Tarot by Alexander Daniloff 2012 IV edition

Spirituality and Purpose

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_6773Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and without a guided meditation, although I did use the interval timer to keep me on track with my piriformis stretching during the meditative practice.

I had a bit of considering to do during my meditation today, which in itself made it more of a self-guided meditation than one of the more quiet and peacefully empty ones that is usually the case when there is no guide.

Instead, I took the time to focus upon how the work that I do in my business influences others around the world.  I have created beautiful pieces of jewelry that have brought joy to thousands of people, lightening the weight of their days and bringing them a sense of beauty and happiness from the experience of opening an aesthetically pleasing package all the way through to the pleasure they take in wearing the beautiful piece of jewelry I’ve sent them over and over again.

I feel like when I started on this journey over a decade ago of the business I now run, I spent a lot more time focusing on and taking pleasure in this element of things.  I think that in the present, I need to work on focusing on this side of things more.

Hush Tarot - The StarToday’s draw is the Star card, which is traditionally a representation of themes having to do with hope and spirituality.  It’s about being connected to the inner-connectivity between life and divinity, and about allowing that connection to renew your sense of hope and purpose in the world.

And… I just have to say.  I really love the imagery on this card.  The interplay between the earth and humanity, between life and death, and between endings and new beginnings.  But, for today, what really stands out to me in this card is the banner that the bird holds in its beak with the worlds “a hunting we will go” scrawled across its length.

The message that I see in today’s card is about finding one’s purpose.  It’s about acknowledging that you need to look beyond the earthly needs of business and life, and delve into one’s spirituality in order to find your true purpose and path.  That is because our purpose stretches beyond life, beyond work and the material… our spiritual path is not over when our life ends, but continues on.

DECK USED:  HUSH TAROT

#Zentember #LovelyHealing Challenge Prompt
Question: How do I connect with the Divine?

Tarot Leaves

Reading Summary: Look at all those pentacles! By being proactive (Knight of Pentacles), no matter the circumstances (Wheel of Fortune), to get myself out in nature (Ace of Pentacles) and ground (Four of Pentacles).

Take Away:  I connect with the Divine through nature and the earth, and in doing so in this way,  it requires that I am proactive in pursuing time in nature.  Each time I step into the forest and am surrounded by the trees and the moss and the moist earth, it is like the first time all over again. It is an embrace that feels new and exciting, yet familiar and comfortable.  And one that I need to visit often to ground with and connect deeply with.

DECK USED:  TAROT LEAVES

#DiscordTarotholicsSep2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What needs a little more focus and energy to complete before winter arrives?

Tarot by Alexander DandiloffReading Summary:  Finding stability (Four of Pentacles) in the changes that I’ve worked through putting in place in the spring and summer (Death). Make sure that you’re getting help from those that care for you and that you care for in turn (Two of Cups).

Take Away:  This is something that I’m struggling with, and in struggling with it I’m not getting the prep work done that I need to get done because I’ve got so much of my energy turned towards this issue. I feel… like I need to find stable footing for the growth I’ve made.  At first, I thought it was about choice.  That I had to choose that new emotional depth or my holiday rush… but I understand I don’t need to choose.  Yet I still feel like things are unstable and I need to find a way to shore up the foundation beneath my feet.

DECK USED:  TAROT BY ALEXANDER DANDILOFF 2012 IV EDITION

Lionharts #AstroTarotChallenge
Question: What is the biggest lesson I can take from this month?

Science Tarot

Reading Summary: Creative flow and the desire to move forward (Page of Wands) gets stalled out (Hanged Man) and moderated (Temperance) by worries, concerns, and anxiety (Nine of Swords).

Take Away:  Anxiety is a creativity killer and the death of motivation. That’s the lesson. 

DECK USED:  SCIENCE TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How do I make time for rest and relaxation… every day?

Joe Sparrow Tarot

Reading Summary: Stop using your ambitions to push yourself forward (Knight of Swords) and reassure yourself of what good you already have (Nine of Cups). Opportunities are not going to run out anytime soon (Ace of Pentacles)… Which means it’s okay to skip one now and then and not have to listen to yourself lecture about it in your head (King of Swords Rx).

Take Away:  I can make time for rest and relaxation in my daily life by understanding that just because I might miss an opportunity for progress doesn’t mean that another isn’t right around the corner to offer itself up next.  Also, stop listening to my father’s voice in my inner dialogue telling me that rest is for the weak and is a progress killer.

DECK USED:  JOE SPARROW TAROT

Emotions Are Not a Weakness

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was curtailed by a woman on the sidewalk outside singing to strangers about God.

Yes, yes… I know that when you meditate, you should be able to allow the sounds and distractions around you to flow through you and around you without disturbing you… but you know what?  Some crackpot chick telling people she’s the mouthpiece of God and that everything coming out of her mouth is directly from the Almighty then caterwauling to any that will listen and all that don’t wanna?  That was just impossible for me to meditate through.

Poor homeless Larry that decided to talk to her go the serenade of his life and I bet he’ll think twice about talking to strangers in the future.

Botan Tarot - King of CupsToday’s draw is the King of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of a projective alpha energy, personality, or person in the areas of one’s emotions, relationships, creativity, and intuition. This translates into an energy of authority or an authority figure that is in touch with the feelings and emotions of those around them and uses that knowledge to support and lead.

What stands out to me the strongest in the imagery of this card today is the dragon tattoo.   It is a reminder, yes?  Those that are in tuned to the emotions of others can often come off as wishy-washy or weak.  Empathy can often come off as weak.  But it is not weak, it is a strength all its own.

The message in today’s card is that being open to your emotions does not make you weak.   It allows you to be in tune with the world around you through understanding mercurial elements within yourself and others.  Those with a deep connection to their emotions and the empathy to relate to others on an emotional level are just as capable of being fierce and powerful as those that close themselves off.  Perhaps, they are even stronger.

DECK USED:  BOTAN TAROT

#Zentember #LovelyHealing Challenge Prompt
Question: What needs healing on my throat chakra?

Hardy Tarot

Reading Summary:  With a central theme of cause and effect (Justice) we see that too much rest and reflection (Four of Swords) leads to a situation where you do not want to move forward and end up not just procrastinating, but outright trying to ignore what’s going on around you (Eight of Swords).

Take Away:  I mentioned this the other day when speaking with Gideon. The fact that I feel that having taken time to rest and relax has made me feel like I’m lazy and made it hard for me to “dive into” my work in the way that I’m accustomed to.   But is this really laziness?  Is this really a refusal to deal?  Or is it an adjustment period where I’m learning how to do things in a different way?  The uncertainty here is something I struggle with.

DECK USED:  HARDY TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsSep2020 Challenge Prompt
Topic: Do Spread #1
Why am I doing so much procrastination when it comes to my holiday prep?

Tarot of Alexander Daniloff 2012Reading Summary: Because I really don’t wanna juggle more on my plate (Two of Pentacles). I would rather ignore that it’s coming than deal with it (Six of Swords). Not to mention I don’t want to give up time with Gideon (The Lovers Rx).

The first two cards are connected through color schemes, making the juggling of the Two of Pentacles and the “not wanting to deal with it and run away instead” of the Six of Swords connected to each other and intertwined.

The bright red of The Lovers card combined with the lack of cooler tones causes this card to be the outlier.  The design of the card itself in its reversed position looks like a double Hanged Man imagery creating the impression that both Gideon and myself (as lovers) will have to go through a time of delay and change of perception.   The red in this position feels like flames, which brings to mind the holiday rush… which relates to this card in that it is roasting the two hanged men.  Pressure… heat… strain.

Take Away:  Gideon and I will get through the holiday rush together, even if there will be a lot of pressure and struggle involved (as there is every year).  The procrastination stems more directly from the struggle I’m having with not allowing bad habits from the past to sneak in and hijack my efforts for doing things differently this year.

DECK USED:  TAROT BY ALEXANDER DANILOFF 2012 IV EDITION

Lionharts #AstroTarotChallenge
Question: What lesson does 2020 have for my soul’s journey?

Archeon Tarot

Reading Summary: You reap what you sow (Justice), so make sure that you are working towards fulfillment (Nine of Pentacles on fire) instead of just defending what you already have (Seven of Wands).

Take Away:  I know that I chose the topic for the Sunday spread for today as my procrastination, but… I really didn’t expect for all of my readings today to actually end up being on that subject.  *LOL*

The cards here indicate that the lesson 2020 has for me is that I need to do more than just defend what I have.  I need to make sure that I’m actively reaching for more. Does it have to be the “more” that I’ve always pushed for in the past?  No.  That level of push was too much. but I do need to continue to reach for something more.  Stagnancy is not healthy.

DECK USED:  ARCHEON TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How can I best put myself first?

Tarot of the Secret Forest

Reading Summary:  Fucking around (The Fool) means lack of ingenuity (Three of Coins Rx). Gather up your friends (Three of Cups) and charge head first toward your goals (Knight of Pentacles). Don’t rush and accept that it might be slow going (Knight of Coins and Lovers Rx).

Take Away:  I can put myself first at this time by getting back on the path of progress. It’s okay to move slow, but just as another reading today has already stated… stagnancy is not healthy.  So make sure that I’m using the help and support available to me, and get moving.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE SECRET FOREST

Where You’re Coming From

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_6344Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and another of the guided meditations with interval timer for my piriformis stretching.

The topic of today’s guided meditation was self discipline, which is something that I’m both extremely good at… and crap-ass bad at, depending on what it’s about.   In this case, the topic was about self discipline involved in making sure that you stick with your self care, and that you do not tear yourself to shreds with guilt or consternation when you miss a day now and then.

I am very guilty of this.  Not the guilt so much, but definitely the consternation and self flagellation that comes with me missing a day (or a few days) of my self care routine.  As if I don’t pay for it already with the physical pain aspect of skipping out on those necessary stretches, right?

Botan Tarot - JusticeToday’s draw is is the Justice card, which is traditionally a representation of checks and balances, cause and effect, as well as concepts such as justice, truth, fairness, and the law.

Interestingly, I do not see “justice” in the imagery for this card today.  Rather, I see honor and the pursuit of justice. The pose of this woman knight is one of a tracker in pursuit.  She peers to the left, which for me is a nod to the past and what has come to pass, yet her left foot faces forward in the present.  She is grounded and sure of herself, and looks determined to mete out the justice that needs to be dealt.

The message in today’s card is that it is that in examining where you come from, you can find a clearer view of where you are and where you are going. Everything we do has a consequence or a reaction of some kind.  This is how the world works.  When you push upon a pendulum to make it swing, sooner or later the pendulum has to swing back the other way.  It can be a good idea to take a moment now and then to take a look at the pendulums you’ve put in motion… and make sure when they swing back at you they don’t hit you in the head.

DECK USED:  BOTAN TAROT

#Zentember #LovelyHealing Challenge Prompt
Question: How to improve my relationships with others?

Tarot by Alexander Daniloff 2012

Reading Summary:  Work on my communication skills (Page of Swords) and lean into an empathetic approach (Queen of Cups). It’s not a hopeless cause, so don’t give up (The Star).

Take Away:  It’s really easy for me to get frustrated with my communication skills, as I feel like I do a lot of fumbling in that area and hurting people’s feelings (or otherwise fucking things up) as a result.  The cards here indicate that to resolve this problem, I need to not give up hope, but instead continue to work on my intercommunication skills and… while doing so, lean into a more empathetic side of communicating with others.

DECK USED:  TAROT BY ALEXANDER DANILOFF 2012

#DiscordTarotholicsSep2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Stop / Start / Continue

Brady TarotStop – Two of Roots – How many rabbits can a fox hold at once?  One.  That’s how many.  And like the fox?  I have my limitations as well, and I need to make sure I’m honoring them.  Stop trying to find wiggle room in my new balance to shove in more responsibilities.  We’re not doing that anymore, remember?

Start – Two of Arrows – The wolf and the cougar are bound together, blind and both of them injured.  Unable to see, does each one blame the other for their pain? It’s time to be honest with yourself.  Take the blindfold off and pay attention to the things that cause you pain and create struggle in your life.  You need to make peace with your inner slave driver.

Continue – Mother of Horns and King of Roots – The nurturing encouragement to connect with my emotions, allowing them to have a place at the table instead of being smothered beneath the lilypads has been combined with my natural grounding and stability that I am so very focused on all the time.  I’ve been spending the summer melding this new level of emotional awareness and growth with my strong need for a grounded life… and will continue to work on that.

DECK USED:  BRADY TAROT 2ND EDITION

Lionharts #AstroTarotChallenge
Question: How can I best continue to build on the foundation, lessons, or teachings that make me who I am today?  And how can I act on this information?

WilderWoven Tarot

How to continue to build on my lessons learned?
Eight of Cups and Knight of Wands

The lesson learned here is when to “cut and run”, just as the octopus in the Eight of Cups dumps its ink and heads out for new and better waters. To continue building on this lesson, I need to focus upon those things that spark my interest and go after them.

How can I best act on this information?
The Chariot

Just do it. Leap into the fray and allow yourself to pursue these things instead of holding myself back. You  have all of the willpower and determination needed to make anything you are truly interested in a success.  Hesitation is not your friend.

Just take the leap and move your ass already.

DECK USED:  WILDERWOVEN TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How can I best take action for myself at this time?

Lonely Dreamer Tarot

Reading Summary: Blinding yourself (Eight of Swords) to the damage you’re doing with your addictions (The Devil) is childish (Six of Cups). Make the moves needed to support your aspirations (Three of Wands).

Take Away:  The addictions I’ve been indulging in over the past few months are unhealthy eating, not getting enough the exercise I need, and my deck spending. The cards here are telling me to stop wasting time and resources with these things, and instead pour the attention and resources into focusing on the future. With the holiday rush approaching, this is really good advice.   If I’m not taking care of myself (and my finances), how can I expect to run my business (and my life during the holiday rush) as needed? 

DECK USED:  LONELY DREAMER TAROT

The Pursuit of Happiness

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and another fidgety meditation session.  I think that I need another hike to get out some of this pent up energy.  I’ve reorganized my decks and I went through and tucked labels into all of my swaddled decks today as well. And yet, as much as I’m feeling the need to expend energy?  I do not seem at all inclined to spend it on work.  Go figure, right?

Hush Tarot - Knight of CupsToday’s draw is the Knight of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of an active beta energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s emotions, relationships, intuition, and creativity.  This often portrays itself in a theme of going after what brings someone joy or following your imagination and creativity into new adventures.

What stands out to me most strongly in the imagery of this card today is the guy down at the lower left corner holding the spear.  How funny is it that there’s so much going on in this image, so much to draw the eye, and yet it’s that little head and shoulders and the spear that draws my gaze.

I think sometimes we all need a little prodding to get going on doing the things that are good for us, and going after your joy is definitely good as long as you aren’t… you know… going after heroin or something.  In general, happiness is important to our well being, and yet sometimes we hold back without any real reason behind why.  That spear looks like a really good prod to get things going, don’t you think?

The message in this card is to stop hesitating and just do the stuff that’ll make you happy instead of thinking about it and putting it off.   You’ll feel better and be much happier if you just do it already.

DECK USED:  HUSH TAROT

#Zentember #LovelyHealing Challenge Prompt
Question: What’s my essence?

Tarot by Alexander Daniloff 2012 IV edition

Reading Summary: Someone that teaches others (Il Papa) how to find their direction (Three of Wands) during their darkest hours (Ten of Swords).

Take Away:  This somehow makes sense to me in… okay so I relate to this because of something that Gideon said to me… has said to me.  Or maybe he was saying it to someone else and I just overheard it?   Anyway, he said that I have this tendency to tell people exactly what they need to hear, just exactly when they need it most.  Like when I told him guilt makes for a crappy relationship (can’t remember the exact words) and it was in that moment he needed to hear it to realize the truth of his situation with is ex.

I don’t usually realize I’ve done this, and yet I know it happens because Gideon has said he’s seen it happen. Others have said similar as well.   And so I understand and believe… and very much relate to what’s said in these cards.   I love that I have the ability to help people in this way, and I’m okay with not being aware of having done it in most cases. As long as I’m helping others to make their lives better, and thus the world a better place?  I’m good with being oblivious for the most part.

DECK USED:  TAROT BY ALEXANDER DANILOFF 2012 IV EDITION

#DiscordTarotholicsSep2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What do I need to focus on for self care this full moon?

Dragon Age Inquisition TarotReading Summary: That is one hell of a Three of Staves.  Just sayin’.  This is a newer deck for me and the first time I’ve spent any quality time with it since I received it.  And.. wow on the Three of Staves… just sayin’.

Continue to move forward (Three of Staves), even if it’s done with caution (imagery on the Three of Staves overlapped on the Page of Cups), in the direction of my emotional growth and finding the balance for it in my life (Page of Cups).  Don’t allow my internal anxieties and worries to overshadow this process (Nine of Swords). I’m internally strong enough to keep these things from growing and festering into something that will become a hindrance (The High Priestess).

Take Away:  For self care during this full moon I need to make sure that my anxieties and worries are not standing in the way of getting that emotional growth to a place of pause a safety for the upcoming holiday rush.  This isn’t about backsliding, but it’s about preservation of progress.  Allow my inner strength to shine through and burn off the cloying touch of my anxieties so that I move forward instead of backsliding.

DECK USED:  DRAGON AGE INQUISITION TAROT

Lionharts #AstroTarotChallenge
Question: Generate your birth chart at astro-charts.com and scroll down to houses to learn about your zodiac signs per house.

Houses

Information on the zodiac signs through each house means can be found here.

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What helps me stay positive?

Haindl Tarot

Reading Summary:  My “cup overflowing” with the love of others (Three of Cups) that is fostered through clear and strong communication (The Tower and the Queen of Swords).

The imagery here in The Tower of this deck is about enlightenment destroying the Tower of Babble.  This creates a dynamic in this specific card in this specific deck where the card has the ability to represent the salvation of good communication. 

In this way, communication doesn’t just bracket the Three of Cups in this reading, but are representative of pillars of strength standing strong on either side of the card of connection and emotion.

Take Away: Communication with those I love and trust helps me to stay positive.  It is the cornerstone of any good relationship, and being open and honest with these people fosters the bonds I have built with them.  I am, in fact, unable to always bring about my own positivity and optimism. I need their help to do this sometimes, and it is with their help and love surrounding me, as well as their wise council, that I’m able to take their support and advice without fear of betrayal.  This allows my trust to flourish so that I am able to share the  deepest and darkest parts of myself.  They are my shaft of light shining into the darkness.

DECK USED:  HAINDL TAROT