tarot of the hidden realm

The Nest

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes and twenty eight seconds, and focused on how people have a natural tendency to get stuck in their comfort zone and become resistant to trying new things.

I think that this is true for just about everybody, and there’s a reason that most people struggle with change. Myself included. The meditation was guided in encouraging the listener to open up to change now and then, rather than staying stagnant in one’s comfort zone all the time.

Today’s draw is the Nine of Cups, which is an representation of contentment, fruition, gratitude, and sometimes culmination and resulting consequences in the area of emotions, relationships, and creativity.

The appearance of the Nine of Cups today is a reminder to be grateful for what you have now. With so much pushing and shoving forward in my drive to get things done, stay on track, and get ahead… Sometimes I forget that what I have right now is really pretty damn good.

Today, this card is a reminder to take some time to be content and what you have and be grateful for it, rather than always striving for more.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

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Today’s meditation was fifteen minutes and forty eight seconds, and focused on bringing mindfulness into daily life instead of just during meditation.

It discussed how easy it is to get distracted and overwhelmed during the day, and how taking a moment now and then to take a breath and pay attention to that moment and all that entails in the physical world can help in getting out of one’s mind and the constant wild turbulence that is often going on up there.

Today’s draw is the Two of Pentacles, which is a representation of duality, division, and openings in the areas of resources, money, and the physical world.

In the standard tarot, the Two of Pentacles has an image of someone in the process of juggling and looking slightly overwhelmed with an infinity wrapping around the juggled items. In the Tarot of the Hidden Realm, on the other hand, you can see that there is a much softer image portrayed, with a Fae watching over the growth of a plant.

I like this softer image. I like that it shows both the duality of the nurture and growth dynamic, but also how it shows that as the plant grows above the earth, so too do the roots dig beneath. It is a symbolic relationship, each needing the other to keep the plant healthy and happy.

In this draw, the Two of Pentacles is telling me that although I have a lot going on in my life, it’s also important to balance my self care into the equation.

This is something that’s not always easy for me to do because I get overwhelmed with work responsibilities, the running of my business, and all that that entails. I get too focused on pushing forward, and forget to pay attention to my own needs.

I need to remember that living a balanced and healthy life is not always about where I’m going and where I want to be, but also about where I am now… and how I’m doing now.

The Inner Child

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Due to spending the majority of what would have been my free time today with the police dealing with the break-in down in our gated garage, I did not get the chance to meditate today.

Today’s draw is the Six of Cups, which is a representation of memories, childhood, and innocence in the areas of emotions, relationships, and creativity.

This card has multiple meanings, as many of the cards in the deck do. But, it’s presence today is a reminder to get in touch with my inner child, where my joy in creation resides.

I have so many projects on the go right now, and so much to do. I’ve been feeling a little bit overwhelmed while trying to play catch-up from the depression that took so much of my time at the beginning of the spring.

The Six of Cups is a reminder that even though there’s so much to do, many of the projects that I need to work on our seated and creativity. These are projects that I should be looking forward to with an open heart, rather than trudge towards as if they are a chore.

A funny and fun coincidence… An excellent article offered in my NYTimes Smarter Living subscription this morning is “How to Revisit the Ghosts of Your Past“, which relates to another possible interpretation of this card.

The Return Trip

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Today’s meditation was about self-compassion and kindness. If focused on how when we look at our inner thoughts throughout the day the cycle around in our head, they are often berating and judging in nature.

The guided meditation was an activity focused on how to get better at being kind to yourself both during meditation and throughout the day.

Today’s draw is the King of Swords, which represents strength, authority, and a decidedly alpha energy, personality, or person in the areas of logic, thought, and communication.

He is… me. The me beyond the influence of my depression. As the King of Cups is so very much the “you” that I see and admire, the King of Swords is an embodiment of what you express admiration for in me.

That is my moral compass, my need for fairness, my logical mind, and my efforts at impartial examination of things from all angles I can reach before coming to a decision.

This card is a reminder of where I am returning to as I pull out of my depression completely and recover from it effects and lingering sensitivities.

In the time following a depression there is a period of rebalancing. A time when I am more reactive, more sensitive, and less likely to pay attention to all aspects of a situation.

During these times it’s all about following my instincts to keep me on track as well as in my interactions with others. Then, over time, my mind kicks back into gear and I settle back into I far more logical approach, while my instinct and moral compass whisper in the background.

The King of Swords is an indication that this transformation is in the process of taking place and I am on my way back to my own sense of “normal”. My own, very personal type of balance.

Ideas Transformed Into Reality

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I did not get a chance to do meditation today.

Today’s draw is the Three of Pentacles, which is one my favorite cards, as it represents the manifestation of ideas into reality through creation.

It indicates that with focus, creativity, and determination you can bring something physical into existence that was once simple an idea or thought.

As today I am going to be shopping for the supplies I will need to re-caulk my bathtub (a project I’ve never done before, but that is desperately needed), I believe the Three of Pentacles appearance is guidance and encouragement.

Ive been feeling a bit of self-doubt concerning this project, and the Three of Pentacles is telling me that I CAN do this. It might involve a little bit of a learning curve, a little trial and error, but with the right tools and some determination and patience, I can do it.

A House On The Beach

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Today’s meditation was sixteen minutes and twenty-eight seconds, and focused on impermanence.

Impermanence is the thing that I focus on when I am in depression. It is my reminder that everything changes and that my depression is not forever but will also come to an end. This is also useful during moments of anxiety and stress.

Sometimes we clIng to the idea that something will last forever, or we struggle with changes as they come into in our lives.

But, the truth is that everything changes. Sometimes things change because they have a beginning, middle, and an end. Sometimes they change because they’re a part of a cycle. It’s part of life.

Today’s draw is the Queen of Cups, which is a representation of a mothering alpha energy, personality , or person in the areas of emotions, creativity, and relationships.

It appears that the Queen of Cups likes to visit me quite often during these Daily Focus draws. Her presence is always welcome of course, as the lesson she’s trying to teach me is one that I struggle with.

That lesson is to feel your feelings. Listen to them instead of pushing them aside, and be kind to yourself when it comes to your emotions.

Unlike instinct, which she also can represent, emotions are a difficult thing for me to focus on and use as a guide. I have always felt that emotions are unpredictable, whereas as I perceive logic as more solid. I have trouble understanding why one would build a house on top of sand, rather than upon stone.

Maybe that’s part of the point she’s trying to make, though. Perhaps she is trying telling me that even if you don’t build your house on the sand, make sure that when you’re inside that house on the stones, you still look out the window at the beach and go out now and then to feel the sand between your toes.

And there it is…

The Queen of Cups is trying to tell me that it’s okay to feel my feelings, and that I can still be strong while listening to my emotions.