Terrestrial Tarot

Stagnancy vs Movement

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

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Daily Mental Health Prompt: Seek a positive message to carry with you throughout the day and offer perspective.

Ghost Boy Tarot's King of Swords and Halloween Affirmation CardsToday’s draw is the King of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of a projective “alpha” energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s thoughts, intellect, education, ambitions, and communication. This often translates into themes that have to do with someone that has a way with words and is able to use those skills to lead others to their way of thinking, as well as those that are in authority on intellectual topics such as professors, doctors, etc.

The King of Swords has then been combined with a Halloween Affirmation card that says, “I see the beauty in the darkness, finding balance between the light and the shadows.”

Finding balance sucks. That’s because it’s one of those things that has never still or stagnant. It’s always moving, which means in order to find balance, you also have to always be moving and adjusting.

I like deep roots. I like stability. I’m not even particularly opposed to stagnancy as long as that stagnancy is in a place that I am comfortable. These things are a part of my nature. It’s also a part of my nature to strategize, though.

Logically speaking when you think of stagnancy there’s a reason that it is frowned upon. It’s a place where things become rotten and decay over time. Therefore, if for no other reason than logic itself, seeking balance is the healthier option and creates a greater sense of stability over time as you get your “sea legs” and are able to stand firm, walk, or even run in the storm.

The message in today’s cards is a reminder that as comfortable as stagnancy feels, it’s not your friend. Part of being responsible is taking care of yourself, and that requires freedom of movement in order to achieve balance.

Don’t just sit there and rot. Instead, get out and start climbing those mountains.

DECK USED:  GHOST BOY TAROT AND TWIST’S HALLOWEEN AFFIRMATION CARDS

#DiscordTarotholicsOct2025 Challenge
Prompts for October 18th and 20th 

Tarot Reading with the Terrestrial Tarot and Wayward Dark LenormandVampire – How can you suck more joy out of life this season?

Lily, Nine of Pentacles, Tower – Don’t allow your accomplishments to elevate you so far up on a pedestal that you can’t get down and dirty with everyone else.

You don’t have to stay up there to protect what you value, nor do you need to stay up there to lord your accomplishments over everyone else. True joy is down among the throng.

What do you need to focus on for self-care for this month’s new moon?

Stork, Ten of Wands, Clouds – Just because you have the energy right now to take on new projects and responsibilities doesn’t mean that down the road you’re going to feel quite as capable. Take care that you don’t over-commit yourself during this time, or you’ll regret it later when you feel trapped in overwhelm and overburdened.

Other elements included in this reading:
Gneiss Stone for Patience in Moments of Discomfort
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: TERRESTRIAL TAROT AND WAYWARD LENORMAND

@LightningWildflower October Tarot Challenge
Fire and Air “The Sevens” Prompts for October 19th thru 21st

Tarot Reading with the Ghost Boy TarotSeven of Wands

In what area of my life do I need to stand my ground?

The Sun – Personal happiness and your own success need to come first. If you’re not taking care of yourself, how are you supposed to take care of anybody else? Don’t allow other manipulations to compromise going after what makes you happy.

How can I stay true to my values, even if this leads to conflict?

Four of Pentacles – Be stubborn. Staying true to your values sometimes means digging in and staying put when people are trying to budge you from what you feel is most important. Stay strong during these times, and focused on what truly matters.

Seven of Swords

What is an inconvenient or strategic approach that I can take at this time?

Six of Swords – Sometimes moving forward means backing off. If something isn’t working for you, leave it behind. This can be inconvenient, as it means finding another path and sometimes starting again, but when you let go of what isn’t working,  you’ll find a better way forward in the end.

Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Rosebuds for Potential and Beauty Waiting to Unfold
Dried Purple Heather Flowers for Independence and Luck
Black Spruce Needles to Boost Self-Confidence and Positive Thinking
Flower Agate Moon for Opening the Mind to New Possibilities
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: GHOST BOY TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

This post is a catch-up post, and I can’t remember what my self-kindness might have been for this day.

We Are Not Born Wise

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Today’s meditation was done twice.  I did my morning meditation of ten minutes with interval timer for my piriformis stretching.  I then did a second meditation later in the day just before our Samhaim ritual started, in order to help ground and center myself for the ritual to come.  Both were needed and seemed to help a bit not just with grounding but with the low grade anxiety that’s been playing havoc with me for the past few days.

Madam Lydia Wilhelmina's Tarot - The HierophantToday’s draw is the Hierophant, which is traditionally interpreted as a religious or spiritual leader and/or institution with spiritual wisdom and the authority to lead others along traditional spiritual paths using their wisdom and experience. Conformity to traditions is a strong component as well in the traditional meaning of this card.

I connect very strongly with this card on many levels, although… conformity is not one of them.   I do not see conformity here in this card, which means it is one that connects for me even stronger than most.   What this card represents to me is guidance and wisdom.  It’s about teaching others to find their path… and about learning from others in ways that enhances your own path.   A teacher is no teacher at all if they are no longer open to learning as well, and in this imagery you see that he does not just hold a book of Jupiter.  Now whether this book is about the Roman god Jupiter, or the planet Jupiter is really irrelevant as it speaks to me of the fact that he is seeking knowledge.  You do not become knowledgeable and wise by sticking your head in the sand.

The message in this card’s appearance today is a reminder that exploration is a good thing. Never be afraid of failure, for even failures teach you something you didn’t know before, and all knowledge becomes valuable eventually… whether in sharing it with others, in expanding your wisdom, or both.

DECK USED:  MADAM LYDIA WILHELMINA’S TAROT

LionHart’s #TheOctoberTarot #SeasonOfTheWitchChallenge Prompt
Question: Now is the time {card 1}, this is the hour {card 2}, this is the magick {card 3}, this is the power {card 4}.

Dead Waite Tarot

Now is the time {Judgement} to reign in your judgements and make sure that you are being kind to yourself and others. You do not need to be harsh or cruel to yourself to get where you want to go. 

This is the hour {Knight of Swords} to charge after your ambitions. Pick up that sword and focus on your target.  Stop being distracted by trivial shit that doesn’t matter and worries about things that have no foundation.

This is the magick {The Devil} that will get you not just the things that you need… but the things that you want as well.  Just like you can’t put food in your belly without success, neither can you can you feed your addictions without the success of your business. 

This is the power {Two of Cups} that will get you through. It’s not about sharing the work, but about coming together and supporting each other.  Yes, sharing the work is a part of that, but that’s not the part that needs to be stressed or focused on.  Focus on how they make you feel supported, and how you are after the same things.

DECK USED:  DEAD WAITE TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsOct2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What do I need to focus on for self-care for this blue moon?

Ritual Abuse TarotReading Summary:  There is too much going on emotionally and you need to narrow down everything that is vying for your attention (Seven of Cups). Like an arrow poised to be set loose, find your direction and bear down on it (Two of Wands) while making sure to take care of yourself so that you stay healthy along the way (The Empress).

Take Away:  I need to set aside distractions and focus on the direction I want the next couple of months to go on, and the self care that will allow me to carry through the next couple of months without falling apart or hurting myself (most likely through severe burnout).

DECK USED:  RITUAL ABUSE TAROT

#MysticStarChallenge October Challenge Prompt
Question: What is the “Trick” I should be wary of for the next year?  What is the “Treat” that is coming to me this year?

Terrestrial TarotWhat is the “Trick” I should be wary of for the coming year? 

Queen of Coins – Make sure that you are not allowing people to lean too heavily upon you or depend too much upon what you can provide for them on a material level.  Being supportive is one thing, but you aren’t a single parent raising children, so don’t put yourself in a position where you feel the onus of everything rests upon your shoulders alone.

What is the “Treat” that is coming to me in the coming year?

The Sun – There is a double meaning in the appearance of The Sun card here in this spread.   First is the traditional meaning of positivity, success, and fun.  After the holiday rush, I will be able to lean into learning how to embrace these things once more on a fully conscious level.

The second meaning in The Sun’s appearance echoes back to a reading I did on October 3rd, in which The Sun card (this specific sun card in this specific deck) came up as a representation of one of my spirit guides.  spiritual guide relationship that was indicated in a reading at the beginning of the month. Appearing again now, it is an indication that I will find myself developing a stronger relationship with this guide in the future.

DECK USED:  TERRESTRIAL TAROT

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

It’s Good Not To Be King

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IMG_6920Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and was one of the guided meditations with interval timers for my piriformis stretches.

The topic of today’s meditation was about taking time to let in the beauty and the  majesty of the world.  To take it in and appreciate it, and allow it to calm you.   It was about how sometimes? Even when we feel like we need to act, and act right now, that it’s better to wait and watch, and allow things to unfold at their own pace.

This can be really hard, yeah?  But the key in today’s guided meditation was that if we can find beautiful and peaceful things to focus on, it can help us in allowing that space instead of jumping into the fray.

Madam Lydia Wilhelmina's Tarot - King of WandsToday’s draw is is the King of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of a projective alpha energy in the area of one’s inspiration, passion projects, drive, and that inner spark of curiosity and invention. This often translates into themes that have to do with authority figures or leadership energy that leads the charge, stirring up those beneath them to  lead them into the fray of whatever passionate interest is the focus of the time.

What stands out to me in the imagery of this card today is the pumpkin that is impaled upon the wand that the skeleton king holds.   The pumpkin as the drawing on a sugar skull on it, and reminds me of a head on a pike.

What I see in this imagery is that sometimes?  Sacrifices have to be made for progress to happen for the greater good.  Sometimes?  Things or people get left behind.  Not because it’s fair or even right… it’s neither.  But when you’re the king?  You have to think of the greater good.  Sometimes that means that things aren’t fair for everyone, and sometimes it means that things that feel wrong happen just to make sure the greater good thrives.

Today’s card is a reminder of why I despise being leader and try to avoid that when I’m able. It’s a reminder of how happy I am not to be those things, and how much comfort and relief I get from that fact.

DECK USED:  MADAM LYDIA WILHELMINA’S TAROT

LionHart’s #TheOctoberTarot #SeasonOfTheWitchChallenge Prompt
Question: How can my inner magick support my journey?

Gothic Horror Tarot

Reading Summary: You are the ruler of your own domain (King of Pentacles) and are skilled at the running of it (Eight of Pentacles) because your inner compass keeps things balanced (Justice).

Take Away:  I recently came to realize just how unique each home and household is.  How in the ecosystem of a home and those that live within it, certain knowledge that is unique to that ecosystem is spread between it’s members.  Things like preferences in foods and brands, differences in bathroom times and daily ablution periods, how quickly things run out and how they deal with these things. 

How smoothly these things are run and how well this information is shared is dependent upon those involved and whoever the “head” of that ecosystem is that keeps things running smoothly.  In my home, that person is me.  My need for organization and desire for a sense of security is a part of the magic of who I am, and applying this to my home and those within it helps us all move more comfortably upon our journey, and feel more safe with each step that is taken.

DECK USED:  GOTHIC HORROR TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsOct2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Forgive / Accept / Honor

Luis Royo's Labyrinth TarotForgive – Nine of Pentacles – Forgive myself for wallowing in a sense of security.  It’s been really nice to feel like everything’s taking care of itself for a while and like it’s not on my shoulders to push myself hard as I can. It’s hard to feel like it’s okay to feel that way, though. I have a lot of guilt around letting myself wallow in it for a bit, especially as I try to get myself back in gear now to prepare for the busy season ahead.

Accept – Knight of Wands – Accept that it’s now time to get your ass up and get a move on.  Unfortunately, that more relaxed time I’ve been enjoying has come to an end.  It’s a bummer, because I’ve just started to enjoy it, but now it’s time to accept that I need to plunge into my work.  My creative business will not run itself, and requires a certain amount of preparation to function properly and run well during the holiday rush.

Honor – Ten of Cups atop Jack of Wands – I need to honor what I have learned through how I’ve invested my time over the spring and summer. I’ve put a lot of time and focus on exploring my emotional intelligence and growing my understanding of my own emotions over the spring and summer.  I’ve found that I need a bit of rest to find emotional fulfillment, and just how important emotional fulfillment really is.  These things that I have learned are very important lessons that I want to honor by carrying forward into the future with me.

Luis Royo's Labyrinth Tarot - Five of SwordsWhat does it mean to honor what I need in order to feel emotionally fulfilled?

The Five of Swords indicates that you need to appreciate how far you’ve come, how much you’ve done, and protect these things.

This protection is not about building walls or anything so stagnant.  It’s important to remember that  emotions do not thrive when closed up and walled off.  So using that type of method that you have often used in the past is not going to work this time around.

Instead, you need to look at a more active style of defense and protection by carrying these things that you have learned with you as you move forward and holding them close as you without suffocating them.

DECK USED:  LUIS ROYO’S LABYRINTH TAROT

#MysticStarChallenge October Challenge Prompt
Question: How does my Spirit Guide card relate to my card for the month?

Terrestrial Tarot, Carnival at the End of the World Tarot, Trionfi della LunaReading Summary:  With the emotional growth that I have been exploring over the spring and summer (Ace of Cups) has also come lessons about how stepping back from pushing myself so damned hard (Temperance) can lead to a stronger sense of emotional fulfillment and completion (Ten of Cups).

The Sun of my Spirit Guide and the Hierophant of my month’s card are providing the path forward (Two of Wands) that will allow me to preserve and foster what I have learned so far on my journey of emotional growth.

Take Away:  It is an indication that my Spirit Guide is trying to support me and the growth I’ve managed thus far, as well as the perseverance of what I’ve learned as I move into what is hands-down the most stressful part of my year each year.

DECK USED:  TRIONFI DELLA LUNA, TERRESTRIAL TAROT, CARNIVAL AT THE END OF THE WORLD TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How can better connect with my spirit guide mentors?

Golden Age of Horror Comics Tarot

Reading Summary: Tap in to what you know and are skilled at (Eight of Pentacles), combined with your childhood experiences (Six of Cups). Examine how you can see this connection differently (The Hanged Man).

Take Away:  The message here is about looking a gift horse in the mouth.  The thing is?  Many of my greatest skills come from those in my past.  The experiences and the skills passed down to me that I have utilized to get myself where I am?  These are also from the same individuals in my past that I have spent a good deal of time resenting and avoiding. My guides are, in some cases, a piece of my past.  They were there then, either in living form or in the ethereal plane… they’re here now too.  They have always wanted what is best for me… so maybe it’s time to let go of some of those resentments and discomforts.

DECK USED:  GOLDEN AGE OF HORROR COMICS TAROT

The Illusive Silver Lining

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Today’s meditation was… well it was a bit different.  That would be because I tried to do my meditation in the bath this time. Since I was soaking in the tub, I thought I’d give it a go.  What actually happened, though, is that I started to doze off… twice.  So, that wasn’t a very good idea. I never settled in to meditate after I’d gotten out, either.  I’ll do it before sleep tonight.

Madam Lydia Wilhelmina's Tarot - Five of CupsToday’s draw is the Five of Cups, which is traditionally a representation of emotions that deal with disappointment, disillusionment, and pessimism.  Especially in cases where you are failing (or refusing) to see the whole picture.

What really stands out to me in the imagery of this card today is the contrast between the graceful figure and the cold dark surroundings in which she stands.  It really makes the “pity party” going on in this card stand out.

The thing is?  When you’re focused solely on the pessimistic side of things?  You lose out on so much sometimes, but it’s really devastating when it’s the little things you lose out on.  In moments when everything feels like it’s gone to shit and you’re wading through the cold snow of disappointments and failures?  Not looking for that little nugget of positive that lives in those moments has the potential to just make everything worse… and make the bad linger and stretch on longer… the emotions involved experienced with more depth and for a longer period of time than might be healthy.

The message here is to look for that silver lining.  It might be small, it might seem like “nothing”… but sometimes that little bit of nothing can be everything.

DECK USED:  MADAM LYDIA WILHELMINA’S TAROT

LionHart’s #TheOctoberTarot #SeasonOfTheWitchChallenge Prompt
Question: How can I best harvest the energy available to me?

Tarot of the Sweet Twilight

Reading Summary: Work at learning to be happy with what you have (King of Pentacles) and to foster and nurture that outlook it so that it grows (Queen of Pentacles)… It doesn’t all have to be about “more more more” all the time.

There is a link between the Queen of Pentacles and the Knave of Swords in the fact that the girl in the Knave looks like a younger version of the Queen, and wears the same dress beneath her jacket.   What I see from this is that growth is possible, but needs a bit of nurturing to get it there and to temper the impulsive urges that slow and steady growth can sometimes spur.

Take Away:  I push myself too damned hard and it’s not healthy.  I know that, and yet so very often, I can’t seem to help it. The encouragement here is that I need to stay focused on the present right now.  I need to nurture my growth and my inspiration, but only in ways that support slow growth instead of fast and hard spurts.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE SWEET TWILIGHT

#DiscordTarotholicsOct2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What needs my attention in the… past / present / future

Murder of Crows TarotWhat needs my attention in the past?
Knight of Swords – So much of my past has spent spent barrelling forward at full speed, pushing myself harder and harder as I work towards my ambitions. This pushing wasn’t about my passions or interests, it was about my ambitions. The things I felt I wanted in my life, or even felt were absolutely necessary.  And in pushing myself so hard, I have cycled through burnout after burnout, driven to always push harder and harder. It’s not healthy and I know that, and yet I cannot seem to help it. And when I do manage to back off on myself? Then I feel shame and self-recriminations concerning whatever it is that I’m not getting done.   This issue stems from my past and is something I need to work on addressing.

What needs my attention in the present?
The High Priestess  – This is an echo of what the cards told me in my self-care Saturday reading this weekend. It has to do with depending less strongly upon logic and thought, and leaning more heavily into intuition and the nudging of my moral compass.

What needs my attention in the future?
Ten of Pentacles – My goals, my loved ones, my home. Soon, I will be bumping my mortgage payments back up to double. I reduced my mortgage payments by half back in the spring when I lost the majority of my part time jobs.  After the holidays, I have every intention of returning my payments back to that larger payment again. This future goal will allow my mortgage to be paid off more quickly, creating a sense of stability (and the opportunity to slow down a bit) sooner.   I’m very much looking forward to that.

DECK USED:  MURDER OF CROWS TAROT

#MysticStarChallenge October Challenge Prompt
Question: In what way does my spirit guide embody the _____ card?

Terrestrial Tarot

Spirit Guide Card – The Sun – A sign of hope and warmth and love. A sense of enthusiasm and enjoyment, of optimism and positivity.

In what way does my spirit guide embody the Sun card?
Air (Ace of Swords), Felicity (Nine of Cups), King of Swords

The spirit guide in question embodies the Sun card as they are in my life to help me find emotional fulfillment.  I’m very much a Swords person, as I lean heavily on intellect and logic in my day to day life and how I navigate the world.  But you cannot become the master of your ambitions and mind without reaching a level of emotional fulfillment along the way. This spirit guide is here to provide opportunities to find that fulfillment by finding ways of blending that logic and intellectual tendency I fall into with the emotional intelligence I need to develop along the way.

DECK USED:  TERRESTRIAL TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What does this time of year mean to me?

Dark Angels Tarot

Reading Summary: Gearing up for the busy season with no time to waste (Knight of Pentacles Rx). Change is building into the new reality for the next few months (Death). Struggling to spend as much time as possible with Gideon in preparation for the busy season officially starts (Two of Cups).

Take Away:  There are a lot of spiritual connotations that are a part of this time of year, but in truth?  What this season really means to me is that it’s a time of “changing gears”.  As much as I love the shift in weather, the opportunity to get out in nature more, the thinning of the liminal veil between spiritual planes, etc… what this time of year means more than anything?  Is that it’s time to prep for my busiest time of year, which looms in the near future like a giant trying to hide behind a tree and failing at it miserably.

DECK USED:  DARK ANGELS TAROT