the Hermit

Steady Ground

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was another of those “start meditating and end up napping” meditations.  Which is to say, I didn’t meditate today.  I napped. Apparently, I really needed to sleep, no matter how much I might have also needed the meditation.  I will try again to meditate tonight before bed.

Heaven & Earth Tarot - The HermitToday’s draw is the Hermit, which is traditionally a representation of taking time to oneself for inner exploration and reflection. It is about being alone in order to seek out one’s inner voice and do a bit of soul searching.

What stood out to me in this imagery is that when I first looked at it this morning, I first saw rough ocean waters behind the Hermit instead of the mountain range.

It is in this shift of imagery that I see the message in this card today, for it is about the need to have some sort of stability under your feet when you do your soul searching journey and not the instability of rolling waves.

Just as it is a bad idea to do shadow work on yourself when your world is in upheaval, so is a time when you don’t have steady footing a bad time to settle into aloneness and introspection.

During times of chaos and instability, you need others around you to help support you.  Do your alone time and introspection later when the world has settled into solid ground under your feet once more.

DECK USED:  HEAVEN & EARTH TAROT

LionHart’s Elements Tarot Challenge Prompt
Question: What surrounding elements are currently supporting my plans?

Transire Tarot

 Reading Summary:  Energies of deconstruction (The Tower) and slow growth (Seven of Pentacles) surround and support me, no matter how worrisome those energies might feel sometimes (Nine of Swords)

Take Away:  It’s not always a bad thing to pick things apart.  By taking things apart you learn from them how they work and what they’re about, and you gain knowledge on how to build something better as a result.  But this process takes time, and sometimes that time can allow worries and anxieties to rise up to pick and poke at the mind.  Even worry can have its place, though.  It can motivate and keep you alert and paying attention one’s progress… as long as it doesn’t get out of hand.

DECK USED:  TRANSIRE TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicJan2021 Challenge Prompt
Topic: Do Spread 2
Question: How is Mister R handling things with his health at the moment? Is he going to stick around for a while longer?

Magical Nordic TarotReading Summary: The Queen of Cups through it’s coloring, stands alone, only the fish connecting it to the Strength card and the Six of Pentacles… the aqua of the water also connects to the dress in the Strength.  This is an indication that he is feeling emotionally sated and strong due to the support he’s receiving. He wraps himself in that support and it makes him stronger. It feels good to him that those at a distance have reached out to him during the troubles he’s been having (polar bear).

Through color connection, the Five of Swords is also an outlier in this reading, with only a slight echo in the bottom of the Six of Pentacles).  It lies beneath the Six of Pentacles indicating that he’s willing to fight hard to stick around, demanding that he get the most out of life and using the support of others to help him in that effort.  That support then flows down into the Strength card, again echoing the connection between the support he’s receiving, and the strength that he gets from it.

Take Away: It is when Mister R is feeling alone and separated from others that he begins to slide down into self-defeating mindset and attitude.  As long as he is receiving support from others around him, he will continue to fight and take strength from that support to stay on top of things.  That support gives him a boost in this fight, and also an emotional boon to his soul.

To give him the best chance, you need to call and talk with him often… and encourage others to do the same.

DECK USED:  MAGICAL NORDIC TAROT

Hermit Crabs and Tortoise Shells

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was… non-existent.  I’m running on about two and a half hours of sleep at the moment, and any lying down or inactively sitting still I do is going to result in me falling asleep.  Because of that, there was no way that I could do my meditation this morning, and I couldn’t do it in the car because the weather and roads were so bad today that even when I wasn’t driving, J needed the help in keeping an eye out for issues.

I will try to meditate when I lie down for bed tonight, though.  If I fall asleep then, at least it’ll be safe and that sleep won’t be cutting into anything important.

Efflorescent Tarot (Color Edition)Today’s draw is a double without a jumper, meaning that both cards came out together from the deck.  The cards in today’s draw are the Hermit card and the Eight of Cups.

This is 100% about how I feel today.  It’s about the drop, and it’s about our issues last night, and it’s about how I feel on the inside.

I don’t want anything to do with what happened yesterday.   And after last night?  I don’t want anything to do with the drop either.  Not that the drop is ever pleasant to begin with, but… yeah.

Today’s cards have appeared to force me to confront that want to hide away and retreat, and a reminder that what we have is worth fighting for and holding onto, even when all I really want to do is retreat into my shell and hunker down in there out of sight.

DECK USED: THE EFFLORESCENT TAROT (COLOR EDITION)

#TarotForGrowthJanuary Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I make space for that joy this year? (From yesterday’s cards.)

Arcana Tarot by Hydra-Nix

Reading Summary:  I need to better balance my needs (Justice card) with my constant quest to know more (Page of Swords) and doing better in those things that foster my sense of security (Page of Pentacles).

Take Away:  I always prioritize the whole “learning more and doing better” thing when it comes to how I manage my time, and that includes time spent in my relationship with you.  I work hard to obtain and hold onto security and stability in my life both financially and in my home, and that is where a huge amount of my focus lies.

Expressing dominance in our relationship (which is the joy that yesterday’s reading was about) takes a significant amount of energy and effort, even when that need rises to a point it can’t be ignored.  That energy and effort over the past year has been channeled into my work and fostering that stability instead of being expressed through our relationship.

Today’s cards indicate that I need to find a better balance between those material demands (and the knowledge gathering they require) and the facet of our relationship that allows me to express those more dominant urges.

DECK USED:  THE ARCANA TAROT BY HYDRA-NIX

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What concession can you make to provide for yesterday’s inner child craving?

Forest Creatures Tarot

Reading Summary:  I need to look into and explore (Page of Swords) a better way of getting to those natural places I crave (The Chariot) rather than dispairing that I can’t reach them (Nine of Swords).   If I make some changes (Death), I’ll find myself much happier with what I have afterward (Nine of Cups).

Take Away:  Yesterday’s read was about getting out in nature more, even when it’s frigidly cold, as it is right now.   The cards in today’s reading are about finding better ways to access nature so that I can spend the time I need there to feel good and right with the world.  I need to explore alternative ways to get where I want (and need) to be.  Maybe I should look into something like a snowmobile rental or some sort of ATV use for this time of year so that I can get out to those remote spots more easily when the temperatures are so low that hiking isn’t an option.

DECK USED:  FOREST CREATURES TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt
Question: What could help my daily organization?

Lighteater's Tarot

Reading Summary:  I need to be kinder to myself (Amicka) and stop presenting the image that I have it all together (Six of Staves) when in truth I’m a bit lost in the weeds (The Moon).

Take Away:  Okay so firstly?   This deck needs to be moved over into my shadow work decks.  Because… Jesus.  Just sayin’.  But this is the second time the imagery has jerked me into some pretty intense reactions…. and the second time I have used the deck.  (I just bought it earlier this month.)  I’m going to continue to use it through the end of the month as a regular deck, but I have a feeling it’s just too hard-hitting for “everyday” use.

So, that out of the way… I am very skilled at being extremely hard on myself.  I’ve had a lifetime of practice with a spectacular teacher who was very skilled at making you feel that you aren’t good enough.   This tendency means that I often present a “everything is perfectly fine” front even when it’s not.  If I want to find a better way of organizing my daily life?  I’m going to have to let go of both that tendency to tear myself apart and the tendency to pretend everything is okay, because I need to be able to let others in to help me when i start to feel lost and overwhelmed.

DECK USED:  LIGHTEATER’S TAROT

Taking Time

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and focused on taking time to step out of the hectic and rushed energy we surround ourselves with in everyday life.

It used the story of the tortoise and the hare as an example of how sometimes, it’s not speed but succeeds, but rather taking the slow and steady path.

This is something I often forget, and it’s an apt reminder for today, and a message that goes well with the card that I pulled earlier today.

Today’s draw is the Hermit card, which is a representation of retreat into the solitary, inner reflection, and soul searching. As a Major Arcana card, it does not deal with individual aspects of the human experience so much as with the larger picture.

I am finding being around so many people on a constant basis very draining. Today, my sister and I are being given the opportunity to go off on our own for a bit and have decided that after a visit to the only metaphysical shop in town, we are going to visit one of the local apple orchards for some quiet time.

Today’s card is an indication that it is time for a bit of alone time. I don’t find my twin to be draining on my energy, and I’m hoping that this solitary time with her will help me to recharge a bit.