(This was from yesterday, but I didn't get to finish writing it)

While the listed topic of today's meditation was "calm", it really focused on acceptance. Letting go of "should", and sitting with what is. A thing I've wrestled with quite a bit over the last few years, and expect I will continue to, is the relationships between acceptance, resignation, and apathy.

Acceptance is simply about acknowledging what is. When you see a situation that is "bad", and have a reaction to it, those things simply are.

That doesn't mean you give up on making change (that's resignation), or are unmoved by the situation (apathy). Its more about allowing "a thing happened, and you had an emotional response to that" to happen without judgement. If you feel angry, feel angry. Do not add to your burden by worrying about if you _should_ feel one way or another.

You can then seek change from a position of "things *can* be better" not "things *should*" be better.

Even these words feel insufficient to describe the internal dialog, and where I've landed.

The Hierophant (V): Conventional, Institution, Tradition

First, I must confess I'm not overly familiar with the Hierophant, so today is a learning opportunity for me too!

The Hierophant is someone deeply rooted in tradition. A wise counselor, a teacher. At first, this feels in direct opposition to all the bits I wrote before about acceptance while still working towards change.

But deeper reading challenges that. Its a guide for growth. And growth doesn't come from blind adherence to tradition. But it also doesn't come from ignoring tradition. Traditions exist for a reason. If you want to change them, you need to understand what purpose they server first.

#tarot #dailytarot #mysticmondays

Its another Monday, so I am going back to the well of my "Mystic Mondays" deck. This deck always feels hopeful. With the simplistic art and high saturation, a sense of calm optimism seems to radiate, no matter the card.

Todays meditation was on awareness. Taking the time and making the effort to be fully aware and present. Sitting with the sensations in your body, your emotions, and your senses. It can be a lot to take in, and often lets us get to all those things our mind has tagged as constant, and has filtered out. Maybe its a sense of unease, a small discomfort in our shoulder, or the ticking of a clock that's always there, but you never hear.

Knight of Pentacles: Harvest, Dedication, Routine

This card is a reminder that the best results come from slow, persistent effort. All of life is a marathon, not a sprint. Be ambitious in your goals, but pace yourself. You can't do god for yourself, or others, if you burn out on the first lap. Work hard, but at a sustainable pace. Be relentless in pursuit of our goals, but also take the time needed to rest.

Often, the biggest challenge in being slow but persistent is that the goal doesn't seem like its getting any closer, so its easy to loose steam. But, when we combine that with awareness, we can be more attuned to the small changes, and our progress becomes more apparent.

#tarot #dailytarot #mysticmondays

Another Monday, another pull from my Mystic Mondays deck. While a lot of my decks echo the parts of my personality that most would consider "dark", this deck is quite the opposite. Its bright, vibrant, optimistic almost to a fault. And, that too is something that resonates with me. While these two perspectives look like opposites, if you pull back a little, you'll find they're really the same. Finding beauty in the darkness, in the grotesque, in the morbid, is simply accepting that part of the natural rhythm of life. Things live, and then they die. And then something new is born.

And, really, weeks can be like that too. Monday is, or can be, a day of beginnings. This week, I am going to focus on looking for the joy in everything.

## Card
The Chariot (VII): Victory, Willpower, inner drive

## Reflections
Ok, I'm getting two parallel thoughts on this one.

The first is that this card is representing the willpower and drive it will take to look for the joy in everything. Does that mean that it will be hard? Is that because this week will be hard, or because seeing joy is a challenge?

The other is looking for joy is the foundation on which drive and victory can be built. Choosing joy could be the fuel you need to change your perspective and see the world in a different light.

#tarot #dailytarot #mysticmondays

While its not actually Monday, it is the beginning of my work week after a long weekend. So, we're going with my Mystic Mondays deck anyway. Because I want to. And nobody can stop me.

Knight of Pentacles: Harvest, dedication, routine

Very fitting for a "Monday". A pretty direct reminder that dedication, persistence, and consistency are the keys to lasting change and success.

#dailytarot #tarot #mysticmondays

Today's Monday, and that's more than enough reason to reach for my "Mystic Mondays" deck. Its bright, vibrant, and simple. Which is the perfect kind of energy to bring into the start of a week.

I've refocused on meditation for the last week or so, and I am reminded how much of a difference it makes in my life. I tend to live in a constant oscillation between "chaos" and "exhaustion", and I'd always accept that that was how I interfaced with the world. Between #ADHD medication, #meditation, and workouts, I've reduced the size of the swings significantly, allowing me to also spend more time in the middle place, rather than just flying by it from one edge to the other. More time in the middle, more balanced portion of that gives more stability, resilience, and self awareness. I can manage things before they become pure chaos, and I can feel my energy sapping before I hit the exhaustion wall.

The Chariot (VII): Victory, Willpower, Inner Drive

OK, so this deck tends to be very bubbly and positive anyway, but this one just hits me today. It talks a lot about focus and that leading to success, which as an #ADHDer is something I struggle with quite a bit. I have plenty of focus, just not always the best control over where it goes. It could be that this is really hitting me today because I did a guided meditation session about it, and then 30 minutes later pulled a card about it. Our brains see connections. Ones that are there, and ones that aren't. That is why I do this. To add another layer of perspective to my life. Maybe a card I pull will help me think about something differently, or maybe it will reinforce something I'm already doing. I never know.

Stay well, and stay curious.

#tarot #dailytarot #mysticmondays

This week, between Christmas and the New Year, has a strange liminal quality to it. Unfamiliar places, lack of routine, anticipation. It's a time between. A no man's land.

Four of Wands: Home, foundation, backbone

Today's card really provides a much needed foil to general feeling of this time of year. A reminder to anchor ourselves to home. Be that a place, a person, a routine. Whatever makes "home" for you can be what tethers you when you feel adrift.

#tarot #dailytarot #mysticmondays

Today is hectic for me, preparing for a large family gathering. Taking a few moments to dedicate to my practice feels both indulgent and deeply necessary

Two of Wands: Advance, explore, prospects, leaving your comfort zone

The card today speaks of confidently going forwards, leaving the comfort of certainty behind. This resonates with me today, because I haven't been in a large family gathering since I started my journey of becoming more authentic.

#tarot #dailytarot #mysticmondays

I know the winter holiday season is complicated for many. I'm blessed that my close family is mostly pleasant to be around, but my thoughts go out to everyone where that isn't the case.

Since I'm traveling for the holidays, the only deck I brought is my Mystic Mondays deck. No special reason. I used it before I left, and decided to stick with it. I did intentionally decide not to bring my Lost Hollow deck, because I default to it so often, and my tarot practice is intentionally a place to stretch myself.

Princess of Cups: flow, synchronicity, unconscious

This card reminds us of our unconscious intuition. Many times, our unconscious notices more than we think, and tries to tell us. We need but learn to listen. Find your way to open up to your unconscious mind, there's more there than you think

#tarot #dailytarot #mysticmondays

Today I'm pulling from my Mystic Mondays deck. It's bright and colorful throughout, the cards are well made, but over glossy, a very heavy stock, and in what seems to be a theme, just slightly too tall to be truly comfortable.

The fool (0): Free spirit, purity, beginnings

The fool is all about starting. The tarot deck is set up to tell the story of a journey, and we are the fool that's taking it. Neither burdened by knowledge or blessed by experience, the fool is the start of a journey of discovery. I hope to carry that openness into the coming week, and into the New Year

#tarot #dailytarot #mysticmondays