TarotForGrowthOctober

Battle of the Imps

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Ugh… ok so I planned to do this post after a nap when I got home… and then I slept FOREVER.   So the post is super late today.

Today’s post was ten minutes long, and focused on sitting with discomfort instead of avoiding it.   Whether this is physical pain, awkward moments, uncomfortable situations, etc, the focus was upon not running away from these situations or experiences, but rather using them as learning experiences for personal growth and education.

I learned this technique very early in life, and it has served me well.  It’s a big part of the reason that, even though I have had some rather significant hurdles and challenges in my life and not come from them unscathed, when people ask if there is anything I would change… the answer is no.  I would not be who I am without each and every one of those challenges and experiences, and I’m pretty happy with who I am.

Today’s draw was the Five of Imps (Wands) which is a representation of struggle, strife, conflict, and competition in the area of one’s passions, drive, and ambitions.

What stood out to me in this card this morning, though, isn’t the battle of the imps, Rather, it was the little demon cat in the lower left corner, and the moon watching on from above.

Today’s card is a message about not getting involved in things that have nothing to do with you. It’s OK to stand on the sidelines and watch and let them work it out for themselves.

Although this wasn’t something that applied to my day as a whole, I think that this is a really good reminder.  I’m one of those people that likes to help, but there are times when I need to remember that stepping in to help isn’t the best solution, for myself or for others.

Deck Used: Halloween Tarot

Bonus Reading

I did the #TarotForGrowthOctober prompt again today.

Question: How can I better attune to my intuition?

Reading Summary: Don’t.  You’ll be sorry.

Take Away:  Not the answer I was anticipating when I picked up the cards to delve into this question!  That said, what I see in these cards is that I could reach for an even better connection with my intuition.  I could push on to the “next level” and do the work to find new perspectives.   But in the end?  I have other things to focus on that are better uses of my time at the moment, as I am already very much connected to my intuition, and deepening that connection more may not be something I’m ready (or able) to handle right now.

Deck Used: Le Tarot de Marseille par Pole Ka

Tapping In to Inner Strengths

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and although it was a guided meditation, I really wasn’t paying attention to what she was saying.  I have found that sometimes the music in the background just really catches my attention and carries me away.

At those times, my attention seems to skip along the notes like a rock skipping over water, touching down on each note as it is played before gliding on to the next, and the next.  It’s a very peaceful sensation.   I wish I could find the music as a download of some kind, all on its own.

Today’s draw is a double without a jumper, which means that both cards jumped out of the deck together as one.  The cards in today’s draw are the Auntie Whispers card (the Strength card), and the Eight of Pentacles.

The Auntie Whispers card is a Major Arcana card, and deals with “big picture” themes rather than any one specific aspect of the human condition.  It is commonly a representation of inner strength, compassionate persuasion, and courage.

The Eight of Pentacles is a representation of purpose, determination, and accomplishment in the area of resources, finances, and the physical world.  This card is often an indication of hard work and hard won expertise in areas that involve manifestation of ideas into reality.

When I look at the combination of these cards in today’s draw, the message I am picking up from the cards is about the fact that I really wasn’t entirely inspired to work today.  But, sometimes?  You have to power through and do your work.   I have the inner strength of will to make that happen, and that’s exactly what I have done today.

Fortunately, I also got to spend time with you, and I think a lot of that has to do with the good management of my time and making sure to balance that time appropriately.

Deck Used: Tarot of the Unknown

Bonus Reading

I did the #TarotForGrowthOctober prompt today from Instagram.

Question: What resources for growth are available to me?  I specifically focused on growth concerning my business in this inquiry.

Reading Summary: Inner strength and decisiveness are the tools that I can provide for myself, but there is also an element of community involved that can help deflect moments of conflict and turmoil concerning my inspiration and ambition.

Take Away:  I can’t carry everything myself, no matter how much I want to.  The tools available to me go beyond just my own personal skills and abilities, and if I want to foster growth, I need to also look outside myself and to what others can offer.    This will be especially important in learning from other’s mistakes and taking advice to find a better path to my goals that involves less nasty surprises and pitfalls along the way.

Deck Used: Halloween Magick Tarot

 

Empathic Ability… or Something Else

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Today’s meditation was… well, I’m not entirely how long it was, because I fell asleep.  It was relaxing, though. I think that just a lack of sleep combined with the taxing part of having both the helper and the housekeeper coming by today just took it out of me.  I laid down and became still, and off to sleep I went.

Today’s draw is Queen of Bats (Swords), which is a representation of a receptive alpha energy in the area of intellect, thought, logic, communication, and instinct.  This involves themes that include independent thought, reflection on new ideas without the need for conformity (ie: clear boundaries), a lack of bias, and direct communication.

When I look at today’s card, what I see is strength reflected through the posture of the queen and her sword, and an openness to hear out others while staying firm in one’s own foundations that is demonstrated in her welcoming of the flying bat combined with the death moth that is both at the base of her throne as well as within her crown. The moon smiling down feels like a blessing and approval, displaying an indication that this path is the right one for this moment in time.

I think this is a really interesting card to draw today, because I find myself reflecting on the definition of what an empath is, and if it really applies to me as I thought it did.  The thing is, I do not feel other people’s emotions in the way that I understand empathic abilities to work.  Instead, I sense and react to energy.  From that energy, my body can then interpret and even empathize with emotions from others… but it is not the direct connection and mimicry of emotion that others seem to define the ability as having.

Clearly, this feels like a separation between what I’m experiencing, and what is generally defined as empathic ability.  I wonder, then, if in fact this isn’t empathic ability at all, but something else that I haven’t yet found a name and/or definition for yet.

This, to me, fits in with the Queen of Bats because it runs along the line of intellectual examination, independent thought, and non-conformity.

Deck Used: Halloween Tarot

Bonus Reading

I did the #TarotForGrowthOctober prompt today from Instagram.

Question: How can I recognize my own power to manifest growth?  I specifically focused on growth concerning my business in this inquiry.

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Reading Summary:  If you would just give yourself a chance to be nicer to yourself and embrace the emotional gifts others are offering,  the world would be at your feet.  Stop and examine where you feel scarcity.

Take Away:  I need to sit with my emotions, look at and delve into a better understanding of them, and allow others to contribute to my life with their own emotions as well.   This is the aspect of my life where I am at my weakest, as I often have a hard time connecting with others in this manner, or experiencing the world through that lens. I need to take a breath and ease my strangle hold of stress concerning finances and the business or it will smother under my grip.

Deck Used: Skele-Tarot

Trying New Things

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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

 

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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