Tag Archives: Relaxation

#TarotDaily – 4 of Swords + Judgement (Radiant WS)

Posted on by
Reply


TarotHunter’s Silver Bullets:

  • It’s time to rest, draw in your energy and take a break. This gives you a chance to reassess, reevaluate and reconsider your plans. Soon, you be released and unleashed – ready to take on new projects; reenergized to discover what lies around the next curve in your road.
  • Be careful not to withdraw from others right now. You may have been judging yourself too harshly and, as a result, cut yourself off from those who can help you move past this tendency. Be open to listening to the advice friends and loved ones offer.
  • You’ve been in a period of hibernation, removing yourself from the world around you in order to better assess what you want to do next. Now it’s time to emerge again and celebrate your potential; explore what new opportunities await!

Thoughtful Thor’s Day: Tea & Tarot – perfect partners

Posted on by
Reply

Lately I have been relying on tea and Tarot to help me deal with the insanity of the situation in which I find myself (wine too but that’s a topic for another day).  I’ve always been a tea drinker but in the last 3 years or so I’ve become more adventurous.  I’ve begun exploring loose tea, teas from different locales, oolongs as well as black teas as well as trying different vendors.  I’m quickly realizing that my tea obsession is right up there with my Tarot obsession.  This made me wonder why roles they fulfill in my life.

SoHo
I think the tea (in addition to being tasty) allows me to take some time for myself.  The process forces me to slow down for at least a few minutes and just focus on me.  Tarot offers me the same opportunity – for at least 10 minutes every day I take a breather and focus on me.  That may not seem like much but for me it’s a brief respite in the midst of what tend to be exhausting, chaotic days.
Butter TruffleTchaikovsky Tea Time
Drinking coffee, for me, was a necessary evil.  I needed the caffeine jolt to get me kickstarted every morning (I’m just not a morning person).  Tea drinking is a labor of love, a tiny touch of civility and relaxation in an otherwise externally focused, frenetic day.  It allows me to feel as though I’m nurturing and caring for myself.  On gray, gloomy days, tea allows me to feel snuggly and warm  On warm, sunny days, tea allows me to slow down a bit and just enjoy the beauty of the day.
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
It’s also interesting what insights I’ve learned about myself via tea and Tarot.  The types of Tarot decks towards which I gravitate tell me that I’m not pastel, light kind of person.  I have nothing against decks that focus on positivity and lightness but they don’t resonate with me.  I need darkness to balance the pastel.  I need shadow to offset the light.

My taste in teas is similar.  I tend to avoid green and white teas in flavor of full-bodied blacks and oolongs.  If a tea is described as having green, vegetal flavors I know it’s probably not my taste.  If it has chocolate or honey flavors I’m putting it on the wish list.
Teatime Bliss
Both tea and Tarot can allow us time to focus on ourselves.  They give us space to relax and reconnect with our inner selves.  Both have enough variety to suit every taste and palate.  They also both have connections to fortune telling – reading tea leaves and Tarot cards are both well established divinatory techniques.  So the next time you are doing a Tarot reading for yourself, considering having a hot cuppa as accompaniment.

How can I welcome spirit in? 3 of Wands R + 10 of Wands

Posted on by
1

BoS So Below 3 of Wands BoS So Below 10 of Wands

These cards show an entwined and complementary answer to my question.  In the companion book, Barbara offers the interpretation “wasting time and energy” for the reversed 3 of Wands.  I can see that as one appropriate meaning but I also see it as telling me that I need to slow down and waste some time and energy on myself.  Focusing that energy inwards rather than outwards is one way of welcoming spirit in and honoring it in my life.

The 10 of Wands with its harried female office worker describes my life right now.  My harried, overworked feeling might not be due to an office environment but it exists nonetheless.  I think this card is reminding me that I need the slow down, wasted energy phase to counterbalance this harried, abundance responsibilities phase.

To me the 3 of Wands reversed is more about slowing down and tending to myself; stopping and enjoying a cup of tea while reading a great book.  Ellen of Greylady’s Hearth commented on my blog post the other day reminding me that a gratitude journal can be a powerful tool for staying on track when it comes to self-care and slowing down.  That seems to fit beautifully with this card’s message.

This is also the third time I’ve drawn the 3 of Wands since using this deck.  I think it’s trying to reinforce the message that I need to take better care of myself.  It’s important to take time for myself to relax, de-stress and just do something just for me.  Otherwise I’ll be blue and swamped like the woman in the 10 of Wands.  I can’t walk away from these responsibilities so I need to develop skills and techniques to help me relax and become calm and centered so that I can deal with them without losing my mind.