tarot self care

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?

Scorpio Sea Tarot, Wild Medicine Herbal Deck, Wild Rituals Intentions Deck, Spirit Animals Oracle

Earth – The Hierophant and Vitex – Restraint is needed this week when it comes to your finances and your health.  Take some time this week to reassess your finances and make some adjustments.  Make sure when you see your financial advisor later this week that you discuss these reassessments and lean into that restraint for the time being. (Now is not the time to tip your mortgage payment back up to double payments.)

Air – Page of Cups and Mugwort – Anxiety and depression come from the mind, and they have a habit of trying to sneak in when you’re feeling vulnerable. You’re going to be feeling a bit tender footed this week and you need to make sure that you are doing your meditation to help in keeping your negative inner dialogue from disrupting your balance.

Water – Ace of Cups and Masculine Energy – You need to acknowledge over this week the progress that you have made with your emotional growth and new emotional intelligence.  Don’t discount the work you’ve done and the progress you’ve made. Keep in mind that you are strong and capable, and will be able to sustain yourself and support what you’ve accomplished through the holiday season’s busy times simply by acknowledging that the progress exists.

Fire – Six of Swords atop Three of Swords Rx, Feverfew atop Skullcap – It’s time to focus upon moving past your disappointments into a healthier and more productive mental space. You might end up feeling a bit under the weather this week and it’ll mess with your inspirational spark, but you need to examine whether this “under the weather” is truly a physical ailment… or possibly psychosomatic in nature.

Waning – Bear (Introspection) – Now is the time to focus on moving away from introspective pursuits that pull you into yourself and away from others. Going out in nature is healthy, but don’t pull away and retreat in other aspects of your life that would leave you susceptible to the negative effects of solitary time.

Waxing – Horse (Freedom) – Open your mind and heart to new paths and inspirations.  Although the cards above indicate inspiration might be in short supply, don’t allow your “under the weather” feelings to choke out the ideas that come through.  Explore them and enjoy them.

Take Away – Financial restraint. Make sure I’m meditating to counteract vulnerability and the negative effects of my inner dialogue. Keep in mind my progress and accomplishments, and take care of my health by delving into what may be behind when I’m feeling sick.

There doesn’t seem to be a cohesive message this week, but rather a handful of different smaller tips of things to keep in mind.

DECKS USED:  SCORPIO SEA TAROT, WILD MEDICINE HERBAL DECK, WILD RITUALS INTENTIONS DECK, SPIRIT ANIMALS ORACLE

Morning Bonus Read – Holidays Are Coming

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The prompt for this reading came from one of my Discord servers and is as follows:
“This week, talk with your divination tools about how to prepare for the upcoming holiday season. This is a crazy year, and the holidays are often a crazy time even during normal years! Let’s see what we can do now to be prepared and show up as our best selves.”

Cartomancy Playing Card ReadingWhat are things I need to be aware of/look out for in the upcoming holiday season?

Three of Clubs – You need to make sure that you’re staying focused on where you want to go and the goals you want to accomplish. There’s been a lot of distraction (especially mental distraction) in your life lately, and awareness the direction you need to go in and having a clear plan to get there is the best way to make sure that this holiday season goes smoothly.

King of Spades (Lily) atop Three of Spades – You need to keep an eye out for delays through the winter months that might cause you to feel emotional upheaval as a result.  It’s possible, especially due to the current economy and pandemic, that the holiday rush will be sluggish or slow this year. This is something you need to keep an eye on and strategize on what you can to counter act when possible.

What are things I should do now to physically prepare for the holidays?

Five of Clubs atop Ten of Hearts (Dog) – Don’t allow conflict with loved ones to hold things back.  Make sure you are getting enough exercise and outside time in nature to keep harmony in place.  You know how cranky you get when you don’t get enough time grounding in the woods.

Queen of Spades (Bouquet) – Take care of your mental health. This is a reiteration that you need to make sure you’re getting out into nature when you need that grounding and exercise. Fresh air and time among the trees is good for the body and the mind, and if you want to keep yourself in a positive space physically and mentally, you need to give yourself what you need to make that happen.

What are some things I should do now to emotionally prepare for the holidays?

Nine of Diamonds (Coffin) – Don’t allow the money situation this holiday season to get you down.  It’s okay if you’re not making as much as you want to make as long as you’re bringing in as much as you need. With everything going on in the world, being able to be comfortable is enough. Prepare yourself now for this possibility. Don’t set your heart on astounding profit and it’ll help keep your depression in check.

Jack of Clubs (Whip) – Get your shit together, motivationally speaking. It will create less of a feeling of conflict later on if you can get yourself together now.  Think of how much better you feel when you’ve managed to be prepared for stressful situations rather than when you aren’t and have to work on the fly without any previous preparation available.

What are some boundaries I should put in place for myself now as we ramp up to the holidays?

Queen of Hearts (Stork) – You need to adjust how you view (and provide yourself) self care. You are not going to make it through the chaos of the holiday season if you’re unwilling to give yourself the care you need to make it through.  This is not limited to the walks in the woods mentioned above, but also concerns your other self care methods as well.

Ace of Hearts (Man) – Don’t allow yourself to close off entirely from Gideon during the holidays. As busy as it might be, you need that connection with him in order to stay healthy and happy.  He is also your support system for the new emotions and emotional intelligence you’ve been working on for the past year, so when these new emotions well up, you need to make sure you are going to him for help in sorting them out and easing their intensity.

What is one thing I should focus on in order to show up to the holidays as my best self?

Ten of Clubs (Bear) – As strong as you are? You’re not invincible. You can’t carry it all on your shoulders and you can’t “be the boss” every second of every day.  If you don’t release your grip a bit now and then, you can’t find balance or find that best self that resides within you.

DECK USED:  SANDS CASINO DECK c.1990s w/ HAND DRAWN LENORMAND IMAGES

Transitioning from October to November

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This is a spread that I do at the end of each month to close out the month.

Month End Tarot Check In - Skele-Tarot and Nicoletta Ciccoli Tarot

Individuality – King of Swords and Nascondino – Hiding from responsibilities and allowing a fog to swirl in and create confusion and panic where clarity is needed.  Fear follows and creates tension as you fear what you can’t see and what might pass you buy entirely without seeing you in turn.

Dependence – Hanged Man atop The Empress, Dolceamara atop Rose Red – In the grasp of the above mentioned situation, you have lost sight of your need for self care and your walls are trying to come up and close you off from others. This habit is not healthy for you, or for others either.  Don’t allow your walls to get so high that you can no longer see beyond them.

Creativity – Ten of Wands Rx, Mary Go Round, Hide and Seek – Less burden and a bit more fun.  A different path than the one you are used to walking upon. You’re trying to change.  Remember that this isn’t about changing who you are or the person others see, but about changing the habits that are unhealthy for you and exchanging them for something better.

Limitation – Three of Cups and [Unknown Title] – Your self flagellation for having a good time and taking care of your needs (social and otherwise). That negative inner dialogue has begun to spread out from your inner voice and influence your actions and emotions.  There is no need to punish yourself.  It will only set you back.

Change – King of Pentacles and Agata – Your guides and the cards are working together to comfort you over your financial uncertainties.  You should listen and lean into that comforting rather than stubbornly clinging to the worries you’ve been struggling with. Allowing that comforting to do its job and listening to the nurturing voice that’s trying to help you will allow for you to find solid footing concerning how you feel about your finances and resources.

Sympathy – Justice and Luck – Times in the past when you have been treated unjustly have been swirling around the outer edges of your awareness recently and causing a dimming of your inner “shine”.  This is a shadow that wants to rise up and needs to be soothed back into place with reminders that that time of powerlessness is in the past now.

Luck – Five of Cups and The Ice Princess – Remember when you were learning how to serve and your grip on the tray wobbled, all of the glasses on the tray sliding off to the floor except one? Even though they fell, none of them broke, and the one still on the tray didn’t even spill a little bit.  It was a triumph… even in the face of failure.  Sometimes we can wall ourselves off to those small triumphs, and you’re at risk of doing that now.  Make sure you don’t forget to celebrate the little things.

Power – Seven of Wands, Cuddle, Last Days – Feeling ganged up on and vulnerable does not mean it’s time to build up your walls and seclude yourself away from the rest of the world.

Responsibility – Two of Wands, Cowgirl, [Unknown Title] atop Blue Bird and The Fox – Grab a direction and run with it.  This message is an echo of a previous reading you did that said the same thing.  Essentially, put on your big boy pants and GO already.  Stagnation is not your friend.  I pulled clarification cards on this position, which then indicate a need for diligence and paying attention to your surroundings.

Message from Spirit World – Overcome your feelings of vulnerability not by closing yourself off, but rather by accepting comfort and allowing it to both ground and energize you.  Keep an eye out for predators.

Message from Mind’s World – Don’t poison yourself with old habits that you know aren’t good for you. It will close you off from being able to see “the full picture” and leave you forsaking positive activities for less healthy ones.

Message from Known World – All actions have consequences and repercussions.  Make sure that you are paying attention to what you do staying true to path and kind to yourself.

DECKS USED:  SKELE-TAROT AND NICOLETTA CICCOLI TAROT (MODIFIED)

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?

Tarot de Marseilles par Pole Ka, Halloween Oracle, Seasons of the Witch Samhain Oracle

Earth – High Priestess and Skull of Light – "Allow yourself to be seen, to see, and to act upon what is shown to you.  The time has passed for hiding, for pretending, and for swallowing our discomfort by accepting the status quo when it really doesn't suit us." - guide to the Halloween Oracle

The above quote speaks very clearly about what is expressed not just in the Skull of Light card, but also in it being combined with the High Priestess card. In order to preserve the stability that you cherish, this week it will be important to open up to your intuition’s voice and what it has to say.  Clear away the cobwebs and fog that has you feel like you’re stewing in confusion and allow your inner voice the room it needs to speak clearly.

Air – The Chariot and Ancestors – This week, take the gifts that your ancestors have passed down to you and use them to move forward into the challenges that are coming.  You were born with a unique set of qualities and gifts that allow you to handle what is coming with control and finesse.  Have faith in yourself and charge forward with the knowledge you can do this.

Water – The Lovers Rx and Zombie – Spend some time this week reconnecting with your values and what is truly important to you.  The chaos is coming, but that doesn’t mean letting go of your moral compass or your values in order to deal with the chaos, but rather that you hold onto them tightly and continue to work toward being both authentic to your truth and true to your path.  Center yourself on that path and make decisions and choices that align with it instead of allowing outside influences to try and sway you.

Fire – Page of Swords Rx and Invisibility – These cards are an echo of the theme in the Water section of this reading, and a reminder that manipulation comes in all forms. Make sure that you are being authentic to your own path and your own values, and not letting outside influences tug you askew.

The fact that this message is repeated between the Water section and the Fire section indicates that this manipulation is going to come through on an emotional level and will niggle at your drive and desires.  Don’t allow these manipulative nudges to convince you to take action in a direction that does not align with your values and moral compass.

Waning – Goddesses of Samhain –  The time of gentle nudges and easing into the ebb and flow of changes is coming to an end this week.  There is nothing gentle in what is approaching, and you need to release the desire to linger in that more gentle space so that you can “go into battle” prepared.

Waxing – Potions & Spells – Empowerment is what you need to focus on stepping into in the week ahead.  You have the skills and abilities needed to make what needs to happen come about, so grab the reigns and start steering things in the direction you desire to go in.

Take Away – This week’s self care needs to focus on clearing out the mental fog that is blurring the lines not just in your thinking, but also in your inner knowledge and intuition. Take time to breathe fresh air through your mind and get yourself centered.   Once you’ve cleared out the cobwebs, ground yourself in your values, then grab the reigns, shake off the remnants of stagnation clinging to your shoulders, and get moving.

DECKS USED: TAROT DE MARSEILLES PAR POLE KA, HALLOWEEN ORACLE, SEASONS OF THE WITCH SAMHAIN ORACLE

Morning Bonus Read – Finding Growth in Change

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The prompt for this reading came from one of my Discord servers and is as follows:
“This week, take some time with your divination tools to delve deep into the shadow work surrounding the death topics you have been reflecting on in the previous weeks.”

It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown Playing CardsWhat unforeseen ramifications will this death (from last week’s reading) have in my life?

King of Hearts – By finding a way to kill off my need to overburden myself with responsibilities, it will allow me to not just develop a stronger emotional intelligence, but also find a stronger connection with Gideon… probably through the fact that I would have more time to spend with him instead of being stuck in burnout.

Five of Clubs – The death of this habit may also cause a good deal of inner conflict, as I struggle with my ambitions and how to keep them from pushing me too far.

What old wounds are being brought up with this death?

Queen of Hearts – Self neglect is not the only kind of neglect that is seen here in this card.  The space provided in my life can provide space for ruminations on my mother as well and her neglect.  These are disappointments I’ve primarily put on the back burner that are at risk of rising up without enough distraction to keep them shoved in their corner.

Four of Clubs – Again, family disappointment rises up in the space left behind by the death of this habit. It’s always been rather painful to me to go back home and not be enthusiastically welcomed in as L is.  It’s a struggle to see how L is doted on by our mother (and at one time our father) while my presence was looked upon as an inconvenience or “free labor”.

Both of these old wounds are things that I now have a bit of warning about coming up, and thus can hopefully manage to circumvent a bit so that they do not become too painful.

What aspects of myself is becoming more clear through this death?

Nine of Clubs – That part of my self that needs to protect itself at all costs, and why it is alive and thriving within me even now, as well as the methods I’ve used to create those protections.  ie: Overburdening yourself as a distraction.

Eight of Clubs – The ability to motivate myself into moving on my interests and passionate endeavors. I’ve felt very unenthusiastic lately about… pretty much everything.  The Eight of Clubs indicates that I will rediscover some balance in this area and, as a result, my enthusiasm and motivation.

Ace of Spades – Along with the resurrection of my enthusiasm, new ideas are also a potential development of the death of this bad habit of mine. The lack of ideas has been lingering along with the motivation issues, which is really unusual for me.

All of these sound like excellent developments in understanding myself and finding my joy and motivation in my creative endeavors again.

DECK USED: IT’S THE GREAT PUMPKIN CHARLIE BROWN PLAYING CARDS

Morning Bonus Read – Scorpio Season Tarot Spread

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Scorpio Season Spread - Terrestrial Tarot

Ways in which my life will be profoundly transformed.
Earth (Ace of Pentacles)

This season is filled with manifestation and abundance for me, which is not surprising since the holiday rush starts in just another week or so.   The Ace of Pentacles in this position indicates that even though I’ve been feeling like sales have been slow and dismal, that there is opportunity coming and I just need to be ready for it.

Deep soul desires that may resurface for attention.
Queen of Cups

Again, we see the influence of the holiday rush in this card.  With that time nearly in my lap now, I’m going to be feeling the need for some emotional reassurances coming up as my emotional growth is delegated to the back seat (but, carefully not buried).

Shadow aspect that may emerge from the depths.
The Founded Power (Ten of Wands)

My habit of allowing myself to be overburdened and overwhelmed is also nipping right on my heels and trying to reassert itself. This is an unhealthy habit that I’m doing my best to break, but during the holiday rush a good deal of overwhelm comes with the territory no matter how much balance I try to instill into the process.

Major cycle(s) that are coming to a close.
Unity (The World)

My feelings of unity with the universe are coming to a close. I have, over the end of the summer and the lions share of the fall, slowly been starting to feel new connections happening.  New connections to my emotions, to my ancestors and guides, and to my spirituality as well.  I had been stumbling about lost for a bit, then found my footing and with it that connection.  Now, with the rush and all that coming, that feeling of connected completion is sadly out the window and will have to be found again once the holiday rush is over.

Soul-aligned beginnings / opportunities that will open up.
Authority (Four of Swords) atop Three Forked Road (Three of Swords)

The cards here indicate that I’m going to have the opportunity this Scorpio season to see just how taking control and incorporating rest and recovery into my work can help me from falling into that big black pit of depression.

DECK USED: TERRESTRIAL TAROT