three of Swords

Guilt, Blame, and Letting Go

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_5964Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and was one of my guided meditations with an interval timer to space out my piriformis stretching.   The topic of today’s guided meditation was about the reflection of one’s behavior back on yourself through interaction with others.  If you approach someone in anger, it makes sense that you will get anger back.  But what people don’t realize is that more subtle effects are also just as possible.

The meditation told the story of a research team wanting to research monkeys, but each time they tried to get close the monkeys repelled them.  Then a researcher went in alone without guns as protection, and the monkeys welcomed him.   The monkeys didn’t know what guns are, but because the team was going in wary and on guard, prepared to commit violence, the monkeys could sense this and wouldn’t let them close.

People are often also like this. They pick up on non verbal cues that tell them someone is tense or irritated, anxious or defensive.  And they then react to those cues without even realizing they’re doing it.   By the same turn, they will also react to positive cues like happiness and warmth.  The meditation today encouraged the latter.

Tarot of the SidheToday’s draw is the Dreamer Three (Three of Swords) which is traditionally about heartache and feelings of loss including (but far from restricted to) grief.

The Fae in this story has no heart.  It is being torn to shreds by the black birds, shared among them as she stands wide open with a hole in her chest, weeping bloody tears.  Trees wilt and falter on the landscape of her skirt as dark clouds come to tangle in her hair.

The thing is, that this looks like it is permanent. It looks never ending.  But the sun behind the figure in this imagery indicates that there is still hope on the horizon and as it rises, it will beat back the dark clouds and overtake the shadows.

Will she ever be the same?  No.   But that can be said for every experience we have in life, not just the bad ones.  Each and every good and bad experience we have changes us. This is how we grow.

I’ve been so disappointed all damned day because my stomach has been a mess.  The cramps are killing me and it’s made me miss out on time with you that I really wanted… and needed.  And was so fucking looking forward to.  I’m sorry my stomach is being a bastard.  I’ve been eating my yogurt and I don’t think I ate anything today that was even close to going bad… I just don’t know what the hell its problem is.

I feel so bad about this, but I know that, like the Fae in this card’s image, we will make it through and continue to grow and thrive.  Together.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE SIDHE

#TarotForGrowthAugust Challenge Prompt
Topic: I’m struggling to move past trauma.
Question: How can I approach myself with extra kindness and patience during the healing process?

Sacred Rose Tarot

Reading Summary: Pay attention to avoidance strategies (The Devil and Eight of Cups)… and focus on what is been accomplished and what’s good in your life (Nine of Pentacles).

Take Away:  I am so being called out with this reading.  *Chuckles*  Right, so I have a lot of different avoidance strategies to keep myself at a distance from my inner workings when things are feeling raw and I need to heal.  There’s my bad habits, my addictions, my defense mechanisms, multiple different types of distractions, and lets not forget just plain turning my back and willfully ignoring whatever is going on. I am one of those people who was raised to be able to sit and calmly eat or do pretty much anything with quiet calm… all while someone screams and berates you in your ear.  That detachment developed into  yet another mechanism of avoidance.

These cards indicate I need to watch out for these different methods of avoidance, and circumvent them through contemplation and acceptance of the good things in my life and an open acceptance, and even appreciation, of the things I have accomplished.

DECK USED:  SACRED ROSE TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsAug2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I begin to release self blame from my heart?

Hilda TarotReading Summary: Live with what you’ve done (King of Pentacles). Allow your intuition to have a say in how much of the blame you should be taking in (The High Priestess). Don’t be so generous with others, as they played their part too (Six of Pentacles and Temperance).

Take Away:  I wouldn’t be where I am now without having done all those I’ve done along the way.  Some of those things aren’t things I’m proud of, but they need to be viewed with acceptance instead of consternation at this point, as they are in the past now and no longer need to be a burden upon my shoulders.

My instinctual… or perhaps habitual would be a better term… response to discord and conflict is to take the burden of wrongdoing upon myself.  More often than not?  I take far too much of that burden, and I need to learn how to judge more fairly just how much of it I should owl.  The High Priestess indicates I should be looking internally for that answer. I need to make sure it is I that chooses just how much of the burden I take on, and not anyone else.

When I blame myself for things that should be put upon other’s shoulders, I am being generous with them by taking so much of the burden on myself.  Instead, I need to practice a little more balance and moderation, because they deserve to shoulder their share.

DECK USED:  HILDA TAROT

Lionharts #TheAugustTarot #ElementalChallenge
Question:  Air, I seek your wisdom. What teachings do you offer me?

Gypsy Palace Tarot

Reading Summary: Allow your heart to take the lead now and then (King of Cups) in work matters (Eight of Pentacles) and you will find yourself moving into another level of growth (Ten of Swords).

Take Away:  This is about enjoying my work instead of just working for work’s sake. The fact is that I know from personal experience that work does not feel like work if you’re doing it right, and in the right frame of mind.  It feels like a challenge, or like fun, or like a creative burst, or just like the pleasure of creation and joy of sharing with others.  This pleasure is something that I lost for a while in my work due to pushing myself too hard and the resulting repetitive burnouts that ensued. I am working on reclaiming that joy in my work again, and the guidance here is encouragement to continue upon that path.

DECK USED:  GYPSY PALACE TAROT

Pulling Out the Blade

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was eight minutes long, and was mostly just my lying there trying to stay still and fidgeting because I had so much to get done and couldn’t manage to ignore the fact long enough to settle and do some pranayama and stretching in peace.

Next World Tarot - Three of SwordsToday’s draw is the Three of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of heartache, hurt, grief, and emotional pain.

The Swords suit is about the mind, and this is especially evident in this particular card, because the Three of Swords is about the head, not the heart…. or rather, it’s about how the head can affect the heart and tear it apart if given the free reign to do so.

What stands out to me in the imagery of this card today is the shark.  The shark is actually the hilt of one of the swords, and as mentioned, the Swords represent the mind.  I see that shark hilted sword as the most vicious of them all, and it makes me think of that inner voice that we all have that likes to rip us up inside.  That inner critic we try to hide from others… even while it whispers incessantly in our ear.

The heart in this imagery is in such very bad condition, and the imagery speaks a truth that is sometimes hard to accept. You can’t heal the damage until you pull out the blade.  This is why it’s important to work at quieting that inner critic and fostering optimism and hope… these are things that help heal those wounds and provide the strength needed to pull out those blades stuck in one’s wounded heart.

DECK USED:  NEXT WORLD TAROT

#TarotForGrowthAugust Challenge Prompt
Topic: I’m struggling to move past trauma.
Question: How does wishing I’d never experienced the trauma hinder me from healing it?

Spark and Pen Tarot

Reading Summary: You cannot learn from (Page of Wands) and fully lay claim your present (King of Wands and King of Pentacles) without accepting your past (Six of Pentacles).

Take Away:  When you are generous with yourself, giving yourself room and time and a depth of understanding, you are then giving yourself space to learn how to process and move past your trauma.  That then allows you to stand stronger than you were before, and move forward with more confidence than you would manage to obtain by avoiding the healing and just wishing the trauma away.

DECK USED:  SPARK AND PEN TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsAug2020 Challenge Prompt
Philosophical Question: Does luck (good or bad) actually exist?

Hilda TarotReading Summary: Sometimes enthusiasm can lead you to making reckless choices (Ace of Wands) and putting yourself in danger by doing stupid shit (The Devil), and yet you still come out the other side just fine, a little older and wiser (Queen of Cups) and yet otherwise unscathed.

Take Away:  I’m not entirely sure of my own personal opinion on this question, but the story told here in these cards clearly indicates that yes, luck does exist.

Sometimes?  Anticipated consequences just don’t happen, even when all logic and common sense dictates that they should. I would consider that luck… wouldn’t you?

DECK USED:  HILDA TAROT

Lionharts #TheAugustTarot #ElementalChallenge
Question: Something I can take pride in about myself is…

Luminous Void Tarot

Reading Summary: I am very good at balancing my need for stability and structure (Queen of Discs) with my spirituality (The High Priestess) and intuitive gifts (Strength).

Take Away:  I’ve never really thought of this as something to take pride in?  That’s not to say that the quality isn’t a good thing.  I’m very happy with the fact that I’m able to have this balance and be comfortable in my beliefs and abilities (with the exception of occasional growth spurts that take me by surprise).  But… pride?  Then again, I guess maybe I do have a sort of quiet  fissure of pride in this beneath the surface.

DECK USED:  LUMINOUS VOID TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How can I safely share more of my gifts with the world?

Monstarot

Reading Summary: Don’t (Nine of Wands). The better, if not necessarily easier, choice (Two of Swords) is to develop them at your own pace (Page of Cups).  You can then apply them to your life and your goals (Ten of Pentacles).

Take Away:  Whenever the topic comes up about sharing my creativity, I always end up getting warning cards and roadblock cards.  And, here they are again.  “How can I safely share more?”… answer “NO!”  Right?

Ooph.

The cards indicate that it’s important to keep my creative projects and ideas close to my chest.  Sometimes this can be really difficult.  When you have an idea that’s super awesome and you want to shout it from the rooftops, it can be really difficult not to share.  That is where the Two of Swords comes in, because the struggle involved in keeping things to yourself is really difficult sometimes.

In this reading, it makes it clear, though, that keeping things to myself while I learn and develop my skills is very important.  Then, in that time when I am ready to apply these creative pursuits to my life and my goals… that is the time to share them.

DECK USED:  MONSTAROT

Cleansing Breaths

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_5009Today’s meditation was a little over ten minutes long, and I chose to go with a guided meditation today.  The topic of the meditation was a guidance on one of the methods used to deal with invasive thoughts during your meditation practice.   I think that the quote in the graphic to the right covers that really well.  The method involves opting to acknowledge the thoughts that intrude rather than trying to push them away.   Instead, you recognize that you were thinking, and what it was about… but you don’t allow it to suck you into a dialogue.  Instead, you identify the rabbit hole as a rabbit hole and step over it.

Herbal Tarot - Three of Swords - Pleurisy RootToday’s draw is the Three of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of themes that have to do with disappointment, heartbreak, grief, and other forms of emotional hurt.

I used to feel that the Sword suit was a strange place for this card, as the Swords are supposed to be about thought, intellect, and communication. But, over time I’ve come to understand that it is not the heart or the emotions that spur these feelings represented in the card. Instead, it is the mind that spur these feelings… and the heart that then feels them.   Since the feelings are spawned from the mind, it then makes sense to me that they are in the Sword suit.

What stands out to me the strongest in the imagery of this card today is the two seed pots that are in the process of falling on the left side of the card.  These seed pods speak to me of renewal, while the plant depicted in this card speaks to me of purging.  Asclepias tuberosa (pleurisy root) is an expectorant, diuretic, and diaphoretic.  It very literally forces the body to purge itself of toxins and its spiritual uses are very similar.

Combined with the traditional meaning of the card, the message that I find here today is about letting go.  It’s about releasing the issues and problems, the bad thoughts and negativity.   Let go of the “can’ts” and the “this sucks” and instead embrace that sometimes things are difficult and sometimes they hurt… but that is temporary.   Once you’ve had a moment to wallow in those negative feelings, it’s time to let them go and keep moving.  Take a deep, cleansing breath and reach for a new start.

DECK USED:  HERBAL TAROT

#TarotForGrowthJune Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I invite more compassionate energy into myself?

Tarot Mood

Reading Summary: Let go of so much of the juggling (Two of Pentacles Rx). Balance out the feminine and masculine energies that are threaded through your emotions (King of Cups and Queen of Cups). Understand this is just one leg on a long journey (The World).

Take Away: You know, I hadn’t actually considered that there might be a bit of imbalance going on in the emotions I’m trying to become more comfortable with and that may be why I’m struggling with it.   It’s something I need to delve into and look at more closely, but the message from the cards rings true. The message in the Two of Pentacles and the World are not new and something that has been repeated often as a reminder lately, and are things that I am actively working on and keeping in mind.

DECK USED:  TAROT MOOD

#DiscordTarotholicsJun2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Philosophical Question: Does fate exist?

Tarot for DandelionsReading Summary: We move slowly along our path (Knight of Pentacles), making the wisest decisions and judgements that we can along the way (King of Swords), and determined to do the best that we can towards what sparks our passions (Queen of Wands) with the tools we have (Magician).

Take Away: Although I’m not sure that I agree with this answer, the answer in the cards says that no… fate does not exist.  These cards speak of autonomy, personal choice, and control over one’s path and one’s future.  There is nothing in these cards indicating a lack of control, nor direction being placed in the hands of fate.

Side note:  Yes, I covered the nipples on the Queen. These posts on my blog are backed up on Tumblr, which has a very strict “no female nipples” policy.  So I try to make sure I cover the nips when they’re visible just to make sure I don’t get booted off that platform. I think that also may be a policy on IG as well (although I’m not 100% certain on that one).

DECK USED:  TAROT FOR DANDILIONS

#TheJuneTarot Challenge by Lionhart
Question: Draw a card and let it serve as a reminder of something good about this very moment.

Phantasmagoric Theater Tarot - Seven of SwordsReading Summary: I’m not the one cleaning the bathrooms. I essentially logic’d my way out of doing the task myself and foisted it off on L.

Take Away: I mean seriously… who the hell wants to clean bathrooms. It’s a miserable experience and it’s something I usually pay others to do for me.  L and Z have essentially put it off on their chore list until it was the last thing, and then tried to skip it to start over on the list.  So, yeah.   I pointed out that the bathrooms needed cleaning and I’d already wiped down the ceilings for them, so they needed to finish it.

So!  We have clean bathrooms!

DECK USED:  PHANTASMAGORIC THEATER TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: How can I live in abundance?

Tarot of MetamorphosisReading Summary: Make the most of what you have (Queen of Pentacles) and be grateful for it rather than constantly focusing on getting more (Temperance).

Take Away:  Abundance comes in one’s perception and there is no “line” or “enough” to where a line can be drawn to say that you’ve made it.  It’s about finding the things that make you happy and help you feel complete and fulfilled, and appreciating them instead of constantly looking for more.   This is what the cards reflect here.   Find those things in life that make you happy and fulfill you now… and you are already there.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF METAMORPHOSIS

Be Nice

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was a little over thirty minutes long, and was not a guided meditation.  Instead, I spent those fifteen minutes lying outside in the rain in the rainforest, moss and decaying vegetation under my back and water soaking through my clothes.

Feeling at home and comfortable there, I did an advanced grounding, visualizing roots reaching from where my body touched the earth and down through the moss into the soil, digging deep.

Pulling energy from the earth, I condensed that energy into my body until I was full to bursting, then allowed it to burst outward like a balloon bursting expels its air, slamming off and away from me the residual energies that had remained clinging to me after the party last night, essentially using the earth’s energy to blowtorch my own clean.

I did this process three times, then spent some time simply grounding and centering before returning home to shower and warm up and get the rest of my day started.

Three of Swords - Hush TarotToday’s draw is the Three of Swords, which is traditionally an indication of trials, struggles, and hardship in the areas of the mind, intellect, and communication.  This often communicates as despair, heartache, disappointment, and other experiences along that line.

What I see in the imagery of today’s card are the autumn leaves and the birds that, in this card, look far more predatory than sweet.  Combined with the flush of new blooms and the hornet with its nest in the lower left corner, what I see here speaks of caution.

After the party last night, I felt drained and struggling.  Today’s card is a reminder to take care of myself, and to be aware that you might be a bit sensitive today and make a bit of an allowance for that while being self aware and watching for signs of that bleeding out in ugly ways.

The positive here is the encouragement towards self awareness and self care.

DECK USED:  HUSH TAROT

#TarotForGrowthMarch Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I navigate through challenges that may give root to overwhelm and burnout as spring approaches? (Built off yesterday’s cards.)

Fenestra Tarot

Reading Summary:  As previous reads have indicated, I need to focus on my work and my strengths (Eight of Pentacles), while taking care to practice patience with myself (Temperance) and making room for self care and growth away from the struggles and fog of the winter months (Three of Swords).

Take Away:  Diligence towards my work and business is important, but I need to make sure to keep myself from being a slave driver and ignoring the healing process that is currently ongoing.  That process is going to take time and I need to allow it to happen without pushing and prodding at myself like I am used to doing.

DECK USED:  FENESTRA TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsMar2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Where am I at mentally at this time?

Darisa Tarot

Reading Summary:  I am focusing on looking for a way forward (Two of Wands) and searching for a new helper is at the top of my mind (Three of Ground).  I’m also very much focused on you today (Two of Water and Lovers).

Take Away:  Aside from the earth, one of the best and easiest ways for me to find center is to spend time with you.  I’ve needed that centering influence all day today, and so it’s not surprising that you would come up concerning where I am mentally at the moment.   The first two cards are an indication of needing to get something done that I’ve been putting off, which I will make sure gets done today.

DECK USED:  DARISA TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: When am I intuitively confident?

Luna Sol Tarot

Reading Summary: First very clear thought was a commentary…”Look at that sword, buddy. Don’t you think it’s a little bit too much for you?”

When I take my time considering my options rather than jumping ahead without enough preparation. One of my greatest intuitive strengths is in looking ahead.

Take Away:  My intuition works better in predictive pursuits rather than in dealing with in the moment choices and ideas that need contemplation or exploration.

DECK USED:  LUNA SOL TAROT

 

Finding the Path Forward

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_2723Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long and focused upon not allowing yourself to get so caught up in “following the herd” that you lose track of your own autonomy.

This is not something that I have a problem with, but it is a trap that I see people fall into all the time.  Peer pressure is a real thing, and just because it’s not something I personally find myself swayed by doesn’t mean that it’s not permeated in those around me.  I see people all the time do things that they readily admit are not right for them… but yet do them anyway because it is expected of them or they have been pressured into it.

Perhaps I am simply too stubborn?  It is not as if I haven’t experienced such pressures.  My father pushed them on me on a daily basis…. I just chose not to let them influence my choices.   Then again, I am the one that constantly thinks nothing I do is quite good enough, yes?  So maybe he managed to wriggle his way in there after all.

Three of Clouds - Majestic Earth TarotToday’s draw is the Three of Clouds, which is the equivalent of the Three of Swords in the regular RWS tarot.

Although in this imagery I see the jagged rocks like ragged teeth chomping at the sky, a dangerous and deadly peril to all that try to pass through them… what I also see is the ripple of light upon the water.

The message in today’s draw is that even in the roughest of times, even when things look their darkest and the struggle is at its greatest, there is still hope.   There is still a light that will guide you forward, even in those hardest of times.  Like the rippling light on the water’s surface shows the way to shore, there is a path to freedom from these difficult times, sometimes you just have to be willing to take your time to get there.

DECK USED:  MAJESTIC EARTH TAROT

#TarotForGrowthFebruary Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I improve my relationship with my work?

Stretch Tarot

Reading Summary:  I need to spend more time looking at my work as fun (Knight of Wands) and allow the spark of joy creating can give (Knight of Cups) carry me away (The Chariot).

Take Away:  When I went through the month of January saturated in the effects of my buried fear tucked down deep within my gut?  I lost a lot of the joy that comes with my work and the creative process.  To have a better relationship with my work, I need to focus on rediscovering that joyful spark that creativity and manifestation of beautiful things can give me.

DECK USED:  STRETCH TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsFeb2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Do Spread #2
How can I ease my recent increase in anxiety?’

Hush Tarot

Reading Summary: Let it out (colors flow from dark to light to red, speaking of a transition from mellow and murky to a chaos of… outburst.  This impression is further reinforced by the Owl that seems to protect and shelter, and then the one crow in freedom before the trio that are in chaos.   These patterns follow what it feels like to me to go from holding something inside, to deciding I need to let it out, to the chaos of actually allowing whatever it is out into the open to speak about it with others.

There is also the element within the first card that speaks not just of shelter but danger.  The mouse clings for dear life.  The skull is buried and embedded within the clock.  You can only box things up for so long.    In the second card the bird is among the weeds looking out at freedom.  In the third, freedom has been found, but in order to find it, there is a need to accept chaos and allow it to run its course.

Take Away:  If I want the anxiety I’ve been experiencing lately (especially in the morning when waking up) to ease, I need to stop suppressing the things that are bothering me and get them out in the open. It will feel uncomfortable and chaotic, but sometimes the calm of suppression is far worse for you.

DECK USED:  HUSH TAROT

Owl and Bones February Two Card Challenge
Question: When am I a fish out of water? / When am I in my element?

WWI Propaganda Posters TarotWhen am I a fish out of water? :  Rivalry and competition cause me to retreat in exhaustion.  Although I am able to hold my own just fine, it brings me no joy or sense of accomplishment.

When am I in my element? :  When helping others.  I feel a deep sense of peace and accomplishment when I am able to help others and find ways to assist them on their path.

DECK USED:  WWI PROPAGANDA POSTERS TAROT

 

Double, Double Toil and Trouble

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and was a guided meditation that focused on how it’s okay to be kind to yourself about missing meditation practice now and then… and how it is important to not look at your meditation practice as some kind of chore or task.

When it is looked at as a chore or task, then it becomes something you “have” to do, and something you can then more easily resent or get burned out on.  If we instead seek to see meditation as a moment of kindness to ourselves and a “break” from the world at large, then meditation becomes a reprieve and a retreat… something that we feel eager to experience each day.

I needed this advice, and I like the idea of looking at my meditation practice as a retreat and a reprieve from the everyday.

Efflorescent Tarot (Color Edition)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 Nine of Swords and the Three of Swords.   Both of these cards themes deal with agonizing over different aspects, and it is that theme that I feel is the message in today’s draw.

The appearance of these cards in today’s draw is a message about being too much in my head and allowing that to take over.  The whole water issue in my building has really got me stressed out and I’m trying to stay calm about it, but especially after the collapse yesterday and the kid getting caught under the debris…. I’m just not dealing well.

Hell, I dreamed about her dying last night and me pulling her dead body out of the debris instead of a live and bawling little girl, traumatized and with broken arm, but otherwise okay.

I’m so lucky that the water didn’t really spread that far into my unit, just a bit in the kitchen, but it seems that the worry over what’s going on next door is really getting to me and I need to relax and let it go.  Everyone is okay… and it’s going to be okay.

DECK USED: THE EFFLORESCENT TAROT (COLOR EDITION)

#TarotForGrowthJanuary Challenge Prompt
Question: How can I manage or release those expectations and leave room for growth?

Fey TarotReading Summary:  Connect with and rely on others (Two of Cups) rather than trying to “fight this battle alone” (Seven of Wands).

Take Away:  The expectation from yesterday is that working with that new depth of emotion discovered last fall should be easy for me.  It’s not an expectation of the work, but rather an expectation of myself that I should be capable enough to deal with it without issue or problem.   It’s unrealistic, and I know that.

The cards in this read indicate that in order to release those expectations and leave room for growth, I need to accept it is not something I’m going to be able to do on my own, and I need not just be willing to ask for help… but actually do the asking instead of pushing myself to say “I’ve got this” and trying to struggle through it alone.

DECK USED:  FEY TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Do Spread #4

Golden Art Nouveau Tarot

Reading Summary:  OOPS CRAP… I did Spread #5  So I will interpret this one for today, and then do Spread #4 next week in place of the one I’m doing today.

Card 1 – Too much focus on my business and the focus upon my goals concerning stability and financial independence.

Card 2 – I need to take more time in meditation and personal reflection, so that I can connect deeper and move beyond surface and/or superficial focal points. The tarot has more to offer me than it can provide when limited to those topics.

Card 3 – I try to hard to empower my client during their reading, and that can sometimes cause the message to become diluted and thus do the opposite of what was intended.

Take Away:   When reading for myself… look deeper. Use my meditation as a tool to find those deeper threads and follow them into deeper waters of my life and psyche.  The cards are essentially saying that I’ve fallen into a bit of a rut.

When reading for others, remember that sometimes the message being conveyed needs to be blunt and/or sharp in order to really drill down into the mind of the client.  Sometimes providing explanation does not assist in empowerment, but is a detriment to it.

DECK USED:  GOLDEN ART NOUVEAU TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge Prompt
Question: What do I need for a successful year?

Lighteater's Tarot

Reading Summary: Impassioned focus upon my goals (Princess of Staves) will overcome adversity (Five of Swords) and allow me to find a more stable center for pursuit of my ambitions (King of Staves), even in times of struggle (Five of Coins).

Take Away:  The things that I want to accomplish this year are going to require going through a good deal of strife and struggle along the way.  In order to succeed and move through these issues, I need to hold tight to my exploratory spark in relation to my passions and work at keeping that spark not just lit and alive, but also stable and controlled.

DECK USED:  LIGHTEATER’S TAROT