tarot of haunted house

You’ve Got This

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_7087Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and was a guided meditation with interval timer for my piriformis stretches.  The topic of today’s guided meditation was suppressing and ignoring emotions.

This is a topic that I have a good deal of experience in.  Although I disagree with part of what was said (ie: that you cannot bury your emotions for long, just as one example), I do agree with the overall message that it is healthier to deal with your emotions than bury them.  I also agree that, while you probably can’t bury your emotions forever.  You can bury them for a hell of a long time. But I think that to do it for an entire lifetime might cause a great deal more harm than good.

The method of dealing with difficult and unpleasant emotions that is mentioned in this meditation, was to step aside and examine them as an observer, then return to deal with them.  Although I think that this might be a good method for a lot of people, I think that “stepping aside” like that for me?  Would be just too close to stepping away instead.  Too tempting to distance myself and then say “fuck it” and push them aside.

Tarot of Haunted House - Six of CupsToday’s draw is the Six of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of nostalgia and childhood memories. 

As is hinted at in the word “nostalgia” above, this card usually deals with positive memories that bring someone pleasure or joy to bring up to the surface. 

What stands out to me the strongest in the imagery of today’s card is a combination of the warm purity provided by the shades of white and gold, combined with the two figures in the center.   Today, when I look at this card, I see the woman handing a cup of flowers to the girl…. but I see them as the same person.   The young child and the woman different ages of the same woman as she looks back on a beautiful golden memory of her past, and the child reaches forward into the beautiful dreams of a future moment.

Together, these two figures bathed in the golden glow of hopes and memories, remind us that dreams can come true, even those idealistic ones we have as children and forget about as an adult. And when you accomplish a dream you hold close to your heart?  It’s time to pause and look back at where you started and feel a fissure of pleasure.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF HAUNTED HOUSE

LionHart’s #TheOctoberTarot #SeasonOfTheWitchChallenge Prompt
Question: What magickal cycle is this New Moon in Libra kicking off?

Dark Mansion Tarot

Reading Summary: Balancing your new emotional growth (Ace of Cups), with the work ahead (Eight of Pentacles) is something that you have all the tools in your arsenal in order to do (The Magician).

Take Away:  Okay, so I’ve managed to accept that I don’t have to lock my emotional growth away to protect it during the holiday rush, but that hasn’t really meant that I’ve come to understand how I’m going to balance them.  The magical cycle this new moon in Libra is kicking off for me is about finding that balance and learning that I’m more than capable of doing this.

The cards are essentially saying, “You’ve got this.”

DECK USED:  DARK MANSION TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsOct2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What do I need to focus on for self care this new moon?

Tarot ZReading Summary: Take that unfounded worry and despair that you’re feeling (Three of Swords), and surround it in your drive and ambition (Knight of Wands), eagerness and enthusiasm (The Fool).

Take Away:  This is a carry over from today’s Lionharts reading I did earlier, where I was worrying over how I’m going to balance my emotional journey and the holiday rush over the next ten weeks.  In that reading it told me that I have the tools and abilities at my disposal to balance these things. 

Here in this reading, we then see what these tools are and what to do with them.  The cards are indicating that the only thing holding me back are my own doubts, uncertainties, and thoughts of failure.   If I want this to work, I need to let go of these things and allow myself to get swept up in the enthusiasm.   Instead of wading into the surf one inch at a time… dive right in and adjust on the fly.

DECK USED:  TAROT Z

#MysticStarChallenge October Challenge Prompt
Question: What lesson would my Spirit Guides like to bring to my attention at this time?

Halloween Spirit Tarot

Reading Summary:  The topic is about balancing work life and personal life/self care.  The figure in the imagery of the Two of pentacles points an arrow through the disk at the top of the Star and the World, indicating that these two cards are my target.   The other two cards are both “end of a journey cards” indicating a choice to move from an old way of doing things to something new.

The message here is that I need to remember that the shit I’m walking away from wasn’t that good (Eight of Swords atop The Star).   I have an opportunity now to move on from that more harmful way of doing things to something better (The World atop the Ten of Swords).

Take Away:  My spirit guides want to remind me of what my target is, and that I’m in the process of transitioning between the unhealthy way I was doing things and this new healthier balance.   These cards are a reminder to help me stay on track and not fall back into my old way of doing things.

DECK USED:  HALLOWEEN SPIRIT TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: Do I have a spirit animal? If so, what qualities does it possess?

Halloween Magick Tarot - Nine of SwordsAnswer:  Don’t worry about it at this time. 

I didn’t draw the additional cards concerning what qualities the spirit animal might possess, because the Nine of Swords came up when I asked if I have a spirit animal.

The message is clearly that now’s not the time to be worrying about this, and to be honest?  I’m fine with that.

I have a lot on my plate at the moment and am just starting to occasionally feel the differences between my intuition and messages from my spirit guides.   There’s no need to over-complicate things by delving into the whole animals/humans/spirits/ghosts/ancestors side of things right now. 

DECK USED:  HALLOWEEN MAGIC TAROT

Making Yourself The Outsider

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was skipped again today. I probably shouldn’t have, but I had so much crap to get done, plus a phone appointment with my shrink… and everything just got away with me a bit.  So.. it didn’t get done.  I do plan on giving it a go when I lie down to go to bed tho.

Tarot of Haunted House - Four of WandsToday’s draw is the Four of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of homecomings and celebration…. and celebratory homecomings.  There is a stability to this theme, and comfort as well.

There aren’t many cards in this deck I feel this way about, but I’m not really sure about the imagery for this card in this deck.  What I see here feels a lot more like a Hierophant card than the Four of Wands.  

That said, what really stands out to me in this card today is the four pillars and the burst of flame atop each of them.  That imagery of stability and celebration then draws my eye down to the knife held in a sacrificial downward angle, which then draws my eye down to the two figures that appear to have turned to look back at the viewer.

These three points feel like levels in this card, and what I see here is more about -not- feeling welcome.  It’s about feeling like an outsider. An outlier.  You can see the stability and the celebration in the distance, but there are forbidding obstacles between where you now stand and that comfort hinted at in the four pillars. 

The message here is to not allow issues with self worth or confidence cut you out of the places where you should belong.  These negative feelings and derogatory self-narratives that make you feel like an outsider?  They aren’t what others are thinking.  They are only what you are thinking.  Don’t project your self-worth issues on others and assume that they perceive you as you see yourself.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF HAUNTED HOUSE

LionHart’s #TheOctoberTarot #SeasonOfTheWitchChallenge Prompt
Question: It’s just a bunch of hocus pocus, this card today will be my focus.

Grim Tarock - Five of CitadelsThe collection of buildings along the cliff’s face are piled atop each other and disintegrating under the wear of time.  Rocks tumble  and foundations crumble.

The Five of Citadels is a reminder about upkeep.

When you do a little each day to care for the upkeep of those things that are important to you, over time these things wear well and remain in good condition, creating a long future.

If, on the other hand, you do not do that little bit of care each day, over time things deteriorate a little at a time.  And soon, you find that those things you care about have fallen apart and no longer hold value.

The focus that this card prompts for me today is to make sure I’m doing the little work.  One small thing a day is enough to help keep things from falling apart… whether that’s self care, or home care, or relationships…. or anything of value.

DECK USED:  GRIM TAROCK

#DiscordTarotholicsOct2020 Challenge Prompt
Philosophical Question: Where do you find meaning in your life?

Hephoe TapoQueen of Wands atop The Hierophant – Through my passion for teaching and guiding others. I have found, especially as I’ve gotten older, that I greatly enjoy guiding others to help them in finding their own unique path, and teaching them in different skills and knowledge that I’ve collected along the way in my own life.  I want to help others in finding their own passions, their own interests, and their own beliefs.  I love occasionally hearing when something I’ve offered up “clicks” for someone and helps them in their own journey, or just knowing that I’ve helped in some way in making their life “fit” them better in some way.

The Emperor – Having a sense of independence and control.  These are things I need in my life. I require them.  And, in fact, it is a need that I have built a good deal of my life around, from how I am employed to how my relationships with others work, and even in how I relate to people and the world around me. 

Knight of Swords atop Ten of Pentacles – Going after my ambitions towards stability, security, and a comfortable living.  I feel that this answer is as much about the “going after” as it is about the obtaining of this goal. While I feel a need for stability and structure?  I also feel that need to strive for something, to push for something.  This stability and security is a sort of “moving target” that constantly stimulates that need to strive for something… and at the same time manage to accomplish just enough to fulfill that constant need for security.

DECK USED:  HEPHOE TAPO

#MysticStarChallenge October Challenge Prompt
Question: What is the significance behind this missed message from yesterday?

Dark Grimoire Tarot

Reading Summary: Lean on others (Three of Pentacles) instead of killing yourself trying to juggle everything on your own (Two of Pentacles). Depending on others is a choice that you have to consciously make for yourself (The Lovers)… and it will make your life better and more emotionally fulfilling in the end (Nine of Cups).

Take Away:  What these cards are saying is that I need to fill my life with people that love me and want to help.  By doing this, as time goes on, I will find the benefits spill over from my work and into my life at large and that even if I one day grown into a lonely old man alone in the world, I will feel emotionally fulfilled by all those past people that were a part of my life. The key here is that this is a choice.  A choice you make for yourself.  Letting people in is a choice that you have to start early and allow to then carry forward through the years ahead.

DECK USED:  DARK GRIMOIRE TAROT

Choosing Your Poison

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was curtailed in the face of my need for a nap… because I totally dozed off in the middle of my meditation. I’ll try again before I go to sleep tonight but I’ve had two naps today, bot of them unanticipated, so… yeah.   Definitely not taking the chance of lying down again until bed time.

Tarot of Haunted House - The DevilToday’s draw is the Devil card, which is traditionally a representation of themes and situations that have to do with addictions and temptations.  It’s about those things you fall into that seem good and can become unhealthy if allowed to go to far, and about the bad habits and addictions that you fall into and then find yourself unwilling to leave behind even when you know they are bad for you.

I very much try to keep in mind Gideon’s take on this card.  For me, this card is often a representation of addiction, and a representation of the temptation that my addictive personality can create for me.  For him, it is a reminder of the temptation of me… how obsessed and addicted to me that he is.

Regardless of the temptation or addiction is beneficial or not, though. What really stands out to me in this card (and in many Devil cards) is that the chains on those caught and bound are loose. They could slip free.

The message of today’s card is that you choose your addictions and what temptations you want to allow into your life.  It’s important to pay attention and be diligent so that you make conscious choices about these things, instead of just wandering randomly from one to another.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF HAUNTED HOUSE

#DiscordTarotholicsOct2020 Challenge Prompt
Question:How can I best release negativity carried froward from my ancestors to me?

Cryptid TarotReading Summary: Instead of getting up in arms (Five of Wands – Tatzelwurm) when disaster strikes (The Tower – Mothman), take control and plunge into it (The Chariot – Kelpie).

Take Away:  Be proactive about the direction you go in and how you react to the chaos that starts to crash around you.  Don’t shirk, and don’t get your back up about it, move forward, adapt, and keep moving.  

It’s the difference between fighting change, or actually moving with it and adapting to it.  Sometimes, you have to just allow change to happen and control your own actions and responses rather than fighting against the change and causing things to go even harder on yourself.

DECK USED:  THE CRYPTID TAROT

#MysticStarChallenge October Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I utilize mine and my Spirit Guide’s different personalities to my advantage?

Trick or Tarot

Reading Summary: When I’m in need of help (Five of Swords), just remember that they’ve been through all this before (Ten of Swords), and they’re trying to help by giving advice based on knowledge that they have obtained through experience (Queen of Swords).

Take Away:  It’s about trusting what I hear, and trusting what I fee.  They give me messages through the same sensations as my intuition to make sure I listen, so remember that the advice comes from a good place and is the same as when someone that’s been to war gives someone that hasn’t advice on using a gun.  It’s guidance given through expertise I didn’t have to live myself to take advantage of.

DECK USED:  TRICK OR TAROT

You Don’t Have To Do It Alone

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_6992Today’s meditation was  just over ten minutes long and was another guided meditation with interval timer.   The thing is tho?  I wasn’t really paying attention to the guided meditation part today.  I’ve been a bit flaky and “off” today, which means that I’ve not been able to really fully focus or concentrate today.  Which is fine, because a blank mind was very easy to fall into…. but listening to that guided meditation as she spoke about whatever it was she was speaking about?  Not so easy.   And even if I listened to it (which I’m almost positive I didn’t), I clearly didn’t retain it.

At the same time?  I liked the quote provided by the meditation today, so I included it in this post.  It speaks to the survivor in me, and to the chronic pain patient in me.

It speaks to me of acceptance so that you can continue on.  Being told that you will never be pain free again, that you will be in constant pain for the rest of your life? It’s a hard pill to swallow.  A really, really hard pill to swallow.  But, once you can accept it and choose to live on and enjoy life regardless, tho?  Then your life finds ways to stretch and accommodate for that pain, allowing for you to have love and joy and all those experiences alongside it…. instead of having to forsake them all because of it.

Tarot of Haunted House - TemperanceToday’s draw is the Temperance card, which is traditional representation of well… temperance.  Wikipedia says that Temperance is defined as “moderation or voluntary self-restraint... typically described in terms of what an individual voluntarily refrains from doing. This includes restraint from revenge by practicing non-violence and forgiveness, restraint from arrogance by practicing humility and modesty, restraint from excesses such as extravagant luxury or splurging by practicing prudence, and restraint from rage or craving by practicing calmness and self-control.”

Although this is a large part of what the Temperance card is about, it is not the whole of it, as the Temperance card goes beyond the virtues of moderation and also reaches past them into the philosophical spiritual connection that practicing those virtues can create.  This means that the Temperance card is not just about the virtues of moderation, but also a connection to one’s spirituality, and thus a connection between the earth and divinity.

I don’t really see much in the way of the spiritual aspects in the imagery of today’s card, though.  What I see here is a statement about restraint and moderation being a choice.

The message here is about making that choice. Moderation is not a strong suit for me, and when I find myself at a point where I am no longer able to make that choice on my own?  It ends up being something I have to walk away from instead.  The encouragement here is to not walk away so quickly, but work harder at making moderation a standard in life…. perhaps with the help of others when needed.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF HAUNTED HOUSE

LionHart’s #TheOctoberTarot #SeasonOfTheWitchChallenge Prompt
Question: Ever mind the rule of three, what ye send out {card 1}, comes back to thee {card 2}.

Dark Angels TarotReading Summary: Sharing your knowledge and skills (The Magician) carelessly with those unwilling to walk the path and do the work (Eight of Swords)… and you are charging directly into regret and backlash for your reckless behavior (Knight of Cups Rx).

Ever mind the rule of three, what ye send out {reckless sharing of knowledge and tools to those not ready for such things}, comes back to thee {backlash for your reckless behavior}.

Take Away:  And this is why I do not provide hexes, spells, curses, etc. to novice witches… or to any witches for that matter. If they don’t have the knowledge under their belt to make their own spells, then they’re not far enough down the path yet to do the spell they are asking about.

I actually just ran into the situation last night on a Discord server, and run into it pretty regularly with new witches that have not figured out that this practice is something to be respected and not a toy.  I’m not referring to basic candle spells or things like that.  I’m referring to advanced spellwork (which hexes and curses definitely fall into).

I’m happy to provide guidance on ingredients that might benefit certain purposes and tools that might help someone get where they want to go within their spellcraft, but I’m not giving anybody any spells or curses or hexes. In my personal opinion and experience, people need time and practice to grow and be able to build their own experience and spells, and adapt them to be personal to them… instead of just cut copy and paste what someone else gives them without understanding any of what they’re doing or what the elements they’re using mean.

Obviously, as you can see, this is a pet peeve of mine.

DECK USED:  DARK ANGELS TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsOct2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What negativity in my ancestral history is it time to let go of in the present?

Golden Age of Horror Comics TarotReading Summary: Sometimes when you trust in others to do the work for you (Three of Cups) instead of doing it yourself (The Magician) you can end up experiencing malicious backlash (Witch in the Background of the Three of Cups) and hardship as a result (Five of Pentacles).

Take Away: Although I don’t agree with a lot of the ways that I was raised, one thing that I do agree with is that I was raised to be independent, strong, and hard-working. I was taught that there are no good shortcuts, therefore there’s no point in looking for them because they only end up causing problems.

This is something that my ancestors have learned, and through them I was taught to be different and do different… learning from their mistakes.

DECK USED:  GOLDEN AGE OF HORROR COMICS TAROT

#MysticStarChallenge October Challenge Prompt
Question: How does my personality align with that of my Spirit Guides?

Cute and Creepy Tarot

Reading Summary: I am open to my intuition (The High Priestess) and willing to follow where it leads (Knight of Cups), and in doing so, embrace the results as they pour in along the way (Nine of Cups).

Take Away:  My personality aligns with that of my spirit guides because I am open to allowing direction from my subconscious and my intuition, and they’re taking that opportunity to lead me forward and help me find positive outcomes in my life.   Without my willingness to blindly follow these qualities in myself… qualities they manipulate to nudge me along in my trajectory…. and without their willingness to do the nudging?  It wouldn’t all come together so seamlessly or winningly.

DECK USED:  CUTE AND CREEPY TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What does magick mean to me?

Murder of Crows Tarot

Six of Wands – An interest to excel at.

The thing is?  I enjoy the spellcraft and magic(k) part of my path, quite a lot.  I enjoy the studying and the learning, the researching and the experimentation.  I enjoy expanding my horizons and finding my strengths and affinities.  I also enjoy being knowledgeable in these areas and able to help others (and yes, at times, even looked up to by others) with knowledge and experience I can share.

The Star – A way to connect spiritually with the world around me and its energies.

My faith is based upon the energies that surround us.  Energies of the elements, energies of creation, evolution, and balance.  These energies are how I see divinity, how I grasp how the world works, and are the foundation of my path.  Spellcraft and magic(k) are at their very core taking control and direction of energy through intent and using tools assist in that purpose.  In this way, spellcraft and magic(k) then becomes an extension of my faith, and a connection to divinity.

The Chariot – And a means to an end.

None of the above changes the fact that spellcraft and magic(k) is a tool.  It is something that is used to accomplish a goal.  You put your intention into action to make something happen using energy as the force for moving things along.

Take Away:  In the end, spellcraft and magic(k) are many things to me, although these three are definitely at the top of the list.  It’s a part of my faith, a means to an end, a connection to divinity, and a passionate pursuit. It is a sense of security and a lifelong past-time, a hereditary gift passed down from my mother and my ancestors… and much more.

DECK USED:  MURDER OF CROWS TAROT

Don’t Dawdle Too Long

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_6970Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long and was another of the guided meditations with interval timer for my piriformis stretches.  I’m sort of wondering if the additional soreness I’m feeling lately isn’t just because I skipped a couple of days of stretching, but also because I have not been going in to the sports medicine doctor for adjustments since the spring.

The topic of today’s meditation was in taking a pause when reacting and responding to others to check if you are being kind.   It focused upon the quote by Rumi that is posted in this blog post to the right.   I’ve never heard this quote by Rumi before, but I can honestly say that it’s become one of my favorites.  I work really hard to do this when I interact with others… although perhaps the “Is it necessary” gets skipped a bit more than it should.  Still, I think it is a good guideline, and something as a whole that we all need to keep in mind more often.

Tarot of Haunted House - The Hanged ManToday’s draw is the Hanged Man, which is traditionally a representation of taking a step back to mull things over or see things from a new and different perspective.  This involves letting go of your own preconceptions and opening your mind to a new view.

Although I see this in the imagery of today’s card, the card’s imagery brings up more questions than answers today.   The reason for this is that the skeleton hangs in darkness beyond an opening in a brick wall.  From that I begin to wonder just how long has that skeleton been hanging there?  How did it get there?  How was it discovered?

These questions bring me to what I feel is the message of today’s card.  That is to say, the message here is about just how long you take in that “step back” to consider other perspectives.  Yes…. making decisions requires seeing as much of the “whole picture” as possible.  But if you get so wrapped up and focused on collecting data?  Sometimes  you end up missing the opportunities presented to you.   It’s a delicate balance, making sure you don’t hang there in limbo so long that you end up walled in.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF HAUNTED HOUSE

LionHart’s #TheOctoberTarot #SeasonOfTheWitchChallenge Prompt
Question: I am in control of the path I walk by…

Curio Tarot

Reading Summary: …being generous and kind with your emotions (Queen of Cups), and not allowing your drive to be more and do better get in the way (King of Cups Rx). Instead, you need to make sure you’re taking time to rest and recover (Four of Swords) and focus on your balance (Two of Pentacles).

Note: The “to do more and be better” is more about the fact that the King of the same suit showed up beside the Queen of Cups, rather than the connotations of the suit he is in.

Take Away:  The indication here is that it is not me in control of my path when I’m allowing those inner demons to drive me on the focus of “more more more”. It’s only when I take control of my life balance, be kind to myself, and allow myself the rest and restoration I need in that I am truly in control.

DECK USED:  CURIO TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsOct2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I embrace positive influences carried forward from my ancestors?

The Dark Mansion TarotReading Summary: Open your eyes (Two of Swords) and look forward at your progress concerning that emotional intelligence you’ve been working on (Queen of Cups). Inspire others with your kindness to believe in you and fight for you (Queen of Cups leading up into the Seven of Wands).

Note: The Queen of Cups came up reversed, but I think it is more to the point that she is supposed to be looking to the right (and the future), rather than the fact that the card actually means it’s reversed meaning.

Take Away:  It is a conscious choice to reach for progress and embrace the lessons the Queen of Cups has to offer about your emotions and how they influence not just yourself but others as well.

For so long I have chosen to ignore my emotions and their influences. I learned this behavior from those in my past… and this new path I am on is guided by not just my desire to break the pattern but the spirit guides that are there to help guide me along the way.

DECK USED:  THE DARK MANSION TAROT

#MysticStarChallenge October Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I better embrace my Spirit Guide’s message from the 6th?

Grim Tarock

Reading Summary: Sometimes in moving on from what isn’t working for you (Eight of Fish), you find something better (Ten of Citadels). Learn to accept what you’re leaving behind isn’t worth keeping, and it’s worth the sludge and slog of the journey to move forward beyond it (The Hierophant).

Obviously this reading is based off the imagery and not the suits/card names.  The “learn to” is a nod to the Hierophant’s traditional meaning, but otherwise this reading is imagery focused.

Take Away:  When you abandon what is familiar, there’s always a bit of fear involved. That’s true even when what you’re leaving behind is something that doesn’t work for you or is unhealthy for you.  It’s important, during these times, to remember that what you’re moving toward is worth slogging through all that worry and fear.  As long as you keep moving, you’ll get there.  Just don’t look back.

DECK USED:  GRIM TAROCK

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What does the Sun mean to me?

The Cryptid Tarot

Reading Summary: Let’s use those swords (Eight of Swords/Averasboro Gallinipper) to make something great (Ten of Pentacles/Yowie), and let’s do it with enthusiasm (Knight of Wands/Gef the Mongoose).

Take Away:  That critter in the Eight of Swords card is probably pretty blind to just how useful those sword legs can be, but with the help of the Yowie and Gef, goth of which have a far more positive outlook going on, it’s possible to turn what appears to be a dangerous handicap into a positive boon.

This is the energy I see in the Sun, that transformative energy that can turn things around and instill a positive or optimistic spin on something perceived to be negative.

DECK USED:  THE CRYPTID TAROT

Start As You Want To Continue

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_6923Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long and was another of the guided meditation with interval timer added in for the position shifts of my piriformis stretches. It’s been a few days now since I’ve skipped my meditation and those stretches, and I’m still struggling with getting my flexibility back that I lost by skipping two days in a row. It’s not so much that I can’t get into the same stretch as before? It’s that it takes longer for my body to release in those stretches, which means it hurts longer, yeah?

Okay, so anyway. Today’s guided meditation focused on practicing a bit of “distance” in our experiences so that we have a beat in which to think before we react. This is a really good practice that is especially valuable when it comes to dealing with anger or frustration.

Developing the ability to take that momentary ‘beat’ of a second when you are feeling reactionary?  It is that split second between snapping at someone for no reason and ruining their day, and realizing you’re being snippy and course correcting not just your own day, but keeping from damaging someone else’s.

Tarot of Haunted House - Two of WandsToday’s draw is the Two of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of making plans and preparations, plotting the course forward, planning for the future, and focusing on progress.

While the poppet card in this deck was my second favorite card in this deck?  This is my third favorite.   Interestingly, though… it isn’t the spirit board and hand that draw my attention this time when I see this card, but rather the open window and the moon beyond.

There is also a significant pull in the imagery in relation to the foreground and the distant background.  There is a huge stretch here between the two, and yet both seem so close at the same time.

The message that I see in today’s card is to start as you wish to continue forward.  Today is a new day.  If you want to do meditation every day? Start today… don’t skip it.  If you want to do an hour of prep every day? Start today… don’t skip it. Procrastination breeds more procrastination, so stop procrastinating and be proactive instead.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF HAUNTED HOUSE

LionHart’s #TheOctoberTarot #SeasonOfTheWitchChallenge Prompt
Question: Something I could work on to strengthen/grow my magic.

Tarot Z

Reading Summary:  Look into better (Ace of Pentacles) and more proactive wards and protections (Five of Wands) that will allow for lower effort and more rest and recovery (Four of Swords)

Take Away:  Okay, so I agree that my wards and protections that I have in place in my home are a bit excessive.  Especially concerning that the Fae I have accepted and welcomed into my home seem to police themselves quite well.  This excessive approach was born from the home invasion that took my voice and, for a minute or two, my life.

It also stole a great deal of my sense of security, that I shored up using these wards and protections I’d developed.    The thing is though?  They do take a lot of work and time and magical energy to keep up.  This energy could be directed in other areas… but to be comfortable doing that I think I need to do some shadow work on that feeling of vulnerability that the home invasion caused.

DECK USED:  TAROT Z

#DiscordTarotholicsOct2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What positive theme/event in my ancestral past do I need to acknowledge?

Trick or TarotReading Summary:  Overcoming (The Sun) bad habits and unhealthy temptations (Old Scratch) through innovative ideas, as well as communication and learning from others (Page of Swords).

Take Away:  The indication in these cards is that this is a pattern. The cards here are saying that my addictive personality traits are a hereditary thing, and something that cycles through the life of my self and the ancestors before me. And that those who have used the advice of others and shared their struggles find innovative ways to rise above and find a better more positive path.

DECK USED:  TRICK OR TAROT

#MysticStarChallenge October Challenge Prompt
Question: What message do my spirit guides have for me today?

Tarot of Vampyres

Reading Summary: Make choices (Seven of Grails) that lift you up and allow for you to nurture yourself and others (Queen of Skulls). This is a learning process towards a new future (Daughter of Scepters), and like all learning processes there’s going to be some stumbling blocks along the way (Five of Pentacles).

Take Away:  The message here is about making sure that I’m being kind to myself and easy on myself when I stumble or back slide a bit on this new path of work/home balance and emotional intelligence that I’ve been traveling on. 

DECK USED:  TAROT OF VAMPYRES

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What is my biggest challenge when keeping a spiritual journal?

Da Brigh Black Tarot

Reading Summary: A traditional spiritual journal requires me to be self directed in expressing my emotions (Queen of Cups) without the support and help of others to assist me (Two of Cups) in working through the difficult times and struggles (Five of Spheres).

Interestingly? I thought that this reading was going to tell me that it was about time… but instead it called me out on that issue of “time” being an excuse instead of a genuine reason.

Take Away:  I used to keep a physical journal that was a blend of my spirituality and my personal tarot readings. The thing is? There’s no accountability at all, no encouragement… no input or new perspectives to be had or suggested, and no support. All of these things made it really hard to keep up on this physical journal.

Now?  I do most of my journaling here, and when something needs delved into deeper?  I do it with Gideon.  As I’ve picked up on how much personal readings I do over the past year, it has given a lot of fodder for picking up these helpful conversations. This has created a dynamic that provides me with different viewpoints than my own, as well as support, and also an opportunity to teach someone about my beliefs and my practices a little at a time.   All of this has been a huge plus for me.

DECK USED:  DA BRIGH BLACK TAROT