tarot as a motivational tool

Home Sweet Home

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes and forty eight seconds, and focused on being present. That is to say, consciously be mindful of the now instead of being distracted by thoughts of the past or the future.

This mindfulness then allows you to find more clarity and joy in your life.

Today’s draw is the third card in the Major Arcana, the Empress. This card, like all cards of the major arcana, deals with not just one single factor of the human experience, but rather the whole of our journey through spiritual awakening and/or life.

The Empress is the “mother” card, and represents fertility, abundance, hearth and home, the earth and our connection with it, as well as the good and bad factors of a mother’s energy and responsibilities.

This card has appeared in today’s draw as a reminder that work is not everything. It is not the end all, be all of my existence. The Empress is a reminder that home is also important, as is nurturing oneself and those around us.

I often get so wrapped up in my work that I forget about self-care, savoring my home life, and nurturing myself and those around me. Today is my Self-Care Saturday, and as such this is a fitting card to appear today to remind me that there is far more to enjoy in life than just work.

The Little Things Make a Difference

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes and thirteen seconds, and focused on exhaustion and how to deal with it so that you do not suffer burnout.

The guided meditation started with a body scan from head to toe, which I always enjoy, before moving on to discussing how we need to be sure to put time in our schedules for self-care, and be sure that we are not overcommitting ourselves so that the self-care times end up neglected.

Today’s draw is the Six of Swords, which numerologically speaks of harmony, vitality, and cooperation, as well as humanity’s issues and limitations in the areas of the mind, thoughts, logic, and communication.

What I see in today’s card, though, is more of an intuition reading then a numerological one, although I suppose it ties into the latter part of the above explanation as well, now that I think about it. That is because today, the Six of Swords is a representation of “moving on” and finding a new path away from thoughts and mindsets that are not serving me well.

I’ve recently started to fall into a couple of old habits since coming back from mom’s house. Little things that, after some contemplation in the shower today, I realize have been holding me back and tugging me down.

As an example… Prior to heading to visit mom, if I woke up organically in the morning I would get up out of bed and start my day. Recently I’ve been waking up and looking at the clock and then rolling over to get a few more Zs. But what I have found is that I feel better throughout the day if I don’t do this. If I get up when I first organically wake up on my own I seem to have a little bit more energy, and a slightly brighter outlook on the day. It’s a small thing… and yet it isn’t, because it messes with my energy levels and enthusiasm.

The Six of Swords is telling me that these indulgent mindsets I’ve fallen into are really not serving me, and it’s time to find a new path moving away from this type of behavior.

Balance and Prioritization

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes and fifty four seconds, and focused on how to defuse anger.

The guided meditation discussed how when we feel that first spark of anger, it is through our thoughts that we fuel the fire of the anger. This then feeds it, allowing it to grow to greater and greater heights.

Yet, if we instead take a moment when we feel that initial spark of anger, and just step back for a moment and breathe… sometimes this is all we need to help defuse the anger, or at the very least keep it from building upon itself until it develops into an unruly inferno.

Today’s draw is the Two of Pentacles, which is a representation of dualities, balance, partnerships, unions, and division in the area of the human experience concerning the physical world, resources, and finance.

As I mentioned in previous appearances of this card, the Two of Pentacles is one of the cards that I identify the most strongly with in the Rider Waite Smith system. Like the person depicted in the card’s imagery, to me this card is all about juggling and balance most of the time when it comes up in a reading, and today is no different.

I have a busy day of processing orders and prepping for my trip to the post office tomorrow. I need to balance this with my own personal self-care… as well as my needs that you awoke last night that need to be satisfied damnit!! The balance between responsibilities, personal care, and my own wants and desires is always a difficult one to juggle. There just never seems to be enough time in the day.

Today’s draw is a reminder that each of these aspects of my life is important and, like one of the pentacles is higher than the other in the eternal juggle of the two on the card, it is important to prioritize… but not to the point that you drop everything else.

Embracing Change

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Today’s meditation was eleven minutes and eight seconds, and focused on how we rise out of struggles, suffering, and difficult times into something better.   It discussed how when one tries to escape their suffering, that all we end up doing is prolonging the process.

On the other hand, when we face these difficulties and work through them, it is an opportunity for growth and the situation can return to balance much sooner.

The complete Victoria Erickson quote from the provided graphic is “Transformation isn’t sweet and bright. It’s a dark and murky, painful pushing. An unraveling of the truths you’ve carried in your body. A practice in facing your own created demons. A complete uprooting before becoming.”

Today’s draw is another duo, the Nine of Pentacles and the Ace of Wands. Like yesterday, neither of these are jumpers… or maybe I should say that both of these are jumpers because they jumped out of the deck together as one.

Yesterday’s draw included the Death card, which I see as the harbinger of change… and yesterday he sure did his job, as I discovered at the end of my day.  As I said last night when we talked, I knew that something to that effect was coming down the line, but I really think that they have dealt with transitioning people in the wrong way.

Today’s Today’s cards are an expansion upon yesterday’s theme, and a commentary on the frustration of being forced into something I was not interested in doing, as I discovered last night is going to be the case.

When someone tries to force me into any situation my natural inclination is to pull my back up I’m put on the brakes. I understand that about myself, and I understand that was a part of my reaction to last nights news concerning the news I received concerning my business. It’s true that I do not like this change, but my nearly violent reaction to it in this case is almost entirely about the fact that I am being forced into it.

The Nine of Pentacles is a representation of culmination, fulfillment, fruition, and consequences in the area of finance, resources, and the physical world.

The Ace of Wands is a representation of the sprouting seed of new beginnings in the area of one’s passion, drive, willpower, and ambitions.

Together, the Nine of Pentacles and the Ace of Wands are telling me that If I just go with the flow and put my passion behind this new beginning, everything will be OK.  In other words, stop kicking and screaming and get going on making this new situation work for me and my business.

 

My Cup Runneth Over

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Today’s meditation was eleven minutes and sixteen seconds, and focused on techniques to assist in staying awake during your meditation.  Most of the advice was sound and included ideas like taking a few extra long and deep breaths to ensuring that your posture does not slump.

But, what had me cracking up during meditation wasn’t the topic of the guidance but rather the use of the word “dignified” when she was encouraging getting comfortable and settling into position.  “Lets start by establishing an erect and dignified posture.”

Considering that I regularly do my meditation lying on my back while in a piriformis stretch (it’s a good photo, but I hold the pose for a few minutes at a time rather than a few seconds), an “erect and dignified” posture is the last thing on my mind, instead I’m far more focused on alignment.

Today’s draw is the Ace of Cups, which is a representation of the “seed and sprout”, new beginnings, and potential in the area of emotions, relationships, and creativity.

I am feeling this card today.  I feel good, I feel fresh.  I feel like the potential for positive new things is with me today.   The mindset feels a little strange, mind you, as I am usually a far more grounded person (and more pessimistic person as well), but today feels like an optimistic day.

Maybe this new sense of optimism is something I might start to experience more often?  Its weird but I actually feel, the last couple days, as if I’m pulling out of not just that hole of my depressive episode in the spring, but also getting a breather from the dysthymia as well.   I’m pretty sure that’s something that’s never happened before.  If it is, it’s so far back as to have been lost to my memory.

I love you.

Just sayin’… but I’m really feeling that today too.  Like this whole lightness feeling in the chest when I think about you thing.   I hope you’re having a good day, man.