tarot and psychology

Realistic Boundary Setting

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I’m still in the process of catching up… and I can’t remember whether I meditated on the 25th or not. So I’ll leave this empty this time around as I finish up these posts that got started… but never published on the blog.

Tarot of the Little Prince - Nine of WandsToday’s draw is the Nine of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of setting boundaries and resilience in the face of adversity.

The snake is what stands out to me the strongest in the imagery of this card today.  That and the staff that the young man holds.  The staff is not really a use against a snake in most cases, and the ability to set boundaries with a staff planted in the earth… against a snake?  Is impossible.

The message today is about realism.  It’s about making sure that you set realistic boundaries and expectations for yourself so that you aren’t setting yourself up for failure.  The limitations and boundaries you put in place for yourself and others need to be manageable for both parties involved, or they just won’t work.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE LITTLE PRINCE

LionHart’s As Above So Below Challenge Prompt
Saturn Question: What {personal} boundaries should I work on, honor, respect, or acknowledge right now?

Multi-Stabber Tarot

What Boundaries Should I Work On – The Wheel – It can be difficult to keep calm and carry on when the world’s going nuts and chaos is knocking on the door. Setting boundaries that keep the chaos at bay so that it doesn’t mess with your mind and emotions is important, and is something I need to work on.

What Boundaries Should I Honor – Seven of Pentacles – Sustainable progress takes time.  Sometimes I get too damned impatient and I try to push when I shouldn’t.  It’s important to make sure I’m honoring the process, and the time things take to turn out just right.  Not everything can be done in an hour or a day… or even a year. 

What Boundaries Should I Respect – Nine of Swords – Allowing my  inner narrative to turn dark and vicious does no one any good and especially not myself.  I need to respect the boundaries I have put in place to help me keep that negative inner voice at bay.

What Boundaries Should I Acknowledge – Knight of Pentacles – What I want is important, and the needs that drive me forward are too.  The fact that I am constantly so focused on security and stability is not a bad thing and instead of spending time making excuses for it, embrace that this is what you need.  Moving slow doesn’t mean you’re not moving.

DECK USED:  MULTI-STABBER TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsNov2020 Challenge Prompt
Philosophical Question: Can a person without hope live a full and happy life?

Marigold TarotReading Summary: Fighting for what you desire (Five of Wands) and taking rather than earning it (Seven of Swords) because you have the skills to do so (The Magician).

Take Away: Yes. By sinking into baser pleasures and embracing hedonism and pleasures of the moment over thoughts of the future.  When someone truly lives in the moment and weighs one’s personal pleasures and desires over everything else in life, they can feel as if they are living a full and complete life even without hope… as there is no looking forward to the future and thus no need for hope.  Only a wallowing in the present moment, one moment at a time.

DECK USED:  MARIGOLD TAROT

Heal & Transform November Challenge Prompt
Question: What personal gifts does the Universe need me to share?

Sweeney Tarot

Reading Summary: Comfort the hurting (imagery in the Ten of Cups) while encouraging hope (imagery in the Ace of Cups) and independence (imagery in the Six of Swords).

There is color flow here between the forehead in the first card flowing green into the center card, and the angle of the arm in the center card connecting to the flow of the tree combined with color flow to blue in the third card.  This connects these three cards into a chronological flow.

Take Away:  It’s nice to hear when you’re on the right track. To know that when I connect with people and help them in finding a path that is uniquely theirs, that in doing so it’s more than just something that feels good to me but a calling.  And that, too, feels right.   Like… a stone placed in a stream to redirect the flow of water just so.

DECK USED:  SWEENEY TAROT

Positive Memories

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I’ve managed to fall behind yet again… and I can’t remember whether I meditated on the 24th or not. So I’ll leave this empty this time around as I finish up these posts that got started… but never published on the blog.

Traditional Manga Tarot - Six of CupsToday’s draw is the Six of Cups, which traditionally is a representation of the emotions that circle around topics of nostalgia and looking back into the past and embracing the joy and innocence that often comes with childhood memories and remembering past relationships.

What really stands out to me in the imagery of this card today is how much gold there is in the picture.  A golden glow seems to enshroud the entire scene, casting it alight in warm hues.

The message her is a reminder to keep your attention focused on the positive when you take a wander down memory lane.  Don’t allow yourself to stray off the path into the dark woods, but rather stay in that golden glow of warmth and positivity.

DECK USED:  TRADITIONAL MANGA TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsNov2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Advice I need to hear at this time concerning my personal growth.

Edmund Dulac TarotReading Summary:  You’re going to pay for it (Justice) if you don’t allow yourself some rest (Four of Coins) and keep striving for a positive perspective during this busy time (The Star).  It won’t last forever (Eight of Cups).

Take Away: The holiday rush is a really difficult time for me on a number of different levels.  The reminder here that it doesn’t last forever is a good one, but doesn’t excuse not getting enough rest or allowing yourself to fall into those darker negative inner dialogues that can often drag you down.  Personal upkeep, but on a physical level and an emotional one are no less important now than any other time of year, just harder to fit in for a brief amount of time.

DECK USED:  EDMUND DULAC TAROT

Find The Boon

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I’ve managed to fall behind yet again… and I can’t remember whether I meditated on the 23rd or not. So I’ll leave this empty this time around as I finish up these posts that got started… but never published on the blog.

Tarot of the Little Prince - StrengthToday’s draw is the Strength card, which traditionally is more about inner strength than physical strength, and is a representation of persuasion and influence, an inner core of compassion, and the ability to bend others to one’s will.

What stood out to me in this card today is the expressions on the faces of both the boy and the fox. The holiday rush is in full swing and the message here is that even though it’s going to be a hard and busy day, it’s important to make sure that I’m finding some joy in it as well.

Don’t sink so deep into the work that you turn into a robot.  Breathe deep and find the pleasure.  The comfort.  And the joy in what you do.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE LITTLE PRINCE

#DiscordTarotolicsNov2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Pick a topic and pull a card for… Tomorrow / Next Week / Next Month
Topic: My financial health…

Mary El Tarot 1st EditionTomorrow – Death – In the present, my finances are in the process of going through a natural shift.  This is not news, as with the holiday rush upon me, the money is flowing in freely and (sometimes) feels like it’s sifting through my fingers like sand as I spend on postage and supplies almost as quickly as the money comes in.

Next Week – King of Cups – In the week ahead, you will find that you will come to a place of ease and security.  Knowing that the money is there, knowing that bills are being paid and things are going well will give you an emotional boost and confidence.

Next Month – Five of Wands – By this time next month, you will be struggling with the slow down from the holiday rush.  Anxiety over the drop off of sales is natural, as is the struggle to push it forward and keep it going. Inner conflict and the need to push will be burning wild in your chest, conflicting with the slowdown and need to back off and ease up.

DECK USED:  MARY EL TAROT 1ST EDITION

Positive Transformations

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IMG_7893Today’s meditation was just over twelve minutes long and was a guided meditation with interval timer for my piriformis stretches.  The thing is, though?  I have no idea what the guided part of the meditation was about.

I mean, I was listening I think… and part of the reason I save the little graphics that come with my meditation is so that it can prompt my memory of the guided topic.   And yet…. even the graphic doesn’t prompt up a memory of the meditation’s topic really.  Not even a vague memory remains.  Maybe I was deeper into my meditation than I thought?

I suppose that the important part is that I actually did the meditation at all, though.  Which I did.  So… yeah.

Traditional Manga Tarot - Ace of WandsToday’s draw is the Ace of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of the seed of new beginnings in the area of one’s drive, inspiration, motivation, and inner spark.  This often translates into themes that have to do with new passion projects, sparks of curiosity, and things that strike your interest and kindle an inspired passion within you.

What really stands out to me in the imagery of this card today is the dress that the woman wears in the image.  She looks like she’s draped in malachite and surrounded in crazy lace agate.

Malachite holds within it the energy of transformation to ease struggles and foster insight.  Crazy lace agate is a stone used to foster and flourish joy in one’s life. This feels like a good omen, and I’m going to take it as such.

The message here today is to continue to transform those negative inner dialogues into positivity and optimism.

DECK USED:  TRADITIONAL MANGA TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsNov2020 Challenge Prompt
Topic: Do Spread #2
Question: I am struggling with incorporating self care into my day. What advice do I need to hear right now that will help me with this struggle over the next few weeks?

Dark Wood TarotReading Summary: Have patience (Temperance), because change takes time (Death). And it can hurt (white is you, red is change) so be prepared for that.

There are connections here in the colors that reinforce the message at hand.  In the Death card, the staff that death holds relates to the hair of the woman in the Five of Swords, and the gown the angel wears relates to the dress of the caught woman in the Five of Swords.

Connecting the figures in the imagery in this way,  you can see that the red haired woman (connected through color to Death/Change) is inflicting pain upon the caught woman in the Five of Swords card (who is reflected in the angel in the Death card drained of color).

Take Away: These cards are a reminder that it’s okay to miss self care now and then, because the effort to find balance after the changes made in my life (both by me in my effort to find better balance, and by the holiday rush) are going to cause a bit of imbalance and that imbalance naturally involves dropping the ball now and then.  And honestly?  Better to drop the ball just a bit on self care than on the business you’re trying to run during the holiday rush.  Thus…. it’s gonna hurt a bit because growing pains suck.  Instead of being hard on yourself, be kind and forgiving in those moments you slip up.

DECK USED:  DARK WOOD TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: When have I felt emotionally rich?

Golden Tarot by Kat Black

Reading Summary: This summer when I was resting (Four of Swords) after having experienced burnout (Ten of Wands), and was spending time ignoring much of the stressful crap (Eight of Swords).

Take Away:  The cards here are referring to the time off that I allowed myself each month over the summer. I’ve never really taken time off before, not even when going to my mother’s or out east.  I mean… yeah, I did… but not really.   What I found from that time is that when I’m able to step away from my responsibilities for a few days and breath, I find myself not just rejuvenated inside and out, but when I’m able to step away from the guilt of not working I’m also then able to focus on other things I enjoy as well…. and that I really like that.

DECK USED:  GOLDEN TAROT BY KAT BLACK

Where Are You Going?

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IMG_7874Today’s meditation was just over eleven minutes long, and was a guided meditation with interval timer for my piriformis stretches.  The topic of today’s guided meditation was perfectionism, and letting go of the need for everything to be perfect and at 100% all of the time.

It brought up the subject of the “80 / 20 Rule”, which is essentially that eighty percent of any endeavor can be smooth sailing, but when you get to that last 20% needed to make something “perfect” it can take as much energy and effort as the entire eighty percent of the project that had come before.

I get what they’re saying, but I really don’t see that as an excuse to give up at the 80% quality mark instead of going for that extra 20% of a job well done.  That said, I do agree that you can’t give that kind of dedication and effort to every single little thing you do or you’ll wear yourself out constantly pushing too hard.  It’s important to use that extra 20% judiciously and make sure you’re not hurting yourself in overextending your reach and energy by pushing yourself too far.

In other words?  Sometimes you just have to let go and be okay with a “good job” instead of a “perfect job”.

Tarot of the Little Prince - The ChariotToday’s draw is the Chariot card, which is traditionally a representation of control and direction. This is a card that is filled with action, determination, and willpower… all of which often lead to success more often than not.

What stands out to me the strongest in the imagery for this card is the fact that the birds are carrying the chariot and its occupant away from the strict organization that lies below.   Instead of heading towards structure and organization, they are literally flying away from it, rising higher and higher in the sky.

The message here is about paying attention to where you’re going. It’s all well and good to be revved up and ready to go, and to plow forward with your hands on the reigns.  But where are you going?

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE LITTLE PRINCE

LionHart’s As Above So Below Challenge Prompt
Neptune Question: What can serve as an inspiration, or how can I {best} get/stay inspired?

The Mushroom Tarot

Reading Summary: Sometimes it’s through your unhealthy choices (The Lovers Rx) and being overwhelmed (Ten of Wands) that you find your inspiration. Keep in mind, though, the goals that you want to accomplish along the way (Ten of Cups and Ten of Pentacles).

Take Away:  This is an interesting perspective, and one that may help explain why I felt so uninspired over the summer months when I was trying to take it easy.  The pressure and hint of self destruction could very well be a part of what drives my inspiration and motivation… and maybe that’s okay.

But, if it’s going to be okay to indulge in these unhealthy methods to find a modicum of motivation?  I need to make sure I’m keeping in mind the grounded stability and emotional well-being that I’m trying to feed and foster along the way. 

DECK USED:  THE MUSHROOM TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsNov2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Three Things to be Grateful For…. Card 1 / Card 2 / Card 3

Global Fusion Intuitive TarotTemperance – Okay so moderation is not my strong suit by any means. But, that doesn’t mean I am not grateful for the opportunity to try for it, as well as those that assist me in striving for more moderation in my life. I am striving to invite moderation into my life, and with it allow for more room for self-care and self-acceptance.

Two of Pentacles – Finding a new balance between my work and personal life hasn’t been easy, but I feel like I’ve done really good at finding a better balance over the past year.  Even now during the holiday rush, the addition of meditation and other self care techniques help me in finding a bit more balance than I’ve been able to manage in the past.

The Hanged Man – I am grateful every single day for the ability to put myself in other’s shoes and see things from other’s perspectives.  I cherish the ability to take things in from multiple perspectives and see things from different angles, exploring not ideas and beliefs but all sorts of opinions and perspectives from as many angles as possible to better understand the world and those within it. 

Additional Notes – Aside from the cards and their individual meanings, there is also a connection between the Temperance card, and the Two of Diamonds. This connection is through the violet shades shared between the juggling balls in the Two of Diamonds and the wings of the angel in the Temperance card. This combination further reinforces that through the moderation I strive for, I am finding a better and thus healthier balance than I’ve had in the past.

DECK USED:  GLOBAL FUSION INTUITIVE TAROT

Heal & Transform November Challenge Prompt
Question: What or who in my life is healthfully feeding or expanding my energy?

Tarot of the Unknown 1st Edition

What in my life is healthfully feeding my energy?
The Wirt (The Magician)

My confidence in my abilities is currently feeding my energy.  The holiday rush is officially here, and where before I worried that I would not be able to handle the rush, I am now no longer in that state of mind and sure of my capability to ride the rush through to its end. This doesn’t mean that it will be difficult, but I no longer am at a place where I am dragging my feet and stalling out, but rather I am energized by the fact that I know I can and will do this.

Who in my life is healthfully feeding my energy?
Lorna (Death)

Death, in this instance, is Z.  Although her appearance on my doorstep was a bit sudden back in the spring, I’ve had a good number of months now to get used to her constant presence so close here in my home.  She is amazing and supportive in a number of ways, and she knows how to give space when space is needed. She also cooks! Providing me with my life-long dream of having someone cook for me on at least a semi-regular basis.

What in my life is healthfully expanding my energy?
Two of Pentacles

My self care.  I mentioned this previously in the Tarotholics reading, and the card here is a carry over from there.  What is healthfully expanding my energy at this time is the fact that I’m able to fit in the self care I need to give my life a bit more balance so that every single moment of my day is not consumed by work and pressure and stress.

Who in my life is healthfully expanding my energy?
Ten of Pentacles

Z and L both. This card is about my home life, and my home life is essentially Z and L. By expanding my energy, what I understand this to mean is that they are expanding how many hands I have to work with, and how much I can get done.  They are here to help me, and they help with making some of the different items in my shops.  L is very good with adhesives, and Z is spectacular with wire and chain.  Together they have been indefensible in helping me stay on top of things.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE UNKNOWN

Morning Bonus Read – Personal Expectations

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The prompt for this reading came from one of my Discord servers and is as follows:
“This week, let’s chat about our expectations of ourselves, especially during this busy time of the year.”

Ouija Playing Cards by HasbroWhat is one expectation I have of myself right now that is unhealthy?

Ten of Diamonds atop King of Hearts – That I can shoulder everything and not crack emotionally under the pressure like a dropped egg.  I am not the King of Hearts, and I do not do well under too much pressure, especially if my emotions become involved.  With my emotions at a higher level due to the emotional growth I’ve been fostering all spring and summer and the vulnerability that new growth has created, there is a risk of that shell being even more fragile than usual.

What is one expectation I have of myself right now that is healthy?

Ten of Hearts – Allowing my emotions to have free reign rather than being neatly boxed off and walled up for the next five to six weeks.  This seems counter intuitive to what is said in the advice above about what is unhealthy, and yet what this indicates is not that it is opposing advice, but rather that I need to find a better way of dealing with these emotions than closing them up in a dark cage in the basement.

How should I shift the unhealthy expectation into a healthy one?

King of Clubs – Use your drive and vision to motivate you into finding and using this better way of doing things.  New methods for old habits are hard for everyone, but you need to remember what you’re goals are… and that you can’t reach them unless you make these changes for the better.

Where should I look for support to make that change in my expectations?

Six of Clubs atop Queen of Clubs –  From those in your life that both admire you and inspire you.  With a foundation of admiration and moral support under your feet, you can take the inspiration that they create in you and carry it forward, even when things feel new, unsteady, vulnerable, or difficult.  That support system is there for you when you need it as long as you’re willing to reach for it.

DECK USED: OUIJA PLAYING CARDS BY HASBRO