tarot and psychology

Reality Check

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Today’s meditation was skipped because it’s Friday and I had a long 6 hour drive to get to doing and didn’t feel like putting off getting on the road to get it done.  Then when I got home I felt that a nap was better use of my time.

Joie de Vivre Tarot and Less Anxiety Affirmation CardsToday’s draw is the Five of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of scarcity, tests, and trials in the area of one’s finances, resources, home life, health, manifestations, and the physical world.

When you look at the imagery in today’s card, the figure is definitely wrapped up in their feelings of scarcity.  So much so that they aren’t even aware of the offered coins around them or the shining light of the candles.  This is something that really speaks to me, as sometimes, as in my case, scarcity is all in our heads.

In these instances, instead of being a reality in the physical world, the feelings of scarcity are a product of scars we carry within us from times where things were far more difficult and our needs we’re not being met.  This is often the case where I am concerned.  I’ve worked hard to get to a place where I’m not terrified I might not have enough food to survive… and yet sometimes that worry is still there, even if no longer based in reality.

The affirmation card for today, combined with today’s draw, is a reminder that we’re allowed to enjoy life.  It’s okay to acknowledge how far you’ve come, and how much better off you are now.  It’s okay to look at the present and remind yourself that things -could- be worse, and how good you have it in the now.  Is it where you want to ultimately end up?  Probably not.  But count your blessings, yeah?  Cuz it could be worse… and in most cases? It’s not as bad as it feels like it is.

DECK USED:  JOIE DE VIVRE TAROT AND LESS ANXIETY AFFIRMATION CARDS

Cosmic_Crow_Tarot’s #FreedomTarotChallenge Prompt
Questions for July 23rd and 24th

Unruly Game Cards and Nigel Jackson's Rose TarotWhat do I need to be more tolerant of?

Black Medic (Medicago lupulina) and Eight of Batons atop Five of Swords

The over eager. The meddlers, or what you perceive to be meddlers. The gossipers that are always oh so ready to dive in and take over the conversation.

Don’t forget that these people have lots to share and the information gleened can be useful.  Is it always?  Absolutely not.  But there’s little nuggets of useful hidden in the torrent. So don’t just tune them out and disregard everything that comes out of their mouths.

What am I too tolerant of?

Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) and Three of Pentacles

Clingy people who “only want to help”.  Remember that just because they say that they had altruistic intentions doesn’t mean that they did. Nor does saying so excuse bad behavior. Don’t be afraid to make it clear you know that they’re “I just want to help” is false.  Don’t be afraid to rip away the blindfold they’re trying to place over your eyes (and the eyes of others).

DECK USED: UNRULY GAME CARDS AND NIGEL JACKSON’S ROSE TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJul2021 Challenge Prompt
Question: What do I need to focus on for self-care for this full moon?

Joie de Vivre TarotReading Summary: Slow down (Knight of Coins) on making any important life changing decisions right now (Eight of Cups and Two of Swords).

Take Away: Take it easy.  Take it slow.  Don’t make any stress inducing or life changing decisions for yourself or others.  This week, even though you’re back to work, take a little extra “easy time” for yourself by putting off important decisions for a while. You may find that with a bit more time to let things percolate, that the decisions will be far easier to make when needed.

DECK USED: JOIE DE VIVRE TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

So many of these self kindness things are about me taking naps, but I have to admit that’s exactly where my self kindness came in today.  I didn’t mean to sleep as long as I did, but I let myself lie down for a short nap and felt a lot better for having done so.

Celebrating Everyday Miracles

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Today’s meditation was skipped due to orders day.   I’ll be back on the horse again tomorrow.

Hilda Tarot and Less Anxiety Affirmation CardsToday’s draw is the Ten of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of accomplishments and abundance, and sharing that abundance with those around you.

What stands out to me really strongly in today’s card is that her knees are red.  This echos back to one of my photo writings I did a few days ago where I mused about how closely people really look at nature.  Surely I am not the only one that goes beyond a glance, that slides down to knees on the forest floor for a closer look at a pattern of bark on a fallen log, or lies down in the moss to watch how things respond as shade shifts and sunlight bathes the spot I’m watching for a moment.

Hilda, in this card, looks like she’s gotten down and close with nature. It’s in the redness of her knees and the openness with which she shares with the skunk that’s paused to visit with her.  Combined with the affirmation card for today, we’re reminded that it’s important to explore our world with a sense of wonder.  To look beyond our self centered perspective and see what lies beyond.  Look for the miracle in a blade of grass, the beauty in a flower petal.  Seek the wondrous and let it fill your life with a sense of abundance.

DECK USED:  HILDA TAROT AND LESS ANXIETY AFFIRMATION CARDS

The Sacred Grounds Tarot Club Prompt
Questions for July 21st thru 24th

Tarot at the End of the Rainbow“What is to Come” for me?

Seven of Cups – A bountiful opportunity to consciously choose your own path. A crossroads with many different routes to choose from stretching out before you like spokes from a wheel.

What should I expect from “What is to Come”?

The Star – Remember that you can only choose one path. Moderation is going to be key in making the right choice for you, as will making sure that you are consulting your guides and your intuition during the decision making process.

What should I know about “What is to Come”?

Seven of Swords – Anyway you go about it, you’re going to lose opportunities that you wish you could keep. Remember that you can only carry so much. Again, you can only choose one path.

What guidance will support me in “What is to Come”?

Strength – You are stronger than you realize. You can make the choice to use your inner strength in a healthy way, instead of allowing your inner strength to be used in your habitual tendency to take on too much.

Advice from your ancestors and guides.

Queen of Pentacles – Grounding will help immensely. Make sure that you’re getting enough time in nature, and that that time is not wasted, but is quality time used to nurture, restore, and ground yourself.

DECK USED: TAROT AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW

Cosmic_Crow_Tarot’s #FreedomTarotChallenge Prompt
Questions for July 21st and 22nd

Healing Flower Color Cards and Hilda TarotHow can I find more freedom to do what I love?
Rock Water and Queen of Swords Rx

Stop worrying so much about others, and focus more on yourself. It’s okay to be selfish when you’re already giving far too much of yourself to others.  It might not feel like it’s okay, or that you’re giving as much as you are… but it -is- okay.

How have I taken my freedom for granted?
Scleranthus and Three of Cups

There has been far too much hesitancy in letting go and allowing others to take on their share of the work. There has been far too much “holding yourself apart” instead of drawing those you care about in closer to celebrate with you the joys in life.

In both cases this is about fear of releasing control.

DECK USED: HEALING FLOWER COLOR CARDS AND HILDA TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I worked hard today to make sure that I got done at a decent time so that I could get some sleep tonight.

Judicious Boundaries

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Today’s meditation was a little over fifteen minutes long and was not a guided meditation.  Instead I simply took some time to work on breathing exercise on my own, concentrating on my breath and on slowly relaxing one body part at a time from head to toe.

The Pri8m Tarot and Less Anxiety Affirmation CardsToday’s draw is the Nine of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of being battered and exhausted yet still upholding one’s boundaries.  It’s about courage and resilience, even in times when you aren’t at your 100%, and protecting those things that are important to you by “standing the line”.  Sometimes this can also translate into having one’s beliefs and faith being tested, for it is when we are beaten down and tired that we are most often tempted to let go of those things we would otherwise stand firm on.

When I first saw this affirmation card?  I read it to say “then they have served their purpose” (as opposed to “when”), and I think that this misread was actually important, especially in relation to the tarot card pulled today.

The thing is?  A lot of times we build up walls where our emotions are concerned.  Walls to keep them out.  Walls to dull their strength.  Walls to bury them under.  These walls are not healthy. Three different walls, with three different purposes, but none of them are healthy.   It’s only when we allow our emotions to run their course that we can get a healthy result.  That is what emotions are for… to help us learn, to help us grow.    If we aren’t allowing the emotions to come, to stay so that we can learn from then, then leave when that learning has taken place?  Then we aren’t allowing them to serve their purpose, and hurting ourselves in the process.

DECK USED:  THE PRI8M TAROT AND LESS ANXIETY AFFIRMATION CARDS

Mr Lionharts’ #TheJulyTarot #TarotSuitsChallenge Prompt
Questions for July 21st thru 23rd

Hedgewitch Botanical Oracle and Radiant Scales TarotWhat am I asked to overcome to embrace / support my best self?

Sage / Salvia officinalis (Purify) and Six of Water – You have had a childhood history filled with a myriad of experiences in pain and betrayal served up by those that you should have been able to trust implicitly. You can begin to overcome the remnants of these experiences through acknowledgement of where these remnants come from.  By remembering that they are a part of the past, you can then purify their negative influences from your present and your future.

How can I best keep focus on the things that are good for me?

Chicory / Cichorium intybus (Sustain) and Seven of Air – Stay the course, no matter who or what tries to steal it away.

This is about making sure that I keep my focus on the changes I’m trying to make in my life.  The healthier balance of work and rest, the lean into optimism and positivity instead of rejection of these things, the efforts to find a path that allows me to share my work rather than hoard all the work and responsibility for myself.

How, or where, is my spiritual practice strengthening me?

Sage / Sambucus nigra (Ritual) and The Sun – Joy is created through your spiritual practices and rituals. Not only are the things in your day to day spiritual practice supporting your successes and efforts to focus on the positive, but the larger rituals are also helping in fostering those efforts.

DECK USED: HEDGEWITCH BOTANICAL ORACLE AND RADIANT SCALES TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJul2021 Challenge Prompt
Philosophical Question: Do acts of kindness always have a motive?

The Pri8m TarotReading Summary: It doesn’t always “pay off” as expected (The Void), but every act of kindness serves either a purpose towards balance (Three of Pentacles), or as a strategic personal motivation (Knight of Swords).

Take Away: So all acts of kindness have a purpose, which means they inherent have a motive. That doesn’t mean that all acts of kindness are strategically motivated, though. Sometimes that motive is more about trying to find balance either within ourselves or the world around us, and of course, other times it’s more selfish. And sometimes, no matter the motive or purpose, acts of kindness get lost in translation.

DECK USED: THE PRI8M TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I spent about two hours out on the balcony with my plants today, just tending to them, watering them, making sure they’re getting the right nutrition, etc.  I also replaced the pansies and lobelia that didn’t make it through the 110+ F heat wave we had.  They just couldn’t handle it, so I’ve replaced them with a few plants I picked up from the nursery.

Screw The Naysayers

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Today’s meditation was the fourth installment of the introductory meditation program on the Balance app, which was ten minutes in length.  I did not include piriformis stretches in the meditation today.  I wanted to see if it made any difference in my perception of time during meditation if I left it out.  Which… it does not.

Golden Age of Romance Comics Tarot and Less Anxiety Affirmation CardsToday’s draw is the Page of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of exploring one’s emotions and creativity, and the potential that lies in delving in to one’s curiosity.

What strikes me in the imagery of this card is the irritation on the face of the man who looks over the woman’s shoulder.  While she pursues her curiosity and interest? He is looking on with irritation and jealousy.

Sometimes? That happens. We discover something new, we invest ourselves within it to begin to explore, to learn, and to discover the possibilities it presents to us. And some asshat is there over our shoulder being a bastard… or maybe even it’s your own inner dialogue filling that role.

The affirmation card for today is a reminder that if you choose to stay on task… to not be dissuaded by the naysayers and negative influences? You will get through it. You will find yourself on the other side of it, and in having stayed the course… you will have grown along the way and have far more to enjoy and discover on the other side of it all. In other words? Don’t let the assholes get you down. Do your own thing and have fun with it.

DECK USED:  GOLDEN AGE OF ROMANCE COMICS TAROT AND LESS ANXIETY AFFIRMATION CARDS

#DiscordTarotholicsJul2021 Challenge Prompt
Questions for July 20th and 22nd

Green Witch Oracle and Michelangelo TarotAs an adult, where am I neglecting myself at this time?
Snapdragon (Purification) and The Devil

You are not being discerning enough with your addictions and which ones you choose to pursue. Nor are you being proactive enough in purging what isn’t working.

Decks. Selling shit on eBay. Houseplants. Food. Even jewelry supplies. All of these are things that you enjoy, and anything you enjoy has the potential to become an addiction.  In order to keep these things from building up and becoming unmanageable, occasional purges are necessary.

How can I begin to resolve this pattern of neglect?
Bay (Wisdom), The Sun Rx atop Two of Pentacles

To begin to resolve this unresolved pattern of neglect, you need to acknowledge that when you juggle too much, it’s no longer fun.  This is true with work, and it’s equally true with anything else that you enjoy, especially that may build up over time (like collections of things).  If you are juggling too many of these things at once, it becomes unwieldy and difficult to manage.  That then begins to eat away at the fun and enjoyment that attracted you to these things in the first place.

DECK USED: GREEN WITCH ORACLE AND MICHELANGELO TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt by E Roebuck-Jones
Question for July 20th plus Bonus Question

Golden Age of Romance Comics TarotHow does a creative blockage feel?

Creative blockages feel like the end of the world (Ten of Swords). In those moments (or days, or weeks), it can feel like I can’t to anything right (Judgement Rx) and there’s no joy left in the life (The Sun Rx).

So much of my life is wrapped up in my creative spark, from my hobbies to my work, from the things that bring me joy, to the things that expand my perspective and allow me to look at the world through a more positive lens. It is, in one way or another, incorporated in nearly everything that I do.

When my creative spark falters and sputters out, it makes the world look gray and lifeless, and as if there is no longer any place for me within it.

How can I work at overcoming these blockages when they arise?

Acknowledging the wealth of good fortune (Five of Pentacles Rx) and accomplishments (Nine of Pentacles) that  hard work has filled my life with.

Gratitude.  The more gratitude that I feel for what I have in the present, the less there is of the past’s scarcity to drive my need for more. With less of a need for more, there is less dissatisfaction, and with less dissatisfaction there is more room for creativity to flourish in place of the grappling need my past creates within me.

DECK USED: GOLDEN AGE OF ROMANCE COMICS TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I took my progressive glasses in to bitch about the alignment of the bottom portion of the lens. I took some of my jewelry work with me so that I could demonstrate how I work and what I need, and they’re going to send them in to be redone.

Morning Bonus Read – New Week Set Up

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Tarot of Plants (Solar Edition) and Wildlife Wisdom Oracle

What does the mind need to stay centered?

Five of Autumn (Monkshood) and Heron – It is important to remember that the scarcity that you feel is in your head and your past, and not a part of your present reality.  Focus on what’s here in the now, instead of what in your past influences these irrational emotions. Acknowledge that you are now far beyond that place of constant powerless need.

What does the body need to stay grounded?

The Empress (Corn) and Deer – When you bend you cannot break, but in order to be able to bend, you have to be able to yield. Soothe yourself, ease those muscles and tension. Allow yourself to bend. Treat your body with the kindness that it needs to be flexible and strong.  Make sure you are doing your physiotherapy and yoga, and that you are getting out in nature to get the exercise you need.

What do your emotions need to feel heard?

Mother of Autumn (Lavender) and Dragonfly – Things shift and change around you, make sure that you are going to someone willing to support you to speak with and find the support you need. This is about seeking people out instead of trying to close yourself off and deal with it on your own. Opening up about what needs to be said instead of keeping it to yourself.  Allowing yourself to unload what’s going on inside you with these people will help you in hearing yourself as much as it will help you in feeling heard by others.

What do your desires need to feel seen?

Seven of Summer (Venus Flytrap) and Bear – You want more time off to relax and just not have to deal with the responsibilities of life. This is a new sensation for you and you are struggling with it feeling “wrong”, but in fact it’s normal, just not your normal. You are making choices that could make it your new normal, though. Healthy choices.  Don’t back out because there’s a couple of unpleasantness like this discovered along the way.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF PLANTS (SOLAR EDITION) AND WILDLIFE WISDOM ORACLE

Perpetuating Unhealthy Cycles

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and was the third installment of the introductory meditation practice offered in the Balance app. This installment was another breath practice, but that focused upon the body’s sensations with each breath rather than the in and out of the breath itself.

Chinese Tarot and Less Anxiety Affirmation CardsToday’s draw is the Lovers card, which is traditionally a representation of love, harmony, relationships, and all that good stuff, but can also often represent making choices.  Especially choices that force people to weigh their priorities and reaffirm their values.

In the imagery of this card, we see love and harmony at work in the swirling magic in the air, the smiling faces, and the physical closeness between the two figures. This is not romance, but it is indeed love.

Sometimes, when we love others, we get lost in the need to put their needs first.  We want to help them and love them and support them in everything they do and any struggles they come upon.   The thing is?  Not everyone needs that much of our help.   Some will rebuff the help and say they can do it on their own, but there are others who will take it just becauze it allows them to then be lazy.  They can hand over their worries and work to another and slack, which soon becomes habitual.

As it also becomes habitual for us to let it happen.

That is where today’s cards message lies.  The combination of the Lovers card and the affirmation card today are a reminder that we need to choose wisely who and how we pour our energies and emotions into others.  Are you being healthy about it?  Or are you just perpetuating unhealthy cycles for yourself… and possibly for them as well?

DECK USED:  CHINESE TAROT AND LESS ANXIETY AFFIRMATION CARDS

Mr Lionharts’ #TheJulyTarot #TarotSuitsChallenge Prompt
Questions for July 19th and 20th

Oilracle Essential Oils Card Deck and Panda TarotWhere, or in what way, is my current focus supporting my growth?
Panaway atop Sensation, Knight of Pentacles

Working on the transformation from negative space into a more positive and healthy one. by lifting you up through rest and focus on the now.  The effort taken to focus on and enjoy life in the now is healthy and uplifting. It allows for a more positive and optimistic mindset to balance out the negativity  of your inner narrative, giving you space to breathe and grow where the inner narrative once created no space and was smothering you.

Where, or in what way, is my current energy hindering my growth?
Peppermint, Seven of Swords Rx atop Seven of Wands

As usual, you are being too gung-ho about progress and moving forward, and that mentality and energy is tapping into (and sapping out) your strength and certainty of purpose. Slow down and watch where you’re going.  It’s not a race, nor is life a battle to constantly be waged.

DECK USED: OILRACLE ESSENTIAL OILS CARD DECK AND PANDA TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJul2021 Challenge Prompt
Question:  What can I do to help my inner adolescent feel heard and understood?

Chinese TarotReading Summary: More time in nature, for it is through your connection with the earth that you find grounding and peace (The Empress). Assure them that they have all they need to weather any storm (The Magician). Treat them with a firm hand that is heavily tempered with kindness and understanding (King of Cups).

Take Away:  In order to help my inner adolescent feel heard and understood, they need to feel supported and empowered. So much of that time was spent powerless and destitute that the scrabble for power is a real thing that lives within you through them.  Providing the grounding and reassurances that your inner adolescent needs will help them in not acting out, as it means that their fears, worries, and healing wounds are seen, heard, and understood.

DECK USED: CHINESE TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I took a nap today even though it was an orders day. I just got super tired out of the blue, and instead of pushing through it as I normally would, I allowed myself to lie down for a bit instead.