using tarot for guidance

Ambition and Strategization

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

The Christmas Tarot - King of SwordsToday’s draw is the King of Swords, which is traditionally a representation of a projective alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s thoughts, intellect, education, logic, ambitions, strategy, and communication. This often translates into themes that have to do with professional acumen, authority figures in the education sector, cunning strategists, and those skills that are often referred to as having a “silver tongue”.

Today’s card is a reminder of strategy, and the experience you have gained over years that can help you put strategies in place in your life that will assist you in achieving your goals.

Ambition can be a hard task master, but strategy can help map out your path in a way that takes some of the burden and stress off your shoulders and makes your path forward easier.

Today’s card is about seizing your knowledge and using it to your advantage in such a way. Consider what needs done, and what your next steps can be. Plot a course, and strategize your way forward. Adaptability works best when you have a plan in place that you can then adapt from…. rather than simply moving through chaos with no plan at all.

DECK USED:  THE CHRISTMAS TAROT

Daily Self Kindness

*Thinks on this.*  I chose an apple and peanut butter toast over cookies this evening.

❤️ Self Care Saturday (On a Sunday)

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These Saturday readings are (not usually) bearing in on any one thing or event in my life, as the question used is asking for a more general outlook. This is a self care exercise, and is not meant as a predictive reading… although that, too, happens on occasion.

The question is… What do I need to focus for self-care through the week ahead?

Self-Care Saturday Tarot Reading with the Snowland Tarot and the Vintage Christmas Lenormand

Earth – Nine of Swords – Financially speaking, make sure that you are standing strong in the boundaries that you have set for yourself during the week ahead. There will be plenty of temptation to mess with your resolve as your anxieties rise and you become a bit more high strung, but by sticking to your boundaries, you’ll have better future results.

Air – Two of Cups – Make sure that you are staying closely connected with those you love in order to keep negative inner narratives at bay. Your connection with them and their support it’s necessary during this time.

Water – Seven of Cups – It’s hard to make it responsible choices when you’re feeling emotionally needy. You need to be aware of what it is you are in need of, so that you don’t try to”fill the hole” with something that’s not going to resolve the issue.

Fire – Four of Swords – Rest when you can, and look for the “easy way” when one is available to you. You have too much going on to add an extra work to your plate that you don’t need to worry about right now.

Waning – Lilies and Crossroad – Your tolerance for others might be a bit short over the next week. Make sure that you are keeping your own council and following your own moral compass, and let them deal with the consequences of their own choices without involving yourself.

Waxing – Man and Whips – Just as you struggle with tolerance for others in the week ahead, so too will you struggle with your own snark and outward reflections of that lack of tolerance. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.  Make sure you are taking this potential to heart and taking steps to mitigate the fall out.

Take Away – Grumpy times lie ahead and you are not particularly kind mentally or in your communication with others during these moments.  Make sure you lean into others to help lift you up and out of your funk, and practice self awareness to ensure you’re not hurting anyone unintentionally. Give yourself a break when you can, and watch out for “self medicating” behaviors.

DECKS USED: SNOWLAND TAROT AND VINTAGE CHRISTMAS LENORMAND

Challenges to Conquer… Not Obstacles

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

Yuletide LenormandToday’s draw is the Sleigh (Ship) and Mountain cards from the Yuletide Lenormand. In Lenormand, the Ship is about movement, travel, and change… while the Mountain is all about obstacles.

With the “Sleigh” coming before the Mountains, while seeking a positive message in the cards, what we see here is an encouragement to seek out challenges and see them as an adventure.

Whether it’s a sleigh on ice, or a ship on the sea, stopping in your tracks is not an option, no matter what obstacle is before you. Better to not fight against these obstacles, but to embrace them.

Dive in and let yourself shine as you meet these challenges head on and show just how industrious you can be in dealing with them.

DECK USED:  YULETIDE LENORMAND

Daily Self Kindness

I did not pressure myself to get everything done today.  Instead, I did a good bit of work… and I also took a nap.

Storytelling Cartomancy Activity – The Bard’s Dilemma

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The prompt for this reading came from one of my Discord servers and is as follows: “Using a deck, let’s write a little short story using 3-5 cards to come up with it!”

Storytelling Cartomancy with the Charlie Brown Christmas Playing CardsBeing the writer for the school play made Andrew super happy and he was so excited as he put the last touches on the script and got it ready to turn in. (Nine of Hearts)

That happiness lasted right up until they wanted to change what he’d written, and began tinkering with the script (Six of Diamonds), something he hadn’t thought anyone would want to do!  He was crushed that they didn’t like it as-is and wanted to change everything. (Three of Diamonds)

So disappointed was Andrew, that he decided “SCREW IT!” and that he wasn’t going to do any more of them in the future. It was too hard… too much work… and ended in disappointment and despair. Especially when the whole production eventually fell apart and no one could agree on anything!  (Ten of Swords)

And yet?  Once the season was at an end and a new one began, he had spent some time away from his writing and realized that he really did enjoy it.  Having taken some time off to consider the situation, he felt renewed and ready to try again… perhaps with a bit better boundaries in place this time. (Four of Spades)

DECK USED: CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS PLAYING CARDS

Don’t Break Your Neck

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

Winter Waite Tarot Santa's Helpers EditionToday’s draw is the Knight of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of an active, projective beta energy, personality, or person in the area of one’s finances, resources, health, home, labors, and manifestations. This often translates into a slow moving but determinedly forward moving energy, personality, or person that has their eye on the prize regardless of the slow and steady speed they may be moving at.

Today’s card is a reminder that as long as you’ve gotten something done? Then you haven’t done nothing.

This is often a concept that I struggle with, as moving along at a slow pace feels counter productive.  I know this is about how I was raised, and I know that moderation is important.  At the same time… it is very hard for me to move slowly, and that’s what today is all about. I didn’t “do nothing” today.  I did a few things for the business including answering questions and customer service… and I did a great deal of self-care.

The Knight of Pentacles coming out today is here to remind us all that progress doesn’t have to be at a breakneck speed. Sometimes, doing a little at a time is enough.

DECK USED:  WINTER WAITE TAROT SANTA HELPERS 2020 EDITION

Daily Self Kindness

I took the day off for a little self care.  That included a soak in the tub… a nap… and some time with Gideon as well.

Gifts of the Past and Present

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Today’s meditation was skipped.

IMG_E8168Today’s draw is the Ornaments card from the Seasons of the Witch Yule Oracle, with the quote “So it is, a remembrance of what once was and with what will be, A fragile beauty beaming upon thy.”

This card’s imagery reminds me of hand-me-downs.  Not clothes and things like that… but Christmas ornaments and candles.  In storage, I have bins of Christmas ornaments from the 20’s through the 60s.  Delicate glass balls and ceramic characters intricately hand painted, and beautiful ornaments carved of wood.  And candles…. so many candles. Not just tapers or votives made by family and friends, but detailed decorative candles covered in frothed wax, glitter, and holiday embellishments.

Some years? Not decorating for the holidays doesn’t bother me at all… other years I really long to go through those boxes, wander among memory lane, and appreciate the creativity of all those around me both of the past, and of the present.

Today’s card reminds me of these stowed away treasures, and of just how fortunate I am to have a culture of friends and family that appreciate creativity and the beauty of hand crafting items that can be passed down through generations.

DECK USED:  SEASONS OF THE WITCH YULE ORACLE

Daily Self Kindness

I’ve been doing a lot of breathing exercises today to help keep my anxiety under control.