Passions and Paychecks

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and was the next installment of the ‘how to’ series I’ve been working through.   The focus of today’s meditation was upon practicing what has been taught so far.   So it was about finding your focus and developing that accepting oneness with your surroundings while remaining in that quiet, calm place.

Tarot of the Unknown Today’s draw is a double without a jumper, which means both cards came out of the deck together. The cards in today’s draw are the Page of Pentacles and the Queen of wands… and apparently today is a wands and pentacles kinda day, because my bonus read is holding the same suits as the daily draw.

This message is all about turning passions into paychecks, which is something I seem to excel at.

What I see in these cards is encouragement to go after what I want.  Seek out those new opportunities, and use my confidence and passion to make them work for me and turn them into something lucrative.

Deck Used:  Tarot of the Unknown

Bonus Reading – #TarotForGrowthNovember

Question: How can I recognize when I’m over-exerting myself?

Pams Vintage Tarot Reading Summary: When there’s too many good ideas (Ace of Wands) and too much planning to be done (Three of Wands), and yet I feel like a novice and like I don’t know my shit (Page of Pentacles).

Take Away:  As I over-exert myself, and become more and more overwhelmed, my confidence begins to ebb like sand sifting through a sieve.  The cards are reminding me that when I am feeling that lack of self-confidence that makes me feel less-than in areas that I excel at, I need to look at how much of my passions I’m actually trying to load myself down with at once.

Deck Used:  Pam’s Vintage Tarot (Bridge Size)

 

Feed the Seed

Today’s meditation was just over eleven minutes, and the next segment of the ‘how to’ series that I’ve been working through.  The focus of today’s guided meditation went back to finding your focus during meditation, and encouraging looking outside of the breath to try out different things to focus on to see if there is anything you personally connect to more strongly than the breath.

For me, this focus is the solar plexus.   The solar plexus is where a lot of my emotions and intuition spark from.  And, there is a reason that we call it the seat of the soul.  It is within that spot I can feel a constant inner kaleidoscope of sensation and sentiments living and breathing within me.

Ace of Pentacles - Tarot of the Unknown Today’s draw is the Ace of Pentacles.  The aces in the tarot a representation of new life that resides within the smallest of seeds, and potential for that life to spark and grow and break free of the seed’s shell and flourish.  In the Ace of Pentacles, this expresses itself most commonly as new beginnings and new opportunities in the area of manifestations, the physical world, and in finance and resources.

I will be having a bit of an influx of new money coming in over the next few weeks and I need to make some choices on what to do with it and where I want to direct it.  Responsible choices.   This card is a reminder that there is an abundance of opportunity out there, but if I want to encourage that new green to grow into something good, I need to both foster its source as well as respect where it comes from.

Deck Used:  Tarot of the Unknown

Bonus Reading – #TarotForGrowthNovember

Question: How can I reduce negative self-talk?

Tarot of the Cat People Reading Summary:  Take control of your mental chatter (King of Swords) by paying closer attention to what I do well (Knight of Pentacles) and appreciating what I have (Ten of Cups) rather than cutting myself and my acumen down every chance I get (Three of Swords).

Take Away:  The cards are reminding me that I need to focus more upon the good in my life and upon what I do well, and listen less to the slave driving asshole that lives in my head constantly demands for me to do more and do better.

Deck Used:  Tarot of the Cat People

Down Time is a Good Thing

Today’s meditation was just over eleven minutes long, which is Day 4 in the ‘how to’ series, and focused on what the narrator called inner smoothness.  I’ve never really seen it that way, and I view “smooth” as being something solid with a surface that does not contain irregularities.    What he was speaking of in his narration is, to me, not smoothness, but rather transparency… like a window screen.  There, but transparent.

Essentially what this meditation was about was concerning how we react to the world around us.  Do we react and cringe from everything?  Or do we practice acceptance and allow the sensations (such as sound, for example) to flow around us and through us as we become part of the environment rather than separated from it?

In meditation, this sense of being “at one” is a key part of the practice.  Instead of being reactionary, you focus on being calm and at ease, no matter the distractions that may be present at the time.

Two of Cups - Tarot of the Unknown Today’s draw is the Two of Cups, which is in direct relation to me scolding myself for loafing off yesterday.  I just plain didn’t work at all once I got home yesterday, which means that I didn’t work in my home business for two days in a row.   Instead, I spent them playing with you.

This is really unheard of for me, as even when we play I often multitask and work on the side.  Today’s card is a reminder that it’s OKAY to need to spend time with you.  It’s OKAY to want to direct all of my energy and time and focus on you now and then.  There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, and it builds good energy and good relationship by doing so.   It’s good for me, and it’s good for us as a couple.

So I need to take a breath and just relax and stop being so hard on myself for not being as productive as I absolutely, positively could be.

Deck Used:  Tarot of the Unknown

Bonus Reading – #TarotForGrowthNovember

Question: How can I be more decisive?

The Distant Past Tarot

Reading Summary:  Use a more stable energy (Queen of Cups) in reaction to my struggles (Five of Pentacles), and keep in mind when I’m dealing with uncertainty (The Moon), that turning inward isn’t always the answer (The Hermit).  Sometimes you have to remember to ask for help (back to the Five of Pentacles) and let other people’s input influence your decision (Four of Cups).

Take Away:  If I want to be more decisive, it helps to look outward rather than always depending upon the self alone. These cards are a reminder that there are an infinite amount of other perspectives out there to consider when making a decision, and the more information you have, the easier it is to make the right choices for yourself and the situation.

Deck Used:  The Distant Past Tarot

Taking In Perspectives

Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long and focused on the technique of ‘taking a step back’ from your thoughts during meditation, rather than trying to squelch them.   This is very similar to how I used to deal with my emotions, and I can see how while in meditation, taking that step back to view your thoughts from the outside can help, as it would keep you from getting wrapped up in them and carried away by them.

I forgot to mention yesterday, but I really liked the part of the meditation where he likened the act of bringing your mind back to the breath (or whatever your focus is) to lifting weights.   That the act of meditation and that bringing your focus back to the now is the “reps” that meditation is all about.

Tarot of the Unknown Today’s draw is a double without a jumper, meaning that they both fell out of the deck together.  The cards in today’s draw are the Nine of Axes (Swords) and the Page of Wands.

The message in this draw is that sometimes shit hits the fan and you feel like the world is coming to an end, but if you just take a step back to gain a bit of perspective and sort out the big picture, a lot of times what seems like the end of the world isn’t as bad as it seems.

Like most people, when things start to fall apart, sometimes I get so focused on the problem I forget to take that step back and look in from the outside.  This approach to gaining  different perspectives was also the focus of my meditation today, and it repeats again in the Tarot for Growth read I did today as well.

Deck Used: Tarot of the Unknown

Bonus Reading – #TarotForGrowthNovember

Question: What insight does the universe want to reveal to me at this time?

Wooden TarotReading Summary:  If I want success (Six of Stones) in finding a different way to organize my finances (Page of Bones), I’m going to have to keep my eye on the ball (Knight of Plumes) in dealing with the fires of conflict and struggle that are lit along the way (Five of Stones).

Take Away:  With L about to walk out on her job any day now, and me considering shifting around my part time jobs as well, there’s a fair bit of uncertainty going on in my finances right now.  The message in these cards is that there is definitely going to be some conflict and disruption, but if I stay focused and proactive about the hurdles that come up, it’ll work itself out.

Deck Used:  Wooden Tarot

Trying New Things

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, but I didn’t do a guided meditation today.  Instead, I took some time to focus upon my breathing, and then worked my way through a full body scan that began at my head and worked down to the tips of my toes.

Once reaching my feet, I moved on to a full awareness of my full body and then expanded that awareness outward to first the room, then beyond.

Eventually, I retracted this awareness back to my normal space just as the chime went off to mark the ten minute mark, and I left it there for the day.

Today’s draw is the Ace of Axes (Swords) with a jumper of the Ace of Cups.

Both of these cards deal with the seeds of new beginnings, opportunity, and potential.  In the case of the Axes, this has to do with the area of thoughts, intellect, logic, communication, and instinct.   The Cups, on the other hand, deals with emotions, relationships, creativity, and intuition.

What I see in these cards today is that I need to invest my heart and soul into new ideas, and when seeking for ways to communicate, try to reach beyond just my mind for that connection with others, but seek to communicate from my heart as well.

As you know, other than with dealing with you personally, this is not my normal approach.  In fact, even with you sometimes I struggle to dip beyond logic and intellect, and into the expression of the heart in my communication.  Sometimes it’s easier than others, but this is something I really don’t do all that often.

For this reason, today’s draw feels like a challenge of sorts.  A challenge of the “status quo” and my “modus operandi” .  A challenge to try a new way of relating to the world.

I’m not entirely sure I’m ready to take up that challenge, but it’s definitely something to think about… and maybe even explore my feelings on a little bit.

Deck Used: Tarot of the Unknown

 

IMG_5800

Bonus Reading

I did the #TarotForGrowthOctober prompt today from Instagram.

Question: What is holding me back from further growth?

Reading Summary: The growth this reading is pertaining to has to do with my business, finances, and resources.  Specifically, in the effort it will take to bring things into balance and up to par after the summer months.  The girl looks ahead into the future, and there is planning going on, but there are obstacles in the way to the climb to the next level.  If I want to surmount them, it is going to take a piece of myself to do so.   A physical and emotional tole.

Take Away: It’s time to identify the obstacles on the path.  Sometimes, those things that look fascinating, or even harmless, can actually be secretly holding you back.  If I want to succeed, I don’t just need to educate myself and plan for the future, but be willing to fight for what I want, and sacrifice for it as well.

Deck Used: Tarot of Vampyres