using tarot for guidance

Rising From the Ashes

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Daily Calm with the Calm app - Alan Watts quoteToday’s meditation was ten minutes long, and was one of the #dailycalm sessions from the Calm app.  It went through a sensory exploration exercise while doing deep breathing, and then afterwards spoke of the 5-Senses technique for helping one calm and ground when anxiety is high.

Essentially, you count down through the five senses.  First you seek out five things you can see, then four things you can feel, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, then one thing you can taste.  It brings you into the present moment, allowing for some space to set aside what might be triggering you or overstimulating you in the moment.

Witch Sister Tarot's Ten of Stones (Ten of Pentacles) and the It's Going To Be Okay 2024 Day-to-day Calendar By Kate AllanToday’s draw is the Ten of Stones (Ten of Pentacles) combined with the affirmation “Hey, rough months happen. It doesn’t mean the future will all be tiring and painful, too.”  In the illustration for this card we have a crone that appears to have a lot of experience under her belt and, based on the wealth she wears upon her chest, has done very well for herself.  Although craggy looking, she she also appears quite cunning as she winks at us from a place of stability.

Today’s cards are a reminder that struggles happen. December was a big month with a lot going on and a lot of people.  It was tiring and in some ways painful as well.  Now that the new year has come, it’s time to look forward to better things. Take how far you’ve come and look for opportunities to build on your successes, as well as share your experience with others along the way.

DECK USED:  WITCH SISTER TAROT AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

@Lionharts #TheJanuaryTarot 2024 January Initiation Prompt
Question for January 2nd : What does the universe urge me to work towards this January?

The Divina Serenity OracleManifestation – What do you want to see happen this year? What do you want to manifest in your life? You need to focus on those things now, for it is through slow progress and small steps over time that you create long lasting changes toward those things you want to manifest.

Grace – It can be difficult to move through chaos and moments of struggle with grace. The universe is urging you with this card to work on your responses to unexpected hurdles and move through them with more grace instead of allowing them to trip you up as they have in the past.

Notation: The theme in the illustration on both of these cards is water/sea based. It speaks of the resolution shared with Gideon (your Pisces king) this New Years to spend more time together this year.

DECK USED: THE DIVINA SERENITY ORACLE

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2024 Challenge Prompt
Question for January 2nd : Pull your most and least favorite cards from your deck and explain why you feel that way.

Note: My choices in this prompt are illustration based, rather than based on the card’s position, suit, or meaning in the tarot as a whole.

Witch Sister Tarot - Queen of Trees, Queen of Wands, Maid of Waters, Page of CupsLeast Favorite – Queen of Trees (Wands) – So many of the illustrations of the people in this deck are rawboned and gaunt, as if each character is malnourished and desperate. In this particular card, there’s not even any background illustration to soften this impression. The figure looks disenchanted, exhausted, and miserable… not at all what I would normally associate with the Queen of Wands.

Most Favorite – Maid of Waters (Page of Cups) – A little girl playing in water feels to me like the epitome of the Page of Cups. She is curious and imaginative, filled with potential for both seriousness and fun. The blue hues in the card promote calm and water itself is a representation of emotions. She may not be dipping her toes in those waters of imagination and emotion, but the fingertips are just as good.

DECK USED: WITCH SISTER TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I got up early to pack so that I wouldn’t have to stress about it (or putter about with it) all day before it’s time to leave for home.  It allows more time for me to relax and decompress before getting on the road.

Seek Out the Spark

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#DailyCalm with the Calm appToday’s meditation was ten minutes long, and was a #DailyCalm session from the Calm app. It was a breathing exercise session which also discussed that with the new year upon us, how important it is to keep ourselves open to new experiences, opportunities, and possibilities. Although change can be challenging and scary, it also paves the way to new and exciting things. Today’s meditation encouraged that openness, reminding the listener that it’s only through being open to change that we can discover new and exciting pursuits to enjoy, people to love, and potential successes waiting for us to claim as our own.

The Wild Life Tarot Knight of Wands and It's Going to Be Okay 2024 Day-to-Day Calendar by Kate AllanDaily Finding the Positive Mental Health Exercise

Today’s draw is the Knight of Wands with the affirmation “You deserve lots of beauty in your life.” The Knight of Wands is an active card, reminding us that we have to take action to go after our dreams, that they won’t just fall in your lap.

Combined with the affirmation for today, the message here tells us that sometimes it may be hard to identify the beauty in life, but that doesn’t mean that we give up and decide that life is ugly and that’s all there is.  It means that when life gets cold and ugly that we must strive for more and actively seek out those things that we enjoy and those passions that drive us forward.

Don’t just lie stagnant and let the cold seep into your bones… keep moving and seek out that spark that makes life interesting.

DECK USED:  THE WILD LIFE TAROT AND IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY 2024 DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR BY KATE ALLAN

@Lionharts #TheJanuaryTarot 2024 January Initiation Prompt
Question for January 1st : In the silence of new year’s dawn, what am I guided to initiate?

The Wild Way OracleReading Summary: When you work at building trust with yourself and with others (the connection of the chain between the two birds), your life then grows to feel filled with an abundance of stability (the dam).

Take Away: At this time you need to work on initiating your own self-awareness, as well as making sure that you are setting aside time for others. You have many who trust you that need the stability of your presence.

Being trusted and trustworthy takes hard work and perseverance. It’s built over time through honesty and authenticity. You need to put in time as well as effort. Time with others so they see who you truly are over a long period, and the effort to always be genuine in the face you present to them and the world, no matter if times are good or if you are struggling and vulnerable.

DECK USED: THE WILD WAY ORACLE

#DiscordTarotholicsJan2024 Challenge Prompt
Question for January 1st : What in your life needs started now for it to be ready when you need it?

The Wild Life Tarot - The Hermit, The Devil, The StarReading Summary: Prioritize positive thinking and optimism (The Star). That needs to be your goal from the start of this year. By starting now, you make a habit of it by the time you begin to get temped by depression (The Devil) to retreat into yourself (The Hermit) and fall into the darkness.

Take Away: Depression is a constant theme of concern in your life. A possibility that requires no event or trigger to rise up and wrap itself around you.

By focusing on the positive, and counterbalancing your natural pessimism with an effort toward optimistic thinking, you help keep your depression at bay, as well as lessen your depression’s strength and effects when it cannot be avoided entirely.

DECK USED: THE WILD LIFE TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

I pulled not just today’s cards, but also tomorrow’s, so that there will be one less thing on my plate tomorrow when trying to get packed and on the road back to home.

Finding the Positive for December 30 – 31

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These Card of the Day readings are a mental health exercise (suggested by my shrink) used to help counterbalance my natural tendency toward pessimism, negative inner narratives, and depression. The request posed to the cards is, “A positive message to carry with me throughout my day and foster perspective.”

December 30

Today’s meditation was skipped.

Six of Cups – “Life will always bend you, but you’re too strong to break.” Don’t forget to remember the good. Your history is not just full of challenges, tests, and trials; it is also full of moments of survival, valuable lessons, and successes. Don’t let that negative and pessimistic tendency within you turn you away from the memories of the good things you’ve experienced.

DECK USED: LE TAROT ARTHURIEN AND CHRISTMAS AFFIRMATION CARDS

December 31

Today’s meditation was skipped.

Eight of Pentacles – “You are strong and smart and you’ve got this!” You have come a long way and proven your resilience again and again, and with each challenge along the way your skills in not just your work but in life as a whole level up. Don’t let moments of doubt and that negative inner narrative of yours convince you otherwise. In a couple days you will step back into life with renewed focus on those things that truly matter to you, your transition from the holiday rush back to regular life ending like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon.  Don’t allow self doubts to hold you back, but instead lean into your experience.

DECK USED: WINTER MAGICK TAROT AND CHRISTMAS AFFIRMATION CARDS

Transitioning from December to January

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Month End Check-In Tarot Reading with the Bearot Deck

Here and Now I Exist – Who you are now, in your entirety.

Ace of Swords Rx – You are not communicating. You need to share with others how you are feeling and where you are struggling, but instead you are still keeping it all to yourself.

The Slough – What is to be left in the past as you move forward.

The Tower – It’s time to cut out the catastrophizing. You need to work on leaving this mindset behind. Chaos and sudden change really isn’t the end of the world, so don’t make it out to be in your mind and self talk.

What Lies Ahead – An ideal state or ideal self you are seeking at this time.

Nine of Cups – You are seeking a state of emotional satiation. Over the past year (not just during the holiday rush) you have had to close yourself off from your emotions. You are overdue to let them out and find the state emotional well-being that you’ve been missing.

Limitations – Negative influences, opposition, or ill will.

Page of Cups – Your emotions are raw and hurting right now. It makes it hard to uncover them and air them out. Take care not to let them steer your reactions as you are working to untangle the knots.

The Boon – Positive influences, higher guidance, or divine intervention.

King of Cups – Gideon may be going through his own crises right now, but but don’t forget that his presence is still the same stable emotional support for you as he has always been.

The Wound – An unpleasant past experience or event that is ripe for some support and healing.

The Magician – You were raised to always be capable and on target, to utilize your skills and tools towards your goals and thus not just succeed but shine. This impossible standard has created a perpetual “not good enough” mentality that is now ready for some healing.

Nostalgia – A positive past experience or event to acknowledge, reflect upon, and enjoy.

Knight of Cups – You’ve made a lot of progress in getting in touch with your emotions over the years, and you can absolutely do it again. Take time to reflect on your past methods to find the path forward in the present.

A Warning – Something coming that can be prevented or overcome.

The Empress Rx – Don’t allow yourself to fall into self abuse and neglect. You are at a transition point and you need to focus on self care in order to steer yourself onto the right path moving forward.

Empowerment – A future opportunity to work toward.

Seven of Wands Rx – Less fighting, conflict, and struggle. More peace, serenity, and comfort. You have the opportunity at this time to turn the tables from stress and strife to a better, more comfortable way forward.

Take Away – There is a lot here about your current transition from the stress of the holiday rush into a better and healthier emotional and mental place.  You are being encouraged to make sure you stay on track towards balance and self care. Focus on being kind to yourself, not suppressing your emotions, and sharing your feelings with others.

DECKS USED: BEAROT DECK

Tarotholics Challenge Dec 31

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#DiscordTarotholicsDec2023 Challenge
Prompt: Grab a spread of your choice that you’ve been curious about… and give it a go!

Year Projection Cartomancy Reading with the Pride Knights Playing Cards

The Foundation: Explore the core energies shaping your year, the underlying themes that will set the stage for your journey.

Ten of Clubs – This year has the potential to be not just a year to reflect on and enjoy your successes and stability you’ve created, but to share it and enjoy it all with others as well.

The Challenges: Uncover potential obstacles or lessons that may arise, guiding you to navigate with wisdom and resilience.

Queen of Spades atop Queen of Clubs – Make sure that your snark does not become a bite that hurts others. It can deconstruct all of the progress toward a happy and stable future that you’ve made if you don’t take care to keep yourself steady and supportive instead of sharp and jagged.

Opportunities: Discover the hidden treasures and opportunities awaiting you on your path, encouraging growth and expansion.

King of Hearts – Gideon helps you stay soft and provides guidance towards your emotional growth. Ensure that you don’t lose sight of your goal to spend more time with him this year, and in doing so your own emotional growth will be fostered and expand.

Self-Discovery: Delve into aspects of self that will unfold and evolve throughout the year, fostering personal development and awareness.

Ten of Spades – Seek new ways to move forward from here that will be healthier for you in the long run. Leave the past trials behind and only carry forward with you the lessons you have learned.

Guidance: Seek insight from your spiritual guides or the universe, offering guidance and wisdom to illuminate your path forward.

Eight of Clubs – Sometimes life moves quickly. You need to take care to keep you eye on what you want to achieve, not just in business but in your own self development and self care as well. Foster stability even during those times when things feel like they are moving too quickly.

DECK USED: PRIDE KNIGHTS PLAYING CARDS

Finding the Positive for December 28 – 29

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These Card of the Day readings are a mental health exercise (suggested by my shrink) used to help counterbalance my natural tendency toward pessimism, negative inner narratives, and depression. The request posed to the cards is, “A positive message to carry with me throughout my day and foster perspective.”

Trickster's Journey Tarot, Snail Marseille, and Christmas Affirmation Cards

December 28

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and was one of the Daily Calm sessions from the Calm app. It was a yoga nidra session that involved scanning the entire body from head to toe before expanding one’s focus to incorporate the entire body and your surrounding energy, combined with a reminder that this time of year is often about resetting ourselves and that a part of that is in treating ourselves kindly.

Three of Cups – “I am a work in progress, and that’s okay.” You don’t have to be “good enough” to have a little fun and revelry in your life. You don’t have to be “perfect” to celebrate. Don’t let your issues with not feeling as if you’re “enough” hold you back from enjoying time with others and having a bit of fun. Life’s too short to be serious all the time.

DECK USED: TRICKSTER’S JOURNEY TAROT AND CHRISTMAS AFFIRMATION CARDS

December 29

Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and was one of the Daily Calm sessions from the Calm app. The topic of today’s meditation was Carpe Diem, and reminded the listener that when opportunities present themselves it’s important to strike instead of procrastinating.

Le Pape – Sage advice crops up again and again because it’s good advice. Sage suggests wide experience, great learning, and wisdom.  It returns to you again and again through elders and the wise. Don’t discount it as boring or droll, for those reactions are you shrugging off wisdom hard-earned by others. Instead, try listening and taking what advice is being given to heart. Today, that wisdom is “Let’s just deal with today. You can deal with tomorrow tomorrow.”

DECK USED: THE SNAIL MARSEILLE AND CHRISTMAS AFFIRMATION CARDS