Universal Celtic Tarot

Finding the Source

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_3617Today’s meditation was just under fifteen minutes long and focused on pain management.  This is a topic that I am extremely well versed in and honestly?  There wasn’t anything particularly new in the meditation that isn’t already a part of my own pain management practices.

The theme had to do with not just using the breath and meditation to work through pain, but to appreciate pain for what you can learn from it and how it makes you stronger.  Sometimes, in the middle of pain, just as in the middle of a crisis, it is difficult to see where there may be some sort of benefit from the experience.   Some people, I know, are unable to find that benefit even after it all has ended.

I personally believe that one of the major lessons to be learned in this incarnation of mine is to allow difficulties to strengthen me, and accept the hardships, struggles, and even the life-altering tragedies and moments of victimization as a part of my development into someone better… something better.

Healing Mantra DeckToday’s draw is the “Acknowledging Apprehension” card of the Healing Mantra Deck.

The purpose of this card and its mantra is to assist in teaching one how to step forward into a direction in times of apprehensive uncertainty.

In the book for this deck, it explains that as you identify and acknowledge apprehension in yourself, you can then “recognize that either it is your heart trying to warn you of an old choice or pattern you’re about to repeat, or it is a sense of unworthiness that makes you unsure about” moving forward.

The message here is that the more you are able to acknowledge that your apprehension is there, and the more often that you are able to discern which of the two above mentioned scenarios are applicable, the more adept you become in stepping past the clouds of uncertainty apprehension can create and into a sense of clarity that fosters decisive action.

DECK USED:  HEALING MANTRA DECK

#TarotForGrowthApril Challenge Prompt
Question: Root Cause of this time of transition and my reactions to it. (built off yesterday’s cards)

Chrysalis Tarot

Reading Summary:  I’m hurting myself (Three of Scrolls) by focusing too hard on my more material goals (Ten of Stones) and the new emotions I’ve been experiencing (Ace of Mirrors) are spurring a gradual change (Death).

Take Away:  Home and financial stability is my biggest focus when it comes to goals, and that’s not really much of a surprise.  The cards here indicate that I have become so focused upon those goals for so long that I’ve become used to using them to avoid my inner well-being.  The new level of emotional awareness I’ve been growing into is reaching a point where changes are inevitable and, in fact, needed in order to continue in my growth.

DECK USED:  CHRYSALIS TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsApr2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What is the most important lesson I need to learn this month?

Universal Celtic Tarot

Reading Summary:  It’s okay to be soft sometimes (Queen of Cups), even in times when strength of will (King of Wands) and clarity of thought (King of Swords) is needed.

Take Away:  There is a certain kind of strength in softness and emotions.  There’s strength in knowing yourself and being in a place where your emotions do more than create a whirlwind of confusion but actually foster a sense of stability all their own.  The important lesson I need to learn this month is that emotions do not have to detract from my other strengths… instead they can reinforce and bolster and nurture my strength of will and clarity of thought… If I can accept it.

DECK USED:  UNIVERSAL CELTIC TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What is something I am proud of in my life?

Maruco Animal Tarot

Reading Summary: My independence (Three of Cups Rx) and sense of purpose (The Emperor) that, through times of change (Death), allows me to ride through those changes in life and use them as an opportunity for growth (The World).

Take Away:  This is more like two things… or maybe two things rolled into one thing like a chocolate and creme Ho-Ho.  It’s about adaptability and persistence.  It’s about taking what comes and rolling with it.   That’s something that’s not always easy, and doesn’t even always go smoothly.  Yet in retrospect I continue to do it regardless of what tries to knock me off my feet along the way, or how many times I land on my ass and have to pick myself back up.

DECK USED:  MARUCO ANIMAL TAROT

#MidnightTarotChallenge Prompt
Question: What is my relationship with my body? How can I improve it?

IMG_3625Reading Summary:  Too much good times (Three of Cups).  Instead of unproductive good times with others, utilize their presence and work together with them (Three of Pentacles over The Hermit).

Take Away: I have not been working out, and there are things I could be doing… but have been lax about starting, let alone doing regularly.  If I want to rectify this issue, I need to stop being lax and reach out to L and Z to help me get motivated and assist me in getting to work.

The Tower Rx jumped out at the end of this reading  as I was putting cards away to tell me… “Don’t freak out, this isn’t the end of the world.”

DECK USED:  UNIVERSAL CELTIC TAROT

 

Finding the Calm

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

IMG_3496Today’s meditation was just over ten minutes long and focused upon finding calm in the midst of chaos, and how mindfulness and meditation can help you in finding that calm.

Mindfulness meditation is, at its very core, a way to train your brain.  People that let their thoughts and worries run away with them, or suffer from anxiety, or have a hard time getting their brain to just shut up…. mindfulness meditation is the exercise and training that can help in overcoming these issues, because it essentially trains you to find that calm and quiet place.

It isn’t about “doing it right” or being “good at it”.  Just the act of trying helps start that training process and gives your brain the exercise it needs to begin learning how to find that calm.  I didn’t understand this when I first started mindfulness meditations, but I get it now.

I’m far from “perfect” at being calm and silent and still and not allowing thoughts to intrude in my meditation…. but I am absolutely flawless at now *catching* myself when that happens and doing the mental “push up” of returning back to silent calm.  Sometimes, I have to do that mental “push up” countless times in those ten minutes or so that I meditate for.  Sometimes, I only have to do it once or twice.   But the fact is?  I’m still doing it… and that’s what counts.

Queen of Brine - Queen of Cups - Stolen Child TarotToday’s draw is the Queen of Brine (Queen of Cups) which is typically interpreted as a receptive alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of relationships and emotions.

What I see in the imagery of today’s card is the abundance of motion that swirls around the center figure.  So much life and so much chaos, and yet she is calm and steady amidst it all.

The message here is an echo of what I’ve written above concerning meditation and finding that inner calm.   Sometimes you get swept up in the chaos of life, but it’s important to take the time to pause and touch upon that inner source of calm.  It’s there, but sometimes we have to teach ourselves how to reach for it… and remember to then do so when we need it.

The message here in today’s card is a reminder to do my meditation and put my all into it instead of just going through the motions. Being dedicated to the task will strengthen the ability to more easily touch upon that calm when it is needed most.

DECK USED:  STOLEN CHILD TAROT

#TarotForGrowthApril Challenge Prompt
Question: Current state of body.

ETA Tarot

Reading Summary: I want to get back to that place that I was at before (Six of Pentacles), but I’m having trouble fitting the changes into my life (Two of Pentacles) and so I am feeling quite stagnant and stuck in place (King of Cups).

Take Away:  I want to get back to that place that I was at before the cancer and chemotherapy upended everything. To do this, though, requires weight training combined with a specific diet heavy in protein and carbs.  At this time, I’m having trouble fitting the type of exercise I would need (not to mention the amount of food I would need to consume) into my life.  Because of this, I am feeling quite stagnant and stuck in place where my body is concerned.

DECK USED:  EMERGING TORONTO ARTISTS (ETA) TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsApr2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What difficult truth about the human condition I am ignoring?

Shadowland TarotIntuitive Interpretation:  Most people crave love to the point that they’re willing to do damned near anything for it… but turn their back on it when it’s offered freely without them having to put in the effort to earn it or if it doesn’t live up to the ideal in their head.

Take Away:  I don’t actually have a whole lot of experience when it comes to matters of the heart and people trying to hand you their heart.  Just one, actually.   That said?  I do a good amount of observing of others and the read above from the cards seems pretty accurate.  I see truly amazing people offering their heart on their sleeves to others all the time and being turned away for what seem to be purely superficial reasons or simply because there was no challenge in getting that love. 

I see it, but I choose to ignore it. Because it is frustrating and flabbergasting to see it happen again and again, and yet those constantly turning their back on these offers complain about being alone and unloved. It is a pattern that becomes disheartening if observed and acknowledged too often.

DECK USED:  SHADOWLAND TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What takes my confidence away?

Universal Celtic Tarot

Reading Summary: When I find myself on uncertain footing stability wise and am not giving myself enough self care to keep things balanced.

Take Away:  Both the Ace and the Page are cards that indicating a beginning.  During these times when a new start is before me, there’s a feeling of uncertainty and newness that can set me off kilter, especially if that uncertainty and newness is in the area of my financial security and home stability.  The cards indicate that at those times, a little self nurturing can go a long way in bolstering my self confidence, but even then, the struggle is still present, just concealed a bit by a blanket of warmth.

DECK USED:  UNIVERSAL CELTIC TAROT

#MidnightTarotChallenge Prompt
Question: What do I need to bring into my life to nourish my growth?

IMG_3507

Reading Summary:  Be less miserly (Four of Pentacles) with my praise (Six of Wands) and foster good feels (Ace of Cups).

Take Away:  By finding ways to connect with others and foster their growth, I in turn foster my own growth.    I have noticed this lately in my interaction with others.  I feel a bit less awkward in interacting with others, and even seem to catch humor and jokes more often than I have in the past. This is emotional and social growth for me, which is pretty impressive in my opinion… especially concerning the amount of social awkwardness that I have spent the majority of my life experiencing.

DECK USED:  SHADOWLAND TAROT