tarot as a motivational tool

Self Acceptance

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Today’s meditation was skipped.  I dawdled a bit with my phone after yoga, but I just didn’t do the meditation part. I gave into that emotional response instead of the “necessity” mindset that I’ve been working on.

Illuminated Playing Cards and Thera-Pets Emotional Support Animal CardsToday’s draw is The World card, which is traditionally a representation of completion, coming to the end of a journey, accomplishment, as well as a time in one’s growth where transformation and transition are achieved.

The “you’re a blueberry fairy princess” surprised a smile from me this morning when I read it, which made the “you’re amazing” part seem… easier to hear?

The reminder in these cards today is not just to be kind to yourself, but that in order to grow and become better, being kind to yourself is a part of the process. A necessity. We are all amazing, and until we can accept that not just of others but also of yourself, it will continue to hold you back.  Self acceptance creates freedom to stretch beyond into more than you ever were before.

DECK USED:  ILLUMINATED PLAYING CARDS AND THERA-PETS EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMAL CARDS

#DiscordTarotholicsSep2021 Challenge Prompt
Topic: Do Spread 3

Alice in Tarotland TarotAmber – Where do I need to work on my emotions to create more balance in my life?

King of Wands atop King of Coins – This is about scarcity issues. It’s about the drive to collect more and more financial stability and security. It’s spurred on by the uncertainty that you felt in your past and the desire to have contingency plan after contingency plan to make sure that you never return to that place of uncertainty again.  A type of hyper-focus that is unhealthy.

Cedar – How can I use my present day fortitude to strengthen my future protection?

Four of Swords atop Three of Coins – Allow others to help you more, so that you can get more restorative rest. It is through your connection to others and the ability to work together that you are able to give yourself the rest you need to stay strong and keep going.

Marigold – Where should I focus on my health in order to develop a happier outlook?

The World – There is no one specific area that you need to focus on, but rather you need to focus on the whole and treating yourself kinder in general.

Lapis Lazuli – What hidden truths can self-awareness bring to light in my life?

Two of Wands – Where you’re going and how you’re going to get there. This is about clarity instead of doubt and uncertainty. By getting more deeply in touch with what you want and where you want to go, you will be able to see the path before you that much more clearly.

Walnut – How can I be more discerning in picking positive friendships?

Five of Cups – Hold back a bit and be less hopeful. You are jaded in so many areas of life where that outlook can be harmful to you, and yet in this area you are hopeful when you should be jaded and take things more cautiously.

Sapphire – How can I best discern between logical thought and true wisdom?

Three of Swords – Wisdom is a knowledge that comes from deep within the body, not the brain. Logical thought comes from the brain… true wisdom is felt deep in the heart and the gut.

Yarrow – How can I move from a place of trauma into a place of healing?

Four of Coins – By grounding yourself. Only from a place of stability can true healing begin to flourish.

DECK USED: ALICE IN TAROTLAND TAROT

BekahMurphysMagic’s #IntuitiveHealingTarotChallenge Prompt
Questions for September 26th thru 28th

Universal Folk Oracle and Illuminated Playing CardsWhat “mountain” do I need to climb to reach my intuitive potential?

Healing, Nine of Diamonds atop Six of Diamonds – You have a great deal of healing to do concerning how you see the present, and in how the past influences your present. Until this healing is at a point where you can be more generous toward yourself and the present, your intuitive potential will remain untapped.

Where do I need to “dive deep” to reach my intuitive potential?

Warrior and Jack of Clubs – Motivation is an issue. Until you find a way to pull up that inner spark of drive and motivation that has faltered of late, you will continue to fall short of touching upon your intuitive potential.

Where is my intuitive potential overflowing at this time?

Hidden atop Authenticity, Queen of Diamonds – You know who you are, and you know how to tap into that deep hidden knowledge within you. You know where you belong, where you shine, and how to get in touch with the energy and the nurturing that you need. You’re very well seated in your intuitive skills, and knowledgeable in how they work and how to listen to them and act upon them, as well as how to share them with others in healthy ways that nurture both yourself and others at the same time.

DECK USED: UNIVERSAL FOLK ORACLE AND ILLUMINATED PLAYING CARDS

Daily Self Kindness

I have worked very hard to not call myself a dumbass even once today, and the couple of times I did, I took time to reason out why that’s not really the best reaction and remind myself that I’m not a dumbass.

Work In Progress

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Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long and was not guided today nor from an app.  Instead it was just ten minutes of steady breathing combined with some stretching.

Serpent and the Peacock Tarot and Thera-Pets Emotional Support Animal CardsToday’s draw is the Eight of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of working hard, possible apprenticeship, building skills and expertise, and perfectionism.

This view stated in the Thera-Pets card is something that I struggle with a lot, but over time I have worked on accepting it more.  That’s not to say that it still isn’t a struggle, but yet? I think it’s a wonderful idea. I really do.

But?  I also accept that this is a work in progress for me.

And here is where the message in today’s cards lies.  It’s in the fact that we aren’t perfect. It’s in the fact that we all still have things to work on.  In ourselves… in our lives.  We have things to do, and to do better. We have a chance to be better, but it’s going to take some work to get there.

DECK USED:  SERPENT AND THE PEACOCK TAROT AND THERA-PETS EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMAL CARDS

The #ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt for the Sacred Grounds Tarot Club
Question for September 25th thru 27th

Forest Fae Cards and The Lonely Dreamer TarotHow can I say no to others and yes to myself more?

The Green Man and The Tower – Remember that everyone else has to go through their own Tower moments for growth as well. You can’t save the world, and if you did, no one would grow and change, mature, or develop into better people.

How can I stop taking criticism personally?

Away We Fly and Five of Pentacles – Don’t be reactionary when confronted with criticism. Instead, use your imagination to consider how this criticism can be useful to you. Even criticism that is cruel and non-constructive can be useful.

Do I believe my opinion matters?

The Old Paths and Spirit – Absolutely. The experiences gained in your life are combined with your highly attuned sense of intuition and your moral compass, which often can make your opinion extremely useful to others. You also rarely speak on those things that you have no opinion or experience to base your opinion on, making when you do speak up of greater value.

DECK USED: FOREST FAE CARDS AND THE LONELY DREAMER TAROT

Mr Lionharts’ #TheSeptemberTarot Rise and Fall Prompt
Questions for September 25th thru 27th

Serpent and the Peacock Tarot and Apesos New TarotWhat can I do to prepare myself for this Mercury Rx?

Undone atop Light, The Emperor – Brace yourself for some misunderstandings and take care to not to make assumptions based on too little knowledge. If your foundation is steady, you will weather these upsets and come out the other side no worse for wear, so make sure you go into this Mercury Rx on steady footing.

What am I asked to reflect on during this Mercury Rx?

Temperance and Wood + Stone x2 – There is more to see and more to learn, more curiosity to sate, but you need to walk, not run. This is an encouragement and an invitation to take more time in nature and really sink into your connections with the earth during this time, but take care to be gentle with that ankle while doing so.

Something I need to leave alone until after Mercury Rx?

Animal and Strength – This is an echo of the answer to the previous question. It is a reminder that you are injured and it would be unwise to ignore it or push too hard right now. Give your ankle time and gentle treatment so that it can heal.

DECK USED: SERPENT AND THE PEACOCK TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I did the spinach thing again with my smoothie this morning (I have a tub of the stuff that I need to use up before it goes bad). I also made sure to have my tea, and did my meditation…. and dawdled a bit with the phone before all hell broke loose.  I also managed to take a breath and let go of that toxic shit from this morning on IG.

Morning Bonus Read – Appreciation

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The prompt for this reading came from one of my Discord servers and is as follows:
“The weather may be getting cooler or bringing in some mighty storms wherever you are and for some of us, it gives us joy, but not for all of us. Today, we will discover and give a little appreciation to ourselves. This is a short prompt, enjoy some TLC after!”

Bicycle Sewer Dwellers Playing CardsWhere in my mind am I feeling my best? Why?

Nine of Hearts and Seven of Spades – I’m feeling at peace and content in my mental health because I managed to dodge a bullet with the medication adjustment I did at the last MDE onset.

What familiar comfort can connect me more closely with how my mind is feeling?

Nine of Spades atop Two of Clubs – These cards are a reminder that I now know what the medication adjustment can do and, when I detect another onset coming in the future, I can use this again at that time.

Where in my body am I feeling my best? Why?

Ten of Clubs and Ace of Clubs – I’ve made leaps and bounds this year at the new strategy in not overwhelming myself with too much on my plate at once, and thus managing to avoid the resulting cycle of burn out.

What familiar comfort can connect me more closely with how my body is feeling?

Three of Clubs – Keep doing what I’m doing. It’s working and it’s a healthier choice than what I was doing before. Make it familiar and routine, a permanent part of my path going forward.

Where in my energy am I feeling my best? Why?

King of Hearts – Although it never feels like enough, I’m getting the support that I need in my relationship to keep my energy uplifted. When everything else feels like it goes to shit, I am drawn to Gideon like a moth to a flame. He helps me get out of my own head, find peace, and reminds me that I am loved.

What familiar comfort can connect me more closely with how my energy is feeling?

Ten of Hearts – Don’t forsake the positive place that this energy provides. The security of knowing I am loved, and that he’s not going anywhere, is something worth not just acknowledgment, but a good amount of wallowing in.

Where in my true self am I feeling my best? Why?

Six of Hearts and King of Diamonds – I am starting to find a new level of peace with my past and look at it in a more positive manner. This has been brought about by the realization that I need to create a more compartmentalized view of the past and the present, a discovery that I made earlier this year and I’ve been processing ever since.

What familiar comfort can connect me more closely with how my true self is feeling?

Ten of Diamonds atop Ace of Spades – Sink into the new sense of stability that this realization has created. I’ve always been hyper-fixated on building increasingly more stability and security in my life. This new realization has allowed me to enjoy what I’ve built and be comfortable instead of being driven to always do more.

DECK USED: BICYCLE’S SEWER DWELLERS PLAYING CARDS

Just Do What You Can

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Today’s meditation was just over eleven minutes long, and was the fourth installment of the Foundations III series on the Balance app. This meditation was almost identical to the last in that it was a body scan (Yoga Nidra) practice with a guide moving you through the different parts of the body. In fact, I didn’t really detect any difference between yesterday’s and today’s.

Tarot of the Master and Thera-Pets Emotional Support Animal CardsToday’s draw is the As di Denari (Ace of Pentacles), which is traditionally a representation of the seed of new beginnings in the area of one’s finances, resources, home, health, and manifestations.  This often translates into themes that have to do with new opportunities and potential for new growth in those areas.

I’m sure I’m not alone in having so many pots that I really want to put in the fire that sometimes even just putting -one- of them in the fire feels like too much.

With October starting to creep up and the holiday rush close behind it, there’s so much to do to get ready, and yet… all I feel is tired. Exhausted, really.  I don’t want to do any of it, and some days like today?  I don’t feel like I have the energy for any of it either.

Today’s cards are a reminder that no matter how many things you have piled up to get started on?  It’s okay to take a breath and just do what you can… and not be down on yourself about not doing more.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE MASTER AND THERA-PETS EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMAL CARDS

BekahMurphysMagic’s #IntuitiveHealingTarotChallenge Prompt
Questions for September 24th and 25th

Archeo Personal Archetype Cards and E D Jasbeck Non-Binary TarotWhere, or in what way, does my intuition need healing?
Hiraeth and The Star

When I was young, and my father was cruel to the point that I needed to retreat and curl up in a ball somewhere and cry, I always felt the ache of the hiraeth.

That little boy said to himself again and again “I want to go home”, “I want to go home”… even when I was at home in my room or in the woods outside our house. Until today, I never realized that there was a word for this unbearable ache of longing for that “home” that doesn’t exist in reality, but that you long for anyway.

Closing myself off and pulling myself inward again and again in my youth ended up shutting down my ability to hope, and it made me the pessimist that I am today. That is where healing is needed.

What wisdom do I need to gain in order to heal the remnants of this wound?
Wolf and King of Wands

More trust in yourself and your inner knowing, less attention paid to the extraneous noise and nonsense that tries to distract you from your passions and purpose. Trust yourself more, trust your judgement and moral compass. Doubts and second guessing is a waste of time and perpetuates the damage done all those years ago.

Where do I need to gain clarity in order to heal the remnants of this wound?
Warrior and Ten of Wands

It is through our struggles and determination that we grow. This understanding needs to be applied to these past wounds. This is no different than a car accident or home invasion, both of which you have experienced. You either crumble or grow stronger.

DECK USED: THE ARCHEO PERSONAL ARCHETYPE CARDS AND E D JASBECK’S NON-BINARY TAROT

The #ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt for the Sacred Grounds Tarot Club
Questions for September 23rd and 24th

Apesos New Tarot and Tarot of the MasterHow can I get closer to my dream life?

Wood + Stone atop Light, Caval di Bastone – Get your ass out in nature as much as possible. This is where you really shine. There was a time when I used to provide guided hikes in the national rainforests, and a time in my life when when I wanted to be a forest ranger.

I pursued a different path for my career, and I stopped doing the guided hikes over a decade ago. But just because I no longer pursue income in these areas doesn’t mean I need the time in the forests any less.  In fact, perhaps I need it even more.

What would it be like to only worry for 10 minutes a day?

History atop Light, II di Spade – Your history has proven to you again and again that this is not possible. Your mind does not work this way. You have a logical mind that requires a full array of information before you can make decisions and choose a course of action.  Ten minutes a day is not enough time to gather up all the information needed.

DECK USED: APESOS NEW TAROT AND TAROT OF THE MASTER

Daily Self Kindness

I put a small handful of spinach in my smoothie this morning.  I couldn’t even taste it was in there so I think this could be a good way to get a little extra veggies in now and then.

Kindness Over Cruelty

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Today’s meditation was just under twelve minutes long, and was the third installment of the Foundations III series on the Balance app. This meditation wend deeper into the details of a body scan meditation (Yoga Nidra), and focused on how each part of the body can hold influence over the others.

Symbolic Tarot of Wirth and Thera-Pets Emotional Support Animal CardsToday’s draw is La Madison Dieu (The Tower), which is traditionally a representation of the chaos and destruction of sudden, unexpected changes.

Something that really stood out to me in today’s card is that the destructive lightening in this imagery comes from the sun specifically. To me, this is an indication that all the good going on has unbalanced the scales, and thus balance needing to be restored, the joy is struck down in preference for destruction and change.

Combined with the Thera-Pets card for today, what I see here is about how you respond to these sudden chaotic changes.

Some people take change in stride. Some rail against it in anger or fear. Others become disheartened and take all of the onus and blame upon themselves, even when it isn’t theirs to claim. The message here is not to allow these moments to drag you down and create a pattern of self-abuse. Don’t let the crappy shit that happens in life make you feel like you’re less than or unworthy.  Shit happens. It happens to everyone.  Our task is to pick ourselves up, take care of ourselves and treat ourselves like we matter, and continue on.

DECK USED:  TAROT AND THERA-PETS EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMAL CARDS

#DiscordTarotholicsSep2021 Challenge Prompt
Questions for September 23rd thru 25th

The Pulp of TarotWhat are you ignoring that needs rooted out and dealt with?

Cavaler de Cupe – You need to work out what it is that’s holding you back from finding joy in the things that you do, and how to reignite that joy in your life. It will make the busy season to come that much more tolerable, and you’ll weather it much better with the support of pleasure in your craft.

Stop – The World Rx – Stop purposely doing things that hold yourself back. The self-destructive tendencies getting in the way of your growth are only hindering you and need to be cut loose.

Start – The Star – Lean into positive thinking and the supportive energy of your spiritual path. Everything evolves together, supporting everything else in their own evolution. Instill positive energy into this process. What seeds you plant are what will grow… grow good things for yourself in your life.

Continue – Four of Cups – You’ve started picking back up on your meditation practice. Don’t be dissuaded or distracted. It’s important, especially as things start to pick up and stress increases in the months ahead.

As fall draws to a close next month, what needs to be let go of?

Nine of Cups – Chilling out and enjoying the bounty of what you have accomplished over the year thus far. You only have a limited time to enjoy this before you will have no time for anything at all but work and filling orders. Enjoy it while you can, for as fall draws to a close you will need to let go of this to make room for responsibilities to come.

DECK USED: THE PULP OF TAROT

Healer Josephine’s #MindfulImperfectionTarot Prompt
Questions for September 21st thru 25th

Symbolic Tarot of Wirth and Oracle Médiéval et MerveilleuxHow would it benefit me to further embrace my humanity?
Carnaval and La Maison Dieu

It would allow me to see more clearly beneath the masks that others wear, exposing what it is they are afraid to bare to the world. This in turn has the potential to radically change my perception and perspective of the world around me and those within it.

Where do I need more self-compassion?
Roi Père atop Fol, King of Wands atop Five of Coins

Instill a little more direction and purpose into your meandering moments in life. It’s through having a sense of purpose to focus on that you can come to grips with and overcome your scarcity issues.

The self compassion here in these cards is in alleviating some of the scarcity issues that plague me emotionally. They are not based in logic.

How can I release the fear of getting messy?
Déchéance, Two of Cups atop Le Diable

Accept that “messy”is a part of life. Instead of fearing it, invite it in and allow others to help you moderate its presence in your life.

DECK USED: ORACLE MÉDIÉVAL ET MERVEILLEUX

Daily Self Kindness

I took a nap.  Which, considering it is an orders day, is huge.  But I really needed it.

Morning Bonus Read – Libra Season

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Retrospective Tarot - Libra Season Tarot Reading

What needs balancing?

Eight of Coins – You are spending too much time focusing on work. Even in your down time, this is where your mind lingers. You’re not in the busy season quite yet and you need to make sure that you don’t push yourself into it before it’s time.  Six weeks in that demanding physical and mental space is long enough.

How to align your energy?

Three of Wands – Movement. Get yourself outside your burrow and experience the world. You need the fresh air and the exercise, the movement and the time outside.  Get as much of that as you can, while you can.  Soon enough you won’t have time for it (or much of anything else) and you’ll be aching for it.

How to create a better work/life balance?

Knight of Cups – Spend more time pursuing the stuff you enjoy. It’s about having fun and finding the fun in the things you do. At one point you found joy in every aspect of your work, and it’s time to start seeking out that joy once more.

How to find balance and harmony in relationships?

Page of Swords atop Eight of Swords – Learn to identify more quickly when a relationship isn’t working for you and needs to be severed. Cut the cords before they become toxic.

How to find peace and balance in your own heart?

King of Swords and The Tower – Seize control of the chaotic moments of change in your life. Make them yours, and use them as tools to strategize towards something better.

DECK USED: RETROSPECTIVE TAROT