tarot of haunted house

A Nest Egg Reminder

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_6901Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and was a combination of a guided meditation and interval timer for the switching positions of my piriformis stretching.  I haven’t done my piriformis stretches in a few days, and I can definitely feel it today.  The pull up into my spine and along my internal scar tissue was pretty intense, but it wasn’t so bad that it didn’t release with time.

The focus of the guided part of this meditation was about magic in the every day.  The thing is that there are times when repetitive actions and the mundane can sometimes feel very boring.  You walk the same path to and from work every day, and after a while it feels like there’s nothing new to see, yeah?

The meditation today encouraged listeners that that’s when it’s time to really start paying attention to the details around you and sinking into the experience. Pay attention to the patterns of leaves on the sidewalk, the smells in the air, the feel of the breeze, the whisper of tree’s branches or the blooming and fading of flowers. Become invested in the nuances and details, and you soon find that no two days are alike, no to walks are alike.  Everything changes, even those things we feel bored with or stagnant.

Tarot of Haunted House - Four of PentaclesToday’s draw is the Four of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of stability and security in the areas of finance, resources, hearth and home, health, and manifestations.  It’s about conservation of resources and creating a sense of security by having what one needs.

This is my second favorite card in this deck, and it is so funny that it came up today because when I shuffled the cards, I saw it on the bottom of the deck and specifically thought  “God I love that card.  If it’s meant to come up, it’ll come up”.  And then?  It popped right out of the deck for my pull during shuffling.

Poppets are used for a variety of different purposes.  Curses and hexes are what is most commonly known since they were made familiar through works of voodoo.  And yet?  That is not the only way these magical artifacts are used or the only thing they are used for.   Here in this picture?  You see a money poppet.  A boon spell for drawing in good fortune.  Specifically good fortune in the area of one’s finances and resources.

The message in this card is to “tend to your garden” and foster it’s growth.  Through that growth.  Through focusing on collecting and saving and creating a “nest egg” of a cushion, you create a sense of stability in your life that allows for shit to happen and life to continue on in some semblance of “normal”, even when times are at their hardest.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF HAUNTED HOUSE

LionHart’s #TheOctoberTarot #SeasonOfTheWitchChallenge Prompt
Question: What can I do to honor the magick within me?

Anne Stokes Gothic Tarot

Reading Summary: Hold tight to the faith (The Star) that you have the skills, abilities, and capability to deal with (The Magician) all of those things that you’re worried about (Nine of Swords).

Take Away:  To honor the magic within me, it’s important to accept that I have all that I need to deal with all the issues and all the worries that plague me.  It’s about having trust and faith that everything is going to work out, because no matter what life throws at me?  I can deal with it, adapt, and in the end?  Find a path of positive growth forward beyond it.  These worries? They’re just a distraction.  Set them aside and trust I can deal with what comes, no matter what it might be.

DECK USED:  ANNE STOKES GOTHIC TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsOct2020 Challenge Prompt
Topic: Do Spread #1
Question: How can I shrug off this feeling of blah and ineptitude?

Cute and Creepy TarotReading Summary: Both sevens RX. Stop looking at all the choices (Seven of Cups Rx) and make a dive for what you want (Knight of Cups) and do it now. No time like the present (Seven of Pentacles Rx).

There is a connection between the Seven of Cups and the Knight of cups in both coloring and theme.  This goes beyond the “Cups” suit correspondence and into how the two cards flow together.  Pick one cup.  Just one.  And go after it full force.

There is also a connection between the Seven of Cups and Seven of Pentacles that goes beyond the fact they are both Rx and both sevens.  This has to do with the clusters in both cards.  Many cups.  May pentacles.  Choices and selections and abundance that has turned against you, indicating a need to downsize.

Take Away:  Stop allowing everything that needs to be done overwhelm you and set you into a stagnant paralysis.  Pick one thing.  Just one thing… and do it.  Then pick another.  Don’t worry about all of it at once, and don’t worry about if you’re going to get it all done or not.  You can’t eat an entire cake in one bite, and you can’t get the prep done all at once.  Work at it one piece at a time instead.

DECK USED:  CUTE AND CREEPY TAROT

#MysticStarChallenge October Challenge Prompt
Question:  In what way do I embody the ______ card?

Skele-Tarot

My Card – Ace of Cups – The seed of beginnings of new relationships, new dynamics within existing relationships, new creative ideas, and new emotions.

In what way do I embody the Ace of Cups card?
Page of Cups, Five of Pentacles, Three of Cups

I’m doing my best to expand my emotional intelligence, and sometimes that is going to cause me to feel negative emotions, but I understand that these things are temporary and there is renewal ahead which means there is always hope.

DECK USED:  SKELE-TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What are my magickal influences?

Spirit of Halloween Tarot

Reading Summary:  In my life right now I am at a place where I struggle to lift the blindfold and see clearly my path forward (Eight of Swords). For a time, this caused me to lose faith in my abilities to ride out what may come and turn it around in my favor (The Magician).  Beside the cards that represent this struggle reside a card indicating the two prominent aspects of my life at the moment.  The Nine of Pentacles speaks of my goals and my current feelings of security and comfort.  The Ace of Cups represents my efforts at that new level of emotional intelligence and the growth I’ve managed so far this year… which is truly just the beginning of a much longer journey.

Take Away:  My magical influences at this time are being blocked.  The influence that helps me the greatest is my ingenuity and my adaptability, but with my current state, I am muffling it and drowning it beneath feelings of overwhelm that cloud my vision.  

DECK USED:  SPIRIT OF HALLOWEEN TAROT

An Emotional Buoy

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Today’s meditation was skipped.  I didn’t really want to, but I also didn’t want to spend hours and hours on the road today and that’s exactly what I did.   So… yeah.   It just didn’t happen.  When I got home from the drive, I ate and then laid down on the couch and crashed hard.

Tarot of Haunted House - The StarToday’s draw is the Star card, which is traditionally a representation of a hope, optimism, and a connection with spirituality and/or divinity.

This is a really interesting image in my opinion.  She is waist deep in water, hands clasped in prayer.  This connection to all that water that is seen in the card incorporates a great deal more emotion into the Star card than I usually see in this particular card.  Yes, the card means hope and optimism and potential…. but it also is usually about connecting with spirituality and bridging the gap between the physical and the spiritual.

Here, we see the star card fully immersed in the spiritual and emotional, and only the reeds that surround her hint at the physical aspects of the world.

What I see here as the message in the imagery of this card today has to do with connecting to my intuition and my faith, blending together inner knowledge and hope so that they are incorporated into one another.  I need to allow my spirituality and inner knowledge to help in lifting me up emotionally when I am feeling that I stand on unsteady ground.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF HAUNTED HOUSE

LionHart’s #TheOctoberTarot #SeasonOfTheWitchChallenge Prompt
Question: What energy is available to me this month?

Hephoe Tapo

Reading Summary: Ignore (Eight of Swords) moderation (Temperance) and go after fulfillment (Nine of Cups). Don’t close yourself off from others right now (The Hermit Rx).

Take Away:  The energy available to me this month is exactly as it should be for this time of year.  I need that “plow forward” momentum in order to prep for what’s to come when next month rolls around.  The reminder in the reversed Hermit is simply to not put my head down so long that I lose touch with others in the process.

DECK USED:  HEPHOE TAPO

#DiscordTarotholicsOct2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What is my relationship with my ancestors / ancestry at this time?

Nicoletta Ciccoli TarotI am currently moving towards a more face to face relationship (Left Card) and budding collaboration (Center Card)… but I’m not quite there yet. They are still in the peripheral (Right Card).

There is a color coordination between the two left cards that indicates a connection between them.  Where the girl’s hair in the far left is orderly and coifed, in the center card it is frizzed out and all over the place. This hair change combined with the flutterbys in the air in the center card indicate that I need to reach for that inner voice and use it to “listen” to the energies around me.

I’m on the right track and I’m getting there in finding that closer relationship.  The left card indicates that I am actively pursuing this and putting effort into it.  The far right card indicates that it is paying off by creating stronger threads between myself and my guides/ancestors.  More reflection is needed (her eyes are closed) and more time needed (the darkness surrounding her in the background).

DECK USED:  NICOLETTA CICCOLI TAROT – MODIFIED – TRIMMED OFF TITLES AND BORDERS

#MysticStarChallenge October Challenge Prompt
Question: Pull a card. How does this card relate to my greater purpose?

Zombie Tarot - King of CupsThe King of Cups indicates that my greater purpose in this incarnation on earth is in the efforts I’m currently delving into, and learning how to not just connect to my emotions, but connect with other’s emotions as well, and find a balance between those emotions and my responsibilities.  

I would be neglectful to not mention that the King of Cups is also a representation of Gideon for me. In the aspect of this reading, the inference here is that he is not just meant to be a part of my life and someone that I very much believe my soul returns to again and again, but also someone that is here to help teach me how to get to know my emotions, feel them and learn them, and relate them to others, as well as help me in  find that balance between emotions and responsibility as more and more of my emotional self is unveiled and brought to the surface to be processed.

DECK USED:  ZOMBIE TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: Can I be open about my spirituality?

Ritual Abuse Tarot

Reading Summary: It might freak some people out sometimes (The Moon) which may cause some backlash (The Dog in the Moon), but you are comfortable and confident in your path (Two of Wands), and your inner compass and intuition know the way forward (The High Priestess).

Take Away:  The reading sort of took a sideways turn off the question because the question wasn’t really all that relevant to me.  I am very open about my spirituality.  It’s not so much that I shout it from the rooftops or tell everyone I meet, so much as I make no active effort to hide it… and am happy to mentor others when they appear in my life in need of guidance I can offer. I am not in the “broom closet” and haven’t been since I left my parent’s home at sixteen years old.  Sixteen years later?  I have absolutely no interest in stepping into the closet at this point.

DECK USED:  RITUAL ABUSE TAROT

The Unexpected Boon

/ Twist the Leaf / 2 Comments

Confession… I did not meditate today.  There’s just so many hours in a day, and so many ten minute segments in each hour, and I was significantly short on both today so it just didn’t get done.   Depending on when I get done with orders tonight (or tomorrow morning probably), I might be able to fit it in before bed.  At least… if I manage to get some sleep tonight and don’t end up pulling an all-nighter.

Madam Lydia Wilhelmina's Tarot - Ace of CoinsToday’s draw is the Ace of Coins, which is traditionally a representation of new beginnings and new opportunities in the areas of finances, resources, hearth and home, health, and manifestations. 

The thing is?  Today’s been a bit rough.  I’ve needed to be home getting work done and yet had to be out dealing with traffic and doctors and rude as fuck people.  And yet? 

*Clears his throat.*  Just about 1/8th of my remaining mortgage got paid off today out of the blue due to some serious surprise income.

SO!  The message in today’s card?  Don’t discount good things happening out of the blue.  Just don’t discount it.  Because it can happen when you’re least expecting it.  Was the money free?  Not by any means… but neither was the opportunity to earn it at all anticipated or even something I thought possible.   So… stay open to the possibilities, even the surprise ones. 

DECK USED:  MADAM LYDIA WILHELMINA’S TAROT

LionHart’s #TheOctoberTarot #SeasonOfTheWitchChallenge Prompt
Question: What is my major Hallowe’en / Samhain theme?

XII Tarot

Intuitive Hit:  Take your time and do it right.

Reading Summary: Okay so breaking this down, we have the Page of Cups as a learner in the area of emotions moving into the Four of Cups, which is about a disconnect between your motivation and your emotions.  The Five of Pentacles speaks of loss and struggle, but is overshadowed by Temperance expressively displayed with a searing sword though the heart.  What I see here is that when things move too fast, accidents happen.  When you aren’t willing to put in the effort and pay attention?  Bad things happen.  If you’re going to learn a new skill, or sink yourself into the process of learning?  It’s self defeating to not take your time or keep yourself invested through thick and thin.

Take Away:  And thus all of that circles back to the whisper of my intuition prior to breaking down the cards.   Take your time and do it right.

DECK USED:  XIII TAROT

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

Tarot of Haunted HouseReading Summary: Stand up for what’s yours (Seven of Wands) and those that collaborate with you (Three of Pentacles), and shine a light on (Knight of Wands) those that try to take from you (Seven of Swords).

Take Away: This fits with what my full moon ritual tonight was about, which is to say that it is a ritual that began with the new moon and beginning the process of building strength and condensing it over the past couple of weeks in order to refresh my home’s protective wards and other protections this evening.

I do not want a repeat of what happened last year, with the shadow of my father’s influences invading my life to create significant inner struggle and a sickening shrivel of sensation in my soul as the month progressed toward its end.  For the month of October and November, I’ve therefore chosen to up my wards and protections, shifting their focus and construction over this time period to include these issues.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF HAUNTED HOUSE

#MysticStarChallenge October Challenge Prompt
Prompt: The card for this month is the ______, which indicates…

Carnival at the End of the World Tarot - The HierophantThe card for this month is the Hierophant card, which indicates that you will have much to learn this month, and many people to share what you learn with, to teach, and guide along the way.

During this month it will also be important to remember that not all traditions and “old ways” of doing things are bad or need to be broken… or even altered.

Sometimes when we get too carried away with our own independence, we forget that many of the “old ways” of doing things have lasted as long as they have for a reason.  Because they hold meaning, and because they work.  It will be important to pay attention to what old ways you might be discarding without truly thinking through their value.

DECK USED:  CARNIVAL AT THE END OF THE WORLD TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: A message for my spiritual path.

Ludy Lescot Tarot

Reading Summary: Listen closely to your inner wisdom and intuition (High Priestess) and allow it to tell you when the time for celebration (Three of Cups) of your accomplishments (Six of Wands) is needed (Justice)

Take Away:  The thing is?  I have a very difficult time giving myself the credit that I deserve.  I am aware of this issue.  Gideon calls it modesty, but I’m not really sure that’s what it is at all.  It is far more likely that it has to do with that “never enough” shadow of mine.

The message for my spiritual path is that I need to start healing that inner shadow by listening to the quiet whispers  in the darkness that tell me when I’ve done something good… listen to them and allow them to lift me up.  Wallow, even if just briefly, in that moment of elation.   In doing so, I am helping to balance out the scales between that shadow’s influences and my need for growth and progress.

DECK USED:  LUDY LESCOT TAROT

Surrender and Change

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Today’s meditation was just over twelve minutes long and focused on surrendering to change.  That is to say, not fighting against it but allowing it to take you along and flowing with it, and thus reducing stress through an attitude of acceptance and surrender.

World Card - Dark Mansion Tarot Today’s draw is The World card of the Major Arcana, meaning that it deals with an overall picture rather than one specific facet of the human experience.

The World card represents completion and the ending of a cycle as well as the movement of stepping through the end of a cycle into the next.   The World Card also holds within it the representation of one’s ascension from one level of development on to the next.

The message in today’s card is an echo of the meditation I did this morning.  That is to say, to not fight change.   Change is the birthplace of learning and growth.  Without it, the world sits stagnant.   But, when you relax into change instead of fighting it, you move forward and, along the way you “level up” in your growth.

Deck Used: Dark Mansion Tarot

Bonus Reading

Another #TarotForGrowthOctober prompt.

Question: How can I bring more balance into my life?

Tarot of Haunted House Reading Summary: Surrender is again in the theme for this reading as well, with mention of surrendering (Ten of Swords) to a new way of experiencing my emotions (Ace of Cups), and making wise choices (intuitive hit off the imagery of the Seven of Pentacles) that will foster sustainable growth (also Seven of Pentacles) and stability in the area of my finances and resources (Four of Pentacles).

And can I just say?  I really love the imagery in this deck.

Take Away:  With the shadow work I’m beginning and all of the drowns and closeness lately, I feel more open and tender lately, which is very difficult for me not to fight against.  This openness leaves me a bit more vulnerable to my worries concerning my finances and stability, but if I stay on track in saving the money I need to get saved for the financial obligations I have coming up at the end of the year, my worries will ease up and everything will be fine.

Deck Used: Tarot of Haunted House

Get Motivated

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes, and focused on World Mental Health Day (which is today) and how to be kinder to ourselves, especially when you have mental health problems.

It discussed why people try to hide their mental health illness because of the concern for being rejected by others and be shamed for this weakness.  It addressed seeking acceptance in ourselves for the issues that we have to deal with, in the same way you find acceptance for when you have a cold, or diabetes, or any other medical issue.

The guided meditation encouraged the listener to challenge their self judgements and find a path to a better acceptance of the self and your own personal struggles.

This is something that I had to struggle with early in life.  In fact, I had undiagnosed depression as far back as my early teens or perhaps even earlier than that.  When Z realized what was going on, she advocated with me to my parents, pushing them to allow me to seek treatment, but it wasn’t until I was emancipated at the age of sixteen that I had the freedom to do so for myself.   In my family, mental illness was treated as something to be ashamed of.  A fatal flaw even worse than being gay (which was my father’s main issue with me from childhood on in life).

By accepting that I needed help and going to GET that help, it was clearly understood that I was not just casting shame upon myself, but upon my family as a whole.  Obviously, this is NOT something that bothered me as much as it might have, because I was so far down that rabbit hole with my sexual preferences and independence by that point that what was one more log on the fire, right?   Still, the shame -did- ride me for quite a long time.  Especially the shame of needing medication.

It wasn’t until I found a medication that took away my suicidal thoughts and urges that this shame began to lift.  Because… how can you argue with that benefit, right?  Now, when I see judgement, I advocate.  And I hope that others will learn, as I did, that it’s okay to need a little help.

Halloween Tarot Today’s draw is another double without a jumper, which means that they both came out of the deck together.  The cards in today’s draw are the Emperor card of the Major Arcana, and the King of Bats (Swords).

I know what it’s saying, and I’m just SO resistant to it today.   Silly, I know.  But there you have it.

The message in today’s cards is to “Be the Boss”.   In other words, do your work, do the responsible thing, take charge and get your shit done.   I know it’s supposed to be an energizing and empowering message, but all I really feel like doing today is loafing off.

Unfortunately, that is a luxury for another day if i want to ship out orders tomorrow (which I very much do need and want to do that).

Traditional meanings for the Emperor include dominance and authority, structure, and a projective alpha energy that is instilled into the “big picture”, rather than into one specific aspect of the human experience.

Traditional representation for the King of Bats (Swords) are on the theme of a projective alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of the mind, thought, intellect, communication, and instinct.  This includes themes surrounding mental clarity and intellectual power, as well as (you guessed it) dominance and authority.

Deck Used: Halloween Tarot

Bonus Reading

Another #TarotForGrowthOctober prompt again today.  I’m definitely going to try to do the bonus readings every day (or near to it) for the rest of this month.

Question: How can I more fully love and accept myself?

Tarot of Haunted House Reading Summary: Set the spark (Ace of Wands) and carry that spark forward (Knight of Wands) into the things that interest and challenge you (King of Swords).  Sometimes it’s okay to need to be alone (intuitive hit off the imagery in the Three of Cups).

Take Away: If I want to more fully love and accept myself, I need to not just respect and take note of those inner sparks of ambition and inspiration, but go after them.  And not just the easy ones, but the ones that really make me work for that sense of accomplishment. Most of the time, these types of projects, aspirations, and ideas require buckling down and focus, which is not something I can do in the company of others.  Alone time is valuable in these pursuits, IF I use it productively.

TL:DR?  Stop using alone time to loaf off, and instead use that time to get to work on the things that spark my ambition and challenge my intellect.

Deck Used: Tarot of Haunted House