The Gothic Tarot

Enjoying the Journey

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Today’s meditation was skipped this morning because the girls would just not leave me the fuck alone.  Between that and the running of the vacuum, I just couldn’t make it happen.  I will be doing it before bed, though.  Absolutely.   I won’t skip it entirely.

Tarot of Haunted House - King of PentaclesToday’s draw is the King of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of a projective alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s finances, resources, home and hearth, health, and manifestations. This often translates into themes that have to do with business acumen, a strong sense of responsibility, and financial growth and stability.

What stands out to me the strongest in the imagery of this card is that the king is surrounded in all of this wealth, but his sword is down and he looks bored as hell.

We all have goals to aim for, dreams to reach for.  We all have those things that we strive for in our day to day lives.  The thing is?  We spend all of this time striving… and then once we get there?  We’re bored.

The message in today’s card is about enjoying the journey.  It’s not about the end zone.  It’s about the game.  It’s about each step you take along the way and living in the moment instead of being so focused on the future that you miss all the good stuff in the now.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF HAUNTED HOUSE

LionHart’s #TheOctoberTarot #SeasonOfTheWitchChallenge Prompt
Question: I now call in my ancestors, how do you respond?

Ritual Abuse Tarot

Reading Summary: My ancestors respond with a hopeful outlook for this new connection (The Star), and an eagerness to play a more open role (The Sun) in helping me find balance (Justice).

Take Away: I wasn’t really sure how this reading would go, but it went really well and the answers came through loud and smoothly.  My ancestors are eager to have a more conscious role in my life just as my guides are, and hope to help me on my journey to make good choices, enjoy life more, and have a better sense of balance in my life. 

DECK USED:  RITUAL ABUSE TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsOct2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What healing lesson is waiting for me to realize and accept it?

Halloween TarotReading Summary: That you can carry forward and reap the benefits of the lessons you’ve learned (Page of Pumpkins) in the past (Six of Ghosts), while still letting go of the bad stuff and leaving it behind (Death).

Take Away:  Although I know that this is possible and have been able to do it in some cases, there are other cases where the crap that taught me the lesson still clings to the lesson itself. In these instances, I struggle to pry my emotions about the incident away from the lessons learned.  Although I realize this struggle is ongoing for me, I haven’t yet gotten to a point where I’ve been able to accept it in all cases yet.  Its something I’m working on, though.

DECK USED:  HALLOWEEN TAROT

#MysticStarChallenge October Challenge Prompt
Question: What in myself do I need to strengthen to understand my Guides better?

The Gothic Tarot

Reading Summary: The stronger your intuition is the more you’ll understand (The High Priestess rising up from beneath the Eight of Swords). Use the spark of passion that you have in your soul (Ace of Wands) to search for ways to develop this slowly… a bit at a time (Death).

Take Away: This is a message about taking things slow and steady while continuing to develop my intuitive abilities. The interior cards here are all about my intuition, and allowing it to emerge and slowly bring clear sight to murky moments and the things I’m not yet ready to see.  The outer cards are then about taking my time and allowing my curiosity to lead the way forward into this change and through it’s slow development.

DECK USED:  THE GOTHIC TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What beautiful aspect of my life am I ready to embrace?

Dead Waite Tarot

Reading Summary: Gideon is helping me in making better choices (The Lovers) that don’t involve retreating into myself (The Hermit Rx). As this help continues,  I’m learning to lean into that response as my go-to reaction less and less (Eight of Wands).

Take Away:  Each time situations arise that I would have previously retreated from the world and curled into myself, I more quickly jump to use the tools and methods that Gideon has been helping me with learning.  Healthier methods that allow for me to connect with others instead of close myself off from the world.  The beautiful aspect of my life that I am ready to embrace is two-fold in this reading.  First, is Gideon’s help.   Second is the healthier methods he has helped to teach me.

DECK USED:  DEAD WAITE TAROT

Morning Bonus Read – Sovereign Self Spread

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The Gothic Tarot - Sovereign Self SpreadWhere have I let my guard down?
Three of Swords

Despair and disappointment have been allowed to creep in and just because you’re trying to ignore that it’s there isn’t going to make it ease up or go away.  The reason you’ve been feeling like crap lately is because your negative inner dialogue is whispering to you and although you aren’t exactly listening? You’re not doing your all to fight against it either.

Where are my boundaries weak?
Four of Wands atop Queen of Cups

Your boundaries are weakest with those that you share a roof with and an emotional connection to.   You want to give them a chance to enjoy themselves, and because of that you’re not setting down boundaries as firm as you need to be.

How might I step up and reclaim sovereignty of myself?
The Moon

Stop entertaining all your self doubts and uncertainties.  That inner dialogue is fucking up your perspective and causing more doubts and uncertainties to come to the surface with each day that passes.

How might I step up and reclaim sovereignty of my space?
Three of Cups

Make things fun for everyone.  Being together so much is a struggle and it makes all of us a little techty.  It isn’t as if they are going anywhere right now, so in order to reclaim your space it’s important to take control of the energy in that space and turn it into something positive that reinforces the bonds between all three of you.

 How might I step up and reclaim sovereignty of my experience?
Ten of Cups

Focus on what you have and just how good it is. Fill your life with positive emotions, positive hope, and a positive outlook on the present.  In doing so you leave no room for that negativity that’s trying to drag you under.  This is not always easy, focusing on that positive aspect.  But it’s necessary.

 How can I continue to create and maintain strong boundaries moving forward?
Knight of Cups

Know what it is you want and go after it.  Good things come to those that reach for the stars, so decide what stars you want to pluck from the sky and do what is needed to make obtaining them possible.

DECK USED: THE GOTHIC TAROT

Examining Motivations

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At the moment, I’m playing catch up after having not kept up on my blog posts for a few days, so I don’t remember what the meditation was like today… or if I did it, to be honest. I will return to updating about my meditation each day once I’m caught up with my posts again.

Madam Lydia Wilhelmina's Tarot - Ace of WandsToday’s draw is is the Ace of Wands, which is traditionally an interpretation of new inspiration and enthusiasm toward new passion projects.  It’s not so much about the idea or the act of participating in a project, but about the spark of fire and drive that kindles in your soul when you are inspired.

It feels like there’s a message here in the clouded, deformed figures down in the lower right corner, and yet even now it doesn’t want to rise to the surface and speak to me. It’s about motivation behind why things spark your interest, and the hidden secrets we keep sometimes.

Oh… there it is. 

The thing is?  Sometimes when we feel that spark of inspiration? It’s important to take a pause and look at our motivations. Why are you so keen on this new idea or project, where is the interest and enthusiasm coming from?  Is it pure?  Or is it something being used to conceal or run away from something else you don’t want to deal with. 

For example.  Mopping the floor and cleaning the windows sucks.  But it might look really appealing if you’re trying to avoid cleaning the toilets instead.  

The best projects and creative endeavors are bred not from avoidance, but from pure inspirational spark.  Make sure that when you feel a spark in your soul that you are eager to explore, that that exploration is pure curiosity and interest…. and not motivated by procrastination or avoidance.

DECK USED:  MADAM LYDIA WILHELMINA’S TAROT

LionHart’s #TheOctoberTarot #SeasonOfTheWitchChallenge Prompt
Question: In what way am I suggested to protect my personal energy?

The Vampire Tarot

Reading Summary:  Grounded advance (Knight of Pentacles) and overcoming lack of joy in your entrepreneurial spark (Four of Wands Rx) through the sharing of that passion with others (Queen of Wands). It’s okay to feel, but don’t allow those feelings to mellow and stagnate (Queen of Cups… it’s about her face and how she’s holding the cup).

There is growth and advancement here in the inclusion of greenery both in the Queen of Wands and Queen of Cups.   Emotional influences blending with inspirational drive will allow for a breaking free of the cage you feel like you’re trapped in.  As long as you stay grounded, it’s okay to move slow.

Take Away:  Whether these cards are read left to right, or right to left, the key here in moving forward and continuing to grow in both my emotional wealth as well as my business requires some grounding, as well as slow but steady progress.  Don’t remain stagnant. It’s not healthy, no matter how appealing it might seem.

DECK USED:  THE VAMPIRE TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsOct2020 Challenge Prompt
Philosophical Question: How important is play in living a healthy and fulfilling life?

Dead Waite TarotReading Summary: Play is the music of life. Whether you’re on your own and singing to the sky (imagery of Queen of Swords), or with those you love and serenading them from the heart (imagery on Ten of Pentacles)… either way that joy of play is what clears away the smog (imagery in Death).

Take Away:  Clearly, it’s very important.  It’s the fresh air that clears away the stagnancy and cobwebs in our lives and allows us to look at ourselves and the world around us with fresh eyes.  Lack of play encourages stagnancy and lack of growth. 

DECK USED:  DEAD WAITE TAROT

#MysticStarChallenge October Challenge Prompt
Question: How does the message from the 19th help me with my greater purpose?

The Gothic Tarot

Reading Summary:  It helps me open my eyes (Eight of Swords) to the fact that I’m not allow and am receiving strength from others (Strength) that are near and dear to me and have my best interests at heart (Four of Wands).

Take Away:  My spirit guides are represented here by the Four of Wands, as they are with me all the time… from birth to death they will be there to help and provide a stable “home base” of guidance along the way.

The message on the 19th was that they are behind me 100% and are my cheerleading squad, there to cheer me on and give me strength. The message opened my eyes to this face, and that knowledge provides me with an undercurrent of strength that I didn’t have previously.

DECK USED:  THE GOTHIC TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What has most influenced my spiritual path?

Luis Royo's Labyrinth Tarot

Reading Summary: Learning about different traditions and adopting what has felt right for me (Seven of Swords).  Hardships along the way that have taught me strength (Five of Pentacles).  Following my gut concerning what is right for me… and what isn’t (Eight of Cups).

Take Away:  This is about the development of my independence and finding the path that is mine alone.  It’s about accepting that I have my own path, and that that path is directed by my intuition and moral compass rather than by what others think or feel is right for me.

DECK USED:  LUIS ROYO’S LABYRINTH TAROT