tarot for self care

Bolstered By Memories

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

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King's Journey Tarot Christmas Edition - Six of CupsThe @GlitterbyInk #DecemberDays25 Beyond the Solstice Challenge
The Archetype Prompt for December 17 : Fierce
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Six of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of nostalgia, joyful memories, childhood experiences, and revisiting the past in some way.

Nostalgia is a powerful thing. It can lift you up or it can tear you down. The memories that we decide to keep have the ability to give us a great deal of joy and strengthen confidence, or if we let them, they can create a mindset of trauma and victimization that can be hard to escape.

The message in today’s card and prompt combo is a reminder that we need to carry with us the memories that make us fierce and strong, bolstering us when we need that extra boost to get through the hard parts. Let go of those memories that can hurt us or discredit us or otherwise tear us down. The bad things that happened to us in our past teach us lessons, but they don’t have to be an ever-present open and infected wound that we poke and prod at.

DECK USED: KING’S JOURNEY TAROT CHRISTMAS EDITION

@LightningWildflower December Arcana Challenge 
Justice Prompts for December 16th and 17th

Tarot Reading with the Tarot Nova DeckHow can I align my decisions better with my core values? 

Four of Cups atop Three of Cups – Pause before you act. Even with others taking the lead, it’s always up to you to pause and have a little chat with yourself before you act. That moment of reflection is important, especially when you’re letting others take the lead.  It’s easy to just follow along, but connecting with what’s right for you needs to always take priority even during these moments when you’re stepping back from making decisions.

Where am I being asked to take greater responsibility?

The Hierophant and Knight of Cups – Make sure you are owning your actions and reactions. Don’t just write off your emotional reactions as something that happens. Having a bad day or a flare of temper is no excuse for behaving badly.  Remember that you’re on a learning journey with your emotional intelligence, and that requires you to look at things in a more responsible manner rather than writing them off as “that’s just what happened”. There’s a lot to learn from your emotional reactions.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Silver Maple Key for Bouncing Back to Thrive
Japanese Cherry Leaf as a Reminder of Life’s Fleeting Moments
Polar Bear Figurine for Perseverance and Strength
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: TAROT NOVA KIT

@aplacetodock #Yuletide Oracle Challenge
Prompts for December 15th, 16th, 17th and 20th

Tarot Reading with the King's Journey Tarot Christmas EditionWhat ancestor message is for this holiday?

Eight of Wands – Enjoy the slow down. Usually at this time of year, you’re so busy that you can’t even breathe and have trouble remembering to eat. The slow down this year is giving you an opportunity to enjoy the holidays more than you normally would have the opportunity to.

What task is delegated to Santa’s Elves?

The Hierophant – Let others dictate what holiday traditions to observe this year. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

What glows from Rudolph’s shiny red nose?

Queen of Coins Rx – You don’t have everything in balance, and because of that, you are the one in need of nurturing this year. Expend less of your energy on nurturing others, and seek out those that are willing to spend their energy on you.

What is my Silent Night candle Christmas wish?

Six of Cups – What you want more than anything is to end up with some positive memories to carry forward with you into the future. You struggle with memory, and need others to keep things fresh or you have a tendency to lose them. You want memories you can hold on to and enjoy in future trips down memory lane with others that you share them with.

Other elements included in this reading:
Pressed Pansy Flower for Hearing the Heart More Clearly
Bird Figurine for Fostering Hope, Positivity, and Renewal
Deer Figure for touching base with Tenderness and Vulnerability
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: KING’S JOURNEY TAROT CHRISTMAS EDITION

Daily Self Kindness

Left to head back home a bit early today, and that’s a very good thing since the road out to get onto the highway was already flooded and they were getting ready to close it down.

Smaller Than They Appear

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Today’s meditation was an eleven minute long #DailyTrip session from the @Calm app.

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Tarotgazing Deck - Nine of SwordsThe @GlitterbyInk #DecemberDays25 Beyond the Solstice Challenge
The Archetype Prompt for December 16 : Bold
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Nine of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of nightmares, anxiety, insomnia, and negative thoughts and inner narratives.

Fortune favors the bold, or so they say.

That means even when you’re scared or worried or plague by anxiety… you still move forward and keep going. When you remain still and entertain these fears and anxieties, it allows them to grow and become bigger and bigger, taking over more and more of your life.

The message in today’s card and prompt combination is a reminder that your fears are not as big as you think they are, but you actually have to confront them in order to prove that to yourself.  If you don’t?  Then they’ll just continue to grow and grow in your mind.

DECK USED:  TAROTGAZING DECK

@Lionharts #TheDecemberTarot Fruits of 2025 Challenge
The Magician Prompts for December 16th

Tarot Reading with the Winter Waite Tarot 2019 Revised EditionA turn of the tide

The Fool – Consider the ways in which you have been foolish or naïve this year, and consider how you can shift this mindset into safer territory. There are better places to allow that foolishness and naivety full reign.

A part to play

Eight of Pentacles – Try looking into at how you can instill fun and play into your work without losing the responsibility aspect in the process. They don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

A truth that can’t hide

Queen of Cups – You need more nurturing than you’re getting, and you may need to provide it for yourself if no one else can step up fill that gap (or get past that natural resistance you have to accepting it in the first place). This is why you continue to crave “mother energy” in your life.

A choice to weigh

Four of Cups – Do you really want to be alone, or is it just what you’re used to? You’re never going to be an extrovert, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t take comfort in the presence of others and enjoy their company when it’s offered.

Other elements included in this reading:
Wood burned Bear for Strength and Fostering Protective Instincts
Foraged Lodgepole Pine for Resilience, Growth, and Renewal
Scotch Pine Cones for Purging Negative Influences
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Citrine for Energy Lift (easing the weight of heavy energies)
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: WINTER WAITE TAROT 2019 REVISED EDITION

#DiscordTarotholicsDec2025 Challenge
Prompts for December 16th and 17th

Tarot Reading with the Tarotgazing DeckHow can you better connect with your intuition and decrease self-doubt?

Four of Swords; Ten of Vessels atop The World – Everything feels better and works better when you get the rest you need. That includes your intuition. You are able to move forward with greater certainty when you have an appropriate amount of rest under your belt and hope in your heart.

Philosophical Question: Is a “wrong” act okay if nobody ever knows about it?

King of Coins and Ace of Staves – These cards first and foremost ask you to define “wrong”. They ask… who decides?

Beyond this, they also speak of keeping in mind that when you start a journey, it’s usually best to start on the right foot. What you build from these beginnings is growth from a seed planted at the start. Thus, when you start with a “wrong” act, the seed that the foundation of what you are growing will be corrupt, and the foundation will not be as strong as that otherwise could be.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Dried Red Maple Leaf for Adaptability and Connection
Conch Shell Knot for Concentration and Clarity
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED:  TAROTGAZING DECK

Daily Self Kindness

I took a nap.  I also officially switched my packaging processing company so that I don’t have to travel north to ship out my orders any longer.  The company will disperse them to ship from different locations along I-5 for me (a stalker precaution that I’ve been doing myself up until now).

Finding the Positive for December 13 & 15

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Vintage Christmas Tarot's Three of Cups, and Pixie's Whisper Tarot Christmas Edition's Eight of Wands

December 13 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was an eleven minute long #DailyCalm session from the @Calm app.

The session talked about the correlation between gluggavedur (window weather in Icelandic) and how we can deal with our more intense emotions. That is, by observing our inner storms in the same way we would observe a storm raging outside while sitting safe and warm inside. By viewing our emotional state in this manner, we are able to view our emotions more objectively. This allows us to observe strong emotions as they arrive and subside, processing them and acknowledging them without getting caught up in them.

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The @GlitterbyInk #DecemberDays25 Beyond the Solstice Challenge
The Archetype Prompt for December 13 : Tender
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Three of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of friendships, revelry, celebration, and collaboration between those that are linked or alike not just in mind but also in heart.

Vulnerabilities make us close ourselves away.  It’s a natural defense mechanism to protect ourselves from being hurt when we’re feeling at our most vulnerable, and I am absolutely guilty of this.

The thing is? When we’re feeling tender and vulnerable, that is the time when we should be reaching out to others that we trust to provide us support.  Not doing so forces us to deal with these feelings alone, and that in turn causes those feelings to be compounded by that sense of alone-ness.

The message in today’s card and prompt combination is a reminder that our support system is there to support us. That means when you need support?  That’s when you need to make sure you are reaching out to them.  Let them step in and help you carry the weight of your vulnerabilities, and you may find that their support is not just healing, but helps you find your footing again just a bit faster as well.

DECK USED: VINTAGE CHRISTMAS TAROT

December 15 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was a ten minute long #DailyCalm session from the @Calm app.

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The @GlitterbyInk #DecemberDays25 Beyond the Solstice Challenge
The Archetype Prompt for December 15 : Serene
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Eight of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of action, speed, alacrity, fast paced events or change, or having a target goal in your sights that you are charging towards.

Sometimes you just have to light a fire under your ass and get things done.

Relaxation and taking your time is all well and good as long as you’re able to jump forward and do what needs done now and then. Especially if you fall behind on certain things, it can be important to be able to move quickly and with focus in order to keep everything on track.

The message in today’s card and prompt combo is that it’s absolutely possible to carry those moments of serenity from the quiet, peaceful times into these moments when you need to hop to it and get stuff done. That inner calm does not have to be disrupted just because you need to move a little bit quicker and do a little bit more. Today’s card encourages us to work on retaining that peace and calm, even during moments of activity.

DECK USED: PIXIES WHISPER TAROT CHRISTMAS EDITION

Choosing Stability

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Today’s meditation was a ten minute long #DailyCalm session from the @Calm app.

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The Revelation of the Cat Spirit Tarot - Seven of CupsThe @GlitterbyInk #DecemberDays25 Beyond the Solstice Challenge
The Archetype Prompt for December 14 : Grounded
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Seven of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of themes having to do with having a plethora of options to choose from, all of opportunity’s doors being open upon one’s path, and at times being overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices available in the moment.

Grounding yourself takes work. Not in the way that you work hard to achieve a goal, but more in the way that you have to be mindful of when you need it and how you achieve it. It’s not about drive or ambition, it’s about awareness and stillness.

It’s about making choices that create that space for grounding and stability in your life. Whether that’s in a moment when you need it most, or overall in your day-to-day life so that you have that stability there for you day in and day out.

The message in today’s cards is a reminder that being grounded is a choice that we make, and in making that choice we do the things needed to give us that sense of stability and grounded energy.

Whether these activities are meditation, or breath exercises, or touching grass, or spending time in nature, or whatever it is that gives you that sense of grounding. Participating in these things is a choice that we make; and if we don’t consciously and mindfully make these choices, we will be unable to find the grounding and stability that we need.

DECK USED:  THE REVELATION OF THE CAT SPIRIT TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsDec2025 Challenge
Prompt for December 14th : Do Spread 2

Tarot Reading with The Revelation of the Cat Spirit Tarot

Thistle: How can I ward off the blues that try to encroach as the holidays draw to a close?

Knight of Wands – Delve into the things that you feel enthusiasm for. You’ll need that dose of enthusiasm to help lift you up as the excitement of the holidays begins to wane.

Garnet: How can I purify myself to help find a better balance for the new year ahead?

Five of Swords Rx – Work on seeing life less as a battle with winners and losers. This mindset pushes people away. Consider seeing life as a journey that involves including others instead. Not everything has to be a battle to the death.

Yew: What practices need resurrected in my life to protect my well-being?

Ten of Swords atop Five of Wands – End conflicts before they can even begin. Remember that you can say “fuck it” and walk away. You don’t have to engage, even if they’re trying their hardest to tempt you to.

Diamond: How can my imagination foster more fearlessness in my life?

Ten of Cups – Instead of worrying about the stuff that might go wrong along the way, imagine all the goodness and shared joy that can come from your endeavors.

Holly: How can I create longevity in the fertile soil of my new endeavors?

Eight of Wands Rx – Don’t rush. Remember to take things slow. It’s important to keep in mind that “your own pace” doesn’t mean “as fast as you can”. It means taking things slow and easy so that you can savor the process and experiences along the way.

Emerald: How can a closer connection to hearth and home affect my sense of loyalty?

Two of Swords – When you are disconnected from hearth and home, you have a tendency to make more selfish choices that in the end are often less successful, both personally and professionally. This means that you make better choices when you are connected to those things that matter most to you.

Peppermint: What methods can I use to best stimulate my mind when I need a boost?

King of Swords – Allow yourself to delve into “rabbit holes” of interest, and drag others with you as you go. This allows you to both learn new things that can benefit you in the future, and enjoy the experience of teaching others what you’re learning as you’re learning it. Sharing the wealth, even as you cover new ground.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Purple Heather Sprigs for Independence and Luck
Japanese Cherry Leaf as a Reminder of Life’s Fleeting Moments
Gneiss Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED:  THE REVELATION OF THE CAT SPIRIT TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I had absolutely no interest in going grocery shopping today, but stopped by and picked up a few needed things anyway because I knew it would be harder to do meals for the rest of the day without them.

❤️ Self Care Saturday (On a Sunday)

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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 Reading with the Yuletide Tarot and Vintage Yuletide Lenormand

Earth – King of Candles (Wands) Rx – It’s time to take stock of what you are putting your energy into and if it’s really what you want to be putting your energy into. Consider where would it be better to sit back and watch, rather than participating let alone taking the lead.

Air – Five of Candles (Wands) Rx – Take care not to allow yourself to be drawn into conflict this week. It won’t end well for you if you do. This is one time when it’s better to walk away and deal with it later than to engage now just to “get it over with”.

Water – Five of Good Cheer (Cups) Rx – Really lean into your positivity and optimism exercises this week. You need the extra uplift to help keep your pessimism from dipping into dark places and dragging you along for the ride.

Fire – Queen of Candles (Wands) – Enthusiasm is an important part of making it through the holiday season with health and good cheer intact this year. Look for those things that you can enjoy, and encourage others to do the same.

Waning – Fish and Ship – The less amount of travel you do this week, the better. It could be costly for you if you’re not careful to keep excursions to the minimum.

Waxing – Whip and Paths – Practice a little more discipline this week to keep you from being distracted by flights of fancy and overfilling your plate with the opportunities on offer.

Take Away – Make sure that the enthusiasms you decide to participate in this week in order to keep your spirits high are things that still move you in the direction that you want to head as you get closer to the new year and what lies beyond. Choosing to travel during the flooding that’s going on could be more costly than you realize. If and when staying home as an option, do that instead of taking the risk.

DECKS USED: YULETIDE TAROT AND VINTAGE YULETIDE LENORMAND

Finding the Positive for December 10 – 12

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Coastal Crow & Raven Tarot's Magician card, WinterBell Tarot's Ten of Pentacles, Mystical Tarot of the Saints' Six of Coins / Six of Pentacles

December 10 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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The @GlitterbyInk #DecemberDays25 Beyond the Solstice Challenge
The Artisan Prompt for December 10 : Vibrant
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is The Magician card, which is traditionally a representation of capability, potential, resourcefulness, action, and manifestation. This often translates into themes having to do with being in possession of all of the skills, abilities, and tools necessary to reach one’s goals and accomplish one’s ends. It’s about being capable and skilled, resourceful and gifted with what is needed to get the job done.

The greatest tool at your disposal is your brain.

The Magician is filled with the energy of innovation, having all the tools needed to do what needs done. Well the most valuable of those tools isn’t experience or anything in particular that you own. It’s your brain.

Common sense and innovation are the key to any and all other “tools” at one’s disposal. If you can’t think? You can’t -do- what needs done.

The message in today’s card and prompt combination is a reminder that it’s your mind that shines brightest when it comes to solving problems. Don’t forsake yourself or your ingenuity. Don’t call yourself stupid, lean into willful helplessness, or forsake your innate ability to problem solve. Be creative. Use your brain. That’s what it’s there for.

DECK USED: COASTAL CROW & RAVEN TAROT

December 11 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was skipped.

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The @GlitterbyInk #DecemberDays25 Beyond the Solstice Challenge
The Artisan Prompt for December 11 : Gilded
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Ten of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of satisfaction and stability in the area of one’s finances, resources, home, health, manifestations, and the physical world. This often translates into themes that have to do with hard earned success, accomplishments, abundance created through patience and hard work.

What makes your life worth living?  What cycles in life return to the surface again and again, creating value where it felt like value was lacking?

That’s the questions that I see this card asking us today.  It’s in the star that shines so brightly in the center like a symbol of hope and positive outcomes, and the circle of ornaments and deer that encircle the star, speaking of abundance and fruition.

The thing is?  We can’t always have everything we want. And if we could? Just imagine how boring that would be.  Instead, or good fortune comes in cycles, creating a balance between good and bad… and it’s up to us to focus on the good and give it the true credit in our lives that it deserves.

The message in today’s card combined with the “gilded” prompt is a reminder that our abundance and good fortune are only as valuable as we allow them to be.  If we disregard them, then they hold little value in our lives.  But, if we take time to acknowledge and celebrate these things, they have the ability to shine more brightly and lift us up even during times when we’re struggling.

DECK USED: WINTERBELL TAROT

December 12 – Mental Health Card of the Day

Today’s meditation was a ten minute long #DailyCalm session from the @Calm app.

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The @GlitterbyInk #DecemberDays25 Beyond the Solstice Challenge
The Artisian Prompt for December 12 : Abstract
Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Today’s draw is the Six of Coins (Pentacles), which is traditionally a representation of charity, generosity, sharing the wealth, asking for or accepting help, and balancing the scales between the “haves” and the “have nots” in life.

Lots of people look at generosity as a nice idea, but not something they can practically do. I get this, as I too struggle in certain areas where I would normally want to be generous.

The thing is, though?  Maybe that means we’re looking at generosity in a closed-minded way.  How many things have you thrown away this week that someone else might have possibly used?  Did you throw them away because they held no use? Or did you toss them because it was “too much trouble” or inconvenient to find a way to donate them to others that could use them?

Food, blankets, cardboard boxes others could use for gifting, bottles of water, electronics, winter wear, old shoes, socks, even leftovers.  All of these things can be donated or given away to others that could use them… and yet we throw them away out of convenience.

The message in today’s card and prompt combination is a reminder that generosity is not an abstract concept. It simply takes a little effort to make it work.  Even those just scraping by -can- contribute to others and help them by offering time or support instead of money, food, or goods.  It’s up to each of us, though, to carry those abstract thoughts of generosity forward into reality.  Otherwise?  They’re just a nice idea that nobody’s actually doing.

DECK USED: MYSTICAL TAROT OF THE SAINTS