two of wands

Start As You Want To Continue

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_6923Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long and was another of the guided meditation with interval timer added in for the position shifts of my piriformis stretches. It’s been a few days now since I’ve skipped my meditation and those stretches, and I’m still struggling with getting my flexibility back that I lost by skipping two days in a row. It’s not so much that I can’t get into the same stretch as before? It’s that it takes longer for my body to release in those stretches, which means it hurts longer, yeah?

Okay, so anyway. Today’s guided meditation focused on practicing a bit of “distance” in our experiences so that we have a beat in which to think before we react. This is a really good practice that is especially valuable when it comes to dealing with anger or frustration.

Developing the ability to take that momentary ‘beat’ of a second when you are feeling reactionary?  It is that split second between snapping at someone for no reason and ruining their day, and realizing you’re being snippy and course correcting not just your own day, but keeping from damaging someone else’s.

Tarot of Haunted House - Two of WandsToday’s draw is the Two of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of making plans and preparations, plotting the course forward, planning for the future, and focusing on progress.

While the poppet card in this deck was my second favorite card in this deck?  This is my third favorite.   Interestingly, though… it isn’t the spirit board and hand that draw my attention this time when I see this card, but rather the open window and the moon beyond.

There is also a significant pull in the imagery in relation to the foreground and the distant background.  There is a huge stretch here between the two, and yet both seem so close at the same time.

The message that I see in today’s card is to start as you wish to continue forward.  Today is a new day.  If you want to do meditation every day? Start today… don’t skip it.  If you want to do an hour of prep every day? Start today… don’t skip it. Procrastination breeds more procrastination, so stop procrastinating and be proactive instead.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF HAUNTED HOUSE

LionHart’s #TheOctoberTarot #SeasonOfTheWitchChallenge Prompt
Question: Something I could work on to strengthen/grow my magic.

Tarot Z

Reading Summary:  Look into better (Ace of Pentacles) and more proactive wards and protections (Five of Wands) that will allow for lower effort and more rest and recovery (Four of Swords)

Take Away:  Okay, so I agree that my wards and protections that I have in place in my home are a bit excessive.  Especially concerning that the Fae I have accepted and welcomed into my home seem to police themselves quite well.  This excessive approach was born from the home invasion that took my voice and, for a minute or two, my life.

It also stole a great deal of my sense of security, that I shored up using these wards and protections I’d developed.    The thing is though?  They do take a lot of work and time and magical energy to keep up.  This energy could be directed in other areas… but to be comfortable doing that I think I need to do some shadow work on that feeling of vulnerability that the home invasion caused.

DECK USED:  TAROT Z

#DiscordTarotholicsOct2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What positive theme/event in my ancestral past do I need to acknowledge?

Trick or TarotReading Summary:  Overcoming (The Sun) bad habits and unhealthy temptations (Old Scratch) through innovative ideas, as well as communication and learning from others (Page of Swords).

Take Away:  The indication in these cards is that this is a pattern. The cards here are saying that my addictive personality traits are a hereditary thing, and something that cycles through the life of my self and the ancestors before me. And that those who have used the advice of others and shared their struggles find innovative ways to rise above and find a better more positive path.

DECK USED:  TRICK OR TAROT

#MysticStarChallenge October Challenge Prompt
Question: What message do my spirit guides have for me today?

Tarot of Vampyres

Reading Summary: Make choices (Seven of Grails) that lift you up and allow for you to nurture yourself and others (Queen of Skulls). This is a learning process towards a new future (Daughter of Scepters), and like all learning processes there’s going to be some stumbling blocks along the way (Five of Pentacles).

Take Away:  The message here is about making sure that I’m being kind to myself and easy on myself when I stumble or back slide a bit on this new path of work/home balance and emotional intelligence that I’ve been traveling on. 

DECK USED:  TAROT OF VAMPYRES

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What is my biggest challenge when keeping a spiritual journal?

Da Brigh Black Tarot

Reading Summary: A traditional spiritual journal requires me to be self directed in expressing my emotions (Queen of Cups) without the support and help of others to assist me (Two of Cups) in working through the difficult times and struggles (Five of Spheres).

Interestingly? I thought that this reading was going to tell me that it was about time… but instead it called me out on that issue of “time” being an excuse instead of a genuine reason.

Take Away:  I used to keep a physical journal that was a blend of my spirituality and my personal tarot readings. The thing is? There’s no accountability at all, no encouragement… no input or new perspectives to be had or suggested, and no support. All of these things made it really hard to keep up on this physical journal.

Now?  I do most of my journaling here, and when something needs delved into deeper?  I do it with Gideon.  As I’ve picked up on how much personal readings I do over the past year, it has given a lot of fodder for picking up these helpful conversations. This has created a dynamic that provides me with different viewpoints than my own, as well as support, and also an opportunity to teach someone about my beliefs and my practices a little at a time.   All of this has been a huge plus for me.

DECK USED:  DA BRIGH BLACK TAROT

Moderation Is Not Easy

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and focused on change and the discomfort we feel in moments of uncertainty.  This is, in fact, something that I struggle a great deal with personally, as I’m pretty sure the majority of people do.   It’s very rare that I ever run across people that relish the uncertainty of change.

That said, the meditation’s premise was not that we should be okay with uncertainty and change, so much as that as a part of life, there are things we can do to try and come to peace with it so that we are not quite so uncomfortable in the moment and can adapt more readily.

In the meditation, she likens this to “riding the waves” of change and asks, “what would it be like to loosen our grip. What if we let go of our agenda and allowed ourselves to become, bit by bit, more comfortable with uncertainty.”   The guided meditation goes on to encourage practice letting go in moments when you catch yourself resisting uncertainty and allow yourself to become more comfortable with it so that you can experience change and life with more ease.

But, in my opinion, this would be more like when you are caught in a riptide, rather than being likened to waves. You don’t fight a riptide, as that is how you drown. Instead, you are taught to relax and go with it.  Allow it to happen.   In this way, the water will release its grip sooner and you will find the surface (and air to breathe) more quickly.

Separate analogies aside, I like the premise and agree that trying to go with things rather than fight them can lower stress significantly in day to day life as well as in times of change.

Today’s draw is the Two of Wands (Freedom) and the Nine of Cups (Overconfidence). I’m going to outline the “traditional” meanings for these cards as I always do, but I’ve found that I get a LOT of intuitive interpretations from this deck, so my message doesn’t really fit with the standard meanings of the two cards.   Neither of these cards were jumpers, as they both came out of the deck together.

The Two of Wands is a representation of duality, union, partnerships, and division in the area of one’s ambitions, drive, willpower, and passions.

The Nine of Cups is a representation of fruition and fulfillment, culmination, and consequences in the area of emotions, relationships, creativity, and intuition.

That said, my interpretation of today’s cards was not based upon RWS, or even the words on the cards, but rather an intuitive hit off of the images themselves.

The message of today’s draw is that I need to practice a little caution and restraint in the area of my choices.  Specifically my dietary choices.  The cards are pointing out at it is important that I don’t get cocky with the few “unhealthy” things I’ve been allowing myself lately and think it’s okay to indulge all of the time.  Indulgences are okay, but only in moderation.

Moderation is not really my strong suit, so this is a very good reminder. I have a habit of letting small allowances get out of hand, much like that saying “give an inch, take a mile”.   This is true not just in my relationship with food, but with anything I’m passionate about.  If allowed to do so, I have a feeling excess would be the theme of my existence, and I think this is a part of why I am so strict with myself on so many levels and in so many different areas of my life.