tarot self care

Be Nice

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Today’s meditation was a little over thirty minutes long, and was not a guided meditation.  Instead, I spent those fifteen minutes lying outside in the rain in the rainforest, moss and decaying vegetation under my back and water soaking through my clothes.

Feeling at home and comfortable there, I did an advanced grounding, visualizing roots reaching from where my body touched the earth and down through the moss into the soil, digging deep.

Pulling energy from the earth, I condensed that energy into my body until I was full to bursting, then allowed it to burst outward like a balloon bursting expels its air, slamming off and away from me the residual energies that had remained clinging to me after the party last night, essentially using the earth’s energy to blowtorch my own clean.

I did this process three times, then spent some time simply grounding and centering before returning home to shower and warm up and get the rest of my day started.

Three of Swords - Hush TarotToday’s draw is the Three of Swords, which is traditionally an indication of trials, struggles, and hardship in the areas of the mind, intellect, and communication.  This often communicates as despair, heartache, disappointment, and other experiences along that line.

What I see in the imagery of today’s card are the autumn leaves and the birds that, in this card, look far more predatory than sweet.  Combined with the flush of new blooms and the hornet with its nest in the lower left corner, what I see here speaks of caution.

After the party last night, I felt drained and struggling.  Today’s card is a reminder to take care of myself, and to be aware that you might be a bit sensitive today and make a bit of an allowance for that while being self aware and watching for signs of that bleeding out in ugly ways.

The positive here is the encouragement towards self awareness and self care.

DECK USED:  HUSH TAROT

#TarotForGrowthMarch Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I navigate through challenges that may give root to overwhelm and burnout as spring approaches? (Built off yesterday’s cards.)

Fenestra Tarot

Reading Summary:  As previous reads have indicated, I need to focus on my work and my strengths (Eight of Pentacles), while taking care to practice patience with myself (Temperance) and making room for self care and growth away from the struggles and fog of the winter months (Three of Swords).

Take Away:  Diligence towards my work and business is important, but I need to make sure to keep myself from being a slave driver and ignoring the healing process that is currently ongoing.  That process is going to take time and I need to allow it to happen without pushing and prodding at myself like I am used to doing.

DECK USED:  FENESTRA TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsMar2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Where am I at mentally at this time?

Darisa Tarot

Reading Summary:  I am focusing on looking for a way forward (Two of Wands) and searching for a new helper is at the top of my mind (Three of Ground).  I’m also very much focused on you today (Two of Water and Lovers).

Take Away:  Aside from the earth, one of the best and easiest ways for me to find center is to spend time with you.  I’ve needed that centering influence all day today, and so it’s not surprising that you would come up concerning where I am mentally at the moment.   The first two cards are an indication of needing to get something done that I’ve been putting off, which I will make sure gets done today.

DECK USED:  DARISA TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: When am I intuitively confident?

Luna Sol Tarot

Reading Summary: First very clear thought was a commentary…”Look at that sword, buddy. Don’t you think it’s a little bit too much for you?”

When I take my time considering my options rather than jumping ahead without enough preparation. One of my greatest intuitive strengths is in looking ahead.

Take Away:  My intuition works better in predictive pursuits rather than in dealing with in the moment choices and ideas that need contemplation or exploration.

DECK USED:  LUNA SOL TAROT

 

It’s All About Patience

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IMG_2872Today’s meditation was was about the temporary nature of unpleasant situations.  It talked about an Icelandic concept called “Gluggavedur” or “Window Weather”.   That is to say, weather that looks beautiful from within the safe confines of your home, but is just the opposite when you step outside in it.

Applying this concept to life, the guided meditation spoke on how during times of difficulty and struggle, it’s good to emotionally step back from the problem and observe as if you are from the sidelines.  When we are not panicked and under control of volatile reactions and emotions, we can sometimes learn more from unpleasant situations than when we are fully immersed in them.

This “window weather” view also allows for the realization that nothing lasts forever.  The storm on the other side of the glass will pass, and the sun will again come out eventually.  Sometimes? You just have to stay calm and wait the bad things out.

Five of Pentacles - Circle of Life TarotToday’s draw is the Five of pentacles which is often an indication of tests, trials, and challenges in the area of one’s finances, resources, and the physical world, which including home and health issues.

What I see in the imagery of this card ties into the theme of today’s meditation.  I see the tapestry being made and its long length. The weaver and their sour expression.   They sit and they work, and they don’t seem particularly happy about it.  But you see that the weaver is not tangled up within the tapestry.  Instead they sit on the outskirts and watch that long coil spool out beside them.

Sooner or later the tapestry will be done, and the weaver will be able to put down their work and rise to move forward, not tangled within the tapestry itself, but having rode out the length of it and finished it off calmly.

As of the news I received just about 20 minutes ago (from when I wrote this post, of course)?  This message is a good one for me today.  It turns out I have to escort my sister to a work function tonight.   I don’t particularly want to go, but  her date bailed on her and she’s being honored and doesn’t want to go alone.   It’s not what I want to do with my evening.  It’s not what I need to do with my evening.

But,  I’ll do it for her.  And I’ll practice temperance and tolerance for all the celebrating drunk people because she deserves to be recognized, and to have someone there that makes her happy and comfortable to have at her side.

DECK USED:  CIRCLE OF LIFE TAROT

#TarotForGrowthMarch Challenge Prompt
Question: What challenges might this shift present for me? (Built off yesterday’s cards.)

New Choice Tarot de Marseille

Reading Summary:  Burden (Ten of Wands) can be battled by staying attentive to what is going on within and around me (King of Wands) and keeping an open mindset of growth and learning (Page of Pentacles).

Take Away:  The message here is to take care not to close myself off.  Stay open and aware, and don’t allow myself to take on so much that I end up struggling with feelings of overwhelm and burnout.

DECK USED:  NEW CHOICE TAROT DE MARSEILLE

#DiscordTarotholicsMar2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What can I do to encourage that arrival? (Built off yesterday’s cards.)

Green Witch Tarot

Reading Summary: Have patience (Four of Athames). Play along (The Greenman). And try to stay flexibly balanced (Two of Pentacles).

Take Away:  In order to allow good things to grow into being and blossom in the spring, I need to make sure that I “stay in my lane”.   Take time to rest and don’t push myself too hard, allow time for fun and let the energy of the impending spring carry me along like a leaf in the wind.  Just focus on keeping my boat afloat, and let the rest (including that persistently demanding ambition of mine) take care of itself for a while.

DECK USED:  GREEN WITCH TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How can I better listen to my inner voice?

Tarot of the Golden Wheel

Reading Summary: Allow hope and positivity to flourish and set aside despair.

This read is based off imagery alone, and how the darkness on the left side of the Wheel of Fortune card contrasts with the brightness on the right side, which then flows smoothly (and nearly seamlessly) into the image on the Ten of cups.  The outsider card on the right (Three of Swords) speaks of what “does not fit” into this picture.

Take Away:  The key here in this reading is the word “allow”, which is not about controlling or demanding, it’s not about pushing and striving.  It’s about letting things happen and turning your efforts to other areas… in this case that area is in setting aside that fear and struggle from the past few months in order to clear room for better things to take root and grow.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE GOLDEN WHEEL

Seedlings and Sparks

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Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long, and a guided meditation on gratitude, and expressing that gratitude through not just appreciation but the direction of positive energy toward those things you are grateful for.

That includes directing positive energy and thought toward yourself.  Toward others.  As well as to the world at large.  Each of these aspects of life have things about them to be grateful for, and today’s meditation included the process of first grounding and centering, and then directing that energy to each of those three aspects of life.

Ace of Wands - Hush TarotToday’s draw is the Ace of Wands which is traditionally a representation of potential and new opportunities in the area of one’s ambitions, drive, and passionate interests.

What I see in today’s card is the needle in the bird’s beak, and the tendril of hair threaded through it.  Sometimes new projects and passions take a bit of effort and sacrifice.  The girl offers her hair to the bird so that the bird can build its nest.  The needle sparkles and shins in the sunlight, sparking interest as a worker climbs the girl’s cheek representing work to be done.

This Ace of Wands speaks to me of those tenuous first moments of inspiration, when things are not yet in motion, but there’s that moment of breath… a beat of the heart, where you can -feel- how right it is… how good it will be.   It’s an encouragement to go after those little sparks of interest an allow them to carry you away… the work will be worth it.

DECK USED:  HUSH TAROT

#TarotForGrowthMarch Challenge Prompt
Question: Energy surrounding the impending shift into spring.

Whispering Spirits Tarot

Reading Summary: Take back what’s yours (Seven of Wands) and plow right through (The Chariot) times of uncertainty (The Moon).

Take Away:  The cards indicate something that I also read in my Self-Care Saturday spread this week.  That is, that there is a surfacing coming and a re-claiming of self that will carry forward beyond this week and into the spring, pulling me out of the fog of uncertainty that I’ve been struggling with if I’m willing to be proactive in “riding the wave” to shore.

DECK USED:  WHISPERING SPIRITS TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsMar2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What good thing is ready to come into bloom in my life with the arrival of spring?

Les Métamorphoses du Jour Tarot

Reading Summary:  If I can give myself the nurturing care that I’m currently in need of (The Empress), and the room necessary to allow for emotional growth to take root (Ace of Cups), I will find that with the spring I will find a new sense of stability and camaraderie among those that I share interests and passions with (Four of Wands).

Take Away:  The spring is going to allow me to pull ahead of this fog I’ve been feeling over the past few months, but only if I allow it to happen. It will be important to not allow my grip to be too tight and controlling, either on on my emotions or by using cruelty to self to prod myself forward.

DECK USED:  LES METAMORPHOSES DU JOUR TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What does intuition mean for me?

Enchanted Tarot Mini Deck

Reading Summary: The addictive (Devil) path forward (Two of Wands) to future interests (Princess of Wands over the Ten of Wands).

Take Away:  My interests always have an element of burden to them, as I have a habit of overwhelming myself with the activities and things that I love.   Intuition represents to me a path to those interests, a path I enjoy bounding down again and again, until said interests become the burden that they always had the potential to be.

To be clear… intuition is the path.  It is not the interests it leads me to but the path that takes me there.  What I do with those interests that turns them into a burden lies upon the “shoulders” of habit and the mind.

DECK USED:  ENCHANTED TAROT MINI DECK

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

Earth – Page of Pentacles and Celestite – New opportunities are strong within the areas of finances and resources, but keep in mind that when stepping forward to explore that you need to listen to keep a calm head and listen to your inner voice.

Air – Four of Wands and Agate – The cards hint at a return to self that has been missing for some time. Coming back to yourself after a time of struggle can be a wonderful thing, but it’s tender and fragile. Stabilization will be needed to keep things on an even keel.

Water – Knight of Swords and Sunstone – These cards in the position of emotion are referencing the top space that is currently at the forefront emotionally. They speak of that aggressive, go-getter energy combined with the sunstone’s restorative qualities. Together they indicate that this week is an emotionally safe time for taking this journey.

Fire – Empress and Howlite – Be patient with yourself. The slow progress towards that creative spark can be frustrating, but don’t let that frustration get the better of you. Instead, take a calm and nurturing approach, and accept that recovery takes time and baby steps. This isn’t a race.

Waning – Orphaned – The week ahead is going to show notable progress on stepping out of that sense of self-loss and uncertainty that I’ve been experiencing over the past couple of months. It will be an encouraging step forward out of that fog and into the light.

Waxing – Truth Be Told – As the week progresses, communication will become easier and clinging bits of denial that are a part of the fog you’ve been traveling through will begin to melt away. This will allow you to see both yourself and the world around you with more clarity than you’ve managed in quite some time.

Take Away – There is a promise in these cards that speaks of emerging… surfacing from the cloying grip of the fog, if only by one step… it will be a noticeable step. A breath of fresh air and sunlight breaking through the clouds with a reminder to take things slow and allow for it all to unfurl at its own pace rather than getting impatient and frustrated.

DECKS USED: THE GUARDIANS TAROT, FREQUENZY CRYSTAL CARDS, WISDOM OF THE ORACLE CARDS

 

The Growth of Appreciation

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IMG_2837Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and was focused upon closure and how important it is to helping each other heal from endings, especially painful endings.

This topic isn’t just about romantic relationships, but all sorts of relationships from friendships to family, and the passing of loved ones.   I had a hard time finding closure where my father was concerned.  I still sometimes have a hard time with it.  Maybe because I have a hard time understanding how I could love someone who could treat me as atrociously as he did.  And yet… I did love him.   I do love him.

In the end, I had to reconcile that as much as I love him… I never liked him, and never will.  It would have been nice to find closure, and it would have made the road easier to tread, I think.  I wish it could be possible more often… for me and for everyone.

Nine of Cups - Tarot of the Hidden RealmToday’s draw is Nine of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of contentment and satisfaction in the area of one’s emotions, relationships, and creativity.

What I see in this card, though, is more than that.  It’s about the journey.  The man in the card’s imagery looks into the cup and appears both contemplative and content.  This brings to mind that sometimes you have to look back at where you come from to see clearly where you are now.

Emotionally speaking, as the Cups so often represent, those looks back can sometimes be difficult for me.  But in doing so, I learn to appreciate the strength gained from the past, the experience earned, and understanding I have developed through the tests and trials that have gotten me to where I now am.

Those moments looking back also give me the opportunity to appreciate just how much better things are now.  No matter how ambitious I am to push forward into something even better?  Compared to where I come from… I have things damn good right here and now.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE HIDDEN REALM

#TarotForGrowthFebruary Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I approach my relationships mindfully moving forward?

Stretch Tarot

Reading Summary: Don’t allow my all encompassing obsession (The Devil) with worm and my business (Three of Pentacles) to push people away (Eight of Cups).

Take Away:  I think that I probably do this a lot without even realizing I’m doing it, or without others even realizing that I’ve done it, possibly, as well.   I’ve been running my business for a long time now.  A decade, I think?  And it does take over a huge part of my attention and focus.  I imagine that this is very difficult to deal with for those in my life that crave my attention.

DECK USED:  STRETCH TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsFeb2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Do Spread #4

Oriens Tarot

Reading Summary: A ladies man (Knight of Cups) who constantly works to adapt and learn in order to further his career (Page of Wands) and has a way of charming all in his path (King of Cups).

Take Away:  George Clooney 

DECK USED:  ORIENS TAROT

Owl and Bones February Two Card Challenge
Question: Intention for the next 4 years / Leap forward

Button Soup TarotIntentions for the Next 4 Years:  I am in pursuit of happiness. I think this is true for pretty much everyone tho.  The card also speaks to me about finding pleasure in community.

Leap Forward: I’m going to need to address unhealthy habits sooner rather than later. I had fast food today for the fourth time in the past six years.  That is not one of my unhealthy habits… but I have plenty of others to take heed of and take more care with.

DECK USED:  BUTTON SOUP TAROT

Movement Needed

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_2827Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long and focused on taking time to enjoy the little things that make you feel good, happy, and contented in life.

I think that we all sometimes take these things for granted, and I know that I have definitely been guilty of this lately.   Today’s meditation was a good reminder that when times are hectic and stressful, it’s important to take a step back and just let yourself enjoy the little things a bit.

I guess it could be called “smelling the roses”, which is my mother’s favorite phrase for this sort of thing.   Although, I don’t think that encompasses those things that truly give you comfort.

zx5iwpctToday’s draw is the Two of Stone (Pentacles) which is usually seen as a representation of finding balance in one’s responsibilities and daily life among other meanings.

When I look at the imagery for today’s card, though, I’m not so much feeling that sense of balance I usually feel when the Two of Pentacles appears.  Instead, this card speaks to me of being in the in-between space.   Like being in that moment of transition between one moment and the next, one choice and another.   Hanging in the balance between the two, rather than juggling.

The appearance of this card reminds me that you can’t hang in limbo forever.  Sooner or later, you have to move.

DECK USED:  MAJESTIC EARTH TAROT

#TarotForGrowthFebruary Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I improve my relationship with rest?

Britt's Third Eye Tarot

Reading Summary: I love the Emperor card in this deck.  Just sayin’.

To improve my relationship with rest I need to allow myself (Emperor) to set aside what doesn’t work (Six of Swords) and disappointments (Five of Cups) and make the choice to move forward from them into something better (The Lovers).

Take Away:  One of the ways in which my drive gets in the way of my rest is by beating myself up for my failures and those things that just don’t work out or that I can’t finish for whatever reason.  When I try to rest, this habit of berating whispers sneak in to tell me that it’s because of those restful moments that I failed in the first place.  It’s bullshit… but that’s what happens.  The cards indicate if I want a better relationship with rest, I need to truly set those things aside and make the choice to look forward with hope and ambition rather than backwards with disappointment and degradation.

DECK USED:  BRITT’S THIRD EYE TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsFeb2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What is the difference between living and being alive?

Gay Tarot

Reading Summary: Instead of allowing yourself to be overwhelmed (Seven of Cups) accept that each of us evolves (The World) to find our own path that is right for us (The Fool).

Take Away:  The difference between living and being alive is choice.  It’s tailoring your life to fit you personally, and following that personal path rather than allowing others to force things upon you that aren’t a good fit.

DECK USED:  GAY TAROT

Owl and Bones February Two Card Challenge
Question: Theme for Next Month / Lesson to be learned

The Binding of Isaac TarotTheme for Next Month: The Page of Pennies (Cups) indicates that the theme for next month will be one of discovery and finding a path forward into reconnecting with and feeding my creativity.

Lesson To Be Learned:  Sometimes you have to let go of something in order to grab on to something even better. You may mourn what has to be let go of, but all is not lost in these moments… instead, it’s a time to fostering hope.

DECK USED:  THE BINDING OF ISAAC TAROT