Improve:  Okay so… passion.  More passion.  POUR ON THE PASSION!   Honestly?  All three of these cards popped out individually from the deck at different times in my shuffle so the fact that they are all court cards of the Fire suit really speaks to the fact I need to really pour on some passion into my relationship with spirit.   Show a little enthusiasm.  Explore with confidence and vision is needed.  Step forward and get invested, just don’t let yourself end up impulsive and carried away (the knight is missing).

DECK USED:  THE GOOD TAROT

Motivations and Methods

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_3558Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long and was along the same theme as yesterday’s meditation, which is to say that it focused upon finding calm in the storm.

As yesterday’s focused upon where to look within yourself to find a center, this one focused upon how to reject the mental chaos of events and situations that create the opportunity for that chaos to invade and conquer.

The meditation spoke about the importance of regular meditation practice in order to prepare the mind for when these situations arise, so that we are more able to use the tools that meditation helps you develop to stay calm and centered when that is most needed.

Four of Brine - Four of Cups - Stolen Child TarotToday’s draw is the Four of Brine (Four of Cups) which is traditionally a representation of stability and/or stagnancy in the area of one’s emotions and relationships.  This often translates into themes involving taking time to reassess one’s emotions and/or ignoring outside influences and turning inward towards those emotions.

My interpretation of this card touches upon that theme but is a bit different as well, which is probably not much of a surprise.  What I see in the imagery of this card today is the python changeling accepting the gift of the persimmons from the monkeys in the trees… rather than preying on the monkeys themselves.

This speaks to me of reassessing one’s motives and motivations, and factoring in one’s emotions into that process of reflection. It speaks about finding a better way, and possibly letting others in to allow them to help you in finding that better way of doing things.  The cards indicate I will benefit from allowing others input to assist me in finding a “better way” today.

DECK USED:  STOLEN CHILD TAROT

#TarotForGrowthApril Challenge Prompt
Question: What part of that is within my power to change at this time? (built off yesterday’s cards)

Forager's Daughter Tarot

Reading Summary: I need to actually get a plan in place (Ace of Pentacles), even if it’s not actionable until later on.  In this way I can take control of the situation when the opportunity is presented to me (Queen of Wands) and reap the benefits of being ready (Four of Pentacles).

Take Away:  Well there you go. Like with my business, this stagnancy with my physical body is another area where I will benefit from having a plan set in place before restrictions lift. By preparing and having a plan in place, I can then hit the ground running with solid footing when the opportunity is presented, and reap the rewards of that preparedness.

DECK USED:  FORAGER’S DAUGHTER TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsApr2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I obtain better clarity in order to move past those obstacles? (built off yesterday’s cards)

Fairy Lights TarotReading Summary:  Don’t allow bad habits and pessimism (left card) to overtake my sense of hope and wonder (middle card… note the bleed of color from the left card).  This too shall pass (right card… match of birds to the shades of color from the left card and bleed into the middle).

Take Away:  Pessimism is the biggest and most persistent of all my bad habits.  I say that it is a bad habit not because pessimism can’t be healthy, but because it can so easily fall into being unhealthy in my case.   The cards indicate that I need to take time and care in fostering my sense of hope and optimism so that my natural inclination towards pessimism doesn’t take over and pollute everything.

The last card is a reassurance that I often use for myself when going through a depression episode, which is to remind myself that nothing lasts forever.  The things I am struggling with now won’t last forever either.  It is a reminder to look for the light at the end of the tunnel and hold onto that hope and optimism, because even the dark times pass so it’s important to not allow them to drag you down any longer than necessary.

DECK USED:  FAIRY LIGHTS TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What do I want right now?

New Liminal Tarot

Reading Summary: A blend of new perspectives and new ideas combined together in a balanced, calm, and hopeful way (Temperance).

Take Away:  There is a hint in the flow in how these cards communicate with each other in reference to the colors.  Each of the two left cards is separate from the other, but elements of color from each blend into the Temperance card on the right. This speaks to me about developing both separately (taking in new perspectives, and the development of new ideas)… and then combining them together in a balanced manner.

DECK USED:  NEW LIMINAL TAROT

#MidnightTarotChallenge Prompt
Question: What is my spiritual gift?

IMG_3568

Intuitive Interpretation and Notes:

The flow of color in these cards indicates a fierceness and passion in the defense of others that comes from the heart.

The transition to water from left to right (choppy seas to calm waters to frozen crystals upon the pond at the figure’s feet) speaks of a need for balance and calm in all things, even in times of conflict. 

Charging into the fray and chaos (the two left cards speak of chaos in the first and fearless confrontation through the knight on the lion in the right) with a calm heart and mind (the center card is filled with warmth but also with a good deal of tranquility is translated through calm waters and the presence of the white stag) in order to foster and protect others (the right card portrays a figure protecting a more helpless figure in the cradle of their arms with cool waters, calming colors, and ice crystals portraying a sense of balanced calm).

Take Away:  The spiritual gift that the cards are referring to here is my need to champion helpless and those that are treated unfairly.  I have a very strong need for balance in my life and an extremely demanding moral compass that requires fair treatment for all and a certain level of respect for all.

When my moral compass triggers due to witnessing the lack of fair treatment of those unable to defend themselves, I have a need to stand up and add my voice to bolster and protect them, and have no issue with stepping forward into the spotlight (or chaos) at those times to right that perceived imbalance.

DECK USED:  FAIRY LIGHTS TAROT

 

Finding the Calm

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_3496Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long and focused upon finding calm in the midst of chaos, and how mindfulness and meditation can help you in finding that calm.

Mindfulness meditation is, at its very core, a way to train your brain.  People that let their thoughts and worries run away with them, or suffer from anxiety, or have a hard time getting their brain to just shut up…. mindfulness meditation is the exercise and training that can help in overcoming these issues, because it essentially trains you to find that calm and quiet place.

It isn’t about “doing it right” or being “good at it”.  Just the act of trying helps start that training process and gives your brain the exercise it needs to begin learning how to find that calm.  I didn’t understand this when I first started mindfulness meditations, but I get it now.

I’m far from “perfect” at being calm and silent and still and not allowing thoughts to intrude in my meditation…. but I am absolutely flawless at now *catching* myself when that happens and doing the mental “push up” of returning back to silent calm.  Sometimes, I have to do that mental “push up” countless times in those ten minutes or so that I meditate for.  Sometimes, I only have to do it once or twice.   But the fact is?  I’m still doing it… and that’s what counts.

Queen of Brine - Queen of Cups - Stolen Child TarotToday’s draw is the Queen of Brine (Queen of Cups) which is typically interpreted as a receptive alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of relationships and emotions.

What I see in the imagery of today’s card is the abundance of motion that swirls around the center figure.  So much life and so much chaos, and yet she is calm and steady amidst it all.

The message here is an echo of what I’ve written above concerning meditation and finding that inner calm.   Sometimes you get swept up in the chaos of life, but it’s important to take the time to pause and touch upon that inner source of calm.  It’s there, but sometimes we have to teach ourselves how to reach for it… and remember to then do so when we need it.

The message here in today’s card is a reminder to do my meditation and put my all into it instead of just going through the motions. Being dedicated to the task will strengthen the ability to more easily touch upon that calm when it is needed most.

DECK USED:  STOLEN CHILD TAROT

#TarotForGrowthApril Challenge Prompt
Question: Current state of body.

ETA Tarot

Reading Summary: I want to get back to that place that I was at before (Six of Pentacles), but I’m having trouble fitting the changes into my life (Two of Pentacles) and so I am feeling quite stagnant and stuck in place (King of Cups).

Take Away:  I want to get back to that place that I was at before the cancer and chemotherapy upended everything. To do this, though, requires weight training combined with a specific diet heavy in protein and carbs.  At this time, I’m having trouble fitting the type of exercise I would need (not to mention the amount of food I would need to consume) into my life.  Because of this, I am feeling quite stagnant and stuck in place where my body is concerned.

DECK USED:  EMERGING TORONTO ARTISTS (ETA) TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsApr2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What difficult truth about the human condition I am ignoring?

Shadowland TarotIntuitive Interpretation:  Most people crave love to the point that they’re willing to do damned near anything for it… but turn their back on it when it’s offered freely without them having to put in the effort to earn it or if it doesn’t live up to the ideal in their head.

Take Away:  I don’t actually have a whole lot of experience when it comes to matters of the heart and people trying to hand you their heart.  Just one, actually.   That said?  I do a good amount of observing of others and the read above from the cards seems pretty accurate.  I see truly amazing people offering their heart on their sleeves to others all the time and being turned away for what seem to be purely superficial reasons or simply because there was no challenge in getting that love. 

I see it, but I choose to ignore it. Because it is frustrating and flabbergasting to see it happen again and again, and yet those constantly turning their back on these offers complain about being alone and unloved. It is a pattern that becomes disheartening if observed and acknowledged too often.

DECK USED:  SHADOWLAND TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What takes my confidence away?

Universal Celtic Tarot

Reading Summary: When I find myself on uncertain footing stability wise and am not giving myself enough self care to keep things balanced.

Take Away:  Both the Ace and the Page are cards that indicating a beginning.  During these times when a new start is before me, there’s a feeling of uncertainty and newness that can set me off kilter, especially if that uncertainty and newness is in the area of my financial security and home stability.  The cards indicate that at those times, a little self nurturing can go a long way in bolstering my self confidence, but even then, the struggle is still present, just concealed a bit by a blanket of warmth.

DECK USED:  UNIVERSAL CELTIC TAROT

#MidnightTarotChallenge Prompt
Question: What do I need to bring into my life to nourish my growth?

IMG_3507

Reading Summary:  Be less miserly (Four of Pentacles) with my praise (Six of Wands) and foster good feels (Ace of Cups).

Take Away:  By finding ways to connect with others and foster their growth, I in turn foster my own growth.    I have noticed this lately in my interaction with others.  I feel a bit less awkward in interacting with others, and even seem to catch humor and jokes more often than I have in the past. This is emotional and social growth for me, which is pretty impressive in my opinion… especially concerning the amount of social awkwardness that I have spent the majority of my life experiencing.

DECK USED:  SHADOWLAND TAROT

 

 

 

The Spill

/ Twist the Leaf / 2 Comments

IMG_3410Today’s meditation was just under ten minutes long and focused upon finding your inner “home” within yourself.

The meditation reminded me of when I was little and when things were especially rough with my father and the man would make me cry or feel especially miserable, how I would curl into myself and had this mantra in my head that played over and over.

“I want to go home.”

The thing is?  I was home.  And yet those are the words that would repeat again and again when I was at the peak of being worked up and upset and crying.   “I want to go home. I want to go home.”

I didn’t understand what this really was about until a few years ago, when I realized that I no longer long for some illusive “home” and when I get upset I do not reach for some place else.  I reach for you.  I reach for myself.  I take comfort in these things and in the trees and the woods and the soil.

I found my home, even though I didn’t even realize I was looking for it.

Six of Brine - Six of Cups - Stolen Chlid TarotToday’s draw is the Six of Brine (aka Six of Cups) which is traditionally a representation of the feelings that emerge and bonds that form through history, memory, and reminiscing on the past.

What I see in this card today has nothing to do with traditional definitions, though.  It has to do with having an open heart instead of closing yourself off.  It has to do with vulnerability and the sharing of not just hopes and dreams but also one’s struggles and burdens.   I see this in the eruption of water from within the chest of the center figure.  That eruption turns into a maelstrom of emotion shared with all of the animals in the periphery.

The message here is that I need to let my vulnerability spill out.  I’m in subdrop and holding in those emotions and sensations is not going to help me get through this any faster or easier.  I need to allow myself to spill out and make a mess (with you, of course… not with everyone) so that I can breathe easy once more.

DECK USED:  STOLEN CHILD TAROT

#TarotForGrowthApril Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I continue that change towards the positive? (built off yesterday’s cards)

Lilli White Tarot

Reading Summary: Allow myself to jump over hurdles rather than focusing upon them (Eight of Wands).  Look forward and focus on your work (Eight of Pentacles), allow your inner strength to support you in these endeavors (Strength) and, when you need to take a little time for yourself?  Do it (The Hermit).

Take Away:  It’s okay to not feel guilty about needing a little alone time, especially when I’m being exposed to constant contact with others on a continuous basis with no end in sight for the moment.   I need a little bit of alone time to stay healthy both mentally and emotionally.  That’s okay.  The fox speaks of taking a leap over hurdles.  He moves forward, bounding over what lies in his path instead of focusing upon it and letting it get in the way.   The bee and the lion show me where my strengths lie, and where my focus is best spent.  Work on what I’m good at and creates a sense of well-being and progress… leave the rest for now.

DECK USED:  LILLI WHITE TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsApr2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Trolley Problem… Do you divert the course of nature and let one person die to save five strangers? Or let nature take its course and let five people die?

Maruco Animal TarotReading Summary: Despair no matter the choice (Five of Pentacles), followed by taking a moment to calm (Temperance), and then a moment of weighing choices to see if there is a way to save them all (Seven of Wands).  And then concede to my practical nature (King of Pentacles), shutting off my emotions (Four of Cups).

Take Away:  I pull the lever.  By a purely mathematical standpoint, the loss of one is better than the loss of five.  Thus, I would mitigate the damage by pulling the lever to divert the train away from the five and toward the one.

I found it interesting that the cards chose to take me through a tour of my mental and emotional reactions, prior to bearing down to the point.   This deck in particular seems to like to do that “in depth meandering” before getting down to the point.

Just as a side note… I posed this question as being that all six of those involved were strangers. It changes the balance if there’s someone I know and care about involved. I’m okay with that possibly making me a horrible person.

DECK USED:  MARUCO ANIMAL TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What makes me feel confident?

Considerate Cat Tarot

Reading Summary:  The knowledge that no matter the choices set before me (Seven of Cups) or the history I had to overcome (Six of Cups)…. the end comes eventually (Ten of Swords).

Take Away:  My confidence in life comes from the fact that I have survived so much and I accept that pain is a part of life.  Each struggle and trial I go through, I know will come to an end eventually.  It might hurt to get there.  I might get knocked on my ass and battered and bloody along the way.  But eventually, the end will come and I’ll have a chance to pick my ass up and move forward from it, stronger for what I’ve survived and prepared to take what I’ve learned into the future and use that knowledge to do better.

DECK USED:  CONSIDERATE CAT TAROT

#MidnightTarotChallenge Prompt
Question: What holds me back from reaching my fullest potential?

IMG_3417

Reading Summary: Sometimes I get distracted by what looks like the perfect solution (The World) when really it’s a false promise that (The Devil), when discovered, can send me into an emotional slump (Five of Cups).

Take Away:  I think this is probably true for everyone.  It’s that “grass is always greener” feeling or the “fear of missing out” feeling.  We all become distracted in this way from time to time.  The problem is with how I react to that distraction once I realize its foolishness.   Instead of accepting the setback and moving forward, my emotions get involved and I become down on myself and my choices.  That self abuse leads to a slow slide into a negativity pit that just ends up setting me back even further.

DECK USED:  MARUCO ANIMAL TAROT

Reflection and Foresight

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_3384Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long and again touched upon a topic that I’d touched on in my previous day’s post.   That is to say that the topic of today’s meditation was in altering how you look at the world and your life.

Again… I don’t think that this message is at all “tone deaf”.   Dying patients in hell hole conditions find a way to insert humor (and good humor) into their situation.  Destitute people without homes eating out of garbage cans find a way to insert humor (and good humor) into their situation.

People worse off than those complaining about this concept being “tone deaf” manage to insert humor (and good humor) into their situation.  It is not tone deaf to encourage people to do something that’s under their control to uplift themselves, no matter what their situation.

I, too, need to work on this.  But I think it’s very important to seek out that lighter perspective and work at maintaining it.  Yes, things are bad.  Really bad.  But allowing yourself (or myself) to sink deeper and deeper into a pit of anxiety and despair?  It’ll make things so much worse.  And so I’m going to do my best to take a breath and seek that lighter side, even if I’m not feeling like it.

Page of Zephyrs (aka Page of Swords) - Stolen Child TarotToday’s draw is the Page of Zephyrs (aka Page of Swords) which is traditionally a representation of an omega energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s thoughts, ideas, intellect, and communication.

I often see Pages as the “learners” in the tarot, but what I see here is not learning but retreat in order to self soothe and reflect. Sometimes? In order to work through a problem or find the path forward, you need that time of reflection.  A time to consider your options and plan for what’s to come.

That’s what this the message of today’s card.  It is about what I need to be doing with my time right now.  That is to say, not pushing but planning.  Taking time to consider and re-evaluate my options, and those options that will be coming as things change in the future.

DECK USED:  STOLEN CHILD TAROT

#TarotForGrowthApril Challenge Prompt
Question: Current state of mind.

White Sage Tarot

Reading Summary: Empowered (The Magician) and on the rise (The Sun) which is putting me in a good place to make some choices (Two of Swords) concerning how to balance self care into the equation (Empress).

Take Away: Over the past week or so I’ve felt a lightening slowly beginning in my mental health.  There was the fog that happened in January and the slow climb out of it through February, then the huge struggle and strife of changing life in March and having to find a way to let go of control without losing my mind in the process.  But as I’ve begun to find that balance and find a purpose and a focus, my mental health has begun to lift.  The cards are a reminder that while I am finding the light, I need to continue to take care of myself and make good choices towards that end.

DECK USED:  WHITE SAGE TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsApr2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What is the most valuable thing I can do for myself this month?

Pastel Rider Waite Smith Tarot

Reading Summary:  Don’t depend on the opinions of others (Three of Cups Rx). Work on healing your own self view (Ten of Swords) and finding contentment in how far you’ve come (Nine of Cups).

Take Away: This is actually an apt time for this to come up after the question in one of yesterday’s reads about how others perceive me and my worry over what might come up in the cards.  I was worried that when I drew the cards it would say that people saw me as a know it all.   And seriously?  I shouldn’t really be worrying about that at all.   I do my best to help people.  What is the point of having knowledge if you can’t share it to help others?

Anyway… this draw speaks to that fear and letting it go.  It’s more important how I feel about myself.  It’s what really matters and what I need to work on.

DECK USED:  PASTEL RIDER WAITE SMITH TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How can I find my confidence?

Forager's Daughter Tarot

Intuitive Interpretation:  At the moment, nearly everyone is looking for a hand up or a hand out.  That’s not unexpected considering what’s going on in the world right now.  Everyone needs a little help and there’s not a lot of places to for that help from.

These cards indicate that if I want to foster my confidence at this time, I need let go of my discomfort and shame in asking for help, and instead focus upon working on the unfinished business that I have sitting in the wings so that when the world starts to calm down I can bound forward into that new start all fresh and new and ready to go.

DECK USED:  FORAGER’S DAUGHTER TAROT

Tarot Self-Portrait

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

My Entry for the Your Tarot Self-Portrait Challenge.
Just sneaking under the cut-off with only two days left to enter!

001

I have to watch out for the Gloominous Doom
As he likes to visit with his pit of gloom
My nearest and dearest know what to do
I depend on them to steer me true
[Faeries Oracle – Gloominous Doom]
One of the biggest recurring challenges of my life has been my depression. I had my first Major Depressive Episode at the age of fourteen and have had a number of them since. When not in an episode I deal with long-term dysthymia. I depend on my loved ones, and especially Gideon, to help me in keeping track of my mood levels and helping me identify when I appear to be slipping into that pit of a depressive episode as well as help me in finding my way back out of it again.

A survivor, I am
I fight the good fight
There is no swerving from battles or strife
Determination
Is how I confront the struggles in life
[Stolen Child Tarot – Five of Wands]
I am strong and determined. I don’t allow others to push me around or allow them to sway me from what I know is right… and what I know is mine. This card’s imagery is about determination and empowerment to me, and it speaks to that strength within me that demands that I stand strong and demand the best from myself and that others “toe the line” where I am concerned or pay the consequences.

002

Grounded and sure footed
I am who I am
My moral compass and inner voice
Guide me true
Again and again
[Earth Power Oracle – Magnetic North Pole]
I live my life by the guidance given by my moral compass and my intuition. Both of these aspects work together and speak to me through an inner “voice” that is never wrong. I have spent my life learning to better trust myself and that voice, and in doing so have become more and more grounded, and more and more sure of who I am and comfortable within my own skin. I know my weaknesses and my strengths, and am happy to share the lessons I have learned to help others find their own direction as well.

Sometimes this means
Putting on a fierce face
and plowing through obstacles
no matter the pain or the pace
[Tarot of the Hidden Realm – Ten of Swords]
My history is filled with obstacles and accidents, painful moments and instances that could easily be considered moments of victimization. Instead of allowing these moments or the residual effects of those moments to drag me down, I face these experiences with a snarl of force and determination, knowing that each of these experiences are going to hurt… but if I face them head on I will make it to the other side, having survived and ready to move on.

003

I juggle a lot
and I’m busy as a bee
Responsibilities require balance
that I appear to manage with ease
[Hush Tarot – Two of Pentacles]
I started adulthood at 16 when I emancipated from my parents, and signed a mortgage at 19. I have spent the majority of my adult life juggling at least four part time jobs and a home business, as well as sustaining a healthy relationship with my twin sister, a long-distance high-demand relationship with my partner Gideon, and a close friendship with my best friend. There is also self care, of which there is an excessive amount because of the need for daily physical therapy and occasional recreation, my spiritual path and my tarot practice. Most people would never guess that I juggle so much, or carry so much responsibility. I shoulder it all. I balance it all. The key to balance in life? Is flexibility. Scales are not still and stagnant. They sway… and like those scales, in order to balance life’s responsibilities we too must sway and constantly adjust.

In truth, though,
Life’s not about balance or battles
Life is about adaptability
Perspectives
And learning from the trials
[Wayhome Tarot – The Hanged Man]
I see the struggle and strife and trials I have gone through, as well as those things I will go through in the future, as learning experiences. They have allowed me to see things differently, and changed my perspectives over time. Whether it is the chronic, constant pain or being the victim of a crime, there is a benefit and a lesson to each experience if I am open to seeking it out and taking that new, different perspective in. Every different perspective I find changes me in some small way, opening me up to something new and giving me more… more understanding… more empathy… and more knowledge with which to navigate the world and relate to those within it.

CHALLENGE HOSTED BY TAROTHOLICS ON DISCORD