writing challenge

🎨 Weekly Creativity Prompt – The Flowers

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Prompt: Pull (at least) three cards and use them to respond to… “One day, wandering on city streets, you find a small garden set off the street and apparently open to all. Inside the garden, you sit on a bench, and after a few quiet moments, the flowers begin to speak to you. What do they say? Do you talk to them? What do you talk about?”

Are You In The Room Tarot - Eight of Cups, Six of Wands, Magician, Ace of DiscsSome of the flowers speak of how they feel stuck and frustrated by the roots that hold them in one place when there is so much more in the world they want to see. (Eight of Cups Rx)

Others speak of an eagerness to travel and grow, and of their seeds soon to be set loose to propagate far and wide. (Magician atop Ace of Discs).

I speak with them all, listening to their thoughts and worries, dreams and fears, encouraging them to see the choices they are limited to as a boon of abundance rather than restrictive and limiting. (Dog and His Bones)

DECK USED: ARE YOU IN THE ROOM TAROT

🎨 Weekly Creativity Prompt – The Door

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Pull (at least) three cards and use them to respond to this prompt: You’re walking through the forest and you come across a door. It doesn’t look like it goes anywhere, but the key is in the lock. What do you do? And what do you find?

White Sage Tarot - Six of Cups, Death, Page of Swords, Queen of Swords, Knight of Wands

I amble among the towering trees of craggy bark and drooping fronds blended with the drape of lace like moss, the scent of evergreen and wet in the air as soft moss and pine needles act as a spongy carpet beneath my feet.  Each step is a childhood memory as scents of fern and cedar mix with fir and pine, the air holding a cool dampness that soothes the sinuses and fills the senses with breath after breath of fresh air. (Six of Cups)

In this place of memories I seek to find grace in the face of change, and it is as I wander that I come upon a door nestled among the trees. It stands straight and tall, and when I circle around behind the trees it seems there is nothing on the other side, and yet energy in the air says different and speaks of mysteries and secrets.  Drawn in, I reach for the knob and turn it, opening the door with a sense of inevitability and curiosity, as if every step I have ever taken has lead me here.  Here to this door and this moment… and I step through. (Death)

On the other side, the world appears the same as before, and yet it is I that have changed, not the world around me.  In crossing the threshold I acknowledge it is time to begin again… to begin anew.  It is time to take all that I have learned and be reborn on a new quest to learn more and continue to grow. (Page of Swords)

Within myself the spark of eager anticipation bursts into action.  I hear laughter on the breeze and rustling among the trees, and I am inspired to dart forward into this new world that is me.  Dart forward and dash among the ferns and the fronds, chase that soft tinkle of laughter among the leaves and the tree trunks, and become lost, once more, in the wonder of life around me. (Knight of Wands)

Now lost among the trees in a forest both familiar and also brand new, I wander, experience, and explore. There is so much to see and experience, and I’m prepared for the journey and to guide others that I meet along the path the way forward into the forest as well. (Queen of Swords)

DECK USED:  WHITE SAGE TAROT

The Best Thing – A “sort of” Gideon’s Challenge Post

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SunsetInspired by a prompt in one of the servers I visit on Discord…
What’s the Best Thing?

A lazy day sprawl on the bed while listening to the rain.
That first breath of crisp air after crossing the treeline on a hike.
Watching pine boughs sway while lying on a bed of moss in the shade.
The ball shriveling gut clench of diving into a glacier fed lake.
Pausing, face up to the sky, for Autumn’s first raindrops.
Racing headlong through the forest chasing laughter.
Miss Luna snugging in close to purr against my ear.
Burrowing my face in Gideon’s chest and just breathing him in.
Actually? Any time when with Gideon and we don’t feel desperate. (Comes from so much of the last year apart and a need to cling too tightly whenever there’s even a smidge of time together.)
Oh…. and towel hugs after a nice long soak in the bath.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

🎨 Weekly Creativity Prompt – Knight of Cups

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Prompt: “Pull the Knight of Cups card from your deck(s). Compare the imagery between the card provided below and the card(s) from your own deck(s). How would you read them differently and why?“

Lo Scarabeo Tarot - Knight of CupsLo Scarabeo Tarot – In this card we see a man who knows what he wants and is willing to take a chance and use his imagination to its fullest to get whatever that is.  There is a vulnerability that comes with wearing one’s heart on their sleeve, and yet? He’s all in… vulnerability and all.

The card encourages thinking outside the box to obtain your heart’s desires, whatever those desires might be.  Be willing to be vulnerable in order to reach for those things that will truly make you happy.

Knight of Cups in the Tarot for the Great Outdoors, Mana-Fest Awaken Tarot, and Pot Tarot

Tarot for the Great Outdoors –  Too many boats and not enough water! All the weekend warriors had the same brilliant idea and now the waters are too crowded.   This card is a reminder that sometimes?  You can just jump in the car (or boat, as the case may be) and go, no matter how good the idea sounds. Some things in life take a little planning, whether it’s to make sure you get to the end goal or just to make sure avoid the traffic jam on the way there when everyone else has the same idea as you.

Mana-Fest Light-Weave Tarot – Sometimes, curiosity leads the way when it comes to those things that truly make us happy or soothe our souls.  Here a knight looks into his cup as if scrying for the future.  What does he see?  If it were you gazing into the cup at your heart’s desire for the future, what would you see?  This card prompts us to pause a moment to take a look at what we really want, and tells us that now is the time to go after those things with passion and intensity.

Pot Tarot – Don’t get distracted on your way to the goal.  If you want to wine and dine and romance someone and you take a hit or two at the bong before hand?  You’re not going to get to the wining and dining (or the after-dinner delight either).  Sometimes we have to put off an immediate pleasure in order to gain something even better in the end.  Make sure that this isn’t one of those times for you.

DECK USED: LO SCARABEO TAROT, TAROT FOR THE GREAT OUTDOORS, MANA-FEST Light-Weave TAROT, POT TAROT

Gideon’s Challenge

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Photo-Mar-28-2024,-12-14-43-PMAdoption Day

As we wander
down aisles
of colorful blooms
and seek out
those to take home
it is like visiting
a humane society
and seeing
all those
begging eyes
behind bars
aching
to be picked.
It’s so hard
to choose
just one.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

🎨 Weekly Creativity Prompt – Knight of Swords

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Prompt: “Pull the Knight of Swords card from your deck(s). Compare the imagery between the card provided below and the card(s) from your own deck(s). How would you read them differently and why?“

Japaridze Tarot - Knight of SwordsJaparidze Tarot – The benefits of listening. In a conversation, a debate, or an argument… do you speak? Or do you listen? When the other person is speaking, are you listening? Or are you chomping at the bit to open your mouth and have your side heard? How much restraint does it take to hold back? How hard is it to not hear “Charlie Brown adults” wah-wahing away and instead hear the words said and -think- about them before opening your own mouth? In this card, that is what I see. I see someone fighting to choke back their words, all the while rolling their eyes. Not listening. Just waiting for their time to speak. Is this something that you do? How can you do better, and what will it change if you try to step back and listen instead of jumping forward with “guns blazing”?

Knight of Swords - Lucid Mind Tarot, The Caticorn Deck, The Lighted Window Tarot

Lucid Minds Tarot – This is one of those rare Knight of Swords cards where the Knight’s sword is pointed down.  It speaks of taking time to think before you act rather than charging ahead.  Whether acting is a physical manifestation, or about what is about to come out of your mouth that may influence others or the world around you, this card is a reminder that we need to think first.  Not just about what we want or need to say or do, but about how we say it, as well as how those words (or strategic actions) may affect others.

The Caticorn – A classic knight, this card is filled with action and the knight is poised for battle. His face shows keen intellect and that posture of preparedness indicates that he is ready to act without hesitation. Movement in the background reflects an “Eight of Wands” type of theme, speaking of a need for speed, while the cat’s expression and body language makes it clear that if you’re going to act, make sure you do so with purpose.

The Lighted Window Tarot – In this card, although the sword is up and at the ready, there is no indication of speed nor impulsivity.  The knight’s hair floats around in the air above their head, speaking to me of inscrutable thoughts that are clouded and messy.  Perhaps this is why the Knight is not moving.  The clenched fist of his left hand indicates he wants to, but they hold off to make sure that they are clear-headed first.  I would see this card saying that sense of holding off for clarity is a good idea for the querent as well.

DECK USED: JAPARIDZE TAROT, LUCID MINDS TAROT, THE CATICORN DECK, THE LIGHTED WINDOW TAROT