tarot self care

Morning Bonus Read – Monthly Key Spread

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Monthly Key Spread - Little Lulu's Lucky Lenormand

Key to Your Heart: What will Guide you to make decisions that are aligned with your heart and your truths this month?

Lily – Maturity.  Make sure that you are thinking through your decisions and not just leaving things up to chance or personal whims.  Be especially thoughtful, responsible, and mature in considering what you need to do and how you need to go about doing it this month.

Anchor: What will ground you in the face of anxiety, stress, overwhelm, and existential dread in general?

Clover – Luck and optimism. It’s far too easy to let your worries and fears sneak in and start screwing with you, but keep in mind that just because you worry about something doesn’t make it into reality.  By leaning into a bit of faith concerning luck and encouraging yourself to keep an optimistic mindset, you can circumvent fears and keep them from becoming self fulfilling prophesy.

Star Wand: What accelerates your magic, creativity, and manifestation powers?

Tree – Spiritual connections and longevity of practice.  Lean into the things that work for you spiritually and reconnect with your path and practice.  When you are more deeply connected to your spiritual path and your practice, your  magic, creativity, and manifestation powers flourish.  Throughout this month, as you pull out of the pit of your depression and rediscover your equilibrium, it is important to make sure you connect back into your path and practice instead of setting these things on the back burner.

Blessings from the Stars: The Universe has got your back – how will you be supported this month?

House – You are blessed with the security and stability of a home, and roof, and support of those that live there with you.  In the chaos that the world can sometimes throw your way, this is where you need to return to recover and retreat to find peace. 

One Trick Up Your Sleeve: A life saving idea or inspiration for any unexpected challenge or difficult moments?

Stars – Again we find the advice is to lean into your optimism and allow hope to thrive. Allow moments of inspiration and intuition to help guide you, and keep your perspective uplifted and bright as you work through challenges and difficulties.  Positivity is your friend this month, so lean into it and let it help you get through these moments.

Emergence Pt 1: What is emerging within you / within your reality right now?

Rider – As you climb further up the walls of depression’s pit and find the light, vitality and a renewed energy will continue to grow within you. You will see the light more clearly, feel it more distinctly, and be able to take from it what’s needed to rekindle your passions toward your purpose. 

Emergence Pt 2: What are you expanding towards?

Coffin – There is a warning here that without the armament of positivity and optimism you risk moving in the wrong direction and sliding back toward depression and negativity.  You have a chance to adjust this trajectory, but it will take  connecting to the elements mentioned above that include a conscious effort towards optimism, a reconnection with your spiritual path and practices, and allowing hope to have a place within your life and outlook while grounding yourself in measured and mature decision making practices.

DECK USED:  LITTLE LULU’S LUCKY LENORMAND

Morning Bonus Read – Eclipse of the Heart

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Tarot Eclipse of the Heart Spread - Anino Lenormand

My Courage – House – In knowing where I belong and that I have somewhere to go, I find myself more able to tap into my courage in other areas of my life. It is through the security and stability that having a home provides that makes everything in life just a bit more grounded… a bit more safe… and right.

My Ownership – Coffin – I take responsibility for myself and the consequences that come from my actions.  This includes during times of depression, confusion, or when I am dealing with changes or endings that may cause a bit of a struggle. I own my pessimism, and the negative inner narrative that tries so hard to slide into over and over again, accepting that it is within my power to change these into something more positive.

My Forgiveness – Ring – I forgive myself for my tendency to over-commit and thus overburden myself. Instead of repeating this pattern again and again, I work to ease off on the number of my commitments and find a more manageable balance. (This is not forgiveness in the form of an offense needing forgiven, but rather in the the term “forgive” in the form of releasing.)

My Love – Fox – One of the things I love most about myself is my intelligence and cunning. These qualities allow me to find a path forward in the direction I wish to go in that aligns with my moral compass.  Sometimes these methods might be unorthodox or even seem outright crazy, but there is method behind the madness as the necessity to keep my moral compass happy means sometimes it’s only through thinking outside the box I find a path forward that will work for me.

My Shame – Whip – My greatest shame is my self flagellation and the fact that I know it is not right… but can’t seem to help myself.  That self destructive urge is a trickery that even when I watch out for it, manages to outsmart me and get the better of me again and again. I do not want to be this way or feel those urges… and yet they are inescapable.

My Guilt – Bouquet – The last time I felt guilty was at the grocery store a couple days ago. One of the stock guys was flirting with me and (unlike usually) I noticed.  It felt nice to be flirted with and that made me feel super guilty because I’m so lucky to have Gideon and I love him so fucking much.  It’s not as if I was even remotely tempted to “smell the flowers” of that offer, but the offer was still made and it… felt really good.

My Regret – Crossroads – I have very few regrets in life, but one of my biggest was in choosing to set aside my education and not get my degree. It’s not that this choice wasn’t understandable considering what happened in my life at the time and the recovery that had to come after.  I do use my education in some of my work, as well.  But, that doesn’t change the regret I feel now and then for the path I turned down back then.

My Fear – Woman – Turning into my mother is my greatest fear. She is so self serving.  So conniving.  So… focused on only her own goals, her own wants, her own desires, and her own rise in society that anything that does not serve those things for her is completely irrelevant to her, and anything that does is seen as something to control to her advantage like a chess piece.  I am like her in so many ways, and yet… I don’t want to become anything like her in this regard. Ever.

DECK USED:  ANINO LENORMAND

Transitioning from February to March

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Existential Tarot and The Lantern Oracle

Individuality – Action 5 atop Emotion 5, Accountability – “We are not our mistakes, but what we do with them.” Those words ring loud and strong from the guide for the Lantern Oracle when looking at these cards, which speak of perceived mistakes and regret. These perceived mistakes trigger scarcity issues, and thus the scarcity issues create regret and the cycle continues. Accountability is the answer to these issues. By owning your mistakes, you learn from them, grow from them, and move forward. At this time, there lies an opportunity for this type of growth.

Dependence – The Dionysian and Trusting Tricksters – The energy of creativity can often be wild and chaotic.  Don’t let it romance you away into distraction.  You don’t have to leave your creative energy behind as you step into your responsibilities, you just have to keep your eyes open and your feet firmly on the ground.

Creativity – Reason 1 and Radical Self-Acceptance – “Decisions are the first step toward breaking barriers that impede our success.” Echoing back to the first position in this reading, what needs concentrating to create in your life at this time is the depth of the roots within self-acceptance and self-respect. Don’t allow yourself to focus on regrets and perceived mistakes. Instead, focus on that forward motion and making progress.

Limitation – Will 4 and Melting Mask – What has the ability to hold me back in at this time is becoming too complacent. Don’t get too comfortable and allow stagnancy to slip in and make itself at home.  If you allow complacency and stagnancy to slip in and get comfortable, you will slide back into the fog that hides who you truly are and all those positive qualities that you are trying to foster and grow.

Change – Action 7 and Radical Curiosity – What is currently fostering your way forward and paving the way to where you want to go is your efforts to allow yourself to grow at your own pace.  The enjoyment you take in delving into the things that interest you and learning new things can only further this journey.  Just remember that growth takes time… you may be able to learn quickly and pick up new talents at the drop of the hat, but that doesn’t mean you can grow at the same pace.

Sympathy – Zarathustra and Key to Intimacy – In my past it took time to discover what love is… and what it is not.  It took time to understand that different people show their love in different ways, and sometimes, those ways are not “in tune” with how others are able to receive love.  This is a lesson that goes beyond love, but with how people relate and how they work together.  Some people are in tune from the start, others simply are not.  Some can become in-tune over time… others, just never will find that sync with each other.  Just because you cannot sync up and be in tune with someone doesn’t make them a bad person… just not one of “your” persons.

Luck – Emotion 10 and Sharing – Take time to examine how you see the act of sharing.  How you perceive giving and receiving, and how this practice can create harmony with others no matter which side of the exchange that you are on.  When true sharing happens, it is no longer “give and receive” and there is no “yours” and “mine…. there is simply “ours”.

Power – Action 1 and Misalignment – In the area of your finances and business, you may be tempted to act in opposition to your moral compass in the coming weeks. Be sure that you are watching out for this urge and willing to fully examine why you are tempted by the uncharacteristic leanings.  You have a chance to turn this around and stay true to yourself… so don’t miss the bus when it comes rolling by.

Responsibility – Knight of Emotion and Repair – Everyone fucks up now and then in pursuit of the things we feel we really want. Should you fuck up, remember the advice in the first position of this reading… own your fuck ups and allow them to teach you a better path. Only through owning what you’ve done and look to accept and deal with the repercussions can you grow and become stronger in response to the experience.

Message from Spirit World –  A renewed path is laid out before you, one filled with the pursuit of the things you truly want over a long period of time.  Be sure in pursuit of these desires you don’t allow curiosity and inspiration to trip you up and send you into a cycle of reparation, though.

Message from Mind’s World – You may not be feeling all that inspired yet and your creativity isn’t at it’s best.  You have ideas, though… and that’s the first step. Be sure to keep those ideas close to the vest for now because it may not be wise to share them with others, write them down to remember for later when you can judge their true value for yourself instead of having to depend on others to tell you if they’re good or not.

Message from Known World – Time alone is all well and good, but stewing in it for too long isn’t healthy so make sure you take short and healthy moments of alone time before then connecting back up with your circle of loved ones. Your loved ones know the true you, they understand you and how your love works… and you understand them and how their love works.  This harmony should be acknowledged more and valued.

Take Away – You’re wandering into  a few challenges to your moral compass and need to make sure you’re staying grounded in who you are and what you value instead of going after what you want without full contemplation of the connotations and motivations behind why you are even considering going astray.  Be yourself and be honest to yourself.  Be inquisitive. Lean into moving forward on your journey towards the light and a healthy mental state rather than flitting off after one distraction or another.  Own your fuck ups.  This isn’t usually a problem for you, but no matter who it is, sometimes pride is a hard thing to choke down.

DECKS USED: EXISTENTIAL TAROT AND THE LANTERN ORACLE

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?

Mesquite Tarot, Elucidation Deck, Lantern Oracle

Earth – Seven of Pentacles and The Closed Book – Rome wasn’t built in a day and a lot of planning and learning went into the process long before the first brick was laid. You know what you want out of your money, your hard work, and your health.  All three have a long term element and you need to make sure you don’t get out of touch with the elements that make up the progress.  Take a look this week and make sure you know what’s going on in these areas, dig in and learn what you need to know, find what’s hidden that you don’t know yet.

Air – Eight of Wands and The Sword – Do your due diligence and do it now.  Do not be aggressive this week in the pursuit of the knowledge you need, but the time to sit back and wait is now at an end and it’s time to be proactive and get gather up that knowledge so that you can use it to your advantage moving forward.

Water – The Fool, The Bridge atop The Knight – You may be feeling all kinds of vulnerable and not at all steady of foot this week, but that’s okay.  It’s natural to feel that way when starting anew after a time trapped in the dark.  Just make sure you have your armor in place should stray arrows come your way while trying to work out your path forward. Don’t take those unintended jabs personally. It’s not about you.

Fire – Six of Wands atop The Tower, The Dove In Mourning – You’re going to ACE this restructuring. Don’t worry about the chaos so much, because it’s just the chaos of change.  Adaptation is your strong suit and you’re going to come through the changes going on with flying colors.

Waning – Radical Self-Love – You have spent the past week relaxing and giving yourself time away from the business.  This was time you needed to heal and find your center.  Now as you move into the week ahead, it’s time to find your footing and get back into the swing of things once more.

Waxing – Circles – As much of this reading has already indicated, there’s some chaos going on in relation to the business and you’re going to need to focus this week to make sure you gather all the information you need to make educated decisions on how to move forward.

Take Away – It’s time to get back in the swing of things.  There’s a lot of changes going on right now that you need to catch up on this week.  Make the calls that need to be made, and work out a plan, but make sure that you gather as much information as you can so that you’re well informed and prepared to adapt appropriately.  During this process there may be a few “emotional hiccups” due to feeling a bit vulnerable (possibly due to either depression or the drop?).  Keep in mind that these hiccups are you taking things personally that are not about you at all.  Let them go instead of letting them in.

DECKS USED:  MESQUITE TAROT, ELUCIDATION DECK, LANTERN ORACLE

Morning Bonus Read – State of Being

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The prompt for this reading came from one of my Discord servers and is as follows:
“Join me this week in my very simple state of being draw.”

Edo Tokugawa Karuta Playing CardsHow am I doing emotionally this week?

Ace of Spades atop Eight of Hearts – Too much in my head and it’s not going well for that reason.  The time off has been good for me, but I need to stop spending so much time thinking on the new processes and methods that have been changing around me over the past couple weeks and just let things flow and settle and worry about them later.

What am I going through mentally this week?

Jack of Spades – This is the problem that is causing my emotions so much turmoil. The problem is that I am used to being able to learn what I need to know when I want to know it.  Waiting is (figuratively) killing me because I can’t get the information I need and I can’t start the adjustment process that will need to take place.  For this reason I’m agitated and spending a good deal of time “all in my head” instead of allowing myself to relax and be at ease.

What should I focus on physically this week?

Six of Clubs – Get out into nature and find my balance.  I have the ability to ground and center, to find my balance, and to find peace… but I need to actually get my ass out into nature and do it.  An hour was not enough… do more.  Don’t let the crutch hold you back because you know damned well there’s plenty of places you can go to enjoy that connection where showing up with a crutch and a gimp foot won’t be a problem.

DECK USED: EDO TOKUGAWA KARUTA PLAYING CARDS

Morning Bonus Read – Changing Seasons

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Changing Seasons Spread - Hoping Soul Lenormand

Card to represent this new season of my life.

Heart – A thawing and rising of warmth as the ice that the depression has encased your emotions within begins to melt and ease.  Contentment and feelings of love and warmth return as the depression is being left behind. The new season that is rising up at this time in your life is one of return… of life and love and emotion that was once shut down is now being given the freedom to grow and thrive again as you begin to find the light you’ve been striving for.

How will I change in this new season of my life?

Clover – Good stuff lies ahead with a return of a more optimistic outlook and the ability to get in touch with and feel happiness once more.  The closer you get to the edge of that pit of depression and pulling yourself out of it, the better you will feel.

Something important I will learn.

Cross – There is reinforcement in the journey, and in the familiarity of the slippery slope and the climb back out. In repeating this journey it is not something new that is learned, but rather an assurance that the depression is indeed temporary and will be again in the future when it eventually returns as it has in the past.

Something I need to embrace.

Broom – Finding balance again will not be easy.  The climb out of the pit is hard, and there’s a lot of struggle involved.  It’s important to accept that there will be slippery spots in the climb, places where your hand or foot might slip.  Remember that the pain is a part of the journey and keep your ass moving upward.

A challenge I will face this season.

Scythe – When to let go. Too often you spend too much time fighting the good fight when the battle is already over.  Instead of being so rigid, you will have the opportunity in this season of your life to let go more easily, to let things flow more smoothly, and accept change without the resistance and struggle you habitually put forth at these times.

A lesson I must learn from this challenge.

Cloud – To live with uncertainty rather than fight against it. The unknown can be terrifying, or it can simply be something you’ve yet to discover.  In letting go of the fight against change, you will learn to better accept the unknown and not let it give rise to your anxiety.

How this challenge will make me a better person.

Lily – You will find yourself feeling calmer and more peaceful, and able to handle changes in a more mature and measured way. Remember that if you don’t take the lesson and learn from it, you don’t end up with the boon at the end when you grow from the experience.  Growth is very much the boon of this particular lesson.

DECK USED:  HOPING SOUL LENORMAND