I do… to avoid… (not looking forward to digging through this pull).
I do… 8 of pentacles: work hard, push myself to be better, work harder and accomplish my goals.
…to avoid… 3 of cups reversed: excess, isolation and loneliness, and I think the upright meaning too, friendship, community building and meeting new people.
Not a lot to unpack here- it is exactly this. I do it all under the guise of needing to make money to get by, but I think I could probably have a better handle on that.
Life got busy- I had a couple of full days of work so here’s a bit of a catch up
Day 8:
My fears do not…
Queen of Wands/Rods: This card keeps popping up so I have to figure out what or who it’s trying to tell me about.
My fears do not minimize me. My fears don’t stop me from being outgoing and exploring the world. My fears do not hold me back (and I think 9/10 this is true, but it usually just leads to an overwhelming burst of anxiety and the inability to really enjoy whatever it is I’m afraid of, but…)
Day 9:
My confidence needs to know that…
9 of Cups (reversed): My confidence needs to know that it may be necessary to fake it until we make it, but I need to be careful not to overdo it. I need to focus on the quality of my experience and use those to build up my confidence.
Day 10: My pain does not…
6 of Swords Reversed: My pain doesn’t mean I have to try and run and hide- it doesn’t mean that there aren’t people who can help me. It also doesn’t run and hide from me. It makes itself known, it hits me in the face and shuts me down, so I’m unable to deal with or handle anything else besides it. I obsess over my pain, letting it drag me down sometimes and this isn’t something that I need to do. Instead I can share the burden with others- the ones in my boat.
Day 11:
Even when my shadow… that doesn’t mean…
Even when my shadow… Card: Justice: Even when my shadow weighs me down with judgement- perhaps fairly, perhaps unfairly. When it chooses black or white, binary options only.
…that does mean… Card: … Justice… again. ok DAMN. It doesn’t mean that it has to be black and white. It doesn’t mean that I actually do need to judge myself with a meter stick that I wouldn’t use with someone else. I don’t need to judge myself when I wouldn’t judge someone else like that.
Well. Snap. hahaha. What do your spreads look like?
Pull two cards. If these cards were your biggest supporters what would they say to you?
Cards:
3 of Wands and 7 of Wands
Keep moving forward, don’t let the haters get you down- you can take them. Your battles are not insurmountable, you can explore wherever and whatever you want. Don’t be afraid to conquer the world.
(I was hoping I was going to get the Devil, so it would just be SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS!!!!!!!!!! Hahaha).
Cards: Success (The Chipmunk and Laurel) and Determination (The Ram and Dahlia)
Success and Determination from the Woodland Wardens Oracle deck
My anxiety isn’t going to lead to or destroy my success. It just is. It may slow me down, but in what ways can I be victorious over it, or against it. My anxiety may be determined but it will not last forever, it will not climb every mountain and bloom into every season. It can be overcome.
Being stable, being self-sufficient, being able to provide for my own needs and my own concerns. This is true. This is something I set as a sort of bench mark for myself. I want to be able to be my own sustainable person. I hope that one day I’ll be able to make it happen even more than I am already.
I’m going to use Oracle cards for this one today. It feels right.
I can be: The Dragonfly and Pansy: Balance … and still: The Bear and Cedar: leadership.
Woodland Wardens Oracle
This is a nice one. I often feel like people in leadership feel like they have to be hard asses- they have to rule with an iron fist. They can’t be kind or friendly with the people who work under them- and I think this is bullshit. I’m sure it’s possible to lead without being domineering and unkind. I’m sure you can be a leader and show leadership while still being a human, who is accessible. Not just a company slave. This spread makes me happy because I’m going to be in a leadership role this summer, and I want to be the kind of leader that people enjoy, not the kind who makes people feel like garbage.
What has allowed this stress in my life to take root and grow? Ace of Wands Reversed. Confusion, miscommunications and arguments. Well…yeah… that’s stressful. lol
What is the core stressor in my life at this time that is under my control to change? Ace of cups: my emotions? Creativity, spirituality and intuition. I can control how I feel and react to things, I can control empathetic gazes and looking at things with new eyes.
What can I do right now to help ease my stress and anxiety related to this issue? 8 of pentacles reversed- chill out. Don’t worry about all the little details- broad strokes will take away some of the stress and worry. At the same time, I need to get to it and just do it and get it done.
Here’s the spread for this week. Notice how we’re looking here for similarity and patterns, which is a good way to start to read a spread- not just card by card and trying to slam them together. This is something I struggle with sometimes- I’ve seen some really great readers who connect these amazingly well!
So, no question in particular in mind, here’s my spread.
Cards: The Moon, Two of Swords, Two of Cups
Hmm ok let’s look at the similarities and patterns we can see:
I’m always drawn to colour, so what stands out to me here is the blue and the yellow. We’ve got blue mountains and a blue body of water in the moon, with a bright yellow moon in the sky. There’s a large blue background in the 2 of Swords, with bright yellow sleeves on our blindfolded figure. And the last flash of blue of a sleeve on one of our drinkers (both of which are holding yellow cups).
There’s no direct eye contact in any of these cards with the reader or the querent. In fact vision is deliberately disconnected with a blindfold.
There’s also a hell of a lot of symmetry in these cards- the 2 of swords could be cut down the middle and both sides are almost entirely even. The moon, too, has two towers, two dogs and a lobster with outstretched claws. The two of cups has two folks linked together on their side- looking rather intensely at each other.
We’ve also got two moons- a small sliver of a moon in the 2 of swords- the kind of daytime moon you see sometimes. Love it.
There’s a kind of intensity in this spread- like an intense aversion- a refusal to see something, and a layer of deception from the first card in this spread. What should I be paying attention to? What should I be looking at?
There’s some kind of difficult choice I need to make and I can’t make it/it’s difficult to make because there’s something in the way- something that I’m refusing to look at or something that I simply haven’t been able to see yet because it’s been hidden from me. This decision could be about a partnership of some kind, or there could be someone close to me who could help me see what I can’t.
What do you think? What similarities can you see? How would you read this?
Here we go folks! Another spread from the amazing Twist the Leaf/Tarotholics discord:
OK I’m not sure if my dumbass will suffer from information overload with two cards for each for extra credit, but we’re gonna give it a hook. I encourage you to give me feedback if you’re reading this- tell me if you see something I don’t! 😀
Here’s my spread:
What positive qualities do I have that others admire?
Cards: Four of Pentacles (rx) and Queen of Wands (rx): I’m generous with my emotions or at least I’ve got the spirit but I’m a little confused when it comes to action and putting plans into place- I’m generous with my time and emotions, but I can get stuck within certain pursuits and carry things forward in an intense way.
What positive qualities do I wish I had that I admire in others?
Cards: The Moon (rx) and The Devil: I wish I could get lost in excess and not regret it, that I could convince myself of some positive misconceptions that would make my life easier. I admire the way others can fully trust and empower themselves through their intuition.
What step(s) can I take now to work toward developing that quality in myself?
Cards: Ace of Pentacles and The Chariot: I should use material elements in life (maybe physical self-care, the earth) to push myself forward into tapping into my intuition. Or I should spend more money on new indulgences to obtain the excess of the Devil’s vibe? I mean, usually, this deck tells me not to do that, so I think it might be getting more in touch with new jobs/work/nature/growing opportunities that are coming up soon.
What step(s) can I take to make the positive qualities I already have shine brightly?
Cards: Eight of Swords (rx) and Nine of Swords: Surrender to what is coming and understand that the anxiety I’m bound to face in thinking I’m not good enough or I can’t provide for others or I’m not doing a good job; this is counterproductive but unavoidable. Feel it, and let it go. I am the only one who will put myself through it and also the only one who will stop myself from going through it.
I used the This Might Hurt tarot deck, which is available for purchase in a new limited edition now, I believe. It’s a fabulous deck 🙂
I liked this challenge! Let me know if you do it and what you get out of it!
I’ve been spending most of my mental energy designing and pretending to buy furniture for the place hahaha! I’m currently covered in paint, and desperately trying to catch up and finish April’s challenge on a semi-complete note.
Instead of doing all the days I’ve missed, I’ve selected the prompts I like the most for this last post before May. I hope you enjoy them 🙂
Day 24: What empowering thoughts can I focus on today to motivate myself?
Card: The Tower (yikes): Sometimes things come crashing down and that’s part of life. Sometimes things that were strong, break. Without a break, there can be no new growth, no rebuilding. Sometimes there must be pain to learn, to grow and to get rid of what doesn’t truly serve you. Remember, this too, shall pass.
Day 27: What part of myself or my journey am I being called to have more faith in, and what actions can I take to boost my confidence in this area?
Card: Four of Cups: Sometimes I get stuck between decisions and I become lost in endless back and forth- which is the right step to take, what should I do, what colour should I paint the kitchen and I dwell so much it immobilizes me. I need to believe in my choices a bit more, trust the process a bit more, and have faith that action will provide a forward movement, if nothing else 🙂 .
Day 28: What accomplishment can I celebrate (card 1) and how can I honour this today (card 2)?
Card 1: Knight of Swords (jumper): Taking action, going for it, jumping in with all of the feet I possess, despite the fear of not knowing how it might turn out. I should be proud of the recent risks I’ve taken 🙂 I am!
Card 2: Page of Swords (jumper, and not sure if it was reversed): Enjoy making plans, don’t get stuck into the minutia of every little thing involved in the carrying out of the plan- just embrace the enthusiasm. Don’t let anyone else’s opinions or ideas push that happiness away.
Day 30: What do I need to let go of by the end of Mercury Retrograde (after May 14th)?
Card: The Empress: Ooo not sure of this one- could be conflicts with female figures in my life- could be the concept of what makes someone feminine, could be my internalized gendered concepts and sense of expression in the ways that it limits me (aversion towards specifically gendered elements because of other’s opinions, internalized judgement). I’ll have to wait and see how this one manifests I think.
As in my last post, this selection comes from the Creatures Tarot. It’s an amazing deck. I’m still getting used to it, but I’m really enjoying it so far 🙂
Day 18: What practices or rituals can I add to my daily routine to incorporate more self-care?
Card: The World: I can bring in an element of reflection (which is funny because I came to the same realization this morning when I was raking myself over the coals for old crappy things I’ve done), and maybe incorporate some gentle low key travel, or some travel plans for the future. I like that idea 😉
Day 19: What changes can I make to make life easier (card 1) and how will these changes benefit me (card 2):
Cards: The Hierophant Rx (card 1), and 4 of Cups. I can start to follow the beat of my own drum and go against the status quo. I don’t feel like that necessarily makes life easier though… so maybe it’s more that I need to stop taking stock in the kind of concerns and beliefs that those in power in my life seem to have. I can let go of that need for approval. In doing that, I can re-evaluate what’s important to me, where I want my life to go and what I need to do to get there. I feel a bit like I’ve lost my way recently, so maybe this will help.
The deck used is one I’ve had for a while but haven’t used in ages that I love from Lo Scarabeo. It’s called The Tarot of Oppositions and if you’re interested in getting into reading reversals (which some tarot practitioners do not do for lots of different reasons), then I would highly recommend it. It has a beautiful duplication where you can see the reversed (or opposite meaning) in the reflected image- if the card is upright, you see the upright image clearly, but if you pull a reversal, then you can see the reversed image clearly. You can also use this as a way to just balance your concepts of multiple card meanings. I find once it gets into like 5+ in each suit, it can be a little harder to read, but I still really enjoy it for this purpose. The card quality is also pretty good for a mass-market deck, the price point is reasonable, and the artwork is pretty cool. I like most of the decks I’ve bought from Llewellyn (and most of the witchy books they sell, too). They routinely have site-wide sales that are pretty awesome.
Card: Two of Wands: I can give myself options, and ideas, make plans for the future and show up for myself in whatever way I can.
Day 17: Where can I be more generous with myself today?
Card: Ten of cups RX: I can be kinder on myself regarding the mistakes I’ve made with relationships and the friendship issues I’ve had in the past. I can be kinder to myself on the cringe moments that I think about- everyone has them. Not just me.
Day 11: How can I best channel my most courageous, most fearless self?
Card: Mouse: Pay closer attention to what’s going on. The mouse asks you to look into what is happening around you, what contracts you’re signing, and what’s happening with those who you surround yourself with. So boosting my courage can come from paying attention to the opportunities and the things that I surround myself with.
Day 12: What commitments can I make to support my journey towards self-love?
Card: Chimpanzee: I can use my intuition and understanding of the world to find the best ways to support myself. I can commit myself to bridge the gap between my intuition and my ‘logic’ brain.
Day 13: What am I being called to dedicate more time to this season?
Card: Manatee: Being a badass sea cow and swimming along with the flow! Letting things happen and not fighting them but going with the waves. I don’t always have to make everything into a battle.
Day 14: What can I do to stay motivated in achieving my goals or plans?
Card: Peacock: Stand out from the crowd! Take the accolades that are offered (if they are) and don’t be afraid to strut your stuff. Also, I’ve seen peacocks in real life, I have to be loud and annoying and possibly hang out on a roof top when possible.
Day 15: What personal strengths can I tap into to help me overcome any current challenges?
Card: Cat (domestic): Claws! Adorable side-eyes, and sharp teeth. 🙂 I can use my independence to find the right way.
I got this deck from a friend for my birthday. It’s called Messages from your Animal Spirit Guides Oracle Cards, and I really like the feel of them as well as the directness of the message behind them.
I DID IT AGAIN, I’M SORRY THIS MONTH IS A LITTLE INSANE.
I would like to promise you that the next month of May will be better. That is a lie.It will probably be worse.
Anyway, here’s wonderwall.
Day 7: How can I harness my energy to fuel my creativity and pursue my passions?
Card: 6 of Vessels (6 of cups): Look back on memories, turn back the clock and remember the good times of the past. Look at how I’ve harnessed my energy in the past and use it in a similar way- I always used to dive deep into creativity and express myself through writing when I was a kid, so maybe this is something I should look back into.
Day 8: What can focusing on my passions do for me?
Card: Ace of Wands: It can give me new ideas, new thoughts, and new ways of expressing myself. I think it can also give me a chance to cleanse myself- sweep away the cobwebs. It can give me a way of opening up the world around me- unlocking my community. For me, I think this is telling me that by focusing my energy on the new things happening around me, I can have a fresh start.
Day 9: What steps am I guided to take to further awaken my inner fire?
Card: 10 of coins Rx (10 of pentacles reversed): Avoid spending money? Maybe? Or spend money but be careful and watch out for overspending? Taking in what I have right now, and enjoying the journey I’m on. Making the most out of what I have in my power at the moment. Ok, I can do that!
Day 10: How can I cultivate a sense of adventure in my life?
Card: The Crow and Dogwood: Intelligence: Solving the problems that exist in my life and believing in myself. Try and find unique and interesting ways of solving problems and look for the shiny, interesting things happening in life- find them and latch onto them.
The decks used today are The Transient Light Tarot, and Woodland Wardens Oracle cards. They’re both awesome, affordable, and available at a tarot website or shop near you! 🙂
This comes from a creativity prompt on the discord server I’ve mentioned before (a great resource! All are welcome!). The Hanged Man is represented in a variety of different ways, depending on what or how the deck creator wants it to look like. Each version gives different insights into the meaning of the card and the ways you could choose to read them.
Have a look at some of my Hanged Man cards.
My more traditional Rider Waite Smith connected decks look like this:
RWS Versions: Tarot for all ages (purple one, called Surrender): Birds carry this person away over the sea, where they seem to have no troubles, worries or fears. I read this (and many of my others) quite positively- it’s a call to let yourself be free (maybe connect to inner peace, like the white birds carrying the person away from their ‘sea of troubles’), and let whatever happen.
This Might Hurt: Here we have a lot of nature/woodsy imagery: two trees combine to hold up the hanged man, a bird rests on his leg akimbo, flowers and a sun hitting the horizon shine behind his head. This card seems almost more meditative, stop and let everything go, connect to nature, connect within yourself- I read this as a bit pushier- encouraging the reader to stop and reflect within themselves- the precision of the limbs, the plaid lumberjack vibe and this person in the forest makes me feel like he’s working at letting things go.
The Hidden Light Tarot: A monk suspended in prayer, there is tight control here.
It feels as though the monk has put himself in this position for a purpose. He is putting himself through this physical test to help himself. I would read this card as inspirational- what can you do to find this sense of control and peace? To what lengths can you push yourself to let go? You have to do the work here.
One of my decks that strays from the RWS images is the Transient Light Tarot: The anchor hangs upside down- an impossible feat- if your anchor isn’t working, then surely you must feel lighter- releasing what is holding you down, or at the very least, turning it upside down to get a new perspective on it. It’s resting in your hands as well, making me read it as if it is entirely within your grasp to see things from the other side- to see things in a different way, or even to let the weight of life lift off your shoulders. I read this as more of you know what you need to do, and it’s easier than you think. You can let it go- it’s all in your hands.
What does the Hanged Man look like in your deck? How do you read it?
Madame Starbeam's Tarot Journey 