Finding the Positive for August 22 – 24

Tarot for Dandelions, Tarot de Marseille par Ana Kronic, 78 Stories Tarot, and Thera-Pets Emotional Support Animal Cards

August 22

Gideon actually said this to me today, unprompted. The whole “You’ve been doing a great job considering what you’ve been up against” thing, although not in those exact words. It made me cry, because there’s just so much going on and I feel like I’m failing him by not being able to be around as much as either of us want me (or need me) to be.

The Hierophant – The Hierophant is about seeking out the knowledge of those that know more than you do. It’s not about innovation, though, but about tried and true knowledge that has been tested through time. It’s about learning from the well trod path of others, and respecting the value of tradition. Today’s card is a reminder that sometimes? The old ways are the best ways, no matter what new methods or techniques may pop up looking all shiny and new. New is not always better.

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

August 23

Six of Cups – Don’t worry so much about the choices you make, just keep going. When you stall out, things pile up behind you.  Sometimes it’s better to just go with your heart and be decisive, than it is to deal with the overwhelm of trying to do the “right thing” for everyone. It’s okay to make choices for you now and then, instead of taking everyone else into account.  You’ve sort of lost that perspective of late, and it’s time to reconnect with that concept.

DECK USED: TAROT DE MARSEILLE PAR ANA KRONIC AND THERA-PETS EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMAL CARDS

August 24

Nine of Wands – Don’t let a bunch of extraneous distractions and pointless bullshit pull you away from what’s important today. Your best bet is to focus on one thing at a time, because on days like today multitasking just doesn’t work and ends up slowing you down instead of speeding things up. Just block out the extraneous shit trying to drag your attention in a million different directions and focus on one priority at a time. The rest will either slough off or have to wait their turn.

DECK USED: 78 STORIES TAROT AND THERA-PETS EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMAL CARDS

Cleansing Breaths

IMG_5009Today’s meditation was a little over ten minutes long, and I chose to go with a guided meditation today.  The topic of the meditation was a guidance on one of the methods used to deal with invasive thoughts during your meditation practice.   I think that the quote in the graphic to the right covers that really well.  The method involves opting to acknowledge the thoughts that intrude rather than trying to push them away.   Instead, you recognize that you were thinking, and what it was about… but you don’t allow it to suck you into a dialogue.  Instead, you identify the rabbit hole as a rabbit hole and step over it.

Herbal Tarot - Three of Swords - Pleurisy RootToday’s draw is the Three of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of themes that have to do with disappointment, heartbreak, grief, and other forms of emotional hurt.

I used to feel that the Sword suit was a strange place for this card, as the Swords are supposed to be about thought, intellect, and communication. But, over time I’ve come to understand that it is not the heart or the emotions that spur these feelings represented in the card. Instead, it is the mind that spur these feelings… and the heart that then feels them.   Since the feelings are spawned from the mind, it then makes sense to me that they are in the Sword suit.

What stands out to me the strongest in the imagery of this card today is the two seed pots that are in the process of falling on the left side of the card.  These seed pods speak to me of renewal, while the plant depicted in this card speaks to me of purging.  Asclepias tuberosa (pleurisy root) is an expectorant, diuretic, and diaphoretic.  It very literally forces the body to purge itself of toxins and its spiritual uses are very similar.

Combined with the traditional meaning of the card, the message that I find here today is about letting go.  It’s about releasing the issues and problems, the bad thoughts and negativity.   Let go of the “can’ts” and the “this sucks” and instead embrace that sometimes things are difficult and sometimes they hurt… but that is temporary.   Once you’ve had a moment to wallow in those negative feelings, it’s time to let them go and keep moving.  Take a deep, cleansing breath and reach for a new start.

DECK USED:  HERBAL TAROT

#TarotForGrowthJune Challenge Prompt
Question
: How can I invite more compassionate energy into myself?

Tarot Mood

Reading Summary: Let go of so much of the juggling (Two of Pentacles Rx). Balance out the feminine and masculine energies that are threaded through your emotions (King of Cups and Queen of Cups). Understand this is just one leg on a long journey (The World).

Take Away: You know, I hadn’t actually considered that there might be a bit of imbalance going on in the emotions I’m trying to become more comfortable with and that may be why I’m struggling with it.   It’s something I need to delve into and look at more closely, but the message from the cards rings true. The message in the Two of Pentacles and the World are not new and something that has been repeated often as a reminder lately, and are things that I am actively working on and keeping in mind.

DECK USED:  TAROT MOOD

#DiscordTarotholicsJun2020 Challenge Prompt
Question
: Philosophical Question: Does fate exist?

Tarot for DandelionsReading Summary: We move slowly along our path (Knight of Pentacles), making the wisest decisions and judgements that we can along the way (King of Swords), and determined to do the best that we can towards what sparks our passions (Queen of Wands) with the tools we have (Magician).

Take Away: Although I’m not sure that I agree with this answer, the answer in the cards says that no… fate does not exist.  These cards speak of autonomy, personal choice, and control over one’s path and one’s future.  There is nothing in these cards indicating a lack of control, nor direction being placed in the hands of fate.

Side note:  Yes, I covered the nipples on the Queen. These posts on my blog are backed up on Tumblr, which has a very strict “no female nipples” policy.  So I try to make sure I cover the nips when they’re visible just to make sure I don’t get booted off that platform. I think that also may be a policy on IG as well (although I’m not 100% certain on that one).

DECK USED:  TAROT FOR DANDILIONS

#TheJuneTarot Challenge by Lionhart
Question
: Draw a card and let it serve as a reminder of something good about this very moment.

Phantasmagoric Theater Tarot - Seven of SwordsReading Summary: I’m not the one cleaning the bathrooms. I essentially logic’d my way out of doing the task myself and foisted it off on L.

Take Away: I mean seriously… who the hell wants to clean bathrooms. It’s a miserable experience and it’s something I usually pay others to do for me.  L and Z have essentially put it off on their chore list until it was the last thing, and then tried to skip it to start over on the list.  So, yeah.   I pointed out that the bathrooms needed cleaning and I’d already wiped down the ceilings for them, so they needed to finish it.

So!  We have clean bathrooms!

DECK USED:  PHANTASMAGORIC THEATER TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How can I live in abundance?

Tarot of MetamorphosisReading Summary: Make the most of what you have (Queen of Pentacles) and be grateful for it rather than constantly focusing on getting more (Temperance).

Take Away:  Abundance comes in one’s perception and there is no “line” or “enough” to where a line can be drawn to say that you’ve made it.  It’s about finding the things that make you happy and help you feel complete and fulfilled, and appreciating them instead of constantly looking for more.   This is what the cards reflect here.   Find those things in life that make you happy and fulfill you now… and you are already there.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF METAMORPHOSIS

Self Care Saturday (On a Sunday)

These Saturday readings are (not usually) bearing in on any one thing or event in my life, as the question used is asking for a more general outlook. This is a self care exercise, and is not meant as a predictive reading… although that, too, happens on occasion.

The question is… What do I need to focus for self-care through the week ahead?

Self Care Saturday Tarot Spread

EarthPage of Pentacles, Tower Rx, Home Is Where You Are – You don’t need a catastrophic mentality to keep things on an even keel. Make an effort this week to not see everything as “on the precipice of disaster”, but instead acknowledge that you have everything well in hand.  Untie some of your knots… because right now in this present moment there’s no fires to put out and no need to panic.

AirTen of Wands and Here We Are – The overwhelm has been building for quite some time as more and more “children of the corn” keep popping their heads up out of the field to grab your attention. None of these “children” really need your attention though, so stop letting them distract you.

WaterFive of Swords and Get On Your Feet – The fight is not yet over and now’s not the time to rest. In the position of Water, this message is about my emotional growth and not about my work or my ambitions.   The message here is that while I’m easing up on these other topics and endeavors, the work with my emotional growth will be ongoing.

FireHierophant and Follow The Wind – In the New Moon spread shown in my previous post, you also had the Hierophant. There it spoke of the need to tackle head-on where you are feeling overwhelmed in your “roles”… and here with the “follow the wind” card there is a message of needing to let go.

I think I’m going to skip this month’s lesson, which I should be teaching on Wednesday of this week.   But honestly?  I’m just not feeling it and the cards in both of these spreads are saying to “let go” at this time rather than struggling when I’m not feeling it.

WaningGenerosity – It’s time to take that generosity with your time and attention, and turn it inward to yourself.  You give more of yourself than you realize, and you’re tapping yourself out.  Take the time you need to rest, recover, and regenerate.

WaxingIntrospection – As you move away from offering so much of yourself and your time to others, don’t fill that time and energy up with other external distractions.  Instead, take time to focus on yourself.

Take Away – Tell your inner critic to shut the fuck up, step away from the responsibilities that you can afford to ease up on, and take some time for yourself this week. Don’t allow bullshit worries created by your inner critic to distract you back into those things you’ve committed to easing up on… it’s a trick, and will just lead to overwhelm and burn out.

DECKS USED:  TAROT FOR DANDELIONS, SALMON ADVICE ORACLE VOL 3, CREATIVITY ORACLE

Slow and Steady Steps

Today’s meditation was not timed, because I kind of lost track of the timer.  That said, I would estimate that it was at least ten minutes.  I took the little bit of focus I had from yesterday, and repeated it… without the harp strings this time.  In other words, as I did my piriformis stretches, I meditated on the growth of a plant from seed to adulthood.  Like last time, this was very enjoyable for me and thus how I ended up losing track of time.  The only reason I know it was at least ten minutes is because my hip flexors were very limber and well stretched at the end.

Herbal Tarot - Ace of Pentacles - Whole GrainsToday’s draw is the Ace of Pentacles, which is traditionally interpreted as the seed of a new beginning or opportunity in relation to finances, resources, health, or the physical world.

What stood out to me the strongest in the imagery of this card today is the stone wall with arched entrance that stretches through the background.   What I see in that wall is not just a new beginning, but a “recasting” of sorts.  A seed comes from a flower that has bloomed and faded, and thus this seed comes from a path that has passed and is now behind you. It is not immaculate conception, but rather reincarnation as you pass through the archway and into a new phase… a new cycle.   A new path created from the tail of the old one.

In the pentacles suit, this speaks to me of my endeavors to find that new balance with how I manage my work, responsibilities, and time.  It is a reminder (of which I am in need of many of them quite often) that this is a new start.  A new method.  A new way of doing things…. and it’s okay to take slow steps to assure your footing is strong and as sure as possible.

DECK USED:  HERBAL TAROT

#TarotForGrowthJune Challenge Prompt
Question
: How can I better hear and heed my inner wisdom?

Tarot for Dandelions

Reading Summary:  Don’t allow uncertainty (Moon) to distract you (Two of Swords).  Instead, soldier on (Knight of Swords) and use the tools and skills at your disposal (Magician) to follow your inner wisdom’s call.

Just sayin’?  But the more I use this deck… the more I like this deck.

Take Away:  The cards here are referring to how sometimes my intuition’s voice can sometimes get a little muddled when dealing with upheaval that causes fear and uncertainty. This is very apropos considering the upheaval I had last night with the very out of control customer that lost his shit in my email.

DECK USED:  TAROT FOR DANDELIONS

#DiscordTarotholicsJun2020 Challenge Prompt
Question
: Do Spread #2
Should I go ahead and post the piece about a controversial topic on the blog with the blogpost I started last night?

Dame Darcy's Mermaid TarotReading Summary: It’s a selfish point of view as stated (Queen of Swords Rx) and needs to be reworked from a different perspective (Hanged Man over the Nine of Swords) in order to be less insensitive and ‘blind’ (Eight of Swords).

Take Away:  Okay yeah… I get that. The post that I wrote last night on this topic was very self centered and not at all “woke” or enlightened.  More just me popping off and being a bit of an ass. The cards here warn that posting it as-is risks hurting myself and others.  I’m not sure if I’ll rewrite it, or just scrap it entirely.  Either way, I’ll take the card’s advice on this and hold off on posting it as-is.

DECK USED:  DAME DARCY’S MERMAID TAROT

#TheJuneTarot Challenge by Lionhart
Question
: Something I am suggested to do for myself today.

Linestrider Tarot

Reading Summary:  Slow down (Temperance) and make a conscious choice on what you’re doing today (Two of Wands) , and make sure that choice involves spending time with Gideon (King of Cups).

Take Away:  Just exactly what I’ve done with the majority of my day today.  Yes, I skipped nap time to do some work, but the majority of my day has been spent with you… and I’ve loved every minute of it. I love you man. Thank you for making today such a good day.

DECK USED:  LINESTRIDER TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What do I need to change?

Tarot Sirene

Reading Summary: Passion’s direction (Two of Wands). Because being forceful (Strength) will only cause unpleasant consequences (Justice). Ie: Change your tone.

Take Away:  This goes back to the reading I did for the Tarotholics challenge, and that blog post that I want to post but at the same time was hesitant about.  The advice here is if I want to post about this topic… I need to change the tone of the post.  Because as it stands… it’s just not there.

DECK USED:  TAROT SIRENE